for some reasons unknown, i've been listening to Corinne Bailey Rae's cover of Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You" on repeat for close to 10 times for the past hour. It's the song playing right now.
Corrine Bailey Rae's a earworm. i love Like A Star and Enchantment. constantly on replay.
gettin snubbed by someone sucked.
i wonder why i try in the first place anw.
if a friend does not appreciate the things i've done, then let it be. i'm not one who like to boast about my contributions. if there's not the slightest appreciation, i believe i can handle it. thou i dun ask for anything in return, but it'd be nice to at least appreciate it.
call me superficial, but i believe an empty birthday sms wld have spoken more than none. it's all i'm asking for really.
if a friend knows what i've done, yet chose not to reciprocate it, then i can onli reconcile with fate.
if a friend knows i'm tryin to become friends, yet chose not to open up his heart, i can onli reconcile with fate too.
it doesnt matter if someone sees the real me actually. but if u dun wana get to know me, then its prob ya loss. or ya ignorance.
i feel like i have so much to offer that so many ppl do not see. i feel like i am a gd fren waiting to be discovered. i feel like i cld be the one u need. nothing beyond this hair and attitude u can see?
but who actually bothers to know us beyond what we present daily? who has the time anw.
do we all feel this way?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Best Picture
i finally cuaght Juno today. whoopee!!! yeah!!!
i love the film. Juno tells the story of 16yr old Juno McGuff, who got pregnant after sex on a couch with Michael Cera. It wasnt a dark and twisty movie tt dwelled on the woes of teenage pregnancy and its discrimination, but was treated in a laid back, almost funny manner. The script was written by a former stripper called Diablo Cody, and Ellen pulled off the witty lines and high sch geekish-exile-boyish persona pretty well, but it's not a role you wont imagine her in. as in, IMO, its not that hard to think of a teenager playin a high sch stereotype, knowing that there's stuff in there that u can relate to. I cant help but compare spectacular Ellen's performance to her breakout performance in Hard Candy. that role was against type,not something u'd imagine a typical teenager wld do. and there was smthin scary bout her portrayal. i felt Juno wasnt as big a challenge, and there wasnt a particular scene that required emotional depth. but still Juno was one of the sweetest movies i've seen this yr. loved the soft, slightly oddball music, love Rainn Wilson's cameo and Alisson Janney's deadpan humour, love the ending lingering scene when the two just strummed their guitars away to a lovey dovey duet, love Jennifer Garner in anything.
in a year where Ellen Page got nominated for Best Actress in what i felt was a less deserving nomination, it got me thinking: is this yr's batch of Best Actress nominees below standards? Or was 2 yrs ago's competition too tough?
this yr marks the first time i've seen 4 out of 5 of the Best Picture contenders: Juno, Atonement, No country for old men, and Michael Clayton. i cant wait to watch There Will Be Blood thou. out of the 4, my personal fav will be for Juno to win actually. No Country was too dry, and thou stylised and thrilling, well-paced and acted, it didnt leave me feeling much after the show. Atonement was lavish and the cinematography was beautiful. the long shot seemed difficult and meticulous (i love single shots), but i didnt feel any emotional depth or chemistry from the leads. it was a lil too showy. Michael Clayton was very dry and the onli pull were the actors. so by manner of elimination, i'm rooting for Juno. but NCFOM will win. so here are my predictions for the show in a while:
best Actress: Marion Cotillard. But i'm thinkin they might give it to Julie Chritstie for old time sake.
Best Actor: DANIEL DAY LEWIS. all the buzz. it's almost like Helen Mirren's sure bet last year.
Best Supporting actor: Javier Bardem. hands down.
best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett. cant wait to catch I'm Not There at the SIF.
