Three Reasons To Love Breaking Dawn, Part Two

I was invited to a preview of the final installment of the Twilight movies.

Having read all of the books and seen all of the movies, I was eager for the series conclusion.

My three reasons, in a nutshell:

THE ENDING, THE ENDING, THE ENDING!

There was a twist at the end that literally whooshed the breath out of the viewing audience. While I gasped and marveled,  the audience behind me screamed, cheered, cried out, clapped, and laughed. It brought out so many emotions in a few minute sequence that I didn't even know how to arrange my face!

The ending scene of the movie is a moving, romantic, and sweet tribute to the series, and is sure to please Twilight fans.

The final movie was all of the things the other movies were: awkward, funny, cheesy, romantic, campy, yet somehow, to this moviegoer: SATISFYING.

*sigh*

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Three Reasons Why I Loved the Hunger Games Movie

1. PEETA. I'll be honest, I didn't know how I'd feel about Josh Hutcherson portraying him. But he pulled it off. By the end of the movie, he became Peeta. 


Liam Hemsworth was just as I'd pictured Gale and Jennifer Lawrence was AH-mazing as Katniss. 

2. The movie kept Suzanne Collins vision of the arena and the characters. Amanda Stenberg was PERFECTION as Rue despite what these nimrods had to say (haters gonna be haters, but do me a favor and remember why you loved the book). 

I was elated they showed the wildflower scene--such an emotional parts of the book. Woody Harrelson was nicely cast as Haymitch, and in a lot of ways Stanley Tucci stole the show as the outrageous TV host Caesar Flickerman.

3. The capitol, with all of its pomp and circumstance, was exactly how I'd pictured it. It showed the irony of a  society that needed bloodshed to be entertained. The stark difference between the districts and the Capitol was palpable.

Love this Vanity Fair picture of the cast:

(source, source, source, source, source, source)

Three Reasons Why I Love: My YA Book Club

1. Everyone in the group is an avid reader or writer of YA fiction. We are all about YA and nothing but. Which equals to utopia in my world. I could sit and talk YA with them for DAYS, I tell you.

2. I am one of the only non-agented and un-published members (um, five of them have books coming out in the next year), so I should feel intimidated. And, I kind of do. But we start talking, and I hear about their struggles along the way, and I somehow feel better about my journey.

3. All of the group members are smart as a whip, and they have great advice and recommendations. What's that saying? Something like--surround yourself with people smarter than you...

The only way it could be more win-win for me is if the group moved to a restaurant, and I could discuss YA with a glass of wine in my hand. *smiles sheepishly* Any takers?

Our next book club is August 15th and the book is DECEPTION.

Want to come?

Three Reasons Why I (Mostly) Loved Eclipse

I went to a showing last night with my girlfriends (should I call us Twi-Moms?) and I've got a lot of yawns this morning.


1. Eclipse was my FAVORITE book in the Twilight series, and the movie didn't disappoint (well, mostly). I think it may have been better than New Moon. But, there was still a bit of a cheese ball factor involved (cue sexy music when Jacob enters scene). We can only go up from here, right?


2. Bella was able to show her angst over Edward and Jacob in this movie. But, I wish more time was given to show her struggle. It seemed rushed. Despite that, my favorite scene in the book (and now the movie), is still the tent scene.

3. The movie's special effects, especially the fight scene between the newbie vampires and the wolves, ROCKED! BUT, I still wonder why they can't seem to get the Cullen's make-up right. And why did the fallen newbie vamps look like mannequins?

I'd still go see it again and look forward to the next installment. Hey, at least Jasper's acting improved in this one. He didn't look so much like a deer caught in headlights.

Three Reasons Why I Love...

Motto's 3/4 length sleeve textured tunic (my favorite line from QVC):

1. It comes in FIVE colors: purple (shown), black, white, soft grey and pink.

2. It is so versatile. You can wear it over jeans, leggings, trousers, or a slim skirt. It's an all season top. Wear a tank under it in warmer months and a long sleeve tee or turtle-neck in the colder months. Also, the drawn in waist is slimming.

3. The price is right at $31.12. I just ordered my second color.

Oh, an it ranges from size XS to 3X!

Three Reasons Why I Love Big Love

One of my favorite HBO shows is beginning it's fourth season this month (Sunday, January 10th at 9 p.m.). I'm getting ready to DVR it!

1. To see the inner workings of modern day polygamy, a lifestyle/religion considered taboo by the majority of society, is so fascinating.

Let's see: one husband, three wives and seven children (and counting).

They live next door to one another in a suburb in Utah, and Bill, the husband, takes turns eating dinner and sleeping in each families home (the wives have worked out a schedule).

They maintain ties to their Fundamentalist Mormon (FLDS) "compound" (different than Mormon LDS' who don't practice polygamy) where some of their relatives still live. You get an insiders view of the different facets of their belief system.

The best part is viewing it from the teenager's divergent points of view. Some despise the lifestyle, while others try to embrace it.
2. Jeanne Triplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin are divine as the wives. Such mulit-faceted actresses. In fact all of the show's actors are pretty darn good!

