Could be Paradise...

Well. Coldplay released the second single for their upcoming Mylo Xyloto album on Monday (the first single being ETIAW). This one is called "Paradise." And it has made me even more excited for the album's release. (:

Anyway. Paradise. I'm in love. This song... ah. I don't know how to explain it.

Compared to "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall," Coldplay's first Mylo Xyloto single, "Paradise" is definitely a bit moodier. But it's still something that makes you want to get up and move. And, of course, it still has that Coldplay feel to it, despite the new direction the band has been taking (which, I'll admit, I really like).

But anyway. Mylo Xyloto is set to come out in the US on October 25. It's also a "concept album." Which means that all of the songs are going to be unified in a common theme. Luckily, I'm pretty sure that we already know what the basic "theme" will be. (: Chris Martin said, “It’s based on a love story with a happy ending.” So, the whole album is going to be one big story. I love it. (:

Mylo Xyloto album cover and tracklist

Sigh. Can't wait. (:

More possible Les Mis cast news

Apparently, there's even more speculation swirling around about more cast members that could possibly be in the new Les Miserables movie musical that should be coming out sometime in 2012 or 2013. As of right now, we know that Hugh Jackman is going to be Valjean, and that Paul Bettany and Russell Crowe seem to be front-runners for Javert. But who are these new people?

There are a few. But, as a disclaimer, this is all speculation. Nothing is set in stone as of right now.

Anyway. First up, we have rumors of Geoffrey Rush as Thenardier. Captian Barbossa himself. Also, Rush was also in The King's Speach, the last movie that Les Mis director Tom Hooper directed, so I suppose that this kind of makes sense. Also, of course, Rush played Javert in the 1997 Les Miserables movie. Which... let's be honest, wasn't well-received by some fans. But oh, well. I think that he could possibly do well as Thenardier.

... I think I can kind of see it. But, I also think that as of right now, he's super gray and without those curly locks. So... whatever.

Next up on the list is Helena Bonham Carter for Madame Thenardier. Most of the time, I love Helena. And I think that she could do a good job as Mme Thenardier. As most people should know, she can definitely pull off the crazy, evil side that Mme Thenardier should have. And yeah, yeah, I know... usually, most people picture/portray Mme Thenardier has heavy-set... but does she really have to be? Personally, I don't think so, especially when it's Helena playing the part.

Now for Fantine. Three names apparently being tossed around as possible Fantines are Amy Adams, Rebecca Hall, and Anne Hathaway. Personally... I'm a no-go for Amy. Yeah, she's done singing movies such as Enchanted (which, let's be honest... isn't quite Les Mis-ish), but I just don't see her as Fantine. She's too... sunny, I guess? For lack of a better word. Maybe that's just Enchanted getting to me though. Also, with Anne, sure she can sing, but does she really have a voice for Fantine? In my opinion, no. Based on looks alone, I think I'd prefer Rebecca.

Finally, we have Cosette/Eponine. And there are quite a few names being thrown around for these two, which makes me wonder if they really are that - just names being thrown around. But anyway. The names that have been listed are Hayden Panettiere, Miranda Cosgrove, Lucy Hale, and Emma Watson.

I know that nobody's actually going to ask me, but if they did, Hayden and Miranda would be thrown out from the get-go. I know it's a bit... prejudiced, I guess, but Hayden just irritates me whenever she's on the screen. Maybe it's because of her being Claire in Heroes, I have no idea. But I just don't like watching her. As for Miranda, she's a Disney kid. I mean, I guess they could put her in there... but didn't they learn their lesson from Nick Jonas?

So we're left with Lucy and Emma. I haven't personally seen much of Lucy's work, so I can't really compare. As for Emma, I think that she might be fine too. I suppose. I don't know, though. I'm on the fence for both of them.

And, that's about it. Like I said before, these names are all just speculated. There may even turn out to be no fact at all for some of them, only rumor that somebody threw in for fun. But whatever, I guess that we'll see. Obviously, this movie is probably going to be very Hollywood, and not quite as musical-theatre-only as some people hoped. But, come on... let's just be happy that we're getting a movie, right? As long as it's not completely butchered, I think that I'll be happy.

And as long as they keep the Disney kids out of it.

The Mentalist sneak peak! (:

Alright. So, I was pretty excited when I saw this.

The CBS website posted a "Season 4 Premier First Look" for The Mentalist today. It's only four photos and a couple of captions, but it's getting me excited nonetheless. (:

Obviously, Jane's in prison and going on trial for what he did at the end of last season.