Best adapted screenplay: -unsure-
best original screenplay: Juno. a lil torn bet juno and Lars and the real girl thou.
best director: Joel and Ethan Coen. for the grim western wasteland feel.
sadly, i haven caught The diving bell and butterfly yet. =( interesting premise thou.
yeappp. busy week coming. and today, i've made plans for my future.
i love the film. Juno tells the story of 16yr old Juno McGuff, who got pregnant after sex on a couch with Michael Cera. It wasnt a dark and twisty movie tt dwelled on the woes of teenage pregnancy and its discrimination, but was treated in a laid back, almost funny manner. The script was written by a former stripper called Diablo Cody, and Ellen pulled off the witty lines and high sch geekish-exile-boyish persona pretty well, but it's not a role you wont imagine her in. as in, IMO, its not that hard to think of a teenager playin a high sch stereotype, knowing that there's stuff in there that u can relate to. I cant help but compare spectacular Ellen's performance to her breakout performance in Hard Candy. that role was against type,not something u'd imagine a typical teenager wld do. and there was smthin scary bout her portrayal. i felt Juno wasnt as big a challenge, and there wasnt a particular scene that required emotional depth. but still Juno was one of the sweetest movies i've seen this yr. loved the soft, slightly oddball music, love Rainn Wilson's cameo and Alisson Janney's deadpan humour, love the ending lingering scene when the two just strummed their guitars away to a lovey dovey duet, love Jennifer Garner in anything.
in a year where Ellen Page got nominated for Best Actress in what i felt was a less deserving nomination, it got me thinking: is this yr's batch of Best Actress nominees below standards? Or was 2 yrs ago's competition too tough?
this yr marks the first time i've seen 4 out of 5 of the Best Picture contenders: Juno, Atonement, No country for old men, and Michael Clayton. i cant wait to watch There Will Be Blood thou. out of the 4, my personal fav will be for Juno to win actually. No Country was too dry, and thou stylised and thrilling, well-paced and acted, it didnt leave me feeling much after the show. Atonement was lavish and the cinematography was beautiful. the long shot seemed difficult and meticulous (i love single shots), but i didnt feel any emotional depth or chemistry from the leads. it was a lil too showy. Michael Clayton was very dry and the onli pull were the actors. so by manner of elimination, i'm rooting for Juno. but NCFOM will win. so here are my predictions for the show in a while:
best Actress: Marion Cotillard. But i'm thinkin they might give it to Julie Chritstie for old time sake.
Best Actor: DANIEL DAY LEWIS. all the buzz. it's almost like Helen Mirren's sure bet last year.
Best Supporting actor: Javier Bardem. hands down.
best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett. cant wait to catch I'm Not There at the SIF.
Best adapted screenplay: -unsure-
best original screenplay: Juno. a lil torn bet juno and Lars and the real girl thou.
best director: Joel and Ethan Coen. for the grim western wasteland feel.
sadly, i haven caught The diving bell and butterfly yet. =( interesting premise thou.
yeappp. busy week coming. and today, i've made plans for my future.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
time of the season
i feel a little embarressed that my first entry in almost a week is largely about the past hour of Idol-viewing i had. hahahahhah. long-time readers sld know that yes, it's that time of the year again when Loo gets TOTALLY engross in American Idol and desert food, lodging, rationality, manners, books etc etc and just succumb to the drug that is AI.
Therefore, i shall blog in points and randomly, for the past week has been sorta awesome in some sense. Idol first:
- Paula is back to talkin COLOURS! after one or two seasons whereby she DID NOT ask contestants to "colour up your vocals", she's back in top colouring form by sayin that word THRICE TOO MANY! WHHOOHOO!! IT WAS TOTALLY HILARIOUS. Simon would then proceed to ask Paula what colour she thought the subsequent performers were. Of which Paula gave a very rarely dignified "not grey or black", in reference to Simon's tee. hahah. Just when i thought Paula FINALLY made sense last season, this season she's back to gibberish and awkward silences, square one.
- you can cut the tension with a knife. Simon was verging on leaving halfway thru the show. there were so much argueing goin round about who's good and who's not, who looks grotesque and who looks like he needed to get out for more air (i cant believe he said tt). For once, i felt Simon was close to being obnoxious and rude.
- the judges seem to have mellowed. Simon was critical, yes, talking about relevance in today's industry and making something old your own (no wonder Jordin won and Melinda was not signed on to 19 Entertainment or J Records. she's gonna sign with another label like Eliot Yamin thou). but Randy was less critical than usual. You'd think tt after 7 seasons, they might have lost abit of tt sharp eye for superstardom. thankfully Simon always brings it back to perspective, that at this point, its more than just good singing. it's about blowing audiences away while guaranteeing a spot in the music industry post-idol.
