Movies, Books, Music, and TV

These are a few of my favorite things (in no particular order) :)

Last week, I went to see "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" expecting to be entertained as much as I was reading the book because, after all, the writer of the movie screenplay was none other than Stephen Chbosky himself. Later on, I found out that he was also the director! Needless to say, it was such an amazing experience being able to witness on the big screen the same moments that I loved from the novel. The story was told in the most beautiful way. Having said that, I am simply left in awe of Chbosky's talent.

In other news, I'm very happy about my recent book purchases:

Bought Queen Jo Rowling's new book, "The Casual Vacancy," last payday Friday! Meanwhile, I was able to get a signed copy of John Green's latest release, "The Fault In Our Stars," at 20% off thanks to Fully Booked - Gateway's sale!

Meanwhile, in the music scene... If you haven't head it yet, listen to Rihanna's new single "Diamonds"!

Also on my current playlist:

• Taylor Swift - Begin Again
• Alicia Keys - Not Even The King
• Glee Cast - It's Time (Imagine Dragons Cover)
• Adele - Skyfall (Yes, the OST to the new Daniel Craig 007 film!)

Lastly, if you're a fan of reality singing competitions, I suggest you get into the new season of The X Factor! Demi Lovato & Britney Spears are really great additions to the panel and it's almost the Judges' Homes round so it's gonna get exciting! Plus, the talents this year are really amazing from what I've heard thus far!

Just look at these little girls singing it out!

American Idol Live! Tour 2012

I am so glad I was able to catch the AI Live! Tour last Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. It was a really great way to end the work week! Incidentally, I had been in a sing-song mood the whole week and the only time I was able to let it all out was at the show. It was so fun!! All the Idol Top 10 finalists were really amazing!

Highlights of the show for me (in order of appearance):

Skylar Laine & Hollie Cavanagh doing Undo It. Carrie Underwood must be proud! (The video doesn't do the performance justice, really.)

Rumor Has It by Elise Testone! She was a little bit scratchy on show night but she still managed to give a really great performance! Loved her whole set.

Of course, there's Jessica Sanchez! Her whole set, too, was really amazing! Girl's truly in her own zone when she's performing and I love it! My favorite song she did was How Come You Don't Call Me, I was freaking out the whole time that my dad was the one getting embarrassed for my being so loud hahahaha!

Proud Mary!!

Never Give All The Heart x 2

As I've mentioned on a previous post, SMASH (yes, that new addiction of mine!) gives me new music to listen to every week. And, Katharine McPhee's character, Karen's number on this week's episode is nothing short of divine. The song is called "Never Give All The Heart," and it has been on repeat since I watched it last night.

As a wise man once wrote
Never give all the heart
Well, it's easy to see
He was writing for me
I just wish I could play that part

Yes, he scribbled that love isn't worth thinking of
That it fades out from kiss to kiss
If I just learned those lines
Well, just think of the misery I'd miss

As the Irish man said
Don't put your heart up to play
When he warned of the cost
And the heart that he lost
Mister Yeats really paved the way

For the men that I've known
Who have clearly shown
They've been reading him from the start
'Cause when it comes to me
Well, their kisses come free
But they never give all the heart

Listening to the lyrics, I'm amazed at how good the show's songwriters and producers are able to capture Marilyn Monroe's true personality. I wasn't really familiar with Marilyn, "the person" before. Then, all I knew was simply Marilyn, "the icon." And then I saw this new movie about her, "My Week With Marilyn." And basing my grasp on her character from that very short glimpse of her life, I completely see the connection between what these songs from the show portray and the anecdotes I've encountered about Marilyn. Just like any woman who falls in love, she always gave all her heart but in her case, Marilyn never really gotten enough affection back. And that was the only thing she ever wanted, affection.

Also, one other thing that makes me love this song so much is how it's so inspired. (Once again, kudos to the talented songrwriters and producers!) If you listen carefully to the lyrics, a Mister Yeats is mentioned. I knew from the lyrics that the song was based on a poem so I googled the name. Sure enough, this Mister Yeats is the author of a poem called, yes, "Never give all the Heart."

