Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts

Thursday, 2 July 2015

My Problem with Jurassic World


Again, I am going to preface this post by saying that I did enjoy Jurassic World a lot, so much so that I have seen it twice. It has already grossed more than the original movie has since it first came out in 1993 (that's a staggering $1.26 billion for Jurassic World as of June 30 2015, less than a month after its release). Yes, I did just Wikipedia that, I put a lot of work into this obviously. While I admire all the acting, especially Bryce Dallas Howard's portrayal of Claire, the female heroine (as in female hero, not the drug, that is spelt differently [not that I would know of course]) of the story who saves her nephews and the park all the while in heels. I can't even walk in heels [again, not that I've tried] and yet she runs from dinosaurs, walks through mud and dirt, treks the forest, runs from pterodactyls all the while looking like hell on high heels (literally on heels). However, my gripe is not with those heels but we will come back to Claire in a little while. Michael Giacchino's score again adds to the spectacle of Jurassic World (a score completely at odds with his work on Inside Out also released last month). All in all it is an amazing film that definitely stands up to the original and makes up for its two rather disappointing predecessors. However, despite all this and Bryce Dallas Howard's performance I do have one bone to pick with the character of Claire Dearing.


As you can see there is just so much wrong with this scene right now. First of all, HANG UP THAT DAMN PHONE CLAIRE! Seriously, she is not even driving on a normal road yet here she is speeding and on her phone. To top it all off, Claire is also full of adrenaline at this moment because of the fear of discovering that the Indominus Rex may have escaped its enclosure. As Claire puts it: "We have an asset out of containment!" Below you can view the trailer where this scene is shown (yes, I did pause the video and take a screenshot to get the picture above). It starts at 1:02 and only goes for a few seconds.


First of all, Claire, slow down. Wipe off five and save lives. I know you are in a rush to tell the control center that there is, and I quote, "an asset out of containment" but you are already talking to them on the phone. You getting there quicker will not change anything other than perhaps slowing them down if you interfere. In fact, when you do finally arrive they all just stop and stare at you after they have witnessed the Indominus Rex kill a few people (as one of Michael Giacchino's songs from the soundtrack is titled; the "Indominus Wrecks"). So yeah, speed all you like Claire but no matter how fast you go, you are powerless. Secondly, hang up the damn phone or at least put it on speaker. Before, when your sister called to check on her sons (your nephews) you were able to answer the phone using the hands free system that most modern cars now have, especially the modern cars that Masrani Global would provide to one of their highest employees. Yet here you found that you had to hold the phone while driving with one hand on the wheel at high speeds. I realise that Isla Nublar probably does not have a speed limit or any explicit road rules but you are setting a very bad example for all the viewers of this movie. Finally, Claire, why is that window down? I know Owen (played by Chris Pratt) was just in the car with you and that he stunk but still, it would probably be more effective to put your window down so that you would get the fresh air first. But no, the only window open is the one opposite for you. Spielberg, I know this made it easier to get this shot since her car windows are tinted but seriously, where is the sense in that? Not to mention the fact that Claire is on an island with prehistoric DINOSAURS. I kind of feel like having a window down may not be the smartest thing to do anywhere on that island, particularly not when you are driving alone in the middle of nowhere. Claire does seem to have a bad track record with windows though because when she is driving the truck later she has the window down and a velociraptor tries to jump inside. Granted, only its head made it through but still, the dinosaur was trying to eat you. I feel like that was a message to you so that you would learn to WIND UP YOUR BLOODY WINDOW WHEN YOU ARE ON AN ISLAND FULL OF DINOSAURS. However, here is a picture of Claire being the Claire that we come to love in this movie, and not the Claire that has no sense when it comes to driving vehicles on an island full of dinosaurs out to kill you.


Just look at that face, Claire, you go girl (I feel like I have regressed a few decades). See you soon (as in the readers, not Claire, she's fictional).

Wednesday, 9 April 2014

Songs in my Playlist

Welcome to another post on the songs in my playlist which all fit under the heading of "Entertainment Wednesday". This was a post that was meant to be released a long time ago but never got around to being completed so enjoy! Anyway, on with some more songs that are in my phone! By the way, these are in alphabetical order (if you had not figured that out already).

Gypsy by Lady Gaga

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The Hammer from Matilda the Musical



I Am the Doctor from Doctor Who




I Just Can't Walk Away (Say It Now) from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark





I Love You by Woodkid (from Divergent soundtrack)




I Need You by M83 (from Divergent Soundtrack)




I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance from Carrie The Musical




I Won't Let You Go by Snow Patrol (from Divergent Soundtrack)




If the World Should End from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark




In from Carrie The Musical




Happy listening, see you tomorrow!

Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Songs in my Playlist

Welcome back to the third instalment of this series, and the fourth instalment of this segment! It really is exciting how fast time can fly (especially if you write a lot of these all at once so you have a few days off in the coming weeks). This is where I go through the songs currently in my phone and provide YouTube videos for you to listen to any that you want to. On with the music!

Dreamer in Disguise from Carrie the Musical



Dreamer in Disguise (Reprise) from Carrie the Musical



Epilogue from Carrie the Musical



Evening Prayers from Carrie the Musical



Fixer Upper from Frozen



For the First Time in Forever from Frozen



For the First Time in Forever (Reprise) from Frozen



Forgiven from Doctor Who



A Freak Like Me Needs Company from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark



Frozen Heart from Frozen



Happy listening! See you tomorrow.

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

Songs in My Playlist

Welcome back to yet another Entertainment Wednesday post where we continue our journey through some of the songs in my playlist. As I said last week, it is interesting to see what music others are listening to as it can help us find the music we like as well as open our eyes to a whole new world of music. Anyway, on with the songs!

Carrie from Carrie the Musical



Carrie (Reprise) from Carrie the Musical



Dark Side by Kelly Clarkson



The Destruction from Carrie the Musical





DIY World from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark



Do Me a Favor from Carrie the Musical



Do You Want to Build a Snowman? from Frozen



Don't Cry for Me Argentina from Evita (for Piano Lessons)



Donatella by Lady Gaga (a.k.a. story of my life)



Dope by Lady Gaga



Happy listening! See you tomorrow.

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Songs in My Playlist

Welcome to the second (I know, I have missed so many Wednesdays) Entertainment Wednesday post! I am starting a new series in this segment where I go through the songs that are currently on my phone and provide a YouTube video for you to listen to. It is always interesting to see what music people like as everyone has different tastes. Also, this regular series also makes it easier for me to pre-write the posts and schedule them to be released at a later date (which is exactly what I am doing right now). Anyway, on with the post (by the way, these songs are in alphabetical order). I will stick to 10 per week as this new layout can take a while to load if there is a lot of videos and images.

Alma Mater from Carrie the Musical




And Eve Was Weak from Carrie the Musical




Applause by Lady Gaga




Artpop by Lady Gaga



Atlas by Coldplay




Aura by Lady Gaga




Be Prepared from The Lion King




Bouncing Off the Walls from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark




Boy Falls from the Sky from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark




Bruce from Matilda: The Musical




Happy listening! See you tomorrow.

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Highly Anticipated Films of 2014 (At the Movies with Daily Lukey)

Welcome back to another Thursday and another "At the Movies with Daily Lukey" post. I firstly want to apologise for the lack of posts in recent days. I finally have my school laptop again after many days of promises and nothing. This means that it is a lot easier for me to write these posts now. However, there may still be days with no post. This is because that now I am in VCE my work load has dramatically increased so I have less time to do things like this. However, I will try to post as regularly as possible. Now, on with some of the highly anticipated films of 2014!

Paranormal Activity 5


The fifth instalment in this cult franchise comes out just a few months after Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones hit theatres back in January. No word yet what this movie will entail but in true Paranormal Activity fashion it will most likely involve a lot of scares and probably some demons thrown in for the fun of it. Sometimes however you must ask when the franchise is going to finish.

Rio 2




The sequel to 20th Century Fox's successful Rio hits theatres in April with a star-studded cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway and Andy Garcia. Rio 2 finds Jewel (Anne Hathaway), Blue (Jesse Eisenberg) and their three children leaving their domesticated life in the city for a journey to the Amazon. They encounter a menagerie of characters along the way, including Jewel's father, who are born to be wild.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m9974/rio-2/

Muppets Most Wanted




The Muppets are back again for another movie. All the old favourites are back along with a star-studded cast including Ricky Gervais, Lady Gaga, Tina Fey and Modern Family's Ty Burrel. This movie sees the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theatres across European destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine - the World's Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit - and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two (Ricky Gervais). The movie is sure to bring comedy fun for the whole family as is typical for most Muppet shows.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m9981/muppets-most-wanted/

Step Up All In


The exciting next chapter in this popular cult-dance series sees the all-stars from previous instalments coming together in glittering Las Vegas, battling for a victory that could define their dreams and their careers. This movie comes out in July of 2014.


Pompeii




Pompeii, set in 79 A.D., tells the epic story of Milo, a slave turned invincible gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must find his way out of the arena in order to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him. Pompeii erupts (see what I did there?) into Australian cinemas on the 20th of March 2014.

Adapted from: http://www.movieinsider.com/m8987/pompeii/

See you next Thursday for some more films to look out for this year. See you tomorrow!

