These days, almost every DVD or Blu-Ray film that we purchase comes with a set of extras, that typically consists of trailers, interviews and behind the scenes footage. But, the most popular part of the Extras, for me anyway, is definitely the Bloopers! But, I was curious as to where exactly the term “Blooper” comes from. On the surface it’s kind of a weird word, seemingly making no sense whatsoever. But, the word has to have come from somewhere!
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word “Blooper“, is an informal noun, deriving chiefly from North America, meaning an “embarrassing error”. I’m not sure about the embarrassing part, because the best of us, find bloopers to be a funny thing. But, that doesn’t explain the etymology of the word “blooper”.
There are several thoughts as to where the term “blooper” originates. The first is probably the least likely, which is the idea that the terms derives from the word “blue”, in the sense of the term often used to describe obscene or explicit material. But, noting what the term “blooper” means, I find it hard to believe that this is the case. The second idea, and probably the most likely, is the notion that it derives from the word “blunder”, meaning “to make a stupid mistake”, which I think most will agree fits better in with how the word is used in popular culture today. It is also suggested that the term could potentially have come into existence from baseball slang, but I don’t know enough about baseball to draw any conclusions on that one.
Other words, that are sometimes used instead of blooper, include gaffe, error, goof, mistakes and are often referred to as outtakes.
Bloopers, Outtakes, Gag-Reels, Blunders etc often appear in the end credits of both films and television programmes. In fact, in the the past, there have been several entire television programmes dedicated to airing televisions best bloopers. Programmes of this kind include: Terry Wogan’s Aunties Bloomers and Denis Norden’s It’ll Be Alright On The Night. Soaps, and programmes like The Weakest Link seem to appear quite frequently, on such shows.
The most common causes of bloopers in film and television include: Actors being unable to deliver their lines properly, actors on-screen and off-camera not being able to control their laughing, falling over set props, Freudian slips, props falling over or just not doing what they are supposed to be doing!
Typically, a lot of bloopers are set up either by the actor on-screen or by their colleagues, to evoke laughter and to have something good for the outtakes! But, this is not only unique to live action films. Disney’s Pixar films are well-known for including so-called bloopers throughout the end credits. Most notably, in Pixar’s 2001 hit-animation Monster’s Inc, the end credit outtakes, included the animated characters falling over, and slamming into windows.
A Graze box is basically a box that you can order from the Graze website, that is not just any old box, no, this is a magical (probably) box full of nutrional fruits, nuts and such that taste yummy (or so I’m told), and are much better snacks than those mean packets of crisps and horrible chocolate bars (oh, who am I kidding, I love them!!)
So, anyway I’ve been hearing a lot about these Grazes boxes from people I know, who think they are absolutely marvellous, but I kind of thought that the idea of receiving fruit and nuts and stuff in a box through your door was actually quite ridiculous. I’m not ashamed to admit this.
But, then Christmas came and went, and I noticed that my weight is, quite frankly, not looking too good, so I set myself a task of eating more healthily. But, of course, the problem with eating more healthily is that you get so used to eating and nibbling on these foods, that you still kind of crave them. So, I decided that instead of stopping eating all together (not eating is never a good idea children!), but I’d find alternatives.
But, let’s face it, when we have got so accustomed to eating bad food, we could quite literally stand in the middle of the fruit section of ASDA looking like a complete plank, because I dunno about you, but I have no idea if I like most of this stuff in front of me. I mean, I know I like apples and grapes, but Sharon fruit? Well, I’ve never actually eaten one in my entire life. And when you are just not sure if you like something or not, well, it would be pretty fruitless (yes, I know, terrible joke) to buy something the size of a Watermelon (you know what I mean), only to decide that you don’t like it and waste this entire…well, Watermelon.
So, now, the idea of Graze makes perfect sense:
1. You get to try out lots of different healthy foods, and see if you like them – if you do, then woohoo! But, if you don’t then it doesn’t really matter, and next time you can just try something different.
2. It is delivered straight to your door, all ready to be eaten, which really means is that all the hard work has been taken away, so I can still be lazy!! And it saves on having to carry loads of shopping bags home from ASDA (unless you have a car of course, in which case…I actually have nothing to say for you guys!!)
3. Because they come in handy “nibble” sizes, it means you can just pick it up and well, nibble!!
And yes, I do realise that I now sound like a walking advert for Graze, which is pretty amazing considering that I haven’t even openedmy Graze Box yet (I know, what the heck am I waiting for??)
The Box
The box is actually the perfect size. This might seem a little far, but it actually fit through my letter box – how cool is that? That means that if it arrives when you’re at work, or shopping, or in bed if you are a lazy freelance writer like myself (well, for once I was actually up in time for the post man, but that’s beside the point!!) It’s pretty light, and it smells like…well, it smells like cardboard actually. And, what do you means “did you actually sniff the box??” Of course I did. What kind of reviewer would I be, if I didn’t sniff the box?? I mean, really! Oooh oooh, but in the good news, on the back of the box it clearly states that “I’m [the box, not me] from a sustainable forest, biodegradable and 100% recyclable.” And you all know how much we like to recycle in this country (or at least the Government likes to pretend we do…I’m not so sure the Councils are quite so accomodating, but no, I willnot get political!!)
Ooh, so let’s open the little box of treasures…wooo…Hey, don’t look at me like that, I don’t get out often!