Never give all the Heart
W.B. Yeats

Never give all the heart, for love
Will hardly seem worth thinking of
To passionate women if it seem
Certain, and they never dream
That it fades out from kiss to kiss;
For everything that's lovely is
But a brief, dreamy, kind delight.
O never give the heart outright,
For they, for all smooth lips can say,
Have given their hearts up to the play.
And who could play it well enough
If deaf and dumb and blind with love?
He that made this knows all the cost,
For he gave all his heart and lost.

Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D

To some people, Katy Perry releasing a movie might just be another ploy to generate dollars. But to millions of thousands of adoring fans like me, things like this -- a look into the life of a favorite music superstar -- are everything we could ask for. It gives you that feeling that you are somehow connected with these celebrities personally, that you know them a little better than anyone else.

When I first heard about "Part of Me 3D" I thought it was just going to be the "California Dreams Tour" in film format so when I saw the teaser trailer, that it's actually gonna have everything from the beginning of Katy's career, I was surprised and immediately got very excited about it.

To be totally honest, watching the full trailer had me tearing up and having goosebumps all over. I loved Katy from the start of her mainstream pop career so I can say I've been a fan for 4 years or so already. With every song and music video she releases, my admiration for her just grows stronger. And after watching the movie, I'm sure my feelings would be magnified even more. :)

It's a Smash

Starting to watch a new show can be thrilling but what makes it so much more fun is when you reach the turning point -- the time when you obsessively love the show already! And what's even greater is when you have friends who enjoy the same show as much as you do!! I love musicals and Katharine McPhee (yes, from American Idol) so put them together in a TV show and you'd be sure to find out I'm an avid fan.

The show is called "Smash" and it's about building a broadway musical centered on the life of Marilyn Monroe. When I tell people about this show, the first reaction is always the same: "Is it like Glee?" Well, it's nothing like Glee. For starters, it's not about a high school Glee club. Smash is a different kind of musical. It's about real life, about broadway people and the experiences they go through when starting a new show. You may say it's how a Rachel Berry spin-off would be like once she graduates from a performing arts college. That's probably the closest relation it has with Glee.

So, as I've mentioned, Smash stars Katharine McPhee as Karen Cartwright. She auditions for the role of Marilyn but another character, Ivy Lynn (played by Megan Hilty), gets the part. One of the things I love most about this show, besides the amazingly good music, is how great the characters' chemistry is together. I just adore all of them. So far, I'm loving Julia (Debra Messing, Will & Grace) and her storyline, but not because of the whole adultery thing (you'll have to watch it for yourself!), it's just that I adore her and Michael Swift (played by Debra's real life boyfriend, Will Chase) together!

Now on to the music! So far there have only been 6 episodes so let me give you a taste of the wonderful songs that were featured on the latest episode of Smash, which are definitely on my favorites list:

And just for kicks, go and listen to the first original song aired on the show, "Let Me Be Your Star," I swear to you that song will convince you to watch Smash, if I hadn't done already. ;)

WE RUN THE WORLD

When this song first came out I didn't like it much because the sample (Major Lazer's Pon De Floor) was too repetitive. Then I got to watch B perform it live at the Billboard Music Awards. Now, guess what? I cannot stop listening to the song!! And then I got to watch another live performance for Oprah's final show. WOW.

Srsly, people who have doubted Beyonce in the past are probably sitting behind their computers watching these things again and again as well. And if they're not doing that they're probably busy "hating" because they can't dance like that. I know I am, but I'm actually hating/praising her at the same time haha.

Looking forward to hearing the rest of her new album called '4' out in stores June 28th.

