Rock of Ages and Phantom of the Opera

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the city. This is how it all started.

Every time I'm in Times Square, I go straight to George M. I can't even think of Broadway without this man coming to mind, he's a huge part of its history. Hence the nickname "the man who owned Broadway."

Here's another picture of the George M. Cohan statue with the new (kind of new, anyway) Phantom of the Opera billboard in the background.

Tuesday started off with dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner. It's the first time I've ever been there and not enjoyed it. Here's a tip, don't show up with only one other person. Essentially, what happens is you end up eating with a bunch of other parties of two. Everyone is right on top of each other and that is definitely not something I enjoy. It made it hard to concentrate on the waiters and waitresses singing because all I could think about is how I was pretty much sharing a table with strangers. The tables are not connected, but they're tiny and right next to each other. On one side of the table is a long booth/bench type of seat, and on the other side are chairs. You practically have to climb OVER the table to get to the booth seat because there is no room in between them, unless you pull the table out into the aisle.

I made a point of getting a better picture of Parsons this time. 

As a huge fan of Project Runway, I felt this was necessary.

I have this obsession with the billboards and lights in Times Square. It makes me feel like a tourist even though I'm not. There's just nothing like it and I'm always in awe of it all.

So when I see a billboard for something I love, of course I have to stop and take pictures of it. How can I possibly ignore Anything Goes?

On to the point of my outing to the city on Tuesday. I went to see Rock of Ages.

I am not a fan of 80's music by any means. With the exception of Journey, I don't care for many 80's bands. I do, however, love live theatre. It's always amazing to see all the work that goes into it. Rock of Ages did not disappoint me. It was actually a lot of fun.

The audience got very involved in the show. They were clapping along to the songs, almost like it was a concert. The lighting was incredible, probably the best I've seen in any Broadway production. That actually made it feel like a concert, as well...As did the people going back and forth to their seats with drinks. It was Tequila Tuesday and there was a bar right behind the last row. The problem with having a bar IN the theatre is that some people have a bit too much to drink. And then they get loud. And someone has to escort them out. Yes, that actually happened.

As for the show itself, it almost seemed like (for the first act, at least) they wrote a list of songs they wanted to use and then added a sentence or two between every few songs so that there would be some sort of dialogue. Like an afterthought because they had to.

Some of the humor was crass...I wasn't offended, but I don't find that sort of thing amusing, either. My favorite comedians were Abbott and Costello, I was raised watching their films and they were always very clean. I'm more of a fan of that type of comedy, I don't think you have to be dirty to be funny.

Rock of Ages breaks the fourth wall quite a bit. Most of the time, it didn't bother me. However, when Lonny handed Drew a playbill for the show, that took the joke too far.

 

The cast is really talented. I was pleasantly surprised. Dan Domenech, Jeremy Woodard and Emily Padgett all have great voices and I would love to see them in other shows in the future. Cody Scott Lancaster is the standout as Franz. And then...There's Josephine Rose Roberts who plays Regina. I actually had to look in the playbill because she reminded me so much of Diana Degarmo when she was playing Penny in Hairspray. (That's a good thing. I loved Diana in that role. And that's really saying something because I rarely ever think anyone is a good replacement for Kerry Butler.)

The finale song is the best part of the entire show. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but it was so upbeat and the perfect way to end it.

If you're looking for something fun to see on Broadway, Rock of Ages is probably a good choice.

And now, having seen it, I have to wonder WHY Tom Cruise was cast as Stacee Jaxx in the movie. He's too old. I doubt he has the voice for it, judging by Jeremy Woodard's performance. Hollywood destroys musicals. 

Moving onto Wednesday.

Look what I found in the Hard Rock Cafe.

 

Luckily, there was an hour wait there so we went to dinner at Planet Hollywood instead. The first thing I noticed was this.

I love Jimmy Stewart, in case you didn't know.

That paled in comparison to what I saw next though.

 

THAT IS JAMES CAGNEY'S SUIT IN YANKEE DOODLE DANDY. James Cagney is my favorite actor. Yankee Doodle Dandy is my favorite movie. He plays George M. Cohan in it. It was one of those moments where I was awe-struck because...He wore that. That's as close as I will ever get to that incredibly talented man. He won an Oscar for his performance in that movie. (Well-deserved, mind you.) I never expect to stumble across anything related to James Cagney, so I was really happy to see his suit in Planet Hollywood.

After dinner, we went to Starbucks. I got a Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino. There are tables in the middle of Times Square outside of Starbucks, and I've never taken the time to sit there before. I always walk through Times Square, and I've taken enough pictures of everything, but I never stop and take the time to really LOOK around and take it all in. It was beautiful. The weather was perfect, the sky was clear, and everything was illuminated.

 

You know I took pictures outside the Majestic. It doesn't matter that I already HAVE pictures of it, I constantly have to take new ones.

 

Inside, I took a picture of the stage. I actually took about ten pictures of the stage, but they all looked terrible. I'm going to blame it on the lighting.

 

The Overture will forever be my favorite part of Phantom of the Opera. When the orchestra is booming, the chandelier is coming to life and the theatre is going back in time and becoming pristine and beautiful once again. It sets the tone for the entire show and it's an experience that you just can't get from watching a video of it.

The cast, it goes without saying, was wonderful. As was the show itself. I think everyone knows how I feel about Phantom of the Opera, it's my favorite musical. The costumes are gorgeous, the songs are lovely, I don't need to elaborate on this subject again.

I will say for the 7,000th time that Hugh Panaro was perfect as the Phantom. He was just as perfect as the first time I saw him, in fact. The rest of the cast did very well, too. And Trista Moldovan nailed the Final Lair sequence. For me, that was her shining moment.