The only downside to this is that Jane has been in jail before ("Black Gold and Red Blood" from season 2), and I... didn't really like that episode. I really prefer Jane being out and about, and with him being stuck in jail... it just wasn't as fun, in my opinion. Hopefully, things will be different with season 4. I'll admit that this could probably very well be pretty interesting.

Anyway. The Mentalist will start back up on September 22nd, and I'm getting pretty excited. (:

Here's a video that was posted a few weeks ago, which recaps last season's finale, "Strawberries and Cream." Obviously, there are spoilers.

Ahh! It's so good! (: I especially like that quote at the end. Honestly, I can't wait. Hopefully this next season is fantastic. Though I'm sure that it will be. (:

... 36 days! (:

Les Miserables US Tour cast on America's Got Talent

Okay. So, this right here basically made me beyond happy.

The cast of Les Miserables that is currently touring the US (the cast that I saw perform in June) made an appearance last night on America's Got Talent and sang "One Day More." It. Was. Fantastic. (:

This cast features Mark McVey as Valjean, Justin Scott Brown as Marius, Jenny Latimer as Cosette (who is from Orem, Utah!), Chasten Harmon as Eponine, Jeremy Hayes as Enjolras, Andrew Varela as Javert, and Michael Kostroff and Shawna Hamic as the Thenardiers.

It brought back all of those wonderful memories from June 5, 2011. (: The only differences that I can see between this cast and the cast that I saw are Valjean and Enjolras. I saw Ron Sharpe as Valjean and... somebody else as Enjolras. But it wasn't Jeremy Hayes.

Sigh. Anyway, I realize now that I never actually posted a blog post about seeing Les Miserables. So... I will now. I saw it on June 5, 2011 (which, ironically, is the day before "Barricade Day") at the Capitol Theatre. It was amazing. (: After the show, I went to the stage door and had the amazing opportunity of meeting some of the cast. I got so many cast members to sign my playbill. It was fantastic. (:

It was all so... mind-boggling, for lack of a better word, that I didn't think to get a lot of photos. Here are a couple:

 Andrew Varela (Javert)

Ron Sharpe (Valjean)

And here's the end result of getting my playbill signed. (:

So... yeah. That was my experience. It was two and a half months ago, but I still remember it all like it was yesterday. It was amazing, I loved it, and it will definitely be the beginning of many Les Miserables experiences. (:

Mylo Xyloto (:

Well, it's official. The title and release date for Coldplay's fifth album has FINALLY been released. (: Mylo Xyloto (pronounced MY-lo ZY-le-to) will be released on October 24, 2011 (as previously speculated) for everywhere except North America. We won't get it until the next day, on October 25th. Ah, well.

Also released with this information was the cover art for the album:

 For the CD, it will include an alternate album cover on the revearse side of the main one:

I'm kind of a fan, I think. (: The name of the album is a bit strange, and it took me a while to be able to pronounce it right, but it's slowly growing on me. I'm liking it more and more. (:

So, what exactly does "Mylo Xyloto" mean? Nobody seems to know. Maybe later, we'll have a better idea.

Anyway. As of right now, the official tracklist for the album hasn't been announced, but there's a lot of speculation. Somewhere - I can't exactly remember where - I heard that the album is a bit over forty minutes long. So, I'm guessing that that will probably be about a 10-track album. But that's just my guess.

WikiColdplay has a list of possible songs for Mylo Xyloto:

"Charlie Brown"
"Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall"
"Great Expectations"
"Hurts Like Heaven"
"Major Minus"
"Moving To Mars"
"Mylo Xyloto"
"Paradise"
"Princess Of China"
"Sex And Violence"
"Tomorrow"
"U.F.O."
"Us Against The World"
"Up In Flames"
"Up With The Birds"

Obviously, some of the songs have never been heard of before. A few of them, however, have been played by Coldplay at festivals and concerts. Here are some of them. (:

"CHARLIE BROWN"

Ah, "Charlie Brown." (: As stated in the previous post, I adore this particular song. (:

"EVERY TEARDROP IS A WATERFALL"

Now, for some people (particularly, some long-time Coldplay fans), they absolutely hate this song. Personally, I think that it's fine. I actually like it. But that could be because I only got into Coldplay more recently. And also, because I'm a bit more open-minded when it comes to music. But anyway.

