The Young Victoria

One of the most pleasing revelations of going to see a movie is when you discover the rarity of witnessing a classic in the making. This year, that distinction goes to 'The Young Victoria' which was quietly released on Christmas Day, and has been enjoying critical as well as public success. This movie is simply a gem amongst the ruins of too often over-hyped films which we are told by critics/studios to go see only to be disappointed when the story, acting, etc. falls far short of what was touted in the trailer.

I do not recall even seeing a trailer for this movie, however, it will be the best present you give yourself to go and see it (more than once). The story may have been open to some artistic licence, however, the fact remains that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert spent 20 years together trying to make their country a better place to live. Sharing their lives and work and raising nine children whose descendants to this day are heads of some of the most distinguished royal families in Europe.

'The Young Victoria' was nominated for a Golden Globe for Emily Blunt's portrayal as Victoria. Other awards include a Critics Choice Award, British Independent Film Award and I'm sure that an Academy Award nomination(s) is not far behind (hopefully). This movie is a much-needed ray of sunshine. Rupert Friend is great as Prince Albert, who shows himself to be a supportive partner of his wife who happens to be the ruler of England. Do yourself a favour and go see this movie, you will not be disappointed.

War on Film

When I was in my final year of university, I took a course about the Vietnam War. Not knowing much about the war except what was depicted in Hollywood movies, it was an eye-opening course which was taught by an American professor. Now as I reflect upon my school days, this course has become one of my favourites - war definitely is not something I enjoy, however learning about the history of this conflict and others has been an interest.

For my final paper in the Vietnam War course, I chose to write about how the war was portrayed in the movies. Unfortunately due to various moves, this essay was lost...and I have always wondered how my findings/observances would stand up when read today. Actually, a couple of days ago after having seen 'The Hurt Locker' again, I contemplated re-writing that paper. Today's students will probably be writing papers about the treatment of the Iraq/Afghanistan war in movies.

The movies I selected were 'The Deer Hunter', 'Coming Home', 'Apocalypse Now', 'Hamburger Hill', 'Full Metal Jacket', 'Platoon', 'In Country', 'Born on the Fourth of July' and 'The Green Berets.'

Each a different treatment of some aspect of the war - combat, trauma, homecoming, etc. 'The Green Berets' was recommended by the professor as it really was a propaganda film created to promote the war and increase popularity for the war at a time when protests were beginning and my task was to compare & contrast the other films as to how the characters stories told the larger story of what the Vietnam war was.

It would be impossible to recreate the paper and not be fair as my opinions now may not align with those when I was younger. However, I do recall that my early observance was that 'Hamburger Hill' actually told the story of actual combat quite accurately compared to historical facts. 'Full Metal Jacket' showed the effects of the war on the soldiers, 'The Deer Hunter', 'Platoon' and 'Apocalypse Now' allegorical tales of soldiers starting to question the merit of what they were involved in. 'Born on the Fourth of July', 'Coming Home' and 'In Country' showing the aftermath of the trauma of the war on both the soldiers and their families. War is hell and unfortunately still affects too many lives each day.

'I'm Alive'

Just saw this video 'I'm Alive' by Kenny Chesney featuring Dave Matthews, great lyrics and words to live by, definitely no pun intended.

And the Nominee is...

It is true that I get up early the morning when Academy Award nominations are read out as though I was a possible nominee for an Academy Award (definitely not). One would wonder why I bother when even those who are actually nominated often times are either working (or working hard to appear nonchalant), still in bed, etc. For movie buffs this is the annual recognition pinnacle for the movie business. To appreciate the spectacle, it must be viewed live - watching a re-airing of the announcements is just not the same.

The 2010 Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 5:30am Pacific. The award show will air on Sunday, March 7 which is about two weeks later than usual due to the Winter Olympic Games. Mark your calendars.

The rules and eligiblity for the Academy Awards illustrate what an impressive process it is to submit work to be considered for a nomination.

It has been said that the Golden Globe Awards (Hollywood Foreign Press) often serve as an indicator of who/what will be nominated/win an Oscar. This year the Golden Globe nominees are as follows http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/ I will only speak to the movie nominations and leave the TV nominations for another blog entry.

