(Ooops! Kind of forgot this one...))

Bill Engvall



One of my absolute favorite stand-up comedians!! He usually keeps it clean and has no trouble making fun of himself along with everything else.

THE CHANGE by Garth Brooks - specifically the video.

I cannot embed the video, but you can go HERE and see it.

I don't know if "enjoy" is the right word. I enjoy the song, but the video makes me cry every single time. It is both a tribute and a memorial to the bombing in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. The Oklahoma City bombing stands as a stark reminder that terrorist are not always foreigners from the other side of the globe.

If you don't know anything about this bombing, you can read about it HERE. This is one of those historical events that all Americans should know.

Evanescence



I really enjoy the music of Evanescence which is unexpected to a lot of people. This is not usually the style of music I listen to, but several songs caught my attention. I fell in love and have not found a song I dislike. I've found some I prefer more than others, but the playlists I have are among the few I can listen to without having to fast forward anything. I even got my niece hooked on them.

MGM: When the Lion Roars



This documentary was hosted by Patrick Stewart and it covers the rise and fall of MGM. MGM's slogan was "more stars than there are in Heaven" - and it would be hard to argue considering the names which graced this company. Just a few? Norma Shearer, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and I could go on and on and on.

From such a humble beginning to the heights of power to a tragic end - MGM brought some of Hollywood's most enduring classics to the screen and gave us names which will never fade. I have an ongoing love of the Golden and Silver age of Hollywood, and there are few modern actors that can carry the same blend of charisma and talent these folks did. Despite its problems, scandals, and short-sightedness, MGM gave us moments and movies no one wants to try and recreate.

Patrick Stewart handles the role of narrator with a respect and love for the subject. He gives the story a wonderful and compelling framework.

Robin of Sherwood



This particular version of Robin Hood was made in the 1980's. It delved into a more mystical view of the time and exploits of Robin and his men. It is more gritty than earlier versions, and mingled history with myth to tell the story. The locations go from solid and authentic to ethereal and magical - increasing a sense of the story and plot line. The music is haunting and provided by the wonderful group Clannad.

Only three seasons were made before the production company was forced to cancel it due to finances. Michael Praed plays Robin in the first two seasons, and dies in the finale of the 2nd season. Jason Connery comes on at the beginning of the 3rd as Robert of Huntingdon to take on the role of "Robin Hood". While Praed's exit required the recast, it was really handled well - playing into both parts of the Robin Hood legend: early legend has him as yeoman while later versions declare him an exiled nobleman.

If you enjoy the legends of Robin Hood, you really have to see this version. It'll be worth your time.

Queen



Back to music today. I've got eclectic taste buds when it comes to music. I can usually find at least one performer or band or song to enjoy in basically every style of music, even the styles I normally avoid (such as rap, hip-hop, grunge, or trash metal).

I always remember Queen because of moments in their songs that have haunting tones, passages, or lyrics. They have an indefinable something which draws the listener in.

Lead vocalist Freddie Mercury was not only a flamboyant and talented singer, but he also composed some great hits including "Somebody to Love".

Waxwork



Okay, with it being my 13th entry, I decided to pick something that played to the "horror" side. No, its not Friday the 13th, but Waxwork was a campy, fun 80's flick. I enjoy wax museums, but they are kind of creepy with their life-size forms and figures. So it should be no surprise that someone would do a horror flick about the wax figures coming to life. This was the first one I ever saw on that theme, and I thought it was a lot of fun.

So much could have been done with this theme, but hey, it was the 80's. It goes for the funny-scary feel, and is a fun horror-comedy when you're in the mood.

Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby is probably one of the funniest men I have ever watched. Now, I love stand-up, but so many of them think you have to be downright vulgar these days. They drop more curse words than a rapper manages on an entire CD half the time, and it always seems to revolve around sex. Some of that can be quite funny, but after the 5th - 15th - 50th time, its no longer amusing.

Here was a man who could be funny about a multitude of things, using very few curse words in my favorite routine, and carry it off with some dignity.



(This video is over an hour long, so make sure you've got time.)

In addition to his comedy, I love the fact that he sticks by his convictions. I love his emphasis on education and his support of jazz. People may not always agree with his opinions, but you have to respect the man and his accomplishments.