Thursday, 30 January 2014

Highly Anticipated Films of 2014 (At the Movies with Daily Lukey)

Welcome back to another post where we look at some more highly anticipated films that 2014 has to offer. To view any of the other posts in this segment just search through the archive to the right, the first post in this series was from January 23, 2014.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2




The second installment in this highly-anticipated franchise sees Peter Parker at a busy point in his life. Between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen Stacy, high school graduation could not come quickly enough. Peter has not forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen's father to protect her by staying away, but that's a promise he just can not keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro, emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.

Adapted From: http://www.movieinsider.com/m8829/the-amazing-spider-man-2/

The Maze Runner


The Maze Runner is based on the first novel of The Maze Runner trilogy written by James Dashner. When Thomas wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organisation known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape.


The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1


Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice, but even though she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. President Snow makes it clear that no one is safe either -- not Katniss' family, not her friends and not the people of District 12. The first of the two-part finale in this trilogy is set to yet again be the talk of the town during its release.

Adapted From: http://www.movieinsider.com/m9160/mockingjay/

The Giver


In a perfect world where there is no conflict, racism or sickness, every member of society has a specific role, and 16-year-old Jonas is selected to be the Receiver of Memories. As Jonas uncovers the truth behind his world's past, he discovers that many years earlier his forefathers gave up humanity in order to have a stable society. The Giver is based on the acclaimed book by Lois Lowry and features a star-studded cast including Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift.


How to Train Your Dragon 2




The sequel to the surprisingly successful How to Train Your Dragon sees the heroic Viking Hiccup and his faithful dragon Toothless having to protect the peace and save the future of men and dragons from the power-hungry Drago. The second installment in this trilogy is hoped to be as successful as its predecessor.

Adapted From: http://www.movieinsider.com/m7367/how-to-train-your-dragon-2/

See you next week for your guide on the highly anticipated films of 2014. See you tomorrow.

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Entertainment Wednesday: Frozen Review

Welcome to a new segment called Entertainment Wednesday. This segment is all about entertainment and content will range from reviews to discussions. Anything to do with entertainment is open for discussion in this segment. The first post in this new segment will be a review of the Disney animated film Frozen



My Rating: 8/10

Trailer:



Synopsis: Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind "Tangled" and "Wreck it Ralph", presents "Frozen", a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) has a magical power to freeze things and create snow and icy creations. However, after she nearly kills her sister by accident she has to hide her powers from everyone including her sister, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), whose memory of Elsa's magic has been completely wiped from her mind to save her life. Her parents try to protect her but they die when their ship sinks and Elsa and Anna are left alone (see "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" below). Elsa remains in control of her powers until her coronation ball where she accidentally lets some magic loose and shocks everyone. She then escapes to the mountains and creates an icy fortress for herself. In doing so, Elsa has unwittingly trapped the kingdom of Arandelle in an eternal Winter. Anna then sets off to find her sister and convince her to put an end to the winter. Along the way she receives help from an ice-seller named Kristoff (voiced by Jonathon Groff) and his trusty reindeer Sven. They also meet a snowman named Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) who was brought to life through Elsa's magic. Together, this unlikely troupe must put an end to the eternal Winter, save Arandelle as well as Elsa.

Review: I went in to this film expecting nothing more than a Disney-animated "kid" film. However, I was surprised at the quality and the depth in story-telling that this movie presented. It had the right balance of heart, story and comedy which made for an enjoyable experience. It also had a wide repertoire of hard-hitting and catchy songs. The highlights being "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" and "Let it Go" (a song being heralded as the new Defying Gravity and nominated for a Grammy for best original song). You can listen to both songs by scrolling down below. My favourite character would have to be Olaf, a snowman created by Elsa's magic who dreams of Summer and heat (blissfully unaware of what happens to snow under heat). He is also a big source of comedy and makes the movie so much more enjoyable. The story-telling is also very heart-felt and you do end up feeling for the character's of Elsa and Anna. If you are looking for a good movie to watch, this is one to seriously consider.

"Let it Go" sung by Idina Menzel as Elsa:



"Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" sung by Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Mon and Katie Lopez as Anna (at various ages):




Frozen is one of Disney's best Christmas movies, see you tomorrow!

Friday, 10 January 2014

Weird News Tuesday: Friday Edition

After a two-week hiatus, Weird News Tuesday is back! To celebrate the return I am writing this post and publishing it on a Friday as Tuesday was too hard a day this week to try and sort one of these posts out. If you did not know, Weird News Tuesday is a weekly segment in which I go through some of the weird news headlines and stories that really should never have been classified as news. Each week I use a different news site and this week I am using WA Today which is a news site from Western Australia. First we come across an article that, at first, appears to be discussing the popularity of the Thermomix but is actually just a really long advertisement. I kept reading thinking it would get to the story but it never did. It never did. Finally, a how-to article that really speaks to me. The title is "How not to be a wine snob". Already, it just screams "Luke!" For some reason, this is considered important enough information to put on a news site so the information contained therein better have a positive impact on my life. Who knows, maybe in a few years I will not be a wine snob and it will all be thanks to this article.