These are my musings only, however, you should know that I have seen nearly all the movies/performances nominated - leaving Hollywood politics aside, these are the nominees I would like to see/deserve to win. Good luck to all the nominees, including those not mentioned here:

Best Picture - drama - The Hurt Locker - great film about a difficult & complex topic. Two words, Jeremy Renner.

Best Actress - drama - Gabourey Sidide - Precious - very difficult film to watch, will resonate with many women regardless of economic background and family situation.

Best Actor - drama - Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart - think he is one of the most under-rated actors of his generation and it's about time he wins an award, this would be a career-win, not necessarily for this part.

Best Picture - comedy or musical - (500) Days of Summer - an under-rated movie which should have done better at the box office; one of a handful of movies I actually looked forward to seeing in the theatre in 2009. Simply terrific, great writing, acting - a movie with heart.

Best Actress - comedy or musical - Meryl Streep in anything really but here for Julie & Julia

Best Actor - comedy or musical - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, please see this movie (500) Days of Summer. It was marketed as a romantic comedy from the guy's point-of-view, although it's not a love story :) It's charming - my bias is showing here but I truly loved this movie and is probably my favourite of 2009.

Best Supporting Actress - comedy or musical - Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air. Natalie Keener, Anna's character, goes from ambitous, naive keener to become a realist yet never losing her spirit for life.

Best Supporting Actor - comedy or musical - Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds. It was like a waltz watching him navigate between an egocentric, calculating & mennacing Nazi officer and showing the ridiculousness of the situation.

Best Animated Feature - Up This movie, animated or not, was one of the best ones of the year. Showing us how fleeting life is and that we should follow our dreams.

Best Foreign Film - I have not seen any of the nominees but the one with the buzz is The White Ribbon from Germany.

Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker As I said previously, very difficult subject matter especially as the war is still ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a terrific film - a definite must-see. Plea to the Oscars - please nominate Jeremy Renner, Sgt. William James, for Best Actor.

Best Screenplay - Mark Boal for The Hurt Locker. I am starting to sound like a broken record, if you have not seen this film yet, please do so.

Best Original Score - James Horner for Avatar.

Best Song - "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart. "If music be the food of love, play on" the song in this movie is a supporting character.

Movie Award Season

Movie award season is upon us. This is always a highlight of the year for me, no kidding. I know most people's eyes glaze over at the mere mention of a Golden Globe, SAG (Screen Actor's Guild), Spirit Award or Oscar but for me this period is like any popular sporting event playoffs and championship game.

The Academy Awards have been for me like the Superbowl - I dress up (well, used to) in fancy clothes even though most years it's just me watching the show - not many people have the stamina it takes to sit through the red carpet, show and post-show wrap-up - it takes years of training :-)

Not sure where I get my enthusiasm for movies as it was not something my parents encouraged - they did not like us to sit idle and watch movies, we had to be doing something productive. Knowing who played what part in this or that movie, who the director/producer was and who composed the music was not considered to be a wise use of our time...needless to say I was very creative in how I managed to see so many movies when I was growing up. Forget about having a TV in our bedroom, there was only one TV which had to be at a low volume so not to wake up everyone - why they would always put the good movies on late at night I will never know.

My first theatrical movie was 'Grease', I was a bit young but that didn't matter - most of the subject matter was beyond my understanding and it wasn't until a few years later when I realized what was going on - the music told the story, dialogue was secondary.

Favourite movie of all time, I know that for someone like me who has seen literally hundreds if not more movies would be blaspheme to pick one but you can like/love more than one movie for different reasons - so the answer is - 'The Sound of Music'. I have watched that movie at least twice a year since I was a child - it was so exciting to get a video copy of it for my birthday one year, it would be the first time to see the movie without commercial interruptions. Then when I saw it on the big screen for the first time, thrilling. It's a combination of music, story and actors which artfully created this classic film. Have also watched the live theatre production several times - what can I say, it makes me happy.

Schtuff

December was a busy month - what I had hoped would be a quiet work month turned into a very busy time. So now when the month is nearly over, I have some time to reflect on the month that was - okay, reflection over.

