Well, I've done it now!
Recently, I wrote a feature story for work for our yearly business section. No big deal. My topic was the "NEW New Age Movement" and how popular alternative medicine and healing and the like was becoming. It was a good spread, if I do say so myself. LOL And for such a large section, it was one of 50 stories, and the section came out yesterday.
Well, I received an e-mail shortly after luch at work. The man introduced himself, said he had read the article, and thought it was "interesting." Translation: he had a bone to pick about it. Without going into too much detail, he said he wanted to meet with me, and discuss true spirituality versus making money. He also added that he is a fourth generation "traditional" witch, whatever the fook that means, and that he did readings at the only true witchcraft shop in town.
I read the e-mail to a couple of my co-workers, who promptly began singing "I put a spell on you..." from Hocus Pocus, and my husband said "Great, there will be a pentagram on the front lawn in the morning! HAHAHA." Everyone had a good laugh about it, myself included.
But in the back of my mind, I was concerned. I don't believe in witchcraft, although I would never begrudge another peron their beliefs. But still, something was niggling in my brain, or my spine, and wouldn't go away.
I thought about how to reply, or if I should reply at all. I decided to err on the side of professionalism and respond. I thanked him for his e-mail. I told him I appreciated his generous offer to discuss spitituality vs. making money with me. Then I explained to him, as I explained to the other people in the story that I interviewed, that it was not an in-depth or investigative piece, but a light feature story for a section that was focused on local business and business owners. And I thanked him again for his interest and pressed "send."
I haven't heard back from him. As I said, I don't believe in witchcraft, but I do come from a long line of superstitious people. Even though I would never admit it out loud, and I am the first to poo-poo such things, I would never completely rule anything out. Even a witch.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
"This is Sparta!"
Fans of Scottish actor Gerard Butler, such as myself, as well as Sci-Fi fans all over the Internet, have been waiting with baited breath for months for the release of Frank Miller's graphic novel, "300," about the historic Battle of Thermopolae, in which 300 Spartan warriors did bloody battle with a million Persians, led by man-god-giant, Xerxes, hell-bent on taking over the world.
My husband and I, along with a more than a half-dozen or so other members of GerardButler.Net and their significant others, stood in line at the IMAX theater at Jordan's in Natick, Mass., last night for an hour, thanking our lucky stars that we had preordered tickets. There were signs posted everywhere stating that all of the evenings FIVE shows were completely sold out.
Around us were several hundred or so of Warner Bros.' target audience - young males between 18 and 25. And they were pumped. While we waited for the theater to open its doors, we were entertained with shouts of "Tonight we dine in hell!" or "This...is.....SPARTA!!!"
Let me add here that I'm finding it very difficult today to put into words what I thought of the movie and how it made me feel, so bear with me while I do the best I can.
I had never seen anything like it before. The entire look and feel of the film was different from anything I've ever experienced. I was worried that I would be repulsed by the gore and violence, but I wasn't. Not in the least. A couple of times, admittedly, I let out an involuntary "ewww" but it was otherwise almost like a painting brought to life, with splatters hitting the canvas from out of nowhere. It was very cool to see.
During the battle scenes, my heart wasnt just pounding....it was slamming in my chest. The slow-motion effects came at exactly the perfect moments, the story never slowed down, it was a high-speed train ride all the way to the end. And when the character of the deformed man who had been following the Spartans finally went over to the dark side, as he was seduced by the whores at Xerxes' tent, I turned to my husband and said, "Fookin men. Everything's got to be about the whang." LOL
I recognized some of the cast, but only knew David Wenham, of whom I'm not really a fan. And although I thought he was very good in his role, I thought he was using some strange, old-manish tone in his voice that I know he didn't have in Lord of the Rings (in which I liked him very much). I thought he was forcing some attempt at something he wasn't, although I have to admit, the scene at the end was so astounding and lifting, I was completely caught up in the rush of the call to attack and probably would have followed him myself.