Okay, so the box is REALLY easy to open…just pull on the plastic strap things, and you’re away. My gosh, even I could do it, so it really is that easy! Although I can imagine them being difficult to pull on if you had sweaty fingers (I don’t know why you’d have sweaty fingers, but I won’t ask questions or judge!). And then you justpull the lid up. And inside…it actually still smells like cardboard…seriously, we need to tone down the smell of cardboard otherwise my nose serves no purpose in this review. Maybe it’s a conspiracy, maybe the contents smells so bad they need to mask it…okay, I’m only kidding…but what if…??
Inside the Box
Wow. It’s actually kind of dark in here!
Inside the box is a little slip of paper that tells you everything that you got in your Graze Box, and even tells you the nutrional content. That’s cool.And then, you get four little containers (or punnets…see, even I’m learning!) filled with little treats – two are quite big in size and two are quite small.
Another good little thing, on the side of the Advice Slip is little vouchers to give to your friends so they can try a Graze Box too – handy!
So, I know you are dying to know what I got right?
Consisting of cherry raisins, cranberries and almonds. Oh yum, I love Bakewell Tart, so I’m looking forward to trying this one!!
Hmm. How do you get into these things? Oh, though I did just notice a very handy little napkin underneath the punnet! Yay! Ah, finally got in!
So, I think this is an almond…I came to that conclusion because I’m pretty certain that it’s not a raisin or a cranberry!! It’s a bit hard, and quite boring actually. It’s weird because I’m so used to the taste of almond in stuff like marzipan and the bad kind of Bakewell Tart being so much stronger. I don’t think I like almonds at all…where’s my water??
Ah ha, just found a cranberry and I must say these are rather delicious! Yup, I may be tempted to have cranberries again…woohoo, my first success! Although not really a surprising one, because I like Cranberry Juice!!
And now to find a cherry raisin….got one! Hmm, this is kind of…interesting. It kind of tastes like a raisin (which I really hate), but there’s another flavour there (I’m assuming cherry?!) which makes this taste really nice!
Well, get me! Two out of three can not be a bad thing!!
Hazelnuts
Hmm, not really sure if I like Hazelnuts, but I always said that I would give everything in my Graze box a try, and it is only a small punnet, so it’s not the end of the world if I don’t like it. Anyway, here goes…can she get into it? Quick answer: No. Although I did just find the bit that says “peel”, but it’snot doing much peeling at the minute!! I’d use my nail, but I don’t have any (a habit I killed last year by the way, but I really do not like having long nails, so I’m back to short nails again!!) Ah ha, got it!
Or not, that one was determined that it was not going to open!! Hmm. I’ll be honest, I’m not looking forward to this…I have the water on standbt. Okay…here *gulp* goes…
Eww. Seriously if I was doing a Vlog right now rather than a Blog you would be laughing hysterically at the face I just pulled…contorting, is the only way of describing it! And I’m still pulling it, because I can still taste it. Oh yuck!
Nope. Kat does not like Hazelnuts!!!
Korean Chilli Rice Crackers
Ooh, very excited to try these ones, I love chilli- although I hope it’s not TOO strong
This one is another of the “larger” punnets. Let’s see if I can get it open! Ah ha! Got into this one much easier And oh my gosh, these are delicious! These can’t possibly be good for me…whoa, serious chilli aftertaste! Where can I get more of those?? Yummy! I think I’ll just try another one…you know, just in case… And, my tongue is now slightly tingling from the taste!!! Must be good. Must not eat any more.
And last, but not least…when I’ve just “tried” another rice cracker…:
Cajun Seed Mix
This one sounds interesting. Not too sure what I’ll make of this one, because well, it looks like bird seed. But hey, we shall see…when the taste of the Rice Cracker has gone that is…did I tell you that I really liked those?
Okay, flavour has finally gone…but, the real question is: Can she open the box? Peel it says, so she does….she says…Ha, got it. And I’m very careful not to open it too fast otherwise I won’t be needing that napkin, I’ll be needing a vaccuum cleaner!!
And hmm, these are…interesting. They’re like seeds, but with flavour…Cajun flavour to be precise (who’d have guessed?) Hmm, maybe I’ll try more than one in one go!! Certainly interesting, but not sure how much I really like these. Are they still good for me if I just lick the flavour off…no I didn’t just do that! Ahem.
Overall
Overall, I think Graze boxes are a fab idea, and I will definitely be getting more in the future…although perhaps not with hazelnuts, or the cajun seed mix. Oh well, I’m sure the boyfriend will like them!
And, because I’m such a nice person, if you fancy trying out a Graze Box for yourself (which I strongly recommend), simply go to www.graze.com and order yourself one. AND, if you enter the following code, you’ll get your first one absolutely FREE. How brilliant am I? Well, okay, if you use that code I’ll get money off my next Graze Box, but still
It’s hard to believe how quickly the past ten years have gone by, and there have been a heck of a lot of films, with so many moments that have made us laugh, cry, smile, cheer or even slightly gross us out. That’s the power of film. I have to say that it was really difficult picking just ten memorable moments of the past ten years, and I am certain that there will be moments that I’ve forgotten and not even taken into consideration, but here are the ten that I’ve chosen:
It’s true that this film was brilliant, and deserved to be higher, but something had to be number ten! And I did say that making this list was hard. It’s also true that there are many memorable moments in the film (naked fighting, the fratboys, the driving lesson, etiquette lessons), but for me when Borat insulted the Feminists, was just the best scene.