Hope everyone had a warm & wonderful holiday season (Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa). There has been some discussion about the use of the phrase 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas'. You hear Happy Holidays more & more, including in my workplace where we can't say 'Merry Christmas' in correspondence unless the sender has used it. The official company policy is that the use of 'Happy Holidays' is so no one feels excluded - those who do not celebrate Christmas. I think by not acknowledging what we are celebrating, ironically, that becomes a way to exclude those who do. Just something to ponder.

Just for fun

If only this was so, however this may be one of those times where people may say 'be careful what you wish for, for it just may come true', ahem well not likely but this is quite cute.

To create your own scenarios, go to http://www.faceinhole.com Have fun!

Is it really December?

Can't believe that it is December already! I have been remiss in not posting for a few days. So will try to make the first post in December worth your while.

Lots of discussion swirling around a certain male pro-golf player this week, what can one say - that hasn't been said already. Enough said.

Controversy also surrounding the almost-American Idol, Adam Lambert. I am a big fan of Adam and was shocked that he didn't win American Idol. That said, even I was taken aback by some of his performance - not the kiss - some of the dance moves and making a certain gesture to the audience was not appropriate given it is a family program. He does admit getting caught up in the moment and that some of his performance may have been in poor taste. What we should focus on his his singing, which I like very much. Here is his latest 'Time for Miracles' from the motion picture '2012' soundtrack.

New Moon November

New Moon November - the month was filled as excitement leading up to the release of the movie and followed by the great news that the movie has now broken several box office records and looks to be one of the top 5 movies of the year.

Having seen the movie a few times now, it goes without saying that fans of the books, will love the movies - they may not be Academy Award winning material, however New Moon is a better film than Twilight. It is evident that each director will bring their vision to the story. Can't wait for Eclipse, which is my favourite book of the series.

Breaking Dawn, the final installment, is yet to be confirmed - no doubt negotiations are underway to secure the actors, a director and locations (hint to Summit: Vancouver).

Since my blog has been rather focused on Twilight, as we move into December, my blog's focus shall shift to other interests - much to the relief of some :-)

New Moon Breaks Box Office Records

Summit Entertainment’s sequel “New Moon” has set box office history in breaking all records for midnight runs, grossing a whopping $26.3 million as it unspooled in 3,514 theaters at 12:01 a.m. Friday. For the full story by Pamela McClintock of Variety click on 'New Moon' breaks box office records

I predicted that 'New Moon' would rake in $150 million in its opening weekend, and it was pretty close to that. Worldwide it has made almost $250 million already.

I love that a female-driven movie whose demographic is 95% women is breaking box office records-girl power!!

Hopefully this will convince Summit Entertainment to greenlight 'Breaking Dawn' the last installment in The Twilight Saga.

New Moon - Finally

Finally, the day that I get to see 'New Moon' has arrived! Can't believe that in just a few hours I will be lined up with hundreds of other movie-goers aka Twi-hards to see the latest installment of The Twilight Saga.

Will be neat to see the sets, sites, etc. used in filming although I'm hoping not to get too distracted in looking at the scenery and figuring out where it was filmed or knowing where it was filmed - solution is to see it at least a few times :-)

Hope that everyone who is going to see 'New Moon' tonight, this weekend, has a great time. I look forward to the discussions which will certainly ensue.

The latest trailer, one more time...

New Moon - The Score

The 'New Moon' Score comes out on November 24. A score is the instrumental music which literally underscores the action & dialogue in a film and helps to set the mood, tone and feel of a movie. I very much like scores, almost more than the song soundtracks as it gives more scope for the imagination, as Anne of Green Gables would say.

Alexandre Desplat who has scored some amazing movies such as the upcoming Fantastic Mr. Fox with George Clooney, Julie & Julia with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, Coco Avant Chanel with Audrey Tautou, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Brad Pitt, The Golden Compass (also directed by Chris Weitz), The Painted Veil and The Queen lends his talent to the New Moon score. From what I have heard, it will be terrific, much more serious in tone than 'Twilight', of course this movie being much darker. Can't wait to see how the music will fit into the action.