I wish I knew the name of the actor who played the Captain off the top of my head, but it escapes me at the moment, but his performace was awesome! When his son died, and he went into a blind fury, it was truly something to see. He was incredible.
Lena Headey was a strong, sexy Queen Gorgo. She was a perfect compliment to Gerry's Leonidas (and my husband liked her a LOT! LOL) . And yes, I loved the scene where she killed the politician. Sorry, but he deserved it. Spartan girl power at its finest.
The much anticipated love scene between Leonidis (who had a great ass, by the way) and Gorgo, in my humble opinion, was beautiful, but way to short and not at all graphic enough. What can I say? That's just me. Tomato, tomahto.
I also just want to throw out some very well-deserved kudos to director Zack Snyder. I'm not a huge moviegoer; I can't afford to be. I haven't seen Sin City or Dawn of the Dead. But "300" is a movie that will stay with me. I'll see it over and over and as often as I possibly can. It's just that good.
Gerry Butler was every inch the king he was channeling. And I'm not just talking about the rock-hard bod, either, although it was impressive (sigh). I haven't seen every single movie Gerry's ever made, but I've seen enough of them to know that this man is the real deal. He works his ass off to be better every time he gets in front of that camera. He puts every fiber of his being into every role he takes on. I look forward to what's next for him.
My husband and I, along with a more than a half-dozen or so other members of GerardButler.Net and their significant others, stood in line at the IMAX theater at Jordan's in Natick, Mass., last night for an hour, thanking our lucky stars that we had preordered tickets. There were signs posted everywhere stating that all of the evenings FIVE shows were completely sold out.
Around us were several hundred or so of Warner Bros.' target audience - young males between 18 and 25. And they were pumped. While we waited for the theater to open its doors, we were entertained with shouts of "Tonight we dine in hell!" or "This...is.....SPARTA!!!"
Let me add here that I'm finding it very difficult today to put into words what I thought of the movie and how it made me feel, so bear with me while I do the best I can.
I had never seen anything like it before. The entire look and feel of the film was different from anything I've ever experienced. I was worried that I would be repulsed by the gore and violence, but I wasn't. Not in the least. A couple of times, admittedly, I let out an involuntary "ewww" but it was otherwise almost like a painting brought to life, with splatters hitting the canvas from out of nowhere. It was very cool to see.
During the battle scenes, my heart wasnt just pounding....it was slamming in my chest. The slow-motion effects came at exactly the perfect moments, the story never slowed down, it was a high-speed train ride all the way to the end. And when the character of the deformed man who had been following the Spartans finally went over to the dark side, as he was seduced by the whores at Xerxes' tent, I turned to my husband and said, "Fookin men. Everything's got to be about the whang." LOL
I recognized some of the cast, but only knew David Wenham, of whom I'm not really a fan. And although I thought he was very good in his role, I thought he was using some strange, old-manish tone in his voice that I know he didn't have in Lord of the Rings (in which I liked him very much). I thought he was forcing some attempt at something he wasn't, although I have to admit, the scene at the end was so astounding and lifting, I was completely caught up in the rush of the call to attack and probably would have followed him myself.
I wish I knew the name of the actor who played the Captain off the top of my head, but it escapes me at the moment, but his performace was awesome! When his son died, and he went into a blind fury, it was truly something to see. He was incredible.
Lena Headey was a strong, sexy Queen Gorgo. She was a perfect compliment to Gerry's Leonidas (and my husband liked her a LOT! LOL) . And yes, I loved the scene where she killed the politician. Sorry, but he deserved it. Spartan girl power at its finest.
The much anticipated love scene between Leonidis (who had a great ass, by the way) and Gorgo, in my humble opinion, was beautiful, but way to short and not at all graphic enough. What can I say? That's just me. Tomato, tomahto.
I also just want to throw out some very well-deserved kudos to director Zack Snyder. I'm not a huge moviegoer; I can't afford to be. I haven't seen Sin City or Dawn of the Dead. But "300" is a movie that will stay with me. I'll see it over and over and as often as I possibly can. It's just that good.