I think that what makes this scene so brilliant is the fact that you just know that it isn’t going to take that much to rattle them, but even still, Sacha Baron Cohen goes so incredibly far that it should be cringeworthy!
The girl that sat next to my boyfriend, was highly insulted (she moaned through the entire scene!) and in a really weird way, that just makes this scene even funnier. Like about 99% of the film, it was solely designed to insult/annoy people, and the fact that it obviously really wound this girl up, just proves it worked!
Napoleon Dynamite was always going to be a cult classic. So many films make geeks to be so-called angels, who are perfect and never rude to their parents, almost as if geeks can do no wrong. So, to come across a rude, obnoxious and generally moody geek was a breathe of fresh air, because let’s face it even the biggest nerd on the planet is a teenager, and anyone who says they weren’t moody as a teenager is lying!
Napoleon is the ultimate anti-hero, and you really don’t expect that he would have a special talent for dancing. As soon as Napoleon walks onto that stage, with his slouched shoulders, hands in pockets and face that looks like he’d rather be absolutely anywhere other than whether he is, you (as the audience) honestly believe that he is going to be really bad, and I mean embarrassing uncle at a family wedding, type bad. The slow start, and then the way his classmates just look at eachother is just brilliant.
I’m a huge fan of Studio Ghibli animations, and I think that it’s pretty fair to say that they’re all full of morals, usually revolving around the selfishness of humans (remember the greedy pig-parents in “Spirited Away”, for example), and Howl is definitely no different to this. I love the way that Sophie is an unconfident young woman,overshadowed by her sisters beauty and popularity with men (note: I’m referring to the film version, and not the book, in which Sophie in fact has two sisters…) So, when the Witch of the Waste transforms poor Sophie into an old woman, it’s interesting to see how her image no longer becomes an issue for her.
However, as Sophie begins to gain confidence in herself, it’s nice to see that her confidence encourages the spell to wear off, as she gradually de-ages as her confidence grows, only occassionally reverting to the older Sophie at the slightest event of a hiccup in her belief in herself.
In a really weird way, I think that Sophie’s story is predominantly one of her (quite literally) coming-of-age, in a rather haphazard and perhaps backwards kind of way. Because by growing old prematurely, she learns to realise (mainly through Howl’s vanity) that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
If there was an award for the creepiest monster in a film, it would have to go to the one in “Pan’s Labyrinth”, this pale guy is so sinister an freaky, he’d give any kid nightmares. This guy alone is enough to say that this tale of a young girl’s fairy tale is most certainly not for children.
But, looking beyond the creepiness (and violence), this film was intelligent and should never be scorned purely on the fact that it isn’t in English. At first, reading subtitles can be a little distracting, but once you get into the film, it really is worth it, and you start to forget that you’re reading the words and watching the action at the same time!
Pan’s Labyrinth is a very touching story, that plays on the idea of make believe, and whether it exists or is all a child’s fabrication. I like the idea that this is left open for the viewer to decide, and so many people that I’ve spoken to have all had varying ideas about this film. I’ve certainly had a few speculations of my own.
6. The “Honest to blog” phone conversation in Juno
Juno. A film about a teenage pregnancy is always going to attract comments of stereotyping and the such. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the intelligence in the writing of this film. I loved the way the film addresses the idea that just because you are “young” doesn’t mean that you’re not mentally capable of dealing with pregnancy maturely, and just because you are “older” definitely does not mean that you are emotionally ready for children.
But, what struck me most about this film, is that even behind Juno’s battle between maturity and immaturity, is this underlying wit that runs through the films dialogue. I actually had a battle in my head about which scene to choose to represent this, but the “honest to blog” phone conversation just about beat the locker conversation between Juno and Bleeker.
5. Donnie Darko and the Bunny/Man suit conversation in the cinema
I will admit, that I’d be one of those people to stand up and say that I do not entirely “get” Donnie Darko. I think I’ve seen the film about four or five times now, and even though I think that I understand what’s going on, I’ll notice something else that doesn’t entirely make sense. I’ve read a few explanations about it online, and I think that I’m starting to make sense of it, but I dunno if I’ll ever truly understand this film.
But, that’s the charm of Donnie Darko. Unlike The Sixth Sense, where you watch it once for the “twist” ending, and then a second time for all of those “Oh yeah!” moments, you can watch Donnie Darko over and over again, slowly piecing things together in a vain attempt at forcing things to make sense in your head.
The Bunny/Man suit conversation, for me, is a great example of this film’s dark humour and dry-wit. It’s one of those scenes where I personally can never decide if I’m supposed to laugh, or be slightly creeped out.
What can I say about Bridget Jones’ Big Knickers? They’re practically a British institution alongside The Italian Job’s Mini Cooper. In the space of a couple of hilarious scenes, Helen Fielding’s brilliantly real character managed to make the idea of wearing big knickers to make us women look and feel good, absolutely normal. No longer did we feel the need to be ashamed of them! In fact, sales of big knickers have gone through the roof!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a key moment to show you on You Tube, so here is a lovely picture of Bridget and her wonderful great big knickers!! Enjoy!