Just to show how obsessed we are with the United States there is a whole article on why Michelle Obama and Beyonce have such a great friendship. Forgive me for not jumping up and down with the joy of knowing that I can learn so much more about my favourite girls in the Northern Hemisphere. Next we have an article about a man who made a blog where all he did was pose next to mannequins wearing the exact same outfit as them and doing the same pose. It actually is pretty entertaining but still, how is this news? Apparently in Pakistan there is a restaurant that only allows foreign people to eat at their establishment. I guess they are just really lucky that Pakistan has such a booming tourism industry. Oh, wait. In other news, researchers have discovered how to determine what software is open on your computer and can decode emails through the sounds that a computer makes. First of all, what would lead someone to research that and second of all, that is actually pretty cool. I will never listen to my computer in the same way again. In other news, there is so much that you may not have known about New York. There is a park made on an old railway track, a free ferry, it is cheaper than you would think, has very low crime rates and is an alcohol-free zone which is strictly enforced. This is not weird as much as it is interesting. Sorry to bother you guys with something so normal. In other news, a gas smell swept through Perth the other day apparently and now there is a big investigation into it although it is already believed to have come from an industrial area. That was a quick, and probably harder-than-you-would-expect, case. A false alarm at Perth Airport was set to lose a lot of potential business but luckily it only lasted fifteen minutes before a false-alarm was determined. Apparently no flights were delayed but I would have hated to be travelling with someone. The stress that would have caused.

You would not believe how hard it is to find weird news stories on a news site without an oddspot section. See you tomorrow!

Friday, 20 December 2013

Australian Jingle Bells

As you all should know, Christmas is just around the corner! Usually we would all be very cheery and merry at this time but I have had enough of America's views of Christmas taking over the whole world's view. People are always going on about having a White Christmas but in Australia, any ice still left out has melted by the time Christmas comes around. As a result, I am taking some of the popular Christmas carols/poems/stories and making them more Australian. You can check out The Night Before Christmas in Australia by clicking here.


Australian Jingle Bells

Dashing through the heat
In a four-wheel open ute
O'er the pools we go
Sweating all the way
Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sweating song tonight

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a four-wheel open ute
Jingle Bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a four-wheel open ute

A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side
The car was hot and dirty
Misfortune seemed his lot
We got into a drifted bank
And then we got upsot

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a four-wheel open ute
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a four-wheel open ute yeah

A day or two ago,
The story I must tell,
I went out to the pool
And on my back I dove,
A gent was swimming by
In a one-piece swimming suit,
He laughed as I there painfully float,
But quickly swam away

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a four-wheel open ute
Jingle Bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a four-wheel open ute

Now the ground is parched
Go it while you're young
Take the girls tonight
And sing this driving song
Just get a bobtailed bay
Two forty is his speed
Hitch him to an open ute
And crack! You'll take the lead.

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a four-wheel open ute
Jingle Bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a four-wheel open ute

Merry Christmas everyone! Only 5 more sleeps to go. See you tomorrow!

Thursday, 19 December 2013

The Night Before Christmas in Australia

I have had enough of the whole idea of a white Christmas. Forgive me America but we all do not live in a land where snow on Christmas day is normal (although in Melbourne, hail never goes amiss). So maybe, just once, could we present Christmas from a different perspective? Could we drop the snow and turn on the heat? We do not all live in America and so a little change from the quintessential Disney Christmas Movies like "Frozen" would be nice. No more, I say, no more. I believe it is time for Christmas in Australia so settle back and enjoy as we melt the snow, turn on the heat and add some random weather patterns in there to get into the Melbourne Christmas.


The Night Before Christmas (in Australia)

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was sleeping, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the air-con with care;
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were sweating, all hot in their beds,
While visions of ice-cubes danced in their heads;
And mamma in her clogs, and I in my thongs,
Had just settled down for a sweaty sing-along,
When out by the pool there arose such a clatter,
I quickly stopped singing to see what was the matter,
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a sweaty old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than Melbourne Weather his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
"Oi, Dasher! Oi, Dancer! Oi, Prancer and Vixen!,
On Comet! On Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As hot flames that before the bush-fires fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the air-vent St Nicholas came with a bound,
He was dressed for the beach, from his head to his foot,
But his boardies were still wet from sweat and mildew;
A bundle of fans he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a mechanic just opening his pack
His eyes -- how they twinkled! His brow so sweaty!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up something nice,
And the beard of his chin as white as the ice,
The stump of an ice cube held tight in his teeth,
And the water it pooled around his gums like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon have me to know I had nothing to dread
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a node, up the air vent he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

That was The Night Before Christmas as set in Australia. Over the coming days before Christmas where there are no scheduled posts I will do more of these to show to you that not all of us live in a "Winter Wonderland".

