Sunday 29 January 2012

Case of the Annoying Fans

On Friday my friend Bethany and I woke up extra early to catch Daniel Radcliffe on The Morning Show.

Since it was raining heavily, snowing and still relatively dark outside, I figured there wouldn't be as many people outside seeing that he already made a lot of promotional rounds the day before (he was in town promoting his new flick The Women in Black).


But when we arrived, there were three young girls waiting eagerly outside, talking very loudly and just being pretty obnoxious.  


(FYI, this is not a post dedicated on hating the younger generation as I know many teens and pre-teens who are very well-behaved. It was just a matter of how these particular people were behaving)


 I don't mind "fangirling", as I embarrassingly admit that I do some of it myself (see: here and here).  But when you start to disturb the camera people, talk show hosts and journalists inside, then it becomes a problem.  


To be a respectful fan is to watch from outside without disturbing the people working inside.  Taking photos (as long as the flash is not too disruptive is even fine).  But when you start banging and yelling outside for the star to look at you, then that's just asking the person you're there to see not want to go out and meet you. 


And that, is precisely why I feel Daniel Radcliffe's PR made him leave without greeting us properly (He did wave, which I thought was really cute!)


So the *~moral*~ question of this post is, what good is there really to fangirling/fanboying/whatever it's called nowadays?  It's awesome to see your favourite actors/actress, singers, bands, philanthropists, journalists, etc...but I think it is going a bit far when people start scoping out license plate numbers, hotel rooms and follow the celeb's every single step on their schedule.  


Getting a little bit of interaction is great, and I can see how all of the above could be a form of flattery, but celebrities have lives.  


Don't mob them.........


On another note, while Dan wasn't able to interact with the fans, I was still very pleased to have seen him anyways.  Here was the boy who became the face of my favourite series' main character.  And now, he's branching out to new and better roles. I wish Daniel the best of luck!!!!


 His waving was super dorky. Loved it!! 



Thursday 26 January 2012

Two Oscar snubs I can't get over...

As the Academy Award nominations came out on Tuesday, I couldn't help but feel a little upset for the movies and actors that got snubbed.

I'll admit that I haven't seen every film nominated, but there was really no way some of the nominations were as deserving as those that didn't get nominated.

Let me start off with the actor that I was almost 100 per cent sure to get a nod, if not a win:  Michael Fassbender.

I know Shame is not a film for everyone due to its 18A rating, full-frontal nude scenes, and heavy sex but if Fassy did not give one hell of a performance, I don't know what the Academy's standards are.  Yes, I agree with the nominations given to George Clooney, Gary Oldman, and I suppose Jean Dujardin (for his amazing expressions during a silent film) but to forget about Fassy after all he had to go through to play a sex-addict?  You guys are whacked out of your minds.

I'm sorry if this isn't the greatest, "journalistically" speaking blog post, but seriously, I don't know what the Academy sees.

I suppose they're a more conservative bunch that doesn't really appreciate artsy, r-rated films...but if they could only see how well he played his role...they're crazy.  Fassy was brilliant and he portrayed his pain and suffering so brilliantly.

________________________

Another person I was hoping to get nominated was none other than Ryan Gosling for his roles in The Ides of March or Drive.  I know both films were not heavily favoured around the awards circuit, but given his performance in both, I'd say it should have been nominated for something.

I can see how Drive was not nominated as it is a more "arthouse" style of film but I thought Gosling was amazing in The Ides of March. Though not his best role, I thought he was one of the better actors this year...and I'm not saying this because I find him attractive.

To be honest, I feel that Ryan Gosling is an actor who isn't really recognized for what he has done.  While he definitely has the popularity to make him successful, I really think people overlook his talent for his looks.

Okay, so maybe The Ides of March and Drive didn't really make him an Oscar-worthy contender, but why hasn't he been nominated for something from his earlier films?  I know he was nominated for an Academy Award for Half Nelson, but I didn't really think that was his best role either.

For me, his best roles were in Lars and the Real Girl and in Blue Valentine.  Both characters he played were so heartbreaking for different reasons...I really don't know why The Academy didn't consider him Oscar worthy earlier...

But perhaps, time will tell.

Both Fassy and Gosling are fairly young and have more years ahead of them to snatch a nod and possibly a win.

To next year and better choices!

Thursday 19 January 2012

Officially 20.

So, I'm 20. And even if that does not make me legal in every country, I still feel quite old.

To wish myself a happy birthday, here is a video of Josh Groban greeting me. Because I kind of asked him to...

At least he was nice!!!


Monday 16 January 2012

Why I hate the blogging game.

I've had a long time to ponder over a post like this. And while I have difficulty expressing my thoughts on blogging, this was all I could come up with:

Blogging sucks.

Lately, I have been finding the world of blogging incredibly superficial. Bloggers who I've liked have started to sell out with their corporate sponsorships, giveaways, free gifts and lack of intelligent writing. And I'm not saying this because I'm jealous of all the free swag they get.

I'm saying this because I feel blogging has lost all of its integrity.

Blogging in my eyes should share inspirational stories, quirky tidbits, advice, news and speak out about interesting topics that will draw readers in. As I am sure there are several blogs out there who fit into these  categories, all I am seeing is an overwhelming amount of bloggers doing the exact opposite.

From posts that were once unique, interesting and insightful came mediocre posts that seemed like its writers were blogging for the sake of blogging.  That means, posting for the sake of keeping readers, and updating to maintain the sponsorships and connections they've gained.

I've always been very iffy about the whole "blogging as a career" thing.  Look, there's nothing wrong with gaining money from your blog if you offer interesting content. But when it becomes something shallow like seeking advertisements for the sake of spending five minutes writing a blurb about a whole outfit given to you by a company, what point is there to read or follow your blog?!

As I am sure there are many amazing blogs somewhere in the world, I've found that I have been surrounded by bloggers who just want to get famous. And the ones I've liked, are selling out because they write a post dedicated to advertise a company who's gifted him/her an item.

It's this complete superficiality and shallowness that makes me want to completely stop blogging.

But perhaps I can be a different type of blogger.

From now on, I pledge to myself that I will blog when I want and what I want.  No more blogging for the sake of blogging. No more blogging because "like OMIGOD...I can get famous!!"

Because let's face it. Getting famous takes a lot more work.