'Ships!

And not necessarily canon 'ships. (Don't you love how I'm stretching this topic?) Sometimes I like the pairings that show up in movies and shows, and sometimes I don't. My imagination lets me pair up my favorites though, so I'm grateful to be introduced to the characters. My favorite 'ships have crossed the board from completely canon, to partially canon, to only in fanon.

Beneath the cut, you'll find some of my favorites!

( Favorite Ships )

And I could go on, but anyway, I enjoy the chemistry and artistry between certain characters. I'd love to know who you like as well!

Gone with the Wind

During high school, a friend and I would spend our lunch break in our theater arts room. Our teacher had a television and VCR set up, so she and I would watch shows, fast forwarding during the commercials. (We would have to run to our next class in order to see the whole thing, but if you pull out commercials, most shows are 40-45 minutes long.)

One Friday we discussed a rather daunting plan. Neither of us had ever seen Gone with the Wind, and the length of the movie seemed a bit much. So she told me she would bring the tape on Monday (since her mother had it), and we would watch it in parts. It took us all 5 days (& running late a couple of times) to do it. It held us enthralled as only romantic teenage girls can be.

Of course it took a great deal of discussion to determine whether or not we like Scarlett (undecided), Rhett (yep!), Melanie (she was nice), Ashley (nope!), and so on. If I remember right, my friend's favorite character was Rhett while I adored Mammy, played by Hattie McDaniel. (We thought Scarlett was too full of herself even while we appreciated her determination & guts.)

Gone with the Wind has been given negative reviews by those who focus on its romanticizing of the Old South. However, it should be remembered that the story is told from Scarlett's point of view. A spoiled woman brought up in luxury and wealth would hold a more romantic view of the time before the War. For her, that way of life was right, everyone was happy, and why should she have wanted it to change? She would have paid no attention to the darker side of the life she lived.

(At least one branch of my family has been in Texas and the South back to the early 1800's, and I have a love/hate relationship with my heritage. I also have a love/hate relationship with the way the history of the South has always been portrayed. I'm starting to study it more in depth on my own instead of depending on what I learned at public high school.)

Overall though, the sweep and the grandeur of the movie, the hints of the tragic and traumatic events going on around Scarlett, the costumes, the cast, all of it makes for a grand epic.

Sappy Romantic Music



I am a hopeless romantic. This has always been one of my favorite songs. It really doesn't need much of a blurb from me, but I challenge anyone to dislike these beautiful voices. Even if the song is not your style, you have to admit that both of these singers have a wonderful ability.

Some of my other favorites:

We've Got Tonight
Up Where We Belong
She's Like the Wind
The Glory of Love
Right Here Waiting

And I could continue...like I said, hopeless romantic and sappy romantic songs.

JD Robb's "In Death" series

When I first discovered this series, I was so-so about reading it. I enjoyed the romance side of the author (Nora Roberts), but I wasn't sure about mysteries. I decided to give it a try, and I was hooked. There are 42 stories (including short stories in anthologies) in the series, and it has been a wonderful journey with these characters. The main characters are the same throughout the series, but you get to watch them develop and grow.

Eve Dallas - lead female - a detective in New York City, Eve has a narrow, hard view of life. A brutalized child, she was determined to become the person who put the monsters away. Guarded and suspicious, she only lets a couple of people close to her. In the first book, she meets a man who becomes a suspect who becomes her rock and catalyst for change.

Roarke - lead male - just the one name, he is richer than Midas and owns more of the planet than anyone else. He is a self-made man, dragging himself up from the back alleys of Ireland. A cheat and con-artist turned businessman, he never expected to find his other half in the guarded heart of a cop.

Not only are the two main characters a treat to watch as they try and fit their lives into some semblance of accord, but the supporting cast are fun, zany, emotional as well. There are side stories and secondary plot lines to follow as well as the main story for each book. While you could probably read any book at any time, I recommend reading them in order. Doing this lets you see the beginning of their relationships, and gives you the additional thrill of watching the development.

At turns dramatic, comedic, emotional and fun, the series should appeal to most romance readers even if you've never bothered with a mystery before.

Link for order of stories - HERE

WARNING - Eve is a homicide detective, so some of the cases may have triggers.

