Antsy For Gatsby

I’ve written on this blog about how excited I am about the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. The director, Baz Luhrmann, who is known for directing Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet, which are other movies that I love, is going to knock it out of the park. I just know it! I’m already crushing on the intro track that is in the trailer!

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So imagine my disappointment when I heard…

 Bad news alert! The release date has been pushed back to May 2013. No Great Gatsby for Christmas Day as I had hoped for! L

Oh well, I’m sure it will be more than worth the wait! It better be Baz.

In the mean time I’ll knock out Les Miserables and then go see the movie when it is released this Christmas.

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Les Miserables and the release of Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2’s DVD release will just have to tide me over until May.

Speaking of Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2’s DVD release, director, Bill Condon said that it is very likely that this DVD will have deleted scenes and other special features. I know we were all feeling a little snubbed when Breaking Dawn Part 1 failed to produce any deleted scenes.

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I personally thought it was a bad move on Summit Entertainment’s part. Always give the audience a little extra! After all the loyalty of a Twilight fan is practically second to none.

I know some of you are probably cringing on the mixture of classic films/books and well…. Twilight. All I have to say is that I am a complex creature with a mixture of tastes in movies and books. Plus, if you were a true movie and book connoisseur then you would have to submit yourself to reading Twilight out of a pure quest for knowledge over all things written. 

Winter Break Book List

Every time I get a break from school, I plan out a couple books that I’d like to read. This Winter break I’m going to make reading a priority. After work each day I’d like to read for at least thirty minutes. That’s my goal.

I hope it actually gets cold enough outside to get to curl up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa in hand and read a book all day long. Those are the days I live for. Sweet and simple.

Number one on my Winter break reading list is Les Miserables. As you all know by now, Les Miserables is coming to theatres this Christmas. I have heard nothing but great reviews of this novel turned play turned movie. I mean a play that holds the third longest run on Broadway, over 15 years and 6,680 performances, has to be good right? I can’t wait to find out!

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After finishing Les Miserables, I think I’ll be due for something more light hearted and funny so I’m planning on diving into Mindy Kaling’s, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns).  I love the Mindy Project which is Mindy’s new TV show.

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Rounding out my goal to read three books is Mr. Darcy’s Diary written by Amanda Grange. I found this website called goodreads.com and it popped up when I plugged in Pride and Prejudice, which is my favorite book of all time. Also, a girl in my class was reading it and she suggested that I check it out.

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Reading is a wonderful way to pass the time, possibly my favorite way to pass time. What will you be reading over the break? Do you even get a break? Winter intersession getting you down? I’d love to hear any suggestions that y’all have on the book front just in case I make it through all three of these!

Blog Lovin'

When I created this blog, I meant to solely write about books that have been turned into movies. Well, it turns out that the actual act of reading books that have been turned into movies takes up quite a chunk of time. Who knew?

One thing that I do make time for every day is the blogs that I read. They are mostly home décor/DIY blogs, but I do occasionally throw in the humor blog and foodie blog.  I thought it would be nice to shed some light on my daily reads.

My number one read is a  “Do It Yourself” blog that highlights various home updates that a young couple has done to their ranch style house. I read this blog everyday. Twice a day. I don’t feel like my day has been complete without seeing what Sherry and John from Young House Love have been up to.

They recently wrote a DIY book and it has been selling like hotcakes. I hope to receive it for Christmas! Fingers crossed!

These next four blogs are in no particular order. I love them all.

Bower Power is a blog about a growing family. Katie just had a baby and he is super adorable! They are in the home stretch of a kitchen renovation that I have tuned in for every step of the way.

Honey We’re Home and Honey We’re Healthy are two blogs run by one talented lady named Megan! The first is a home décor blog and highlights various home projects. Plus her closet is absolutely to die for. The second blog is how she has gotten in shape and she shares healthy recipes and work out tips.

Hi Sugarplum! is home décor/DIY blog and she has a very pizazzie style! Cassie knows how to make things pop and has great tips on organization! She recently turned her hallway into a mudroom for her family to store backpacks, coats, mittens, and other items that can clutter a home.

Last but not least is a new addition to my blog roll. Nice Girl Notes is a hilarious tell it like it is blog that can make me laugh like no other. Roo draws these hilarious ink drawings. She seriously cracks me up!

Now go check out these blogs! And if you want to check out my sister and I's new blog you can check it out too :) Acres & Richmond 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

There are an infinite number of things I love about winter. 

1) Christmas

2) Snow

3) Christmas movies

and so on...

As 1 and 2 on the list are pretty sELF-explanatory I thought in keeping with the spirit of Christmas, I would do a run down of my highs and lows of Christmas movies. 

Comedy:

Elf is possibly the greatest Christmas comedy ever made. One of my favorite quotes is from Buddy the Elf:

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Okay, best comedy ties with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Gotta love me some Chevy Chase slapstick comedy. 

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I’ll have to throw A Christmas Story in there too.

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Let’s get this straight. I despise ALL of the Home Alone franchise. No parent in their right mind is going to forget their child at home and no kid is going to set numerous booby traps that burglars are going to fall for over and OVER AGAIN.

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Let's get real people.

And what is with ABC Family playing the Home Alone series to death every year during Christmas time. Stop it.

Classic:

Well of course, Miracle on 34^th St. and White Christmas make my list. They are the definition of classic Christmas movies. Ask anyone.

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My least favorite, but still good (I can’t deny it) is It’s A Wonderful Life. It gets a little dark at some points or else it would be a top contender too.