Only 6 more sleeps until Christmas! See you tomorrow.

Monday, 9 December 2013

A Productive Day but a Short Post

Today was actually a really good day and despite going out with friends for most of the day I still got a lot done. Let us start at the beginning. I had to be at Footscray station by 10:30 to meet up with friends so I caught the 9:50 train from Werribee which was set to get me there with time to spare. However, as the train arrived at Newport they made everyone get off because the train was defective. This meant waiting a few minutes to get a replacement train so I only managed to get to Footscray just on time, if not a little late. After this we went to get Pho (vietnamese noodle soup) and I embarrassed myself with chopsticks, then spoons (yes, plural) before my amazing friend had enough entertainment and went to get me a fork. After this we rushed into Melbourne Central to see Catching Fire in Hoyts Xtreme Screen. Luckily we prebooked tickets so we had the best seats. After the movie we walked around a bit before going our separate ways. This is when I went christmas shopping and bought everything I needed for my family.

All in all, it was a great and productive day. See you tomorrow!

Friday, 22 November 2013

Weird Inventions

Today I had no school due to correction day for teachers to mark exams and for students to complete make-up exams if they missed some for whatever reason. Anyway, so today I went to see Catching Fire (which is an awesome movie by the way) and at the end I had to go to the toilet, as you do. As I was relieving myself I got to thinking how weird inventions came about such as the "pee wall" (I could not find anywhere what the actual name was). Again, this is something you normally do as you pee. Anyway, so today I thought I would go through some of the inventions that would have seemed weird at the time they were conceived. Let us begin with the "pee wall". How did that even come about? Did someone want to make peeing on walls socially acceptable. Before this invention if you saw someone peeing on the wall you would call the police. Now, if you see someone pee on these "pee walls" you could congratulate them for not urinating in a public place. Seriously though, does anyone else think the conception of this idea is just a little weird?


Next we have the odd yet incredibly popular "snuggie". Basically, it is a blanket that you can wear as clothes. Some people even wear it out (though why they would do that I do not know). It is great in that you have complete protection and do not have "cold spots" which the blanket did not cover. Like the pee wall, did someone think that they wanted to make it socially acceptable to wear a blanket in public? Well they definitely succeeded and have since made millions out of it. Such a weird invention but now the majority of people know what you are talking about when you say "snuggie". Now, what about those "Magic" 8 Balls that people set so much store in. We all know that it is merely chance and there are no supernatural powers working on that 8 ball. Still though, people set so much store in that toy. It just shows how much people do not want to have to make their own decisions. "Should I wear clothes today." "My sources say no." "Am I going to be forever alone?" "You may rely on it." "Will I ever feel better?" "Better not tell you now." Seriously though, all those replies are actually what magic 8 balls say (I Googled it and everybody knows Wikipedia does not lie). Who else hates those incredibly annoying singing fish? Who came up with that? Did someone want to feel like they could actually fish and so they made a fake plaque with a fake fish on it? Then, just for the hell of it, they added the power of speech and (most regretfully) of song. God, I see now what you mean by hell. You hath converted me. Now, for the final and creepiest invention of all I pass over to the furry "Furby". Did some lonely man or woman come up with that and realise that "Hey, there must be other lonely people like me out there somewhere. Let's sell these incredibly creepy dolls that speak their own language to other people like me. #Genius." Yes, I put a hashtag in a bit of dialogue. Do not judge me (I see you judging me).

Now do you see how weird some inventions actually are? See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

Weird News Tuesday: The Weird and the Weirder

It is that time of the week again guys! This week, finding a source was hard. In the end I had to Google News Sites just to find one that had some weird news in it. Anyway, this week we are looking at the Yahoo Australia News site (au.news.yahoo.com). We begin with a story on how Australian Olympians are "not allowed to stagger". The Australian Olympics Committee says that Australian Olympians can get drunk but they draw the line at staggering and slurred speech. I get where they are coming from but that headline really caught my attention. Next we have the Toronto Mayor in trouble again after rushing off stage in a debate to hit another senator. Just when you think he could not get any lower. Seriously though, it has been on every news site I looked at today (it took me a while to find one that had some weird stories). Mayor Rob Ford has finally been stripped of all powers after a council vote. It took them a lot longer than it should have, just saying. The next two stories are not weird but the category they were filed under is. The first is a story about the release of endangered orange-bellied parrots that boosts numbers and the next is of animals dying in a zoo in Indonesia because of over-crowding. Neither of those stories are weird. The weird part is that it was filed under technology. I mean, really? I must have skipped the section about the robot birds and mechanical animals. I know I should have paid more attention in Biology.


