My Favorite Movies: Spider-man

     Spider-man is an American superhero film that was released in 2002. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp. The film is based off of the Marvel comic series created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Spider-man stars Tobey Maguire, who plays Peter Parker/Spider-man; Kirsten Dunst, who plays Mary Jane Watson; James Franco, who plays Henry Osborn; and Willam Dafoe, who plays Norman Osborn.
     The filming of Spider-man took place in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City from January 8th to June 30th of 2001. The film was released on May 3, 2002 and became a critical and financial success. It made $821.7 million worldwide, which made it 2002's third highest grossing film and thirty-third highest grossing film of all time. Spider-man was, for it's time, the only film to gross $100 million in it's first weekend. When it was released, it was the most successful film based on a comic book. Now, it's number four with The Avengers, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises ahead of it. Spider-man also has too sequels which are titled Spider-man 2 and Spider-man 3. A thrid sequel was debated, which would feature villains such as Carnage and The Lizard. Spider-man 4 was going to be released in 2011.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_(2002_film) http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=comicbookadaptation.htm http://screenrant.com/sam-raimi-discusses-spiderman-4-villains-rob-30222/

Friday Finds: 1

*Friday Finds is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should be Reading.

Friday Finds showcases the books you "found" and added to your To be Read (TBR) list... whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the lirbrary - wherever! (they aren't necessarily books you purchased).

So, come one - share with us your Friday Finds!

My finds include Black City by Elizabeth Richards, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, and Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church by Lauren Drain (with Lisa Pulitzer).

My Favorite Childhood Movies: Hercules

     Hercules is an American musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. It was also released by Walt Disney Pictures. Hercules is number thirty-five in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The movie is based on Greek mythology hero Heracles (known by his Roman name Hercules) who is the son of Zeus. While Hercules didn't match up to the success of early 90's releases, it gained positive reviews and generated $99 million in revenue in the US and $252,712,101 worldwide. Hercules was later followed by the direct-to-video prequel, Hercules: Zero to Hero. The prequel served as a midquel to the Disney TV series Hercules: The Animated Series.

     I feel like all of the songs in Hercules are pretty great. I remember singing to every single one when I was a child (and I still do). But there's always one song that I sing the most, and that song would be "Zero to Hero", which is sung by The Muses. The names of the women that played The Muses will be after the song.

Bless my soul.
Herc was on a roll.
Person of the week in every Greek opinion poll.
What a pro,
Herc could stop a show.
Point him at a monster and you're talking SRO.

He was a no one.
A zero, zero.
Now he's a honcho.
He's a hero.
Here was a kid with his act down pat.
Zero to hero,
In no time flat.
Zero to hero,
Just like that.

When he smiled the girls went wild with oohs and ahs.
And they slapped his face on every vase.
(On every "vase").
From appearance fees and royalties,
Our Herc had cash to burn.
Now nouveau riche and famous,
He could tell you what the Grecians earn.

Say amen,
There he goes again.
Sweet and undefeated.
He's an awesome ten for ten.
Folks lined up just to watch him flex.
And this perfect package packed a pair of pretty pecs.

Hercie,
He comes,
He sees,
He conquers.
Honey the crowds were going bonkers.
He showed the moxie brains and spunk.

Zero to hero,
A major hunk.
Zero to hero,
And who'da thunk?

Who put the glad in gladiator?
Hercules.
Whose daring deeds are great theatre?
Hercules.
Is he bold?
No one braver.
Is he sweet?
Our favorite flavor.

Hercules,
Hercules,
Hercules,
Hercules.
Hercules,
Hercules.

Bless my soul,
Herc was on a roll.
Undefeated.
Riding high,
And the nicest guy,
Not conceited.

He was a nothin',
A zero, zero.
Now he's a honcho,
He's a hero.

He hit the heights at breakneck speed.
Zero to hero.
Herc is a hero.
Now he hero.
Yes, indeed.

Sung by Tawatha Agee, Lillias White, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Cheryl Freeman, and Vanéese Y. Thomas. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(1997_film)

WWW Wednesdays: 1

*WWW Wednesdays is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions...

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

     What are you currently reading? I am currently reading No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen (with Kevin Maurer). I'm only ninety-nine pages in, but I definitely recommend it! Especially if you like non fiction novels. 

What did you recently finish reading? I haven't had much time to read recently. The last book I finished was Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. I read it for my English class, but I still enjoyed it! 

     What Do you think you'll read next? I'm hoping I'll finally get to read Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick. It's the last in her Hush, Hush series. If you haven't heard of it, I would definitely look into it! I highly recommend the entire series that I've read so far.

Teaser Tuesdays: 1

*Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

     My Teaser Tuesday will come from No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen (with Kevin Maurer).

