Casting news get me excited!

So I feel like this past week, possibly even month, has just been filled with all the best casting news available and I really don't know if I can take anymore. What makes it more nerdy is that two of the movies I'm so excited about are superhero movies.

The first and possibly most exciting is about Batman, "The Dark Night Rises", the title is slowly growing on me. The initial rumours were that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was going to be cast as The Riddler, which were very exciting. Then Christopher Nolan announced that The Riddler was not going to appear and Tom Hardy had been cast. I must say that as much as I love Tom Hardy I was a little bit disappointed by the likely hood that JGL would not appear. Now Tom is said to take the role of Bane, which we have previously seen as a minor character in "Batman and Robin". I still remember when I was younger this was one of my favourite Batman purely because I really wanted to be Poison Ivy. Having watched this movie countless times I am very interested to see what Nolan does with this character. The other Batman character I always wanted to be was Catwomen, the Michelle Pfeiffer one, not Halle Berry. Given how horribly this character was portrayed then I am excited to have it revisited and very excited as to how Anne Hathaway can turn it around.
Now given how many exciteds were previously typed I didn't think this project could get any better but it has, JGL has been now supposedly been cast. As The Riddler is not an available character the next jump is to Dick Greyson - Robin. Nolan has also stated that he wil not make a move with Robin in it and Christian Bale has agreed that he will not stick around if he is cast. Given this I do get the feeling that JGL will play a good guy but I would be equally happy, if not more, to see him in an evil role. Either way "The Dark Knight Rises" is definitely my most anticipated movie of 2012 so far and I have full faith in Nolan.

Nolan's other project, although only in the producer's chair, is in Zack Snyder's reboot of Superman. Given the very poor showing of the last movie I initially had very poor expectations. It may be bias on my side but I felt one of the biggest downfalls of he last movie was the casting of Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. As this post is all about castings I feel it only necessary to point out how one bad casting can bring a movie down. There have all sorts of names put into the mix, none which really impress me. Initially I thought of Anne Hathaway but I doubt she would take on both projects, even if the shooting schedules don't clash, it's not likely she'll take on two superhero movies back to back. There is now all sorts of rumours of going the same route as the new Spiderman movie and not even including the traditional love interest but maybe one earlier on so the story can be built up. Now I must admit that I am not to in the know on all things Superman so I can't make any calls on how this could play out.
The main role of course has been cast with Henry Cavil as the man in the red underpants. I think he will be amazing in this role and I am glad he is finally getting rid of his unluckiest man in Hollywood tag. Now for the shocker, although Cavil is my absolute favourite bar none, he was not my first choice for this role. I initially my vote went with Matt Bomer, from White Collar fame. Now this was not because I thought he would be better in the role, just that I didn't want Cavil to get it. I will admit this is partially due to pure selfishness that I don't want the entire world to start drooling over him and keep him to myself, but I do want him to be successful so that's not the primary reason. In his bad luck days he was turned down for a role for being to young and I really thought he would be perfect for it. This role could come around again when he is older and I fear, am pretty sure actually, that by taking Superman he wouldn't even be considered. You see, that role is of James Bond.

This brings us to other exciting news. Bond 23 has finally been given the go ahead and I can finally breathe some form of a sigh of relief. Another movie I have to wait till 2012 to watch but so far it is looking like a wait well worth it. Daniel Craig will be reprising is role as the Blonde Bond which truly makes me very happy as I think he has done great justice to the role. Before the money issues hit there were all sorts of rumours about villains, settings and most importantly bond girls. I fear the only thing that's stuck since being put back into production is Sam Mendes in the director's chair. The Casting news so far is that Javier Bardem will be playing a bad man and Ralph Fiennes may join him. I'm very excited about this but if I can put my contribution on the other two unknowns, I'd be very interested in seeing Bond in New York with Olivia Wilde as a bond girl.

My final piece of news involves one of my favourite pairs and an ex bond girl. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are teaming up again. This time on a remake of an old TV show "Dark Shadows". Now I have never seen this show so I have very little knowledge or expectations. All I know is that it follows the travels of a vampire, played by Depp, and all the mystical creatures he meets. I've always loved vampires and while I do hope the craze dies down so I can enjoy them privately I cannot wait to see Burton's idea of what a vampire could be. It may be just what some of the sparkling vampires need to give them a swift kick in the behind. Now for the really exciting part. Eva Green has been attached to the project as a witch who falls for the vampire, don't feel bad if your head explodes mine just did too.

