2011—What a Year!

Here we are, December 31st. I can’t believe a whole year has flown by. And it’s amazing what has happened in the course of 12 months. And I’ve complied them into my own Top 10 list. So, sit back and enjoy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This should post around 8 AM EST, so it should be after midnight in Hawaii. I'm probably asleep as my sister knows better than to try and wake my family this early. But soon, we'll be opening presents, emptying the stockings, scratching the lottery cards and eating breakfast.

But I want to take a minute a remember what Christmas is all about. I don’t often bring religion onto this blog, but I am a practicing Catholic. Let’s not forget that today we celebrate Jesus entering the world and bringing us hope and peace. And I hope that even if you don’t believe in any higher power or organized religion, for you, Christmas is about that: hope and peace.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Come Sing About Love…

Before this review continues, I will take one moment to fangirl:

OH MY GOD, GODSPELL IS BACK! WOOT! AND IT INCLUDES “BEAUTIFUL CITY!”

Ahem.

I went to see Godspell this past Sunday. It was a last minute decision, something to take our youth group to see. We saw the Sunday matinee over at the Circle in the Square theater. I must note that I find it appropriate that Godspell is only a stone’s throw away from another Stephen Schwartz musical—“Wicked,” which plays at the Gershwin Theater. The theater is also appropriate as it’s a theater in the round. The stage is centered with the seats situated all around. It’s perfect for “Godspell.”
“Godspell” has a very loose plot. It’s more of an improv show with prompts coming from the lessons and parables of the Gospel of Matthew. And some fun songs thrown in to the mix. It’s high energy and thoroughly enjoyable.

Up On the Rooftop, Marshall Sits…

Yes, it’s been awhile. More on that later. Onto the plot!

Robin’s pregnant, y’all!

Or at least she thinks so. She says she’s late and she’s never late. And she’s confiding all of this to Barney. He keeps walking up on the bathroom floor, but not because he keeps passing out. He keeps saying stupid things that causes Robin to punch him. Hard. Then she reveals that Kal Penn can’t be the baby-daddy as they haven’t had sex yet. Which means the baby-daddy would have to be Barney after his and Robin’s one-night stand. This actually excites Barney, causing Robin to pass out. 

Credits!

Celtic Thunder: LIVE! AGAIN!

So, I got to see Celtic Thunder again!

I always knew I want to go to one of the 2011 concert dates. But the question was when? Living where I do, I could go to either the one in Manhattan or a few in New Jersey. I wanted to see the Christmas show though, which narrowed it to New Jersey. I rounded up some friends and got tickets for the night performance at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ. Then a friend got sick so I asked my aunt to come.

I drove to the theater, which was only about a half hour away from my house. Though there was some traffic by Newark caused by a car crash closing a lane. And then my GPS wanted me to turn, but the police had blocked off the street. (I correctly surmised that was where the buses were parked). Then I had to find parking, which was harder than trying to find a spot in Astoria. We finally found one and I got a call from a friend who lives in Jersey and was meeting us there. I thought it was the “Where are you?!” call, but she was calling to let us know SHE just found a parking spot as well.

Fortunately, they delayed the show so I didn’t miss anything. And let me just say, my seats were excellent. When the lads came out, they were actually life-sized! And I could see their faces! Which made it easier to stare lovingly at them. And yes, my boyfriend was next to me the entire time.

I Be Like Woah!

This past cycle on ANTM: Tyra brought back our favorite Top Model contestants…and Alexandria from last cycle. Tyra’s subjected them to Kardashians, Mario Lopez, music videos, her crazy antics, and Tyra’s own book. There are three girls left: Allison, Angelea and Lisa. Who will win the dubious honor again? Find out!

Wanna be on top?

Nostalgia Nook: Winnie the Pooh and Christmas, Too!

It’s almost Christmas! Which means many channels are breaking out the Christmas movies/specials. I will admit I love a good Hallmark Christmas movie, no matter how cheesy they may be. And ABC Family had a countdown to the countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas.

I’ve seen both Rudolph the Reindeer and Santa Claus is Coming to Town within the past seven days. And I love Santa Claus is Coming to Town. But then I saw another special I haven’t seen in years: “Winnie the Pooh and Christmas, Too!” And oh the memories it brought back!

