Hi guys,
Hey! What's up? I'm doing great, thanks. Mom currently has the case of the hiccups right now. Like, big ones. Hiccups can be a pain in the a-s-s sometimes. I have to visit a collage tomorrow-oh, and also, it was nice to be rid of the goddamn GOP bullshit that I have to hear every single day. Honestly, when will the GOP finally realize that the way how things are going are not so good right now.
But anyway, enough of that. Let's get started.
So, before we got to our hotel, Mom, Dad, my 14 year old sister Quin, Me, and our 4 year old adopted brother Jack, drove in our Ford force flex (which Jack calls a minivan, for some strange reason) to get to Baltimore (With the little pesky at times Waze thing getting along). Of course, we stopped by for Lunch along the way at this rest-stopish place in New Jersey along the side of the highway turnpike called "Clara Barton", specifically at Burger King. Me, my sister, and Jack all got Chicken Nuggets with French Fries. I don't recall what drinks we had, but I remember that I had a Sprite. I also saw some photo of the current (hated) New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a guy known for embracing You-know-who Trump and for being a bully. Wow. Way to go, Jersey (not hating on it or anything).
So we drove with the handy dandy waze helping us, and eventually we got to our destination-my cousin Annie's school, to watch the play she was in. She's in, what, 7th grade? The play she was in? Into The Woods. She was the Narrator. Apparently, there were two alternating casts- the "Yellow" and "Red" casts. Someone else had played her part alternately with her for 4 shows-this was the last one. She was part of the "Red" cast. Now, I am very much familiar with the play. Grammy (Me and the other Monaghan grandkids' nickname for my mom's mom) had already seen it a long time ago in the 80's or possibly even 90's (when we didn't have to worry about things like encryption and loony people running for the Republican nomination). I had never seen the actual play in its entirety (even though I really really REALLY want to, but the last broadway production that was recently occurring was I believe in 2003- when I was just 3 or 4 years of age), but I specifically remember going to see the movie version with my dad at the movie theaters, when I was a 15 year old sophomore in High School (I just turned 17 last week, go figure). I loved that movie, a lot... Disney did not screw a lot of things up. Thing is, I thought the middle school drama production was... so-so. None of the singers really stood out for me. It was also a junior production-it kinda missed out on the point that Soundheim was trying to make, that not all people get their happy endings, and if they do, it's guaranteed to come at some cost of sorts. Presenting it with just a happy ending kind of...um...really doesn't get the message across. Not that I'm hating on all junior productions, but this... it just didn't emotionally resonate with me or make me sympathize with the characters as much as the movie did. It's not exactly a "family" movie or show either- plus, not a lot of the microphones weren't working on the kids (At times, their singing was muffled or difficult to hear)-and some little kids started crying during the performance or were talking (Not that anyone minded though). Many people did not have their cell phones on, thank god. But there was this lady at times who acted more like a kid/teenage girl at times who occasionally started to talk behind me, which annoyed (s) me to no end, and my brother, as usual, could not sit still. Oh, well, that's life.
We went to a lot of restaurants and visited some colleges-but our visit was cut short because of the fact that Jack had the coup, so we didn't stay for all 3 days that we planned to stay in Baltimore. It was still a good couple of days, but sharing a room with Jack-jesus. He is the worst whisperer ever and he never dozes off immeadiately. Pfft... ugh.
I wish I could catch up on more details, but hey. That's life.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
If I Could Recast Movies-Brazil (Not Advocating for a remake!)
Hi everybody,
So, one time, I hopped onto this internet forum. The subject was, "If you could recast your favorite films that have been already made in the past (and are probably not to be messed around with, who would you choose for what part?". No, these people weren't advocating for remakes, they were just "What-if-you-could so and so". So, I turned my ideas to a movie called Brazil, a movie that was released in 1985 and directed by Terry Gilliam. Now, I am NOT advocating for a remake (Honestly, I'm really not)... but eh. It's fun, what can you do. Ok, here goes... (Note: This is a post made just for fun
My dream "Brazil" recast, if I were in charge (Note that I actually have several choices in my head for recasting, way too many to even count, so I'll put my top choices in the corner). ...
For Sam Lowry, I heard that the character of him was originally supposed to be in his late twenties or early thirties in the earlier scripts. Which was pretty interesting to me. Now, in the forum, they picked Ed Norton for him. Me? I wanted someone who was a lot younger looking or actually younger than late 30's early 40's. So, me? I chose Evan Peters as him. He's actually pretty close to the age range that Lowry was in in the earlier parts of the script. I was also thinking in mind the part of Jack Lint for him, but eh. Seems good enough, eh? Fun fact, he was actually born on January 20th, 1987, just two years and 1 month later after the theatrical release of Brazil in the United States (For the UK, it was 2 years (before) and 1 month after the theatrical release) . Holy shit. And when Gilliam was first drafting the script, the dude who played Sam Lowry was just 30 at the time, 1 year older than Peters.
For Jack Lint, I wanted someone who looked like the sorta average everyday person you could walk into the streets with or is a genuinely nice guy (or plays a lot of wholesome, nice guy-ish roles). That way, it could shock the audiences when his true occupation is revealed, as with the case of Michael Palin. So, who did I choose for Jack Lint, in my case? I had difficulty deciding at first, but then it came to me that hey, how about Ben Whishaw? I mean, the dude has pretty damn awesome range, and he certainly doesn't look like the type of person to do the things that Jack Lint does to Sam Lowry in the movie. In the forum, they picked Martin Freeman. That's awesome, but I think my choice could work better. Just my opinion, but hey... Don't criticize me. He could also make a great Sam Lowry, too. He was born on October 14th, 1980, 5 years and 8 months before Brazil came out in the UK. He was 4 when the movie received its UK premiere, and 5 when the movie got released here in America.
