THE BEST OF 2012!!

Hello!!

Now that it's almost 2013,I decided to write my own list about the best of 2012, meaning what I watched and liked during this year.
I will focus on TV series and not films,because I didn't have the chance to go to the cinema very much lately; these are my personal opinions, so don't be surprised if I put series that are "older" than 2012..maybe I found out about them just this year!

Ok let's start!!

BEST COMEDY SERIES
"Parks and Recreation"

This beautiful show stole my heart and it's now among the best series I've ever watched. I love every minute of it, every character and I can't get enough of it..I'm very happy I found out about it this summer!!

BEST DRAMA SERIES
"Mad Men"

As with Parks and Recreation, I only found out about Mad Men last spring. I'm very glad I did, because this show is amazing and every single episode is like a short film. Its writing is great (one episode that impressed me very much is "The Suitcase", in season 4) and the actors are all equally very good, with a special mention to Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss.

BEST EPISODE IN A COMEDY SERIES
"Halloween Surprise", Parks and Recreation, 5x05
This was hard,but I tried to focus on episodes that actually aired this year. Among them I had to mention this one,which made me cry of joy (Ben and Leslie fans will understand me).

BEST EPISODE IN A DRAMA SERIES
"The Stable Boy", Once Upon A Time, 1x18
As you have probably understood, OUAT is one of my favourite shows at the moment,so I could not help but choose this beautiful episode that allows us to better know Regina and her past, thus making the reasons behind some of her choices clearer.

BEST MALE CHARACTER IN A COMEDY SERIES
"Abed Nadir", Community

I have to admit this was hard, so I want to mention those who came 2nd and 3rd: Ben Wyatt (Parks and Recreation) and Jack Donaghy (30 Rock).

BEST FEMALE CHARACTER IN A COMEDY SERIES
"Leslie Knope", Parks and Recreation

Speaking of hard, how about female characters??Liz Lemon (30 Rock) came very very close to the 1st position!

BEST MALE CHARACTER IN A DRAMA SERIES
"Matthew Crawley", Downton Abbey

 

How can you not fall in love with him?

BEST FEMALE CHARACTER IN A DRAMA SERIES
"The Evil Queen/Regina Mills", Once Upon A Time

As I previously said, I think Regina is the star of OUAT and I just love her :)

BEST OPENING THEME OF A COMEDY SERIES
"Community"

No matter what,every time I watch an episode of Community, the opening theme remains stuck in my head! And how cool cool cool  is when they change it according to the theme of the episode?
This was for the amazing Dungeons and Dragons episode:

 

A special mention to the opening theme of "HIMYM" which always makes me smile :)
How great was this for example?

BEST OPENING THEME OF A DRAMA SERIES
"Game of Thrones"

This opening is simply epic, no need for more words.
I would like to mention the opening theme of "The Walking Dead" because I find it perfect for the show.

It makes me anxious every time :)

BEST COUPLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
"Ben and Leslie", Parks and Recreation

I love them very very much!!! <3 <3

BEST COUPLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
"Matthew and Mary", Downton Abbey

As with the previous couple, I'm in love with them too <3

So, what do you think??
Do you agree with me? I'm curious to know what you would choose!!

Thank you for listening and stay tuned!

H.

LET'S TALK ABOUT ONCE UPON A TIME :)

Hello!!!
Here is another interesting article I found about Once Upon A Time (I know,I might be stressing you too much about this show..sorry!!): this time is from tvguide.com and you can read it entirely here.
They ranked some of the fairy tales characters that we could be seeing in the next episodes (or seasons) and they tried to find a possible and appropriate actor to play the part.
I think some choices are quite good,while some others are simply wrong :)

 

Taylor Kitsch as Tarzan:
I don't know the actor,but I've never been a fan of Tarzan himself,so I'm not that thrilled about this choice.
IT'S A NO.

 

Ashley Benson as Alice in Wonderland:
though I've never liked Alice in Wonderland's story,I quite like this choice. I'm loving Jefferson as a character and I like the presence of Cora too..so this could be interesting!
IT'S A YES!

John Noble as Merlin:
same as Alice, The Sword in the Stone is not among my favourite; however, the presence of another kind of magic could be interesting (I mean not that the magic is different in itself,but it's probably the idea).
IT'S A MAYBE.

 

Josh Holloway as Robin Hood:
ok, where do I have to sign?No seriously, this is a great idea!!I love both Robin Hood and Sawyer (oh Sawyer I miss you so much ),and this pair looks great!!
I'm just thinking about what they say in the comments, that Graham should have been Robin Hood but they had to change due to copyright issues..so this might even be impossible.
IT'S A YES!

Ashley Green as Dorothy:
as with Robin Hood,I like the Wizard of Oz world very much and Ashley Green is one of my favourite among the "Twilight people" (not that it's hard to choose her,given the fact that the others aren't nice). I'm a bit worried about the age though: I think she might be too old!!
What if Dorothy had grown up then?In that case it would be ok.
IT'S A MAYBE.