Speaking of the Final Lair. I had a huge, satisfied grin plastered on my face during that number. Words cannot even begin to describe how happy I was to see Phantom of the Opera again without having to look at those stairs they used in Phantom 25. "Christine, Christine...Let me see her..." Oh come on, Raoul. She's right there, there's no gate to stop you. But there WAS last night, and I've never been so happy to see it before in my life.

There was something I noticed at the end of the Final Lair, though. It seemed like Christine hesitated to leave the Phantom after she returned his ring. I could have imagined it because of Phantom 25. I hope it wasn't intentional.

Afterwards, I went to the back door (it's around the block) to wait and see if Hugh would come out since he didn't last time. He did not. The only cast member who did was Trista, and she was very nice.

 

On the way back to Penn Station, right near the door I waited at for an hour before anyone came and told everyone that Hugh would not be coming out (I don't blame Hugh, I'm sure he was tired or had plans and that's completely understandable), I found a sign at the theatre where Kerry Butler's new show is going to be. I didn't have time to take a picture of it though because I had to [practically] run to catch my train.

Overall, it was a fun, tiring two days.

This wasn't supposed to happen yet

I'm not finished setting this blog up. I still had things to do.

There are over 200 posts here that I transferred from my old blog. I fixed the dates on them so that they would be posted on the dates they were originally posted, but clearly...They haven't been HERE that long because I only made this account last month.

I wanted to play around with the colors some more. Personally, I'd make this entire thing pink and yellow if I could, but I don't want to scare anyone away.

I've just decided to switch over all my links from Melo to Blogger so that people will be directed here instead of the old blog...I didn't want to do this. Because as I said, I'm not finished setting everything up yet. I wasn't even finished transferring my posts. But something happened that made me change everything over.

Melo crashed. Again. Melo is so unreliable that I made an account on Blogger, just so I would have a backup of all my posts in case it ever crashed for good. It's been about five days now.

I was forced into this.

Hopefully, anyone who followed me on Melo had it bookmarked and doesn't realize I've added the link to Blogger on Twitter/YouTube/Tumblr. Because I don't really WANT anyone to see this just yet.

But. If you're one of the people who noticed the new blog. Hi. What do you think I should do about these colors?

Olive oil and honey hair mask

First, I would like to say there are a LOT of things you can do with olive oil and honey. Look it up. It will save you a ton of money on beauty products.

Second, I decided to test out a hair mask yesterday because my hair tends to be dry and not very shiny. It's naturally curly, which means I'm pretty unfortunate in the hair department to begin with, but because I heat style it on a regular basis, that makes it worse.

I looked for a hair mask recipe using olive oil because I knew that olive oil was really good for hair. A lot of the recipes I found included honey. Honey is a humectant and it helps retain moisture. And if you needed another reason to use olive oil and honey in your hair, it's all natural if you make your own hair mask whereas something you buy in the store may contain chemicals. And even better, this saves money because it uses ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

Here's the recipe.

Three tablespoons of olive oil
Two tablespoons of honey
Put them in a bowl together and heat in the microwave for twenty seconds (or until the honey liquefies)
Mix together

Simple, right? Once it's all mixed together, you obviously want to apply it to your hair. DO NOT APPLY IT TO YOUR ROOTS. It should go without saying, but you do not want to apply oil to your roots. Let it sit for fifteen minutes, then go in the shower and shampoo your hair, making sure to get all of the mixture out.

In case you are concerned about putting honey in your hair, I'll tell you now. It will be sticky. My hair was really stiff and I was horrified at first because I didn't think it would ever come out. But it came out easily in the shower, I didn't have any problems. It left my hair shiny and soft and it looked healthier. So, it will be fine. Don't worry. :)

I'll change my mind again tomorrow

I think I take Long Island for granted. 99% of the time, I hate it and think, "This place is as boring as it gets." Probably because the shadow of the city is looming over it and really, how could anything compare to Manhattan?

But every now and then...Usually once every few years, I'll look around and think, "It's not so bad." This normally happens during Fall when the leaves change colors and the weather is perfect. Not hot, but not cold...Chilly, with that bite to it.

I was walking around my shabby little town this afternoon because I had to go to the bank. I'm not sure "town" means the same thing to everyone, so allow me to explain what it means here. It's not the town as a whole, it's the place where there are a bunch of stores, delis, bakeries, boutiques, banks, etc. The church is there, the middle school is there. Not EVERYTHING is located there, I don't live in a rural community, it's not deserted. But this seems to be where everyone gathers.

So that's what I mean when I say "shabby little town." The stores on this one particular street. Today was the first time it didn't appear too terrible. I always compare it to Babylon's town because it's SO nice there. Not the actual town, just you know...Their street with all their stores. In comparison, my town isn't all that great. But on its own, it's nice. It's home.

I'm also beginning to realize I take the LIRR for granted. I've never considered how lucky I am to be able to get on a train whenever I want and go to the city. Because I've always lived on Long Island, the railroad has always been here. I can't really imagine what it must be like to live somewhere else and not have that option. I know a lot of friends who live out of state have mentioned how fortunate New Yorkers are to have public transportation everywhere.

There's really no point here. Other than I sometimes have to remind myself that Long Island isn't that terrible.

Hana, the e-book companion to Delirium by Lauren Oliver

When I first read Delirium, one of the questions I was left with at the end of the book was, why didn't Hana leave with Lena? Hana was the one who went to illegal parties and concerts to begin with. She had [unhappy] tears in her eyes the day of her evaluation. So why didn't she try to escape into the Wilds?