New Moon - Premiere

Monday, November 16, 2009 was the premiere of 'New Moon' in Westwood (LA) and it so happens that it actually was a new moon as in the monthly celestial occurence - coincidence? Maybe, it certainly seemed as though all the planets were aligned and the event was a great success - for those lucky enough to be able to attend and for those (like me) who sat at home and watched it unfold on MySpace. If you feel so inclined you can watch the entire red carpet proceedings here - Part I and Part II.

The cast looked gorgeous and what is evident is that this group of people are very tight - generous, supportive and accessible. Even before the premiere several actors visited fans who had begun to lign up on Thursday (Nov.12), 4 days before. Chatting, taking pictures and even bringing treats for some - I must say that of any movie franchise how many can boast a cast this awesome. Thank you for being you!

The following is a very special moment where Rob genuinely shows interest when listening to the personal story from a young woman, Courteny from New York, who won an essay contest explaining what 'New Moon' and The Twilight Saga means to her and how it helped her overcome tragedy. This was a crazy night for him, thousands of screaming fans, pressure of a new movie opening and still finding time to spend some time with this fan - very special.

New Moon - Premiere Week

After months of anticipation, New Moon release week is finally here!! Bought my ticket to the Thursday, November 19, 10pm showing a few weeks ago and now it's just a few days away...can't believe it.

Remember the unveiling of the first trailer at the May 30 MTV Movie Awards and how far away November 20 seemed? New Moon had just wrapped production in Vancouver and Montelpuciano, Italy and after the first taste of what New Moon would offer to us Twi-hards, it was agony to think that we had to wait 6 months to see it in its entirety.

Time to celebrate the release of New Moon. What better way to kick-off the week then offering some fan support to Tinsel Korey, who plays Emily, and receiving a smiley face response tweet-so awesome!

This is just a small example of how the fanbase of The Twilight Saga is reflected by the callibre of its actors - kind, personable, approachable, accessible-real people. Of course, I'm a tad biased but it's also true.

Enjoy New Moon week!

One Froggy Evening

Michigan J. Frog was introduced in "One Froggy Evening" in 1955 as part of the Merry Melodies and Looney Tunes gang from Warner Bros. My brother, sister and I just howled when we first saw this cartoon - we thought it was so hilarious how the frog would perform when no one was looking and then as soon as someone paid attention...he would sit and croak. Last night this cartoon popped into my head and I decided to look it up on YouTube, the marvels of modern technology and now you can all enjoy this classic. Introducing Michigan J. Frog!

Melissa Rosenberg

Melissa Rosenberg is the screenwriter who brought The Twilight Saga to the big screen. She is very articulate and has given some great interviews and insights into what a screenwriter does and how it translates to the screen.

Her latest interview is with Making Of where she discusses the making of New Moon.

New Moon at the Mall

In Canada it is more difficult to get Twilight-related clothing, etc. we don't have funky stores like Hot Topic. Some items are carried in a variety of stores such as Toys-R-Us, walmart, Chapters, etc. So it was suprising to see this display appear in a local mall store window, Garage. The window display is quite impressive and I have stood and looked longingly at the poster which is massive...alas, those days of plastering my walls with posters has long past and the clothing is not quite age-appropriate either so I'm left to just look, admire with a smile and chuckle and recall the many clothing trends I have taken part in during my youth. Can you say 'Flashdance' :-)

Twilight Mania on Overdrive

Well, fellow Twi-hards we went to bed happy last night knowing that Robsten is no longer a speculation but seemingly the real thing. The cast is currently making appearances at various functions/premieres around the world, today Rob, Kristen and Taylor are in London, England - the North American debut of New Moon is 9 days away (8 for me :-)

The Summit marketing machine is in overdrive and sometimes it is difficult to figure out what is part of hype and what is real. Personally, if Rob & Kristen are an item, let it be so, I wish them well and leave them be. Once the New Moon promotional tour has come to an end, hopefully the intense scrutiny and media attention focused on the actors will diminish and allow these people to have some down-time.