"US AGAINST THE WORLD"

This song is lovely. (: Beautiful meaning, and beautiful lyrics. I especially love 2:02 - 2:30. "And if we could float away, fly up to the surface and just start again, and lift off before trouble just erodes us in the rain..."

"MAJOR MINUS"

Ah. I like this one too. It's not my favorite, but I do like it. (:

"MOVING TO MARS"

This song starts out a bit slow for me, but after the beginning part I do grow to like it. (:

"HURTS LIKE HEAVEN"

This is another one of those catchy songs. (: I also like this one. Hopefully, it makes it on the album.

Of course, some of the songs listed may not even be on the album. "Hurts Like Heaven," for example, is one of those songs that might have been tossed into the scrap pile for the album. Personally, I hope that that's not the case, because I'm a fan of that song. (:

So far, only two songs are "guarenteed" to be on the album, from what I've heard: "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" and "Paradise." I haven't heard "Paradise" before, because I don't think that it's been played anywhere yet. But anyway, this song is going to be Mylo Xyloto's second single (ETIAW being the first), scheduled to be released on September 12. One month! (:

As for the full album... 72 days! (;

We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark (:

To be honest, I'm one of those people who, when asked what their favorite song is, usually replies, "I really don't have a favorite song." And it's true. I have favorite songs, but not one single favorite. And there are just too many too list when the question is asked.

But anyway. With that said, I've officially added a new favorite song to that super long (okay... slightly long) favorite songs list. What is it, you may ask? "Charlie Brown" by Coldplay.

This is a fairly new song, and it's pretty catchy and just overall fantastic. I love it, and I can't get enough of it. The only problem? It hasn't been released yet! And what does that mean? It means, my friends, that this fantastic song is not on iTunes. So, I can't have it on my iPod.

It's driving me insane.

But anyway. "Charlie Brown" was first introduced to the general public on June 3, 2011 at the Rock im Park Festival in Nürnberg, Germany. They've continued to play it at other concerts through out the summer. But, like I said, it hasn't actually been released yet.

Originally, the song was called "Cartoon Heart," but it was later changed to "Charlie Brown."

Anyway, I guess that I'll survive the wait for the song's actual release. Coldplay's new album, which "Charlie Brown" will most likely be included on, is most likely coming out this fall. Most sources say that it'll be toward the end of October. So... I'll just try not to think about it too much.

In the meantime, I'll just have to rely on YouTube to enjoy the song. (:

"Light a fire from a spark
Light a fire, a flame in my heart
We'll run wild,
We'll be glowing in the dark."

Les Mis Movie: Russell Crowe as possible Javert?

There's another contender for the new Les Mis movie that's in the works: Russell Crowe. Apparently, the actor is very "keen" on the idea of playing Javert.

Could this work? I haven't heard Russell Crowe sing before, so I can't really judge him on that. Based on looks alone? Hmm... let's compare him with the other speculated Javert front-runner, Paul Bettany.

Ah... I still don't know. Crowe is darker (i.e. not super-white like Bettany), like Javert is "supposed" to be, but in some Bettany photos he has this really fantastically intense look about him... so, yeah, I don't know. This one I'm just really on the fence about both ways.

But... take a look at this shot of Russell Crowe, from the movie Master and Commander (which, ironically, Paul Bettany is also in).

Remind you of anybody? No? Come one, just think about it... think about it some more...

Alright. Does this jog your memory a bit?

RUSSELL CROWE HAS THE ABILITY TO LOOK A LITTLE BIT LIKE FREAKING PHILIP QUAST.

Sigh. Just give me a second to get over that. Okay, I'm good now.

Maybe it's just me. But I see a similarity there. And it's freaking awesome.

Anyway. From what I heard, however, director Tom Hooper really wants Bettany in the Javert role. He probably has a better chance of  getting it than Russell Crowe does.

Of course, all of this possible-Javert-casting is just speculation. Nothing has been set in stone, and all of this is simply what I heard on the grapevine.

Something has been confirmed though, and that's the fact that Hugh Jackman will be in the movie, as confirmed by his rep. However, when asked about what role Jackman would actually be playing, the spokesperson only said, "I think Valjean." So, there's a possibility that he could be playing someone else... but, personally, I'm sure that he's going to be playing Valjean.
Something else that's (kind of) been confirmed? The movie will have spoken dialogue mixed in, unlike the musical, which is sung through. I'm totally fine with that. I mean, turning a theatre musical into a motion picture is going to require some changes.