"On September 11, 2001, I was on my first deployment as a SEAL, and as Osama bin Laden's name was mentioned I figured my unit would get the call to go to Afghanistan the next day. For the previous year and a half, we'd been training to deploy."   -page 3 

Musing Mondays: 1

*Musing Mondays is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week...

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you're reading right now - what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren't) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books - let's hear it, then!

     I have recently heard of a book that I'm desperate to get. I found out about it on Saturday, the 8th. The title of it is Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church, written by Lauren Drain (with Lisa Pulitzer). I have been observing the WBC from a distance for a while now; and, like the rest of the world, I'm not a big fan of them. In case you don't know what the Westboro Baptist Church is, they are a "church" (more like a cult) that picket events that don't comply with their doctrine. They have been known to picket the funerals of fallen soldiers, from which they have become infamous. The author, Lauren Drain, was a member of the church for most of her life. Her family joined the church when she was fourteen years old. When she got older, she was kicked out (for reasons I'm not 100% sure on) and has no contact with her family.
     I believe this book would be very interesting. I would like to get an inside workings of the church and the members' thought processes. Overall, I can't wait to get this book!

Song of the Day!

Cuckoo - Adam Lambert

Feel like I'm having a meltdown.

Feel like I'm losing control. 

They tell me I'm a danger to myself.

Now the crazy train is ready to roll, oh. 

Walk that walk like you don't give a fuck. 

You got a right to turn it up and get down. 

Electric shock,

No I can't get enough,

'Cause tonight we're taking over the town, hey. 

I wanna lose my mind, 

Like a maniac.

And cross the line,

Never looking back.

We're on the loose,

Getting crazy.

And we've gone cuckoo.

Gonna party 'til they take us away.

I'm swinging off of my hinges. 

I'm cocked and I'm ready to go. 

Go on and pack up your thingses. 

The crazy train is ready to roll, oh. 

Walk that walk like you don't give a fuck. 

You got a right to turn it up and get down. 

Electric shock,

No I can't get enough,

'Cause tonight we're taking over the town, hey. 

I wanna lose my mind,

Like a maniac.

And cross the line,

Never looking back.

We're on the loose,

Getting crazy. 

And we've gone cuckoo.

Gonna party 'til they take us away. 

Lose my mind.

I'm gonna lose my mind. 

Gonna get out of this straight jacket.

Whoa, cuckoo.

Gonna get out of the straight jacket.

Whoa.

I wanna lose my mind. 

Like a maniac, 

And cross the line,

Never looking back.

We're on the loose,

Getting crazy.

And we've gone cuckoo.

Gonna party 'til they take us away. 

Lose my mind,

Gonna lose my mind, 

I'm gonna lose my mind. 

(Gonna party 'til they take us away).

Lose my mind,

Gonna lose my mind,

Yeah, gonna party 'til they take us away.

RCA Records, 19 Entertainment

My Favorite Musicals: The Phantom of the Opera

     The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Webber is also known for his work on Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar. The lyrics in the musical were written by Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. The musical opened in London's West End in 1986, then on Broadway in 1988. The Phantom of the Opera won the 1986 Oliver Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical. Michael Crawford, who is the original Phantom, won the Oliver and Tony awards for Best Actor in a Musical.
Charles Hart with additions from Richard Stilgoe. The musical was also based off of the French novel
     The Phantom is the longest running musical in Broadway history. It celebrated it's 10,000th performance on February 11th, 2012, and is the first production to do so. It is also the second longest running musical in West End, and third longest running show overall. The Phantom is estimated to have grossed about $5.6 billion worldwide, and about US $845 million on Broadway. The musical is the most financially successful entertainment event.

     The Phantom of the Opera is my absolute favorite musical. I have seen it live on Broadway. All of it's songs are perfect, so picking a favorite is very hard. In the end, I chose the song I sing the most which would be "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" - A solo sung by leading lady Christine Daaé.

Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing.
Her father promised her that he would send her the Angel of Music.
Her father promised her,
Her father promised her.

You were once my one companion.
You were all that mattered.
You were once a friend and father.
Then my world was shattered.

Wishing you were somehow here again.
Wishing you were somehow near.
Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed,
Somehow you would be here.

Wishing I could hear your voice again,
Knowing that I never would.
Dreaming of you won't help me to do,
All that you dreamed I could.

Passing bells and sculpted angels,
Cold and monumental,
Seem for you the wrong companions.
You were warm and gentle.

Too many years fighting back tears.
Why can't the past just die?

Wishing you were somehow here again.
Knowing we must say goodbye.
Try to forgive,
Teach me to live.
Give me the strength to try.

No more memories,
No more silent tears.
No more gazing across the wasted years.

