carrying the banner

so i finally got my hands on a copy of newsies this past saturday and although the last time i saw this movie was at least 7-10 years ago, it was like being reunited with an old friend. i've already watched it 4 times (not including watching clips of the movie here and there), sung all the songs at the top of my lungs, and watched all the bonus material. hahaha. i'm freakin' amazing.

i miss good quality movies like this - they're just not the same nowadays. my apologies to the high school musical fans out there, but newsies totally kicks high school musical's arse over and over again. the dancing is better. the singing is better. the music is better. the storyline is better. everything about it is just better. oh and did i mention that christian bale is in it? (i love christian bale - loved him ever since newsies!) come on now let's be honest, zac effron has got nothing on christian bale. i mean can you imagine zac effron as batman? eww, gross.

p.s. speaking of batman, i watched the dark knight with justin last friday and it was so good! scary at times (yay for justin letting me peek through his fingers!), but really good nonetheless. heath ledger was phenomenal as the joker. it's easy to see why he would have been so disturbed and unable to sleep - that joker is one deranged lunatic - its too bad how things turned out. so tragic. in any case, he was great and i really do hope he gets that oscar.

the fraser and the fitzsimmons

i went to see brooke fraser at the el mocambo this past wednesday and i must say, her voice is just as good and as beautiful live as it is on her cds. she put on a good show - her guitar playing, piano playing, and singing were all solid. not bad for a first-time concert in toronto. it was a great show for under $14 so really, on the music front, i can't complain at all.

william fitzsimmons opened for brooke and although i know a lot people will disagree with me, i thought that he did a pretty good job. his guitar playing was really impressive (at least to me since i can only dream of playing the guitar half as good as he does) and his voice was nice, breathy and soothing. yah ok, i'll admit his songs were a little depressing and maybe too relaxing for an opening act, but all in all i thought his music was pretty good. well, what i could hear of it anyway thanks to the rude people who comprised about 3/4 of the concert crowd. i honestly couldn't believe how incredibly annoying and moronic some people at the concert were, which leads me to...

...concert etiquette.

ok, if you're going to go to a concert, here are three things you should keep in mind:

1. Talking when an artist is playing.
This would be a HUGE no-no. When an artist is singing or playing, you stop talking. This is done out of respect to the artist and out of consideration for the people around you. Honestly, even though the really good ones make it look real easy, artists practice like crazy and put their hearts into their work, so show a little respect and listen. I don't care if you think their music is too sad and depressing so you decide you don't like them - when an artist is doing their thing, you shut your mouth.

2. Pushing your way to the front when clearly you were there last.
To all the people who think they can show up later and just push your way to the front, please get over yourselves. It is not ok and nobody appreciates it. This is especially true for groups of 3 or more people. It is not other people's faults that your lateness caused you to have to stand at the back or behind the pole with no view. It's first come first serve so back off.

3. Being obnoxious and loud in general.
This is just plain annoying for everyone around the obnoxiously loud, so if you're one of these types of concert-goers, please calm down. There's no reason to scream every two seconds or laugh like a bloody hyena on crack, so take a few deep breaths and at least try to be normal. And no, holding an alcoholic beverage does not mean you can be annoying.

so yes, if by chance you happen to be going to a concert, then try to keep these things in mind - i'm almost positive the people around you will appreciate it greatly. :)

book nook: little women

little women
louisa may alcott

i recently worked as an accompanist for a small theatrical production company during the auditions and callbacks for their upcoming production of little women, the musical. after listening to lines being read, songs being sung, and conversations about the characters themselves, i was intrigued.

by the time i got home from the first day of auditions, i had already decided i was going to read the book. someone gave it to me way back as a present, but i never got around to reading it and forgot all about it as it got pushed farther and farther back into the labyrinth that is the back of my closet. (i'm so glad i was able to find it.) actually, the version that i have includes both little women and good wives, the original sequel to little women, making it an even sweeter discovery. :)

the book is set in america with the american civil war serving as its chronological backdrop. centred around a family of four daughters, the book is about the lives of the sisters, their hopes, dreams, and loves. all in all it's a heartwarming book written in a way where it's impossible not to love the characters (or at least most of them) and become submersed in their world for a little while.

full of many heart-tugging moments, and zero trashiness, this book is one that made me laugh, cry, smile, and feel warm and fuzzy inside. i recommend it to those who are interested in reading it, but haven't had the chance to yet.

book nook: tuesdays with morrie

tuesdays with morrie
mitch albom

i've been wanting to read this book for a while now so when i saw it hiding on a shelf at my local library, i snatched it up right away. i'm so glad i found it.

this book is a memoir outlining the journey/relationship between a professor and his former student as the professor's health declines. through the professor's philosophical tidbits and outlook on life despite his failing condition, the student is reminded of what is really important in life and what is truly needed to live.

i appreciate the fact that albom's writing made the heavy content in this book digestible and the fact that he threw in snippets of the past to put things into context. i literally soaked this book up in a couple of hours and couldn't put it down until i was finished. even though the book itself is small and thin, don't let it fool you - there's a lot of depth and wisdom in its pages.

all in all it was great book which i thoroughly enjoyed and definitely recommend. just be sure to have some tissue around.

book nook: in my mother's house

in my mother's house
margaret mcmullan

so in my attempt to get back into reading books other harry potter or artemis fowl, i've decided to write a little blurb on the books i read whenever i finish them and get around to doing so. i'm fully aware that i am no book critic and for all i know everything i write might be complete crap, but at least i try. haha. keep in mind these are my own personal thoughts so read them with a grain of salt if you need or want to. ok, here we go.

this book was actually the first non-harry potter book i've picked up and finished in...well let's just say it's been a long time. :P unfortunately although i didn't dislike it i didn't necessarily like it much either - actually, the only reason why i ended up finishing it at all was because i was determined to see it to the end. while the subject matter was touching and concept of the book was interesting, it didn't really capture or keep my attention long enough to make me want to keep reading.

i personally didn't feel like i really connected with any of the characters which probably made the book seem longer than it actually was. i also found it a little confusing to follow at times since it switched between the perspectives of the mother and the daughter every chapter and there were quite a few jumps in time. then again, maybe i just didn't get it.

i did end up finishing this book in less than a week so the writing itself must have been ok, but that kind of sums up my thoughts on this book: it's an ok read. not great (despite multiple 5-star ratings over at amazon.com), just ok.

from funk to pop

i'm not an avid concert go-er, but i ended up going to two concerts this month: victor wooten & sara bareilles. both great entertainers, both great musicians, both great concerts. the victor wooten concert was nothing short of amazing. all the videos of him playing are sick, but they're nothing compared to seeing his fingers flying and the sweat dripping down his face live in concert. it was a long concert (can't believe they played for pretty much 2.5 hours non-stop), but it was worth every minute of standing and the ache in my legs. haha. sara bareilles was an entirely different type of concert, but it was amazing all the same. i've always liked her and her stuff, but she was even better live! the only low-lights were being stuck behind the tallest couple ever (aghh, when she put her head on his shoulder i couldn't see a bloody thing) and the fact that my knees were killing by the end of the night, but that's ok. the music made it worth it.

two nights of listening to incredibly talent musicians (one of the guitarists had john mayer-esque solos - so good!) was really refreshing, although hard on my ears. (i swear after the sara concert i thought i was going deaf, no joke.) anyway, i fully recommend going to see these artists in concert. just make sure to bring earplugs.