MVOTD: Month End Review (Day 139)

This has been a short month of music videos. Only 15 in all were posted by myself, and they are;

2NE1	Can't Nobody (English)
2NE2	Can't Nobody (Korean)
4Minute	Heart to Heart
B2ST/Beast	Lights Go on Again
David Bustamante	Abrazame Muy Fuerte
DBSK/TVXQ	Purple Line (Japanese version)
Donghae & Eunhyuk	Oppa Oppa, Shindong version
Heart2Heart	Facebook Official
Martin	Show The World
Midnight Red	One Club at a Time
NSYNC	I Want You Back
SHINee	Hello
Super Junior	Haengbok (Happiness)
U-KISS	Tick Tack
ZE:A	Love Coach

Well, I can tell you who didn't win. That would be Heart2Heart with Facebook Official. They managed to do the right things the wrong way. Also not in the running is Midnight Red...because they didn't dance. There are others not in the running, but that doesn't matter so much as who is in the running.

So who is in the running to win best music video of the month? TVXQ and NSYNC are. NSYNC's classy use of a CG moonstation and non-materializing girlfriend were hilarious. Also, TVXQ's ability to make tall buildings transform into speakers was great. Both dance in ways to make the heart happy. They are definitely contenders. And that's why it's a tie. NSYNC's dancing makes you ask "why?" and "what are they doing?", while TVXQ's dancing looks cool and sometimes funny. The music videos are both ridiculous, complete with embarrassing outfits and random extra bits. Plus, in Purple Line, the biggest guy turns on his falseto in order to do a rap. How fun is that? Therefore, both NSYNC's I Want You Back and TVXQ's Purple Line win.

MVOTD: Can't Nobody (Day 139)

Today's music video is Can't Nobody by 2NE1 of YG Entertainment. 2NE1 is probably my favourite female pop group because their costumers are amazing. In the Korean version of Can't Nobody there was only one outfit I didn't like (seriously, who makes the 16 year old wear S&M gear?). The rest were interesting and fun, especially the red bolero with the giant collar. I really really really really like that bolero. It's amazing and gravity defying. Then there's the spiked hoodie, the suave "ninja" outfit, the fabric swimming, and the lightning bolts. 2NE1 knows how to make a music video a fun time.

Not only were the costumes and scenes interesting, but to add Super Junior interestingness, at one point Dara (the twiggy one) looks just like Ryeowook of Super Junior. And, as a twist, they did an English version music video too. It's not as well done as the Korean version, but it passes muster, and gives a better view of that wonderful red bolero. So here it is.

The good Korean version.

The English version.

Can't nobody look so cool in that red bolero.

Topic of the Day: Bill C-11 (Day 139)

I did two epic things today: drive my car around with the window down, and e-mail my local MP about Bill C-11.

First, I have to brag about driving around with my window open in January. Normally, the temperature is 30-40 degrees lower so...today was fantastic weather. I put in some TVXQ and cranked up the volume while I cruised around the city with my window open...in JANUARY. It was nice, especially since being obnoxious like that is one of my favourite things about driving in summer,

Second, and more importantly, I e-mailed my local Member of Parliament (MP) about Bill C-11 and its recent additions. Thanks to all the tech savvy people on Facebook, I learned a lot about it. Originally an okayish bill, US supported lobbyists pushed for SOPA-like laws to be added to Bill C-11...and more. For example, not allowing you to upload your CD music onto your iTunes. If you purchased that CD it's your music and putting it onto your iTunes is only expanding ability of use for you. Yes some people misuse this, but a lot of people don't.

Essentially, the issues with Bill C-11 are the same/similar to SOPA's - increased risk to legitimate companies, increased costs to legitimate companies, more censorship of free speech, increased exposure to hackers/viruses/identity theft, and the danger of being cut off from internet use for minor infractions. I can't say that I know everything about Bill C-11. What I do know is that people who are pretty generous towards Bill C-11 still don't like it. So, if you want to learn more, here are some websites with more information.

