[errr...pics to follow because...haha...because i'm getting distracted.]

Maria Bonnevie
age: 34
nationality: Swedish
watched in: I am Dina (2002), Reconstruction (2003)
favorite role:

I know, I’ve watched so little of her but what I’ve watched I’ve loved. So I hope I get to watch more.

Keanu Reeves
age: 43
nationality: Lebanese / American
watched in: Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Dracula (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Little Buddha (1993), Speed (1994), Johnny Mnemonic (1995), A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Chain Reaction (1996), Feeling Minnesota (1996), The Devil’s Advocate (1997), The Matrix (1999), The Replacements (2000), The Gift (2000), Sweet November (2001), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Something’s Gotta Give (2003), Constantine (2005), The Lake House (2006)
favorite role:

And before you get mad at his “high” ranking (AKA is Keanu Reeves better than Helen Mirren????!!!!!) again, this is not a countdown by rank because it’s too tiring to rank them by preference. Keanu actually almost didn’t make it because, well, he’s not really a great actor. He’s good enough. Enjoyable to watch. And what he lacks in talent he makes up with being extremely pretty. Haha. Anyway, let’s just say that there’s something about Keanu that I can’t resist.

Catherine Deneuve
age: 64
nationality: French
watched in: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964), Belle de Jour (1967), La Sirene du Mississipi (1969), La Dernier Metro (1980), Dancer in the Dark (2000)
favorite role:

Fanny Ardant
age: 59
nationality: French
watched in: La Femme d’a Cote (1981), Vivement Dimanche! (1983), Elizabeth (1998), Paris Je T’aime (2006)
favorite role:

Maybe I love them more because I love Francois Truffaut but whatever. They’re still formidable actresses…and women.

Paul Rudd
age:39
nationality: American
watched in: Clueless (1995), Romeo + Juliet (1996), The Object of My Affection (1998), Friends (2002-2004), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy 2004), P.S. (2004), Night at the Museum (2006), Veronica Mars (2007), Knocked Up (2007)
favorite role:

I know, he has better roles than clueless but I’m sentimentally attached to it. I just enjoy everything he does, even though he’s been doing mostly supporting work. Well, as the saying goes: It’s not how small the role is, it’s how you use it.

Rachel Weisz
age: 37
nationality: English
watched in: Stealing Beauty (1996), Chain Reaction (1996), Swept from the Sea (1997), The Mummy (1999), Sunshine (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), About a Boy (2002), Constantine (2005), The Constant Gardener (2005), The Fountain (2006), Eragon (2006), My Blueberry Nights (2007)
favorite role:

She’s just so beautiful to watch on screen. (umm…haha. sorry, my mind doesn’t seem to want to function anymore]

Alan Rickman
age: 62
nationality: English
watched in: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Rasputin (1996), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Love Actually (2003), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
favorite role:

Ah, yes. I first saw him in Rasputin and fell in love (though, how I could fall in love with him as Rasputin, who’s not supposed to be lovable beats me.) Of course his beautiful beautiful (and not to mention sexy) voice helps. I even love him as Snape, and it’s not a loveable role. It’s that voice, I say, it mesmerizes.

Michelle Pfeiffer
age: 50
nationality: American
watched in: Dangerous Liasons (1988), Batman Returns (1992), Dangerous Minds (1995), To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (1996), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999), The Story of Us (1999), What Lies Beneath (2000), Stardust (2007)
favorite role:

Totally not related to her acting but I can’t believe she’s 50. She really, really doesn’t look it.

yes, i know this is late. forgive me. so moving on…

Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey (novel)

part of the Once Upon a Time fairy tale series for young adults (I found and bought 2 in the Powerbooks VIP sale where each was just 99 pesos), it retells the story of…you guessed it…Sleeping Beauty. Wonderfully, I might add. Well, not really wonderfully in a earth-stopping sense but it was fun and engrossing and I just love the twist (although it partly disturbs me…never mind…it’s just hard to explain without spoiling everyone). Final Verdict: I enjoyed it a lot. So should you. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work in the series

Snow by Lynn Tracy (novel)

the other Once Upon a Time book that I bought from the Powerbooks sale, this time a retelling of…you guessed it…Snow White. A little less engrossing than Beauty Sleep and a bit…well, boring to the other retellings I’ve read in the past few years. It was interesting but I couldn’t really get myself invested in the characters.  Final Verdict: read Neil Gaiman’s Snow Glass Apples instead

The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults by Stephen Mitchell (novel)

some women marry princes, some marry frogs. this is the story about the latter. and such a fun story at that. I love how Stephen Mitchell describes everything…why the princess really needed the golden ball, how the frog fell in love, etc… It reminded me about something I’d almost forgotten–that the frog turns into a prince after she hurls him into a wall, not after she kisses him like pop culture often says. which suddenly got me asking, where did the “kissing a frog” idea come from? I mean, Sleeping Beauty was never awakened with a kiss and I’m kinda familiar with the history of the thing and how it got turned into a kiss but I can’t remember when hurling the frog into the wall became kissing the frog. It’s interesting how before, violence caused transformations and now love does. hmmm…. Final Verdict: Read it. or, since it’s out of print, borrow it from me so you can read it.

