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.

Good night, Tree Hill

The One Tree Hill series finale was simply everything I could've asked and hoped for. It was the perfect send-off for my favorite TV characters. It was definitely a happy ending. :)

While watching, I noted some favorite moments from the finale and here are the top 10 in order of appearance:

1. Brooke walking into the set of Peyton's room



2. Logan calling Quinn "mom" (Aww!)
3. Gavin DeGraw performing and then panning out onto the main cast watching





4. Nathan and Haley in the rain
5. Brooke and Julian in the house Brooke grew up in
6. "There's only one Tree Hill, Jamie Scott, and it's your home."
7. Brooke and Julian on the set of the Tree Hill High School hallway

"This is all where it happened for the first time. The heartache, and the happiness, all of it."

8. The cast singing to "I Don't Wanna Be" (I was singing along, too, and it felt like I was singing along with them!)
9. The kids and Skillz throwing water balloons from the Karen's Cafe rooftop the way Peyton and Brooke did then
10. Hearing my favorite voice over once again:

"Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want. Everything you want.
Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true.
You never know where the next miracle's gonna come from,
the next memory, the next smile, the next wish come true.
But if you believe that it's right around the corner,
and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it,
to the certainty of it,
you just might get the thing you're wishing for.
The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it.
So make your wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it,
with all your heart."

I am certainly gonna miss it. Truly, there is only one Tree Hill, and it is my home. <3

*applause*

"Tonight, One Tree Hill was a goodbye, but not the sad, sucky kind. And perhaps that's the final message our quiet ally means to pass onto us. Goodbyes don't have to be terrible, heartbreaking traumas. On the contrary, sometimes they can be timely and quite beautiful." --TV.com

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. ;)

Goodbye, Chuck!

If there's one show who's good (great, actually) at doing endings, it has to be Chuck. Since they never knew on the fly whether they'll get canceled or not every season that there has been, each season finale was always written as if it was the last episode that will air. As a big fan, I'm glad the show had the chance to do a proper goodbye on their own terms and they did it amazingly.

After watching the very jam-packed (action- and emotion-filled, with the right amount of comedy in between) finale, I couldn't help but google some post-finale blogs/write-ups to help me cope with the sudden loss. While reading and nodding to every word they said, I'm just like, why do I get so invested in these things? You know why? Because they're not just mere TV shows, they're not just there to entertain you. They actually teach you lessons in life and love and heartbreak and simply everything in between. And they make you soft on the inside, and if you're already soft, they make you softer and softer that you end up being just gooey in the end, like me, but I love it.

Even though I did not get the ending I was expecting, I actually loved every minute of the 2-hour finale. I had to pause almost 3/4 in the first half because I simply couldn't take it. When I resumed watching and continued on to the final chapter, it became a full-on sob fest! I'm not even ashamed to admit that I cried like a freaking baby up until the closing.

If you haven't seen the last two episodes or have any interest in starting to watch the series, please, for the love of Buy More and Subway sandwiches, do not read more!

Too much TV!

Last Wednesday felt like a summer day since I spent almost the whole day watching TV. Well, watching TV on my computer to be exact. My classes that day ended up being suspended because of Velada Tomasina in UST so I just stayed at home. I know, it's so KJ of me to not attend the program but I had been feeling sick since Tuesday night. So what do you do when you're sick and can't go outside? Curl up in bed and watch your favorite shows, of course!

I ended up finishing Friends season 3 and I also watched episodes of my Tuesday guilty-pleasures. Yes, I have shows to watch every day of the week, except for Monday.

My Tuesday shows include:
Gossip Girl - Season 5 is easily becoming one of my favorites, and one of the best, too, with lots of the drama having much more depth.

Pretty Little Liars - One of my favorites!!! There's nothing else to say, really.