So apparently this is the first ever selfie. It was posted in an ABC Online Forum in September of 2002 so hooray for Australian trend-setting! However, I doubt that this is actually the first ever selfie because the poster used "selfie" in her description of the picture. But, seeing as "selfie" is Oxford's Word of the Year (yeah, they chose "selfie" since its usage has risen dramatically over the past year) I am just going to get a little Australian pride going on! The story was obviously copied from the ABC News Site because it contained everything the same as the ABC one except the picture which it said was there in the headline. I think someone let it go there. The next story is a very touching one as it tells the story of a young boy with cancer and thousands of San Francisco people (San Franciscans?) who turned out to help make this "Bat Kid" into a super hero. Even US President Barack Obama got in on that act sending a photo to the boy with the caption "way to go!" It is a little weird, but also very heart warming to know that there are still thousands of good people out there, somewhere. The next story is of University of Adelaide medical students admitting to cheating on an exam. Can someone please explain to me why I have seen this on five different news sites today? How is that news? Since when was cheating big news? Should I just start making some big deal about every silly thing that I do now? Apparently, that is news. Finally, apparently the presenters on Today! (morning show on Channel 9) had Mamograms on air to test for breast cancer. Apparently that is a thing now.

Things just keep getting weirder!

Tuesday, 5 November 2013

Weird News Tuesday

So the new weekly segment is here! You know when you read the paper, watch the nightly news or browse the online sites and you see a bit of news that makes you do a double-take? These are the stories that surprise you not because of their content, but because it was considered news worthy. Most of the time, this can be taken as a good sign in that there obviously is nothing too serious going on if there is still room for these stories. This new series brings in some of the weird news stories I have seen either throughout the week or have found on my search every Tuesday night. Let us get started straight away! We begin with a photo found on news.com.au. It is of the affluent horse-trainer, Gai Waterhouse, and her reaction to her horse, Fiorente winning the Melbourne Cup this year. It is one great shot.


I did not even scroll far to see the next story I am going to talk about. The headline reads, and I quote, "Giant firework penis lights up the night sky in Glasgow; residents love it". You have got to be kidding me, the story even makes a not-so-subtle reference to a "happy ending". You read it correctly, one of the first stories on a news site was that a giant penis lit up the sky and led to a few happy endings. The next story comes straight out of France and is titled "Stole a Llama, now there's drama". It is basically the story of a drunk group of men who stole a llama from a circus and then, just for the hell of it, took it on a tram. Now can you see some of the weird stuff that people consider news? Oh, and the Llama's name was Serge. I have no idea why that is important but make of it what you will. Scroll down to the lifestyle section and you will soon think you are on a porn website. The title of this story is "Teen sells her virginity for $27,950" and I do not need to go into any more detail about what the story is about do I? Can I just say that they are oddly specific. They go write down to the $50 when generally they just go for the nearest large number and say it is either more or less. Just saying, I bet a guy wrote this article. The author's name is not listed so I guess we will never know. Also, if you scroll further, you will soon find out that cat cafes are so last year and that the new trend is owls. I know I am generally behind the trends but seriously, did I actually miss the cat cafe trend? Damn it, now I have to move onto the Owls or else be left behind. Also, apparently there is a robot rock paper scissors champion somewhere out there. I am really not regretting scrolling through the news.com.au homepage. Seriously, this is all on their homepage. I thought this segment was going to be hard to write but apparently not.

The weirder side of the news brought to you every Tuesday. See you tomorrow!

Sunday, 27 October 2013

Villains

Where would our favourite shows or movies be without their villains? When you think about it, a lot is actually riding on how the audience feels towards the villain. A straight-cut bad person never makes for a good villain as they are too one-dimensional for the audience to connect with. A villain can be bad but they need to have one redeeming factor about them so that people can see the good that was once in them. This can make the job hard for some writers as they need to make a villain so that some people empathise with them while others are against them and still others are in the middle. Sometimes we do not even know who the real villain is until the final moments and that also makes for a great villain. Taking this into account I have made a list of some of my favourite Villains of all time. Oh yeah, it really has been a list weekend over the last three posts has it not?

1. Regina Mills/The Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time


Regina has been through a lot in her life. Before she was the evil queen she was just your ordinary girl in love with an overbearing mother who had different plans for her daughter. Through Once Upon a Time we see how and why Regina became the Evil Queen and her hatred for Snow White. We also see that there is still good in her and this is why the writers of Once Upon a Time should be commended for their work on creating such an in-depth and confusing villain.