- MY FAVOURITES: guys - David Archuleta, David Hernandez, and the Jason "Dreadlocks" Castro!
- MY FAVOURITES: girls(hopefully they dun disappoint tml) - Amanda Overmyer! Brooke!
- cant help but notice how much younger this yr's contestants are. i lost count but more than half of them are less than 25, which really makes it alot harder to believe when they take on, say, an ELVIS song.
- Danny was funny initially. i thought he'd be like an airhead for liking Britney. today, he's too in ya face singing Elvis' Jailhouse Rock. i cant help but think the producers put him in to target the gay audience. he was all SUPER SKINNY jeans with nice hair and all. and his attitude was very in-ya-face and hard to swallow initially. but i think subsequent weeks he'll have more fun. and getting kicked out last season at Hollywood week turned out to be a blessing in disguise given his awful piercing on lips, bad hair, and almost gothic outfit.
- David Archuleta. FREAKIN AWESOME. at 17 he can blow man! and i tink i saw his quivering lips and uncomfortability on stage, which was rather endearing. everyone likes an earnest budding star. but when he sings, he's got nothin else to prove man.
- i dun like Michael. i think he's one dimensional. kelly and carrie's success relied on their cross-genre abilities IMO. Michael cant be another Chris cos he lacked, IMO, a contemporary pleasing rock voice and Chris' emo good looks. yea. its superficial but true.
- i watched NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, this yr's most nominated Oscar film. my friend thought it was boring, so it's not for everyone. for starters, there's NO MUSIC. cept for tt brief short Mexican trio playing. the silence builds up the suspense, and it played like a thriller to the same effect. basically its the story of one guy who found a briefcase of money at a bloodbath between a drug exchange. the whole movie revolves around 2 guys who is chasing after him: a jaded sheriff who thought he'd seen it all, and a ruthless, almost psychopathic serial killer, whom sometimes relies on a coin toss to determine his victims. Javier Bardem of THE SEA INSIDE plays this serial killer to terrifying effect. his built reminds me of Michael Myers from HALLOWEEN, and if looks could kill, his would have slaugtered a town. at one point, i KNOW he's gonna kill EVERYONE he sees, but still there's a small part in me tt always doubt if he's really gonna do it. still, it was pure suspense. certain points u can almost hear the pin drop. Joel and Ethan Coens' films have always explored the western country wasteland-solitude quality, and this one is no exception. The accent and silence might put some to sleep, but i kinda love it. it's touted to win best picture, but i'm not too sure if the Academy usually reward films this diverse.
- CNY at susan's place was fun with the yusheng! Becca tarot-carded me and i thought it was feakily accurate in some aspects. after tt we watched AH LONG PTE LTD, which without a doubt was a light-hearted holiday comedy tt made me change my impression of Mark Lee (and to some extent Jack Neo, negatively) cos his msia accent was SO DEAD ON AND HILARIOUS, but it was so vulgar. Vulgar in all sense of the word. I was appalled at the hokkien vulgarities and the sexual connotations. besides tt, it's still vulgar.
- I NEED TO STUDY EXERCISE AND LEARN MY GUITAR!!!
- and i dont sulk for "could've beens" no more.
Therefore, i shall blog in points and randomly, for the past week has been sorta awesome in some sense. Idol first:
- Paula is back to talkin COLOURS! after one or two seasons whereby she DID NOT ask contestants to "colour up your vocals", she's back in top colouring form by sayin that word THRICE TOO MANY! WHHOOHOO!! IT WAS TOTALLY HILARIOUS. Simon would then proceed to ask Paula what colour she thought the subsequent performers were. Of which Paula gave a very rarely dignified "not grey or black", in reference to Simon's tee. hahah. Just when i thought Paula FINALLY made sense last season, this season she's back to gibberish and awkward silences, square one.
- you can cut the tension with a knife. Simon was verging on leaving halfway thru the show. there were so much argueing goin round about who's good and who's not, who looks grotesque and who looks like he needed to get out for more air (i cant believe he said tt). For once, i felt Simon was close to being obnoxious and rude.