Peter Facinelli who plays Carlisle Cullen (Edward's dad), posted this picture on Twitpic last night (he holding hands with his other 'son' Kellan Lutz aka Emmett), moments after the shot of Robsten holding hands was released - it was clever and a nice thing to do to try and deflect some of the intensity focused on these two people. I understand the attention (really, why else would I discuss it here and have posted other pictures of them) however, I think a line should be drawn between a magazine shoot, red-carpet or public appearance where they know they are being photographed and one's private life.

Peter Facinelli & Kellan Lutz aka 'Pellan' :-)

The 'Pattz'

These photos were taken by Chris Pizzello before the New Moon press conference which took place in LA on Friday, November 6, 2009. I like these pictures which were posted on TwiFans website as they show a more relaxed and natural Rob. This clip was created by my Twi-Aunt who has had to listen to my Twilight ramblings for the past year - thank you for your encouragement, support and creativity :-)

The Sistahood of Twilight

It's no secret that I'm a total Twi-hard - obviously. As I watched Lori Joffs from Twilight Lexicon sing 'Uninvited' by Alanis Morrissette from NewCon in Nashville, it struck me that The Twilight Saga has created a community where we share snippets of our lives, largely anonymous or knowing each other only by our twitter handles.

We follow each other's adventures in our daily lives as well as catching up on the latest Twi-gossip and goings-ons in the Twi-universe. It's an outlet for us to share the latest theories, etc. on our favourite Saga without judgment or having to defend why we like the books, movie(s), etc.

It truly is a sisterhood, yes I realize that there may be some men who enjoy The Twilight Saga however the majority are women - and that in itself, is also unique as I cannot think of a movie series which has ever had such a large female following and is clearly aimed at the female demographic. Suppose it is our very own 'Star Wars', 'Lord of the Rings', etc. (I being a fan of both those franchises).

The books were marketed to be for young adults, we all know that Twi-fans run the gamut from young to the young-at-heart, take me for instance - I would be considered a 'Twilight Mom' - adult women who like Twilight. No, I don't have children and when asked in the bookstore who the latest Twilight-related item is for, I own my obsession and tell them it's for me with a proud smile on my face. A store clerk a few weeks ago, actually groaned as I gleefully lay down the New Moon Movie Companion on the counter and said 'not another one'...I said to her 'this must be a popular item today?!' Geez. It was nice to see all of us on twitter share our excitement over having the book and perusing it during our lunch or having to save it until we got home that night.

I have often been asked why I like The Twilight Saga and always tell them that it starts and ends with the books - Stephenie Meyer has created a wonderfully rich Twi-world where we can revisit Bella, Edward and Jacob and company on a regular basis and relive their adventures when our own adventures sometimes do not seem as buoyant or exciting. Seeing the books realized as movies is just the icing on the cake.

Robsten's Harper's Bazaar Cover Shoot

The following is an excerpt from the Harper's Bazaar article featuring our fave RPattz and KStew - I read that this photo shoot and interview is their 'official coming out as a couple'. That remains to be seen, however as the saying goes - these pictures do speak volumes.

Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart's Wild Ride By Laura Brown
With Twilight, the young actors found themselves thrust into the spotlight. Now, while their characters are torn apart in New Moon, they couldn't be closer. For more, see video with a sneak peek at New Moon. Plus, 11 things you didn't know about Rob & Kristen.



You can read the rest of the article here. Enjoy the pics, which are gorgeous!

Hmmm, looking forward to the proposal scene(s) in New Moon
& deffo Eclipse

The height of sophistication - looking kind of Addams' family like :)

Aie carumbah!

Swoon-worthy

Satellite Heart

Anya Marina's 'Satellite Heart' the first official single and video for Twilight Saga New Moon was released on November 2. I have watched it a few times now and marvel at the way the scenes of the movie are interwoven with the video, very well done.

It looks to me that the scenery of the video was shot in Oregon where Twilight was filmed - the mossy covered rocks seem familiar somehow, as does the waterfall. The cinematography is awesome and serves the song very well. A feast for the eyes - many have said that Chris Weitz's New Moon will also be a feast for the eyes, I say bring it on!!

Can't Believe It's November!!