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Children:

 The Santa Clause series with Tim Allen is like my favorite. I don’t own it, but every time it is playing on TV you can bet your bottom dollar I’m watching it. A toy salesman who turns into Santa Clause because the previous Santa Clause fell off his roof is a pretty genius concept if you ask me.

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My least favorite children’s movies are those creepy claymation movies. I know they are “staple” children’s Christmas movies, but claymation freaks me out.

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So there you have it, my highs and lows of three Christmas movie categories.

Now go watch Elf and remember, “the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!” –Buddy the Elf.

Breaking Dawn Part 2

Now that I have seen the last movie in The Twilight Saga I will gladly chime in.

For starters, I am one of those moviegoers who either hates a movie so much that I feel major disappointment when I walk out... cough cough New Moon cough cough.... OR I love it so much that I immediately want to go see it again/ Google its DVD release date. 

I can proudly tell you that I loved Breaking Dawn Part 2! I'll shout it at the top of the Empire State Building and I won't care who hears me.

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For those of you in the back with the grumbling under your breath comments "O my gosh, how can she like that? It was such a waste of two hours." All I have to say is haters gonna hate.

Everyone has to have a guilty pleasure. Pinterest, the Real Housewives series, brownies, and Twilight just happen to be a few of mine. 

Before I went and saw the movie, I was skeptical it could muster up the same kind of emotions that the book gave me. The sadness, the anxiety, the jump-off-a-cliff-I-can't-turn-the-next-page-in-fear of-what-happens-next feeling that only makes you want to keep reading until its over. The movie did a pretty good job of this.

I won't say it conjured up the exact same intensity of feelings because "the twist" gives you a whole new set of emotions. 

I honestly don't think they could have made the battle scene without "the twist." It blew my mind.

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And for those of you wondering: Were there any shirtless Jacob shots?

 Oh yes, there was. He strips right down to his skivvies in one of the scenes. Sadly, that was the only shirtless Jacob scene in the entire movie! 

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There were definitely some “take it off” comments yelled throughout the theatre.

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When the credits rolled, I felt a pang of sadness, but then I turned to my sister and asked “Can we go see it again tomorrow?” J

Fan Fiction- The Cullen Campaign

Fan fiction has transformed over the past couple of decades. What was once fiction based on the explicitly viewed actions of popular characters, is now more commonly just fans writing different endings, scenarios, and plots of their favorite movies, TV shows, and books.

FanFiction.net is one of the most popular and widely used fan fiction archives in the world.This past summer, it purged 62,000 stories when they changed their eighteen and over age policy to allow people under the age of eighteen to register. 

FanFiction.Net allows content with a K-M Fiction Rating. They have not allowed MA (Mature Audience) fiction since 2002.

Although some fan fictions are still of the rated “R” variety, such as E.L. James’ Fifty Shades Trilogy, others have merely created different lives for popular characters.

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Some of the most popular characters that writers incorporate into fan fiction are the characters of Harry Potter, Bella and Edward, Katniss and Peeta, and the list goes on and on.

The best thing about fan fiction is that you can find some really entertaining stories and you can also read them for free!

I am currently reading a twilight fan fiction called The Cullen Campaign. It's about Bella, a right-wing republican, and Edward, a left-wing democrat who find each other fascinating and challenging.

(Besides Bella looking demonic in this picture, Edward is looking a little too Cedric Diggory for me.)

So what’s the problem? Their families have been political rivals for the past century. This is a modern day interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Will they end up together? Or will they allow their political affiliations and their political parents keep them a part?

Other characters from the Twilight Saga have been intermixed into the plot as well. For example, Jacob and Alice are married! Alice still has her psychic abilities, but Jacob isn’t a werewolf and none of the characters are vampires. I had hoped to finish this before the 2012 US election, but all that political jargon in reality and in fiction was making my head spin :) 

Hopefully, now that the election is over I can make another go at it! 

Eclispe

This post has quite a few pictures in it just to warn you! So if you haven't crossed "watch the third movie of twilight" off your list you probably live under a rock or you just don't watch a lot of tv/movies. So read with caution…

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            This movie was a little better than New Moon. When I walked out of the theatre after New Moon I was totally devastated with how much I hated it. After watching Eclipse, I walked out of the theatre feeling only half disappointed. We finally get to hear about how Alice and Jasper met. I just wished there was more of a back story on their story line. I guess I'll have to blame Stephanie Meyer on that issue!

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            Eclipse, the book, was longgg. I enjoyed it, but it was lonng. My favorite part was the struggle between Bella being best friends with Jacob and totally devastatingly in love with Edward. It was an easy read and entertaining in a sitting by the pool and I need a book to read sort of way.

            The movie went along with the storyline pretty well. I wasn’t a fan of how the movie started. It made me think that I walked into the wrong movie with all the quick cuts, dark shots, and screaming creating a totally different vibe than what I got from the beginning of the book. The major pain that I forgot to mention in my review on New Moon was that they changed the actress that plays Victoria from Rachelle Lefevre to Bryce Dallas Howard. Both fierce red heads, but they look nothing alike.

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            I mean come on? Did they not think the audience wouldn’t notice? It’s not a film that you have to pay too close attention to in order to follow along, but give us some credit!

           

            Overall, I treat the twilight series like candy. I love to eat it up and just can’t stop! November is fast approaching and I am in eager anticipation for the final installment of the series. Stay tuned for my breakdown of it!