My Froggy Friend

My mum enlisted my voice for the Multi-Stake Easter Concerts this year. Well after our last concert last night and after dropping my friend Jonathan Fowles off at home, I noticed something hopping across the street... In the dark... In front of my car... So I slammed on the brakes expecting to find nothing and instead found this guy...

Photo by A. McKeown (Froggy right before I set him free to be with his other ribbetting friends in the trees outside)

...just looking up at me. So I put my hand out and he hopped right on. Naturally I put him in the car and immediately drove home. Every 5 minutes or so I turn the light on to see if I could find him, fully expecting him to be hidden under the passenger seat or lost forever in one of those yucky crevices that pennies get stuck in. Oh no. I turned the light on and he was chillin' on the passenger floor mat, enjoying the ride apparently. Turn the light on quite a bit later - still in the same place. When I got home, I put my hand down and he jumped right on. I took him inside and introduced my new friend to my mum, dad, sister Anna, and brother-in-law Greg. I told them how Froggy and I met and then a photo shoot ensued.

Photo by A. McKeown (Meggie & Froggy)

Well Froggy, I'm glad I slammed on the brakes and that we met. That you got to meet some of my family. That you are now dwelling in the trees around my house. Sadly you were not waiting to be turned back into your human princely self with a kiss, but you are a prince to me nonetheless. Mwah.

The Last Song

Yes folks, I traversed yet again to Seattle for a free movie screening of The Last Song. I was accompanied by two fantastic ladies (Nikki Barbour - no stranger to the prescreening - and Jessica Wesenberg - first-time attendee). And with the exception of Miley Cyrus, we absolutely loved it. Now, how can you love a movie without its main character? I honestly don't know, but we did. Maybe it's the fact she wasn't pretending to be two people, maybe it's the fact she didn't sing... Who's to say? But needless to say my favorite person was hands down Greg Kinnear. I am a huge fan - even when he's a bad guy (to clarify Kinnear is NOT a bad guy in this film). And the kid who played her younger brother? He was simply fantastic. I won't lie. I shed a few tears and more than once. Nicholas Sparks has a knack for that I suppose. And the fact that playing the piano had a bit to do with the plot didn't hurt. So I guess on a scale of 1 to 5 bowls of my homemade applesauce, I'd give it a solid 3. And if you're a Miley Cyrus fan, most likely a 4 with a couple extra spoonfuls and a dash of cinnamon. So if you like a good tear jerker and baby sea turtles, it's worth at least a matinee in the theater.

Screened: 25 March 2010

Release Date: 31 March 2010

Jack Bauer Has Infiltrated My Thought Process

As I was driving my father and myself home from work today, we noticed an SUV parked on the west side of Fruitland Avenue near the 7th Avenue intersection in Puyallup. Dad asks, "Why in the world would someone park there? That makes no sense." You see, there is pretty much nothing out there except the WSU fields and the Anderson's farm and maybe 4 feet for a shoulder. If you can call it that. So I answer, "Well, maybe they ran out of gas. Or perhaps they have a flat. Or maybe they got kidnapped. You know. Forced out by gunpoint." My dad just looked at me. It took me a minute to realize he was looking at me with an excuse-me-what look on his face. My response, "Sorry, daddy. I think I've been watching too much 24.*" Yeah. That was pretty much the end of that conversation.

(But maybe they were...)

*There is no such thing as "too much 24."

My Visit to Underland

It's official. I love Alice in Wonderland. I love how the original animated feature and this feature commingle Carroll's two tales* beautifully. I love that in the 2010 continuation, the bizarre and the normal are woven together so fantastically that it was easy for me to suspend my disbelief. I hope that I am not building up anyone's expectations, but I really liked the Disney classic and simply adore this continued telling.

Disney presents "Alice in Wonderland" a film by Tim Burton

Surprisingly, Helena Bonham Carter's (or Bellatrix Lestrange for you Potter fanatics) performance as the Red Queen was my least favorite. However, she was still superb and brought plenty of lunacy but also vulnerability to the part which made her fit perfectly in Underland (the actual name of the world Alice visits) as the incredulous tyrant. And Anne Hathaway (the White Queen)... I've never been too terribly impressed with her. Sure, she's a nice actress and she's not completely unfortunate looking, but my admiration for her as an actress just went up heaps because of her work in this. I now officially like you, Miss Anne. Mia Wasikowska was, well, perfect. She WAS Alice. And the Mad Hatter? He's Scotch. Yeah. Don't get me started on Mr. Depp. I have one of the biggest talent-crushes ever on that man and clearly I'm not ashamed to admit it.

What can I say, I was thoroughly impressed. Of course it didn't hurt that Mr. Burton also used the voices of some of my favorites. Alan Rickman as Absolem (the Blue Caterpillar), Matt Lucas as the Tweedles, and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat. Oh yeah. And we can't forget creepy Crispin Glover as Stayne (the Knave of Hearts). So in fine, I highly approve of Disney's/Burton's film, and my love and admiration of Johnny Depp's talent is justifiably still in tact.

The Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad?

Alice: I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.

*Lewis Carroll did not write these stories whilst on acid as some have been led to believe. In fact, Carroll is actually the pen name of Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was originally a story Carroll made up to entertain the three young Liddell sisters while they were rowing up the River Thames in 1865, one of which was a 10 year old named Alice. His other tale, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found there came about 6 years later after a conversation with another Alice about her reflection in the mirror. Curiouser and curiouser, no?

Down the White Rabbit's Hole

Dinah is the name of Alice's cat. In case you were wondering.

Anyhow, I figured I would watch the 1951 cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland before going to see the 2010 Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland. Let me tell you, it was fun. And it took me back to so many of the Disney classics because of the voices that haunt that old film.

For example, the Dodo (as well as the White Rabbit for that matter) is the same voice as King Hubert in Sleeping Beauty (Bill Thompson). And the Cheshire Cat? Yeah. That's Sterling Holloway. Who's that you ask? Just Winnie the Pooh. And the Queen of Hearts is also the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella and the Mad Hatter is Uncle Albert from Mary Poppins... I could go on but I will refrain.

So along with the psychedelic realization that Disney wisely recycles their employees (if anyone reading has the power, my dream is to be a Disney voice - I'm just sayin'), I absolutely loved watching the movie again. And let me tell you, I am so excited for the continuation. Oh yes. Tim Burton's new addition is not a reboot but rather a Disney-endorsed continuation of their original animated film. It's Alice a bit older going back to Wonderland to take care of some bidniss. The fact that I am a Burton fan (fell for his work with the first Keaton Batman film) and a Johnny Depp fan (can you say 21 Jump Street?) only adds to the anticipation.

And by the way, I will be purchasing a ticket for this experience. So here's to creepy smiling cats and, awesome colors, and croquette. Cheers.