To Kill a King (film)

the story of Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell who lead the English Civil War against Charles I. I always thought that the English thought bad of Oliver Cromwell but apparently, he’s a British hero. Of course in the film, he’s characterized as someone with ultimately good intentions but misguided. Final Verdict: It’s as good as any good historical film but not really anything spectacular.

Interview (film)

A burnt out political reporter is stuck with interviewing a talentless starlet. I love Steve Buscemi. And I pretty much liked this, especially the interaction between Buscemi and Sienna Miller (as the starlet Katya) but… Final Verdict: The ending left me a bit confused. And so I really don’t know if I like it just because I like Buscemi or I like it because it’s actually good.

1. marathoning my BBC Period Dramas. namely Pride and Prejudice, North and South and Jane Eyre. Even though I just marathoned N&S and JE last weekend. haaay. coz i so need a lovelife.

2. watching speed racer. showing na pala? di ko lang naman naramdaman.

3. watching ploning. coz i’m curious.

4. watching the rest of the doctor who series 4 episodes online. coz i need my doctor who.

5. running to fully booked serendra. because they now have Frou Frou’s Details, the OST of Once and a lot of Rufus Wainwright CDs, not to mention a compilation of John Williams’s film music. I know they’re not books. but my TBR pile is humongous now and I need more CDs.

There. back to work now. haay.

As you’ve realized, I’ve been really busy so this countdown has been counting down a bit slowly. Look out for more bunched up posts like this in the future. I didn’t really want to do things this way but I have no choice. Anyway, to continue…

Helen Mirren
age: 62
nationality: English
watched in: Caligola (1979), The Madness of King George (1994), Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgment (1996), Gosford Park (2001), Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness (2003), Raising Helen (2004), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Elizabeth I (2005), The Queen (2006), Prime Suspect: The Final Act (2006)
favorite role:

She was great in Elizabeth and The Queen but I wasn’t a fan until I caught the later episodes of the Prime Suspect series and there was this one scene where she just gave someone a look and I swear the air sizzled and I went, my goodness she’s amazing!

Alain Delon
age: 72
nationality: French
watched in: Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1960), L’Eclisse (1962), Il Gattopardo (1963), Paris brule-t-il? (1966), Le Samourai (1967), Zorro (1975)
favorite role: sorry, no subtitles

Faithful readers will already know my love for Alain Delon. Nobody on earth or celluloid has had the same impact as he has had on me (at least, not yet). It took one frame for me to fall under his spell. And yes, even now that he’s 72 I still think he’s hot and (I think I told my friend Chard this) if he suddenly appears out of thin air and asks me to marry him I would.

Glenn Close
age: 61
nationality: American
watched in: Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Hamlet (1990), Hook (1991), 101 Dalmatians (1996), Air Force One (1997), Le Divorce (2003), The Stepford Wives (2004, Heights (2005), Evening (2007)
favorite role:

Nobody does it better than Glenn. Nobody…well, maybe a few somebodys can…a very few. 

Sean Penn
age: 47
nationality: American
watched in: Friends (2001), Mystic River (2003), 21 Grams (2003), The Interpreter (2005)
favorite role:

Yes, I know, I’ve watched him in so little…it’s mostly because his films are so…so heavy. For example, I have had a copy of I am Sam at home for years but I’ve just never had the energy to watch it. But when I do watch him on film…he’s so mesmerizing to watch. Especially in the back-to-back tour de force performances of 2003 (namely, 21 Grams and Mystic River).

The Taming of the Shrew (tv movie)

Part of the Shakespeare re-told series that…duh…retells Shakespeare plays in a modern setting. And as you know, it’s about a sweet young girl named Bianca who can’t get married (or date, from another modern retelling, AKA 10 Things I Hate About You) until her older sister Kate gets married first. Problem is, Kate’s a shrew a no man wants to touch her. In this version, Kate or Katherine is on her way up the political ladder and needs a husband to soften her public image. Enter Petruchio (Earl of something or other in this story) who needs to marry money to maintain his crumbling estate. I just love this version and not just because Rufus Sewell’s in it. It’s a smart retelling…not to mention it changes the somewhat chauvinist tone of the original play and makes it…well, for a lack of a better word…right. Final Verdict: It’s fun and witty and romantic and the chemistry between all the actors is amazing.