I've also heard that the movie will probably start filming around February, once Hugh Jackman is done with the movie he's currently working on, The Wolverine.

February. That's in less than a year. OH MY GOODNESS.

They better cast this freaking movie soon, before I go insane.

Ramin Freaking Karimloo

Alright. So, this man right here... he's fantastic. That's all I can say. He's one of the people that I think I can honestly say I adore (okay, okay... I say that about a lot of people. But still). His voice, his face, his smile... ah. (: He's just great. And quite talented.

Ramin has played both Raoul and the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. He also plays the Phantom in Love Never Dies, which is POTO's sequel. He has also played Marius in Les Miserables. And, of course, there's the role that made me fall in love with him: Enjolras in the Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert. (;

Staying on that topic, let me just say that, before Ramin, I wasn't the biggest fan of Enjolras. I still liked him, I just didn't love him. There were other characters that I was more in love with. And then I saw Ramin's take on the character... and I was hooked. (: He's still not my favorite character... but I enjoy him a lot more when Ramin is portraying him. (;

Anyway. Ramin was born in Iran, but grew up in Canada. Also, he and fellow actor Hadley Fraser (Grantaire in the Les Mis concert) have a band called Sheytoons. They're actually pretty good. (:

Ramin Karimloo and Hadley Fraser

Anyway. So... yeah, that's a little bit about the fantastic Ramin for ya. Now, here's some music. (:

Here's Ramin at the 2011 Oliver Awards singing "Till I Hear You Sing," which is a song that the Phantom sings in Love Never Dies. The song starts out quiet, then from 1:40 and on, it's just... "wow."

ETIAW - Coldplay

I turn the music up, I've got my records on

I shut the world outside until the lights come on

Maybe the streets alight, maybe the trees are gone

But I feel my heart start beating to my favorite song

All the kids they dance, all the kids all night

Until Monday morning feels another life

I turn the music up, I'm on a roll this time

And heaven is in sight

...

I've had this song stuck in my head for about... I don't know, two weeks now? I actually heard the Boyce Avenue cover first (see my Boyce Avenue post). I loved that so much that I was like, "Hey, I love Coldplay, too. Why not go check out the original song?" So... I did.

At first, I wasn't a fan. I just... didn't like the song at all.

Of course, about four tries later, and I was hooked. It's still not my favorite song by Coldplay, but I still really like it.

So... here it is. Every Teardrop Is A WaterFall by Coldplay. The video's slightly... epileptic, I guess, for lack of a better word. You'll see what I mean. Not the entire time, just most of it. But still, kind of cool. Give it a chance. (;

Anyway, that's all. I felt kind of bad for not posting in a while, so I thought I'd get something out. Because I'd hate to fall out of habit with this blog. :/ It's basically the only place that I can ramble about the things that I really love. ;D

Fireworks (:

Well, it was the 4th of July yesterday. Which, of course, meant fireworks.

... which, of course, meant an interesting photo-taking experiment opportunity! (;

I took a lot of photos. Only about 15 of them really turned out. Some of them actually turned out looking pretty cool. Here are my favorites. (:

Of course, they're by no means fantastic photos. But it was fun to to play around with taking the pictures. (:

And something random? Every time I look at these photos, I get Katy Perry's "Firework" stuck in my head. Ah, well.

My... bucket list.

"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." --John Lennon

... I've decided that I want to start making a bucket list. Yes, I know I'm sixteen. No, I don't plane on dying any time soon. But, if I want to get this stuff done, I need to start planning! (;

Plus, it's fun to even just dream about doing all of these things. (;

So. Here's... the beginning, I suppose? In no particular order. And I'll add to it as time goes on. And who knows? Maybe I'll even be able cross things off as time goes on. (:

CHANTEL'S BUCKET LIST

1. Visit New York
2. See Les Miserables... as many times as possible (preferably 5+ times)

3. Stand on the Pont au Change bridge in Paris. It has some significance in Les Mis (with Javert, if that gives you a hint).

<--- There's a picture

4. See the Northern lights

5. Go to California (yes. I've never been to California).

6. Get hypnotized

7. Watch someone else get hypnotized.

8. Meet Alfie Boe

9. Visit Ireland

10. Get married to an amazing guy

11. Visit England

12. Meet Simon Baker

13. Be in a production of Les Mis (even just the ensamble would be fantastic).

14. Get my ears pierced (yep, my ears aren't pierced yet. I'm too much of a chicken. But it will happen!)

15. Meet Conan O'Brien

16. Meet Craig Ferguson

Anyway... that's about it when it comes to that. For now. (:

Hugh Jackman confirmed for Les Mis movie?

