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

Source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/villains/images/31394368/title/regina-mills-evil-queen-photo

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*)

Source: http://jaysanalysis.com/2013/04/26/oblivion-2013-esoteric-analysis/

*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

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/box-seat/recap-no-place-like-dome-20130626-2owtq.html

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!

Characters Who Deserve Their Own Show

We all have characters we just love. Whether they be from television shows, web series or movies they all have something about them that make us want to watch more of them. Sometimes we even voice our opinions of them on Public Forums. Below I have compiled a list of some of the characters I would love to have their own television shows.

1. Chi Chi: Life's a Zoo.tv

This lovable and peace-loving panda from popular YouTube series Life's a Zoo.tv truly does deserve her own show. She is described as a grade five teacher and is shown as a character who does not like any form of violence except if it involves cooking because, of course, Chi Chi loves food. The show was created by the Smosh channel Shut Up! Cartoons.

Source: http://www.thecomedychannel.com.au/shows/lifes-a-zoo.html

2. The Minions: Despicable Me

Who does not want the minions to have their own show or movie? They are such inspired characters that really make up most of the comedy of the movie. Even their made up language (though unintelligible) is still hilarious to behold.

Source: http://lindsayhumbert.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/despicable-me-minions-not-the-only-one-curious-about-the-third-dimension/

3. Stewie Griffin: Family Guy

So here we have one of my favourites (besides Chi Chi). This smart little toddler with the oddly-shaped head has wormed his way into many hearts with his constantly evil plans to either kill Lois or take over the world. Stewart Griffin deserves his own show for sure.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewie_Griffin

4. Joe McAlister: Under the Dome

This character surely should have his own spin-off series. He is just such a down-to-earth character just trying to do what is right and when he finds love in new-to-town girl Norrie Calvert-Hill. He may have his own videos on the Under the Dome YouTube channel and even his own blog but seriously, he deserves his own show. Such a talented young actor (Colin Ford) who plays him.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/08/under-the-dome-joe-norrie-seizures_n_3559936.html

Some characters just deserve their own show, see you tomorrow!

It's Freezing!

So yeah, as you guys can see from the title it is freezing! By this I mean that it is very very cold and walking the dog made my hands go a little numb and Mum was dressed up like she was going to the snow. Seriously, I asked her as we were leaving (sarcastically of course) when it was going to start snowing. We almost turned back at one point because it got so freezing. Let's just say that Sandy was very lucky today when he got his walk. So from this experience, and to keep myself a little warmer while sitting in front of the fire typing this, I have come up with a few things that are good to do on freezing cold days, or at least things I like to do.

Source: http://1arcticfox.deviantart.com/art/FREEZING-COLD-TRAVELING-108491026

The first thing I am going to say is something I am doing right now. That is, obviously (if you read the above paragraph), sitting in front of the fireplace. It is just so nice to be able to sit with your back to it and just feel the heat hitting your body. It really makes you comfortable and sometimes it is just nice to turn around and watch the logs burn. Then there is probably what I will do later which is drink hot chocolate while wrapped in a blanket watching Under the Dome. Of course, what you actually watch or even do does not matter but the best part is just drinking something warm while relaxing in a blanket. Sometimes I am so grateful that I do not live in Canada or somewhere where it gets into the negative degrees. Another popular thing I find warming during these enduring Winter months is lying in bed curled up in blankets and reading a book. Of course you could do whatever you want while in bed (such as watching television or playing a game) but it is just nice to lie in bed and relax while also trying to keep warm. Again, I am so grateful that I do not live in countries where the Winters are freezing and the Summers are not much better. So those are a few of the things I enjoy doing when it is freezing. As always, if you have any you want to share just comment below, use the contact form to the right or email me directly at legolukeytutorials@gmail.com and I will reply.

Don't let the Winter months freeze your hopes, see you tomorrow.

Characters we Love to Hate

Throughout history there have always been those characters in texts we have just loved to hate. These texts have include books, movies, television shows and even videos on the internet. No matter who we are we generally have those characters who we hate so much it becomes something we enjoy to do. A great example of this would be Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter Book series by J.K. Rowling. He is the sort of character we hate but, at times, have sympathy for. We love Draco for that as he is a character we can hate without feeling bad about it. Here are a few others I have come up with:

Ollie Dinsmore: Under the Dome

Ollie Dinsmore is a farmer in the new television drama airing on CBS (America) and Channel Ten (Australia) Under the Dome which is based on the book of the same name by Stephen King. Ollie is a farmer who owns the only pump with the only fresh water under the dome after the water tower was destroyed in an accident. He is just such an evil character who only cares about what is in his best interests and not in the interests of everyone else in Chester's Mill (the town stuck under the dome).

Source: http://www.globaltv.com/

President Corinalius Snow: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Suzanne Collins hit the jackpot with this series and President Snow is one character you just love to hate. At first he just appears as one of the rich and arrogant Capitol Citizens but it later turns out that President Snow knows a lot more than he lets on and is more guilty than anyone else in Panem. However, by the end of the trilogy Collins challenges your view of Snow in such a way that you think twice about how guilty Snow really is and whether there are others worth more blame than him.

Source: http://neversawsuchawoman.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/my-hunger-games-movie-review.html

Dwight Schrute: The Office

There is no other comedic character in television history that is as funny, naive yet smart as Dwight Schrute. He always thinks himself three steps in front of everyone else when most of the time he is either being tricked or just mistaken. He really is a hilarious character to watch in the American remake of this British Comedy hit. Dwight really epitomises the love-to-hate relationship.

Source: http://www.businessbee.com/resources/news/operations-buzz/fact-dwight-schrute-gives-the-most-amazing-business-advice/

Don't let the hated characters ruin your favourite shows, see you tomorrow!

Why am I watching this?

Foreword: I am sorry about the lack of post yesterday (2/7/2013) as this post was supposed to be released at around 6pm last night but for some reason Blogger decided that it would rather not publish this post and it went unpublished. As a result, today there will be 2 posts including this one which was meant to go live last night. Be sure to check back again tonight (3/7/2013) at around 6pm (AEST) tonight for the 100th post! Again I am sorry about what happened and sincerely hope that it does not happen again.

Have you ever just sat in front of the television and just flicked through the channels because there was nothing else to do. Imagine one of those days when it is raining, you are home alone, have nothing to do and are incredibly bored. What do you do? Probably watch some television. But wait, there does not seem to be anything on that interests you. However, like most people (myself included) you just continue flicking through the channels wishing an unscheduled show to air. However, in the end you find yourself an hour later watching some show you have no interest in. Sometimes you really have to ask yourself "Why am I watching this?" Most of the time I do not have an answer. It really is a bit sad.

Image Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/jul/06/week

Sometimes we even experience this during prime-time television (around 6pm to 9pm). Especially during the period of the year where the networks do not air any of the good shows as the rating season is low. This, for me, is the worst time for television as there is nothing that interesting on and you just find yourself flicking through the channels and watching bits and pieces of all these boring shows. I mean, do you know how many times I have watched Antiques Roadshow during this period? Let's just say that there is a lot of junk on that show and I am getting really good at guessing how much an item is worth. I know how sad that sounds but that is the reality nearly all of us face. Have you ever had this experience? Chances are you have. Even now, as I write this I find myself thinking of all the good shows that are on tonight I want to watch (like Under the Dome) and then all the crap ones I will probably sit through while waiting for these shows (like The Mole which I do not think will be as good as the original series). That is all for today but be sure to check back tomorrow for the 100th post, hooray!

If you can not answer the question "Why am I watching this?" then stop watching it, see you tomorrow!