2. The Tet from Oblivion (*SPOILER ALERT*)


*SPOILER ALERT* The following paragraph will contain spoilers regarding the ending of Oblivion so if you intend to watch the movie and have not yet then you might want to skip this bit and move on to number three. *SPOILER ALERT* Anyway, so the Tet is basically this big machine in the sky that, throughout the majority of the movie, we believe as Earth's final military base before everyone leaves Earth after a devastating war that destroyed the planet and its moon. It is not until the final minutes that we actually find out that the Tet is actually an alien space ship that goes from planet to planet taking all energy. It really is a great shock and the creators of Oblivion created such a hidden and unexpected villain that it is just marvelous. The Tet may be evil but it is still pretty awesome (and I do not use that word nearly enough).

3. "Big" Jim Rennie from Under the Dome


Big Jim is a character that has his fans in a yo-yo. At one point we see a great person and feel some sympathy for him but then a second later he just morphs into a horrible human being. It really comes down to the writing of Stephen King and the other writers from the series. The actor himself, Dean Norris, is fantastic at portraying this character. As much as the character comes down to the writers the actor themselves also plays a big role in how the audience feels towards them. A single twitch in the face can reveal a lot about a character and it takes a skilled actor to pull something like this off.

I am sorry for all the lists this weekend if that has annoyed you, blame it all on Random Thought Friday which sort of spread throughout the whole weekend. Anyway, see you tomorrow!

Saturday, 26 October 2013

You Know Something is Boring When...

So you know those movies or television shows you start to watch thinking they will be good and then ten minutes in you are bored as hell. Where did that phrase "bored as hell" actually come from anyway? So today I have compiled a list of things that I find I (and others) do when they are watching something and get bored. Sometimes you just have to sit through it though and fight through the boredom. Though if something is boring it probably means it is not that good so the best course of action is to stop watching it.


Check Facebook every ten seconds. When I am bored I am constantly finding myself refreshing Facebook every ten seconds trying to find something to distract myself with. Sometimes I scroll through the same news feed ten times.

Play Candy Crush on your iPad/Phone. Okay, so this is something my Mum does a lot, personally I do not actually play Candy Crush (I used to but got out before I got addicted). In fact, Mum is actually on her iPad playing Candy Crush right now as we watch A Good Day to Die Hard. Yeah, it is a disappointing movie.

Write a blog post on your daily blog. Yeah, if this seems oddly specific it is because it is all about me. My boredom often equates to your reading. Imagine what I could have wasted hours of my life on over the past few months instead of writing for this blog. You got me, I am doing this right now.

Watch YouTube. That was actually something I was doing before I began writing this post. I was watching some old X-Factor performances on YouTube and the snippet of Lady Gaga's new song Venus set to be released with her new album Artpop.

Check Qooh.me or Ask.fm every two seconds to see if anyone has asked you a question. This way you will have something to distract you from the boredom that is your life at the moment. The amount of statuses I see of people asking others to ask them questions when they are "bored" is tremendous. Do not ask why I quoted that word in the previous sentence, even I do not know.

Read. One of the many things people do to avoid boredom is to read. I know a few people who do this a lot (myself included). Some people get more bored than others and so they read a book to keep themselves entertained.

Drawing is yet another of the major things that people do when they are bored. If you have a pen nearby and some paper your hands are going to be itching to do something. Drawing is going to be top of the agenda.

Remember, it is okay to be bored. Just be respectful of others when you are trying to fight your boredom. See you tomorrow!

Friday, 25 October 2013

Iconic Movies

We all have those movies that we never forget and that we watch year after year after year after year without regrets. I have compiled a list of these movies below that I watch repeatedly without regrets.

1. Love Actually


Love actually  is such an iconic Christmas romantic-comedy movie. Filled with a star studded cast, a heart-touching story and hilarious scenes this movie is one my family shamelessly watches year after year. If you have not seen this British comedy, you really should because it is one of the best.

2. Pitch Perfect


This may be a recent film but within a week of receiving the DVD I had already watched it 3 times. Since then I have watched it a few more. It is one of those comedies you can come back to again and again and still not get bored with. I like it and so I put it on this list.

3. The Hunger Games


Do not act surprised, you knew it was coming. I am talking about movies so of course this would come up. The Hunger Games is something I can watch over and over and over again. It is the dramatic representation of a world reeling from a dystopian world with a totalitarian dictator. Confused yet?

You guys should really check out all three of these movies, see you tomorrow!