Lauren Oliver's novella seems to answer that question.

Major spoilers after the jump!

Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary

When the 25th Anniversary DVD of Phantom of the Opera was announced, I was really excited. I had seen Phantom on Broadway and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. The 2004 film didn't even come close to capturing how amazing the musical is. Phantom 25 was going to be a recording of a live stage performance, so it had to be great...Right?

The DVD was released in Europe before it was released in America, and someone was nice enough to upload the show (in parts) in November. I watched most of it, except for the very end of the Final Lair sequence. With the exception of a few minor details, everything seemed to be fine and I was happy enough with it.

 

That all changed when it arrived in the mail and I finally watched the ending. But let's save that for later. I want to give Phantom 25 praise before I get into what I disliked about it.

 

Sierra Boggess (Christine) and Hadley Fraser (Raoul) were wonderful. Ramin Karimloo wasn't bad, either, but his Phantom was a bit too angry for my taste, and I'm not a fan of his voice. He isn't a bad Phantom, but he's not Hugh Panaro and I didn't feel the same sympathy for him that I felt for Hugh's Phantom. I think it's Hugh's voice...I didn't feel one way or another about the Phantom until I saw Hugh playing the part on Broadway. I know he is technically the villain, he kills people, he threatens to kill Raoul if Christine doesn't choose to be with him. But listening to Hugh sing, I can almost see why Christine would love him, regardless of all the terrible things he's done. He has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard. Ramin plays the role differently and it changed the entire show for me.

"Masquerade" (Click to enlarge, if possible)

The costumes for Phantom 25 were gorgeous. Especially during the "Masquerade" sequence. It's impossible to take your eyes off the screen during that song. It may be my favorite part of the entire show (since they ruined my other favorite). It was well choreographed, everything about it was perfect. Every time I watch that scene, and the Phantom comes out as Red Death and throws the score for Don Juan Triumphant, I wonder if anyone has ever not caught it. I don't know why, but I'm always amazed at the ease with which they seem to catch it. What if the person playing the Phantom makes a bad throw? I'm getting sidetracked.

 

The very end of the show, after it was all over, was spectacular. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but it actually brought tears to my eyes. It was incredible.

 

Most of the things I didn't like about this production are minor. I love Sierra as Christine, but she makes me wonder if maybe the Phantom isn't the only one with some sort of mental illness and I constantly found myself wishing she would stand up straight because she's always hunched over. I was really disappointed that they removed the chandelier rising from the stage during the Overture, because that's one of the most incredible moments to witness during the stage production. And then...There's the stairs.

 

The stairs during the Final Lair sequence make no sense whatsoever. And here's why.

 

"Christine, Christine...Let me see her..."

 

Just WALK DOWN THE STAIRS, Raoul. It's not like there's a gate in your way this time. Why are you asking the Phantom to let you see her? She's right there. There's nothing to stop you. I know most people probably aren't bothered by something so insignificant, but for me, this is the second worst part of the entire show. I actually despise those stairs.

 

So if that's the second worst part, what's the first?

 

The ending. It's awful. I'm happy I didn't see it before I ordered Phantom 25 for myself. I now understand why people were saying they set it up to lead into Love Never Dies. I have to ask...Who does that? Who changes the original to fit in with the sequel? That should never, ever happen.

(This is not my gif, I found it in a Google image search.)

Phantom 25 ends with Christine hesitating to leave the Phantom. She then begins singing "All I Ask of You" to him (instead of Raoul) and Raoul has to walk down the stairs AGAIN to get her. I hated it, As someone who has seen Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and thought it was perfect, I felt betrayed by this change. Especially since this is the first time I've actually liked Raoul. I had always wanted Christine to choose the Phantom, until I actually saw it happen here.

 

I really enjoyed Phantom 25 for the most part. It's a huge step up from the 2004 film, and I'll watch it over and over again because it was very well done. I just wish that they would have ended it the way Andrew Lloyd Webber had originally written it, instead of trying to make it fit in with the story from Love Never Dies.

Ludwig Meidner - Apocalyptic Landscapes

I don't understand art. And I don't mean that I don't understand why it exists. I mean, I don't understand it in the same way I don't understand poetry. It doesn't make sense to me. I can look at a painting, or read the words, and it still leaves me confused because I'm not good at finding the "hidden meaning" in things.

 

German Expressionism interests me. It started because of films like Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Faust and Metropolis. The sets were so bizarre, like something you would see in a dream. They didn't look like anything that could exist in reality.

 

My interest in Expressionism led me to Ludwig Meidner's work. I can't sit here and pretend that I'm an authority on it. I'm not. As I said, art is not something I can comprehend. But I'm still fascinated by it. I like looking at his work and I can't explain the reasoning behind it. I read that his Apocalyptic Landscapes predate World War I, showing a city in ruins. That's about all I know.

 

Here are some of my favorites.

The Kindle has its advantages after all

I received a Kindle for Christmas a few years ago, and I was horrified. It was like opening a box and finding a severed head. "Who would do something like this?!" That's how I stared at it when I opened the box. My father would do something like this. I realized it was a thoughtful gift. He knows I enjoy reading and the Kindle allows you to store all your books in one space. That may sound like a good idea to some people, but as someone who loves books, it was the worst thing I could possibly imagine.

 

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved reading. I was rarely at home on weekends to see my friends, but on the rare occasion that I was, I always preferred to stay home and read. When I wasn't home (because I had to spend weekends with my father), I would read in the car. And he would always yell at me to stop because he thought it was bad for my eyes. I didn't care, I still did it.