For Harry Tuttle, it was tough. Let's face it, the guy who played him in 1985 is Robert De Fuckin' Niro. That guy is a legend, a true damn legend. I had trouble with this recasting. I didn't know whom to pick at first. They picked Woody Harrelson for their (dream) recast, but he should've gotten a break. Several options went through my head at first, but then I decided on, for some strange reason, on Chris Pratt. I mean, he can certainly portray a badass, as evidenced in Jurassic World. And now, I know you might be going, "the fuck? Him?". I mean, there is an aura of wisecrack to Tuttle as well, so it's win-win on both terms, in my world. He was born on June 21st, 1979, just 6 years and 4 months before this movie was made. He was 6 years old when the movie was released here in the United States, but was 5 by the time the film received its UK premiere.
For Jill Layton, I wanted someone who could have great chemistry with my (fan-chosen) lead, Evan Peters. I also wanted someone who could be seen as a "tough as nails" truck driver, but also at the same time the vulnerable damsel that Sam often rescues in his dreams a lot. So, with that in mind, I chose Summer Glau. I mean, come on! She was River Tam in Firefly/Serenity, for crying out loud. She has that crazy-awesome factor to her for sure. I heard that Gilliam had trouble with the actress who played Jill in 1985. For Jill, in the recast forum, they chose Melanie Laurent. Who the fuck is she? I don't know, that's for sure. Glau was born on July 24th, 1981, exactly 4 years and 5 months before the movie's release in the U.S and 4 years and 5 months when the movie was released in the UK. She was 4 at the time of the US release, and 3 at the time of the UK premiere.
For Ida Lowry, it was kind of a challenge. I wanted someone who could effectively play an overbearing mother, or someone who has had experience with plastic surgery before. I mean, Ida does get it in the movie. They chose Helen Mirren for her in the recast forum, and don't get me wrong, she's awesome, but not the type of person I would choose right away. And then, I decided on Jessica Lange. She's awesome, isn't she? I mean, the character of Ida could easily fit in with a season of American Horror Story. See for yourselves. She was born on April 20th, 1949, exactly 36 years and 2 months before the UK premiere, and 36 years and 8 months before the US premiere. She was 35 when the movie received its UK premiere, and 36 by the time it was released over here in the states.
For Spool and Doolskins (If that's how you spell the dude's last name), I decided to play around the idea of having younger actors in the roles. In the recast forum, they had Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as the two guys. They're awesome, but why not add a little youth appeal to the mix. This is why I choose Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as the duo, probably because they remind me a bit of the duo those guys play in 21 Jump Street (Sweet mother of Jesus, that film was friggin' hilarious). Channing Tatum was born on April 26th, 1980, 5 years and 2 months (since April is two months after Feburary) before the movie came out in the UK, and 5 years and 4 months (Since April is 4 months after December) before the movie received its US premiere. He was 4 by the time the movie came out in the UK, and 5 by the time the movie came out here in the United States. Jonah Hill was born on December 20th, 1983, the same month that the movie came out in the US (But 19 days and 2 years before the film's release). In the US, his B-Date was 2 years and 2 months before the movie's release in the UK. He was 2 by the time the movie came out in the US and the UK.
So, one time, I hopped onto this internet forum. The subject was, "If you could recast your favorite films that have been already made in the past (and are probably not to be messed around with, who would you choose for what part?". No, these people weren't advocating for remakes, they were just "What-if-you-could so and so". So, I turned my ideas to a movie called Brazil, a movie that was released in 1985 and directed by Terry Gilliam. Now, I am NOT advocating for a remake (Honestly, I'm really not)... but eh. It's fun, what can you do. Ok, here goes... (Note: This is a post made just for fun
My dream "Brazil" recast, if I were in charge (Note that I actually have several choices in my head for recasting, way too many to even count, so I'll put my top choices in the corner). ...
For Sam Lowry, I heard that the character of him was originally supposed to be in his late twenties or early thirties in the earlier scripts. Which was pretty interesting to me. Now, in the forum, they picked Ed Norton for him. Me? I wanted someone who was a lot younger looking or actually younger than late 30's early 40's. So, me? I chose Evan Peters as him. He's actually pretty close to the age range that Lowry was in in the earlier parts of the script. I was also thinking in mind the part of Jack Lint for him, but eh. Seems good enough, eh? Fun fact, he was actually born on January 20th, 1987, just two years and 1 month later after the theatrical release of Brazil in the United States (For the UK, it was 2 years (before) and 1 month after the theatrical release) . Holy shit. And when Gilliam was first drafting the script, the dude who played Sam Lowry was just 30 at the time, 1 year older than Peters.
For Jack Lint, I wanted someone who looked like the sorta average everyday person you could walk into the streets with or is a genuinely nice guy (or plays a lot of wholesome, nice guy-ish roles). That way, it could shock the audiences when his true occupation is revealed, as with the case of Michael Palin. So, who did I choose for Jack Lint, in my case? I had difficulty deciding at first, but then it came to me that hey, how about Ben Whishaw? I mean, the dude has pretty damn awesome range, and he certainly doesn't look like the type of person to do the things that Jack Lint does to Sam Lowry in the movie. In the forum, they picked Martin Freeman. That's awesome, but I think my choice could work better. Just my opinion, but hey... Don't criticize me. He could also make a great Sam Lowry, too. He was born on October 14th, 1980, 5 years and 8 months before Brazil came out in the UK. He was 4 when the movie received its UK premiere, and 5 when the movie got released here in America.
