Favorite - Couple In a Television Series

(c) Elisabeth

Honestly, I'm all about cops!

I have to mention Rookie Blue again... If you have seen it, you know that Andy and Sam are a fantastic and incredibly interesting couple! And like I said before, it's all so realistic. Even their relationship. Sam loves her so much that ha actually stayed away from her since she was engaged to another man in the first season. He never pushed her and never tried to steal her from here fiancee... All he ever did was to take care of her. And when Andy (SPOILER) found out her fiancee cheated on her, Sam was the one who was there for her and helped her get through it. Now they're together at last, and they're just so perfect for each other <3

Favorite - Furniture

(c) Elisabeth

Hm... This was even more difficult than I thought it would be when I wrote the topics. But finally I managed to choose the now obvious choice...

My bookshelves!

(c) Bente

As you can see (look at the floor) this is the only thing in my bedroom I manage to keep clean and tidy! But honestly, it contains all of my favorite treasures. All the best books I've read and the best movies I've seen collected in one place! A long time ago, I started with just one bookshelf, but now I've got six of them in my tiny little bedroom. Just as it should be :-)

Favorite - Artist/Singer

(c) Elisabeth

Why didn't I choose easier topics! Some where I could just put out the answer without any additional fuzz? Well, I wrote the topics and I picked them out of the jar, so I only have myself to blame...

Only just starting to write, I realize I've got a problem... I almost only listen to bands. And they are not exactly included in this topic. They have their own topic that hasn't been picked yet. Which means I will be consentrating on independent singers.

So let's start with Taylor Swift. I like her playful sound and truly nice and cosy music... Perfect for tidying my room or other things you need happy background-music to do! My best friend and I actually went to a concert with her in Oslo, Norway's capital. It was awesome! The things that keeps her from the top spot is that her lyrics are often not too deep and reflecting, and a lot of her songs have the same sound...

I also have to mention Jessie J. She's got such an amazing voice it's almost breathtaking! And I like both her personality, sound and lyrics. She seem so real...

But my top spot will have to go to Demi Lovato.

What? Her? She's from Disney! Seriously, grow up!
Well, let me explain. I'm not talking about the first part of her singing-career. That's all Disney-stuff. I'm talking about her recent work...

In July 2011 she suddenly published a music video titeled Skyscraper. It came out just after she had completed a rehabilitation-program for anorexia. She had had problems with eating and weight as a result of bullying at a young age. Skyscraper marked her comeback, and what a song!

First time I heard it I literally had to cry. And when I'm alone, I still do...It was so raw and so real that I just knew she was singing straight from her heart. And the lyrics, I mean, just wow. What can I say?

After this her newest album, Unbroken, was released. I love all the songs. Like I said, both they and she feels real, not just made for the money. She sings like a godess and her personal story of how she was beaten down and managed to get herself back up is a true inspiration for all kinds of people around the world...

*Correction!!!


I totally forgot about Christina Grimmie! She's got to be even above Demi Lovato... She's a youtuber I started following a couple of years ago. When she started she covered famous songs, and now she's published a CD and goes on tour both on her own and together with Selena Gomez. I just LOVE her voice! Absolutly everything she sings is mere perfection... Check her out <3

Favorite - Movie Trailer

(c) Elisabeth

Every time a new and exciting movie is out that I believe my mom would like, I want to show her the trailer for it so that she will ges as excited as I am. Problem is: She can't stand watching trailers! She says they're annoying and noisy and make her loose interest at once! I believe not very many shares her opinion...

Nowadays, a really good trailer is one of the key factors to make a true blockbuster. Very often, almost too often, the trailer decides which film gets the views... But what is a good trailer?

I'm no expert, but for me, a good trailer shows the main characters, the setting, the mood and gives clues as to what the plot really is. And it all depends on the music choice! However, the trailer must NOT show too much! I've seen trailers where afterwords, when the trailer ended, I was like: "Well, at least now I don't have to watch the movie." Some think it's important to show everything, but the clue is to show enough to get people excited, but not to spoil the plot or the great punchlines and such.