Michael Geists answers to 10 questions on Bill C-11, SOPA, and other things.

A blog explaining Bill C-11 and its issues.

A form letter that eliquently outlines some issues with Bill C-11.

The MP index where you can find your MP's contact information.

MVOTD: Midnight Red (Day 138)

Remember Heart2Heart? Remember their lame dancing, bad haircuts, and lack of personality? Well, here comes their predecessor to blow them out of the water...by just standing there and singing. Here's Midnight Red with their track One Club At A Time.

And here's Heart2Heart for comparison.

Review: Secret Garden (Day 138)

Before we start, an admission. The book I was complaining about last week got better. Not 100% of course, but there are less promiscuous things happening and more plot, so things are working out okay. You would think this would teach me not to review things until I've finished them but no. Today's review is on the first five and half episodes of Secret Garden, a K-drama.

See this picture? It is totally unrelated to the storyline...other than those two being the main characters of course.

In Secret Garden, a wealthy department store owner accidentally meets the woman of his dreams - stunt woman Gil Ra Im. She takes a disliking to him since he has bad taste in track suits. However, through a series events caused by him obsessing over her, they eventually end up at Jeju Island together only to both drink "medicinal alcohol". Spoiler alert. The "medicinal alcohol" they drink causes them to body swap. Now she's in his body and he's in her body and they don't know how to get back. Otoke? (What to do?) Have awkward funny scenes of course. He teaches her how to put on a bra. She lears at other women. Etc. Etc. Laughs are had by most.

How do I feel about this drama? I really like it. The lead female character and her friend are both really likeable, atleast until the bodyswap. The leading man is ridiculous and therefore entertaining. There is even the worthy love adversary, Gil Ra Im's boss Director Im. I call him "Boss is Boss", because as the children say, he is so boss. What could make this better? Enter Oska, the washed up popstar with a sad love story who has to work with his former-ex and only true love. Other than being a popstar that is my age or older,  he adds depth to the storyline. Including the tension between the leads, the body swapping, and the cool stunts they invariably pull due to all the stuntpeople characters, the story is interesting and enjoyable. I give Secret Garden a 4 out of 5.  

MVOTD: B2ST (Day 137)

Today's Music Video of the Day is B2ST/Beast's Lights Go on Again. Unfortunately, it's just a teaser and they just stand around singing. Fortunately, they are all wearing nice formal wear. The only real questions left are, "why didn't they make a full music video?", and "WHY IS MY FAVOURITE MEMBER WEARING A DWARF HAT?". That is all.

A Concerned Ramble on Consumerism...ish(Day 137)

Today an acquaintance posted an article about Apple factory abuses in China. It said that often the factory owners don't care if their employees get hurt or killed. It also said that many factories have critically dangerous area which they know about yet don't fixed. The saddest thing it said was that if Apple and its computer producing peers put pressure on the factories, the factories would improve/fix the situation, but Apple and its peers are not going to. They are not going to stop endangering people because that would inconvienience the consumer. The consumer who wants the latest coolest thing now and who doesn't think about the people producing it.  We are that consumer.

A statement that shocked me (from Apple) was that ,"We've only known about these problems for four years...". No. We've known about it longer. Remember Nike's sweatshop scandal? Reebok? And a host of other retail brands. We all know that they produce the stuff we wear and use in other countries where work safety requirement are lower and the ability to abuse workers is greater than in the "developed world". And we don't care. We show that we don't care by purchasing. Purchasing whatever we want without thinking about the people making it. I know I do it. When my conscience gets to me, I think how I would like to buy all Made in Canada/USA/fairtrade products. However, I can't. There are so many products that we rely on that we can't find made locally/fairtradey, and if we could it would take a stroke of genious budgetting. Thus far, shopping so that our consciences are clear is near impossible. So what can we do? There must be a solution.