Miss Austen Regrets (tv movie)

Jane Austen is nearing 40 and helps her niece make a decision about love and marriage. It’s a more accurate version of Jane Austen’s life (as compared to the romanticized Becoming Jane…although this lacks a James McAvoy). I loved Olivia Williams as Jane Austen. Final Verdict: Though part of me is still hoping that Jane had a Darcy in her life (aside from the fictional Darcy) this is a beautiful celebration of her life nonetheless.

Doctor Who Series 4 Episodes: Partners in Crime, The Fires of Pompeii, and Planet of the Ood (tv series)

Can’t tell you how happy I am that I’m watching Doctor Who again. The adventures of my favorite time lord (aka time travelling alien) continues with a new-ish companion, Donna Noble who is a breath of fresh air after Martha whom I didn’t really like so much. And Rose! Rose is back this season. I’m excited. And scared because I know it won’t end happily but hell…sorry this is just fangirl squealing but the Doctor is back! Final Verdict: The Doctor is back! Woohooo!

Iron Man (film)

Wealthy industrialist Tony Stark has a change of heart after a life-threatening situation. I love Robert Downey Jr. and for me he carries the whole film. Final Verdict: It’s a fun ride but why is it that I’m fonder of the trailer? Oh and don’t forget to stay till the last credit has rolled.

The Savages (film)

A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father. (copied from imdb because i’m suddenly too tired to think.) I love Laura Linney. and I love Philip Seymour Hoffman and both of them together is just heaven to watch. The story itself is beautiful and true and smart and funny. Final Verdict: Watch it.

The only thing that was keeping me excited about this job was making the BBC period drama plugs. And now  I can’t make them anymore because another writer quit and I’ve inherited half her workload, making mine too full to make the episodic plugs of Bleak House each week. 

Argh! and I’ve been looking forward to it since…well, since I went back to work.

Haaay, so now I have to make plugs for crappy shows while the actual good show (hello, it won a Peabody! a Peabody!) gets overlooked all because it’s British (therefore hard to listen to) and period (therefore, old).

.

.

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Oh well…moving on…

I finally finished it!

Of course, the actual doing took less than 24 hours. I just kept on getting distracted. hee.

Now…to my bed…away!

Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Ask me again next week.

Robert Downey Jr.
age: 43
nationality: American
watched in: Chances Are (1989), Heart and Souls (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), Only  You (1994), Restoration (1995), Gothika (2003), Eros (2004), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
favorite role:

Robert Downey Jr. is just such a cool guy that even when he’s acting an idiot on screen, I still think he’s cool. Which is why I’m so excited for Iron Man. Have you seen the trailer? How can you not be excited? (And sorry for being so repetitive but…) It’s just soooo cool! I can’t wait for wednesday! Not that I’ll be able to watch it as soon as it opens (which is what I usually do when I’m this excited). But here’s to hoping I’ll get to watch it within the first week.

was tagged by mimay 2 weeks ago and didn’t notice…haha…sorry mimay! anyway, eto na…

• Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.
• Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their ten things and post these rules.
• At the end of your blog, you need to choose ten people to get tagged and list their names.
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling they’re tagged, and to read your blog

1. I’m a book shopaholic. I can’t resist. There was a time that I couldn’t exit a bookstore without buying a book. and now I have around 400 books, which I usually catalog once a year. Sometimes, when I feel blah, I just stare at my bookshelf(-ves) and kinikilig ako. Yes, I am that in love with my books.  

2. People seem to think I’m hardworking. I’m actually very lazy. At least, until I force myself to start working on something. And then I can be a bit of a workaholic.

3. I watched The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring around 12 times. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers around 9 times and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King around 5 times. Two birthday “parties” ago, I had a Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition marathon. I was the only one who stayed awake.

4. I’m an anglophile. and because I’m an anglophile, I’m also a francophile.

5. I fast-forward through films when I’m bored. Because life is short.

6. I’m terrible with names and faces and remembering birthdays, anniversaries and telephone numbers. But I can remember a lot of trivia.

7. Seven is my favorite number. Followed by 12. Then by 4.

8. I have a prejudice against HipHop/Rap/R&B because it has a tendency to be sexist, especially their music videos. So no matter how good the song actually is, I usually still dislike it.

9. I hate getting my hair cut because I don’t like strangers touching me.

10. I hate cockroaches. (Bwahahaha…sorry, can’t think anymore.)

and…because I’m too tired to think of 10 people, whoever wants to do this meme, you’re free to do it. whoever doesn’t want to do this meme, you’re free to not do it. Haha.