 

Since I've started posting more about books, I've realized that the Kindle isn't as evil as I originally thought it was. What I've been doing is borrowing library books online and having them delivered to my Kindle. It's not that I don't love going to the library, because I do. I enjoy being surrounded by all those books. It's just that sometimes it's more convenient to do things online. Score one for the Kindle.

 

There's another advantage to the Kindle, since I've been posting more about books. Instead of writing notes down when I plan to discuss a book, I can leave notes and highlight points of interest in the Kindle, which is much less time consuming. I could fold over the corners and highlight sentences in my books, but that would ruin them.

 

The Kindle will never replace my books. I rarely ever buy anything on the Kindle that I don't already own a physical copy of and that isn't going to change. I love turning pages. There's something therapeutic about it. I like to look at a book and see how much I've read by seeing where it's opened to and how many pages are on the left side compared to the right. Sure, the Kindle tells you what percentage of the book you've read, but that's not as satisfying.

 

Even though I prefer "real" books, the Kindle is no longer a severed head in a box. It's more of a picture of a severed head in a box. Still kind of horrifying, but slightly more tolerable.

Crossed by Ally Condie

I somehow managed to finish reading Crossed by Ally Condie over the weekend and I've been putting this post off because I have such mixed feelings about it. When I posted about Matched, I said how much I liked all of the characters, and by the end of Crossed, Xander was the only one I still liked...Probably because he was barely in the book at all.

 

Crossed's plot consists of Ky being sent to the Outer Provinces with a group of other Aberrations as a "decoy" against the Enemy and Cassia waltzing onto an air shop to the Outer Provinces with a group of female Aberrations so she can find Ky. Ky escapes with two other boys, Vick and Eli. When Cassia arrives two days after his escape, she heads into the Carving (where Ky went) with another girl named Indie. The whole thing just drags on. And on. And on. It's not necessarily boring, but it was way too drawn out.

 

The chapters alternate between Ky's point of view and Cassia's point of view. I didn't really care for that. There were times when I forgot whose chapter I was reading and it became confusing, so I would have to go back and reread it all again.

 

The book got two significant reactions out of me.

 

First, I was REALLY upset when I read that the blue pills do not help people SURVIVE if they get lost, but rather they slow them down until the Society can find them. Two blue pills will kill you. Honestly, I was distraught over this news. Especially since I had just mentioned what all the pills did in the post about Matched and clearly, my information was wrong. Not that I could have known that then, but still. It bothered me.

 

The second reaction was how much I hated Cassia and Ky towards the end of the book. I just wanted to bang my head into the wall. Ky risked his life to escape from the Outer Provinces so he could somehow make his way back to the Society to find Cassia. Meanwhile, Cassia knowingly puts herself in danger so she can go to the Outer Provinces to find him. And what do these two decide after all the trouble they've gone through?

 

Ky can risk death for Cassia, but he can't join the Rising (rebellion) for her. (At least not until the very end of the book when he changes his mind.)

 

And Cassia...Well. Read this passage from the book and you'll see where my frustration with her comes from.

 

"You're in love with Xander," I say, my voice too hard, too cruel.
Indie doesn't deny it. Xander is the kind of person an Aberration can never have. A golden boy, as close to perfect as they come in the Society.
He's not her Match, though. He's mine.
With Xander, I could have a family, a good job, be loved, be happy, live in a Borough with clean streets and neat lives. With Xander, I would be able to do the things I always thought I would.
But with Ky, I do things I never thought I could.
I want both.

 

After realizing that Indie is in love with Xander (even though she's never met him), Cassia's reaction is, "He's not her Match, though. He's mine." She's possessive. Over a boy she didn't want. She chose Ky over him. What right does she have to be jealous now? What right does she have to want BOTH boys? It's not fair to either of them.

 

And then I read this. It made me sympathize a bit more with Cassia, just because I could relate to it.

 

I close my eyes. I love Ky. But I don't understand him. He won't let me reach him. I have made mistakes, too, I know it, but I am tired of chasing him through canyons and out onto plains and stretching out my hand only to have him take it some times and not others.

 

I've been there. With my ex. Sometimes it's not enough to love someone. Especially if they keep you at a distance and never truly let you get close to them. When they hide things from you all the time. When you never know what they're thinking, or how they'll react and you keep trying to get through to them, but you can't. So maybe it's understandable that she's not fulfilled by Ky towards the end of the book, but I still think she's incredibly selfish.

 

At the end of Crossed, Cassia is about to meet with someone. You're led to believe it's Ky. I'm going to say right here and now, for the record, that it's Xander. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

 

It's strange, I really thought the sequel would be better. Usually, with trilogies, they improve because you get more information and the story becomes more complex. You do learn more information in Crossed, but if you cut out all the filler, it would only be enough for a chapter or two. It wasn't a bad book, it held my interest, but I think Matched was better. All Crossed managed to do was destroy two very likable characters. I hope Xander falls in love with Indie in the third book (or any other girl he comes across) because Cassia doesn't deserve him.

Look what finally arrived in the mail today

Top Fifteen Video Games: #1

1. Super Mario RPG (SNES)

Super Mario RPG is the first RPG I ever played, way back when I still had the SNES. I had no clue what to do. Level up HP? What is HP? What do all these items in the shop do? Why do I get to equip weapons? It was all very confusing for me. (Remember, I was just a kid.) Still, I managed to get through it and it ended up becoming my favorite game. I loved it so much that even after my SNES died, I kept the game cartridge. I still have it now. Luckily, Nintendo released Super Mario RPG on the Wii's Virtual Console so I'm able to play it once again.