MVOTD: Purple Line (Day 136)

Today's music video is Purple Line by TVXQ/DBSK of SM Entertainment. The song is especially ideal for today's topic, SOPA, because it's in Japanese. If the U.S. had as strict copyright laws as Japan (anyone ever tried to find KAT-TUN mv's on Youtube?), South Korea would be in charge of the world's media. Or maybe England would be. ...Probably South Korea. Here's the video.

Did anybody else notice that the buildings were Transformers? Or that the hugest guy in the group has one of the highest voices? Or that he has a funny piece of purple in his hair? I did, and did those things ever make this music video epic.

Sopa Suppa (Day 136)

Last week, Wikipedia blacked out their website for a day in order to raise awareness of SOPA and PIPA, two documents which seem to be badly written. To me, the badly written part seems to be half of most people's problems with either SOPA or PIPA. The other parts are the potential huge extra costs to websites, limiting nature of not allowing things with copyright infringement to be linked to, and an end to proxies.

Extra costs
According to the rather well written Wikipedia article, extra employees/programs would have to constantly be monitoring all linked sites (and their own) to make sure that none had any copyright infringement. Problems with this include 1: by now almost everybody does some copyright infringement and 2: it's the vagueness of SOPA that makes this a worry. No one knows how much copyright infringement may or may not be allowed, so this may mean limited access to sooooo much of the internet.

Links
Most everybody has done some copyright infringement. It could be anything from writing fanfiction to photoshopping one's self into celebrity photos. The fear is, due to bad/vague writing, that SOPA could make it so that links to sites with these types of infringement would be illegal. The bigger fear is that websites could be charged and fined for not knowing about and getting rid of the offending links with no warning needed or explanation allowed.

Proxy
The States doesn't like the proxy apparently. I would like someone to explain how the bad they can do is worse than the good. Proxies are how people who live in countries with currupt governments use the internet. They don't want their government spying on them while they e-mail friends and family, and they especially don't want their governments spying on them if they're freedom writers. On the less serious end, proxies are how I would watch CNN if I wanted to watch it. I as a Canadian am not allowed to watch it because they don't have to show the commercials in Canada (I would see them if I used a proxy).

So that's that. My thoughts based on my limited knowledge of SOPA. From what I read, there is no way that I would ever want it to happen, especially in Canada (which is now a possibility. Ugh.). It may be time to write to my local representative.

MVOTD: Haengbok (Day 135)

Since the topic of the day was unpleasant, here's Super Junior's song Haengbok, which means 'happiness'. It's very cute. Leetuek has a cute ponytail. Yesung wears his cute glasses. People get hugs. It's all very cute and pleasant. Enjoy.

Monday "Review": Book vs. Book (Day 135)

Thanks to some book loans from friends and family, I was busy reading this week instead of watching Kdramas like I should have been. I completed the "Attolia/Thief" series (as I call it) by Megan Whalen Turner and started on the Winds of the Forelands series by David B. Coe. While I'm not very far (the first book) in the series, I am on page 237, so I think I know the writing style. Some things occurred to me.

Authors have a limited amount of characters they can realistically create. Some can make six characters, and some can make 30. Authors who write complex stories about political intrigue had better be able to write 30 plus characters. Otherwise their interesting plotline becomes dull and the characters become hard to relate to. This is actually a jab at David B. Coe. While he succeeds at being mysterious, the characters aren't differentiated enough so it feels like their names and roles are their primary identities. I actually preferred Megan Whalen Turner's method of speaking through one character and then revealing at the end how seemingly ordinary events were actually strategic moves of political power. Her characters were differentiated and likable, so you cared who won.

Like all genres, fantasy authors write various levels of sex/sexual references. Some, like Megan Whalen Turner, have almost zero reference to sex. Others, like David B. Coe, can't seem to go three chapters without a sexual reference/naked person.

In addition, men and women write differently about sex. Or rather, different authors give different opinions on sex. Kristen Britain makes plently of sexual references in her latest Green Rider series book, but the characters always care about each other and have a prior existing relationship. In the Winds of the Forelands though, it seems that all the characters are ready to jump into bed with any mildly attractive person they meet. Only one of the sexual relationships any character has had was with a person that they had known for more than a week. What is that?