For Harry Tuttle, it was tough. Let's face it, the guy who played him in 1985 is Robert De Fuckin' Niro. That guy is a legend, a true damn legend. I had trouble with this recasting. I didn't know whom to pick at first. They picked Woody Harrelson for their (dream) recast, but he should've gotten a break. Several options went through my head at first, but then I decided on, for some strange reason, on Chris Pratt. I mean, he can certainly portray a badass, as evidenced in Jurassic World. And now, I know you might be going, "the fuck? Him?". I mean, there is an aura of wisecrack to Tuttle as well, so it's win-win on both terms, in my world. He was born on June 21st, 1979, just 6 years and 4 months before this movie was made. He was 6 years old when the movie was released here in the United States, but was 5 by the time the film received its UK premiere.
For Jill Layton, I wanted someone who could have great chemistry with my (fan-chosen) lead, Evan Peters. I also wanted someone who could be seen as a "tough as nails" truck driver, but also at the same time the vulnerable damsel that Sam often rescues in his dreams a lot. So, with that in mind, I chose Summer Glau. I mean, come on! She was River Tam in Firefly/Serenity, for crying out loud. She has that crazy-awesome factor to her for sure. I heard that Gilliam had trouble with the actress who played Jill in 1985. For Jill, in the recast forum, they chose Melanie Laurent. Who the fuck is she? I don't know, that's for sure. Glau was born on July 24th, 1981, exactly 4 years and 5 months before the movie's release in the U.S and 4 years and 5 months when the movie was released in the UK. She was 4 at the time of the US release, and 3 at the time of the UK premiere.
For Ida Lowry, it was kind of a challenge. I wanted someone who could effectively play an overbearing mother, or someone who has had experience with plastic surgery before. I mean, Ida does get it in the movie. They chose Helen Mirren for her in the recast forum, and don't get me wrong, she's awesome, but not the type of person I would choose right away. And then, I decided on Jessica Lange. She's awesome, isn't she? I mean, the character of Ida could easily fit in with a season of American Horror Story. See for yourselves. She was born on April 20th, 1949, exactly 36 years and 2 months before the UK premiere, and 36 years and 8 months before the US premiere. She was 35 when the movie received its UK premiere, and 36 by the time it was released over here in the states.
For Spool and Doolskins (If that's how you spell the dude's last name), I decided to play around the idea of having younger actors in the roles. In the recast forum, they had Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as the two guys. They're awesome, but why not add a little youth appeal to the mix. This is why I choose Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as the duo, probably because they remind me a bit of the duo those guys play in 21 Jump Street (Sweet mother of Jesus, that film was friggin' hilarious). Channing Tatum was born on April 26th, 1980, 5 years and 2 months (since April is two months after Feburary) before the movie came out in the UK, and 5 years and 4 months (Since April is 4 months after December) before the movie received its US premiere. He was 4 by the time the movie came out in the UK, and 5 by the time the movie came out here in the United States. Jonah Hill was born on December 20th, 1983, the same month that the movie came out in the US (But 19 days and 2 years before the film's release). In the US, his B-Date was 2 years and 2 months before the movie's release in the UK. He was 2 by the time the movie came out in the US and the UK.
For M. Kurtzmann, I wanted to play around with the idea of having a grumpy boss and what it is like to have one in the workplace. They picked Alfred Molina for the boss, but I wanted someone who could come off as a bit more comical, plus I wanted a little gender-bending, so I went with Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Kurtzmann. If you've ever seen Veep, you'll understand what I mean. And look, I know a dude played Kurtzmann in 1985, but since there is a current debate over sexism in Hollywood, I decided to tap into the resolution for that issue with my fan-recasting. She was born on January 13th, 1961, exactly 1 month (afterwards) and 24 years before Brazil came out in the U.S. (For the UK, it was 1 month and 24 years before the premiere). She was 24 years old at the time it was released in the US and the UK.
Look, I know that Brazil is a British movie, but Tuttle and Layton don't necessarily speak with English accents, and for some strange reason all these American actors were my fan-choices for (dream, not real) recasting, (well, except for Ben Whishaw), plus Gilliam is American, not British. He, by the way, was born on November 22nd, 1940, so he was around 44 by the time the movie got its UK release, and 45 by the time the movie received its premiere here in the U.S. (Sorry for all these birth-date facts, I just got carried away).
Friday, January 29, 2016
Enron Lucy Prebble Play Movie
Hi guys,
Hey! How many of you have heard of that fantastic play ENRON? You know, that play about the scandal written by Lucy Prebble? It's set in 1990's Texas. (Mostly in the 90's). Of course, for you older people, you know who the hell ENRON was. But as for young people? No clue, since they were probably just little kids by the time the scandal hit. That includes me. I only knew about it from looking up stuff on the internet.
It was a big success in the West End (In London-who knew a play written by a British Playwright about Americans could reach such success)-but it flopped on Broadway, surprisingly enough. Not that audiences didn't like it, but it premiered at the wrong time. The 2008 financial/housing crisis was still going strong, Wall street was being occupied...not really a good spot to premiere a play like that before. Then the goddamn New York Times gave a hostile review to it, and ms. Prebble was fucked. Then, it got closed after just 15 performances...I think now would be the time to give it a re-try.