Unfortunately there are two sides to every story and so with good casting news must come bad. One story I always hoped would remain untouched, even though I knew it was only a matter of time until it got done again was Snow White. It is now being done again, twice. One I'm not too mad about but the other is being done by Tarsem Singh, director of the upcoming Immortals. The other one is my big problem, with Charlize as the evil witch and Kristen Stewart as Snow White. Never again will I be happy to have the nickname Snow White.

None of these have yet started shooting and everything could change and in some cases hopefully it will but only time, 2012, will tell if the right characters have been chosen to bring across all of these truly epic tales.

My Holiday Through Updates

So this has taken me a while to type up but I knew I would eventually get around to it. The initial idea of trying to write a blog about my holiday repulsed me because frankly nobody really cares and it would take to much effort. However once my trip had started and I found myself unable to constantly update my facebook and twitter pages with quirky silly comments I needed to find a new outlet for myself. So whenever I had these thoughts which I would usually put in a status update I jotted them down in my notebook, yes I am one of those people who walk around with moleskin notebook writing down random thoughts and lists, lots of lists. This list of thoughts was called "My Holiday Through Updates" and that is what you are reading here. It is no effort for me, well a little, but not the thinking kind, and you can skim read and only laugh at what you take in, so all problems solved :)

Little Kids on planes are a killer, especially the bratty, ill disciplined ones.
Never let parents navigate, ever! They don't know their right from left.
Always get the map before you go, do not leave it to technology.
Over 24 hours without handheld internet access, I keep picking up my phone until I realise it's useless.
My hands smell like a brewery, I want a shower, to wash my hair and brush my teeth.
Sleep, what I would do for some, the rings under my eyes make me look like a druggie.
I'm so excited I can't cope.
Finally understand what they are always going on about on TopGear. A lot of roadworks, not so many workers.
My brother is the sweetest, breakfast in bed.
I'm finally living the dreams I had from all the books I read about English boarding schools.
I should have brought the hairdryer.
Took a "stroll" up a "hill" and got shocked half to death by an unmarked electric fence and scared half to death by a gaggle of attacking geese.
Watched football in the local pub of a tiny coastal village in Dorset. Feel like I'm in a British comedy about the quirky inhabitants who all know each other and hang out at the pub all day. They even have a midget.
Biggest difference between Uk and SA, there is no such thing as "1ply" toilet paper here, not even in the scruffiest McDonalds bathroom.
Sometimes I think we rely on the technology too much, my parents keep saying that having this GPS has been a lifesaver but all we needed was some common sense and the ability to read maps and road signs. All the GPS has brought us is claustrophobia inducing roads and almost running out of petrol.
You know you've taken a wrong turn when all the GPS can tell you is to make a Uturn.
I'm so glad I'm in the UK when Glasto is on and I can watch it on the TV. It's not the same as live but Muse still blows my mind.
So the Underground isn't always underground.
Yay, no longer scared of public transport, may have to revise this statement in SA.
Seriously, I can't even escape crying, sick babies on a Train.
Clare & Paris & summer & open topped bus = burnt.
How is it possible to get a foot tan but my legs are still pasty white.
It's over 30 degrees in Paris but feels hotter than any +40 I've felt in CT.
Feet=Pain, Back=Agony, Body=Tired, Legs=Aching, Mind=Blown.
Why is Karl Lagerfeld promoting coke?
The Gods of Travel don't want me to have kids, I am plagued by annoying, crying, ill disciplined children.
London is unbelievable but CT will always be my home.
No matter how many times I come to Dubai I always forget how hot it is. +30 degrees at 3 in the morning.
Being one of "those" people sleeping in the airport inbetween flights is definately and experiance.

Enjoy!

Why I fail at blogs

So I think of things to write a blog on all the time, in fact I come up with a fully formed blog entry to go with them. The problem is that my computer is a retard and takes forever to turn on so my process is a bit stunted. I will demonstrate.

