Sam's Take On Music and Movies

Look at your TV. There's a pretty big chance your TV is showing some flashy trailer for some hot shot film with some badass actor and some beastly CGI. While I will admit that big, flashy, blow em up movies do tickle my fancy on occasion, I have slowly started to realize that I enjoy the artsy films more and more. It started with a little independent movie theatre back home, and a little French film called, "Priceless." After watching that film, I felt cool. I felt fancy. I felt, well, French. Not to mention I had followed the movie with a trip to one of my favorite restaurants, Banana Cafe, which is a delightful little French restaurant on Duval Street that I recommend to all who visit our small island.
The second phase that led me to artsy films was my soundtrack phase. Ask anyone who know's me, and they'll tell you that about 80% of the time, my iPod is blasting, not P Diddy or Ke$ha or Jonas Brothers, but John Williams, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, or Alexandre Desplat. It was the final composer that sent me to my next artsy-ish film. I discovered the soundtrack to a less-than-well-known film called "The Painted Veil." The piano solos, performed by Lang Lang, were classically beautiful. I looked up the film, which stars Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, and fell in love. I've watched it countless times and fall more and more in love with it each time. It is a film, it is a romance, but the cinematography and the music take it from being your classic independent film and make it into something more.
Phase three commenced with my Film class last semester. At the end of each class my professor showed a movie, and we could either stay and watch, or we could leave and watch the clips and get notes the following week. I had no homework on this particular day, so I stayed for a little movie called "American Beauty." The movie is notorious for the love story between a man and his daughter's best friend. But that is not what I loved about that movie. No, my true emotions stemmed from the enchanting, haunting beauty of Thomas Newman. Newman is a popular composer, though not as well known as Williams or Zimmer, but his scores are beautiful nonetheless. Simple piano melodies with the merest strings accompanying it. I have listened to "The Plastic Bag Theme" more times than I dare to count in the last 24 hours, and will continue to do so. It was around this song that I based my new Pandora playlist. I selected Thomas Newman as my new Pandora theme, and along came another enchanting melody, this time by a Mr. Phillip Glass for a movie called "The Hours."
Thanks to YouTube, I was able to find the entire movie, and began watching it immediately. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. Nicole Kidman won a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Virginia Woolf, and both Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore received Oscar nods for Best Supporting Actress. Three women, three eras, one day. We watch Virginia Woolf begin her story, "Mrs. Dalloway", Laura Brown begin "Mrs. Dalloway", and Clarissa, Mrs. Dalloway herself, begin to prep for her party. It is a truly beautiful film, with stunning cinematography, haunting music, and stories that will pull on your heartstrings. It is not a feel good film, in fact at times it is downright depressing. But the acting is superb, and the story phenomenal. I highly recommend it to all.
Now to see if Iris will read this, and post something on her bit of film expertise, which is the classic, black and white, Humphery Bogart, Audrey Hepburn era films. :)

Iris might have figured out her future career.

So after going through many career choices from Barbie to football player, I think I have finally come up with something I'd like to do. Now I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell the world what my future career choice might be, but I will say if I choose to pursue this career than someday everyone will know my name! =) Which is pretty freaking cool if you ask me! Well that's it on this topic for now but stay tuned for me info. Peace out my fellow bloggers and may the words be with you! lol small joke! =)

Iris has a new role model.

After watching the interview Oprah did with J.K. Rowling I felt so inspired I can't even describe with words how wonderful I think J.k. Rowling is. I think she is truly an amazing person. I think the way she looks at life is just incredable. The interview took place in Scotland which is freaking beautiful with the greenest grass I've ever seen! She is great at interviews. She answers each question and gives truthful answers. There were lines read from the last book and lines mentioned from some of the other books, and I'm not much of a reader but after watching this interview I really am motivated to read Harry Potter. I guess I never read them because one I don't read and two I guess somewhere in my head I wanted to know more about who J.K. Rowling is and what makes her tick. I think this interview really showed the kind of person she is. I find her incredably insiering and a real person unlike some writers and famous people who seem fake and answer questions like someone else had writtin there answers for them. She has real worries like all of us do and I have never seen a person be thatreal in an interview thats something that shocks me. I love how she writes because she loves to write and because it's what she has always wanted to do. She doesn't do it for the money or the fame. Its's pure love of writing. As Sam knows I put on my facebook status as having an inspirational moment that this is why I put that. J.K. really shows that sometimes bad things happen so we have time to think and that sometimes it takes awhile for things to happen. I think it's cool for lack of a better word how she took her own life experiences and put them into the books. Sometimes other people's experiences can teach you how to live your own life. In the interiview they show J.k. speaking at Harvard and in her speech she says that rock bottom became the foundation that she rebuilt her life on. That just blew me away because most people when they hit rock bottom they stay there and don't choose to start from the ground up, so I think that makes her a very strong person. I also love how in the speech she says that you can't live your life without failing at something. That is so true and so many of us don't understand that failure can be a good thing. I totally agree with her when she says that failure isnt talked about enough. I also agree with her when she says that love is the most powerful thing of all. I highly recomend that Sam go on Youtube the moment she is done reading this and watch this interview. I think she will feel the same way I did and feel inspired. J.K. Rowling is someone I'd like to meet and have a conversation with. I'm going to end with two quotes. The happiest man alive would look in the mirror and see himself exactly as he is. From the first Harry Potter book. "It's important to remember that we all have magic inside us." J.K. Rowling.