Hart of Dixie - This will probably be my new "One Tree Hill' just because it's starting to make me cry in every episode, just like OTH (yes, I think it was either season 7 or 8, maybe both, where I cried a lot while watching consecutive episodes). Also, Rachel Bilson is fantastic as her character, Dr. Zoe Hart!

Wednesday shows:
Glee - The show is starting to feel like how it was in the first season, and I'm liking how it's now more focused on character development (e.g. Harry Shum Jr.'s Mike Chang, Naya Rivera's Santana). Of course I love the music that has been featured this season. Very much looking forward to the "Michael" episode this coming week! Ships: Klaine, Finchel, Wemma

New Girl - Funny enough to keep me watching. Besides, Zooey Deschanel is always enjoyable to watch.

Thursday shows:
One Tree Hill - As I mentioned earlier, OTH is ending soon and this last season is only making me crazier and crazier with every episode!!

Modern Family - Hilarious! Brilliant cast! They definitely deserve all the awards!!

Friday (aka Supernatural day) shows:
The Vampire Diaries - One of my favorites as well! Although the show's current pace is kind of slow. Favorite ship: Stelena!

The Secret Circle - Good witchy show! Kind of intense plotlines. I like it.

Saturday hit:
Chuck - Forever favorite!!! The last two episodes are waiting for me to watch them... Will spare myself from probably crying myself to sleep and watch them tomorrow instead.

Obviously, I watch too much TV. But I still have other ones in line that I'd like to start watching, too, including: How I Met Your Mother (I know, I'm probably the only person left in the world who isn't hooked with this show yet), The Big Bang Theory (same with this one), Once Upon A Time, Sherlock, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, 2 Broke Girls, and Smash. I plan on starting with House and Grey's Anatomy, too, in the future.

Having friends that are as much of a TV addict as me makes it much more enjoyable to watch these shows. Not only do we have the same taste in music, we also like the same shows. So you can expect that our daily conversations revolve around 2 things: music charts and what happened in the latest episode of our favorite TV show of the day.

What shows are you currently watching? :)

There's too much good TV!

Last night was a good non-busy night. I watched the new episode of Modern Family Season 3; caught the pilot episode of Hart of Dixie (Rachel Bilson) on TV; and finally saw the movie Water for Elephants (not a TV show but I just wanted to mention it) and I gotta say I really applaud both performances by Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon, it's definitely one of the nicest movies I've seen lately.

Today, after going to school for a make-up class, I started watching Eastwick. It's a 2009 defunct TV show about witches (based on a novel called "The Witches of Eastwick") which starred Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars) and Darren Criss (Glee, A Very Potter Musical), so of course I got curious. The two characters they play don't have the witch powers though. The witches on the show are three middle-aged women, each with their own twisted problems to deal with and then one day, something happens which binds them together. I'm already 4 episodes in and I am hooked. It's sad that this show got canceled early on because it appeared to have had a steady fan base then.

In between watching episodes of Eastwick, I also caught up on missed X-Factor US episodes. You have to know that I love me some reality singing show every once in a while. And of course, back to supernatural drama, I also watched the new episode of The Vampire Diaries Season 3, which I absolutely loved. I go crazy after watching every episode of this show, to be honest, it's that gripping to me.

I am such a TV junkie, I know, and I happily admit it. When I get too stressed about real life stuff, I turn to these shows to perk up my mood or just take my mind off things I don't want to think about at the moment.

Right now, I'm simply taking the time to relax my mind in preparation for studying for my finals next week. I think now would be a good time to fix my body clock as well since I have exams next week as early as 7 in the morning (yikes!), and I better rest my eyes as well so I bid you all a good night. :)

A Decade of Smallville

"And that was the day the boy turned into Superman"

I just witnessed the very epic series finale of Smallville and I gotta say... actually, I don't have anything else to say, except that it really was EPIC in all proportions. I bow down to the show - the producers, the directors, the actors, and everyone involved in it. Such an amazing, wonderful thing has finally come to an end.