Alright. So it hasn't officially been announced by the Les Mis people yet, but Hugh Jackman pretty much confirmed it himself.

Hugh was interviewed on a Toronto radio station (98.1 CHFI). They talked about a bunch of things, but about half way/two-thirds of the way in, they start talking about his musical theatre career, and then what other types of projects he would love to do. Hugh says this:

" So, I would love to do one of those [a movie-musical] one day. And, it looks like that's coming through 'cause I'm going to do Les Miserables, the movie version of it, next year. "

So... yeah. I'm assuming that that means that Hugh Jackman is officially going to be Jean Valjean in the movie-musical version of Les Miserables. Which is great. (: In a perfect world, I would have loved for Alfie Boe to have been cast in the role, since Cameron Mackintosh was supposedly interested in him for it in the beginning. But that's just the fangirl in me. (: I think that Hugh will be fantastic as well. At least he has some previous musical theatre experience! (: And he can sing. Does he necessarily have a voice for Valjean? Probably, otherwise why would he have been cast? Plus, he has the star power that may just get the general public to go out and see this movie.

"24601!"

Can you see it? I'm starting to. (:

Yep. I think that I'm slowly becoming more and more excited about this. (: As if I already wasn't. (;

Anyway. If you're interested, you can listen to the whole interview right here. (:

Oh, Grantaire.

Oh, dear. Here comes another rambling Les Mis post.

You know who else I love in Les Mis? Grantaire. Of course, there isn't much of him in the actual musical (but still enough to make him a bit lovable, of course). However, he's fantastic in the book as well. I just love him. He's such a sad, pessimistic, but also funny character. (:

As most of you may know, Grantaire is one of the student rebels who joins in on the fight at the barricade. He's a cynical, pessimistic alcoholic who happens to sign his name simply as R. Why? Because, in French, the capital 'R' is apparently pronounced a bit like "grand-air." Grantaire. Get it? It's fantastic. (;

Grantaire "doesn't believe in anything." So, why is he even at the barricade? One word: Enjolras. He idolizes him. Grantaire admires everything in Enjolras that he lacks within himself. He wants to be more than a drunken cynic, but he can't. That's why he admires Enjolras so much, because that's what Grantaire wishes he could be. He wishes he could believe in something, so he believes in Enjolras. And if Enjolras wants to start a revolution and build a barricade, then so be it.

Of course, Enjolras sadly doesn't quite feel the same way.

"Grantaire," Enjolras called. "Go and sleep your wine off somewhere else. This is a place for intoxication, but not for drunkenness. Don't dishonour the barricade."
"You know I believe in you."
"Go away."
"Let me sleep it off here."
"Go and sleep it off somewhere else," said Enjolras.
"Let me sleep here and, if need be, die here."
"Grantaire, you're incapable of believing or thinking or willing or living or dying."
"You'll see," said Grantaire gravely. "You'll see." 

 Aaaannnddd... we all know how that ends.

In the musical, we see the two of them on much more friendly terms. Grantaire still annoys Enjolras a little bit, but we still see them as friends. In the 25th anniversary concert, Ramin Karimloo and Hadley Fraser are fantastic as the two of them. (:

Something that I really love about Grantaire in the musical is a fairly new addition that I saw put into play when I saw Les Mis on June 5th. It's the relationship between Grantaire and Gavroche. They have a sort of big-brother/little-brother thing going on, and I love it. Since the turn table was gone, we didn't get to see Gavroche's death, only hear it. But Grantaire's reaction made up for that and made it all the more tragic.

I'm not too familiar with Grantaire actors, so I can't really say that I have a favorite. I do really love Hadley Fraser, though, who played Grantaire in the 25th anniversary concert. I also like Anthony Crivello, from the 10th anniversary concert.

They have, in my opinion, very different portrayals of Grantaire during "Drink With Me." Hadley's Grantaire is clearly talking to the rest of the men during his solo, and basically really taking a hit at their morale. He's clearly saying, "Do you guys realize what you're doing? We're all going to die, and there's nothing you can do about it." He doesn't necessarily care at all that he's going to be killed, but he would like to point out to the rest of them how stupid they are for getting into that situation. 

