1st Official Meeting for Les Mis

Okay, so the first official meeting for this year's musical, Les Miserables, took place yesterday. There, the director of the musical gave us the usual stuff about it being a huge commitment, you'll have to have very few conflicts in your schedule in order to participate, yada yada yada. But just to hear about it -- and that the director was excited about it -- was enough to satisfy me until the auditions, which take place a month from now . . . . .  Yeah, Right.
Les Mis is all I'll be thinking about, as I'm currently obsessed with getting a lead role (as discussed in the last post). I believe I have a pretty good shot at it, but only time, and the director's mood on that particular day, will tell. *crosses fingers*
We got a huge packet of information about the plot (which I know already by heart) and the various characters (ditto), but it was nice to have some solid information in my hands. Also included in the packet were the parts that we'll sing for the auditions. All the girls will sing a couple of lines from the Epilogue, and then those trying for a lead will sing the 2nd half of "I Dreamed A Dream." The latter part of that sentence is absolutely fabulous, as it's Fantine's solo -- made even more famous by the Susan Boyle Incident -- and I, well . . . I rock at it. As long as I can hold out the ". . . shame" measure, then I'll be A-Ok, as most of the girls who are trying out don't have the passion for it all that I do. Here's hoping. *double crosses fingers*

I leave you today with Lea Salonga in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables (filmed at the O2 arena in London), singing, "I Dreamed A Dream."

December Already

How has it gotten to be so late? The last post was from September, and now all of a sudden, it's almost 2 months later! I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that school keeps me busy, I had to study for the PSATs, practice and then perform at Area All State, ditto for Select Choir, etc. There were also 2 deaths within 3 days back in October . . . one in my extended family, and one in my immediate. My life has turned upside down, and everything is weirdly different, yet the same now. I'll let y'all know how it feels when the fact that the 2 most powerful women in my family died finally feels real.

Anyway, it's high time I get back to this blog, so here I am, dusting it off. *dust dust*

And as the school musical season sets in, I intend to chronicle my adventures, first toward procuring a (lead) part, and then in practice, and finally the show itself. Since the musical this year is Les Miserables, and it was my mother's favorite musical -- and my 2nd favorite, after Phantom, of course -- and since I'm a junior and had a supporting role last year, I hope to get a lead. Fantine would be my 1st choice, Eponine my 2nd, and Cosette my 3rd. But then again, I'll take what I can get. *laughs*

Speaking of Phantom, it's been announced that the next production of Love Never Dies will be opening in the spring in Australia, so if any of y'all come from the land down under, look forward to it. As for the Broadway production . . . it's been postponed indefinitely, probably due to the stupid Canadian anti-fan group, LSD (they're so disgusting I won't even deign to write out their full name). Find them on Facebook if you want to, because I don't want to waste my precious time wrting about those losers.

In short, I'm Back in Business (private joke, heheh), and raring to begin preparing for Les Miz auditions, which aren't until January. *ugh* But at least there's Christmas -- no matter how weird it'll be this year -- to look forward to. I leave you with a quote that my Task 4 English essay was based on:

"Curiosity is the basis for education, and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only that the cat died nobly."  -- Arnold Edinborough

"My Name is Memory" (A Book Review)

Book: My Name Is Memory            Author: Ann Brashares
Pages: 336                                  Chapters: Not Numbered


Inside Cover Book Blurb:

"Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together."

Ack! Why Is My Computer Like This?!

So for a few weeks I've been trying to upload the (exclusive) videos, to no avail. I've sometimes started uploading them at 1 in the afternoon, letting it run until 8 or 9 at night (!!), but everything I do eventually results in a little pop-up window saying: "There was an error uploading your video," or something similiar. I'm fed up and tired of it, and really sad, because there's no way I'm going to put these videos on Youtube. (They're not bad or anything {this week's was going to be a tour of the Club Level floor of the Naperville Hilton, for Pete's sake}, but in them I'm especially happy and giddy, which translates to idiotic. ^-^; )

An Excuse and a Book Review (A House Afire)

Remember how I said I might be going away for a bit? Well, I'm back, and am admittedly a little later than expected -- a couple days later. Which also explains why this post is so dang late (sorry about that, by the way).