It’s July 2006. Batman Begins has long gone, and we’re all desperately trying to find out who is going to be playing the role that is creepy, manipulative Joker? Heath Ledger you say? A lot of people threw their arms up in disgust at the idea of pretty boy Heath Ledger taking over the role, most famously played by Jack Nicholson in 1989. So, fast forward two years to 2008, and the whole world was pleasantly surprised when teaser trailers slowly revealed the Joker.
Sadly, Heath Ledger died before the film was officially released. But, when it hit the big screen six months following the actors death, the critics and the fans alike could not stop raving about how brilliant he was. And, I think it is fair to say that Christopher Nolan’s casting choice was verging on genius!
Captain Jack Sparrow. It’s impossible to dislike the lovable rogue, perhaps because he’s played by Johnny Depp, or perhaps because the character is a work of genius. But, who cares? He’s a brilliant creation, and we can’t get enough of him.
The great charm about Jack Sparrow isn’t necessarily the idea that he’s based on Rolling Stone Keith Richards, but more the idea that Jack seems to get away with everything! He never has a plan, and everything he does should really fail, but with Jack, somehow it never does! He’s a walking disaster, who somehow manages to make things work.
Jack’s first appearance is a brilliant example of this, and I don’t think I need to say any more, other than to simply tell you to watch the scene if you haven’t seen it before. Or, even if you have, let us celebrate the genius that is Captain Jack Sparrow!
1. Autobots Coming To Earth in Transformers
For me, Transformers was the best film of the last ten years. I’m actually so sad that I saw it at the cinema five times, and I am not ashamed to admit that….much! From the day that I first saw the “Mars Landing” teaser trailer before Superman Returns, I knew this filmwas going to be good, and I was definitely not wrong.
I didn’t even have to think about what the best scene in the film was was me, because the first time I saw the film, I got quite far into it, and I could not decide whether I liked the film or not. It seemed a little boring, and I had just convinced myself that I had no intention of seeing it again, when this long scene arrived. It featured Bumblebee, Sam (Shia LeBeouf) and Mikaela (Megan Fox) greeting the other Autobots, led by the great Optimus Prime. And I will admit, this scene made me cry! I’m over-emotional, I know
Other Great Scenes
There have been so many great films over the past ten years, that it was so hard having to push aside some film scenes. So, here are a few more that I think are worth a quick mention.
The Sixth Sense – Bruce Willis’ Discovery – Did you really see that coming…?
Harry Potter – Daniel Radcliffe’s first scene, purely because it launched the beginning of something special!
Save the Last Dance – The last dance. Okay, so Julia Stiles wasn’t the best dancer in the world, but the last dance was still a great scene.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – Anakin’s Transformation into Darth Vadar – Come on, it’s what we’ve been waiting for all along!!
Bad Boys II - First scene. Purely because it was brilliant to see this great pair back together!
28 Days Later – Deserted London. Having seen first hand how busy London is, that scene was just freaky!
I know that this is a little late, considering that we’ve now been in 2010 for a whole week. But, well, I like to write about what has made a year so great, I’ve done it for the past two or three years now, and I’m going to share 2009’s with you! I’d be really interested to know what little things have made your 2009 amazing.
It’s been a pretty good year for films this year, despite the disappointment of Transformers, and the rubbish that was Terminator. Harry Potter was definitely the best film for me, because it was slightly unexpectedly good. I mean, I’ve enjoyed the entire series of films, but they’ve always seemed a bit wishy-washy and in the beginning the acting wasn’t really that great, but I think the actors and the films have really matured and I am VERY excited about the last two films!!
It’s hard to pick which album was my favourite, I was a little disappointed with the Green Day album, and the New Moon soundtrack wasn’t quite as good as the one for Twilight, but I’ve enjoyed a wide selection of music this year!
Image via Wikipedia
Literature Highlights
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – F. Scott Fitzgerald
The book I enjoyed the most in 2009, is probably Nick and Norah. I actually managed to read the whole book whilst I was on holiday in September, because the book is so thin. But I liked the fact that it was an easy, short read that was sweet and funny, and didn’t require too much brain activity!
Gaming Highlights
Image via Wikipedia
Loco Roco – Sony PSP
Star Ocean; Second Evolution – Square Enix – Sony PSP
Personally, the Persona series of games has been my best find of the year; I bought Persona 4 on a trip to Hull, having heard so many rave reviews about the game, and I quite literally couldn’t put the PS2 controller down, it was just that addictive! I haven’t been so hooked on a game since Crisis Core in 2008!
Holiday Highlights
Sheffield – January
Leeds – February
Bruges – March
York – May
Leeds- June
Wales – September
Rotterdam – October
Lincoln – My birthday (woohoo!)
Sheffield/Leeds – New Years!!
If you hadn’t guessed, I absolutely love travelling. It is one of the most refreshing things to do. I hear a lot of people moaning about having to catch trains, and the long train journey’s, but me? I love travelling on the train, mainly because it’s one of those rare opportunities to see parts of the countryside of Britain that I don’t get to see very often. So, it’s been great to be able to get out and see some incredible places throughout 2009.
Type the two words “Sherlock” and “Holmes” into IMDB.com and you’ll find over 100 different titles spanning ninety years of film and television history. So, it’s pretty fair to say that the Sherlock Holmes track is a pretty well-worn one. So, for a new take on this popular character, a Director really needed to make something special, and Guy Ritchie certainly delivered.