The Magnificent Seven

Like it was going to be anything else? Could there be anything more appropriate?

I should note I got involved in the Mag 7 fandom via fanfiction. Someone wrote a crossover and I enjoyed the interaction of the guys so much I had to go look them up. For a television series that only lasted two seasons, they certainly have an extraordinarily large fan-base. New stories come out weekly to further expound upon their adventures in the Wild West, and even more amazing, a plethora of alternate universes exist to delight fans. Now, what are my favorites?

( click to find out )

The Bugaloos

Okay, this aired before I was born, and so did the noted season(s) of reruns, so I have no idea how I ended up seeing any of it. Still, however I saw at least one episode, it managed to stay in my memory, so I figured I'd add it to the list.

The Bugaloos were made in the early 70's by Sid & Marty Kroft, and the flavor of the era is patently obvious in the show, from the harmony, to the costumes, to the guy dressed as a ladybug. There was also a male grasshopper, male bumblebee and female butterfly. It took the 1960's idea of flower power to an extreme.

What stuck in my mind the most however was the villain Benita Bizarre and her henchman Funky Rat. Benita Bizarre was played by comedienne Martha Raye and the Funky Rat was apparently a Nazi (German accent and the uniform gives it away).



The episode I remember had to do with Benita stealing the voice of the butterfly...whose name was Joy now that I've looked it up.

Fan Fiction

Okay, this might be stretching the definition of "media" a bit, but its my journal! I decided on fan fiction since it popped up as an ONTD topic - authors opinions of fanfiction.

To me, fan fiction is the ultimate form of flattery. It shows how much people enjoy your world, your characters...they want to know "what else?" "what next?" "how did happily ever after go?". I would think it impressive to know that someone enjoyed a creation so much that they wanted to know what happened before, after, or off the map.

Don't get me wrong, I understand some of the concerns. I think anyone who tries to make a profit off of another person's work should be prosecuted for theft. However, I don't see anything wrong with coming over and playing in their playground...fanfic authors want so badly for "just one more" that they have to make up their own. It's wonderful!

A benefit to fanfiction? I personally have discovered new fandoms through fanfiction. It led me to go buy the books or DVD's in order to experience the original work that had inspired such appreciation. I have also led people into new fandoms with MY writing. (I was thrilled when one of my reviewers admitted to buying the DVD's for the Magnificent Seven after reading a couple of my stories!)

Plus fanfiction keeps some fandoms alive long after the end of the book, the finish of the movie, the cancellation of the show. Some of my favorites would have been lost years ago, but fanfiction has kept them going strong.

Yes, sometimes characters are placed in situations, relationships, universes that were never intended, and completely against canon. *shrugs* If you don't like it, don't read it. Most authors are quite kind and give warnings to allow you to skip the story if it is not your cup of tea. (For example, I'm a gen girl (with an occasional dip into het)...I don't read slash/femslash. Thanks to the authors, I can skip those stories and go on to their gen work.)

I've always been the type of person who got to the end of the book/movie/show and said, "But then what happened?" Being introduced to fanfiction gave me the outlet to start exploring that answer. Suddenly I have all of space and time to explore...what an opportunity!

Thank you to the fanfic authors who keep the fandom verse alive and well!

North and South (Parts 1 & 2)



Most people fell in love with Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing and James Read in Remington Steele. Not me! My mom was glued to this miniseries when it first aired, and I watched with her. I thought these two men were so good-looking and romantic. This miniseries is what jump-started my interest in American history. I already loved Ancient history, but this drew my attention to a much more recent era.

The sheer breadth and scope of this series is breathtaking. Two families, one from Pennsylvania and one from South Carolina, are shown during the antebellum period up through the end of the War Between the States. It shows these two families interacting with each other and with the important figures of the era to tell the story of biggest, most tragic division ever faced by the United States. It is full of drama and romance.

This period of American history is such a vital, tragic, and pivotal time. Obviously no show, series, or book could possibly cover everything, but this series really attempts to show the basic history of the time - dramatized and sometimes over the top obviously, but still a better attempt than most.