As you will see from my list, the best trailers are for some of the greatest movies ever made. That's no coincidence! They know that it's money well spent...

After watching the teaser I read all the books. While watching this I litteraly sat with my mouth open and teares in my eyes... Everything was so perfect! It's the first time I have expirienced that everything and everyone in a movie was exactly as I had pictured it in my head while reading the book!

This one is just so funny I had to mention it! I laughed so hard despite the clearly childish humor. I mean, I've got really bad humor! I loved the trailer and the movie is just as funny <3

This trailer is just magical... I had read this book too, and when I learned it was going to be a movie I was very sceptical. How could they possible do it justice? The trailer proved me wrong! Robert Pattinson was Jacob (the main character) from the moment I saw him. A lot of Twilight-haters might just fint out what a brilliant actor he truly is...

But now we have to move over to the tryly epic trailers...

This is the finally. The conclusion the entire world was waiting for. Me included! I had read all the books twice, and they are truly epic. Hence the final movie had to be so too... This trailer proved to me, and the world, why we love Harry Potter and why we are willing to run to the theaters to se film number eight! I saw the midnight premiere dressed as Bellatrix Lestrange. A memory for life...

BUT...

Christopher Nolan... The man is unparaleled at what he does. 

I remember seeing this one day I went to the movie theater, and I just went: "This movie will be great!" It did. And this is simply the perfect way to build up a trailer. And I promise, the BOOM, BOOM-part of the trailer shacked the entire movie theater! The music, by Hans Zimmer by the way, is so fantastic I'd want to watch the movie just after hearing that...

Back in 2003 with the beginning of a new dawn for Batman. A lot of others had brought him to the big screen, but this was a whole new take to the story. In this first trailer Nolan had to prove to the world that his way worked. And so he did!

His next movie became the biggest sucsessing sequel the world had ever seen. It's simplu one of the best films made... And in this trailer we get introduced to the character all comic-fans were waiting for: The Joker! And he did it with style!


But the winner is his most recent work... 

I'd seen the teaser and the two previous trailers. As you have probably guessed, I'm a Batman-fan. But nothing had prepared me for the true heart and rush of emotions brought by this specific trailer! It was so quiet. So real, and filled with a mixture of hope and despear that gripped me and never let me go untill the screen went dark. This is Batman. Not explotions, big guns, car chases and such. But a city in desperate need of a saviour, and a hero in desperately needs to figure out that he is their answer. But to do that he needs to find out exctly who and what Batman truly is, and here is where it'll get interesting... We can all find out July 20th. Others who simply can't wait?

*Added
Check out Elisabeth's answer at Drops Of Art!

Favorite - Film Quote

(c) Elisabeth

I'm fully aware that this week ended yesterday, but in my head it goes on until I finish this blog post :) And now's the time to choose among the millions of hours of film-quotes that exist out there. For a film-geek like me, that's a nearly impossible task... But I'll try. Here are some of the ones that almost made the top spot:

Irene Adler: Why are you always so suspicious?
Sherlock Holmes: Should I answer chronologically or alphabetically?

(Sherlock Holmes)

Sherlock Holmes: My mind rebells at stagnation. Give me work. Give me problems. 

(Sherlock Holmes)

The Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad?
Alice Kingsley: I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.

(Alice In Wonderland)

Tony Stark: I mean doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?
(Iron Man)

Angus Tuck: Don't be afraid of death, Winnie. Be afraid of the unlived life.
(Tuck Everlasting) 

Sam: Then let us be rid of it... once and for all! Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you! 

(Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King)

Gandalf: A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

(Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring)

Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. 

(Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring)

Dumbledore: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

(Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix) 

Dumbledore: From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork.
(Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince)

Dumbledore: In fact, being - forgive me - rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger.
(Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix) 

Bruce Wayne / Batman: It’s not about who you are underneath; it’s what you do that defines you.
(Batman Begins)

Harvey Dent: You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
(The Dark Knight)

Tyler: If you could hear me, I would say that our finger prints don't fade from the lives we've touched.
(Remember Me)

Tyler: [tries to kiss her, but is denied]
Ally Craig: Not tonight. Not never, but just not tonight.
Tyler: So, dessert first in case of asteroids, yes. But kissing a guy you seem at least somewhat attracted to before riding off into the unknown New York night alongside a panda you've only just met, no?
Ally Craig: [kisses him] You're weird.
Tyler: I know.
(Remember Me)

Tyler: You have a daughter who sincerely believes that you don't like her. I mean, she's trying to communicate. She's speaking. But why aren't you listening? I mean, why aren't you riveted! Why isn't this the most important thing? Just one night!

(Remember Me)

But the movies with so many good quotes that it can't be outmatched is the Pirates of the Caribbean-movies. I think I could recite at least half of the quotes by heart! And the king of all awesome quotes is no other than Jack Sparrow:

Norrington: You actually were telling the truth!
Jack Sparrow: I do that quite a lot. You people are always surprised.

Barbossa: How the blazes did you get off that island?
Jack Sparrow: When you marooned me on that god forsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate: I'm Captain Jack Sparrow.

Jack Sparrow: Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again.
Will Turner: You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd kill you.
Jack Sparrow: That's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?

Jack Sparrow: Up is down. That’s just maddeningly unhelpful! Why are these things never clear?

Jack Sparrow: We must fight, to run away!

But the best of them all:

Jack Sparrow: “Me am dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly, it’s the honest ones you want to watch out for. ‘Couse you can never predict when they’re going to do something incredibly… stupid.”
(Pirates of the Caribbean – The Curse of The Black Pearl)

*Added
Check out Elisabeth's answers at Drops Of Art!

Favorite - Villain In a Movie

(c) Elisabeth

I'm sorry, but yesterday my home (or just my mac?) had no internet-connection what so ever... But don't you worry! Today no less than three blog posts will be up! This first one, the one for yesterday, will be locates right underneath this column. The second one will probably pop up some time tomorrow morning right where this post is now... And the third post will be next week's challenge-categories. Loads to do, so let's get to it!

I thought that choosing my favorite villain from a movie wold be a lot harder that it actually was... I'm sure there were a lot of characters that I even forgot to consider. I started to think through my choices. Voldemort, from the Harry Potter series, is like this force of evil, but somehow he's not that unstoppable (Harry proves that again and again...) and secondly he's very predictable. Hector Barbossa, the pirate constantly stealing Jack's Black Pearl in the Pirates of the Caribbean-movies, is both cool and funny, but I wouldn't consider him in the "most evil-class". He conducts Will and Elizabeth's wedding after all! Davy Jones, the tentacley half man half sea god from Dead Man's Chest, is closer in terms of no compassion. He kills Will! But he's lovesick, which isn't very flattering for a villain.

Severus Snape, the slimy and cloacked wizard from the Harry Potter-movies is so good! And I mean, No words can describe the pure artistic talent of Alan Rickman... The only problem is: (spoiler alert!) He's not evil! Quite to the contrary, he's the biggest hero of them all. The last one I considered was Loke from "Thor" and "The Avengers". He surprised me very positively! He's tragic and funny and semi-evil at the same time, and I love the combination! One of the best characters in both Thor and Avengers.

But the winner of them all is just pure, illogic and twisted evil. No emotions, just for fun. Specialize in ways to destroy people. He's a joke. A twisted, sick joke.

have you guessed it?

He's the Joker!

Surprise! I'm a huge Batman-fan, and Joker is his arch enemy number one. And when it comes to portraying him on-screen, I think the entire world agree that there's none over or beside Heath Ledger. It was his last big film, and it wan him an Oscar. No wonder, actually. It's truly impossible to describe the Joker to you if you haven't seen "The Dark Knight". And if you have, you don't need an explanation! EVIL!

Rip. Heath Ledger, and your performance will live on for centuries as a true icon by a true genius.

*Added
Check out Elisabeth's answer at Drops Of Art!