Laura Vandervoort as Tinkerbell:
I don't know the actress,so I can't say whether she's good or not. Anyway, Tinkerbell is a pretty interesting character and we already have Hook!!!
Personally I would prefer someone else, she doesn't seem perfectly right..maybe Elizabeth Olsen (just an idea)?

IT'S A MAYBE (FOR THE CHARACTER).

 

Seth Gabel as Peter Pan:
well, could we avoid Peter Pan now that we have Hook?No,of course!!! 
I have never seen Seth Gable acting, but he looks pretty right for the part..so I would be curious to see him playing it.
IT'S A YES!

Joanna Garcia-Swisher as Ariel:
I think it's just a matter of time before we meet the Little Mermaid, for this reason they may already have an actress for this part. I don't know Joanna Garcia-Swisher, but she looks gorgeous and right for the part. So I would be ok with that.
However when I saw the picture of Ariel another name popped into my mind:

what about Alexis Bledel? I know this may be hard to picture,but she is beautiful and she has this air of naivete which would be perfect for the part.
Either way,I would be happy.
IT'S A YES!

Naveen Andrews as Aladdin:
I would love to see Aladdin, I like him as a character very much. I loved Sayid (I loved Lost, let's say that),but I think he would be too old to play this part.
I know this may sound crazy but..what about Danni Pudi?

He's obviously very talented and has a great sense of humor; Aladdin is a funny character too and I think the pair would be awesome!
Plus,I think Danny Pudi is handsome too :)
IT'S A YES! (FOR THE CHARACTER)

 

Monica Raymund as Jasmine:
I would be very curious to see both Aladdin and Jasmine,but I don't think this actress would be ok. I mean she's gorgeous,but I don't see her as Jasmine.
IT'S A YES! (FOR THE CHARACTER)

So what do you think of this article?
Do you agree with their choices?Who would you suggest?
Let me know!!!

Thank you for listening and stay tuned!

H.

SMASH!

Hi everyone!! How was your Christmas?

Here is my present for you: as I previously told you, I started watching Smash and I have already finished it!!I loved it!!

I started watching it because I read it was about Broadway and given the fact that I love musical theatre I thought I could like it..and I was right!!

Smash is the story of a company creating a musical about Marilyn Monroe: everything starts with Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing), respectively a composer and a songwriter, having an idea for this new musical.
They quickly convince the director Derek (Jack Davenport) and the producer Eileen (Angelica Huston) to get on board and they start casting people for the parts.
It is clear from the beginning that the choice will be between Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee).

However, there's so much more than that in Smash.
First of all we can see how a musical is created, starting from the very beginning, understanding how everything works and how hard the world of theatre can be.
Every character is well portrayed and we can't help but liking them all, even those who are not protagonist (Dev, Michael, Nick, Frank, Leo and all the others).
Plus, the show does have some great guest stars, like Uma Thurman!

Personally I loved the fact that they created original songs for the show: apart from some known songs that sometimes we listen to, everything that is part of "Bombshell" (that's the title of the musical) is original.
Every song is just amazing!
My favourites are "Let Me Be Your Star" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", here are the videos.

Let Me Be Your Star

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

The two leading ladies are both amazing, Megan Hilty is perfect in her portrayal of Marilyn and Katharine McPhee has an amazing voice!Her rendition of "Shake it out" was just great!
I also loved Ivy&Karen's duet on "Cheers (drink to that)"

Cheers (drink to that)

 

Smash doesn't stop surprising you, for example when they had a great Bolliwood moment!!

Here are some pictures from the show:

                                                Karen

 

Ivy

 

 

                                         Tom and Julia

                                                                          Derek

                                                                       Eileen

                                                              
                                          Michael (Ok, I just love him!!)

 

                                                          Dev (Karen's boyfriend)

                                                     Karen and Ivy as Marilyn

 

                                                                         The Cast

If you love musical theatre as I do I'm sure you'll love this show!
Now we just have to wait until season 2 comes out..I can't wait!

Also,I would love "Bombshell" to become a real musical and to be staged on Broadway!

So, do you like Smash? Are you team Ivy or team Karen?
I honestly can't say:I guess I was team Karen at first,but then something changed in me..I might be team Ivy :)

Thank you for listening and staty tuned!

H.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

H.

NEWS ABOUT ONCE UPON A TIME!

Hello!!
I just found this article on tvguide.com and I thought I'd share it with you!
It's about Once Upon A Time: the two producers Horowitz and Kitsis were asked a few questions and they could answer only "Yes", "No", or "Can't answer".
There are some interesting things in here!

Take a look (I underlined just the part of the article with their answers, but you can read it entirely here ) and if you like read my comments in brackets too :)

Was Cora (Barbara Hershey) always this evil?
Adam Horowitz: No.

Will Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) find any allies in Storybrooke?
Edward Kitsis: Yes. (I wonder who that will be!!!)

Will Hook try to take out his anger with Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) on Belle (Emilie De Ravin)?
Horowitz: Maybe.
Kitsis: Sounds like a good plan. (This would be interesting)

Will Neal (Michael Raymond-James) make his way to Storybrooke this season?
Kitsis and Horowitz: Yes. (Yes!!)