Bus rides to work

One time I was meeting friends in UST and I caught myself saying how I enjoy riding the bus when I go to work. It's not in the sense that I haven't ridden a bus prior to having my OJT in Makati but more on enjoying the bus ride because of the people I get to ride with. See, I like people watching. It's relaxing for me, and more recently it's actually quite become a hobby of mine whenever I go out. Not that I mind their business, it's just figuring out the who, what, where, when, why and how of a certain thing about people that catches my eye. For example, whenever I see someone with their headphones on, I always wonder to myself what kind of music or which artists are they listening to.

This one time I got lucky because I found out what the person I was seated next to (she was a girl) was listening to. From P. Noval to Ayala Ave. I was listening in on her playlist (because the volume on her headphones was that loud). It was personally entertaining because I was playing a game of "guess the song" with myself. Hahaha. So you can imagine that I never really get bored during bus rides to work.

Here's the playlist:

1. Rebecca Black - Friday (What a nice way to start the day, I thought then. NOT.)
2. Rihanna - Hatin' On The Club
3. P!nk - Raise Your Glass
4. Katy Perry - Firework
5. Usher feat. Pitbull - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love
6. Glee - I Feel Pretty/Unpretty
7. The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved
8. Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
9. The Script - Breakeven
10. Rihanna feat. Drake - What's My Name

I missed maybe a couple songs because I couldn't hear them very well. Anyway, I shared this with my friend and he said that it's like the girl and I shared the same music library haha. I agree, I do listen regularly to those artists, with the blatant exception of Rebecca Black.

If there's one thing I'm gonna miss once I'm done with my OJT, it's definitely the riding the bus to work. What with the [unintentional] sharing of music, as well as sharing laughs when I ride with my co-OJT's, it helps play down the tiresome hours I spend on a desk job everyday.

1 Tree Hill

There's nothing like spending the evening after work watching your favorite show. I've been shedding tears from seeing the latest episode of One Tree Hill. I don't know, it feels like they're starting to say goodbye. With the River Court in danger of being turned into a site of condominiums and the old Karen's Cafe turned Clothes Over Bros. opening up as a new Karen's Cafe owned by Haley and Brooke, I just couldn't help but feel nostalgic along with the gang. Oh, and not to mention Brooke finally getting the happy ending she totally deserves!

I never really started watching the show from its first season. I only started to catch it on TV during the latter part of its third one, but having been watching it religiously and never missing an episode since then, I eventually had a vivid picture of what happened during those seasons that I missed. One major thing that makes the show wonderful is actually the flashbacks, it's one of the things I love the most about it.

I know it has been eight glorious years since viewers first set foot upon Tree Hill but to be perfectly honest, I want it to go on forever. I want to see Haley, and Nathan grow old still together. I want Brooke and Julian to have more babies. I want to see Jamie all-grown up taking care of her little sister.

The show may seem like they're ready to say goodbye but the actors (Sophia Bush, Stephen Colletti) still want to pursue another season, a fitting farewell to the loyal viewers (like me). I think it's a great idea to simply get a glimpse of how their lives would pan out in the long run, to have that assurance that they would all "live happily ever after." That's all we really want, isn't it? Because seeing it happen, even just on TV screens, gives us that glint of hope that we have a chance to live happily, too.

Here's to hoping that One Tree Hill will get picked up for another season! Now I leave you with the show's theme song "I Don't Wanna Be" sung by Kate Voegele, one of the many artists whose career was launched on the show.

Make me sing

Hello there! So here are a few of my favorite songs as of late. You can find me humming/singing these tunes right when I wake up in the morning or when I'm in the shower or when I see their videos on MTV or another music channel.

Sara Bareilles - Uncharted

Maroon 5 - Never Gonna Leave This Bed

The Script - Nothing

Jessie J feat. B.o.B - Price Tag

Maroon 5 and The Script are currently on tour right now and they'll soon be visiting the country. I wish I could go see both shows but sadly, I'm short on money, money, money. I'm on the lookout for contests/ticket giveaways though, so hopefully I get lucky. ;)

New Chris Brown!!