Favorite - Song Mashup

(c) Elisabeth

Yepp! I'm running late again. Get used to it! It's in the evening/night I've got time for blogging, så that's when I'll do it ;) But I got the idea that I'd try to be ahead instaed of late, so I'll try to write one in the evening that's actually for the next day... I'll promise I'll try at least!

Today it's all about song mashups. Or like someone pointed out to me, also called song medleys. For this category I have so many good answers I honestly don't know where to begin! I've narrowed it down quite a lot, but I still have a couple to go through...

First up is a Britney Spears medley by Sam Tsui. I fell in love with his work a couple of years ago, and what he can do with his voice, some instruments and a camera is just admirable!

Secondly I have to show you guys the King Of Medleys: Kurt Hugo Schneider! He's a song-producer, composer, song-writer and plays every instrument you can name. It's that crazy! Together with Sam Tsui he started a Youtube-channel in 2007. Since that they have been making fantastic covers of famous songs! A couple of years ago Kurt also started to make videos together with other famous Youtubers, both covers, medleys and originals. He also makes the music-videos himself, and like I said, plays all the instruments and edit all the things (both song and video) afterwards. Here's some of his finest work:

A Rihanna medley by Matisse...

Miley Cyrus Medley by Christina Grimmie...

(This actually made Selina Gomez' stepdad wanting to be Christina's mannager)

There's just one problem... Kurt isn't the only medley/mashup-king! There is one guy. He's actually quite known... As a matter of fact so known that you might indeed have heard one of his medleys on the radio! His name is Jordan Roseman aka DJ Earworm, and he's unparalleled at what he does! Every year since 2007 he's created a mashup presenting the 25 top song of the Billboard list of the past years music. He chops them into tiny pieces and puts them together in a totally unrecognizable way. He actually creates a whole new song out of it! This skill got him famous and today he's working for the very artists that features on the Billboard-list, only that now he's creating medleys for them using their songs... and getting paid for it! Here's his most resent work:

United States Of Pop 2012: Don't Stop The Pop

United States Of Pop 2011: World Go Boom

But the time has come to crown my winner, the best song-mashup/medley I know. And the result is...

A TIE! 

I have decided to crown two winners...

And first winner is:

United States Of Pop 2009: Blame It On The Pop

When I first heard it I became obsessed with it! And apparantly so did the rest of the world. It's got over 41 MILLION hits on Youtube! This is the song that made it to all the big radio-stations. It made him known, respected and famous! his songs from 2010 and 2011 is sooo good, but all Earworm-fans hold this one most precious. We don't know why... It's just best, and I know all of it by heart!

And the second winner is:

Love The Way You Lie - MASHUP

This is just so good <3 I know every note and word by heart, and yes, I've got it on my iPod! It's the song that made both Kurt and Sam famous. This is where it really started for both of them, and they deserve every opportunity they've got since then! Kurt isn't as brilliant a editor as DJ Earworm, but he makes his own music from scratch... And there's this mix of homemade, professional and personality about it. Can't wait to see what he's going to do over the next couple of years!

*added
Check out Elisabeth's answer at Drops Of Art!

Favorite - Editor

(c) Elisabeth

I have not forgotten it! Promise! I've just been so buisy all day with the last of my final exams and shopping and hanging with friends and such... But here it is :-)

I know, i know... This day's topic is geeky and wired! But I'm both those things, so live with it! When I said editor, I ment any editor of either movies or pictures or anything else it's possible to edit. So on that note, here's my favorite editor of all time:

GEN IP!

Whaaat! Who's this? Is it even a name? As a matter of fact it is... She's a girl from Vancover that has just now graduated from college with an BA in Communications. But the place that made her famous to the world was indeed Youtube under her username Genrocks. Empire posted her "Filmography 2010"-video about two years ago... and I fell in love! She was just sooooo good! Don't believe it? See for yourself...