Gerry Butler was every inch the king he was channeling. And I'm not just talking about the rock-hard bod, either, although it was impressive (sigh). I haven't seen every single movie Gerry's ever made, but I've seen enough of them to know that this man is the real deal. He works his ass off to be better every time he gets in front of that camera. He puts every fiber of his being into every role he takes on. I look forward to what's next for him.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
The Actor's Life
A lot has been going on this week for my favorite actor, Gerard Butler. His new movie, "300," in which he stars, is premiering next weekend, and he's currently doing the rounds - Leno, Ferguson, WonderCon, HBO, and interview after interview after interview.
A lot of his fans have travelled to California to see him wherever they can this week. Some have gone for the red carpet premiere, which will be this coming Monday night, and some have gone to the tapings of the late night shows to catch a glimpse, if they can, of The Man Himself.
I just finished watching a video on YouTube where Gerry's trying to leave NBC Studios, and he is swarmed by a group of fans who had been standing there for what seemed ages just to see him. And then they did. He was surrounded, hugged, kissed, begged for photos and autographs and a few moments of his time.
As I watched the video, at first I thought it was terrible, that this was one of the reasons fans have a bad rap. The screaming, giddy, demanding shouts and calls, the hands reaching out for him... I cringed as the video went on, shaking my head at this behavior.
And then I thought, what if that were me standing there with those women, hoping beyond hope to catch a single glimpse of Gerry? What if that were ME standing there, knowing this might be my only chance to see him in the flesh...ever? Would I scream his name? Push through the crowd hoping to make eye contact with him? Would I turn into the stereotypical "fangirl" suddenly, taking on the mob mentality, begging him for attention? Knowing I would likely never see him in person again?
That's easy. No. Sure, I would call out his name, hope he'd turn and see me, throw out a distant whoo hoo, and then that would be it (unless of course he approached ME! LOL). I wouldn't even ask for an autograph. I'm just not an autograph person.
I'm so glad Gerry was able to handle it well. He seemed to genuinely try to take a moment for everyone who waited for him. He posed for photos, gave hugs and kisses, signed autographs and made his exit.
I could never have that life. I feel bad for him when I see this. But, as I'm sure he must also, I try to keep in mind where the fans are coming from.
As a fan myself, it's not such a stretch. LOL
A lot of his fans have travelled to California to see him wherever they can this week. Some have gone for the red carpet premiere, which will be this coming Monday night, and some have gone to the tapings of the late night shows to catch a glimpse, if they can, of The Man Himself.
I just finished watching a video on YouTube where Gerry's trying to leave NBC Studios, and he is swarmed by a group of fans who had been standing there for what seemed ages just to see him. And then they did. He was surrounded, hugged, kissed, begged for photos and autographs and a few moments of his time.
As I watched the video, at first I thought it was terrible, that this was one of the reasons fans have a bad rap. The screaming, giddy, demanding shouts and calls, the hands reaching out for him... I cringed as the video went on, shaking my head at this behavior.
And then I thought, what if that were me standing there with those women, hoping beyond hope to catch a single glimpse of Gerry? What if that were ME standing there, knowing this might be my only chance to see him in the flesh...ever? Would I scream his name? Push through the crowd hoping to make eye contact with him? Would I turn into the stereotypical "fangirl" suddenly, taking on the mob mentality, begging him for attention? Knowing I would likely never see him in person again?
That's easy. No. Sure, I would call out his name, hope he'd turn and see me, throw out a distant whoo hoo, and then that would be it (unless of course he approached ME! LOL). I wouldn't even ask for an autograph. I'm just not an autograph person.
I'm so glad Gerry was able to handle it well. He seemed to genuinely try to take a moment for everyone who waited for him. He posed for photos, gave hugs and kisses, signed autographs and made his exit.
I could never have that life. I feel bad for him when I see this. But, as I'm sure he must also, I try to keep in mind where the fans are coming from.
As a fan myself, it's not such a stretch. LOL
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