Anywho, since I was on break, there was actually time for me to read, *GASP* so I'm going to wait to do the next Supernatural post until Friday (or sometime over the weekend, whichever) and today do a review for one of the books I read over the past week. Random, I know.

Book: A House Afire         Author: Emma Kinna

Pages: 504                        Chapters: none         

*SELF-PUBLISHED by PUBLISH AMERICA*

Back Book Blurb: Phyllis Sorin has seen all sorts of people.With two kind aunts who rent out the rooms of their house to anyone in need, the people she calls family are a little different than most. There's Bill, who takes on the personalities of movie characters. There's Quincy, whose best friend is a drag queen. There's Anna, an opera singer and kung-fu master. And Phyllis, well, she's not exactly normal herself. But even as she begins to navigate high school's social jungle, Phyllis finds comfort and humor in her odd home. When Dominick Siddons moves in, however, all of Phyllis's priorities become inferior to finding out his secret. A young lawyer with a vicious wit and ferocious temper, Sid may understand Phyllis in a way no one else can. And through truth and fiction, through the inevitable chaos of the house, Phyllis finds much more than she bargained for.

Overall: A humorous and slightly romantic novel, A House Afire walks the line between YA and adult books. On the one hand, Phyllis is so clearly an adolescent -- she speaks with a young voice and complains frequently about all the homework her teachers give her -- and on the other . . . there are definitely some adult themes in the book. (examples: Excessive swearing, teen sex, relationship troubles, and a teenage girl falling seriously in love with a man who appears to be in his mid to late twenties.) Yet A House Afire takes itself fairly lightly, focusing prominently on humor and the dialogue between the characters; this is what makes Kinna's book so interesting to read.

However . . .

Supernatural Summer Tour 2010 (Part E)

Before we get to the main part of the post, I just want to mention that I will be INKPOPPER OF THE WEEK, this Monday, July 26, 2010. Yay! An interview (w/ some of my gorgeous pictures -- not of me, of course) with me will be posted on Inkpop's Blog sometime on Monday. If you're interested, please check it out! Also, I have two new works uploaded there, Loss, which is a piece I wrote this week for a writing workshop's anthology (Yes, I know what you're thinking: no more Buffy? *sniff* I've finished all the seasons.), and Black Tears, my novel. The latter also placed in the Top 10 of the Supernatural contest -- but only an excerpt, as the entry limit was 20,000 words, dangit. Now it's up for all to see, critique, and pick. *hint hint, nudge nudge*

On to the main event! lolz. This is the 2nd part of the in-Coldstone interview (once again, ignore the adorable-yet-completely-annoying kids in the background), and the last part that I uploaded to my Youtube Channel. {Just can't get enough of those links. *smilies*} After this post, it's completely original video -- new, and just for you guys. Enjoy.

This week's buddy icon is Honma Risa, who first played CereCere/Sailor Ceres in the Transylvania No Mori Kaiteban (Revision) in 2001. In 2004, she returned to play the role of Sailor Mars in Shin Kaguya Shima Densetsu, as well as it's kaiteban. This 2005 revision was also the last set of stages before SeraMyu went on a "temporary hiatus." . . . and hasn't come back yet.

Supernatural Summer Tour 2010 (Part D)

Next up, we move down the block from Anderson's Bookstore to the Coldstone Creamary shop. (It was between that and Starbucks.) There we had ice cream and I got to give a makeshift interview
*on a side note, Kimberly, my father and I all had the same exact flavor: Birthday Cake Remix. Cool or creepy -- take your pick. lolz*

I'd come up with a whole bunch of questions -- two pages, in fact -- but got a bit flustered when I found out that there wasn't enough time to ask them all. Honestly, I'm not that fond of being put under pressure, and kind of floundered around, picking questions off of the list at random, which explains why they're not the most insightful or creative in the world -- just basic. In short, the first question that caught my eye got asked. *sorry* But anyway, here is the 1st part of the 2 part "Coldstone Interview." Enjoy!