- the judges seem to have mellowed. Simon was critical, yes, talking about relevance in today's industry and making something old your own (no wonder Jordin won and Melinda was not signed on to 19 Entertainment or J Records. she's gonna sign with another label like Eliot Yamin thou). but Randy was less critical than usual. You'd think tt after 7 seasons, they might have lost abit of tt sharp eye for superstardom. thankfully Simon always brings it back to perspective, that at this point, its more than just good singing. it's about blowing audiences away while guaranteeing a spot in the music industry post-idol.
- MY FAVOURITES: guys - David Archuleta, David Hernandez, and the Jason "Dreadlocks" Castro!
- MY FAVOURITES: girls(hopefully they dun disappoint tml) - Amanda Overmyer! Brooke!
- cant help but notice how much younger this yr's contestants are. i lost count but more than half of them are less than 25, which really makes it alot harder to believe when they take on, say, an ELVIS song.
- Danny was funny initially. i thought he'd be like an airhead for liking Britney. today, he's too in ya face singing Elvis' Jailhouse Rock. i cant help but think the producers put him in to target the gay audience. he was all SUPER SKINNY jeans with nice hair and all. and his attitude was very in-ya-face and hard to swallow initially. but i think subsequent weeks he'll have more fun. and getting kicked out last season at Hollywood week turned out to be a blessing in disguise given his awful piercing on lips, bad hair, and almost gothic outfit.
- David Archuleta. FREAKIN AWESOME. at 17 he can blow man! and i tink i saw his quivering lips and uncomfortability on stage, which was rather endearing. everyone likes an earnest budding star. but when he sings, he's got nothin else to prove man.
- i dun like Michael. i think he's one dimensional. kelly and carrie's success relied on their cross-genre abilities IMO. Michael cant be another Chris cos he lacked, IMO, a contemporary pleasing rock voice and Chris' emo good looks. yea. its superficial but true.
- i watched NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, this yr's most nominated Oscar film. my friend thought it was boring, so it's not for everyone. for starters, there's NO MUSIC. cept for tt brief short Mexican trio playing. the silence builds up the suspense, and it played like a thriller to the same effect. basically its the story of one guy who found a briefcase of money at a bloodbath between a drug exchange. the whole movie revolves around 2 guys who is chasing after him: a jaded sheriff who thought he'd seen it all, and a ruthless, almost psychopathic serial killer, whom sometimes relies on a coin toss to determine his victims. Javier Bardem of THE SEA INSIDE plays this serial killer to terrifying effect. his built reminds me of Michael Myers from HALLOWEEN, and if looks could kill, his would have slaugtered a town. at one point, i KNOW he's gonna kill EVERYONE he sees, but still there's a small part in me tt always doubt if he's really gonna do it. still, it was pure suspense. certain points u can almost hear the pin drop. Joel and Ethan Coens' films have always explored the western country wasteland-solitude quality, and this one is no exception. The accent and silence might put some to sleep, but i kinda love it. it's touted to win best picture, but i'm not too sure if the Academy usually reward films this diverse.
- CNY at susan's place was fun with the yusheng! Becca tarot-carded me and i thought it was feakily accurate in some aspects. after tt we watched AH LONG PTE LTD, which without a doubt was a light-hearted holiday comedy tt made me change my impression of Mark Lee (and to some extent Jack Neo, negatively) cos his msia accent was SO DEAD ON AND HILARIOUS, but it was so vulgar. Vulgar in all sense of the word. I was appalled at the hokkien vulgarities and the sexual connotations. besides tt, it's still vulgar.
- I NEED TO STUDY EXERCISE AND LEARN MY GUITAR!!!
- and i dont sulk for "could've beens" no more.