The plot revolves around Mario recruiting a group of friends (and even a foe, Bowser) to collect the seven star pieces from Star Road after Smithy, the main villain, steals them. There are side quests and mini games along the way, most of which aren't required, but they're fun and they make the game longer, so there's really no reason not to do them.

This is a turn based RPG, my favorite kind. It's not chaotic with a bunch of enemies attacking you at once (like Dragon Age Origins). You're given the option to use special abilities, a regular attack using a weapon, using an item or defending/running away. Pretty basic, right? Except that some boss fights, like the one against Bowyer, include elements to them that many other fights in the game do not. Bowyer is basically able to disable one of the buttons on your controller so that the corresponding action cannot be used for a period of time. You may not be able to use special abilities. Or whack him with a hammer. Or heal yourself. It's definitely the most interesting boss fight in the game, and probably my favorite.

Matched by Ally Condie

I need to preface this by saying that I haven't slept much. I need to go in the shower, make myself presentable and pack my things. All within the next four hours. And I read Matched by Ally Condie in a period of less than 24 hours, so if I don't write this immediately, I will probably forget what I read. Not because it was forgettable, but because I rushed through it. That's a good sign, right? I mean, technically, I had to rush through it because I borrowed it from the library, but I wouldn't have put it down anyway.

Matched is a dystopian young adult novel about a seventeen year old girl named Cassia, who has been "matched" with her best friend from childhood, Xander. All seventeen-year-olds are matched, basically an arranged marriage by the government, unless they want to be Single...Or happen to be an Aberration.

Cassia is very pleased with her match to Xander. Until she looks at the microcard she was given at the banquet and Xander's face disappears from the screen and Ky, another boy she knows, shows up instead. Cassia is reassured by an Official that this was a mistake. Ky couldn't possibly be her match because he is an Aberration (through no fault of his own, he's being punished for something his father did). Still, the damage is done and Cassia finds herself drawn to Ky.

Before I get into anything else, I want to say the love triangle was a problem for me. Not because it was poorly written, but because Xander and Ky are both so likable. Usually, in situations like this, the writer will push you in the right direction. One of the characters will be less likable. That's not the case in Matched, so I was left feeling really sorry for everyone involved because it's such an unfortunate situation. Especially for Xander. Cassia was matched to two people. But she was all Xander had. So if she chooses Ky, where does that leave him?

There's more to this book than the romantic subplot (or maybe it isn't a subplot, since the title IS Matched and that is where the love triangle comes in), but you don't see much of it. "So how do you know it's there?" Well. Allow me to explain it to you!

The people in this Society are given three different colored pills. A blue one for nutrition, in case they're ever in trouble. A green one to calm them during anxiety attacks. And a red one that they can only take after being told to by an Official. These pills make you forget everything that happened in the previous twelve hours. [SPOILER ALERT] Towards the end of the book, Cassia and some of her neighbors are told to take the red pill. She doesn't take it. When she talks to Xander later on, he tells her that the pills don't work on him. Or Ky. He also tells her that everyone has taken these pills before, but he won't tell her why. This leads me to believe that this trilogy IS going somewhere aside from the Cassia/Xander/Ky drama.

Matched brought up an issue that I thought was interesting. The Society only keeps 100 of everything for fear of being "too cluttered." 100 poems, 100 movies, 100 songs..."How can we appreciate anything fully when overwhelmed with too much?" I really wanted to know which 100 films the Society saved. Did anyone finally realize that Citizen Kane is too boring to sit through and destroy it? Did they save Casablanca? They could have...Casablanca could be used to encourage teenagers to do the right thing, instead of "selfishly" following your own personal feelings. (The "right" thing for Cassia would be to choose Xander, who she was matched with, instead of following her heart and choosing Ky.) The Society was very careful in selecting the material they chose to keep. They didn't allow anything to be left behind that encouraged the citizens to fight back. (Okay, so maybe Casablanca wouldn't have been acceptable then.)

A lot of Matched reminded me of other dystopian novels that have been released within the past several years. Although, I would like to point out that I don't think it was intentional. It was similar to The Giver because in both societies, their elders are killed when they reach a certain age. The Hunger Games, because it involves a love triangle between a girl, her best friend, and a boy she's known for years, but never really acknowledged. (Not that Cassia didn't really acknowledge Ky's existence, but she didn't NOTICE him until his face flashed on her screen.) It's similar to Delirium in the way that the government takes away everyone's control to choose who they want to spend their lives with. And then there's Divergent...I think being declared Divergent and an Aberration are both equally dangerous in these societies.

Overall, Matched was interesting. I enjoyed reading it and I will be starting the next book in the trilogy, Crossed, when I get home. It has potential. I want to see where Ally Condie goes with this series.

Can we take a break from focusing on love triangles?

It seems like after The Hunger Games was successful (I'm not ignoring Battle Royale's existence, before anyone says something), every YA author out there went and wrote a dystopian novel.

Delirium, at least, was something different. It focuses on the idea of love as a disease and being forced to be "cured" of it.

Then I read Divergent. And it wasn't bad by any means. But I wondered what the point was. What caused the old government to crumble and these factions to be created? If you're not going to explain it, why should I care?

I just finished reading Matched. Started it last night, finished this afternoon. Obviously, I wasn't bored with it. But there were so many elements that reminded me of Delirium. And The Hunger Games. And Divergent. And The Giver! I'm starting to get all of these books confused with each other.

And I feel like there's a huge flaw in novels like these when the main draw ends up being the love story.

I didn't feel that way with The Hunger Games, especially during Mockingjay. The love triangle definitely held my interest, but I cared more about the rebellion. Because that's really what it all came down to in the end. And obviously, Delirium had to focus on romance because the entire plot revolved around being cured of love.