Will we see more of Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Aurora's (Sarah Bolger) quest to free Phillip (Julian Morris) soon?
Kitsis: Maybe.
Horowitz: You will see Phillip again. (Not liking this)

Will more outsiders come across Storybrooke now that the spell has been broken?
Kitsis and Horowitz: Maybe!

Will anyone be able to successfully leave Storybrooke?
Kitsis and Horowitz: Maybe! (I hope this is Henry ahah)

After everything that's happened to her, will Belle seek help from Dr. Hopper (Raphael Sbarge)?
Kitsis: Yes... oddly. Actually, Dr. Hopper will seek help from her.
Is there a special significance to the golden chalice that Rumplestiltskin replaced with the chipped cup?
Horowitz: How he got that chalice is perhaps a story for another time, but the significance is his prized possession is being replaced by another prized possession, which is the chipped cup. (Did I miss something?)

Will we learn more about the fairy tale book this season?
Kitsis: Maybe.

Will we see more of Wonderland, specifically Alice, this season?
Horowitz: We'll give you a straight-up no. (Luckily)
 
Is Henry a fairy tale character?
Horowitz and Kitsis: No.

Will we see Peter Pan this season?
Kitsis: No. (Too bad!!I was hoping for that)

Will we see August (Eion Bailey) return to Storybrooke before the end of Season 2?
Kitsis: Maybe. We hope so. (Yes please!!)

Will Emma (Jennifer Morrison) get more bonding time with her dad, Prince Charming (Josh Dallas)?
Horowitz: Yes. (Boring)

Will Regina (Lana Parrilla) find love?
Horowitz: She'll be looking. (I truly hope so for her!!)

Will we see more of Regina's evil side?
Horowitz: Maybe. (That would be great)

Will there be another flashback into Emma's past?
Kitsis: Maybe, you never know. (Curious)

So what do you think?Are you curious to see Once Upon A Time's new episodes? I am!! :)

This is all for today!!Thanks for listening and stay tuned.

H.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

Hello!!
As everyone knows Christmas is approaching fast: lights everywhere, people buying presents, grandmothers preparing amazing food and a festive atmosphere surrounds everything.
If there is something I love about Christmas it's the songs!!
I would listen to those beautiful songs during the entire year,but I would seem crazy..so I have to take advantage of these days!!
Christmas songs make me super happy and full of joy..they make me want to smile and embrace everyone :)

So here is a selection of my favourite ones..feel free to give me suggestions!!
I know there are many versions of each song,I'm just putting the ones I like the most..

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, sung by Michael Bublé ;

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, sung by Frank Sinatra ;

Winter Wonderland, sung by Tony Bennet ;

Santa Claus is coming to town, sung by Andrea Bocelli ;

Let it snow, sung by Dean Martin ;

Silent Night, sung by Micheal Bublè ;

All I want for Christmas is you, sung by Mariah Carey ;

Last Christmas, sung by Wham!

Ok, here are just some..I might add others in the next days!!
Did you like them?What are your favourite?

Thank you for listening and stay tuned!
H.

TV COMMERCIALS + A BIT OF 30 ROCK (WHAT, AGAIN??YES)

Hello!!!

So it seems that 30 Rock is wrapping up production in these days..and I read that today they will be shooting at JFK airport!!What does that mean??I'm curious!
Also, Julianne Moore is supposed to take part in the finale...I'm not sure what I think of that.
Please 10th of January arrive soon :)

Today I just wanted to show you two nice perfume commercials I saw on TV.
I don't usually like them, because they all seem to be about naked women (sorry, but it's kinda true!), but I found these two to be very cute and well made.

The first one is literally a short film, called "L'invitation au Voyage" and the perfume is Louis Vuitton's.
It's a misterious commercial, it wants to tell a story and everyone can read whatever he or she prefers in it.
I personally think the girl is looking for something (that is supposed to be in the suitcase) and at the same she is escaping from the guy who is following her (maybe he's after the same thing she is).
In the end she succeds, but we don't know what the letter says: was that really what she wanted to find? 
But apart from the actual meaning, I find the location amazing!Oh Paris,how beautiful are you?The colours, the streets, the Louvre..it's all very enchanting.

 

The second one is less misterious and more Christmassy (if that's a word): it's called "La Petite Robe Noire" and it's Guerlain's.
I think this one is super cute and funny!It is actually the Christmas version of another commercial of the same brand that runs during the year.
Given the fact that the protagonist is the "petite robe noire", this time she is walking around Paris (again!) and then skating on ice while receiving very high scores :)
How lovely is it?And I love the song!

Here is the usual version of the commercial: classy as the previous one!
As you can see she is not skating, but she is having fun anyway on the Arc de Triomphe :)

To me the little black dress is always fascinating, maybe because my favourite film of all time is Breakfast at Tiffany's :)

What do you think? Did you like them?

Ok that is all for today!
Thank you for listening and stay tuned!!

H.