Premier Calendar

Courtesy of TVguide.com, here is a link to a calendar for the Fall TV premieres.

I find this really helpful and I hope you will too!

http://www.tvguide.com/special/fall-preview-2008/calendar.aspx

Oopsies!

Sorry! I just noticed that the Twilight movie trailer links that I tried to have added finally were so, I had about 3 extra ones that said all the same thing! I am truly sorry! Those links weren't showing up for a couple of days and I finally got the one below this working. I never checked for the arrival of the others and came across them tonight. I figured it was glitch and forgot about it! Sorry for the repeats! I have removed them and now we are all better!

Official Twilight teaser trailer

I have seen this a couple of times and am so excited to see the movie. You all know what a huge fan I am of the Twilight saga series by Stephenie Meyer. A couple months ago, I learned that they made Twilight into a movie due out December 12, 2008! I can not freaking wait! I saw the trailer awhile ago but, read something about copyright laws or something. Basically, that trailer seemed like it could cause big trouble. But, it is now on YouTube and since it is there, I feel pretty safe sharing it with you!

I think they chose a great actress to play Bella. I am not so sure about the one they chose for Edward. I like his look but, I sort of pictured Edward as beautiful and, the actor portraying him is, while fairly good looking, I can think of someone else that would have done that role justice as far as beauty goes. I might have chosen Ian Somerhaulder for the role of Edward. Of course, Ian would have to wear contacts to cover his beautiful blues and get the color described in the books but, I am pretty sure everyone would have to wear contacts for that reason.

So, check out the video! If you want, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Telephone Piano

This is hilarious! Enjoy it! BTW...what exactly makes a person decide that this is something they should try to do, spend time perfecting, and actually excel at? Just wondering!

Eating in the sky...

Ok, I don't even really know what to say about this. I think it would be fun if I could get past the butterflies in my stomach. I would try it...I think. But, I say that now from the safety of my chair at my desk, in the U.S., far away from France where I don't have a chance in Heck of actually doing this.

So, go here: http://dinnerinthesky.com/

and here: http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,,22209544-27977,00.html

Could you be brave enough, and swallow the butterflies in your stomach, to be able to do this?

Say It Ain't So...

Have you ever been so touched by a book that it breaks your heart to have finished it? Has a series of books ever so enthralled you that you never want the journey of the characters in that series to come to an end? That is what I am going through now. I finished Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer around 7 last night and now that it is over, I miss the entire lot of characters. Breaking Dawn was the last in the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer and it was spellbinding and beautiful, heart warming and heart wrenching. It was truly epic and I loved every second of it. I laughed and cried throughout the book. I was amused by her change of voice for about a quarter of the book when she broke from the norm of Bella's perspective to give us Jacob's perspective. I thought that it would annoy me at first when I saw what Stephenie Meyer had done. But, instead, it warmed me even more to the character of Jacob and, all the feelings of anger and frustration, mixed with sadness and despair for him as he pined for Bella in a way that would never get him anywhere. I both loved and hated Jacob up until that point in the book. I loved his protective adoration and yearning for Bella. Who doesn't want to be wanted and loved the way that Jacob wanted and loved Bella. But, I also hated him for his attempt at trying to destroy Bella's and Edward's relationship. I have always been on Team Edward so, Jacob was a source of irritation for me. But, once I was in the thick of his voice, I could no longer despise him and let that sorrow for him take over. And, the attention to detail that Stephenie Meyer gave when she changed the voice from Bella to Jacob, right down to the chapter titles, was so clever. I couldn't help but love every minute of it.

The end threw me into a tizzy. I just cried like a little baby for the last nearly 50 pages or so.

But, with this despair of having to let go of this series entirely, comes a hope that the story of the Cullens, Swans and Quileutes is not entirely over. I am hoping that Stephenie Meyer will explore the newest member of the Cullen, and probably future Quileute, family in Renesmee's story. How could she not explore that? My hope is that she is so devoted to the saga that she can't resist Renesmee's story and that she will have to revisit the entire cast of characters again to satisfy her own curiosity, as well as her fans'!

Until then, I must pick up the pieces of my shattered heart. It sounds weird to say that my heart is shattered by the end of a saga in written form but, that is how it feels. I truly feel love for these fictional characters in a way that I have never felt for any other characters in all of the hundreds of books that I have read. It is like going through a break up or losing a close friend or family member and knowing you will never see or talk to them again.

Farewell to my beloved Cullens, Swans and Quileutes! I hope we meet again in the future.

Not Even Halfway Through...Spellbinding!

Is it any surprise to you that I am spellbound by Stephenie Meyer's final book in the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn? Stephenie knows how to write such heart into her stories that you can't help but feel for the characters as if they were your own family and friends.

I am not done with Breaking Dawn yet. I am a little less than halfway through it and, I think, because it is the last of the series, excluding her promised Midnight Sun which will be Twilight told from Edward's perspective, I am trying to savor it. I don't want to race through it because it will break my heart to have to let go of these characters. However, each page makes it harder for me to tear myself away from it. I want to know, need to know what happens next.