The sets, locations, and costumes are fabulous! There is an apparent attempt to be as true as possible to the time. The show first aired in 1985, and included an all-star cast. Not only Swayze and Read, but Lesley-Anne Down, Kirstie Alley, Genie Francis, Jonathon Frakes, David Carradin, Morgan Fairchild, Jean Simmons, David Ogden Stiers, Forest Whitaker, Elizabeth Taylor, Lee Horsley, Jimmy Stewart, Linda Evans, Olivia DeHavilland, Hal Holbrook, Anthony Zerbe, Robert Guillaume, Johnny Cash, & Lloyd Bridges.

If you enjoy sweeping epics, dramatic storylines, and romance, then this series is for you.

The World at War

I am a history buff. I have always loved history - from the ancient civilizations to the 20th century. If there is a historical documentary, I'm willing to watch it. Granted, I occasionally end up making fun of it because the producer's bias is TOO obvious. (Don't get me wrong, we all have bias - we're human. However in some cases it is patently obvious that someone is pushing a particular point of view and ignoring solid scholarship for a contrary one...*rolls eyes*)

This particular documentary series (yay - more than one!) was made in the 70's, so it is missing some valuable information previously held behind the iron curtain of the Soviets, but it is still a remarkable collection. Broken down into various segments, it gives you a fabulous introduction into this pivotal time in world history. From "A New Germany" detailing Hitler's rise to power thru the attack on Poland in 1939 to "Genocide" an introduction into the horrors of the Holocaust, this series allows you a tantalizing glimpse of the complexity of the era.

Everyone should have to get at least this much education on World War II and the socio-cultural life surrounding it. So much of the world is now based on foundations created at that time...good and bad. Narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier, it is well worth your time. I don't usually post links to where you can buy it, but that is how strongly I would recommend this. (Of course, I point out I said it was an introduction...please consider further study!)

Amazon

Well, for #2 I decided to go with The Muppets.

Now, I loved the ORIGINAL Muppet movie, as well as the older television show...I don't even think I was in school yet when the original played, but I remember loving all the bright colors and music. They were fun and interesting...plus I loved Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. (Animal is too cool.)

Kermit - one of the only good frogs! I'm not a big reptile/amphibian person, but Kermit always had some of the best lines.

Miss Piggy - didn't always like her, but she was kickass when she wanted to be.

Waldorf and Statler - so mean, so funny!

The Swedish Chef - you seriously had to laugh

Animal - wild and crazy

Get to 4:36 on this video and watch it...as a little kid, this was MY band.



Cross-posted as LJ

For number 1, I have to start with a book. I've been reading since I was two, and books have been my power, my escape, and at times, my only friends outside of my family. So, the book I have read most often in my life...

The Lord of the Rings

I've probably read this book more than a dozen times, and I get something new out of it every time. Yes, I know it is sold as a trilogy, but it was written as a single book and should be read that way. This classic tale is relevant to every generation in its depiction of the never-ending battle between good and evil.

One of the best parts of the story? The heroes - despite all their power and valor, the true heroes are not taken from the races of Man, Elf, Dwarf, or Wizard. The simplest of folk, the Hobbits, provide the real heroes of the book. Without the Hobbits, none of the Great Acts of the book would have been possible, and Sauron would not have fallen.

Sauron is another great part of this book - he is the great evil behind all of the lesser evils. He is the most frightening type of evil...the insidious kind that you can never really face because he is like smoke. Even though he never really physically appears on the scene, he is on practically every page of the book. His evil infects the whole of Middle Earth, and there can be no chance of a victory for good until he is defeated. Once he is brought down, there are still battles to be fought and evil to be faced, but these are cleaning up actions...good has won, now it must solidify the victory by beating back the remnants of Sauron's poison.

JRR Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic, and as a fellow Catholic, I can see his faith seeping through the novel in many ways, but most assuredly in this aspect of good versus evil.

With its ongoing relevance for all peoples and all times, it is a safe bet that this book will always be a popular choice somewhere...anywhere people embrace the idea of the good and the free taking responsibility for protecting the weak and standing strong against evil.

{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

Well, I'm guessing I'm going to try this out...let's see if I can manage 100 things before losing track!

100 things from media that I have or do enjoy. (Media - movies, television, books, music...I'm giving myself as open a space as possible!)

Cross-posted on LJ