I can't believe that was 10 years of my life I spent obsessing over the show. I blame my brothers. I was only still in elementary, I remember, when two of my brothers would do a marathon of the show and then I would end up watching with them and so I got hooked. We would sit on the couch and eat lunch in front of the TV because we wanted to finish one season in just one sitting. It's funny how I'm thinking now, how come I didn't have anyone to freak out with regarding Smallville? But then I realized that that was because I considered the show, and the liking of Superman in general, to be a family thing. It was internal, in a way. Just this morning my dad asked me whether I am already watching the last season of the show. And moments ago he heard me kind of screaming and he asked me why and then I said I was watching the finale and he was like, "Ah finale na ba yan?" And then he simply went about his own way. He's so understanding of me regarding things like this. Hahaha.

Anyway, the things that happened in the two-part finale is still kind of sinking in and as I'm typing these words my mind is still like, "OH MY GOD WHAT JUST HAPPENED OH MY GOD AMAZING OH MY." Everything that I hoped for came to be. It was even more perfect than I expected it to be. Clark finally embracing his destiny after the trials that he has been through and successfully overcame was truly inspiring. The show has taught me a lot in the last decade that it's been in my life. One thing I loved from the finale came from Clark's wedding vows to Lois. It said: "When you believe in someone, it's not for a minute, or just for now, it's forever."

Tom Welling, you will always be Superman to me!

Thank you, Smallville, for the 10 years worth of being SUPER!

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.

Not your typical vampire story

Get smitten, not bitten.

That's the tagline for that vampire show The Vampire Diaries, which first season I just finished watching. You have no idea how crazy the finale was, well, not unless you also watched it, which makes you cooler than Mike Posner. Anyway. As I was saying, the freaking finale was so freaking intense and totally unexpected that so many "oh my god's" have escaped my mouth in like less than a minute's time. That intense. I mean, really, it literally left my mouth hanging open.

Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert, Stefan Salvatore

I've started doing a marathon of season one a week ago, if I remember correctly. I didn't jump on the bandwagon until it was on local TV. (Because normally for me, I would simply download torrents of the shows I watch and when TVD was just starting, I already had Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill & Chuck piled up on my download list once a week so I never bothered starting to watch it.) So I caught the pilot episode on TV and because yes, I got smitten, I pledged to myself that I would tune in everytime it's on. But then the next week, when my alarm for it went off and I turned the TV on, I was surprised to see that the episode was kind of far from where the pilot ended. I found out the cable channel was doing a marathon of the season in time for the premiere of the second one. That's when I decided to just download the episodes and watch in my own leisure time, which lead me to this open-mouthed reaction, eventually. (Yes, I am still utterly shocked at how good the finale was.)

Sometimes, I just shake my head at myself for being so into these things that I get so overly dramatic with what happens in the show. My dad actually overheard me talking so he was asking what I was saying and who I was talking to only to find out, when he came into my room, that I was watching something on my laptop. He even said that I was being "maarte," which I think I earned. HAHAHAHA.

Anyway, I just cannot wait for the next season which premieres next week!!!! I'm kind of glad that I only decided to watch it now because I didn't have to wait too long for the next season, which I did and am still doing for every other show that I watch. But there are only 2 or 3 weeks left anyway, so I think I'm good.

IRL: Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder

If you haven't started watching The Vampire Diaries yet, I suggest you start now while you can still catch up with the episodes easily. I promise you, you will definitely enjoy every minute of it. Before I say anything else, I just want to clear up that I'm a fan of Twilight. But to be perfectly honest, it is much better than that. Vampires in Mystic Falls don't sparkle, no offense to Edward Cullen. And it definitely has more depth in the storyline which makes it really gripping. Lastly, you are so not going to regret watching it because you get to see not one but two hot vampires (Paul Wesley & Ian Somerhalder!). I know, right? It's so awesome!

P.S. First rule about vampires? Don't believe anything you read! ;)