So, let’s let this seasonal Nostalgia Nook begin! Beware heffalumps, woozels and SPOILERS!

It’s Time to Meet the Muppets…

If you were to go diving through some of my old stuffed animals, you will find a Miss Piggy plush. And probably my old Kermit one as well, which was handed down from a cousin. I watched the Muppet Babies as a child. One of my favorite tapes was a collection of various Muppet Show episodes. I knew who Alice Cooper was at the age of 5 because of that tape. A friend and I once spent a good chunk of an AIM conversation IM-ing quotes from “A Muppet Christmas Carol” to each other. My mother loves Pepe the King Prawn while both my sister and I own shirts that have Waldorf and Statler on them.

So when it was announced there was a Muppet movie coming to theaters, there was much rejoicing in my household. And then we found it was opening around Thanksgiving. And we knew what our Black Friday movie choice was.

We weren’t disappointed.

So, someday we’ll find it, the Rainbow Connection, the lovers, the dreamers and the SPOILERS!

(I’ll actually try to keep them to a minimum though)

Tyra is a Best-Selling Author?!

Last time on ANTM: Ms. J caused DRAMA by making the girls critique each other. Dominique led the others in a round of “Why Angelea Won’t Win” and Angelea stormed out. But Ms. J let her have her moment before saying Laura won the challenge. Nigel took their pictures as Olympic athletes. Laura took the gold while Dominique and Angelea failed to place. In the end, Dominique was sent home for being “unmemorable.” You know, the same thing that sent Brittany home in Week 1. Four wannabes remain, who won’t make it to the finale? Find out!

Wanna be on top?

The Fashion Olympics

Last week on Top Model: The top six models went to Greece. The models had to give a press conference where Angelea asked where the bathroom was. Allison impressed the Greek officials the most and won free bling. Mr. Jay then put the wannabes into lingerie and had them pose in a Greek salad. Even though the lingerie looked like bathing suits, Shannon refused to model them once she heard the word “underwear.” At panel, she fell into the bottom two with Laura. However, Shannon has never won a challenge or gotten first photo so she was sent home. Five wannabes remain, who is told “exo” this week? Find out!

(PS: “Exo” is Greek for “out”)

Wanna be on top?

Doctor Who the Movie: Why I am Slightly Skeptical.

I was excited when I saw that David Yates was to direct a Doctor Who movie. He brought the Harry Potter series to a masterful conclusion and I consider him the second-best director in the franchise (Alfonso Cuaran being the first). Before I clicked the link, I thought it was going to be for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. It’s an important milestone and should be celebrated accordingly, right?

Then I clicked the link. And that wasn’t what it was.

OPA!

Last time on ANTM: Tyra decided that since I started watching the show in Cycle 5 and missed “Shake Ya Booty,” I should be subjected to music videos. So each contestant had to write her own song, record it, get it autotuned and then make videos with Game. Allison rose to the top with her song inspired by her father’s untimely death while Angelea and Alexandria fell into the bottom due to not being engaging in their videos. But Angelea was just a tad more engaging, so Alexandria was (thankfully) sent home. Six girls remain, which means it’s time to go abroad! Who won’t spend more than a night or two? Find out!

Wanna be on top?

Nostalgia Nook: American Girl

When I was a little girl, my parents took me to a bookstore to find something for me to read. I was already a proud bookworm and was already a few reading levels ahead. My parents explained this to the employee who helped us and also explained how much I love American history. The employee said he knew what was perfect for me. And that’s when he introduced me to the American Girl collection.

This was back in the early 1990s, about 1991 or ‘92 I would say. The collection had just expanded to 5 American Girls and they are who I am going to talk about.

So, history and SPOILERS follow.

And the Winner is…AUTOTUNE!

Last week: I fell asleep on my basement couch and woke up halfway through the episode. And I was still tired so I just left it on as background noise. I know it involved perfume, bathtubs, a motorcycle, either being Snooki or Nene, Bianca hording a jar of pickles, and Kathy Griffin. Lisa got first picture while Shannon, Kayla and Bianca fell into the bottom. Tyra did a double elimination, sending Kayla and Bianca packing. Seven all-stars remain, who falls tonight? Find out!

