MUSIC!

Hello everybody!!
Today I feel happier than usual, so I'm going to leave you with a nice song that makes me ... happy!!

 

 

It's "Top of the World" , by The Carpenters (1972).

Do you like it? Which songs make you happy?

H.

 

THE NAME IS BOND, JAMES BOND!

Hello everyone!!!

Today I'm going to write a post about music and cinema.

I was watching a 007 movie yesterday night, "Casino Royale" and I remembered that in less than 2 weeks the new one, "Skyfall" , will be released.
I'm not a huge fan of 007 movies, I've seen some of them but I wouldn't say I'm an expert. However, I do love the soundtracks of these movies, in particular the theme songs.
So I've decided to make a list of those songs I like the most, hoping that you'll suggest me those that I forgot.

Ok then, let's start!!!
I'm sure that if you think of 007, this is the first song that pops into your mind:

"Goldfinger" , performed by Shirley Bassey for the 1964 movie.
She performed also "Diamonds are forever" and "Moonraker", for the 1971 and 1979 movies.

One of my favourite is "You only live twice" , performed by Nancy Sinatra for the 1967 movie. I find it very classy!

Another interesting song is "Live and let die" , performed by Paul McCartney &Wings for the 1973 movie. I think it has a very powerful music that stays in your mind for a long time!

"Nobody does it better" , performed by Carly Simon for the 1977 movie, "The Spy who Loved me". An amazingly sweet song and a great artist. Love it!

 

Among the other Bond songs there are "Die another day" (Madonna, 2002), "A view to a kill" (Duran Duran, 1985), "Golden Eye" (Tina Turner, 1995), "For your eyes only" (Sheena Easton, 1981).

Recently the new 007 song, "Skyfall" has been released. It's performed by Adele and it will be the opening theme for the new movie, "Skyfall".
I like this song and I love Adele's voice,I think it's a perfect mix!

 

 Finally, I think everyone agrees that THE James Bond theme can't be anything else but this:

So what do you think?Which one of these songs you like the most?Do you like James Bond movies at all?
I'm curious to know what you think!!

Thank you for listening and stay tuned!

H.

 

MUSICAL THEATRE: LES MISERABLES!

Hello!

Today I'd like to introduce you to one of my favourite sections of this blog: musical theatre.
I love musical theatre and everytime I have the chance I go to the theatre to see a new musical.

Unfortunately I haven't seen Les Miserables yet, but the fact that a movie will be released in December is making me realize I have to go and watch the musical first!!
So here's the official trailer for the movie, which is supposed to be in theathers on December 14th.
The director is Tom Hooper (the same of The King's Speech), and among the actors there are Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried.

I'm really excited about this movie and I can't wait to watch it!!

What do you think? Have you ever seen "Les Miserables"?

H.

TRAVELLING: NEW YORK CITY

Good morning!!

Here is another section of my blog I'd like to create,I thought of calling it "Travelling in the alternative reality".
I mean to put under this label everything about travelling,but in a way that is related to TV shows too (or films or books, of course).

For example, today I'd like to talk about a city where I've never been, but that's on my list of dream places where to go: New York city.
As you all know, NY has been and still is the set for many TV shows and thus a dream place for TV lovers.
Among them I remember Friends, Sex and the City and more recently How I Met Your Mother.

Although I know that the main part of these shows has been filmed in studios, there are some scenes which show the city and its famous places.
Sex and the City in particular is known for having many of its scenes filmed in real streets and pubs of NY, because the city was like a "real character" to the writers and they didn't want to leave it out (at a certain point along the seasons they started to film more and more in studios, but then they luckily changed their mind).
Another show which is based in New York is also Mad Men,although in this case we're talking about New York city in the 60s.

Then of course I have to mention one of my favourite movies, Breakfast at Tiffany's with the lovely Audrey Hepburn, which is entirely based in NY.

Here are some pictures, have you ever been to these places?

Friends' apartment

 

Carrie's house

 

Nice map with some Mad Men places

 

 

Tiffany's

 

Holly and Paul in New York

 

 
Have you ever been to New York? Do you have other places to suggest?Did I forget some series?
I'm going to update the post with all the new images I can find, so keep looking!

That's all for today,thank you for listening and stay tuned!!

H.

ALTERNATIVE REALITY: RANDOM THOUGHTS

Hello!!

Today I would like to introduce you to a new section of my blog, which I decided to call "Alternative Reality: Random Thoughts".
Basically I will put under this title everything that I write which is related to what I think of the "alternative reality", in a word the fictitious world I created for myself :)
This world is that place where I think I am every time I watch a TV show I like and I totally feel what the characters are feeling, or when I'm watching a movie, reading a book and I forget about my real life and my real self.
I can be whoever I want to be, wherever I want to be and with whom I want..nice right?