3. It leaves you feeling so conflicted.

On the one hand, it looks so hard to live like this. Especially for the husband, Bill (Bill Paxton). You may think he's got it easy sleeping with three different women, but he always looks so exhausted and stressed out.

On the other hand, you can totally understand some of the things they do, down to keeping the lifestyle a secret from neighbors and the school, especially if they were raised that way and the belief system is ingrained.

That's what so great about this show. It makes you look at so many different facets and feel so many different ways.

If you watch it, tell me what you think.

Three Reasons Why I Loved NEW MOON

Can I get a WOOT--WOOT! IT WAS SO AWESOME!!

And I wouldn't lie. The first Twilight movie was just ok. If it was a C, then New Moon would be a B+. It was done really well!

One of the best parts was being in the theatre with the fanatics (of all ages)wearing their Edward or Jacob t-shirts and Twi jewelry who waited in line to buy tix forever and then screamed their bloody heads off EVERY SINGLE TIME Edward or Jacob entered a scene.

But it's ok, I get it--I was screaming on the inside :) Mostly I just sighed like I was hot and bothered ....alot!

#1- Oh Edward, how do you do that thing to me, that you do? *SIGH*

#2- The werewolf special effects were PRETTY DARN COOL. Jacob, I almost crossed over to your side--almost! YOU, with your probing, soulful eyes and that buff physique. And then the anguish on your face and the pain in your eyes when, when..well you know...

I was feeling all sorry for you!

#3- Seeing the Volturi played out on the big screen was amazing (although I do wish a little more backstory was shown about them)--I imagine it being especially surreal for Stephanie Meyer!

SO-- if you're a true Twlight fan, you've GOT TO go see it, if only to experience the book played out on the big screen. But if you've never read the books (WHAT? shocking!) I think you'd enjoy it as well.

Three Reasons I Get Sucked Into Teen Shows

1. You can relive high school--a little.

I am not one who wishes I were back there, in the 80's. In fact, I abhorred high school. I was an awkward... wallflower. I wasn't picked on or any such thing. I was just... invisible.

I didn't blossom until my college years.

So I like to spy on the other side, when I watch these shows. And some are really terrible and cheesy, I know.


2. It helps my research as a YA/Teen novel writer. Good one, right?

But seriously, it helps to keep up with the lingo, and with future ideas.

The other night I was taken back there, to the 80's... I had a memory that I'd long forgotten about:

My senior year, a very popular basketball/football player asked me (the wallflower) to go steady with him. At first I thought it was a joke, but as it turned out, it wasn't. The only problem (besides the fact that I was shy and awkward) was, I wasn't even remotely attracted to him. Even a little.

So I came to a crossroads of sorts: I could either pretend to like him and have free entry into his popular clique--instant fame. OR, I could turn him down and be frowned upon by that same clique.

So, guess what I chose? Yep, to remain a wallflower...who now got stares and frowns. But I'm proud of my decision too!
I figure, that story's got to make it in some of my pages.

3. There are some good teen shows on television.

I thought I'd give 90210 and Melrose Place a chance because I watched the original ones, but BLEH. I don't like them very much.

Here's two that I do like:

GLEE! Of course, because I was in Show Choir. :) But, it's a smart and funny show.




The Vampire Diaries. Yeah, don't even say it. They do resemble Robert and Kristen. But really, that's where the Twilight references end (they even made fun of Twilight in the last episode). What can I say? I like brooding, and tortured men. Hey, the books were written in the 90's--it makes me curious about them--anyone read them?

Three Reasons Why I love Joan Holloway's Style

I'm a newer convert to Mad Men, so here goes:

1. Her BOLD use of colors:

2. Playing up the features of her realistic womenly body:

3.This one is totally biased: I most love when she wears green (my favorite color) with her blazing red hair!
Gorgeous, assertive and sexy, all in one!

I think I just came up with my own Halloween costume-think anyone would get it?

Three reason Why I Love: Dexter

It's on Showtime (which we don't suscribe to) so we've been buying the DVD's. We are currently on season 3!

1). I have a thing about humanizing bad guys (thus my zombie novel). Probably why I also loved and watched every episode of The Sopranos. Dexter is a serial killer, who happens to work at the police department as a blood splatter expert. He lives by a code, and only kills (and dismembers-yikes!)other bad guys- and somehow the writers just get me rooting for him every episode.

2). I love Michael C. Hall who plays Dexter. I watched him on Six Feet Under on HBO (one of my top 5 favorite shows of all time-do you detect a death theme here?). There is something quietly sexy about him.

3). Jennifer Carpenter who plays his sister in the show (also his wife in real life) says F*** in every sentence she speaks and is totally flawed in her own way. She cracks me up and is a very strong woman character- I love that.

And oh yeah- it's based on a series of books- which I have to read- even better!
I don't know anyone else who watches this show- but there's gotta be other fans out there- anyone?