Friday, February 15, 2008
UMBRELLA
a few friends showed me this during one of our lunch slacking sessions at CSS Orientation camp this yr. i sorta remembered it again today. what's interesting bout this video, other than the fact it's made by our own local students, was that it's seemingly done in 1 long shot! 1 take! wat perfect timing they have. unbelievable. take a look. it's hilarious too thou.
was youtubing Beyonce and Tina Turner's Grammy performance and chanced upon this. I saw this a long time ago, but as i was comparing Tina past and present, i cant help but notice the spectacle of this performance tt i missed out previously. This vid was from the 1985 Grammys and it was the opening performance. it was her comeback year and she was nominated for many major awards, out of which she won record of the year and song of the year. she performed "What's love gotta do with it?", which went on to become one of the biggest hits of her career(together with PROUD MARY). Those who saw the movie of the same name wld know tt Tina had an abusive husband and after her divorce, her album PRIVATE DANCER became the album of her lifetime.
the point is, i realise that after watchin Tina and Amy, what u need is really just a good voice and yaself. Tina's performance was minimalist, which was very uncharacteristic of modern grammy performances with silks and ribbons, neon lights and elaborate stage setup for a 3 min performance and what not. The Queen of rock & roll, famous for her to-die-for legs, of course showed the world how to dance in heels. she is known for her high-energy performance, almost like an action-packed movie. in this uncharacterisically toned-down performance, that sultry voice, those casual moves, and that great song were enough to capture an audience. that, in my books, is a fab performance. of cos the red dress helped too. who needs backup dancers and boa and candymen(if u have what it takes).
abit gay the vid. but whatever. a fab clip's a fab clip.
was youtubing Beyonce and Tina Turner's Grammy performance and chanced upon this. I saw this a long time ago, but as i was comparing Tina past and present, i cant help but notice the spectacle of this performance tt i missed out previously. This vid was from the 1985 Grammys and it was the opening performance. it was her comeback year and she was nominated for many major awards, out of which she won record of the year and song of the year. she performed "What's love gotta do with it?", which went on to become one of the biggest hits of her career(together with PROUD MARY). Those who saw the movie of the same name wld know tt Tina had an abusive husband and after her divorce, her album PRIVATE DANCER became the album of her lifetime.
the point is, i realise that after watchin Tina and Amy, what u need is really just a good voice and yaself. Tina's performance was minimalist, which was very uncharacteristic of modern grammy performances with silks and ribbons, neon lights and elaborate stage setup for a 3 min performance and what not. The Queen of rock & roll, famous for her to-die-for legs, of course showed the world how to dance in heels. she is known for her high-energy performance, almost like an action-packed movie. in this uncharacterisically toned-down performance, that sultry voice, those casual moves, and that great song were enough to capture an audience. that, in my books, is a fab performance. of cos the red dress helped too. who needs backup dancers and boa and candymen(if u have what it takes).
abit gay the vid. but whatever. a fab clip's a fab clip.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
I love AMY! (and the Grammys)
The Grammys is the annual celebration of music. despite declining record sales for consecutive 5 yrs or so straight, the ceremony is still an annual highlight and the benchmark for quality (thou recent years see a growing trend towards younger nominees, a move to cater to the largely young comsumers). still, it has something for everyone. From gospel, rap, indie, brit rock, hard rock, country, to comtemporary adult pop, it features the most varied (Alicia keys with a "dead" Frank Sinatra), legendary (Aretha franklin!), best mix of hip-and-classic (beyonce with tina!), contemporary (alicia with john mayer!), and the most elaborate (carrie with a STOMP troup and Aretha with a choir).
I wonder why Channel 5 showed HEROES today instead. i suspect the writers' strike stopped ch5 from purchasing the rights as no one was certain the show wld go on. (The Oscars will go on as reported today)
so being the nosey one, i youtubed the interesting ones while checking out EW's reviews on every performance.
my personal highlights:
- seeing Tina Turner holding up to Beyonce, with her deep growl more thrilling than Beyonce's high notes. and tt proud mary dance!
- aretha, the queen of soul, still as fiery as ever.
- Feist!!! standing on carpet with a very charmin 1234!
-a slimmer John Mayer with better hair, reminisce of Bob Dylan/Elvis!
- carrie underwood turing xtina-ish. erms. still gd vocals.
