Monday, January 16, 2012

hating on thomas and tswift

I haven't done a bulleted list of randomness for a long time. So here you go!
  • I'm sick of reading. This is not good for a book blogger, but it's where I am right now. I've been sticking to my goal of only requesting books I'm really interested in reading, but this does not help me now, as the books due in January and February were requested in December or earlier. For the most part, these are books that I really wanted to read at the time ... I just don't feel like reading them now!
  • Are you watching Downton Abbey? If not, why not? Season One just won a Golden Globe last night, and it won several Emmy Awards last year, also. Downton is set in the time leading up to and during World War I. It's in the vein of Upstairs, Downstairs in that it deals with an aristocratic family and the family's servants. Season Two is, so far, a bit toned down from Season One—the "evil" characters are, for the most part, less evil, and much of the family conflict has diminished. I still absolutely loathe Thomas, though ... so much so that I tweeted the following last night:
    Thomas doesn't even have to be on screen for my loathing of him to grow--all it takes is a mention of his name! 
    Also, I would marry Matthew Crawley or Mr. Bates in a heartbeat. Downton airs on PBS on Sunday nights through February 19, and you can watch Season One on pbs.org through tomorrow or on Netflix.
  • Les Misérables — the musical version — is finally coming to the big screen. I was so excited when I first heard — but one of the casting choices has given me pause. Let's start with the ones I (more or less) approve of. Colm Wilkinson is Valjean. However, he's getting a bit old and wouldn't have the draw of someone with the star power of, say, Hugh Jackman, who has been cast in the role. Jackman does have a wonderful voice (see his 2009 Oscar performance here, which also features Anne Hathaway, who has been cast as Fantine), and I'm sure he'll do the role justice, but I still worry about "Bring Him Home." Though I don't know anything about Russell Crowe's vocal chops, I can buy him as Javert. And Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen strike me as the perfect Thénardiers. But Taylor Swift as Eponine? Please excuse me while I throw up. (As far as I know, she hasn't accepted the role yet, but it's been offered.) I'm normally pretty ambivalent toward TSwift, but Eponine? Really? I could see her as Cosette, perhaps, if they absolutely had to cast her (her popularity will probably bring girls to the theater). I shudder to think of what "On My Own" would sound like coming out of Swift's mouth. (Lea Salonga, who in my mind is the definitive Eponine, sings it here.) Was Lea Michele unavailable or something? 'Cause she would be perfect. (Plus, we already know how she would sound singing "On My Own." Fabulous!) ***Update 2-1-12: Taylor Swift will not be playing Eponine. I feel like we Les Mis fans dodged a bullet here!***
  • I've discovered a way to get in more steps for the Ja-La-Sta 10,000 Steps Walking Challenge while also keeping up with my commitment to read through the Bible this year — I pull up YouVersion on my computer and listen to the AudioBible! My house is basically set up in a circle with the living room at the front and the kitchen at the back. So I crank the volume on my computer and walk in a 25-step circle for the 40 minutes or so it takes to get through the day's chapters. It's a bit monotonous, but having Scripture to focus my mind on makes the time go faster.
  • I've once again been sucked into the trashy world of The Bachelor. (I prefer The Bachelorette because the guys aren't so catty, but I'm enjoying this, too.) Normally, I seek out Reality Steve's spoilers, but I decided that this year, I would just wait and watch the season play out. Then I accidentally ran into a major (MAJOR!) spoiler. I was not happy. My sister Blendy has ended her long blogging hiatus by writing her thoughts after the first two episodes. See her post here and give her some comment love! 
  • Southwest Airlines rocks! Low fares. Bags fly free. And now this: Blendy and I got ridiculously cheap tickets to fly out to see Val next month, and a bunch of us decided to go together to buy tickets for our friend Jamie to go with us. Because we didn't get her tickets during the sale, they were much more expensive. Well, we didn't exactly clear the dates with Jamie first (not a smart move, but it was supposed to be a surprise), and she has parent-teacher conferences on the day of our return. So tonight I went to southwest.com to change her itinerary ... and I was pleasantly surprised to discover they don't have any trip change fees! And, since they're currently running a sale, I was able to get her new tickets for less money than her old tickets! Unfortunately, the first tickets were non-refundable, but if she wants to fly anywhere else before next November, she has a $30 credit to work with! 
There's my list of things that have been on my mind. What about you? Any books, movies, or TV shows you're loving? Want to throw things at me for suggesting Taylor Swift may not be right for the role of Eponine? Want to get something else off your chest? Tell us about it in the comments!

3 comments:

  1. I have been sick of reading too...and took a hiatus, but I am now enjoying it again. I absolutely loved Susan May Warren's The Shadow of Your Smile...I saw that you are on the blog tour too! :)

    And Downton Abbey...I have heard so much about this show, I think I am going to have to check it out! I do enjoy a show that has characters I love to hate! :)

    About Les Mis...I am very excited to hear the musical version is coming to the big screen! I agree with you on Taylor Swift not being a good candidate for Eponine. Does she even have the range to sing that song? Seems to me it would sound kind of country, which I would not love. I do like Taylor...just not in that role!

    As far as The Bachelor goes, I cannot watch that show. I flipped it on for 10 minutes last night and wanted to go throw up. The very thought of a guy kissing me, and having emotionally intimate moments with me, then going out and doing the same thing with a dozen other girls makes me sick. I could not do it, and I hate watching other girls do it.

    Congrats on the Southwest tickets! :) Phew...that was a book! :)

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    Replies
    1. Loved The Shadow of Your Smile! My review went up today—I'm looking forward to yours! In the same vein, have you heard of the new movie The Vow? I can't wait to see it!

      You definitely should check out Downton! Also Sherlock, if you haven't already. It's gearing up for season two, but PBS is showing season one after episodes of Downton. I just watched it for the first time on Sunday night and really enjoyed it.

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  2. My review will go up on Monday! :) And I have seen the previews for The Vow! It looks like one that will make me cry, but I really want to see it!

    I will definitely be checking out Downton Abbey. :)Will have to see about Sherlock too!

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