Clare sits down and pushes the start button. As the startup screen shows and the slow hum gets annoyingly louder an idea forms for an amazing blog which will blow peoples minds, such as my awesome trip to Europe, I promise I will write this eventually. As a rough draft starts to formulate the log in screen as frozen and a few expletives are uttered. Eventually things start running and by now the blog is in perfect form in Clare's mind waiting to be typed. For this to be done a comfortable typing position must be attained, this movement then tricks the the computer into thinking it is no longer plugged in and so the worn out battery fails and the once great blog idea is lost to all the thoughts of all the horrible ways said computer can be destroyed.

Although this might not be so bad and you may say, "well if you already have the idea why not just turn it back on again and then type up the blog." This would work if it weren't for another problem. ADD. By the time this process has taken place I have lost all interest in the previous topic and now can barely get out a short entry at while I fail at blogs.

Cry Baby

So I'm not what I'd call a person who cries easily, I'm not the ice queen but when it comes to real life I'm not going to cry when I break a nail. I do admit I broke down when I left my lights on and ran my car battery flat for the I don't know how many-ith time, yes that is a word. I blame it on stress and my extreme aversion to being late, which I was.

Now the reason I bring this up is because although I don't cry at the drop of a hat in real life, put me in some fictional world and I blubber like a baby and find myself struggling for breath. When I was a kid this was reserved for whenever anything happened to animals. In Airbud, when the kid threw the ball to get the dog to run away, I was crying so badly I had to be escorted from the cinema. I cry in books too, even when I've read them before I still cry in them.

This is even worse with movies. I was watching A Walk To Remember the other day again and after about half an hour I started crying because I knew how sad it was going to get. I now do this every week with Grey's Anatomy. In South Africa we only get the episodes about two months later then in America, but I have my ways of watching it then. Of course I then watch it again when it comes on our screens here but I honestly don't know if I can put myself through it with that finale.

I cried the whole way through, real gut-wrenching sobs, in fact i still have a few tears in my eyes now. The problem is that it was the finale and now I have to wait another 4 months to start watching again. To make matters worse all the shows are finishing within the next week. Last week I went through the heartbreak that was Vampire Diaries and Supernatural. I thought those were bad, until I spent today wading through the sad-fest that was Gossip Girl, House, 90210 and Grey's Anatomy. I don't know how I am not dehydrated by now. Why is it that they are all so sad. I remember last years Gossip Girl ended with Blair and Chuck getting together and that was so happy and exciting and I couldn't wait for the new season to start so that I could see them be happy again, but now... Well I still can't wait for the next season, but for more depressing reasons.

All I have left is Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and Chuck for next week and then a couple more weeks of Glee after that. Then what I am I going to do. Oh right, I have True Blood, three months of a hot, sexy, Swedish, semi-naked vampire... oh and three weeks in the UK, wheee!!

BTW, if this has left you with the impression that I'm a mild TV addict, don't be fooled... I am completely obsessed!

Clash of the Titans

I take it all back, sort of. If they make more mythology movies as enjoyable as Clash of the Titans, then maybe I will see them all. Who am I kidding, I'd see them all even if they were made by monkeys. But really CotT was cool. It wasn't amazing on any film making standard but it gave you what you expected.

The action scenes were fun, jumping, kicking, fighting, all the fast movement you expect from an old fashioned "war" movie. At times it did get a bit fast and you weren't quite sure what you were looking at but I find that to be quite a common trap in movies such as this. Another problem is at times it can feel like everything is happening all at once, they just fight monster after monster. It could easily have gone on a bit longer, with maybe a longer fight scenes or a big final showdown between Hades and Zeus.There could also be a few fillers but that may have detracted from the actual story. They tried this a bit with a few bits of humour, sometimes this worked but the majority of the time it just fell flat.

The major high point of this film was the casting of Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Mads Mikkelson. These three actors always bring something special to their roles and this was no exception. I really can't picture a better Hades. Sam Worthington is still growing as an actor, but I very much enjoyed the sarcastic and dry wit he had in the role. I won't say I didn't like Gemma Arterton, I just really didn't like her character. I get the whole ageless/eternal beauty thing but why does that mean you can't get dirty, you're fighting giant scorpions in a dessert, seriously!