Bravo, again, to Stephenie Meyer! A mastermind of suspense, romance, anguish and everything that makes a heart beat.

Big Hit With Me!

I saw Hancock and loved it! I thought it was right up there with what Will Smith is known to provide! Just fun, humor and all around greatness! I loved it! I have read some bashings by critics and read that it had a 6 out of 10 rating by viewers but, I give it a 10 out of 10! 2 thumbs up! If I had more thumbs, I'd raise them to it too! In fact, let's just call my big toes thumbs for this moment and I raise both of them too! So, 4 thumbs up!

If you haven't seen it yet, go see it! It is worth it!

A Romantic Gem...

If I remember correctly, this movie was not a huge hit with others but, I loved it. I finally saw The Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Thanks to my TiVo that picked it for me. I loved it! I laughed some but I cried the most. I do have to say that the one thing that wasn't great was the way Keanu "read" his letters to her. He didn't do it naturally. Sandra did that really well. But, we don't all read like we're having a conversation so, I can't fault him too much.

My favorite part was when they take a walk together. It was so beautiful and heartwarming and, for those of you who haven't seen it, I will not ruin that scene for you. But, the end of their walk was brilliant.

So, rent it or do a search on your TiVos for it and set it up to be recorded. I think it was really worth it.

Enjoy!

My Favorite New Song...

I love this song. It is so mellow and it puts me on a beach with my love. There are a ton of great songs out right now. Believe me...the money spent to update my iPod this past weekend was nothing small. But this song can elevate my mood no matter how sad I am and no matter how happy I already am. It feels like a soul cleanse to me when I hear it. It is perfect! I hope you enjoy it!

She Did It...

This pains me to say. It is like giving a doctor permission to cut off your infected leg. So, I will rip this band aid off as quickly as I can.

I now move Dean Koontz down a notch on my top favorite authors list. He takes the number 2 spot and is being replaced by Stephenie Meyer. I am sorry Mr. Koontz. You know I love you and always will but, Stephenie has captured something in my heart that is so lasting that it transcends all else...even my un-dying devotion to you!

I finished The Host last week...it seems so long ago that I can't even remember which day it was. If I believed in spells, I would think that she managed to cast a spell on all of her writing so that, as a person read her words, they would suddenly find themselves spell-bound. That is the only way I can explain how I feel about all that Stephenie Meyer has written. As much as I have a hard time letting go of the characters in her books, and moving on to read about someone else in another book whose adventures are sure to grip me, I struggle to even put Stephenie Meyer's books in my bookshelf. And, I mean that literally. After each of her 4 books that I finished reading, I couldn't force myself, before I was ready, to pick the book back up and put it in my bookshelf in my library. I wanted it around me. I was sad when those books were done. And, to have them around me seemed to comfort me somehow. So, each one would sit for about 5 or 6 days after I finished reading them, on my couch, next to where I like to park it for the evening. The characters in Stephenie Meyer's books feel like relatives or lovers to me. They feel like people that I depend on, who depend on me. I depend on them to get through their dangers unscathed, and they depend of me to get them through their dangers in a timely fashion.

The Host was just another example of Stephenie Meyer's genius! She has such a gift for weaving romance and danger into a perfect marriage that keeps me glued to her every word. I cried and laughed. I mourned and grew elated! There is no one that has gripped me so intensely through their writing. I can usually just move on. The characters in the books that I have read in the past have brought about emotion, devotion and concern but, not like the characters Stephenie Meyer writes to life. They stick in my head and in my heart and I think of them throughout my days. I hope for more from The Host. I don't see how Stephenie could carry that story further but, I would love to see how, should she decide that she can't let those characters go any better than I can.

She is truly a gem as far as authors go. He writing is beautiful, shiny, eye-catching, polished and priceless.

The Hotness!!!!!

I love this song! I love the video! They are still one with the hotness and, like a fine wine, they have only gotten tastier!

Separation Anxiety

Wow! So, here I am about 5 or 6 days done with the 3rd book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, Eclipse and I am still missing Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. I know! I am such a weirdo! I don't understand it but, I am so smitten with their story! Breaking Dawn, the 4th and final book in the Twilight series as told from Bella Swan's perspective is due in bookstores August 2nd and, I can't wait. It seems like forever from now. I really am experiencing separation anxiety.