How is it possible that it's November already?! Halloween has come & gone and now it's on to Christmas, yikes! Hope everyone had a safe & fun Halloween. I spent the day with three very sweet little girls (3 years & 2 years old). They dressed up as a princess, butterfly & bunny - cuteness factor on overload.

November will be a very busy month - I can't believe that we are just 3 weeks away from the New Moon opening. It seemed a long way off in May when the movie wrapped.

Having seen some of the pictures of Le Fab RPattz from the December edition of Vanity Fair, all I can say is where are the smelling salts. Vanity Fair is my favourite magazine and only buy it when I deem it worthy - I have editions going back many years (they are keepers) - this will definitely be one edition I will purchase and add to my collection.

Movie Clips - Too Much of a Good Thing?

When I posted the New Moon clips video (see post below) I wondered, have we seen the entire movie now in a collection of snippets over the past 5 months? What's left to surprise us? Did these clips end up on the cutting room floor and are being used to tease us and create excitement, as they are supposed to do?

Obviously, for we Twi-hards, who are already very familiar with the story seeing how it is translated to film will be the proof in the pudding, so to speak.

If these clips are any indication of the finished product, it looks amazing and cannot wait to see it! Hopefully there will still be plenty of surprises for us to watch (a few times).

New Moon Clips

Edward & Bella Appear on My Pumpkin ;-)

Halloween is my favourite holiday of the year - no joking. Love dressing up, handing-out candy, trick-or-treating, the whole nine yards. Every year I decorate for Halloween and this year decided to give my pumpkin the Twilight treatment. Using a stencil for the first time, I think it turned out quite well.

Close-up

Indeed it is a pumpkin

Doing my own green-screen effect in front of my computer screen - that's Bella's house (the prop house used in 'New Moon' and 'Eclipse'), it was taken down this past week.

Wonder what Rob & Kristen carve on their pumpkins? ;-)

David Slade, Director of Eclipse

David Slade is the director of 'Eclispe' the much anticipated (and my fave book of the series) movie, which will be released June 30, 2010.

He directed '30 Days of Night' which was released last year around Halloween, another vampire flick which has significantly more bite than the Twilight Saga. Indeed, David thought that the Twilight Saga was less than stellar...that is why when it was announced that he was to direct 'Eclipse' Twi-hards everywhere questioned his sincerity. Summit sensed that there may be some trouble brewing and David issued an apology thus smoothing any ruffled feathers.

All was forgiven and forgotten especially when he began sending regular tweets updating everyone on pre-production, production and upcoming post-production. David will continue to tweet until 'Eclipse' is released in the theatre next year.

David takes great pictures and has posted them on his twitter such as Bella's truck headlight-something as mundane as a headlight he makes look interesting and artistic.

I can't wait to see 'Eclipse' - realize that we still have to see 'New Moon' and have my ticket already but can't wait for next June (is that bad?) ;-)

New Moon - the Soundtrack

The New Moon soundtrack was officially released in the US last Friday and finally today, October 20, it hit stores in Canada. I have been listening to it for a week or so since the official New Moon website posted the soundtrack.

From the first listen, I have really loved this soundtrack and not just saying that. The Twilight soundtrack took a few listens to really get a feel for it but every song on this soundtrack seems to be telling part of the story of New Moon.

Lyrics to the songs are posted here and I have tried to place the songs where I think they fit into the story. Of course this is up for debate as only a few lucky people, namely the cast and Stephenie have seen the movie.

The order in which songs appear on a soundtrack often does not mirror the order in which they appear in the movie. For example, the Twilight song list starts with Muse's Supermassive Black Hole which doesn't appear until three-quarters into the movie at the baseball scene.

I have kept the songs in order they appear on the soundtrack and guess as to which scene they will accompany. The following is speculation only aka my opinion, for fun only:

1. Meet Me On the Equinox, Death Cab for Cutie - the lyrics allude to the clock tower scene where Edward wants to walk into the sunlight at noon to show himself as a vampire; the melody may play in the background or it will be part of the end credits.


