The Daily Something

I thought this might be kind of a fun thing to do. Since it's Valentine's Day soon... I thought I'd pick 10 movies for Valentines Day viewing. This could be with your significant other... or just by yourself so that you can believe in love or something. These are fun movies! 1) Serendipity- I watch this movie almost every time I see it on tv. It's a fun movie and honestly one of my favorite NYC movies. It doesn't really show anything too interesting about the city... but Serendipity is a very popular restaurant in the city that I've been too a few times... and it's okay. The dessert is the really fun part but the rest isn't bad. Anyway this is about a woman who believes very strongly in fate and she meets a man one time in NYC as a chance encounter... and she does already have a boyfriend- but she thinks maybe they're fated to be together... so she tries to meet up with him before she goes back home... but it doesn't work out... so then years l...

So this is something I always think about but I've never really made the connection. There have been several movies where when I've seen them I've thought "This is The Best Movie Of All Time" and there are a few others that I think I can include in the list... so yeah. Some of them I think I can still call favorites- or I could recently call favorites. Some of them are newer movies that I'm adding to the list... but they deserve a place. Despicable Me Series  I feel like the most obvious pick for Favorite Movie is Despicable Me. I think I might do a whole "Shannon Loves" on this post explaining just why I like it so much... but this movie made me happy in college at exam time and I still love it today! I love the minions- I cracked up laughing the first time I saw them in a preview... I just think this is one of my favorite movies ever. Monster's Inc  This was my first favorite movie ever... so this has a special place to me. I just reall...

So if you guys remember a few weeks ago- I posted about a new TV Show I was obsessed with called Rise. If you want to read my initial review... you can check it out right  here . Now I used to LOVE reviewing new tv shows... but what would pretty much always happen is I would give the show an okay review... and then I'd never end up watching it again and it would get cancelled... so now I'm trying to do my reviews a little bit differently... I'm trying to watch the show a little more closely- maybe watch the pilot twice and then if I continue watching it I'll do some sort of review... I liked my post on the little details I liked about Good Girls instead of just posting a review on it... so I think I'm going to do that now. Anyway... Rise was a show that I thought was off to a strong start. At first I didn't really think it was that realistic for a high school to do a performance of Spring Awakening... and I thought it was a little weird for Josh Radnor's...

So this is another sort of different post for me and it's something I'd kind of like to delve into a little more... but I'm going to take one particular pop culture phenomenon- whether it's having it's moment now or if it already had its moment... I feel like a bunch of things become popular at the same time that are kind of connected in some way or another... whether they're loosely related or closely related... I just wanted to kind of mention it... I'll do as much research as I can on the subjects and I'll kind of explain a little more about them. Hamilton (in Production since 2013)  So while the first official performance of the Broadway Musical Hamilton which we all know and love today... but before that there was a workshop and an off broadway run... some of these songs are a little different... there are versions in the Hamilton Mixtape of the original songs... the production you can see today is absolutely perfect the way it is... but I do lo...

I thought I would do something a little bit different this week and instead of going through the full top 10 charts,  I'll focus on just one movie and the first movie I'm starting out with is The Greatest Showman. Now I have not seen this movie yet- I don't really get to see a lot of movies and with the Flu Season being so bad this year... I haven't had a huge desire to actually go in a movie theater because of that... although I do want to see Game Night quite a lot... anyway this movie I was skeptical about. I remember doing a trailer review of it and I just thought the timing of this movie was bizarre. It was right after The Barnum and Bailey Circus closed... it seemed like a bleak future for The Circus... and even though I know everyone does love a good old fashioned circus... but it's still a little too early for the nostalgia of it all. The other part about this is that it's an Original Musical... which can either go well or terribly... and it seems li...

I thought it would be fun to talk about my 26 favorite things- I'm not including people like Family and friends because then that would just be a long list and those are kind of a give-in. I will probably have people like Lady Gaga on the list though... so yeah. Lol. These are in no order... there are probably more... but yeah. It's more categories like "Favorite Pet" "Favorite TV Show" and things like that. 1- Dogs- I love dogs. Dogs are my favorite pet... I have had 2 adorable and fun malteses... dogs are just my favorites. I think that's a little different than favorite animal... so let's talk about some of my favorite animals. 2- Giraffes and Elephants- I'm not sure I could really choose one to be my favorite animal... I think I love them both. Giraffes are beautiful... Elephants are beautiful and they're so fascinating. I love the Elephants that paint pictures of elephants... they are brilliant and I love them! 3- Arrested Developm...

So this was a really pleasant surprise Throwback Thursday. I haven't seen this movie since... before I went to college... so it's been quite a while and when I watched it that time I was like "Yeah... I've seen this movie enough. I've seen the play now... it's nothing different." And now it's probably jumped the list to my Top 5 Favorite movies of all time. Maybe right behind Despicable Me... it's great! I've seen the play Chicago for my friends graduation... and I knew this movie so well that I was really excited to see the play... and the play was soooo great... but the movie was also really great too. The play is all on stage so it doesn't have the beautiful sets of the movie and the juxtaposition between what is actually going on and the "musical inside of Roxy's head." which is something I really liked in the movie! They really could not have gotten a better cast for this movie either. The singing in it is all amazing...