Help me say goodbye.
Help me say goodbye.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_of_the_Opera_(1986_musical)

Collective Book Haul

Long time, no book haul! I have bought four books over the past three weeks, and I thought I would share them! All of them are books that I have wanted for a very long time. I am so excited that I have finally bought them!

The first two books were bought at the same time. I was with my mother and brother getting some things, and I asked if I could go to Barnes & Noble. Them being the awesome people that they are, they let me. I got The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns by John Green.







The second two books were, again, bought at the same time. I was with my mother at Walmart, and I happened across these books. Luckily, I had some money with me, so I was able to buy them! I got The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.








Happy reading!

My Favorite Movies: Donnie Darko

     Donnie Darko is an American science fiction and drama film. It was released in 2001 and was written and directed by Richard Kelly. This movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swazye, Noah Wyle, and Mary McDonnell. The movie follows the main character, Donnie Darko, and documents his journey while seeking the meaning and significance behind Doomsday-related dreams and visions he has been having. Donnie Darko had a budget of $4.5 million and was filmed in twenty-eight days. It grossed $4.1 million worldwide. Since it's release, Donnie Darko has received favorable reviews and has gathered a very large cult following. A sequel was released in 2009 by the name of S. Darko. This movie follows Donnie's younger sister, Samantha. Although, many people do not like the sequel.

     The Donnie Darko Soundtrack was created by Michael Andrews. It was released in 2002. It consists of 16 instrumental tracks and also two covers of "Mad World" by Tears For Fears. Songs featured in the movie include "The Killing Moon" by Echo & The Bunnymen, "Head Over Heels" by Tears For Fears, "Ave Maria" written by Guilio Caccini, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" written by Steve Baker and Cameron Daye (not Metallica), "Show Me" written by Quito Colayco and Tony Hertz, "Notorious" by Duran Duran, "Proud to be Loud" by Pantera (credited as The Dead Green Mummies), "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, "Under the Milky Way" by The Church, "Mad World" performed by Gary Jules (cover of Tears for Fears).

  My favorite song from Donnie Darko is a tie between "The Killing Moon" by Echo & The Bunnymen and "Under the Milky Way" by The Church. For the purpose of this post, I will use the one I have been listening to the most lately, which would be "Under the Milky Way".

Sometimes when this place gets kind of empty,
Sound of their breath fades with the light.
I think about the loveless fascination,
Under the Milky Way tonight.

Lower the curtain down in Memphis.
Lower the curtain down all right.
I got no time for private consultation,
Under the Milky Way tonight.

Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.

And it's something quite peculiar,
Something shimmering and white.
It leads you here despite your destination,
Under the Milky Way tonight.

Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.
Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.

Under the Milky Way tonight.

And it's something quite peculiar,
Something shimmering and white.
It leads you here despite your destination,
Under the Milky Way tonight.

Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.
Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.

Under the Milky Way tonight.
Under the Milky Way tonight.
Under the Milky Way tonight.



Capital Records, Warner Bros. Records, Parlophone, EMI Records, Arista Records, Carrere Records, Festival Records, Mushroom Records.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnie_Darko, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnie_Darko_(soundtrack), http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/soundtrack.

My Favorite Childhood Movies: Tarzan

     Tarzan is an American film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. It was also released by Walt Disney Pictures. It's based off of the novel Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan out-grossed it's predecessors Hercules and Mulan. At the time of it's release, it was the most expensive animated film. It had a production budged of $130 million. Tarzan was the first Disney animated film to open at #1 since Pocahontas. It was also the last major box office hit of the Disney Renaissance.

     All of the songs in Tarzan are wonderful, many of which are sung by Phil Collins. So, picking a favorite song from this movie is a very difficult task. I love every single song in this movie. But, in the end, I chose "Son of Man".

Oh, the power to be strong,
And the wisdom to be wise.
All these things will come to you in time.
On this journey that you're making,
There'll be answers that you'll seek.
And it's you who'll climb the mountain,
It's you who'll reach the peak.

Son of man look to the sky.
Lift your spirit,
Set it free.
Someday you'll walk tall with pride.
Son of man a man in time you'll be.

Though there's no one there to guide you,
No one to take your hand.
But with faith and understanding,
You will journey from boy to man.

Son of man look to the sky.
Lift your spirit,
Set it free.
Someday you'll walk tall with pride.
Son of man a man in time you'll be.

In learning you will teach,
And in teaching you will learn.
You'll find you place beside the ones you love.
Oh, and all the things you dreamed of,
The visions that you saw.
Well, the time is drawing near now,
It's yours to claim it all.

Son of man look to the sky,
Lift your spirit,
Set it free.
Someday you'll walk tall with pride.
Son of man a man in time you'll be.

Son of man,
Son of man's a man for all to see.

Sung by Phil Collins

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarzan_(1999_film)