Thus far, David B. Coe has not impressed me. Generally we like people the more we learn about them. Not so in his book. His characters become likeable or unlikeable by millimeters and centimeters, so it's hard to tell who you want to win. The characters are a little messier than normal, and therefore "real", but they still feel like they are just making the storyline happen. Also, for my taste, the sexual references he makes are gratuitous. We all know that people do things, but the books' attitude toward and sheer number of sexual relationship ruin the storyline. I want to enjoy the book, because I borrowed it from a friend, but can political intrigue make reading it worth it?

On the other hand, Megan Whalen Turner's Thief series also had issues. I suppose all media does. Some books felt like they went on for too long. Others focused on characters I didn't like too much. Most of my issues with her writing were to due with my personal prefences on which characters were interesting, but it was the Thief series, so I shouldn't have been surprised that they focused on the thief character and not on the lonely queen (who rocks). Overall, I am much more pleased at having read Megan Whalen Turner than at trying to read David B. Coe. Much more pleased.      

MVOTD: U-Kiss (Day 134)

Today's Music Video of the Day is U-KISS's Tick Tack. Personally, I think it is worth a view just because Tick Tack is such a bad English name for a song, but don't let just that convince you. It also makes use of those awkward collared shirts with one un-matched sleeve. And...they have knee twitching dance moves.

As for other comments, since U-KISS is a kpop group, I assumed that the song would be in Korean. False. It's one of their Japanese songs. As soon as I heard "Bokura" I realized it. And not only that. I don't know if it's on purpose or not, but the guy in the mostly black shirt looks astonishingly like Taguchi Junnosuke from KAT-TUN, a popular Japanese pop group. This brings up the question, are they trying to look Japanese? Probably not, but they did try to make metallic fabric look cool. And, as a special touch, they tried to match grey shiny accent suits to white studded finger gloves. Mmmmmm. Kpop fashion is so much fun. Good try U-KISS.

MVOTD: NSYNC (Day 133)

NSYNC has many wonderful cheesy insincere songs. One of them includes a moon base in the music video..and a digital girlfriend that can't materialize properly. What song could this be, you ask, that would inspire such a crazy idea? Clearly it's I Want You Back, one of their earlier works. As it takes place on a moon base, the stylists took the opportunity/excuse to dress all the NSYNC members in super tight turtlenecky type t-shirts...and baggy pants. Also, since it takes place on a moon base, they chose some very very  funny serious choreography to match. Go 90's.

Skip-Beat! Episode 5 Review (Day 133)

Episode 5

In Episode 5 the war of acting continues between Gong Xi and Lui Li Er. Gong Xi, using her special powers of childhood learning, suppresses the pain in her sprained ankle in order to perform a Japanese Tea Ceremony scene. In face she’s so good that they stop the scene in order to ease her foot sufferings. Even her new arch rival Lui Li Er is concerned and inspired. Mr. Du meanwhile continues to be cute and give advice. Dun He Lian stands around and says a few words to justify his handomeness being in the scenes. Gong Xi gets caught starring at Lian. She starts to act awkwardly, but there is no time to think about that. It’s commercial break and a new scene is introduced. Mr. Du and Dun He Lian are eating at a nice restaurant when Mr. Du tells Lian that Gong Xi is doing a photo shoot in the floor above. Lian feigns disinterest. Both Mr. Du and Lian end up there anyway and Mr. Du convinces Lian to walk Gong Xi home. Convinced that Lian hypnotized her, she avoids him and he feels awkward. Yay for pre-romantic awkwardness.

At a later point in time LME’s president is riding a human camel around his office with an underling in tow. The camel’s butt vibrates and a big cloth poo comes out that holds... a cell phone. Why are Asian poo jokes so good? Following the poop cell phone conversation, the unfriendly woman(Jiang Nan Qin) who yelled at Gong Xi before auditions joins Gong Xi in LME’s Love Me section.