This was an exciting one. I used to LOVE this movie... if you can even call it a movie... it is so good... I've seen it 100 times probably. I watched it every day for a while and it's just great. It's not for everyone probably... but it's so short that I think anyone could really enjoy it without being bored. For such a short musical... it is very well paced. There are 3 acts, there's a clear storyline and arc for all the characters... there are lots of songs. If you don't like singing... you're not going to like this because there isn't much plot other than the singing... but if you love musicals... there is a lot of character development in the songs... its something that you can sing along to (heyyy... I understand the title now.) And it's very catchy. Even years since I've seen it last... I remembered all of the words. It's also really funny. Spoilers: Not a happy ending... but there are really really funny moments all throughout the ...

So here's what I thought was the better of the Very Potter Musical series years ago... and this time I have to say... I didn't like it better than the original. I liked that it was kind of a sequel and a prequel and there were a lot of great scenes and jokes... In this one we actually see James and Lilly and that I thought was a nice touch that was missing from the first musical... and we get to see a little of what Harry and Ron's lives were like before Hogwarts... which is also cool. I thought a lot of the characters in this one were really funny, or they had funny bits as opposed to the original movie. I always thought Umbridge was really funny, I liked the Scarf of Sexual Preference, Sirius, Lupin, Wormtail, Arthur Weasley.... just a lot of really funny. Lucious Malfoy was good too... and I have to say I wish he was in it a little bit more. He's a really good singer and he was in the end of the musical quite a lot and I just kept thinking "I wish he had been ...

So this is something I think I'm going to do from time to time because it's something I've gained interest in again. Obviously, I've been loving musicals and I love that there is the option of watching funny musicals based on things I have an interest in for the most part right on youtube! Not on Youtube Red Even... which I hope they continue.  This is one I've wanted to see for a while... but for some reason just haven't. It's sort of like Wicked... but with the characters from Aladdin. It's Jafar's real story in Aladdin and why he is a good guy, but the story just got told wrong. And it all kind of adds up. I thought that it would be a little like something that wouldn't really add up... but I've seen Aladdin several times, and pretty recently... and it all makes sense and fits in with the story of Aladdin and other Arabian mythology that Aladdin was based off of. I thought it was just very well done.  And it's very funny... but ...

So... I've mentioned a few times that I kind of like Hamilton... just a little bit... lol. JK that is an understatement... I LOVE it! Anyway, I really can't say enough good things about this play or the cast... it's just even better than the hype! I saw it on a Sunday... and Sunday is a little bit different for Hamilton. They have a different actor playing Hamilton... which is pretty cool actually. The guy that I saw was AMAZING and it was his Broadway debut! So it gives actors that are lesser known a fair chance to be a star on the hottest show on broadway. The cast was pretty star-studded in general if you ask me though... maybe not the biggest stars, I'm sure they all will be big stars when they're done with this... but yeah. Jordan Fisher was in Greece Live and he was in a Disney Channel Musical, he played John Laurens and Phillip Hamilton. Taryn Killam from SNL played King George. The woman that played Angelica was Nina in the original cast of In The Heights....

I really like Tags now apparently. I saw this tag over  here  and decided to do the tag!  1) How did you find out about Hamilton? I heard about it when it was first out... maybe before it was on broadway? On a radio station they said it was an amazing rap musical about Alexander Hamilton and the owner of Jouer, Christina, mentioned it in one of her snapchats and I took note of that. I'm a fan of musicals, but I had seen In The Heights and sometimes hip hop and rap are a little harder to understand on stage so I was like "Well... I'll just listen to the soundtrack and see if I like it." And I listened to it in like January or February while cleaning my room during a snow storm... and then I listened to it again and again and again... and I've been obsessed ever since then and now I would LOVE to see it live. I don't think I will anytime soon... but I'd LOVE too!  Also I didn't realize Lin Manuel Miranda did both In The Heights and Hamilton... ...

So of all the award shows... the Tony's is my favorite. Usually the hosts are really good, its not boring. And I love all the performances! I especially love Hamilton and James Corden... so I'm really excited for this year! I think this will be my version of "live tweeting" and I'll watch the show live and write about it here... or watch it tivoed and write about it here. Whatever works! The show opened with a message from James Cordon on the recent tragedy... and many winners and presenters respectfully stated their sadness and thoughts on the tragedy. Its a terrible thing that happened and I think everyone took time to reflect the tragedy very nicely. And that's all I'm going to say about that. I didn't end up live tweeting because I was too into the show lol. But here are some thoughts in snippet form. - I love James Corden. I thought he was really funny. Typically, I like the hosts of The Tonys because I like theatrical actors. I thought he w...