What’s it About?
I don’t need to tell you that the film is based on the books by Arthur Conan Doyle, but this adaptation is set in 1891 London, and the complex character that is Sherlock Holmes and his old friend Dr. Watson must figure out how the creepy Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) has managed to come back to life following his execution.
Robert Downey Jnr is an excellent choice to play the complicated, bare-knuckle fighting and deeply eccentric Holmes who it’s fair to say is completely incapable of sitting still for two minutes, whilst verging on excessively reclusive in nature. Downey Jnr makes Holmes a character that it so difficult to figure that you quickly come to the conclusion that it’s best to just accept him for what he is; a conundrum. Even Downey himself described Holmes in an interview as a “weirdo”.
Jude Law, on the surface, should never have worked as Dr. Watson, but behind that little moustache and the walking stick, he’s barely recognisable as the Jude Law that he’s most known as, and he is actually quite likable. Law certainly doesn’t play Watson as the bumbly idiot that several previous adaptations have portrayed him as, instead Law sticks closer to the Watson that Doyle originally created. Of course, it’s incredibly predictable that Watson always goes against his instincts and helps Holmes out, but heck, they make a good pairing and the friendship between the pair was poignant, if typically Holmes is initially trying to sabotage Watson’s relationship with Mary (Kelly Reilly).
Mark Strong was positively creepy as – back from the dead – Lord Blackwood, he’s manipulative in a similar way as Anthony Hopkins’ HannibalLecter especially during an early scene during which Holmes visits Blackwood in prison it’s interesting how Blackwood appears to be attempting brainwash him but somehow fails.
Rachel McAdams is another perhaps odd choice for the role of Irene Adler, and a few people have questioned the need for her role, but her independence, feisty-ness and feminism is so “modern” in a time-setting when women were so restricted, and she certainly plays a good match, mentally, against Holmes.
Taylor Lautner, also known as Jacob Black, is one of the three main stars in the “Twilight” series. Now commonly known for his muscular physique, it is rumoured that his role in “New Moon” was at risk, because the Director didn’t feel that Lautner was buff enough. Obviously determined not to lose his role, Lautner got fit, and it’s easy to understand why so many young girls absolutely love him! But, can we start a debate: Is Jacob Black hotter with long hair, or short hair? I think I’d go for the short hair!
Image via Wikipedia
However, whilst Lautner is becoming more well-known as a Werewolf with serious anger-management issues, it’s easy to forget that Taylor Lautner has actually been popular (albeit to a much young and smaller crowd) for a while. Heck, he was a Mouseketeer afterall! Lautner has been in a huge variety of things from “My Wife and Kids”, to “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” and even had a starring role, playing Sharkboy in 2005 kids film “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3D” (The 3D part, really does not make this film any more appealing!)
There are rumours going around various forms of media, that Taylor Lautner is dating his namesake Taylor Swift, but with the way rumours seem to fly around the “Twilight” sets, I think I’ll believe it for definite when I see it!!
I was initially really surprised to see Megan Fox in the Top 10, let alone the Top 5, but let’s face it she’s hotter than chilli and actually wasn’t too bad as Mikaela in Transformers 2 (although she bugged me a lot in the first one, there were a lot more annoying characters in the films’ sequel).
Transformers, weirdly enough, wasn’t the first thing I saw Megan starring in. I’d actually had the slight misfortune of catching her in ABC’s “Hope & Faith” and whether it was her who was bad, or just the programme in general I can’t quite decide!! Such a shame that isn’t around anymore…or even the channel…!!
As Mikaela, Fox often proves that she really is more than a pretty face with big boobs and a nice body, but unfortunately her repeated airhead roles in films like “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” and “Jennifer’s Body” just seem to be setting herself up for the ultimate typecast, which infortunately runs the risk of fading away as she reaches a certain age! I honestly think that if she’s smart she can easily move away from the typecast, but whether she will or not is still to be seen!
I know, I know. You all expected the gorgeous Mr. Depp to be at Number One, and I’ll be honest, I very nearly did put him there, because he certainly deserves it. But, this list isn’t my personal choice, but more about who has been popular worldwide this year.
To describe Johnny Depp it would be easier to just put up a video of a girl drooling, but that wouldn’t be entirely fair, because despite being lovely, he’s also an incredibly talented actor. His career spans way back to 1984, when Depp starred in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Cover of Sleepy Hollow
Since then, Depp has played a wide array of interestingly quirky characters from the creation that was “Edward Scissorhands“, to Ichabod Crane in “Sleepy Hollow“, although perhaps most famously as the brilliantly drunk pirate Jack Sparrow in the popular “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy.
With countless projects in the running, including his role as the Mad Hatter in best friend Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and in the rumoured “Sin City 3″ (although I didn’t even know that there was a Sin City 2, which is apparently in development for a 2011 release…yet another that I will believe when I see it!!)
I’ve heard of lot of people moaning about the casting of Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan in the infamous “Twilight” films, but I actually really like her. She’s certainly not the worst thing about the films, which are atleast a great deal better than the monstrosity that is the books!
Cover via Amazon
Stewart has been acting since she was 11, and by 12 was starring opposite Jodie Foster in 2003 film “Panic Room“. Since then she’s starred in Jumangi sequel “Zathura: A Space Adventure” and “Jumper” with Hayden Christensen and Jamie Bell.