Jiang Nan Qin feels that the Love Me section is shameful and she swears mightily. Then comes the task. Jiang Nan Qin and Gong Xi must heal the heart of a young girl in order to save the acting school, and, in order to do so, Gong Xi must figure out how to act. She's nervous about it, so you know it will be a good scene next episode.

MVOTD: Heart to Heart (Day 132)

Since the analysis of 4Minute's Heart to Heart and Heart2Heart's Facebook Official weren't technically the Music Video of the Day, here they are as the official music videos of the day.

Battle of Heart 2 Heart (Day 132)

Today I was supposed to write a review of Skip-Beat's episode 5. Instead, you get a comparison of similarly named music videos today.

In March of 2011, 4Minute released their song Heart to Heart. Later, in October, American boyband Heart2Heart released their song Facebook Official. Now pop lovers have to, when talking about them, clarify if Heart to Heart is a group name or a song title. Oh the inconvienience! Since these two obviously then tread on each other's names so much, it's time for a comparison/music video battle.

4Minute - Heart to Heart

Plot: Five young women get revenge on a bad boyfriend when he starts to cheat on one of them, complete with flashbacks of the "good old days".
Costumes: Honestly, pretty bad. There are some nice outfits, and then there are the ones that misuse knits.
Dancing: Okay. Girl Groups aren't known for their dancing.
Song: Pretty good. The song is about something many people experience, regardless of age, so it can be considered relateable.
Other: The part where they fill the boyfriend's toothpaste with something gross, then look at the camera and laugh with funny arm motions is pretty hilarious. Also, the whole music video manages to be really cute despite that it's about revenge.

Heart2Heart - Facebook Official

Plot: Five guys singing to three young women (over the internet) about how they want to make the relationship official...on Facebook. They're so committed.
Costumes: Decent. 80% of the hairstyles fail, but the costumes are okay.
Dancing: Okay. Compared to K-pop, which Heart2Heart is based off of, their dancing is weak, but compared to North American boyband standards their dancing is fine. The funniest move is when they feel-up their chests and then turn their hands into hearts. It's just so wrong.
Song: Um...I can't take the song seriously. Maybe I could if I were 13, but I'm not that old anymore, and it's a little scary that committment could be equated to being "Facebook Official".
Other: The whole first minute makes one question whether Facebook Official is a parody. First there's the K-pop entrance, then the "Hey girl. It's Chad" intro, a Lance Bass cameo, and finally a rap styled after a certain late night comedy show. How can one not wonder if it's a parody with that line-up?

Assessment: As far as costumes go, the two groups tie. 4Minute had some bad costumes and Heart2Heart had some bad hair. Dancing was also a tie, maybe because for Heart2Heart's dance breakdown the guys did hand dancing...with no foot movement at all. The last tie was in the 'Other' category. Both music videos were ridiculous and had something original. When it came to plot though, 4Minute ruled with a plotline that doesn't make people over 15 nauseous. They also had a more relateable song. Therefore, 4Minute wins with the better music video.

MVOTD: David Bustamante (Day 131)

This weekend, while trying to prove that David Bustamante looks creepy in his music videos, I ran into a Bustamante song that I actually like (I must admit I am kind of harsh on Bustamante). Shocked and mildly taken aback, I decided to post it right away. Here's Abrazame Muy Fuerte.

Skip-Beat! Episode 3 & 4 Review (Day 131)

Episode 3

Gong Xi goes up during the auditions for the phone conversation/reaction test. A man is on the other end, apologizing for leaving her/insulting her and wants to get back together, or rather, implies that she wants to. She sees Bu Po Shang telling her this, cries, and then SMASHES THE PHONE TO THE FLOOR! She cusses him a little, and then curls up and cries, right there on stage. Of course, because the plot requires it, she fails the audition for not being loving enough. In North American terms it wouldn't make sense that she failed auditions because she wouldn’t forgive a sleazy ex-boyfriend for cheating on her and insulting her. However, for the drama, she fails because her unlove to the telephone man was unlove to her potential audience. Ah, everything is explained. Gong Xi, super depressed from failing the auditions, then mopes around thinking about love whilst crying and remembering her childhood. She becomes a better person and gives up her revenging ways…for a little bit. However, she does fantasize about pouring gasoline down Bu Po Shang’s gullet, so we all know that she isn’t over it.