This week's buddy icon is from the live action series (commonly abbreviated as PGSM here in the States). It ran for one season, from 2003 to 2004, and enjoyed a fair amount of popularity -- what all the promotional toys and items, giveaways, and special events. It even had a special one-day stage show . . . which is where I took the image from. (I make all the buddy icons you see on this site myself. Hard work goes into each one, so they're made with TLC. lolz)
And hey, I even made the post on Friday! Whatta ya know. ;)

Supernatural Summer Tour 2010 (Part C)

More Buffy. That's been my summer so far, pretty much. I've made it up to the last few episodes of the 6th season, so there's only those eps and the 7th season, and then I have to face reality: summer projects. Ugh.
Anyway, this is the 3rd part of the series, the Q & A with the four authors. I have to admit that the questions from the audiance are much better than the ones I asked later, in Coldstone. But then again, the 4 had to catch their plane to San Diego, the last stop on the tour, so my 2 pages of questions kind of fell by the wayside. *More on that in the next post*

More Miyuki. This is either from Translyvania no Mori, or Death Vulcan, I can't remember (since I haven't seen them in such a long time. >_<  ) DV was a bit hard to follow, plus it never had its own album, so I tend to like TnM better. If you have no idea what I'm babbling on about, take note of this important equation:

     Sailor Moon + musicals  + vampires = Awesome

I know, I know. I'm a straaange person. lolz

Supernatural Summer Tour 2010 (Part B)

Okay, so the concept of "Friday" is a little lost on me. I was busy . . . watching a nonstop marathon of Buffy . . . which continued on into Saturday and most of Sunday. *shrugs* But here is the 2nd part (B) of the series (?).
This is where the four authors get to continue their talk (finishing up Derting and going on to the other three), telling about each of their projects and leading into the next part, which is all Q & A. Meanwhile, I sit on the sidelines, watching. ^-^

This week's buddy icon is of the late Miyuki Kanbe, who died two years ago on June 18. She was the 3rd girl to play the role of Sailor Moon in the musicals, chosen out of 500 potentials, and was only 15 when she acquired the job in 2000 (which didn't make her the youngest, since  Marina Kuroki, who took her place, was 12). She played the role throughout the Dracul arc of the musicals, from 2000 to 2001. 

Miyuki died in 2008 at the age of 24. Miyuki's Farwell

Supernatural Summer Tour 2010 (Part A)

Each Friday (until I go away for a few weeks for vacation, and then I'll pick up where I left off when I get back), I'll be uploading a different part of my "Supernatural experience." To make this a bit more interesting, I'll be putting up some that haven't been uploaded to my YouTube Channel (and most likely never will). Look forward to it!

Okay, let's start from the very beginning, the first part of the event in Anderson's Bookshop. This is the video in which I make my grand appearance. (lolz) You also get to hear me speak, which I'm afraid sounds a bit like I'm on something (or a Valley Girl, you take your pick). Gale, the wonderful woman who was at the event -- there was some other lady who supposedly coordinated it, but I didn't see scratch of her -- interviewed me, which was a big surprise. I didn't know what to say! After I say my piece, the four authors take their turn . . . . .

Also included in this special "Supernatural Friday's" series is a buddy icon for each post. None of them are relevant to the posting, but enjoy, anyway.

This week's is the lovely FuminaMoon. She played the perfect Serenity, but was a bit too stiff (and blank) for the part of Usagi. But then again, she had a lot to live up to, after Anza.

Supernatural Summer Tour (Part 2)

It's been a long time since the last update, I know, but here is the long-awaited part 2 of my "Supernatural" experience.