For being only 19 years old, Stewart has grown from a tomboyish kid into a mature young woman. And Bella might not be to everyone’s tastes, but I believe that she can act.
And so that brings us to the long-anticipated Number One in our Top 25 Stars of 2009 – oh how exciting! And, if you think about it, it’s a pretty obvious Number One!!
Who’d have thought it that less than two years ago, this young Londoner was best known for his doomed role as Cedric Diggory in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”. And even more weird to believe, is the notion that only five years ago, no one even knew who Robert Pattinson was!
For me, another weird thing is that I am constantly changing my mind about whether or not I like him, and I think that I’m oming to the conclusion that I like him in most things, except when he is Edward Cullen. As Edward Cullen Pattinson is more like an expressionless, emotionless drone. I guess that’s just the character, who I also don’t find very likeable. But, then I’m really looking forward to seeing him in his upcoming film “Remember Me” with Pierce Brosnan and Emilie De Ravin, and I liked him in”Harry Potter”.
Rumours have been doing the rounds that he’s considering giving up acting (but then again there are also rumours that Lady Gaga is in fact a man….take that as you will!!), but I don’t think that Pattinson will be disappearing from the media anytime soon. For some, slightly unknown reason, the world appears to be absolutely besotted with the Master Sulker.
So…
There you go. That’s the Top 25 Stars of 2009. I’m as surprised as most people at both Pattinson and Stewart being rated higher than the legend is Johnny Depp, but even the world’s worst Hermit can not fail to see the huge phenomenon that is “Twilight”. Therefore, we’ll just have to like it, and put like that, I am really not surprised that three out of the Top Five appear in the “Twilight” films!
Who would your Top Star of 2009 be? Would you pick Pattinson, or do you think someone else would kick his pale ass? And what makes them so much better than the Vampire?
Still to Come…
In my round up of 2009: Top Films and Top Albums, plus more…
Ah, pretty-boy DiCaprio has certainly done a lot of growing up since his days as a the nineties version of Robert Pattinson. Admittedly, over the past few years, he’s been a lot quieter than he was in his “Romeo and Juliet” and “Titanic” days, and his films somehow don’t appear to do quite so well at the box office, but he still remains popular with the teenage girls of the nineties, of whom are now all grown up. And considering that IMDb.com states that DiCaprio has a total of 27 projects that are in development, it’s obvious that he isn’t going anywhere!
Personally, I can’t help thinking that Gerard Butler has made a great deal of mistakes when it has come to his choice of films. “PS. I Love You” was so terrible, that I had to stop watching it! He seems to do better for himself professionally when he sticks tomore masculine films, and judging from his upcoming films, maybe he’s learning his lesson. Maybe he’s just not “flowery”enough for chick flicks, and that really is not a bad thing!
Only a few years ago, Angelina Jolie was famous for being the slightly weird, large-lipped, estranged daughter of Jon Voight, but now, in 2009 she is the incredibly sexy girlfriend of none other than Brad Pitt (and boy, was it guaranteed that their children were going to be good looking). Her standing in this list, is actually quite remarkable, considering that she hasn’t really done much over the past twelve months, nothing in the media anyway. But,I guess that’s just the mark of being one of the hottest stars around.
11. Ashley Greene
Ashley Greene is a little bit of a surprise on this list. She’s only really famous for this one role (Alice Cullen inthe Twilight series), unlike the majority of her other co-stars.Despite that Ashley’s immense cuteness and likeability obviously make her a popular young actress. There’s no question that the word “Twilight”, alone, being on her CV is going to make her a star, so only time will tellif she lives up to the name she is building for herself. And, boy without her “Alice” wig, is AshleyGreene stunning!!
10. Ryan Reynolds
Mr. Scarlett Johanssen has never been one of my favourite actors, and there was a time, not that long ago, when I would have been confident in saying that he would never be as big a star as his wife. However, the fact that he is up here at Number 10,whilst Scarlett perches down at Number 17 surely demonstrates that Ryan Reynolds is quickly on the up. And, after nearly twenty years of acting, it’s about time too! But, from starring in silly college comedies like “Van Wilder“, Reynold’s has proven himself eligible to enter the A-List hierarchy alongside his missus, with roles in films such as “Smokin’ Aces” and his future film “Green Lantern” (expected in 2011).
I’ll be honest. I don’t know much about Zooey Deschanel, although, quite ironically, I did manage to catch her in “Elf” last weekend, a film that I had never had the joy of watching. Judging by what I have read of “(500) Days of Summer”, I can imagine her being a lot like Kat Dannings, of “Nick and Norah”-fame, in the sense that she’ll be popular amongst the indie crowd, playing slightly quirky characters. And judging by the incredible singing in “Elf”, I imagine that strongly adds to her likeability.
8. Dakota Fanning
Casting the cute and annoying Dakota Fanning as the role of Jane in “New Moon” was a stroke of pure genius, and boy does she look creepy! I can imagine that it’s always hard for someone who has grown up in public eye play sugar-sweet characters, to make a succesful transition into more grown up roles. But Fanning has proven that she is more than a pretty face, and she certainly has bags of talent. Admittedly, with the character of Jane, a lot of it, is in the make-up, but I still think she’s proving herself pretty well. Although, she doesn’t appear to have much elseinthe pipeline at the moment. It will certainly be interesting to see how things pan out once she is done with the “Twilight” films.