Then, in an unlikely twist of fate, Bu Po Shang appears at her new gasoline station job. Perfect for revenge right?  So of course she goes over there and beats him up with a giant wrench in slow motion. Boom! Bam! Bam! It’s so super unbelievable of course it’s just a daydream. In reality she cowers as her co-worker tries to get her to meet Bu Po Shang. He fails to recognize her, and inspires her to sneak into LME to ask for another chance. There, she finds out that she is already hired by them …for the new division. Dun dun dun. The new division not only has a funny name, it also has embarrassing bright pink coverall uniforms and a super hero greeting. Well, at least she’s in show biz.

                                                                                                                            

Episode 4

Bu Po Shang is about to meet Dun He Lian/Tsugara Ren for the first time. He sees that Lian has charisma so he….kicks over a plant holder. The men face off. If it were a Super Junior variety tv show they would have cracked smiles in 10 seconds flat. However, here Donghae/Bu Po Shang and Siwon/Dun He Lian are mortal enemies. There is impressive plant holder kicking. Bu Po Shang is injured, or rather, his pride is.

Cue next scene. Gong Xi has met and is assisting singer Lui Li Er in a mountain movie shoot. On their way there the van breaks down and Gong Xi is forced to carry both Lui and Lui's giant gaudy flower parasol up the mountain. Unfortunately for Gong Xi, she sprains her ankle before she getting to the shoot and Lui abandons her. Completely (and illogically) immobilized by her ankle sprain, Gong Xi must wait for Dun He Lian to save her, where upon she gives him a barrage of insults. Following that she then gets to hang out with cute Mr. Du while he tends to her foot. Lui Li Er is jealous…of the Dun He Lian thing. Seething with rage, she yells at Gong Xi. For the first time, Gong Xi controls her revenge angels. Then, she competes with Lui Li Er in an acting war of great preportions. They fight. Dun He Lian looks after Gong Xi's foot. The audience looks forward to the impending acting battles.

MVOTD: ZE:A (Day 130)

ZE:A is a wonderful boyband. Their music videos are filled with cheese. Cheesy dance moves. Cheesy acting. Cheesy dance moves. Storylines that will blow your mind. Love Coach is no different. Originally made as a commercial, Love Coach transitioned into a music video. Then they made a real music video that was less interesting because there weren't vegetables floating in the air. Too bad. Starship Entertainment, please make more ZE:A music videos with dancing in them.

Here's the music video with vegetables.

MVOTD: Donghae & Eunhyuk (Day 129)

Donghae and Eunhyuk's song Oppa Oppa has been a minor source of contention this month. Some thought that the afro wigs in the official SMTOWN version were too much, and ruined Eunhyuk and Donghae's image. Others loved the wigs and thought they were a great addition. Mild arguments ensued. Despite all this both groups still appreciated the song.

Enter Shindong's video edit version of Oppa Oppa. It does what few other officially endorsed music videos do...have the stars dance in a parking lot. Oddly enough, it seems to have soothed the anti-wig faction. Whatever. Either way it's cute.

Reminising on German Class (Day 130)

Today, as I was chatting with my mom about songs from my elementary German class, I was reminded about a dear friend Poppinheimer. When I was young and thought that I was old and mature (about grade 6), my class would beg our German teacher to let us watch Poppinheimer videos...and then we would sing along to the theme song. We were soooo cool.

Now that you are wondering what Poppinheimer is, the answer. "Poppinheimer" was our name for German educational videos featuring an older man who lived in a winnibego. He would come out of his winnibego and sing a (bad) song while playing the piano attached to his winnibego door. After playing his song (which we all just sang along to) he would tell a story about his German family over in Germany, thus giving the viewer the chance to learn some German words and German culture. Basically it was a great cheesy educational show.