The relationship between her and Perseus was interesting up until a point. I was enjoying the unknown, which left you guessing, because ultimately this is not a romance movie. Obviously the powers that be decided that they needed to give something to the girlfriends that were dragged along so the boat and final scene were added, but it just made it seem very cheesy.

The one thing this movie taught me is that I don't know nearly as much mythology as I'd like to think. Now is the time to dig out those books because if Immortals is going to be anywhere near as awesome as this I want to be prepared!!

Trends

So throughout the history of the entertainment business there have always been trends. In music for example we had boy bands and then pop princesses, although all types are around so music does tend to be one of the most diverse forms of media.

T.V. is terrible with trends because the minute you get the one type of show everyone tries the same thing. When I grew up everyone was trying the Will&Grace and Frasier thing. Then there were a lot of law shows and crime shows, a lot of which are still going. I always find it amusing when one show does really well, so another show tries to copy the formula and then fails eg. Sex and the City - Lipstick Jungle/ Cashmere Mafia, How I Met Your Mother - Roommates. There are a few trends which do stick, the medicine thing for example is doing very well. Then there's also the whole teenagers who have too much money and act way more advance then they are. Now I'm not knocking these, I pretty much watch all of them, I just wish there was something a bit more original, I will acknowledge Lost and Supernatural here.

Of course the biggest trend, which expands to movie, is vampires. Now I'm not complaining about this, I LOVE vampires, but that's the problem. I've loved Vampires since I started watching proper TV, but I hate the fact that when someone finds this out, they immediately assume I'm some annoying, screaming, Twihard(I don't scream). It used to be this special private obsession and now it's been commercialised, kind of like when you have a favourite song which you keep telling people about but they look at you weirdly. Then all of a sudden it's on the radio and everyone loves it. It feels like they're steeling it from you. Now I've come to terms with this Vampire thing, I can't go back and change things, and frankly I quite like getting my weekly dose of hot evil Vampires.

I am however worried about the new movie trend on the horizon, Ancient Greeks. If possible I have been more obsessed with Greek and Roman mythology than vampires and it looks as though it shall soon be stolen from me too. Recently a movie came out called Percy Jackson and the Olympians, I have not yet seen it, although I do plan to despite the dismal reviews. This was a teenage movie which means the fangirl age has already been targeted, first worry. Due for release soon is Clash of the Titans. While this is a remake, so it's not a new mythology addition, it has had an extensive ad campaign. It also has quite a full cast and relatively high profile too. Now I'm super excited for this and wasn't quite worried yet. A new discovery however has led me to fear for my little private obsession. There is another movie due out near the end of the year. It is called Dawn of War/ War of the Gods. Usually I would already have tried to book my ticket, it has Henry Cavill(The Tudors), *drool*. Then I looked at the rest of the cast and a tear formed in my eye. The other main character, and first credit, is Kellan Lutz *cue screaming twihards*. My only hope is that both these films fail dismally, as has already been suggested may happen, and my private obsessions will be left to me. It really does kill me to say this but if this is stolen from me, what will go next... Paulo Coelho, oh wait that's already started too *cries softly to self*!

Registration

Registration has got to be the biggest nightmare in the entire world. It takes three hours to stand in three different queues for two people to sign the same piece of paper and then someone to plug the information into the computer. Sometimes I really wish I had gone to Stellenbosch if not just for the better admin. I'm just waiting for someone to screwed it up, that will just make my day!
The main problem though is the complete inferiority complex it gave me. When I decided to drop to BComm I was told that I was merely changing as both courses are just as good. Well it sure didn't feel like that today. Firstly they hadn't printed enough curriculum forms for BComm so we had to wait extra long when all the BBusSci people got rushed ahead. Then in the second queue there was only one person to sign our forms but there were four to sign their's, so again they moved further than this. I took three hours to finally walk out to my car, not to mention the hour early I got there so I didn't have to queue, what a joke.
I did however get one thing out of today, I found a new white horse/unicorn whatever you want to call them. I havn't yet thought of a nickname but, good news, he has an open facebook profile. May the stalking begin!!