I feel like it didn't work as well for Matched. It passes itself off as a book about seventeen year olds being "matched" (basically an arranged marriage), and they're supposed to go off and live a happy life together because it's what the government decides is best for their Society...You know the government, always SO concerned about the citizens, there's never an ulterior motive. But there's so much more to this book than the love triangle, and it frustrates me. This series can go somewhere. Make it happen. I'm starting the next book tonight, hopefully it focuses more on what led to this society in the first place.

As for Divergent, I can't even remember what happened in that book anymore. It's a muddled mess from all the others. I can't remember the characers' names. I know there was a love story that I didn't really buy into. Five different factions that worked independently of each other. I can't recall how it ended. I only remember thinking, "Well. This is a trilogy and I can't judge it until I read the other books."

You can keep publishing these novels, and I'll read them because I'm fascinated by these $#%^*& up governments and the parallels they have to our own, but if you have to rely on a romantic subplot in a DYSTOPIAN novel, you're doing something wrong.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #2

2. Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (PS3)

Disgaea 3, at first glance, is about a demon, Mao, who wants to defeat his father because he broke his game system and Mao lost hours upon hours of game data. As you play through the game, you find there's more to the story than you're originally told. At its heart, it really is a story about friendship.

I don't normally like "serious" RPGs. They need to be fun and sort of goofy for me to really be able to invest time into them, I can't be bored. RPGs aren't short games that you can complete in ten hours. Disgaea 3 did a really good job of keeping me entertained. It's definitely lighthearted and funny. It breaks the fourth wall a lot and makes fun of itself. At the same time, it's not so much of a joke that it's bad. It has just the right amount of humor to it.

Aside from a great story, the voiceacting and soundtrack are both very well done. The characters are likable, if not a bit over the top at times.

This is a strategy RPG and depending on how in depth you want to go with it, it gets very complex. You can level up your characters to 9,999, but that still won't help you beat the most difficult boss in the game. In order to do that, you'll have to level up your weapons and equipment to 200. But even that isn't simple because it requires you to obtain legendary items. The best weapons and armor are Rank 40. And you'll want them all to have the same value (between 0 and 7) because that gives you a bonus to your stats. You can learn skills and evilities from other characters through the Class World. You can pass bills to unlock new maps and recruit characters (post game) in the Student Council. Your options are almost limitless. There's no real end to the game, you can keep customizing your characters and items for as long as you want.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #3

3. Shivers (PC)

I received Shivers as a gift back in 1995. It's another game that I still own to this day.

Shivers is a point and click horror/adventure game set in a museum. Two kids decided to sneak into the museum one night and they let the Ixupi, spirits who suck the life out of humans, out of their pots. The Ixupi killed the owner of the museum and are still loose. You play as someone who has been dared by a group of friends to stay in the museum overnight. In order to survive, you have to find the pots and their corresponding lids and capture the Ixupi.

The Ixupi, admittedly, are not scary at all. They're very cartoonish. What does make this game scary is the soundtrack. There are times when it is so loud it's overwhelming and other times where it's quiet and haunting. The Ixupi will never jump out from around a corner, they aren't hiding behind any doors. They are confined to certain...Elements? Ash, water, cloth, wood, wax, etc. Once you have the correct pot and lid, you have to look for these elements in the museum, click on the correct pot in your inventory and then click on the area the Ixupi is hidden in before they have a chance to attack you.

It sounds easy enough, but it's not. Shivers is very puzzle-heavy. Some of the puzzles are easily solved, while others (like Chinese checkers and the alchemy machine puzzle) take a bit more thought. The puzzles are all enjoyable though.

What I really like about this game is that you get to explore the exhibits. Most of them deal with myths and legends. Monsters. It's the type of museum I would love to go to, if it existed.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #4

4. Fatal Frame (PS2, Xbox)

Without a doubt, this is my favorite survival horror game. You start off playing as Mafuyu, who has traveled to the Himuru mansion in search of someone. Not long after, you switch to Mafuyu's sister, Miku. She also travels to the Himuru mansion, looking for her brother who is now missing. The mansion is filled with malevolent spirits because of a ritual gone wrong and your only means of defense is the Camera Obscura, created to capture ghosts.

I think what makes Fatal Frame my favorite above games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil is the fact that you're not shooting enemies. Gameplay is unique because your weapon is a camera. You can acquire different upgrades for it, such as the ability to blast a ghost backwards or track it (which comes in handy for the ghosts who like to warp around). You can also upgrade the capture circle and damage, among other things.

I am at a point with this game where I've played it so many times there's nothing that could scare me about the triggered events. I know what's coming and how to handle it, and with the exception of Blinded (who stresses me out more than she frightens me), it's all pretty easy to deal with.

What does put me on edge is the fact that there are unplanned attacks. If you take too long in a certain room (hell, even if you DON'T sometimes), you will find yourself encountering random ghosts. You won't even realize most of them are there until you see your filament start to glow orange. But there is one who has her own little theme song, and that's Broken Neck. She's a very easy ghost to fight, but her music is so nervewracking that I would rather just flee than stand around and fight her when it's not required.

There were claims that Fatal Frame was based on a true story. Those claims are false. However, it appears the game was modeled after a real mansion. Take a look at these pictures of the hallway from the game and the hallway from the house it was inspired by.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #5

5. Corpse Party (PSP)

I almost feel like this should be higher on the list, maybe in the third spot. Corpse Party is...The best game you probably haven't heard of. I think it went largely unnoticed, which is a shame because it's so different and...Psychologically traumatizing. If you own a PSP, you should go buy the game. Right now. You will not regret it.