To start us off, here are the official blog postings of my trip, on the Supernatural Summer Tour website and on the InkPop blog. You can get the basic idea of the trip from there. ^_^

It was a wonderful experience, so forgive me if I want to keep the details to myself, to kind of savour them. (I will tell you that it was my first time at Coldstone -- and I went there with 4 famous authors! *sqee* BTW, I had the same ice cream as Kimberly (Derting): Birthday Cake Remix. It was great, but probably something like a million calories. Oh well. ;) )

Check out my YouTube channel for videos of the event at Anderson's Bookshop (my interview, the authors' interview) and at Coldstone (me, asking them questions). To see the full list, check out my Supernatural Summer Tour/Interview 2010 playlist. Enjoy!

Supernatural Summer Tour (Part 1)

Well, it's less than 24 hours until I'm in Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, Il., at the June 5 stop on the HarperTeen Supernatural Summer Tour. *excited face*

Once there, I'll have "green room" access to the stop, and I'll get to meet the authors (and hopefully interview them). They include:

• Kim Harrison (Early to Death, Early to Rise)
• Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses novels)
• Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder)
• Kelly Armstrong (The Darkest Powers Trilogy)

I'm planning to capture it all -- well, most -- on video, so in a couple days I'll probably be posting whatever HarperCollins allows me to. ^_^
Here's an article about the contest (winner), that I just unearthed: Supernatural Writing Contest Winners Announced! from the main host site, http://www.supernaturalsummer.com/. The tour's almost over, but if you can make the Anderson stop, or the one after that, great!



If you're there tomorrow, be sure to say hi! *waves*

Sierra Boggess on "Over the Rainbow."

This past weekend, the beautiful Sierra Boggess (the 1st Christine Daee in Las Vegas Phantom, Love Never Dies, and the 1st Ariel from The Little Mermaid on Broadway) visited Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest "talent search" show, Over the Rainbow. The gimmick with this one is that the winner of the televised contest will play in the lead role of Dorothy Gale in ALW new production of The Wizard of Oz. ( O_o )
Well, Sierra spent a few minutes talking to/mentoring the girls and answering their questions about theather life and what to expect, etc. Then she sang the title song from the new Phantom sequel, Love Never Dies. The video of the spot follows. Enjoy!

NYSSMA

Well, my select choir went to sing and be adjudicated at NYSSMA on Friday, and I'm proud to say that we -- on a Level 5 performance -- earned a Gold award. *the happy dance returns*

The song order:

• Animal Crackers I
• Moon River
• Sleep

The 1st and 3rd songs were compositions by Eric Whitacre, who one of our Select members had the opportunity to sing for in a concert at Lincoln Center last year. Personally, they aren't my favorites, but they do seem to grow on you after a while. *shrugs* Anyway, we had a great time, and were rewarded for our efforts. xD

The lovely Moon River wins for today's video, just because it's so much better than the other two songs. lolz

Inkpop Supernatural Contest

Well, the results of Inkpop's Supernatural Writing Contest were announced and . . . I won! *happy dance* Check out the link here: Inkpop Supernatural Contest

In case the link dies, it is/was a contest, hosted on inkpop.com, calling for stories or poems about anything supernatural (hence the title). Here is the blurb posted on the page:

"Write an entry for the Supernatural Writing Contest by tapping into your inner dark side. Do you have a story about vampires, zombies, witches, or some other supernatural subject? Submit your writing for a chance to win awesome prizes, including a trip to our Supernatural Summer book tour. You don't even have to enter the writing contest to win. If you read entries and vote, you could be eligible for prizes too."

And here is what I won:

"Our grand prize winner will be flown out to see the Supernatural Summer Tour and meet with the Supernatural Summer Tour authors. Keep an eye on the Supernatural Summer Tour for an exclusive content and an interview with our Supernatural authors hosted by our Supernatural Writing Contest winner."

In addition, I've won a mini camcorder (do people still say that nowadays? lolz) and a $100 itunes gift card.

Isabella2296 was the editorial winner, and she will receive a review and critique from a HarperCollins editor. Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who made my winning the Supernatural Writing Contest possible! "Eternal" wasn't that big on the site as a whole, but it won because of all the great reviews and lovely comments you all made! I'm really happy that everyone took the time to read and critique it. Thank you so much!!