So this is sort of a different and exciting Scribbles About Music for me. This is another Musical, but the songs aren't the musical soundtrack... at least I don't think it is... idk. Basically there was a movie called Waitress that recently got turned into a musical and Sarah Bareilles wrote the music for it... and this soundtrack is her singing all of the songs... but I'm pretty sure she isn't actually in the musical. Got it? Okay lol. So really... I don't think this is a play that I'll end up seeing. I didn't see the movie, but it didn't look like something I'd really like. It seems sad, and I don't really want to see a sad musical. If this ever came out locally for a good price I'd see it maybe... but yeah.It looks good, but not my cup of tea... and I've got my eyes on Hamilton. Lol. But the music for this is fantastic! Sarah Bareilles did a great job on this. I love that the theme of being a waitress is featured pretty much in a l...

Favorites  Wicked Soundtrack- I've clearly been especially into musicals lately... and I decided I wanted to listen to the Wicked Soundtrack... and I love it. It makes me kind of weirdly emotional. I want to read the book soon, even though I know the book is different. I kind of want to see the play again too... lol. Maybe eventually. Idk I saw it when I was a teenager and I kind of want to see it as a grown up. Its got such good music and from what I remember its the best set and the best effects for a play ever. So yeah. Not the most fun musical I've ever seen... but its good. I'm a little disappointed that the soundtrack is so short though. It only has 12 songs... what the heck? Hamilton has so many! Lol. Something Rotten Soundtrack- This I started listening to after I got bored with Hamilton too... lol. I loveee this play. The cast is the best I've ever seen... so the soundtrack is perfect! My favorite song this week has been Right Hand Man. I sang Make an Omle...

So I did this before... and I thought I'd do it again, but with a twist... I'm going to do my favorite album of the moment and give mini reviews on the first five songs. Since my favorite album of the moment is the soundtrack to Hamilton... I thought I'd share 5 songs from that! 1) Non-Stop- This is a great one because it kind of has a little of everyone. It has Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Eliza, Angelica a little Washington... all really great parts. This is also the last song of Act 1... so its an important one. It sets up that Hamilton has succeeded, he's become Washington's right hand man and has everything he could want... but he still wants more for the country and he is very ambitious, and that does kind of lead him to his doom... but its still better to be a Hamilton than a Burr. 2) Farmer Refuted- This song is really clever and I think its kind of an underrated one. Hamilton is arguing with a Loyalist and he's rapping while the other guy is singing and th...

So I know its not easy to get tickets to see Hamilton... but I've listened to the soundtrack a few times and I have enough of a feel for it. I didn't think I'd want to see it live because I'm not a big fan of rap and I can't always understand it... and I figured I'd listen to the soundtrack, and I'd get to know the music so that sometime if I ever can get tickets I will understand it better. And listening to a soundtrack isn't quite the same as seeing a play... but it is pretty close. And its as close to seeing the play as I'll get for the time being. So right now, I feel like there are some things I didn't totally get, some characters I didn't really get to know very well that are probably featured more prominently in the play. There's a song about Burr's relationship with his child and there's mention of Eliza teacher Phillip how to play piano... and little things that I can't see so the characters aren't as well devel...

Here it is! The Penultimate It List... unless you include the yearly it list that I do... but I'll do this and December and then the Yearly favorites! What an exciting year it's been! 1) Fitbit- I have the Fitbit HR and I've been loving it. I got it for my birthday, my sister got it for me. Its just fun to measure how many calories you burn just doing everyday things. I'm pretty bad at it... but I'm working on it. Lol. It gives me an average of 10,000 steps a day that I'm supposed to reach and... its just something easy to use and easy to figure out. If you're trying to lose some weight, the app has a nice... although slightly hard to be sure is accurate food monitor so you can count your calories and see where you are throughout the day. I really like using it and its just one of those gadgets that are just good to have. 2) Something Rotten- My other big birthday gift was that I got to see Something Rotten with my sister and my best friend and I loved i...

So since I did the Something Rotten Review... and I've been really into that soundtrack, I thought I would just go through all the plays I've seen and kind of do little reviews of them! I haven't seen that many... but I've liked them all and... yeah. Plays are fun! Seussical The Musical  So this is the first play I ever saw because Aaron Carter was in it and I loved Aaron Carter when I was a kid. And I really liked it. I thought it was a really fun show and it was cool and different and there were quite a few Dr. Seuss stories in this, but mainly it focused on Horton Hears a Who. The costumes weren't too over-the-top either... which I think I like. They had pretty bird costumes I think, but Aaron Carter's costume was pretty simple and the other costumes were good too. Aaron Carter was good in it too, of corse I was biased at the time I was completely in love with him... but it was a good show and I had a lot of fun at it... and this was my first Broadway expe...

So when I saw the preview of this I was like "this is going to be stupid and it's not going to last." Then when it got close to the premiere I was like "Are you crazy Shannon???? This is totally going to be your new favorite show and you're going to be obsessed!" So... thats kind of that. I watched half of it when it started and I thought it was okay, it was definitely something I wanted to watch more of and I wanted to see where it went... it looked like it had potential. Then I watched the whole episode and I really loved it. Its a funny satire and I love that they chose to do a musical with it. I think its brilliant because it shows the way that she is very dramatic and the last time she was truly happy was when she was at drama camp and she was singing and Josh was there. Plus it makes sense, she didn't move just for Josh, she barely knows Josh... but he does happen to live there and she did like everything he said about West Covina. Combine qu...