Iris needed to get his off her chest.

So I need to get something off my chest. The news thats on these days is making me a tad bit peeved. I think It's freaking ridiculous how almost everything on the news is bad, sad, or splashing someone else's private life all over the tv for everyone to see. Yes they entered that line of public life where there are risks of rumors, edited pictures of you, paparazzi, etc... But still they are regular people just like Sam and I and just wanted to be treated like "normal" people. Like with Tiger Woods, yes he did do a very bad thing and yes he did like 8 bad things but atleast he got himself help and realized that he had a problem and I think that shows a true role model. It shows that everyone isnt perfect and when you fall you get back up and clean up your mess. I can understand why his former wife was horrified with everything but If I were her I wouldn't had left him just like that. I woud have tried to understand what went wrong. Now there is news about Bret Farve and other people who have done the samething. I think some things should be left private and that famous people should deserve privacy from the media. Id like to hear good things about famous people and good things about the world. I could care less about Mel Gibson and whatever is going on with him. I care less about where anyone shops, what they eat, where they vacation. I really dont care about Lindsey Lohan and her crazy life right now. Child stars fall off the train all the time so why is she any different from the others? I'm just sick of all this negative crap filling our lives with sadness and madness. I dont turn on the tv to get all sad. I turn it on to find something to watch or to make me happy. America what have we come to? I could go on and on but I'm not. Peace!

Why Women Should be Kinder to Men

They really don’t know any better.
We often underestimate the testosterone factor when it comes to harebrain decisions.
We go shopping, we’re cool. They go shopping it may reflect badly on their manliness.
In fact, a lot of stuff reflects badly on their manliness, like dancing something other than hip-hop, or being a member of the drama club.
They’ll almost never match up to the men in trashy romance novels.
We scream during scary movie and hide behind them? Sweet and endearing. They scream during a horror flick and hide behind us? He just ain’t quite a man now is he?
Our arousal doesn’t make such a public appearance.
We stay virgins, we’re considered sweet and innocent. They stay virgins? They obviously have no game. (In their friends eyes at least.)
Women compare themselves to each other in many ways, all of which matter. Men have one main concern when it comes to comparison. They either make the grade, or they don’t.
We cry? It’s endearing. They cry? It’s something to be embarrassed about.
At least we don’t miss when we use the bathroom.
Much easier to fake an orgasm.
They say we’re a bad lay? Eventually someone will not care enough to disprove it. We say they’re lacking in certain areas? They’re being laughed at. For life.
Who’s supposed to do all of the inviting to dance and asking out?
When was the last time we were expected to pay for a majority of the date?
We get the fun drinks.
We announce we’re gay, men cheer. Men announce they’re gay, they get disowned. (yes I realize women do too, but in today’s society, amongst college students, going les is the “cool” thing to do.)
The expectations of their role in society have gone down the tubes since the caveman days. Ours have remained nearly the same.
We live longer.
We undress in public, we’re applauded. They undress in public and they get arrested for indecent exposure.
They talk dirty, it’s sexual harassment. We talk dirty, it’s five bucks a minute.

Why Men Ought to be Kinder to Women

No one went up to you in fifth grade and told you that you were going to bleed once a month for pretty much the rest of your life.

And no one told you that once the bleeding finally stops, you’re going to age like mad, get heat flashes, mood swings, adult acne, unwanted hair growth, and all manner of unwanted things.

We have to take the pill every day, at the same time, or get a shot in the ass, or stick an IUD up yonder. You get to put on a condom.

If you’re an athlete from childhood, you get toned and gain the popularity points in high school and college, as well as have the chance to gloat about it later in life. If we’re trained in athletics from childhood, our womanly maturity gets delayed and we get no boobs with make you like us less.

You stay unmarried, you’re the lucky bachelor who’s too loved by the ladies to commit yourself to just one. We stay unmarried, we’re obviously damaged in some way, or else a guy would’ve asked by now.

You sleep around, you’re a playboy and applauded. We sleep around, we’re sluts and deemed not worthy.

You eat like a pig, it’s expected. We eat like a pig, and we’re tut-tutted by the media for not caring enough about our bodies.

You get all the good jokes.

Hello peeing standing up.

You make a bawdy joke, you get chuckles and slaps on the back. We tell a dirty joke and the awkward throat clearings begin.

You’re lonely, you get strip clubs. We get Bridget Jones and trashy romance novels.

When was the last time YOU got groped on the subway or at the office Christmas party?

You don’t have to buy make-up. One bottle of cologne will last you at least a year, and that plus decent duds and a studly haircut will keep you knee deep in phone numbers.

You get stately when you get older. Gray hair lends you character. It makes us look old and decrepit.

Bet your first time didn’t lead to pain and bleeding on your part, eh?

And finally:

You get to have an orgasm. We get to have 40 weeks of mood swings, food cravings, doctors putting hands in all sorts of places, people gawking at our bellies, brand new wardrobes, morning sickness, swollen ankles, and then the joyous moment of pushing something the size of a pot-roast out of a slit about as big as our thumb.

(Note: Samantha is not a raging feminist, however she was angry with the male population this morning and decided her list may be amusing to others. Enjoy. =])