Of course this whole idea of an alternative reality also has negative aspects (well maybe just one): when you stop watching TV, finish a movie or a book, you realize that your life SUCKS :(

For example, how about the great love stories they have on TV? It can be stupid to say, but I completely share the characters's feeling, I can feel their emotions, their love..and I'm happy for them!
When a couple finally gets together it's all happiness and joy, and when a couple breaks up I feel sad..then I can't stop watching because I want to know what's going to happen!
Should I be concerned? I mean, I obviously don't have that happiness in my real life, but I feel fine in "experiencing" theirs..I don't know whether this means my life isn't good enough, or just that I can be really involved in a TV show..

What do you think? Is it weird?
Sometimes I feel people don't really understand why I care so much about TV series, they think I should try to make my life better if I really envy that of fictional characters..but isn't it just great to forget about everything and feel fine for one hour or more?

Weren't you incredibly happy when Luke and Lorelai finally kissed? Didn't you cry when Rachel got off the plane? Aren't you waiting for Nick and Jess to get together? How about Matthew and Mary? Wouldn't you like to be Leslie just to be with Ben?

I think I'm just an hopeless romantic <3

Waiting for your thoughts about this "alternative reality" :)
Thank you for listening and stay tuned!

H.

HERE ARE THE SHOWS!

Good morning!!!

As promised, here's the list of the TV shows I like and whose images I put in my fourth post.
Some of them came to an end some years ago, so I will put a "X" next to them :)

1) Episodes

2)Life Unexpected (X)

3) Don't trust the b... in Apartment 23

4)Gilmore Girls (X)

5)Parks and Recreation

6)Bones

7)Downton Abbey

8)Friends  (X)

9)Game of Thrones

10)Glee

11)Grey’s Anatomy

12)How I Met Your Mother

13)New Girl

14)Mad Men

15)Modern Family

16)Once Upon A Time

17)Bunheads

18)Pretty Little Liars

19)Lost  (X)

20)Dawson’s Creek  (X)

 

I'm sure there are a lot of good TV shows I left out and I will soon make a list of those that I'd like to watch but I still haven't had time to. Please feel free to make any suggestion you want!!

Have a nice day!

Thank you for listening and stay tuned :)

H.

FUNNY DOWNTON!

Good Morning!!

Here's a nice video I found on You Tube: it's a little exchange between Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton, who play the Dowager Countess of Grantham and Mrs. Crawley in Downton Abbey.
I hope all of you have seen the first 2 seasons of this incredible show, but if not, this video could help you decide to finally watch it!

Have a nice day

H.

ps.I haven't forgotten to give you the names of the shows in my previous post, but I'll wait until tonight to give you more time! :)

SHOWS I LIKE!

Hello!

Tonight I will leave you just a series of images of TV shows I like, present and past, which will probably be the subject of many following posts: try and guess some of them! I've mixed them, so they are in no particular order..

I'd like to know what you think of my choices!
Do you agree with me?Did I leave some shows out?

I will post the titles tomorrow night, in the meantime have fun with this "game"!!

 

H.

AN INNOVATIVE SERIES: ONCE UPON A TIME!

Good afternoon!!

Today I will talk about a series that I really like and whose second season started on Sunday the 30th of September in America.
I'm referring to Once Upon A Time, a show created by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, which premiered in 2011. 
Many people indicated it as a possible "Lost heir": not only its creators are related to Lost,but the show itself is also very similar to it in many ways.

First of all the characters: in both shows there is such a big group of characters that we could use the term "choral cast" .
In Lost we have a group of people on an island (they were on a plane which crashed ), while in Once Upon A Time we have the citizens of Storybrooke, a fictitious city in Maine.
While on the "island" we meet many other people, those who already live there and those who "arrive" later; in Storybrooke we basically discover a new character/citizen every week.

Lost

 

Once Upon A Time

The second element in common between Lost and Once Upon A Time is the presence of the supernatural: we know very well what this means in Lost (unresolved questions, problems,discussions and doubts,doubts sooo many doubts), while in Once it is "quite" simple.
To use a limited amount of words we could say that "those who live in Storybrooke are fairytale characters,sent there by the Evil Queen,who decided to cast a spell on them all. This means that nobody remembers who he/she really is". Clear,isn't it?

Then, another thing which I found typical of both shows and that really confounds me is the fact that you can't trust anyone. One episode you think you understood who's "bad" and who's "good", but the next episode you have to change your mind and reconsider everything. Of course I can't tell you more about this,because it would mean to give too much away for those who have not seen the show yet,but for example you should know that my favourite character of Once Upon A Time is the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla).

Finally, I would like to spend a few words on Emma (Jennifer Morrison): she is supposed to be the daughter of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), who sent her away from the fairytale land in order to save her and give her a better life. After 28 years Emma is brought back to Storybrooke by her son Henry (Jared Gilmore), a son that she gave up for adoption, where she is meant to break "the course" and restore the order.