Saturday, 19 October 2013

Daily Lukey: The Journey to 200 (Part 5)

Finally, the journey continues! After a 'brief' hiatus this series has returned for its epic conclusion. Of course, it is all part of celebrating 200 posts but the past two days were full of so much excitement (namely going out and not getting back to late) that.... no. I can not even finish that. Anyway, we began August with a post about things that frustrate us (I forgot to mention the Blogger Phone App) before complaining about the physical and mental pain that people's actions can cause us (in a sense of stupidity or silliness not actual abuse). I then wrote a post about some of the disgusting things that happen in our world before writing a post titled simple "wet" where I again reiterated my love of rainy days. The next day was spent by looking at Peter Capaldi, who will soon be known as the twelfth doctor in Doctor Who. The next day I wrote about inspiration and how hard it was to find good inspiration before I spent the next day writing a post late at night about how tired I was (I do not talk about myself much but when I do, I complain). The next day I wrote a post about how I get cranky when I am tired (I still have no idea how I made such a long post on that since, back then, the posts were even longer than today). I then wrote about performances and the benefits of performing before discussing the scars the our Parents leave on us by embarrassing us every day. The next day I went to the RMIT Open Day and boy, did I get annoyed. So what was my first reaction? Write a post about it of course!


I then wrote a post about some emotional television and movie moments and how they made us feel (of course Doctor Who was on that list somewhere). I then wrote a post about characters we love to hate because I was just so in love with the character that I hated (in a fan sort of way, not romantic). I actually managed to work The Hunger Games into this so I was pleased. The next day I rejoiced after finally getting Instagram and listening to Lady Gaga's new song, Applause. By the way, I still live for the applause. I then wrote a post on assignments and the importance of due dates and how there are always some people who find some excuse to leave it all to the last minute and yet still manage to get great grades. I then rejoiced for it was Friday before rejoicing again by looking at some new technologies. I began the next week with the Melbourne University version of Annoying Things People do at University Open Days (yeah, People can be very annoying). The next day I wrote about repetitiveness after starting to write a post about something I had already written about. I needed to make it seem like I knew what I was doing so I made up some random stuff about repetitiveness (did you get that?). The next two days I complained about how cold it was before complaining about headphones and how they always seem to get tangled. I then got annoyed at my brother's laziness before starting a series about the various political parties in Australia. The next day was about the Melbourne Writers Festival and my experiences before another installment of the political series was posted. I then wrote about the signs that Spring is coming before surprising you all with a post all about why I was taking a day off from politics. I then discussed Lost and the emotions that can come with this action. For the last post of August I complained about how Stubborn Sandy could be at times.

Thank you for reading all the way down to this, you can stop now. See you tomorrow!

Friday, 11 October 2013

The Journey to 200 Posts Part 1

So we have come full circle and back to Random Thought Friday. Today's Random Thoughts are going to be a little less random as we take a journey back through the 199 posts that lead up to this, the 200th post. So let's get started shall we because it could be a long one. We began back in march with an introduction to me and my reasons for writing a daily blog (oh, how naive I was back then). Then I spent the next few posts complaining about schoolwork and my experiences over the first few days of the holidays. After this, my blog went on a bit of an hiatus over the Easter break when I went to Phillip Island and my first post back was a reflection of my experiences over the past few days. Then I went on to complain about YouTube's April Fools Antics and then explained my obsession with Beautiful Creatures (which I got over) and Catching Fire (never getting over that, but you can always hope). It then went on to the post about how much I enjoyed Oz the Great and Powerful and the annoying stereotypes of Kids Movies and how sometimes the older people enjoy it more than the children the movie is aimed for.


I then went on to examine my new found obsession with the wonder that is Doctor Who before, ironically, writing a post the next day on procrastination and how whenever I need to start something I find every excuse not to. The next day Mum was sick and I was still procrastinating (some things never change) and then I proceeded to complain about irresponsible parents and annoying children in the following post. Next I wondered at the amazing technology in shopping centre car parks coupled with my review of The Croods. Friends and Family was next reflective post which followed in quick succession with my review of Oblivion, which was awesome by the way. I finished off the holidays with a daily update and another post about Catching Fire and my clumsiness. I began the new term with my complaint on the amount of homework we had followed by my first post about the Kokoda Leadership Opportunity which was actually the day we found out about the program and we only had a night to think about it and fill in the form. Lucky I decided to apply. I then celebrated because I had finally caught up with all my homework before I reflected on New Zealand Legalising Same-Sex Marriage. The next two days were about Relay for Life and then I wrote about Community and how I gained that from Relay for Life. I continued with a post about the sacrifices we make before celebrating after my great parent teacher interviews. I then wondered at how little people used Google Plus, the catchy tunes of Dumb Ways to Die and finally the convenient skills of scheduling. Ironically, I did not schedule that post though I probably should have because I did not come home until really late. I finished off the Month of April by describing my quirks, analysing faith, watching reality television and how easy it is to cause offence.

So that was merely the first month and a bit of my blog and there are still so many more wondrous posts to discover on our journey through 200 Daily Lukey posts. See you tomorrow!