George Clooney, however, noticed the potential for a movie version of the Play-and soon he snatched up the rights to it. People were excited about this, but then it was announced that it wasn't very likely that they would get the original UK cast back on board for the movie. A couple of the people in the West End were not very happy with this-Rupert Goold said that it pissed him off that he didn't get involved in the movie production and that he expressed dismay over the play being snatched up by Hollywood producers. A bunch of other people were not happy with it too-one including Phillip Hedley, and the other whatsername. But Clooney truly loved the play and Lucy Prebble is writing the screenplay, so I wouldn't get too worried.
I have a heavy feeling that this will be a cult movie. I mean, a lot of cult movies originally bomb at the box office and then get a devoted fan following. And let me tell you, this sounds a bit like Fight Club meets American Psycho meets Wolf of Wall Street. I mean, satire of corporate culture and plenty of unlikeable characters? And dark comedy to boot? I think so.
And also, I'm pretty sure Mr. Clooney will do very well with this. Smiley face.
See you guys later!
Hey! How many of you have heard of that fantastic play ENRON? You know, that play about the scandal written by Lucy Prebble? It's set in 1990's Texas. (Mostly in the 90's). Of course, for you older people, you know who the hell ENRON was. But as for young people? No clue, since they were probably just little kids by the time the scandal hit. That includes me. I only knew about it from looking up stuff on the internet.
It was a big success in the West End (In London-who knew a play written by a British Playwright about Americans could reach such success)-but it flopped on Broadway, surprisingly enough. Not that audiences didn't like it, but it premiered at the wrong time. The 2008 financial/housing crisis was still going strong, Wall street was being occupied...not really a good spot to premiere a play like that before. Then the goddamn New York Times gave a hostile review to it, and ms. Prebble was fucked. Then, it got closed after just 15 performances...I think now would be the time to give it a re-try.
George Clooney, however, noticed the potential for a movie version of the Play-and soon he snatched up the rights to it. People were excited about this, but then it was announced that it wasn't very likely that they would get the original UK cast back on board for the movie. A couple of the people in the West End were not very happy with this-Rupert Goold said that it pissed him off that he didn't get involved in the movie production and that he expressed dismay over the play being snatched up by Hollywood producers. A bunch of other people were not happy with it too-one including Phillip Hedley, and the other whatsername. But Clooney truly loved the play and Lucy Prebble is writing the screenplay, so I wouldn't get too worried.
I have a heavy feeling that this will be a cult movie. I mean, a lot of cult movies originally bomb at the box office and then get a devoted fan following. And let me tell you, this sounds a bit like Fight Club meets American Psycho meets Wolf of Wall Street. I mean, satire of corporate culture and plenty of unlikeable characters? And dark comedy to boot? I think so.
And also, I'm pretty sure Mr. Clooney will do very well with this. Smiley face.
See you guys later!
Thursday, January 28, 2016
My Old Man's B-Day-My Thoughts and a Little story
Hi Guys,
Here's a little thing on a lighter note for ya. My dad just had a B-Day on Tuesday. January 26th. My old man turned 48 this year. His date of birth? January 26th, 1968. His full name is Christopher John Morris (he goes by the nickname of "Chris" around his friends). One year before woodstock, when Nurses still wore caps on their heads and rock music (Beatles, baby, Beatles!) gripped the nation's youth of that time (Old enough to be grandparents now, eh?). He has two older sisters, each with now-college aged kids. Patrice (the eldest, born in 1958-her birthday is in either April or May), and Jean (born in 1965-wink, in September.) My mom was also born on that same year. April 15th, to be exact. My grandmother was just 23 years old when she had her.
My parents were children of the 70's in New Jersey-you know, disco, classic rock, Watergate, blah blah blah. (I'll tell you more when I get to it). It was pretty much an awesome time to be a kid then, let me tell ya. My parents both grew up in Catholic families- Mom's was large (she was the eldest out of a total of 6 sisters and 1 brother- Holy cow.). They were both teens in the 80's (the age of embarrassingly big hair and of John Hughes' Movies), since they both graduated high school in 1986. (They both went to single-sex Catholic Schools. Mom's was Holy Angels (which all of her 6 sisters went to). Dad's was Bergen Catholic). Dad was captivated by the New-Wave sub-genre-still is now. Dad, like many other people, also loved MTV (back when it actually showed Music Videos). Mom and Dad had a brief encounter at the high school prom-but they didn't fall in love until much later. In the late 80's, my parents met by chance or by sheer coincidence-they were both at a party held by one of Mom's friends, Lynne. Dad brought two of his childhood/adolescence friends along, Keith and Rob. Story is, Dad really wanted to impress some girls at the party, so he pretended that he was a master of the piano (which he wasn't). So, as he continued to play piano (or at least try to) one pretty girl caught his eye. Her name? Maura Monaghan. So, they started talking to each other-which was the part of a long story.
In October of 1991 (In the age of Grunge, Nirvana, and Plaid shirts), my parents got married after dating for quite a while. There are many funny stories about the wedding that my parents could tell you, including a confused Cousin Beth or whoever her name was showing up dressed in cutoff jeans and a T-Shirt and how two of the best men ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time.