I have edited quite a qouple of videos, and this is HARD! It took her over a month to edit... No wonder. She's made 270 films fit into 6 minutes! She even made a lot of crappy movies look gorgeous, and the good ones all got their moments to shine. I've watched this so many times I know almost half of the movie by heart <3

When the end of 2011 came, I kind of wondered how she was going to be able to repeat the success... Luckily I was not disappointed! The only difference was that 2011 was a bad movie year (according to me), but to compensate she'd become even better than last year.

Last, but not least, I have to mention the absolutley stunning mashup she made of the journey through all the years of Harry Potter. Never have I seen a more beautiful Harry Potter-tribute made with so much feeling and filled with so many memories. It's truly become one of the most loved Harry Potter-mashup in the web community! I will stop blabbering now, and you should indeed take a few minutes to watch this before you leave :)

Other blogs worth visiting!

Drops Of Art

SaraRosine

Favorite - Television Series

(c) Elisabeth

Woho! It's starting! It's time to reveal my first favorite thing. And the first thing up is, as most of you probably know already, favorite TV-series. (For details on the the challenge, head over here.) And if you want to you can totally leave the link to your blog-post down in the comments :)

It's honestly some hard category to start up with... What happened to nice and slow? You see, I don't have just one TV-series I love! I have at least five! But I have decided that I have to pick one as my favorite. The toss-up is between (in random order) Glee, The Vampire Diaries, House, Rookie Blue and So You Think You Can Dance. "Do you watch these things? Most of them are for teens!" I know! But I love them anyway. Don't judge! When I sit down to watch an episode of a TV-series it's meant to give me a break from all the other tings I do all day. I want to be entertained! To laugh and smile and cry and be excited.

Glee gives me joy to watch. It's so adorable but it also adresses a lot of important issues in scociety and in life in general. In one minute I find myself singing along grinning like a fool when they play a song I like, and in the next minute I can tear up because of things like bullying, prejudices and broken dreams.

Vampire Diaries, on the other hand, is very exciting, engaging and at times nerve-wracking. I dont care much about the fact that they are actually a bunch of vampires, werewolfs and witches... Its the personalities I love! There are literally no stereotypes here. And I love Damon Salvatore, the brother of the main character's boyfriend! I have rarely been presented such an interesting, deep, highly unpredictable and constantly changing character, and the actor, Ian Sommerhalder, is awesome.

House is for nerds. Which means I have totally screwed up humor! I go to school together with a lot of science-nerds, and even thought I'm not one of them myself (I loath math) I have come to understand and like the humor. House himself is despicable, but like Damon he's just so interesting! I started on season one about two years ago, and now I've reached the beginning of season eight, and I still love it.

So You Think You Can Dance is one of the things I look forward to each spring. It's one of those series that airs during the summer unlike most TV-programs. The reason why I love this is quite obvious: I love dance and I love to dance! It's just so inspiring, like watching a living art gallery, just that it's a dance show. You get to know the contestants through the season, and the judges are fantastic as always.

But, my favorite is a quite unusual choice...

My favorite television-series is Rookie Blue!

It's a Canadian police drama started in 2010, now in it's third season. It too only airs during the summer... The series is about five fresh rookies and how they handle the real life as a cop. You think that doesn't sound exciting? No, you're right, it doesn't. But it is! And the reason for that is that it's all so real and realistic. I've watched a lot of different agent-type TV-series (Alias, CSY, Covert Affairs and so on...) bit none of them are very realistic. Since this one is not produced in Hollywood, not even in the States, it had a whole different kind of truthfulness about it.

Here we get to see a cop's everyday life, with ups and downs. After watching this I started, for the first time, to think of the people behind the uniforms. What they feel like searching a house for a murderer. How terrifying and horrible a child-abduction can be for the cop in charge of the investigation. How a cop actually feel both during and after a fire. I could name countless examples, but I think you got the picture. In adition to all of this the actors are great! With Missy Peregrym (Andy McNally) and Ben Bass (Sam Swaerk) as the leading characters.

All in all, I love it, and I highly recommend you to see it!