7. Christian Bale
Being the star of the biggest let down of the year, that was Terminator: Salvation, well, it just makes it so difficult to say anything nice. Which is a huge shame, because I’m quite fond of Christian Bale as Batman, so I really want to say nice things. Although, to be fair, my issue with the latest Terminator film, wasn’t really with Bale himself, but more with the scripting and plot that was so full of holes, the cheese is looking to take them back!
And Finally…
Image via Wikipedia
6. Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt is one of those guys who just seems to get better with age, in the sense of looks and ability. He definitely deserves his Oscar nod for his leading role in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button“. The amazing thing about Pitt isn’t his talent, but the fact that he managed to cheat on one of the most popular actresses (Jennifer Aniston) and still come out a good guy. But, then again, alongside Angelina Jolie, he really is 50% of one of the sexiest and well-liked couples in Hollywood at the moment. It is almost like this guy can do no wrong! Let’s just hope it doesn’t go to his head.
So, that’s the end of Part Two of our Top Stars of 2009.
Still To Come…
We check out The Top 5 Stars of 2009. The stars that have captured our imaginations and hearts over the past five months. But, who will be placed at the Top?
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) have released their StarMeter Top 25 of 2009, in time for the Golden Globe nominations, which seems like perfect timing to take a look at the actors that we’ve loved and hated over the past twelve months. We’ll start today with numbers 25 – 15 of the stars that have made an impression this year
The ex-”Friends” star is always popular with the media, and even now, never manages to get rid of all those Brad Pitt rumours. Although, I personally am sceptical of her ability to be any character other than Rachel Green, Aniston has seen great success this year in the weepy “Marley and Me“, and the hit comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You“. As usual, her lovelife has been in the media more than I can even think to keep up with. And according to IMDB, Aniston certainly has a lot of work ahead of her, with atleast nine projects in the pipeline.
I’m sure that you don’t need any introduction to Heath Ledger. Even nearly two years after his shocking death (January 2007), he never fails to leave a mark, whether it’s picking up countless awards for his superb acting skills at The Joker in “The Dark Knight“, or appearing in his final film “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus”.
23. Clint Eastwood
This entry seems completely bizarre, and it’s not bad to find a man of seventy-nine years
old in this chart. It’s Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” that brings him into the spotlight again, plus a much-hinted Oscar that is expected to be heading in his direction. I, personally, have never really been a fan of Eastwood, but he still appears to be an incredible popular actor an Director.
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
22. Will Smith
I’m a huge fan of Will Smith, having loved him from “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” through to “I Am Legend“, so personally, I’d have him much higher than 22! However, to be completely fair, Smith has had a reasonably quiet 2009 – well, quiet compared to past years anyway!
21. Nicholas Cage
Hmm. An actor that I really do not get. For me, Cage is the same in everything that he does, so how he manages to stay popular I really don’t know. And rumour has it that he’s forcing another “Ghost Rider” film on us in 2010…I think I’m going to go find a hole to live in…
20. Seth Rogen
For the past few years, comic actor Seth Rogen appears to have been almost everywhere, from tormenting 40 year old virgins, to making pornos. And 2009, was no different. Most notably, he’s been offering a voice to animated film (and subsequent video games) “Monsters Vs Aliens”.
In 2003, Miley Cyrus (as Destiny Cyrus) appeared on our screens in hit film “Big Fish”, and four years later, her nicer-than-nice annoyingly cute Hannah Montana-persona was first thrust down our throats. A year later, she caused controversy with ‘those’ photo’s of her back. And now, at just seventeen years old, she appears to pretty much have it all!
18. Tom Cruise
Wow. Apparently Cruise has made a pretty succesful film this year; I, on the other hand, have gotten sick of hearing about him and Katie Holmes! And I never thought I would ever say that! I grew up loving Tom Cruise’s cuteness (only second to Michael J Fox, of course), so it’s sad how annoying he’s become. But, he’s got a heck of a lot of work to look forwardto over the next few years, so maybe he’ll be too busy doing that, than talking about Scientology ever ten seconds!!
17. Scarlett Johanssen
I have to say that I am relieved that Scarlett Johanssen went back to her day job of acting, because as a singer, god she really was not to my taste! I always find it interesting when actors and actresses who are more known for their nice characters, turn around and go for villainous roles (Heath Ledger, Hugh Grant etc), so I’m pretty looking forward to seeing Johanssen getting her teeth into a Marvel villian; Black Widow.
16. Shia LeBeouf
What can I say about Shia LeBeouf? He’s funny, he’s kinda cute and he’s the star of one of my favourite films (Transformers). Plus, getting the part in Indiana Jones was pretty cool. It doesn’t take much to guess that LeBeouf has an amazing career ahead of him. Rumour has it that Transformers 3 will definitely be made sometime in the future, but following the slight disappointment that was the second one, I’m sceptical as to whether that is actually a good thing or not!
And finally….
Image via Wikipedia
15. Nikki Reed
I first came across Nikki Reed back in 2004, when I rented “Thirteen” from Blockbusters with a ex-boyfriend, and gosh, she really is an incredibly actress! Knowing that she was a little bit of a hellraiser just adds to her charm for me, because she’s living proof that anyone can do whatever they want, no matter what crap life throws at them. I personally think that her casting as Rosalie in the “Twilight” films, is perfect, and she certainly seems to work perfectly beside Catherine Hardwicke (Director of “Thirteen” and “Twilight”).