My Parents moved quite a lot in the 90's. You can ask my mom about it, she'll tell ya. Then, in 1998, a miraculous thing had happened. Mom found out she was pregnant with her first kid. At that same time, my Parents already had a lot of nieces on my Dad's side (Those college-age kids that I was telling you about? 3 of them were little kids back then). At that time, my Mom's side of the family was experiencing some sadness-let's just say it involves a sick great-uncle and leave it at that. So, my Mom's side really needed some good news to cheer them up. After that, they moved in November of 1998 to the first house I lived in as a kid. And the kid was originally supposed to be Born in April, but some mild complications had occurred and my Mom needed to give birth to the kid via through I think a C-section. And, lo and behold, the kid finally entered the world on March 10th, 1999. Who was that kid, you may ask? Well, none other than your author. (My full name is Flannery Hope Monaghan-Morris. I'll tell you more about how me and my siblings got named in the first place). Two years and 9 months later, on December 19th, 2001 (Just 3 months after 9/11...Ouch.), their 2nd child, another girl, was born. Her name was Quinlan Claire. (As for the story of how my Brother came along, I'll tell you in a later post). We got a dog named Seamus, a Soft-Coated Wheaten, when I was either 5 or 6 years old. He's still alive and kicking, by the way.
Now, as Mom can't really have dairy anymore, I'd really like to bake Dad a Birthday Cake on his Family B-Day Party. Everyone who knows me says I'm an excellent cook and baker. I have a huge sweet tooth as well, and I pick recipes that everyone enjoys.
Mom got some mini-Cupcakes from that famous NYC chain bakery, Crumbs for Dad's B-Day on Tuesday. He also opened some gifts. I remember going to that place a couple times as a kid. I loved the huge cupcakes there. Mmmm...Delicious.
And, here's to say, Happy 48th birthday to my Old man. Here's to hoping that you will live longer than David Bowie and Alan Rickman. Love ya! Bye!
Here's a little thing on a lighter note for ya. My dad just had a B-Day on Tuesday. January 26th. My old man turned 48 this year. His date of birth? January 26th, 1968. His full name is Christopher John Morris (he goes by the nickname of "Chris" around his friends). One year before woodstock, when Nurses still wore caps on their heads and rock music (Beatles, baby, Beatles!) gripped the nation's youth of that time (Old enough to be grandparents now, eh?). He has two older sisters, each with now-college aged kids. Patrice (the eldest, born in 1958-her birthday is in either April or May), and Jean (born in 1965-wink, in September.) My mom was also born on that same year. April 15th, to be exact. My grandmother was just 23 years old when she had her.
My parents were children of the 70's in New Jersey-you know, disco, classic rock, Watergate, blah blah blah. (I'll tell you more when I get to it). It was pretty much an awesome time to be a kid then, let me tell ya. My parents both grew up in Catholic families- Mom's was large (she was the eldest out of a total of 6 sisters and 1 brother- Holy cow.). They were both teens in the 80's (the age of embarrassingly big hair and of John Hughes' Movies), since they both graduated high school in 1986. (They both went to single-sex Catholic Schools. Mom's was Holy Angels (which all of her 6 sisters went to). Dad's was Bergen Catholic). Dad was captivated by the New-Wave sub-genre-still is now. Dad, like many other people, also loved MTV (back when it actually showed Music Videos). Mom and Dad had a brief encounter at the high school prom-but they didn't fall in love until much later. In the late 80's, my parents met by chance or by sheer coincidence-they were both at a party held by one of Mom's friends, Lynne. Dad brought two of his childhood/adolescence friends along, Keith and Rob. Story is, Dad really wanted to impress some girls at the party, so he pretended that he was a master of the piano (which he wasn't). So, as he continued to play piano (or at least try to) one pretty girl caught his eye. Her name? Maura Monaghan. So, they started talking to each other-which was the part of a long story.
In October of 1991 (In the age of Grunge, Nirvana, and Plaid shirts), my parents got married after dating for quite a while. There are many funny stories about the wedding that my parents could tell you, including a confused Cousin Beth or whoever her name was showing up dressed in cutoff jeans and a T-Shirt and how two of the best men ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time.
My Parents moved quite a lot in the 90's. You can ask my mom about it, she'll tell ya. Then, in 1998, a miraculous thing had happened. Mom found out she was pregnant with her first kid. At that same time, my Parents already had a lot of nieces on my Dad's side (Those college-age kids that I was telling you about? 3 of them were little kids back then). At that time, my Mom's side of the family was experiencing some sadness-let's just say it involves a sick great-uncle and leave it at that. So, my Mom's side really needed some good news to cheer them up. After that, they moved in November of 1998 to the first house I lived in as a kid. And the kid was originally supposed to be Born in April, but some mild complications had occurred and my Mom needed to give birth to the kid via through I think a C-section. And, lo and behold, the kid finally entered the world on March 10th, 1999. Who was that kid, you may ask? Well, none other than your author. (My full name is Flannery Hope Monaghan-Morris. I'll tell you more about how me and my siblings got named in the first place). Two years and 9 months later, on December 19th, 2001 (Just 3 months after 9/11...Ouch.), their 2nd child, another girl, was born. Her name was Quinlan Claire. (As for the story of how my Brother came along, I'll tell you in a later post). We got a dog named Seamus, a Soft-Coated Wheaten, when I was either 5 or 6 years old. He's still alive and kicking, by the way.
Now, as Mom can't really have dairy anymore, I'd really like to bake Dad a Birthday Cake on his Family B-Day Party. Everyone who knows me says I'm an excellent cook and baker. I have a huge sweet tooth as well, and I pick recipes that everyone enjoys.
Mom got some mini-Cupcakes from that famous NYC chain bakery, Crumbs for Dad's B-Day on Tuesday. He also opened some gifts. I remember going to that place a couple times as a kid. I loved the huge cupcakes there. Mmmm...Delicious.
And, here's to say, Happy 48th birthday to my Old man. Here's to hoping that you will live longer than David Bowie and Alan Rickman. Love ya! Bye!