Corpse Party begins in a classroom, with a group of friends performing a friendship ritual because one of them will be moving away. Unfortunately, they didn't do it correctly and they get sucked into another school that is occupied by the vengeful spirits of elementary school children. As if that's not scary enough, they didn't all arrive together. They're in the same school, but it's almost like they're in different dimensions, at different times. They have to find their way back to each other, appease the ghosts, and find a way to get back to their own school.

Some people have called Corpse Party a visual novel. When I first read that, I lost all interest in playing it. Someone else assured me that there was more to it than reading and I am so glad they did because I fell in love with this game. There is a lot of text to read (it's voiced over in Japanese, the text is in English), but it's still an adventure game. You control the characters, collect items and files, run from ghosts...Or get killed by them, depending on your actions.

Corpse Party wants you to fail. There are over twenty different endings. Almost all of them are "wrong ends." Unlocking these endings will allow you to play (or watch in most cases) extra chapters.

The ghosts are not the scariest part of the game. At all. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but sometimes it's your allies who you have to watch out for.

This is definitely a psychological horror game. One of the best I've played. If I could only recommend one game to someone, Corpse Party would probably be it. If you decide to play it, make sure your headphones are on and the volume is turned all the way up.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #6

6. Demon's Souls (PS3)

Here we go. The game that breaks almost every one of my rules. Storyline? Soundtrack? Characters? Voiceacting? All almost nonexistent. So why is it on here?

The gameplay. And innovation.

Demon's Souls is an RPG. But it's not just any RPG. It's considered one of the most difficult games ever made. And it is, until you play it eleven times and learn all the tricks and the most efficient way to level up and beat the bosses.

This is really a game that is meant to be played online. You're able to leave messages for other players, or read messages from other players. Some are meant to help you, others are meant to mislead you and walk you off a cliff to your death. You just never know. And that's part of the fun. Sometimes you ARE meant to step off a ledge because it leads to a shortcut or a hidden item. Is it worth taking that step forward to find out?

You're also able to click on bloodstains left behind by players who have died. That allows you to get an idea of what happened to them so you don't make the same mistake. Messages are definitely more helpful, but this is an interesting game mechanic as well.

While playing, you may see a translucent character run past you. Those are other people who are also playing Demon's Souls. There's no benefit to this, but it's a fun feature regardless.

The best part is that you can summon up to two other players to help you through this difficult game. However, you have to be in human form and they have to be in soul form, within a certain number of levels of you.

There is a drawback to being in human form and playing online. You can be invaded by black phantoms. (This happens mostly in 4-1, they love it there.) Black phantoms are other people who are playing online and want to kill you so they can steal your souls. Not very nice, hm?

If you're looking for a game with a story, this may not be for you. Since it doesn't have one. I've been told it does, but I have yet to see more than a few cutscenes so as far as I'm concerned, the story is nonexistent. Demon's Souls' main draw is that it has a very interactive online experience and it's fun to play, once you get past some of the frustration. You'll feel accomplished after completing it.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #7

7. Eternal Darkness (Gamecube)

Eternal Darkness is a game, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's stories, that spans over hundreds (thousands?) of years. You play as twelve different characters, if I recall correctly. The main protagonist is Alex, who is staying in her grandfather's mansion after he has been murdered. You begin reading a tome you found in a hidden office, which then tells the stories of all the other characters and how/why you've ended up at your grandfather's estate.

This is the only game to ever give me nightmares. And it's because it is so similar to Lovecraft's work. I love Eternal Darkness with all my heart, but I hate playing it because it makes me a nervous wreck.

Honestly, the gameplay isn't the best. It's not bad, but it could be better. To fight enemies, you'll sometimes have a gun, but I never really bothered to use them. I prefer fighting with swords or any other melee weapon you find lying around. They seem to be the most effective. You'll also learn different spells along the way that do various things to further the game along.

This is an example of a story being so incredible that the gameplay just doesn't matter. Eternal Darkness is so interesting and there's so much depth to it that I would play it even if all it required me to do was spin around in circles for a few hours. As a Lovecraft fan, I really appreciate what the developers did with the story.

There's also a gimmick involved here. But don't think motion controls and 3D. Those are bad gimmicks. The gimmick Eternal Darkness uses is fun and unique, and it is implemented so perfectly. It's an insanity meter. The crazier your characters go, the more sanity effects you begin to see. Some target your character directly. They'll begin to hear screams and see blood drip down the walls. Others...Will target you. Your TV will appear to mute itself, your save data will be corrupted, you'll see bugs crawl across your screen. It's especially fun when you don't REALIZE it's part of the game. I wonder how many people cried when they saw the game blue screen the first time.

Eternal Darkness is my second favorite survival horror game. If you're a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, you should give it a try. Hopefully you'll be able to handle it better than I can.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #8

8. Uncharted 2 (PS3)

I was never really a fan of shooters. To me, they all just seemed to want you to kill a large group of enemies to get to a new area where you'll have to kill another large group of enemies...I never understood the point.

Then my cousin told me to play Uncharted 2 because he thought I would like it. I had already played the demo for the first game, I died almost instantly as soon as the enemies started showing up. I didn't have high hopes for the second game.

Imagine my surprise when you start off having to climb your way up a train that is hanging over the edge of a cliff. Platforming? That I can do! It was obvious at that point that there was more to Uncharted 2 than just shooting enemies.

This game got everything right. It had an interesting story, great soundtrack, quality voiceacting, gameplay that's actually FUN...And the characters weren't too shabby either.