Now the issue. Mom doesn't know the Poppinheimer song. My little brother only recognizes it (apparently my class was the only one that liked to sing along). I thought I would show them it on Youtube. False. I can't find it. Poppenheimer is some German group I've never heard of, and there is not a peep about the educational show I watched as a child. Thus, my question is, what was the real name of the show (because it clearly wasn't Poppinheimer)? Please let me know if you recongize my description of it. The lyrics to the theme song are as such;

Have I got a story for you, my friend.
Have I got a story for you.
Well it might be a song we can just pretend.
But for you it can even come true.
Of people, and of places, and of reasons for things.
What they do, what they say, and of what each one sings.
Have I got a story for you, my friend?
Yes, I do, have story for you.
And especially, you! (the piano plunk goes at this point)

Monday Review: Thor (Day 129)

I recently had the good fortune to watch Thor, and the even better fortune to watch it with people who make fun of movies as much as I do. It was an enjoyable experience.

Best parts
Hitting Thor with a vehicle...twice, Thor's epic lines, Loki's costume, the gatekeeper.

Worst parts
Tedious backstory and all the Odin references. Examples: Odin-sleep.

Plot Summary
Natalie Portman is a hungry scientist type person looking for love wierd climate conditions. Thor is a bad boy who didn't listen to his father and so got sent through the super rainbow wormhole to earth, where he promptly got hit by a funny looking van. He says funnycrazy things. He is sent to, and escapes from a hospital, only to get hit by a vehicle...again. He tries to take the sword hammer from the stone, fails, and spend the rest of his time trying to figure out how to be a good guy. Fortunately for him, Natalie Portman shows him how to be a good guy, he gets the hammer back, and races off to Asgard to find out that his brother is an ice giant crazed with power. Epic fights ensue. Rainbow bridges are broken. People are sad. The end. The only question that remains is how he gets back to earth for the Avengers movie.

Some Assessment
Thor had a good start - all minute of it. The weather chasing scene was tense enough to create interest, and mysterious enough (because they hit a "mysterious" guy with their giant weather van) that it tided the viewer over the awkward/dull/tedious backstory. Mostly I didn't like it because Thor started off as such an unlikeable character. He was so high school. Returning to the story on Earth was a relief, but it was nice to return to Asgard (insert Stargate joke here) and it's rainbow bridge for the development of the plot arch. Maybe it's because costumes really make super hero movies. Best of all was Thor striding around Nowhere'sville like he owned the place. His one liners were epic, and turned the movie from a serious super hero flick into a super hero flick/comedy. I give Thor a 4 out of 5, because as super hero movies go, it was pretty good.

MVOTD: Martin (Day 128)

Before there was SHINee's Love Like Oxygen, there was Martin. His song Show The World is the same song, but in English. My favourite line is the one about, "I can feel sparkles inside". What does that even mean? I don't know, but it really makes the song.

 

Stuff (Day 128)

This week, while visiting my cousins, my uncle came into the dining room and said, very seriously, " Katelyn, I need you to clean the Batmobile."

Funny? Yes. Enough said.

MVOTD: Hello (Day 127)

What song is best for the first day of a new year? Why, "Hello" of course, by SHINee of SM Entertainment. What a happy and cheerful way to begin the year.

How To Be Pretentious: Another Idea (Day 127)

How To Be Pretentious: Dinner Parties

In the pursuit of warding off pretentious people, becoming pretentious yourself is one option. One way to do this is the dinner party. Step 1 is the dishes.

For hosting, it is important to be natural. Therefore, purge your cabinets of your normal microwavable plates and bowls. From now on you use china for everything. If possible, get two or more sets (with tea cups and saucers), so that you can use, "the less formal set". A good place to get china is thrift shops. Anything pretty that says "royal" on the bottom should be good. Once you have these, you should be ready to be a hoity toity host at a moments notice.