The GOP and Fox News-And Donald Trump.
Hey Guys,
*Sigh* The news. Jesus, will they ever leave us alone for once?!?!?!?. And about Donald Trump-dear sweet mother of god... Can't we just ignore what he says? He's racist, sexist, and a disgrace to us Christians. Honestly, why did he even enter the race to begin with????? Things would be a whole lot easier if he hadn't come in. And it would be so much easier if the San Bernadino and Paris Attacks never happened. (We could have prevented it or someone could've, but no. No one did anything.)
Me and my Parents (along with my sister) are very liberal. Mom, in particular, even more so. So she understands what I feel about this whole crisis. I know a whole bunch of people who plan on moving to Canada if he gets elected (I doubt it, but the whole damn world never seems to listen. Seriously, the possibility of Trump winning a landslide election? He's not very popular with general election people, who tend to lean more on my side.) Does Trump even know anything about foreign or domestic policy? Nope. He doesn't. He probably doesn't.
And don't even get me started on Cruz...That guy is very unlikeable. I mentioned that in a previous post, My mom knew someone who knew him. And roomed with him. And he was very much unlikeable, even in those days.
And FOX News. They are not helping us at all. I have nothing against conservatives if they are really nice people, but FOX News. Ugh. I really wish that they would just...go away for once. Have the right-wing extremists ever learned anything from the failed Barry Goldwater campaign? No. Not that much at all. Thank god Trump is planning not to participate in the next debate. Because, if you follow the news, FOX News makes up all those debates (or a large majority of them). What happened to all the decent, sane, moderate Republicans? Where did they go? Most of them have already dropped out, or are probably planning on doing so. And...god...enough with the I-S-you know what crap. We don't need to hear anti-Muslim and Refugee rhetoric over and over again. It's the Iraq War all over again...
And honestly, his followers have been misled by his campaign. Will he "Make America Great Again"? Hell, no. He ripped off that campaign phrase from Reagan. And why aren't these comparisons to Hitler hurting him? I am clueless, let me tell you. But anyway, to you Trump followers, I am not meaning to offend you, but...here's the truth. Your "hero" is not what he says to be. And honestly? He's insulting everyone-but it is endless who he has offended. If you are next on his list, let me warn you, don't be surprised. Rather, just stop clinging to him. And our country's not in as bad of a shape as you think they are. We are actually, minus the entire arab affair stuff, in pretty good shape. So please...take my words into consideration sometimes. I don't use twitter or Facebook, so this is my way of telling you so.
*Sigh* The news. Jesus, will they ever leave us alone for once?!?!?!?. And about Donald Trump-dear sweet mother of god... Can't we just ignore what he says? He's racist, sexist, and a disgrace to us Christians. Honestly, why did he even enter the race to begin with????? Things would be a whole lot easier if he hadn't come in. And it would be so much easier if the San Bernadino and Paris Attacks never happened. (We could have prevented it or someone could've, but no. No one did anything.)
Me and my Parents (along with my sister) are very liberal. Mom, in particular, even more so. So she understands what I feel about this whole crisis. I know a whole bunch of people who plan on moving to Canada if he gets elected (I doubt it, but the whole damn world never seems to listen. Seriously, the possibility of Trump winning a landslide election? He's not very popular with general election people, who tend to lean more on my side.) Does Trump even know anything about foreign or domestic policy? Nope. He doesn't. He probably doesn't.
And don't even get me started on Cruz...That guy is very unlikeable. I mentioned that in a previous post, My mom knew someone who knew him. And roomed with him. And he was very much unlikeable, even in those days.
And FOX News. They are not helping us at all. I have nothing against conservatives if they are really nice people, but FOX News. Ugh. I really wish that they would just...go away for once. Have the right-wing extremists ever learned anything from the failed Barry Goldwater campaign? No. Not that much at all. Thank god Trump is planning not to participate in the next debate. Because, if you follow the news, FOX News makes up all those debates (or a large majority of them). What happened to all the decent, sane, moderate Republicans? Where did they go? Most of them have already dropped out, or are probably planning on doing so. And...god...enough with the I-S-you know what crap. We don't need to hear anti-Muslim and Refugee rhetoric over and over again. It's the Iraq War all over again...
And honestly, his followers have been misled by his campaign. Will he "Make America Great Again"? Hell, no. He ripped off that campaign phrase from Reagan. And why aren't these comparisons to Hitler hurting him? I am clueless, let me tell you. But anyway, to you Trump followers, I am not meaning to offend you, but...here's the truth. Your "hero" is not what he says to be. And honestly? He's insulting everyone-but it is endless who he has offended. If you are next on his list, let me warn you, don't be surprised. Rather, just stop clinging to him. And our country's not in as bad of a shape as you think they are. We are actually, minus the entire arab affair stuff, in pretty good shape. So please...take my words into consideration sometimes. I don't use twitter or Facebook, so this is my way of telling you so.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
The GOP and Sarah Palin- and the Election of '08.
Hi People, Hey! It's me again. And though I am busy studying for midterms... There's one thing that has been on my mind lately.
Let me tell you, The GOP...jesus christ. Why doesn't the goddamn media ever take a break from reporting about that? The general election is a long way away. Yet, the media won't stop reporting about Cruz or Trump. I mean, we've already heard the same damn thing over and over again. When more "news" comes up about them, I'm like "Really? This again? Calm down.". There are reasons why you shouldn't always be trustfu-ah, fuck it. I'll tell you about it later.