Anthony's Grantaire, on the other hand, seems to be talking only to himself. He's finally realizing what he truly got himself into, and he's terrified.

Here's Hadley. His solo starts about 47 seconds in.

And here's Anthony. He starts singing about 56 seconds in.

Notice the difference?

While I adore Hadley's voice, his portrayal of Grantaire, and just Hadley in general, I also love Anthony's take on Grantaire in DWM.

But... when it comes to my favorite... Hadley just might win this one. Why? I'm not sure.

I JUST FREAKING LOVE HIM.

Ahem. That's all. (:

Boyce Avenue, anybody?

Two words: Boyce Avenue. If you haven't heard of these guys before, then you should definitely give them a listen. (: I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of them, though. Currently, they're the most searched for band on YouTube.

And I absoutely adore them. (:

 

Fabian, Daniel, Alejandro

The band consists of three brothers from Florida: Alejandro, Daniel, and Fabian Manzano. Alejandro is the wonderful lead vocalist. (: They've been around since 2004, though I didn't hear about them until just a few months ago. I was sitting in my Interior Design class. My teacher turned on some music... and ended up introducing us to the wonderful music of Boyce Avenue. (:

They do both acoustic covers and original music. And they're fantastic at what they do. (:

So... listen and enjoy? I have two videos I'm sharing below, the first being one of their original songs, called "Every Breath." The second is their latest video as of today, a Coldplay cover. But I encourage you to check out more of their stuff. If you have a favorite song or band, it's possible that Boyce Avenue has done a cover. And their original music is really great, too. (:

Now. Click the link and go to their YouTube channel. Right now. Thanks. (;

How's that for a view?

Well, I went hiking a few days ago.

I... do not hike. Ever.

But, I'll admit that it was fun. It wasn't very hard, only about 1/2 a mile. And the view was amazing.

Pretty nice, huh?

I've never had a view of Salt Lake like that before. It was a nice change.

The only downside?

I realized how incredibly out of shape I am.

And by that, I mean I could barely hike 1/2 a mile.

Two-thirds of the way in, I felt like I was going to fall over and die.

Sure, it was uphill the entire way. But still.

Anyway. This was kind of a pointless post.

Don't judge. I'm tired.

And I felt like throwing in a pointless fluff-post.

But I do apologize.

Hugh Jackman can sing?!

I was not very aware of the fact that Hugh Jackman sings until a few days ago, when I saw him on the Tony Awards. He performed this hillarious song with Neil Patrick Harris (who I adore), and I was like, "Woah. That's cool." After that, I didn't think too much of it. And then I saw this headline on Google:

Hugh Jackman & Paul Bettany Could Square Off In ‘Les Miserables’

Which obviously peaked my interest. There's a Les Miserables movie-musical in the works right now, but there hasn't been much word about it since the director (The King's Speach's Tom Hooper) was announced in March. Until now. Apparently, the director really wants Hugh Jackman in the movie. As of right now (according to the article I read), he's already working out a deal with film makers. And what role is Jackman possibly going to play? None other than Jean Valjean. (:

Now, I think I'm kind of on the fence about this, but at the same time I kind of approve. Then again, no film maker is ever going to ask my opinion about this, so I guess it doesn't matter. But still. I think Hugh Jackman could maybe pull it off, from what I've heard of him. Then again, I haven't heard much. So, he could rock at Valjean, or he could bomb at Valjean. I have no idea. (: But, nonetheless, he can sing.

As for the Paul Bettany fellow, the only of movies that he's in that I've seen are A Beautiful Mind and The Secret Life of Bees. I loved him as Charles Herman in A Beautiful Mind. He's also been in A Knight's Tale, The Da Vinci Code, and The Tourist, among many others.

As for his musical history, I don't know anything about that.Which kind of concerns me. I mean, he could possibly be playing Javert. Obviously, I'm a bit attached when it comes to who plays that role. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Of course, none of this is confirmed or set in stone. This is just what's being speculated right now.

A lot of fans are angry because they want real musical theatre people to be in this movie, not popular Hollywood actors (for the record, Hugh Jackman could be considered both). In my opinion, they can't have all musical theatre actors. This movie does need a bit of talented star power for the general public to at least go see it. I think that they need to have a healthy mix of both (as long as Hollywood can sing).

As of right now, I don't really have any prefered actors to make up the cast. I've decided that I like Hugh Jackman for Valjean. I'm still on the fence about Bettany as Javert, because I haven't heard him sing and I'm not too familiar with him. Other than that, I have no idea who should be anybody else.