My favorite part of Uncharted 2, in case it is not yet apparent from all my other posts, is the banter between Flynn and Drake. I know Flynn is a villain, but I love him. I loved him as soon as he said to Drake, "There's a guy above you, there's a guy above you." And after you pull the guard over the edge of the building, he continues with, "There's a guy below you, there's a guy below you." He may be a bit questionable, but he kept me laughing.

Uncharted 2 is, in my opinion, the best game in the series. It improved on the first game (no more motion controls to throw a grenade) and had a superior story. And while Uncharted 3 has added some interesting new elements to the series, it still can't compare to how amazing the second game was.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #9

9. Super Mario World (SNES)

I have such good memories of Super Mario World. Playing it with my cousins when I was a kid. The sense of satisfaction I felt when I FINALLY beat Tubular. Out of all the Mario platformers, this is my favorite, by far.

It took me a while (by a while, I mean a year when I was about seven years old or so) to remember all the hidden exits and the secret areas, but I eventually did. And I still do to this day. This is one of the few games that I could stop playing for years and still remember everything.

I think the main thing that I liked about it was Yoshi...Not because I love dinosaurs (even though I do). Yoshi, poor thing, was my sacrifice. If I accidentally misjudged a jump and fell short, I would just jump off of Yoshi. I would get the boost I needed to land on a platform and he would plummet to his death. Did I feel good about killing my little dinosaur pet? Of course not. But hey, it's him or me and the consequences are greater if I die.

I don't have much else to say, really. The music is great, the level designs were all fun, even the frustrating ones. The castles and fortresses were much more interesting than the ones you go through in the previous Mario games. Super Mario World was just...The perfect Mario platformer.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #10

10. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii, PS2, PSP)

Wait, wait. Let me explain something first.

Originally, Silent Hill 2 was on this list because it is my favorite game in the series. It has the best story. I don't think many people would argue that. However, I've always said that the gameplay was lacking and that Silent Hill 3 was scarier and more fun to play, even though the story wasn't as good. So it didn't seem right to put Silent Hill 2 on the list, even if it is technically my favorite.

I was really skeptical about Shattered Memories when it was announced. I was one of those obnoxious people, outraged that this was a Silent Hill game without combat. Without combat?? What kind of game WAS this? Silent Hill always had combat. How else were you supposed to kill the monsters? I didn't mind in Clock Tower 3 (well, I did because it scared the hell out of me to be chased with no way to defend myself), but this was a series that always allowed you to have weapons and now they were being taken away.

Well. I was wrong. Shattered Memories didn't need combat. It was a good enough game that I don't mind the fact that I was chased throughout most of it with no way to defend myself.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a reimagining of the first game. What's interesting about it is that the game changes based on your actions and what you interact with. Not just in small ways, either. Your conversations with other characters change. Their appearance and attitude will change. Even the enemies gradually change over time, taking on different forms depending on what type of person you turn Harry into.

During Harry's therapy sessions, you have to respond to questions and complete different tests. Some require you to label people as either looking dead or alive and others require you to color a picture of a house. The therapy sessions never feel gimmicky or take you out of the game, it adds something interesting that you wouldn't expect from a Silent Hill game. Mostly because none of the other games have ever been like THIS.

You're given a psychological profile at the end during the credits. I do not feel that it's accurate at all, but it's still a fun detail.

The soundtrack, of course, is amazing. Akira Yamaoka never failed the series, he is an amazing composer and I wish he could have worked on Silent Hill: Downpour, but that's another story.

Shattered Memories deviates from the feel of the other games. But this is one example of a game making drastic changes and actually working out for the best. Being chased by enemies keeps you on edge. It makes the game scarier. Which is a GOOD thing, this issurvival horror. You're not meant to shoot everything you come across. The new twist to the story is well done and it's interesting that they updated it with the use of cell phones. That was something I was concerned about, but it actually wasn't terrible at all.

I have a deep appreciation for Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3, but this game has a good story and it's fun to play at the same time, which is why it made the list. Plus, it has the best UFO ending in the series.

Lots of Broadway

Rock of Ages February 21st
Phantom of the Opera February 22nd
Wicked March 16th


It kind of snowballed... First Phantom of the Opera, then Wicked, now Rock of Ages. I'm not complaining though.

Top Fifteen Video Games: #11

11. Bioshock (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

Bioshock was the first FPS I completed. I wasn't comfortable playing them because I couldn't see enemies all around me like I could in a third person game. And I wasn't sure how I would do with this one. I had heard so many good things about it though and it looked really interesting, so eventually, I could no longer resist buying it.

You start off floating in the ocean, surrounded by a ring of fire. You swim over a building (is it a building or a lighthouse? I don't remember) and find a bathysphere down a set of stairs. Once inside, it takes you to the underwater city of Rapture, which is overrun with Splicers who try to steal ADAM from Little Sisters. ADAM is precious because it allows you to purchase plasmids and tonics, which makes surviving in Rapture a lot easier.

You'll want ADAM, too. The only problem is, to get to a Little Sister, you'll first have to defeat a Big Daddy. They're essentially the bosses of the game, even though they don't feel like real bosses. You have the option to then cure the Little Sisters or kill them. The ending you get depends on what you decide to do with them.

The use of different plasmids is what makes Bioshock so much fun to play. There are so many different tactics and possibilities that you could play the game multiple times in different ways and it would never get boring.

The soundtrack is fun, it plays a lot of older songs and really helps set the tone of the game.

For me, the thing that really blew me away was the twist. I never saw it coming, and I have never felt so used by a game before. It really surprised me. In the best possible way. I was so disgusted by it, but I was so pleased that they were able to accomplish a plot twist that wasn't obvious from the beginning.