Emma is completely different from all the other characters, she is "the voice of reason". She refuses to believe that the story of the course is real,that all those people are actually fairytale characters and she always tries to analyse things from an intellectual perspective.
She is very practical and strong (she becomes, in fact, the sherif of the town) and I think she is supposed to represent our attitude, the spectators' attitute towards the show.
At first, we all thought this idea whas quite weird, childish, not good enough for a show. I mean, who could watch a show about fairytales? The Evil Queen, Snow White, Prince Charming..is this a children show? And this is probably what Emma thinks too, she can't really believe, she refuses to believe.


But then something happens,both us and Emma start to listen more carefully, to watch more carefully and we think that,maybe, we could believe.

I won't tell you how season one ended, but I will suggest you to watch it if you haven't, and to follow season two if you are good fans like me :)
We all need to believe, and Once Upon A Time is teaching us this.

What do you think? Do you like Once Upon A Time? Which one is your favourite character?

Ok it's all for today,thank you for listening and stay tuned! :)

H.

MAD MEN: DON DRAPER

Good morning!

I’ve been thinking a lot about the subject of my first “official” post, I wanted to find the perfect TV show to talk about. Then I realized that there are so many shows I like, that I’m following now or that I’ve followed in the past, so I just decided to start with the first thing that came to my mind.

In these past months I’ve been watching non-stop Mad Men, a beautiful show that I had never considered before, since when a friend of mine introduced me to it.

Mad Men is an American TV show created by Matthew Weiner and first presented to the public in 2007. Since then, 5 series have been produced and had a great success (the show won several Emmys during the years).
 

 

There would be so much to say about Mad Men: it is about advertising in the 60s and tells the story of a group of ad men, better known as “Mad men” (Mad is the abbreviation of Madison Avenue, the iconic street in New York where the best advertising agencies had their offices). In the first episode we immediately have this explanation, and we also find out that the men themselves coined this term. Very much in Mad Men is about creativity, is about how to interest the public and make it buy products. It is a very modern topic, if we think that even today the main part of advertising is “to create a need” in people. If you feel that you need something, you are very likely to buy it (even though you don’t really need it). Advertising creates this need and Mad Men is very good in showing us how this works (What about the problem of smoking? In the first episode we are told that some medical researches show that smoking kills. Then the main problem for the Mad people is to find a new way to convince the public to buy cigarettes again).

But Mad Men is not just this. As I said, there is so much to talk about, that one single post is not enough. Plus, I don't want to give too many spoilers to those who have not seen the show yet. So for today I'm going to focus on one character only; there will be time to discuss the show in details, but I will announce it with a "spoiler alert" :)

The main character of the show is, without a doubt, Don Draper (Jon Hamm).

 

Important member of the Sterling and Cooper company, he started out as a simple creative (a copy- writer) and now he’s become the guy who says yes/no to projects. At the beginning of season one Don is married to Betty (January Jones) and has two children, Sally (Kiernan Shipka) and Bobby (played by different children during the seasons) . They live in a nice house in the suburbs and, while Betty stays home (as the perfect wife), Don goes everyday to Manhattan where his job is.

What seems to be the “perfect” American family is actually just a mask. Don is not faithful to Betty, he has several lovers around the city and he doesn’t seem to regret his behaviour. Betty doesn’t know about her husband's infidelity (or at least she seems not to know) and Don can live this double life without any problem.

It doesn’t matter how hard we try to justify him, Don Draper is not a good man.
He is unfaithful and doesn’t seem to care that much about his family; plus, he is not even very thoughtful with his lovers. 
But, and here's the contradiction, we can’t help loving him.
He just has something that attracts us to him and makes us think “oh well, it’s Don”. This is something that has “shocked” me from the very beginning: why do I like a character like that? What does he have to make me forgive him for what he does?
Well, left aside the fact that he’s a very handsome man (thank you Jon Hamm!), I guess that what is interesting in him is his psychology.
Don is a very complex man and we can’t say we know him well, even after five seasons. He has a difficult past, a story we are told along the seasons and that is supposed, in a way, to justify his behaviour.
Moreover, he’s very good at his job and gains a lot of respect for what he does.
But I think that for me, what makes me like him is his "unexpected heart”: sometimes, during the episodes, he is able to say something, do something very kind and thoughtful to someone, that you just want to hug him.
I’m thinking of the kindness he sometimes shows to his children, or the bond he establishes with Peggy (Elisabeth Moss), or the pure love he feels for Anna (Melinda Page Hamilton).

Don seems to be far away from us, he seems to live in a world of his own where we are not invited but sometimes, through these actions, he reminds us that he’s a man, like all of us, and that he has feelings.

What do you think? Do you watch Mad Men? Do you like Don Draper?

Ok it's all for today, thank you for listening and stay tuned :)

H.