Nothing has changed since the Bush administration. Nothing at all has changed in that party. Bush, mind you, was a terrible manager at foreign policy-his controversial decision to send troops to Iraq has left us in a mess with some parts of the Middle East ever since. He has also led us into a recession, and everyone pretty much hates him. In fact, I think he created disillusionment among the Republican Party. His controversial legacy is still felt with us-the fact that his younger brother, (who actually looks older than him.), Jeb, is currently running for office right now isn't helping matters either. And it looks like the right-wings have learned nothing from the loss of Barry Goldwater in '64, at all. My mom knows someone who has a friend that legitimately roomed with Ted Cruz in law school. He says that Ted Cruz is actually a legitimate a-hole in real life.
Oh, and let's get onto Sarah Palin. Her endorsement speech of Trump... dear god, it is the most unintentionally hilarious and worst endorsement speeches ever given. Just look up a video of the speech in question. Trump himself looks at times to be holding back laughter (just barely) or looks very confused as in "What the fuck is she saying?". And the way that she's dressed...really? She looks more like she's going to a party than an actual GOP conference. And this is why no one probably wants her to be a running mate with someone...God forbid if the nominee picks her to be his running mate, because we all know what happened last time...
Let's go back in time a little, to the election of 2008. I was 8 years old (by the time the general election ended the time the election occurred, I was 9)and I was in the third or fourth grade. Though I was too young to understand what the hell was going on, and me and my family (then at the time just consisting of me, my then-6 year old sister (she turned 14 in December of 2015) Quinlan, my parents, me, and our dog, Seamus) were relatively unaffected by the world around us, the adult world that my parents inhabited was in conflict. The U.S. had entered a big recession as a result of Bush's presidency, the housing market had a crisis, and people were fed up with the Iraq War. Bush, by the time he left the presidency, was very unpopular (still is now), with pretty much everyone. John McCain (the Republican nominee) did not originally want Sarah Palin as his vice president, originally. He wanted someone with more experience. His adviser looked up an interview with her and hired her based on her speaking skills showcased in the video. The campaign people soon came to regret the decision. Sarah seemed a bit crazy at times, and didn't know anything about foreign or even domestic policy. She also seemed to swing in between being a fantastic public speaker to a laughable one. The fact that her daughter, Bristol, then a teen, got pregnant during the campaign and gave birth to a kid, causing many to question her reliability and trustworthiness, didn't help either. There were a whole bunch of other factors, too, but I won't get into that (I will, once I write my review of that fantastic HBO original movie, Game Change. I plan on owning it on DVD once.). So, she was one aspect I think of the whole reason why McCain had lost.
I think the presidential candidates should bear this incident in mind before they can choose a running mate. I mean, we should have learned from that screw-up once or twice. Yeah. That's it, I guess.
Let me tell you, The GOP...jesus christ. Why doesn't the goddamn media ever take a break from reporting about that? The general election is a long way away. Yet, the media won't stop reporting about Cruz or Trump. I mean, we've already heard the same damn thing over and over again. When more "news" comes up about them, I'm like "Really? This again? Calm down.". There are reasons why you shouldn't always be trustfu-ah, fuck it. I'll tell you about it later.
Nothing has changed since the Bush administration. Nothing at all has changed in that party. Bush, mind you, was a terrible manager at foreign policy-his controversial decision to send troops to Iraq has left us in a mess with some parts of the Middle East ever since. He has also led us into a recession, and everyone pretty much hates him. In fact, I think he created disillusionment among the Republican Party. His controversial legacy is still felt with us-the fact that his younger brother, (who actually looks older than him.), Jeb, is currently running for office right now isn't helping matters either. And it looks like the right-wings have learned nothing from the loss of Barry Goldwater in '64, at all. My mom knows someone who has a friend that legitimately roomed with Ted Cruz in law school. He says that Ted Cruz is actually a legitimate a-hole in real life.
Oh, and let's get onto Sarah Palin. Her endorsement speech of Trump... dear god, it is the most unintentionally hilarious and worst endorsement speeches ever given. Just look up a video of the speech in question. Trump himself looks at times to be holding back laughter (just barely) or looks very confused as in "What the fuck is she saying?". And the way that she's dressed...really? She looks more like she's going to a party than an actual GOP conference. And this is why no one probably wants her to be a running mate with someone...God forbid if the nominee picks her to be his running mate, because we all know what happened last time...
Let's go back in time a little, to the election of 2008. I was 8 years old (by the time the general election ended the time the election occurred, I was 9)and I was in the third or fourth grade. Though I was too young to understand what the hell was going on, and me and my family (then at the time just consisting of me, my then-6 year old sister (she turned 14 in December of 2015) Quinlan, my parents, me, and our dog, Seamus) were relatively unaffected by the world around us, the adult world that my parents inhabited was in conflict. The U.S. had entered a big recession as a result of Bush's presidency, the housing market had a crisis, and people were fed up with the Iraq War. Bush, by the time he left the presidency, was very unpopular (still is now), with pretty much everyone. John McCain (the Republican nominee) did not originally want Sarah Palin as his vice president, originally. He wanted someone with more experience. His adviser looked up an interview with her and hired her based on her speaking skills showcased in the video. The campaign people soon came to regret the decision. Sarah seemed a bit crazy at times, and didn't know anything about foreign or even domestic policy. She also seemed to swing in between being a fantastic public speaker to a laughable one. The fact that her daughter, Bristol, then a teen, got pregnant during the campaign and gave birth to a kid, causing many to question her reliability and trustworthiness, didn't help either. There were a whole bunch of other factors, too, but I won't get into that (I will, once I write my review of that fantastic HBO original movie, Game Change. I plan on owning it on DVD once.). So, she was one aspect I think of the whole reason why McCain had lost.