Currently jamming to Chris Brown's new album, F.A.M.E. I love almost every song in it. I'm trying so hard to pick a favorite so I can post it but it's so hard for me!! Hahaha.

It's almost 11 pm and I should be resting but listening to good new music is just the right kind of stress reliever I needed.

Okay, so let me post the first two songs that I listened to just so you'd get to have a feel of the album. But these couple of songs don't even begin to sum up the whole 18 tracks because Chris has tried and experimented with a wide range of genres this time (including reggae and Euro-pop). You'll probably already know a few of the songs on the record such as the first official single "Yeah 3x" as well as a couple songs that were on his Fan of a Fan mixtape ("Deuces" & "No BS").

1st song: Up 2 You



A classic Breezy ballad that would instantly have you swooning just with the first line of the song. This one's definitely a top contender.

2nd song: She Ain't You



This one samples Michael Jackson's Human Nature. From that alone, this song already gets a thumbs up. MJ's sounds + Chris' vocals = a sure win.

Also check out:

• Next 2 You (feat. Justin Bieber)
• All Black
• Oh My Love
• Say It With Me

I'm also a KatyCat

Katy Perry was also present at the Grammys and she didn't disappoint with a very sweet and loving performance. She sang Not Like The Movies live for the first time while sitting on a swing. Then she was raised to reveal a curtain and it was a wonderful surprise when a home video of her & Russell Brand's wedding in India started playing on the background. She then closed out her performance with Teenage Dream saying, "This one goes out to all the Valentine lovers!"

Watch the video below:

Oh, and by the way, I wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day! May your hearts always be filled with love and affection wherever and whoever you may be. :)

Proud Rihanna Navy

The Grammys this year was a flop. Well, not totally, but it wasn't that much entertaining for me and my friends. The only interesting things were Rihanna's performances, yes, she performed twice. And her winning a Grammy for Best Dance Recording with Only Girl (In The World), which was actually announced in the pre-telecast so there was no acceptance speech. I was really rooting for Love The Way You Lie (and I'm pretty sure I wasn't alone on this) to at least win in one or two categories it was nominated in but alas, I was only disappointed. But Eminem won in the Rap Album category though for his top-selling album, Recovery. He even thanked Rihanna for "helping to propel the album to where it's at now."

Yup, that's my girl. So despite this year's show flubs, I'm still happy with the outcome. Rihanna gained another Grammy to put under her belt and she killed it with her performances on the show together with Eminem and Drake. Watch the videos below.

Eminem & Rihanna with Adam Levine - Love The Way You Lie (Part II)

Rihanna & Drake - What's My Name

Taylor Swift

So I told my 7-year-old nephew I was going to see Taylor Swift in concert next week (!!!).

Here's how the conversation went (via Skype):

Me: I'm going to Taylor Swift's concert next Saturday.
Nephew: Can I watch the movie? (To his dad, my brother)
Brother: No, Tita May is watching her in concert. Would you like to go with her and watch Taylor Swift in the Philippines?
Nephew: I don't know... I'll think about it.
Nephew: Are you going by yourself? (To me)
Me: No, I'm going with friends.
Nephew: So do your friends love Taylor Swift?
Me: Yeah, we all love Taylor Swift.
Nephew: So your friends and you, you love her?
Me: *nods*
Nephew: So what's your favorite Taylor Swift song?
Me: It used to be Forever & Always but now I love Enchanted from her new album.
Nephew: Uh can you post it from the internet so I can listen?

Adorable. Of course I did share a link of the song to him. And I'll do it for you, too. Here's "Enchanted" from Taylor's new album, Speak Now. :)






Just earlier a "cover" of this song surfaced. It was from Adam Young of Owl City. Apparently Taylor wrote the song about him and to return the favor he decided to sing and dedicate it to Taylor for Valentine's Day. Listen to it here.

Anyway, I'm so stoked for next week's Manila stop of her Speak Now tour!!! Can't wait!! :)

Melancholy

I had just finished crying my eyes out (again) from having seen My Sister's Keeper for a third time when I came across this wonderful yet very sad new song by Adele called "Someone Like You," which goes something like this:

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead

And now I have it on repeat. That last line in the chorus couldn't be more true.

Adele is golden. Her talent is simply pure perfection.

Meet Ellie Goulding

Hello world, I'd like you to meet Ellie Goulding, one of UK's fresh rising stars. I'd first heard of her on MTV with her single "Starry Eyed" several months ago, which to be honest, I didn't like that much. After that, I never really paid attention to her until this morning, when I heard her version of Elton John's "Your Song" (a personal favorite). I absolutely loved her voice so I decided to listen to some of her other songs and the one that I also liked is called "Guns and Horses". Oh, and she's also really pretty!

Love The Way You Lie Pt. II

[Rihanna]
On the first page of our story
The future seemed so bright
Then this thing turned out so evil
I don’t know why I’m still surprised
Even angels have their wicked schemes
And you take that to new extremes
But you’ll always be my hero
Even though you’ve lost your mind

[Chorus]
Just gonna stand there and watch me burn
But that’s all right because I like the way it hurts
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry
But that’s all right because I love the way you lie
I love the way you lie
Ohhh, I love the way you lie

[Rihanna]
Now there’s gravel in our voices
Glass is shattered from the fight
In this tug of war, you’ll always win
Even when I’m right
‘Cause you feed me fables from your hand
With violent words and empty threats
And it’s sick that all these battles
Are what keeps me satisfied

[Chorus]

[Rihanna]
So maybe I’m a masochist
I try to run but I don’t wanna ever leave
Til the walls are goin’ up
In smoke with all our memories

[Eminem]
This morning, you wake, a sunray hits your face
Smeared makeup as we lay in the wake of destruction
Hush baby, speak softly, tell me I’ll be sorry
That you pushed me into the coffee table last night
So I can push you off me
Try and touch me so I can scream at you not to touch me
Run out the room and I’ll follow you like a lost puppy
Baby, without you, I’m nothing, I’m so lost, hug me
Then tell me how ugly I am, but that you’ll always love me
Then after that, shove me, in the aftermath of the
Destructive path that we’re on, two psychopaths but we
Know that no matter how many knives we put in each other’s backs
That we’ll have each other’s backs, ‘cause we’re that lucky
Together, we move mountains, let’s not make mountains out of molehills,
You hit me twice, yeah, but who’s countin’?
I may have hit you three times, I’m startin’ to lose count
But together, we’ll live forever, we found the youth fountain
Our love is crazy, we’re nuts, but I refused counselin’
This house is too huge, if you move out I’ll burn all two thousand
Square feet of it to the ground, ain’t shit you can do about it
With you I’m in my f-ckin’ mind, without you, I’m out it

[Chorus]

F-ckin' genius of a song.

Ignite the light and let it shine

Yesterday I was feeling somewhat nostalgic and I started missing Katy Perry (just goes to show how I attached I get with my favorite music, soon there's going to be a Rihanna post as well, I assure you) that I started watching all of her old video blogs again. I love watching those v-logs, vlogs or whatever... (I apologize for sounding like a creep though.)

And today I was on YouTube searching for her old performances. These are really old like 2 years ago old and it's a new artist showcase show so it's probably like one of her first shows. I remember watching these like eons ago. It feels so long ago but it's only been a couple of years. Later we'll get to the more recent stuff, don't worry... :)

I miss the acoustic Katy more than anything. I remember watching her perform live and I flipped out the most during the acoustic part of the show with Thinking of You & Mannequin. Katy + her guitar = my weakness, basically. I remember her saying she wants to do an acoustic album someday so I hope that will come to life in the future.

So now, onto the more recent stuff... Firework! I adore that song <3 Like what I told my friend, it's so GV-inducing (for a lack of a better term). Just realizing how far she's come and all the things she has achieved in the past couple years makes me so happy. From the homemade vlogs to Firework, it just makes me grateful to come to know her music. Yeah I know, I'm such a fangirl. But what can I say, I love Katy! :)

The Annual Sembreak To-Do List

Yes, it's finally my sembreak! Now I can stop bitchin' about school stuff hooray! And that is the truth because I don't think I have anything to complain about because I passed all my subjects! Double hooray! Thanks be to God. :)

So anyway, yeah, let's get down right to business. I already had one thing to do during this 3 & 1/2 weeks of vacation which is hang out at Booksale (and stop myself from robbing the store haha!) and a couple days ago I thought of other "fun" stuff that I'd like to do and here are the things I came up with:

• Catch up on Life Unexpected
• Finish reading Jane Eyre
• Read Eat, Pray, Love
• Watch old school movies (e.g. Uptown Girls)
• Clean my room, as in actual cleaning!
• Exercise!!!

The last two obviously don't count as fun but they are things that I really have to do even if I don't want to. So that's that. I'm also looking forward to watching a couple new movies like The Social Network and The Town, both of which I've heard/read great reviews about.

I guess cheers to a stress-free life even for only about a month! Yay!

(SOTN as in Soundtrack Of The Night: Keane - Everybody's Changing)

Oldie but definitely a goodie

Just earlier this afternoon I was sitting on the couch watching Channel V and Backtracks was on. Usually, I don't sit through it because I know they play really old music that I don't recognize but every once in a while they do play stuff that I'm familiar with, like music I grew up listening to and enjoying, which actually makes me feel old. Anyway, the very first music video they played was of Alanis Morissette. I didn't know the song but the simple beauty of the melody struck me so I continued watching. The song was "That I Would Be Good".

Once I heard the lyrics, I knew that it would go straight to my favorites list. Why didn't I know about this song before? It was actually first released in 1998 from Alanis' fourth record Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. Then, an acoustic live version of the song (video above) was recorded during a session for MTV Unplugged in 1999. It was released as a single for the album Alanis Unplugged the following year. Where was I in the year 2000? I think that was 4th grade and I was around 9 or 10.

As I was saying, I was simply mesmerized by the lyrics and its simplicity. I'm either a lyric person or a music person but more often than not, I guess I'm a lyric person and that's why I absolutely fell in love with this song. It just has that certain personal sense to it. No matter who you are or where you're from, I'm sure at some point you can or were able to relate to what the song says.

That I would be good even if I did nothing
That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer queen
That I would be grand if I was not all knowing

That I would be loved even when I numb myself
That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved even when I was fuming
That I would be good even if I was clingy

That I would be good even if I lost sanity
That I would be good
Whether with or without you

John Mayer Live in Manila Contest

So the one & only awesome concert blog Manila Concert Scene is giving me (and loads of other people I bet!) a chance to win tickets to see John Mayer live in Manila on October 1st!

Here are the contest details:

Hey Manila!

We are giving tickets for John Mayer Live In Manila on October 01,2010 at Mall Of Asia Concert Grounds!

All you need to do is the following:
1. Answer the following question:
a. What is your favourite John Mayer song?
2. Mention this blog contest in your post: http://manilaconcertscene.blogspot.com/
3. Post your answer on your site (It can be Facebook, Blogspot, Multiply, etc).
4. And post your blog URL entries in our comment box.

Good luck!

It kind of sucks that they always have to ask the "favorite" question because I've always found it hard to pick favorites especially if it's music and from an artist that I really love. But if I had to pick just one favorite John Mayer song, it would have to be Love Song for No One. Why? Well, because it's like it was written for me! I mean, "I'm tired of being alone, so hurry up and get here," that line could have been taken out straight from my mouth! Haha! And among my favorite John Mayer songs, it's the one that will most probably have me losing myself in front of the karaoke machine. Guilty as charged!

After all the crushes are faded
And all my wishful thinking was wrong
I'm jaded
I hate it

Searching all my days just to find you
I'm not sure who I'm looking for
I'll know it
When I see you

P.S. You can also follow MCS on Tumblr!