Other bloggers also participating in the challenge:

Drops of Art
SaraRosine

Check them out! :-)

Favorite - challenge: week one!

Photographer - Elisabeth

I know the week has already started, but there honestly is no perfect or even preferable way to split 100 days into weeks. So, like I said earlier, I just decided to start today. I mean, why not? (Yes, yes, it's only 1:30 AM... but it is May 30th nonetheless!) And by the way, these pictures, and a lot more to come, are taken by the fantastically gifted Elisabeth over at Drops Of Art. Go check out all of her other photos! To prevent myself from blabbering too much I think its just best to reveal this weeks topics, from today until Sunday:

Photographer - Elisabeth

As you can see all of them has to do with film, TV or music... but I promise I picked randomly! Although I won't complain... I love all of those three things <3 (Shocker! I made the topics...) But as I said, we will be keeping to the topics I picked and to the order in which they wanted to jump out of the jar. Which means:

Wednesday = Television series

Thursday = (film / picture) Editor

Friday = Song mashup

Saturday = Villain in a movie

Sunday = Film quote

Let's get to it!

These are a hundred of my favorite things!

So, I suddenly wanted to start a challenge... Actually It was just an idea that sprung to my head since my blog had been kind of dull and lifeless for a while now. I thought to myself, (while being completely covered in dust as I have been trying to uncover my bedroom from underneath it's coat of clothes, dust and random mess that often finds it's way into my "gigantic" room!) I thought: Why not write about things I like? That was rapidly followed by another unavoidable question: What is it that I really like? And how in the whole, wide world would I be able to choose? I can never decide what I want to write about... That's my problem! That's why there are so few posts here. If you add all of the unfinished drafts and ideas that until this day remain unpublished, and all of the blogs I have startet (and ended) all over Cyber-space, I would probably have written a whole book by now... But like I said, I luckily came up with an answer!

The answer is: The Favorite-Challenge!

All in all it's truly very simple, and you've probably joined something similar before. The idea is that I (and whoever wants to join me) tell you guys about one of my favorite things each day. "That's it?" you say. Yepp! But there are a few, and I repeat, a few rules to this mess. Simply to prevent, eh, a mess. So, without further due, here are is the way it's going to work:

- I have written down 100 categories (go check the Favorite-challenge page under the header) on 100 pieces of paper and stuffed them all into this jar:

- Each Sunday I will pull out seven of the pieces of paper at random. One for each day. Than I will create a blogpost where I reveal this weeks topics and on what day we'll be doing which. That way we can all do the same topic on the same day...

- Then all you (and of course I) have to do is to create a post on our different blogs revealing your favorite of the day.

- I will do one each day, but if you want to join you can of course skip some days, or maybe do one a week? Or just some at random whenever you feel like it? I'm not at all strict or judgmental, so feel free to do whatever you like!

("You're pirates. Hang the code, and hang the rules. They're more like guidelines anyway.")

- If you want to try the every-day-version you do not have to panic if you miss one here and there. You can either skip them or just post two favorite things the next day. Yes, you heard me right, you can actually do some of them together!

- If you wondered if there were some kind of rules to how long (or short) the post has to be, the answer is: I'm not particularly fond of rules, so no, there aren't. Feel free to write as much or little you feel like! But it's always very interesting to get at least some explanation why you have chosen what you have :)

- Additionally I have to say that you don't have to write your own blog post if you don't want to... You can also just leave an answer in the comments below if you like!

- Last but not least, I thought it would be fun to read your answers, and so do probably a lot of others... So if you feel like it you can leave the link to your blog post in a comment below mine, and I will collect them all and make a list out of it. (Just put the link to the post in question though, not to the entire blog. In that way people like me, who does not find what is probably right under their noses, don't have to get completely lost in search of the right post!)

As I always am when I get a new and (to me) exciting idea, I simply can't wait to get started! So, as the head of my own challenge, I decide that it will kick off already tomorrow! Wednesday May 30th will be the first day of the challenge, so get ready, and invite all of your friends and co-bloggers... This is going to be fun!