Still to Come…
How many more stars of “Twilight” do you think will feature in the Top 14 Stars of 2009?
I can’t believe that there are only two weeks left of 2009! It’s not only the end of another year, but the end of the first decade of the 21st Century, and boy, does that feel weird!
It has been an incredible year in so many senses: there have been some amazing films and albums, and as usual, the media has been full of celeb stories that have made us smile, and made us cry. We’ve lost some true stars this year, but we’ve gained new ones as well.
It’s the year that we lost Big Brother star Jade Goody; love her or hate her, no one can deny that she left a mark on so many of us. We also lost the legendary, but ever-troubled Michael Jackson, whose sheer talent will never truly fade away.
It was also the year that Kanye West proved (or confirmed, that’s for you to decide) to the world, what an absolute idiot he can be, when he stormed the stage as singer Taylor Swift collected an award. Would he have stormed the stage if she hadn’t been white? Well, that’s also for you to decide.
2009 also saw the immense rise of Lady Gaga. I personally, don’t really “get” Lady Gaga. Having seen what she looks like without all that ridiculous attention-seeking make up and costume, I actually think that she is a very pretty girl. I just feel like she’s an insecure little girl crying out for some kind of attention, and personally her music isn’t really to my taste.
In the world of reality television, the final nail of the Big Brother coffin was finally hit, as Channel 4 eventually admited defeat and confirmed that 2010’s edition would indeed be the last (Hurrah!) To be honest, Big Brother has been an amazing series, with some incredibly memorable characters and events, but over the past few years, it’s become nothing more than cheap sensationalism, and a key symbol that we’re not living in a world of five-minute famers. Because, let’s face it, how many Big Brother contestants actually go on to anything worth mentioning?
Susan Boyle blew our socks off earlier this year, as the pretty plain middle-aged woman proved that you can never judge a book by it’s cover. And, even if she didn’t win Britain’s Got Talent, it was still worth it just for Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan’s reactions when she opened her mouth at her initial audition. Plus, Diversity were an amazing act, of whom completely deserved to win.
Speaking of Simon Cowell and his reality shows, he managed to upset a heck of a lot of X Factor fans when he kept saving the ever-annoying Jedward, and talented singers (Lucie Jones and Jamie Afro) found themselves booted in favour of talented prats! And, it’s still to be seen, whether or not winner Joe will make it to Number One as a Facebook Group strives to keep him off, instead opting to place a Rage Against The Machine single at the top of the Christmas charts. How that’ll pan out…well, I know who I’d choose, but I also know who I’m more likely to put my money on. And no, they are not the same!!
In the past, whenever I have told people that I wanted to be a writer, so many people have replied: “Oh, journalism?” and I just want to scream at them: “NO I BLOODY DON’T!” before running away screaming like a scary woman!
For a short while, when I was considering what to do academically after GCSE, I did kind of flirt with the idea of being a journalist (alongside the ideas of being a historian, going into marketing, being a teacher etc, etc. You know all the random ideas that you come up with because at that point nothing is set, and you have so many different paths ahead of you!).
I think that the appeal of journalism when I was 16, was more to do with the fact that I’ve always been told that I would never be able to make money out of my writing, and journalism just seems to be the only “accepted” form of writing. In fact, even now when I tell people that I’m a freelance writer, people always think writing for magazines, because people seem to be more aware of these things.
Lower than Low
But, in all honesty, journalism is one of the lowest types of writing in my opinion. It’s only one above writing articles for a $1 in my books! I just feel that in today’s society journalism appears to have become increasingly “seedy”. I mean, every single day the media thrusts stories, exposes and the likes in our faces, that I’m amazed we’re not suffocating underneath it all. In fact, I once read somewhere that we learn more about the world from newspapers, magazines and TV than anywhere else.
But, then you get people saying “you can’t believe anything that you read in the media”. So, I’m just thinking “Hang on. Does that mean that everything I know, or think to be right, because the media has told me it is true, is in fact one great big lie?” It’s quite a disconcerting thought if you ask me. And it strongly reminds me of the propaganda we learnt about in History at School. But, it’s true – how do we know that absolutely anything that we’re told through the news is fact?
We don’t, and I find that really creepy. I find it hard to fathom what is factual and what is made up in order to sensationalise and to sell papers.
But, that’s the reason why I just couldn’t be a journalist. I hate the idea that what I’m writing could have the influence over someone like the newspapers do, and that what I’m writing might not be the truth, even if I think (and am told) that it is.
What’s in an Image
That’s not the only reason that I don’t want to be a journalist of course. I don’t like the way that the media seems to be so bloody fickle! One minute they’re slagging a celeb off for have a little belly on them, and then the next minute they are criticising someone else for being too skinny. I think that it’s very confusing, because it gives the impression that there is this kind of perfection that we all have to adhere to, but that perfection just doesn’t exist.
No one is perfect, and I love that. I have so many imperfections, but I wouldn’t want to be any different, because I wouldn’t be me if I was any different. But, as far as the media is concerned, imperfections appear to be shameful.
I also hate the way that no image that appears in papers or magazines is a true representation of what someone looks like. I don’t understand why it is so necessary to photoshop silly little things off a person’s body, because those things are what make them unique!
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