... Except for one. (:

Ramin Karimloo as Enjolras? Pretty please? (:

"If music be the food of love, play on."

One of my many favorite bands is this duo called Sugarland. The lead vocalist is a woman named Jennifer Nettles. The other half of the band, Kristian Bush, does the background vocals, mandolin, guitar, harmonica, etc. etc. He's also lead vocals on a few songs. (: They've been around since about 2003, and I love them. (: Jennifer has such a fun personality that's all her own, and it really comes across in any performance that you watch. And Kristian has a pretty awesome voice. (:

They have one song called "Stand Up." It comes off of Sugarland's latest album, "The Incredible Machine," which was released last October. This song packs a really good message with it. (:
Here's a video of that song. It takes a while for the song to actually start, and it's not the best quality, but I still really like the video. (: The song at the beginning is actually a mini-song that Kristian sings, a version of their song "Incredible Machine."

"Won't you stand up and use your voice?"

Faces I've never met

Alright. So, I'm really big into family history. This could be because of the dominant religion in my area. But I love it simply because I love history, and knowing where I come from fascinates me. I got started about a year and a half ago. Since then, I've found out so much about my family. I've even gotten to the point where I help other people out a little with their family history basics as well. I'm by no means an expert, but I love doing it and I can sometimes come up with some interesting stuff.

Some of my favorite people to research are the Grimm family, my great-great-great grandfather Martin, his wife Katherine, and their children. In 1883, they left Germany for the United States with their young son Henry. While travelling across the ocean on a ship called the S.S. Nevada, their second child was born, a son named Otto. In Utah, Martin and his wife Katherine had seven more children, including my great-great grandmother, Amelia.

They suffered a lot of hardship once they got here, losing four of their nine children at a young age, and losing another in his early thirties. Baby Otto died when he was four months old. They lost their two-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and had a stillborn son in the same year. And their daughter, Mary, got very sick and passed away when she was just eighteen.

Who interests me the most in this family, however, is Amelia's older brother Henry. I don't have a photo of him (in fact, the only Grimm family member I have photos of is Amelia), so I can't put a face to the name. However, his story has always fascinated me, though I've never been able to quite find out as much as I'd like. He died young as well - at the age of 31. Shortly after midnight on January 12, 1909, Henry was out walking in Salt Lake City with his friend Edward. They went to get on a Sugar House car while it was still moving. However, it was icy, and Henry slipped and hit his head. He never woke up, leaving behind his wife, Violet, and four young children. His oldest son was six, and his youngest, a daughter, was just two months old.

Why was he out there so late? Where was he going? I'll probably never know. All I know are the facts stated in newspaper articles; date, time, place, etc. I did have an interesting experience, however. One day in November, my mom and I went to Salt Lake to see a play at the Capitol Theatre. To pass time before the show, we walked around the city. I remember stopping at one street corner to talk to my mom's friend, who was wishing me a happy birthday. I absentmindedly noticed that I was at the corner of 200 South and Main Street.

Later that week, I was just doing some random researching, when I came across another article about Henry's death. This one gave the address of where he died: "Second South and Main Street." The exact corner I had been standing on a few days before.

It was pretty surreal.

Alfie Boe (:



Well. If you read my list in my second post, you should know all about my Enthusiast Interest with actors, both of the stage and film. Here's a stage actor that I absolutely adore. (:



Alfie Boe with Colm Wilkinson



My second favorite character in Les Miserables is Valjean, as you should probably already know. At first, my favorite actor for the character was the originial Colm Wilkinson. He was, after all, the first Valjean that I ever heard. And then I saw the 25th Anniversary Concert, and my ears were introduced to the amazing voice of Alfie Boe. (: Don't get me wrong, I still love Colm, but Alfie has definitely become my favorite Jean Valjean. (: The following performance was at the 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 in London, and it earned Alfie a five-minute-long standing ovation. Here's a clip. (:

So... a little about Alfie, I suppose? He was born Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (sweet name, huh?) in England, the youngest of nine children. He's 37 years old now. At the age of 17, he was working as a mechanic, and enjoyed singing opera while working on the cars to entertain his fellow colleagues. A client overheard him, and suggested that Alfie try out for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in London. He did, and so began Alfie's singing career. (: From what I've heard, his wife is from Utah, so they live here every so often, which makes me really happy. Maybe one day I'll meet him, huh? ;) Probably not, but a girl can dream! ;D

New York, New York... it's calling my name (:

Now. One of my biggest dreams in life is to go visit the fantastic place known as New York City. Why? I honestly don't know. I've never been there before. But I want to go so badly. You have no idea. I want to see it all: the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Central Park, Broadway, Times Square, etc. etc. etc. There's only one little tiny problem: money. Have you seen the cost of airline tickets?! Yeah. Insane. It's getting to the point where only the rich can fly. And so, America slowly kills a teenage girl's dream.