2. Friends, Band of Skulls - quirky song which could play when Bella, Jacob, Mike & the gang go to the movies. Bella takes pictures of her friends with camera given to her at her birthday.


3. Hearing Damage, Thom Yorke - this may be my favourite song on the album. This should play when Bella sees Edward's apparition when she is doing something wreckless. In the book she would hear him, so ironic as to the title of the song.


4. Possibility, Lykke Li - possibly one of the most haunting of songs...playing when Edward leaves Bella in the forest; her cliff dive or during her depression.


5. A White Demon Love Song, The Killers - could play to one of many apparitions of Edward; Bella rides a motorcycle after seeing the movie, when she 'sees' Edward for the first time.


6. Satellite Heart, Anya Marina - Bella's song during her depression or to put another spin on it, Jacob's song as he pines for Bella's affection.


7. I Belong To You (New Moon Remix), Muse - plays as Alice & Bella race through streets of Volterra on their way to save Edward.


8. Rosyln, Bon Iver & St. Vincent - Bella jumping/falling off the cliff.


9. Done All Wrong, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Edward's lament that he is not good for Bella/believes he has no soul. Cursed fate.


10. Monsters, Hurricane Bells - Bella meets the wolves although melody is a bit light.


11. The Violet Hour, Sea Wolf - Bella & Edward having a light moment in the meadow.


12. Shooting the Moon, OK Go - Jacob & the wolves running through the night.


13. Slow Life, Grizzly Bear (with Victoria Legrand) - plays when Bella tells Jacob she must go to save Edward.


14. No Sound But the Wind, Editors - makes me think of the tent scene in Eclipse but this is New Moon so when Bella & Edward have returned from Volterra or part of end credits.


15. New Moon (The Meadow), Alexandre Desplat - obviously the meadow - very beautiful and sombre. I like that the piano is featured as main instrument, alluding to Bella's Lullaby of Twilight. Meadow scene when Bella revisits it after Edward is gone.

Can't wait for the New Moon score, which will be released on November 24...and of course, the release of New Moon itself on November 20. Advance showings start November 19 at 10pm in Canada ;) Until then, we have the soundtrack, the trailers and the books to keep us company.

Pictures from the Twilight Zone

The following pictures were taken by me over the past 6 months. Just a few of the places where filming has taken place.

Eclipse filming October 2009

New Moon filming in April 2009 at Bella's

Eclipse filming in October 2009 at Bella's (my favourite picture of the house) taken early morning with sun shining on it. No fence or screens hindering the view. There was a lamp on inside, did not knock on the door though ;)

Edward's place-New Moon filming in April 2009

Jacob's place used in New Moon & Eclipse

Bella's iconic truck & Jacob's and her motorcylces - New Moon filming April 2009. Loved seeing the vehicles, made it seem more 'real' - lol.

100 Monkeys

100 Monkeys is a band of which J.Bone (aka Jackson Rathbone, aka Jasper Hale) is a member. The band gots its name from "the hundredth monkey effect generally describes the instant, paranormal spreading of an idea or ability to the remainder of a population once a certain portion of that population has heard of the new idea or learned the new ability… hmm." Their website http://www.100monkeysmusic.com/ has all the details about the band and their music.

I saw them in concert in September. Their music is eclectic and eccentric - with a sense of humour. Just a lot of fun! The first song is about a plane going down in flames and the second song is their improvisational part of the concert where they perform a song based on suggestions from the audience, this night it was 'David Bowie'. Come check out 100 Monkeys.

The Twilight Saga

To say that the Twilight Saga has captured my imagination is probably an understatement. I have read and re-read the books several times - it is difficult to explain what makes a fan a Twi-hard, but it all starts with the books. Stephenie Meyer http://stepheniemeyer.com/ has written such a detailed story that draws you in and keeps you coming back.

When I first heard that the first book 'Twilight' would be turned into a motion picture, I was super-excited. Although some of my friends did not like the movie, I loved it - filled in the holes with content from the book. 'New Moon' looks like it may satisfy the critics and the fans, although who really cares about the critics :)

'New Moon' and 'Eclipse', the 2nd and 3rd books were/are being filmed in & around Vancouver. Of course, having these movies being created in my own backyard, it became a challenge to find actual sets or at least where the filming had taken place.