I think the presidential candidates should bear this incident in mind before they can choose a running mate. I mean, we should have learned from that screw-up once or twice. Yeah. That's it, I guess.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Tom Stoppard- My Love For Him-& Julie Taymor
Hi Everybody,
I'm sorry I haven't posted in the last few weeks. It's just those goddamned midterms, you know... and I have to finish my National History Day Paper tomorrow for my AP US History Teacher, Mr. Scott. It's on the 1964-1965 World's Fair. But that has nothing to do with this post right now.
Hey- have you guys ever heard of the playwright Tom Stoppard? No? Well, you should know him. He's friggin awesome. His works are friggin awesome. He's a big name back in the West End and here in America, among geeks like me and playwrights. Proud pop-culture and theater geek, whoo! I own a copy of his trilogy of plays set in pre-Stalinist, Tsarist Russia, called "The Coast of Utopia". Can't wait to read it. Oh, he's not only done a shit ton of plays, he's also done screenplays, radio plays, television scripts, operas, and he's also a novelist. He's also a director, too. Oh, and he's also an outspoken human rights activist and an anti-Marxist. He's also won Tonys and Oscars, and I think he was even nominated for some Emmy awards. That's a sign of awesomeness, people. Did I also mention that he is so badass that he actually got a knighthood from the queen. Not kidding people. Holy shit. A. fuckin'. knightdom. And two years before I was born as well (Born in 1999. March 10th, to be exact. His birthdate is July 3rd, 1937). I asked him to legitimately come to my school to give a talk to the kids via through his agents, yet they won't respond. Jesus. (Oh god, I might be coming off as a tad obsessive to the point of stalkerdom here. I'm sorry, Mr. Stoppard, if you are reading this, I am a genuinely nice gal. Sorry.)
See, my love for him began with this play called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. I discovered it through via looking it up on the Internet. This wasn't the 1st play Mr. Stoppard did. But it was the one that caused him to become a star, when it premiered in August 24th of 1966 at the Edinburgh Festival, when the Beatles were in their heyday. He was just 29 years old. However, an earlier form appeared in 1964 as a one-act play, titled Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Meet King Lear (whatever the hell happened to that one-act play, I don't know.). Stoppard must've been, what, 24 or 25? Christ, that's young. Nowadays, he's old enough to be a grandpa (and, in fact, he might have kids that are grown and have kids themselves already. Or just knocked up their girlfriend or got themselves knocked up or something). But anyway, I stumbled across the movie on Amazon. I watched it, and the first few minutes in, I was hooked. How many times have I watched that movie? I have no clue. I invited my dad to watch it with me one night, but he fell asleep during it (not of boredom, but out of tiredness), and I was pretty much the only one watching it. I was absorbed throughout. That movie premiered on September 5th, 1990. So that means last year, the movie had its 25th anniversary. Wow. It doesn't feel dated, not at all. The cast (especially the two leads) is/are awesome. The script is badass. What more can I say. Why the hell it wasn't nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted screenplay (alongside Best Director for Stoppard) at the Oscars, I don't know. Maybe it was because of the fact that the movie didn't get a worldwide release and was limited here in the States? Yeah. Could be a factor.
And I'd love it if he would do a script for a movie or something with Julie Taymor. Who is she, you might ask? I'm doing my final Film Studies project about her. She's very well known in the Theater community for the broadway production of The Lion King (which is still going strong after all these years) as well as many others, including the infamous mess that was/is Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark (That show had potential, what with Bono and the Edge as collaborators and an awesome soundtrack and pretty damn good leads. But Taymor got a little too carried away, I guess... which explains why they had so many screw-ups that led to those record-breaking number of reviews and the accidents involving the actors on the flying wires.) She's also many other things, including a composer, a screenwriter, former puppeteer, costume designer, director, head of a production company, production designer, blah blah blah... her films are feasts for the eyes, and the visuals/production design are pretty gorgeous, if not a bit trippy and psychedelic at times. I think she would be a great collaborator for Mr. Stoppard to work with, since he's not unfamiliar with trippy sequences (Ahem...Brazil anybody? In February of last year, the movie celebrated its 30th anniversary. I watched that film in its entirety in my Film Studies class. He wrote it with (Terry) Gilliam and other people, yeah, but still. Weird as fuck, but also crazy awesome, like Mad Max: Fury Road.). They would work pretty well together, I guess. I think they should make do with Darkside, since that is pretty much the most Taymor-esque thing Stoppard has ever done. And Taymor has already done a musical jukebox film (Across the Universe, that was one of the most wicked (in a good way) uses of Beatles music in any form of media ever.), and since Pink Floyd is one of the most theatrical classic rock bands in the world. From England, too, hells yeah!
Oh, and if you guys are wondering, the movies I used for my Final Project were Titus, Frida, and The Tempest. Titus came out the year I was born. It bombed at the box office. (If you have ever read the play, you could see why.) Could be considered a cult film, even if it is based on Shakespeare. No, scratch that, pretty much all of Taymor's movies are very culty. I love her. A lot. I watched that movie on New Year's Eve, and let me tell you...the movie was weird. Probably the most trippiest Shakespeare movie ever to be filmed. It's also one of the most entertaining and awesome. Yep. Really is.
Also, guys, I hope you've had a really nice day and hope to see ya soon! Bye!
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