But, enough of that! Let me tell you some of my thoughts on Eclipse. It is, thus far, my favorite of the Twilight series. It was compelling, as usual. Dramatic! Exciting! Blood pumping! Maddening! Romantic! Sad! And funny! You all know by now that my two criteria for a good book are laughter and tears. If the author can both make me laugh and cry inside of the pages of one book, it will automatically rest in my mind as a great read. Stephenie Meyer surpassed that. She not only made me laugh and cry, she did it a lot in Eclipse! There was a part in the book where she had me giggling, chuckling and actually stopping to laugh out loud before I could resume reading, for a few pages in a row. This was pretty impressive because, this book is not a comedy. But, she managed to add brevity to it in such an admirable way! Just when you are feeling the full weight of the danger and heart of this story, Stephenie Meyer gives you a much needed break and lets you breath a little freely, before she tears and plucks at your anxieties and at your heart strings all over again. And, a few chapters later, she had me in tears! She made me gleeful and outraged! If I could have slapped Bella at one point, I would have. But, in a few pages, I forgave Bella for her stupidity as easily as Edward did, and I fell harder for Edward than I had already fallen for him in the previous pages and chapters of this series.

There has never been an author that has invoked so much adoration, dedication and love for one character as Stephenie Meyer has brought out of me for Edward. I have never, at the same time, felt with my heart for another character like I feel for Bella. She can make me hurt for her as much as she can make me want to ring her stupid little neck!

And, Stephenie Meyer brings out the same feelings for Jacob. How can she make me mourn for him, feel broken hearted for him, be giddy with delight and despise him at the same exact time? And, I do mean at the same time! When he got what he had been wanting from Bella for so long, I was happy for him, sad for Edward and infuriated at both him and Bella for letting it happen. And, I wanted to slam that door shut and pretend like it had never been opened! And now, as I wait for the final chapter of their story in Breaking Dawn to come out in 54 days, I worry for Edward and what this new open door might do to his relationship with Bella. I hate the anticipation! I hate the anxiety I feel for what could happen and hope for what should happen. And, that is why I titled this post Separation Anxiety. I feel like I lost my best friends. And, I know that the story is not over yet. I know that we are under 2 months from the release of Breaking Dawn but, not reading about Bella, Edward and, yes...even Jacob, has me missing them like I would miss my hubby were he gone for 2 months.

But, to brighten my gloomy feeling of isolation, I found out some very exciting news! The first bit is that Stephenie Meyer has been slowly working on Midnight Sun which is Edward Cullen's version of Twilight. All of the series, thus far, has been written through Bella's perspective. Stephenie Meyer has been working on showing us this epic story through Edward's perspective and I can't wait! I know that it is likely very far from finished but, the thought that it will happen keeps me content!

And, the next best thing is that Twilight the movie will be released in theaters nationwide, if not worldwide, December 12, 2008! Magnificent! I always try to imagine what a book would look like in the theater and, my imagination will become reality...well, not mine so much as whomever produced the movie...in December!

This Would Not Have Been Acceptable...

when I was a kid! There would have been no way that I would have been allowed to argue with my parents like this and I would never have gotten away with slapping my Mom. Not that they were tyrants! But, I knew my place and I had the fear of God and I respected my parents enough to know better than to act like this! She exercised surprising restraint! That kid would have been begging for his life if he were mine!

2 for 1

I am going to do something I rarely do. I am going to critique two books in one blog entry. They are 2 of a 3 and soon to be 4 book series by Stephenie Meyer. It is the first time I've read anything written by her and, I am a fan!

The books are Twilight and New Moon and they are fantastic. I am reading them like I drink my coffee in the morning...quickly and thirstily. I can't get enough of them. The main characters are Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Edward is a vampire and Bella is his unlikely desire. As much as he thirsts for her, he loves her more and fights the urge to unleash his nature on her. Her blood is his "brand" which makes it harder than normal to fight his urges to feast on her but, given that he has spent his entire life not feasting on humans and hunting for wild animals in an effort to live his life, or undeath, as good as he can, he has had some practice with refraining from unleashing his natural instincts on humanity.

Bella is a dangerous girl. She is clumsy and seems to attract trouble. But, she means well and Edward can't resist her.

Stephenie Meyer has a way of drawing one into her characters so well that it leaves you smitten with Edward. And, I do mean smitten. I find myself missing Edward when he isn't around Bella. I get anxious and excited when they get close. I never wanted two characters in a book to kiss one another as bad as I wanted Bella and Edward to kiss. And, each miss drove me nearly bonkers! The tension between Bella and Edward is so thick that even the best, strongest and sharpest Santoku knives are neither sharp nor strong enough to cut that tension.

While Twilight had me remembering what it was like to first fall for someone, New Moon had me racing through it waiting until Bella and Edward would see one another again. I grew frustrated with my inability to read faster at the penultimate moment!

So, having finished those first two, I have begun the 3rd book in the series titled Eclipse and, it already has me worried and anxious for what trouble lies ahead for Bella and Edward. They are a modern day Romeo & Juliet and you never know from page one to page 629 whether Bella and Edward can make it through the trials and tribulations of a Vampire meets Human relationship.

The 4th book in the the series, which I mentioned earlier, is Breaking Dawn and it is set for release August 2nd. I almost want to slow down and read Eclipse as slowly as possible so that I won't have to wait so long, or it won't seem so long, until Breaking Dawn is released. But, knowing how captivation Stephenie Meyer makes these two characters, I will, no doubt, fail at my attempt to savor instead of devour Eclipse.