However, I do think that I'll go to New York one day, either with friends or with my family. I'd be fine with either. As long as I go. All I need to do is get a job and start saving up the money. Sadly, getting a job is a lot harder than I thought it would be. But it's going to happen!

I've figured it all out. At the bare minimum, I'll be able to get a minimum wage job and work about 10 hours a week. That will earn my about $72.50 a week. There are 52 weeks in a year. So, if I worked at that minimum wage job at 10 hours a week for a full year, I would have about $3770.

Of course, my reasoning isn't perfect. I'll most likely end up spending quite a bit of that money on other things. And taxes takes a chunk out of your paycheck, of course. ;P But, it does give me hope that it can be done. (: The summer before or the summer after my senior year, I may be able to have my New York trip. We'll see what happens. (;

I'm a Blue.

Around the third-to-last day of school (or something like that), my interior design teacher had nothing planned for us, so she had us all take this cool personality test that's online. It's called the Hartman Personality Test. Basically, the test has four colors: Red, Yellow, Blue, and White. You take the test and, by the end, you have a dominant color, which has your dominant personality traits. And, surprisingly... it's pretty accurate!

Now, I'm a sucker for these types of things, so I really enjoyed it. So much that I went back and retook it today, just for the fun of it. I got the same color both times (unsurprisingly). Here's what I got:

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Blues are motivated by Intimacy. They seek to genuinely connect with others, and need to be understood and appreciated. Everything they do is quality-based. They are loyal friends, employers, and employees. Whatever or whomever they commit to is their sole (and soul) focus. They love to serve and give of themselves freely in order to nurture others' lives.

Blues have distinct preferences and have the most controlling personality. Their personal code of ethics is remarkably strong and they expect others to live honest, committed lives as well. They enjoy paying close attention to special life events (e.g. birthdays and anniversaries). Blues are dependable, thoughtful, and analytical; but can also be self-righteous, worry-prone, and moody. They are "sainted pit-bulls" who never let go of something or someone once they are committed.

Blue Strengths: Blues are very observant and intuitive, noticing quality and detail. With their combined assets, their sense of purpose, and their ease with showing compassion, they become integral parts of every society. Blues sense of commitment can sometimes trap them. They will often stay in a job much longer than will serve their best interest simply because they said they would. They tend to stay because they are loyal and they care about everyone with whom they connect. You can bet Blues will be the ones to refer back to the Color Code materials because they have made a commitment to learn, to become self-aware and to be their best.

Blue Limitations: Ruling by the heart can be a double-edged sword for Blues. If you don’t appreciate their gifts, they won’t give at all. This is a constant threat when in a relationship with a Blue. Their emotions are their Achilles’ heel. They want so badly to be loved and accepted, constantly seeking understanding from others while often refusing to understand and accept themselves.

Blues remember their limitations—or what is wrong with them—more than they remember their strengths. The reason they care so deeply is also the reason they tend to struggle more with depression. Blues must realize that the reason it is so hard for them to break off a relationship or leave a job is tied to their capacity to dedicate themselves so completely and feel so deeply about those commitments.

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Now, that is surprisingly accurate for me. Like, almost spooky, even. The good and the bad, it's all me.

There are some things that really stood out to me. Like the "love to serve." I love helping people out. Or how Blues "need to be understood and appreciated." Also, something that very well relates to me.

The "paying close attention to special life events" made me laugh, because I'm go-to person in my family when it comes to birthdays. I can spout off the birthdays of my parents, six siblings, and 20 nieces and nephews with out missing a beat. It's just something that I know.

So, yeah. I challenge anyone reading this to go take that test, just for fun. (: If you have a blog, post it on your blog, even. Just go to this website and click "Try Our Personality Test." You'll have the option to take the free test or the costly test. Obviously, I'm telling you to take the free one. (:

Anyway. I'd better leave it at that. The summer day outside is calling to me. (: