Josiah Leming is a Sour Grape

NOT!!!

These media people are starting to piss me off. They'll do anything to generate more traffic and buzz, normally at the expense of some unknowing celebrity who's just decided to be honest.

Take this crap for instance:

Click here to read the People Watch magazine article, titled "Idol Contestant Josiah Leming Calls Show ‘Glorified Karaoke’"

If you read the article, the words "sour grape", "ungrateful", and "arrogant" will come to mind. The article reeks of controversy.

Now, read the full MTV article, where People watch magazine got its source:
Click here for the full MTV article.

Doesn't it all come into better perspective in the full article? Josiah Leming on the full article is merely voicing out what he feels. Yes, he says "It's like glorified karaoke." But he also says, "I did it and it was great. I love those people there. They were great to me, and it gave me a great kick-start to my career." True, he still gave American Idol some lip. But hey, isn't there some truth in it?

The kid's got an attitude, but it's not so bad and it definitely isn't sour graping. "There's something in me — call it ambition, call it arrogance, call it cockiness, it doesn't bother me because it's necessary to my music."

It just reminds me of Jason Castro's "controversy" regarding the balloons, where the media put the dreadhead in an ugly light, implying that he didn't appreciate the gift. Seriously, after all the weeks we've come to know him through his video clips, and interviews, do you really think that's true?

Bottom line: take everything you read with a grain of salt. Because these articles are a whole load of bull crap coated with an intelligent choice of intriguing vocabulary.

Twilight Movie -- 7 months away!!! Thoughts on the cast, Gaspard Ulliel, etc.

The movie version of Twilight is going to hit the silver screen by December, 2008! I started reading Twilight only a few months ago, thanks to a friend of mine who raved about it profusely. I must say that after reading the first two books, I am quite impressed.

What I like most about the Twilight series is the way Stephenie portrayed the characters. While the vampire and werewolf theme have been used extensively, she was able to explore a different way of looking at these two mythological creatures, setting aside the cliches of garlic, dying from sunlight, and turning during the full moon. If it makes any sense, the writer was able to put some human qualities to the vampire and werewolf making them a lot more interesting and meaningful.

Stephenie Meyer's writing isn't detailed, like most novels are, leaving a lot to the reader's imagination -- a trait of hers that can be both her bane and boon. I still cannot discern which one outweighs the other. Regardless though, once I start reading a Twilight book, I can't stop!

Of course when the cast for the movie was announced, I had my own images of the characters in my head, that I hoped would be perfectly like the cast. These are my comments about the cast:

Edward Cullen -- Robert Pattinson (8/10)
After looking at a movie poster of him as Edward Cullen, I started liking the idea of him portraying the golden-haired god. Physically speaking, he is quite attractive and his face structure is vampire-ish in a way. However, if I was given the chance to choose, I would have gone for the French cutie, Gaspard Ulliel.

Why? Check out these two images I saw in www.gaspardulliel.net and I think you'll get my point:





He just has this certain vampire quality to him that I see lacking in Robert Pattinson (as of this moment - I am open to learning to love Pattinson). For the non-Twilight readers, Edward Cullen happens to be a pianist, so this was just another hint that he should have been chosen for the role.

Isabella Swann -- Kristen Stewart (10/10)
Perfect. I can't imagine anyone else being a better candidate. She has that pale face going on, that air of mystery, and that sense that she's fragile.

Jacob Black -- Taylor Lautner (7/10)
I love Taylor Lautner per se. I loved his acting in Shark Boy actually. The only reason I prefer Steven Strait over him is that I am completely in love with Jacob Black, and having a 16-year-old play him rather than a 22 year old (Steven Strait could have been so perfect!!!) is just disheartening for me, for selfish reasons. Minus that fact, I give Taylor a 10/10

Peter Facinelli -- Carlisle Cullen (8/10)
Would have wanted him even more handsome, but I guess he'll do.

Nikki Reed -- Rosalie Hale (6/10)
Rosalie in the book is portrayed as the most beautiful woman in Forks, and Nikki Reed isn't living up to that just yet.

Jackson Rathbone -- Jasper Hale (9/10)
Thank you! I love Jasper so I'm glad they got a good-looking guy for him.

Elizabeth Reaser -- Esme Cullen (6/10)
Not motherly looking enough, as my friend pointed out

Ashley Greene -- Alice Cullen (8.5/10)
Had some doubts, but after seeing this in google images:



I can see her being Alice!

Kellan Lutz -- Emmett Cullen (10/10)
Perfect!

Oguri Shun now dating Yamada Yu!

Ladies, some disheartening news. Oguri Shun is now currently dating 23-year old actress/model Yamada Yu. I just heard this last week from my host sister in Japan, who always keeps me up to date with the latest Shun and Toma news! Thanks Saori chan!

Yamada Yu's a very pretty girl and thinks Oguri Shun is Sugoi Suteki, which just means she is absolutely smitten by him.

Here's Yamada Yu:



Got this picture from Google.

They make a very good-looking couple, ne? ^_^

The Magical Songs of Sondre Lerche

If you're looking for something new to listen to, something fresh, something that reminds you of pots of gold at the end of rainbows, eating ice cream on a summer day, calm ocean breezes, and everything else beautiful and warm and magical, then you might consider Sondre Lerche

Sondre Lerche is a talented singer hailing from Bergen, Norway who is really in a league of his own. His songs are a mix of Brit Pop, Electronic, Funk, and something that is so hard to describe that you can only classify it as being "Sondre Lerche". The tunes are somehow just a baby step away from being off-key but they work fantastically and that is perhaps the phenomenon that lends the most charm and uniqueness to his songs.

Lyrics-wise, he has gotten a few criticisms, but personally, his lyrics are just as quirky as his songs (like "We can't reclaim the shirts we threw away last twirl
Uncurl the note-in-pocket, personal brochures that dust Machine-washed, that's how paper rusts" of Two Way Monologue) and just gives them even more personality. He has also made a few very poignant lyrics. Some that come up to my mind vividly are songs of a past, of love lost, and of regrets. "Stupid Memory" goes like this:

All alone in pink
All the carpets fade to grey
Amplifiers burst out the deal that I have made
What's there to say I cannot say by myself?

Thinking about writing it down seems pretentious
And helplessness may be the word they nail to my name
In a while

Stupid memory
Must you bring up these things?
Stupid memory
Can I forget all of that?
All of that crap

And "Days that Are Over":

Days that are over
Will not continue to last
If you try to construct the past

I leave the heat on to leave a trace
of all the things the air was filled with

All the things I never knew and all the words I know
Now they all come out too late for you to realize
Satisfy my luck
This director's cut
doesn't spare an inch


Whether you're listening to the calm, pondering, almost-melancholic song that is "Minor Detail", thinking about what-if's in "Stupid Memory", or you're grooving to "Airport Taxi Reception", or bopping your head along with "Two Way Monologue", your ears are sure to have one great musical ride.

Ratatouille Take 2!

So I was never 100% satisfied with my first attempts at making ratatouille, because it didn't look exactly like the scrumptious dish Remy served Ego in the show. After watching this delicious movie five times, it finally hit me what I needed to do to make the dish mimic the movie's more - pureed tomato-yellow peppers!

I noticed that when Remy was preparing the dish, I saw a plate of tomatoes, zucchinis and yellow peppers. But, when they popped the veggies in the oven, I noticed only the tomatoes and zucchinis. Which lead me to believe that the yellow peppers may have been involved in the thick, creamy-like sauce that lined the bottom of the dish like a lovely painting.

I don't know if this was what the creators of the Ratatouille movie had in mind, but I know one thing -- the pureed yellow peppers really gives the dish added flavor, texture and character! What I did was to sautee these colorful peppers with some garlic, onions, a couple of cherry tomatoes, and a heaping full of extra virgin olive oil. After the yellow peppers got very soft (almost to the point of getting brown), I took them out of the pan and pureed it. The result was this creamy, bright yellow-orange mouth-watering goodness.

Then I followed with the rest of the recipe as I had before - cooking, the zucchini and tomatoes in EVOO, some more garlic, and the majority of the onion rings. (In the movie, they baked these veggies, but I was too lazy to get the oven out). Once they got soft enough and coated in the oil mixture, I proceeded to plate it similar to the show's.

This is the result:



It doesn't look perfect, but I was extremely proud of the result :)

I am officially in love with Iron Man

Count me as one of the many who were skeptical about the controversial actor's success in playing the dashing billionaire genius that is Tony Stark. Robert Downy was never one of my favorite actors, never an actor I despised either. I was always lukewarm about him, although I recognized his talent and uniqueness in "Hearts and Souls". Perhaps it was his past battle with drugs and rehab that swayed that emotion.

All lukewarm feelings are now gone, however, with the box office hit that is Iron Man. I've always been ignorant of the Iron Man's past. I knew only that Tony Stark was a billionaire who decided to create a near invincible robot to help mankind. That was it. Iron Man was never one of the popular favorites. Spiderman, Superman, and Batman always seemed to be the obvious choice for the "favorite superhero" category.

This is why I was so pleased with the movie. I got a glimpse of who Tony Stark really was - A debonair genius with a reckless tendency who made a complete metanoia when he realized just what his weapons were doing to the world. After a near-death experience, which lost him his physical heart, he ironically, but befittingly gained a heart (in the more meaningful sense), while still retaining his charming, over the edge personality. Much of the movie focuses on how the Iron Man we have come to know of (The yellow and red robot suit) was created, and the visual effects were so mouthwatering that there was no dull moment, even as he spent a considerable time on his lab tinkering away.

And then there was the chemistry between Pepper and Tony - which is, hands down, the only pairing I have ever appreciated in these marvel superhero-type movies. The attraction between the two is undeniable, but what is more enthralling is their need for each other - how one is pretty much the only person in the other's life. It is such an overwhelming emotion that was thankfully not downplayed by the cool action sequences. The magic that was created by combining the kick-ass with the poignant is what truly made this movie an enjoyable one, a magic that could not have been created without Robert Downey's infinitesimal talent.

I will be suffering very much as I anxiously wait for the second installment!