In celebration, here's an extra-sparkly MarinaMoon icon for y'all today! Enjoy.

More Love Never Dies News

Here is a montage of all the LND clips that have been released up until now.




I must admit that I'm dying to see this show here in the U.S., on Broadway. But unfortunately, that will have to wait a few months longer than previously calculated.

It turns out that because of Andrew Lloyd Webber's prostate cancer/general health, he cannot travel over here to continue with setting up the show. At least, not until his doctors say so, apparently. So now the opening is pushed back from November 11, 2010, to some general time during Spring 2011.

Phantom: Love Never Dies (Part 2)

Yet another video (sorry!), but it was just released.
It's the new trailer, with footage from the London production. Even if you don't like the show in general, you have to admit that this song is amazing.

Phantom: Love Never Dies

It's opening night of the sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.
Previews have been going on for the past few weeks, and the show officially opened tonight. Unfortunately, those of us who cannot travel to England are unable to see it yet. *sniff*
It opens on Broadway in November of this year, and then Australia in 2011.

Here are the two different versions of the 1st single:


(This one went along with the press release back in October.)


(This is the official music video to go along with the single.)

Sorry about the cut-off on the videos, but enjoy!

More Music

Next in my lineup of my new favorite artists is . . . Kanon Wakeshima.

She's most famous for singing two ending theme songs for the Vampire Knight anime: "Still Doll," and "Suna no Oshiro." (But since these are her most known works, neither of the videos I've procured for you today will be those.)

And yes, that is she, playing her cello.


真紅のフェータリズム (Crimson Fatalism)


鏡 (Kagami)

Oh, and I've been watching the Vancouver 2010 Olympics like crazy, so after they're over, don't be surprised to see videos of some of the figure skating. Fair warning there.

All Hail the New Bird Girl

For some strange reason, I decided to audition for "Seussical the Musical," my school's musical of choice this year. 2009's was "The Wiz." o_O And thus I ended up being casted as a Bird Girl, and now have to sing 3-part harmony while wearing giant feathers on top of my head. I'm so thrilled.

But though I might sound like I hate the role, it's actually going to be a lot of fun, getting to be someone different. It'll be an experience, at least. Hopefully a good one. *crosses fingers*

I've also finally picked out the song I'll be singing for NYSMMA (an edjudication, with an end possibility of getting to go to Area All-State and/or All State), which is Se' Tu Mami, composed by Pergolesi. It's really beautiful, and from the first time I heard it, it "spoke" to me. I've never had that happen before.
Hopefully that's a good omen!

On a side note, I've just finished the Mugen Gakuen and it's revision, and am starting on the 2003 Starlights. I miss Hikari. *sniff* But as such, my icon for you today is from the Ankoku no Black Lady Kaiteiban, a cute arrangement of images from "Knockin' Down Hesitation!"

Happy New Year!

I've been so busy, what with the holidays and everything, that I haven't been able to update for . . . let's see . . . a month! Whoa.
As for said holidays (Christmas, Christmas, Christmas!), not much happened. It's getting to be a smaller and smaller ordeal every year, and I'm not sure I like that.

To the music! Recently, I've come across a few bands/singers worth mentioning. The first would be *drumroll please* . . . The Pretty Reckless. This band is headed by Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen, which seems completely out-of-character. In fact, when I heard she had her own band and record deal, I burst out laughing. But when I decided to try her out, I was pleasantly surprised. The music has a rock beat and interesting lyrics, and Momsen herself has the perfect voice to accent it all. I've loaded 3 of her tracks into the playlist at the bottom of the page, so check them out! Here are some videos, too. Be forewarned: the second has explicit content.






I could have uploaded Momsen actually performing, but to tell the truth . . . her performances suck. The music is good, but there's only so much hair flopping, vacant stairs, and tortured expressions I can take. I don't like Taylor Momsen the person, but her music is to die for.