'New Moon' was a more relaxed set - so relaxed in fact that I drove right through a set one night as they were setting up for filming at Bella's house - truck out front and all but managed only a picture from afar as I had convinced one of the security people that I lived in the neighbourhood and feigned any knowledge of what was going on (still chuckle when I recount this episode).

'Eclipse' has been a challenge even though some of the locations used in 'New Moon' were used again - first time I revisited Bella's house during 'Eclipse' filming, the security guard proceeded to yell at me as I was sitting in the car on a public road in front of the house. Needless to say this did not disuade me from further visits ;) The house was recreated from the original used in 'Twilight' and it's difficult to believe when you are close up that it's not an actual real house but rather a shell. Love movie magic.

I have not actually seen any filming, but seeing the sets when filming has completed and/or remnants of props has been a lot of fun.

As for the actors, have met Jackson Rathbone (Jasper Hale) and Xavier Samuel (Riley) and hope to catch a glimpse of others - opportunity is fleeting as filming will wrap up at the end of October.

Hopefully, production will return for the last installment 'Breaking Dawn' however, rumours abound that they will not be back in Vancouver and return to Oregon where 'Twilight' was shot. Only time will tell. If they do not return, I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to see bits & pieces of 'New Moon' and 'Eclipse'.

Glee Wednesday

My favourite new television show is Glee http://www.fox.com/glee/. This is the latest creation of Ryan Murphy who also created Popular and Nip/Tuck. I have been a fan of Ryan's work for a few years now and was very excited to find out he was behind Glee. Fox launched a very clever PR campaign to draw attention to this show in May by showing the pilot and repeating it over the summer.

Thus when September rolled around, word-of-mouth and repeat viewings led to a mini-phenomenon, positive critical and public reviews have boosted the show to rank 29th in the much-coveted 18-49 year old demographic (last week).

Wednesday's have now become my 'Glee Wednesday', which gives me something to look forward to after a long day at the office.

If you haven't yet had an opportunity to check it out, in the US you can watch full episodes on Fox.com and in Canada go to http://www.globaltv.com/

Come join the Gleek Club (Glee fans), you won't regret it ;)

To post or not...post!

This is my first blog post and wondering what to write about as this will set the tone for what may be a foray into creative writing or just plain writing. As you can tell, I have a dry/wry sense of humour and find that humour is sometimes the only thing that will keep us coming back for more. Without humour what kind of world would it be? Don't really want to find out.

Will be discussing many topics, some more riveting than others. Currently, my ramblings will include the Twilight Saga. Twilight came to me about three years ago when I picked up the first book in the series and for lack of a better word, became hooked "my own personal brand of heroin", as Edward would say.

I have always had an interest in vampires, it's the only 'horror' genre I can/will watch as the other horror movies scare the bejeezes out of me. Vampires are fictional and therefore, safe to watch - no chainsaw-wielding maniacs for me (something that actually could happen, maybe). Anyway, it all started by watching Béla Lugosi as Dracula (just realized the symbolism of that name & Twilight connection, bahahaha or should it be muahahaha) and then chasing my little sister around pretending to be Dracula. Used to tell her 'I vant to suck your blood' - not really but that would send her running & screaming - this was funny as a 10-year old.

Love nature and will probably post many pictures of landscapes, cityscapes, buildings, etc. Living in BC provides many opportunities to observe and be part of nature. After all how could one live here and not be part of 'Super Natural BC' (actual slogan of Tourism BC) http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/default.htm

Entertainment, whether live or movies, has always played a big part in my life. My mom used to take my siblings and I to children's theatre and fell in love with live theatre and will always remmber my first movie was 'Pinocchio' (not the original release in 1940 but some years later). I marvelled at the big screen and have found many years hence a sort of kinship with movies.

Music is very important as well. I have collected a lot of music and still have my original record collection (play a record once in a while), cassette tapes, CDs and now MP3s. Music for me is like a diary and know exactly what was happening in my life when a particular song plays.

As they say, 'cut, that's a wrap' (for this post).