- FOO FIGHTERS!!!
but NO ONE entertained me more than Ms Amy Winehouse. yes call her an addict or criminal or weird or whatever. she with the reputation of being a disaster or a no-show is a stunner here. of cos those not familiar to her music might find this awfully weird and wondeer why she's got tattoo all over. still i love the beehive. and this performance via UK was so sassy it made me smile just to see her carry out those small antics like pouting her lips, the hands on the waist, the small breakout dances, the arms up in the air, the smirk, the shrug of shoulders. i love how she changed the vocals, the arrangements, the 3 bkground singers/dancers, and the very retro-brit setting. AMY sld have won album of the year.
yes she's been to rehab, but no no no she's still awesome.
and has Britney gone crazy?!?!?! whats up with the regular check-in to hospitals like hotels?!!!?!!? sighhhh.
I wonder why Channel 5 showed HEROES today instead. i suspect the writers' strike stopped ch5 from purchasing the rights as no one was certain the show wld go on. (The Oscars will go on as reported today)
so being the nosey one, i youtubed the interesting ones while checking out EW's reviews on every performance.
my personal highlights:
- seeing Tina Turner holding up to Beyonce, with her deep growl more thrilling than Beyonce's high notes. and tt proud mary dance!
- aretha, the queen of soul, still as fiery as ever.
- Feist!!! standing on carpet with a very charmin 1234!
-a slimmer John Mayer with better hair, reminisce of Bob Dylan/Elvis!
- carrie underwood turing xtina-ish. erms. still gd vocals.
- FOO FIGHTERS!!!
but NO ONE entertained me more than Ms Amy Winehouse. yes call her an addict or criminal or weird or whatever. she with the reputation of being a disaster or a no-show is a stunner here. of cos those not familiar to her music might find this awfully weird and wondeer why she's got tattoo all over. still i love the beehive. and this performance via UK was so sassy it made me smile just to see her carry out those small antics like pouting her lips, the hands on the waist, the small breakout dances, the arms up in the air, the smirk, the shrug of shoulders. i love how she changed the vocals, the arrangements, the 3 bkground singers/dancers, and the very retro-brit setting. AMY sld have won album of the year.
yes she's been to rehab, but no no no she's still awesome.
and has Britney gone crazy?!?!?! whats up with the regular check-in to hospitals like hotels?!!!?!!? sighhhh.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
a Gilmore Girls tribute
I was youtubing, tryin to find the perfect vid tt wld encompass the show's perfect blend of humour, wit and heart.
it wasnt easy. there were many many random bits of self-created song montages(very irritating). but i managed to dig out these. only the true blues wld understand/recognise these. but hopefully u'll get interested to watch.
Friday night dinners are a must for the Gilmore household. this scene was the actual one tt was aired, so the split scene transcendence was not bad editing.
notice the dysfunctional dialogue, Lorelai's splendid mimicking, Emily's sharp bits, and the camera works.
for HEROES fans, this was Peter Petrelli pre-HEROES. can u imagine him pullin off as a teenager? this was Luke setting some ground rules to bad-boy Jesse for datin the goodie-2-shoe Rory
and the bittersweet karaoke scene fr the final season. its the Dolly Parton version, not the familiar Whitney version.
and these 2 are more viewer-friendly. i wished there were more clips of Emily, but these are the best i got so far. Rory did community service, Luke is renovating the house, rory is fighting with Lorelai. a pity no Michel.
this is from earlier seasons.
very indulgent i know. i wished someone would watch Gilmore marathon with me. i've got the dvds thou.
it wasnt easy. there were many many random bits of self-created song montages(very irritating). but i managed to dig out these. only the true blues wld understand/recognise these. but hopefully u'll get interested to watch.
Friday night dinners are a must for the Gilmore household. this scene was the actual one tt was aired, so the split scene transcendence was not bad editing.
notice the dysfunctional dialogue, Lorelai's splendid mimicking, Emily's sharp bits, and the camera works.
for HEROES fans, this was Peter Petrelli pre-HEROES. can u imagine him pullin off as a teenager? this was Luke setting some ground rules to bad-boy Jesse for datin the goodie-2-shoe Rory
and the bittersweet karaoke scene fr the final season. its the Dolly Parton version, not the familiar Whitney version.
and these 2 are more viewer-friendly. i wished there were more clips of Emily, but these are the best i got so far. Rory did community service, Luke is renovating the house, rory is fighting with Lorelai. a pity no Michel.
this is from earlier seasons.
very indulgent i know. i wished someone would watch Gilmore marathon with me. i've got the dvds thou.
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