Wanna be on top?

Snow White and the Stephen King Novel

Once Upon a Time…There were title cards.

And some guy riding a horse. Through a forest. As it snows. The seven dwarves greet him, revealing Ginnifer Goodwin…I mean, Snow White…in a coffin. He demands they open it so he can say good-bye. They oblige and he kisses her. Snow White wakes up and says he found her. He promises to always find her as we cut to the wedding where everyone is invited. Grumpy is forced to applaud. The evil one enters—which is clear by the fact she is in black. Snow White pulls a sword and proves this one is badass. The prince tells her to leave but the Queen says she has a gift for them. She says they will have this day but soon, everything will be taken from them. She wants them to suffer. The prince throws his sword at her, but disappears.

Glee Project Update

Playbill has pictures of Damian in Glee up!

So, I thought that Damian's first episode would be in October, but it's really the first episode in November. I didn't take the ALCS and NLCS into consideration nor the World Series because...well... baseball doesn't exist in my house. But I am willing to forgive three weeks of no "Glee" for it. And then I realized FOX pre-empted "Glee" for "The X Factor." No, FOX. No.

Anyway, Playbill reveals that Damian's character is called Rory Flanagan. I knew about "Rory" because someone asked Cameron on Twitter who his favorite Glee character was and he responded it was Rory. It looks like they are giving Rory a real swinger attitude if the hair is anything to go by. Nothing new on the Samuel front, but I'm sure we'll be hearing more soon.

Yay, Violence!

Last week on ANTM: Shannon decided to head off drama by devising a phone system. Except she forgot how to count and didn’t budget time for everyone to use said phone. So Bianca asked her about it. Then Shannon started crying, Lisa butted in and Bianca was pissed the rest of the episode. They had to do a runway for the Kardashian sisters complete with a carousel before doing a photoshoot honoring Michael Jackson. LaToya Jackson was there to help them and to be the guest judge. Laura rose to the top while Lisa and Angelea sunk to the bottom. But LaToya decided no one was going home! So once again, ten All-Stars remain, will someone actually go home tonight? Find out!

Wanna be on top?

Storm

Okay, back in 2009, Celtic Thunder filmed its 3rd DVD “It’s Entertainment.” However, the day it was filmed, “It’s Entertainment” was actually the second show. The first one was “Storm,” which was filmed and never released. But the fans knew it existed—one of the songs from “Storm” was featured on “Take Me Home” (Ryan Kelly’s “Midnight Well”). Fans clamored for it and finally wore producer Sharon Browne down. She released it to various PBS stations to air. The two in New York have not aired it, preferring to still air “Heritage.” I know others did the same, judging by responses posted on the Celtic Thunder Official Website. Some PBS stations refused to air them saying that “Heritage” didn’t bring in a lot of pledges. I’m not surprised. These are tough economic times and the cheapest pledge in New York is a $50 one!

Anyway, they released “Storm” on CD and DVD on September 20th. And thanks to Amazon, I was able to have it that day. So, this is strange to be using with a Celtic Thunder DVD but…

Let the Thunder and the SPOILERS roll!

(Don’t) Beat It!

Last week: Kayla had a racing heart and ended up in the hospital. When she came home, they went to the set of CSI to audition for showrunner Anthony Zuiker. And he’s awesome. The girls stumbled over the large words, but Lisa just bombs. Bre wins a role on CSI. They then had a shoot with Express, in which Bianca said she knew better than anybody else. At judging, Angelea rose to the top while Lisa and Camille fell into the bottom two. But Lisa stuck around, hopefully bringing more flashbacks of Cousin Itt with her, as Camille was sent packing. Who won’t reach the top tonight? Find out!

Wanna be on top?

Nostalgia Nook—Barbie and the Rockers

Barbie.

She can do anything, can’t she? I think most girls grew up with at least one Barbie. There is even a phase all little girls go through at one point—for about two years, our Barbies are naked. Or they have very interesting clothing options (mine only wore skirts. Just skirts). But Barbie could do anything and everything.

And that includes singing in a band in her own animated movie (?). And thus “Barbie and the Rockers” was born.

An overabundance of pink and SPOILERS! follow.