10 - The Way I See It #2: Proving His Talent Through Song and Dance

Recently, I went to New York for a week on vacation. Now, I am a theatre-lover and watching a musical or a play is one of my all-time favorite things to do.

Also one of my favorite things: Harry Potter.

Now imagine my excitement when the one and only Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter since I was 9) was starring in a musical on Broadway. If you can't imagine it, I was VERY excited.

Having been involved in theatre for a long time, I have to say I'm pretty hard to please. Not only with theatre, but with singing too. For my whole life my oldest sister has been the best singer I've ever known, so she set the bar pretty high. It's very rarely that I'm impressed with singing, and I hate to admit that I'm kind of a snob. Haha. I also know good acting when I see it, and I know bad acting when I see it, and before I went to New York I hadn't been to a professional live theatre performance that I'd really been impressed with in a long time. Even Wicked at Capitol Theatre was really good but that was the performance that the actress who played Elphaba left a little to be desired when she sang Defying Gravity.

Having said that, I really enjoyed watching Harry Potter sing and dance.

What I was the most impressed by was the dedication that was clearly shown in Daniel Radcliffe's performance. I could tell that he worked really hard on the singing and the dancing and his character, and it really paid off. He's not so famous yet that he would get hired through his name alone. And being Harry Potter for all of his acting career thus far, he had to do a lot to prove to the world that he CAN be something other than Harry Potter. And he didn't have to be naked with a horse to do it. (Even though he did that already.)

I can really tell that he deserved this role because I saw Chicago in New York also, and Christie Brinkley was Roxie Hart. She's a famous supermodel who used to be married to Billy Joel, for those of you who don't know (I didn't know who she was.) She DEFINITELY got the part through her name. Because her singing, acting, and dancing were not up to par. I was really disappointed because I feel like  casting directors should know better. And it just seems unfair to me, casting her and not someone way more talented, just because she was famous.

 But this a critique on How to Succeed, not Chicago.

It was fun, entertaining, and captivating. I was not bored during this show even once, and when it was over I wanted to watch it again. Someone once told me that you know a show is good if you come out of it singing a song. And I have been those songs for a month and a half since I saw the show. And as far as the singing goes, if an actor didn't have the best voice, they definitely made up for it with their character. Like Wally in the clip above. And John Laroquette. He's not a singer, but he proved that he deserved his role just as much as Daniel Radcliffe did.

I saw five shows in New York, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was my favorite one. In 1994, Matthew Broderick played Daniel Radcliffe's role on broadway and that just made me like it even more. Haha. I love Matthew Broderick.

I only love good theatre. I don't give standing ovations unless they are deserved. And as soon as the curtain call started, I was on my feet.

I didn't give a standing ovation for Christie Brinkley.

9 - Photography

Let me tell you all a little story.

Somewhere, in a land far far away, lived a young girl with a fascination with cameras. Any kind of camera, she would use and use and use until it was no good anymore. Usually, all she had was disposable cameras, so the film ran out quickly because she had no concept of waiting for the right picture. Also usually, about half of the pictures were of nature from weird angles. You see, she was trying to be a photographer. At ten years old.

The years went by, and film cameras soon made way for digital cameras. She started out small, her first digital camera being a Kodak with 2 megapixels. But her dad ALWAYS had nice cameras and so she would tend to borrow his. Again, she tried to take the coolest pictures ever. This time, with people in them as well. And as her love for this art grew, so did the kind of camera she had. Until one day she decided that she wanted a professional camera. Well, an amateur professional camera. A Cannon Rebel. Her father obliged, and for Christmas she received her Rebel.

However, it just was not to be as this girl was in high school now. Not only that, she just happened to be the busiest Bee there ever was. No time for friends, let alone reading or taking pictures. So the long awaited camera sat in the corner, just waiting for the right moment.

Then, other people noticed the camera. And wanted to use the camera. First her friends, then her sisters. This girl didn't have a problem with sharing (as long as it was with the right person) so she agreed to let her sister take her camera. For safe-keeping.

That was a year and a half ago. And now she's going off to college and she's getting her camera back. But first, she had to test it out. With flowers that her boyfriend gave her on their 2nd dating anniversary.

Just a few photos of many are posted for your viewing pleasure, and also in the My Photography tab.

This is just the start of a wonderful new relationship involving the girl (me) and her camera. Because believe it or not, she actually REALLY likes taking pictures.

:)

8 - Words and Music

Been in a songwriting mood lately.

Don't know why. I'm not the songwriter in my family. My sister Kimberlee is. But, I've just been getting inspired. Mostly, me writing songs is writing down lyrics and hoping to come up with the music part later. The writing lyrics is what I like doing the most haha.

Maybe it's because I've kinda been surrounded by inspirational music as of late.

Last Sunday I watched August Rush with Cole. (He doesn't really like that movie... but I told him we were going to watch it anyway.) And that movie ALWAYS makes me want to sit at the piano and write a masterpiece. Like it's just gonna come out of me. Unfortunately, it never happens. But it does get me inspired.

Also, we saw Jon Schmidt in concert. And it just amazes me, again, how people can be so talented musically. Did you know that he wrote Waterfall when he was 17? 17! It just blows my mind. And may or may not make me a tad bit jealous.

Then, tonight, I saw Peter Breinholt in concert with my dad. And I may not really like the folky-type music as much as other things but he writes awesome songs. And it just gets me so inspired! I start thinking about other singer-songwriters that I love, and all the music that I love, and I just get excited. And think to myself -- Hey. You can SO write a song like Ingrid Michaelson. Just sit down and do it. -- then I sit down. And start fiddling with the keys. And then I get bored and blog about it.

So I guess this post is kind of a tribute to music and the power it holds. Any kind of music can have an influence on someone. Make that person feel like they can do anything. Like they can make a difference. That's what it does to me.

Music can do things that nothing else can do. It can make you remember things once forgotten. Or bring back feelings that you though were lost. Music can motivate, captivate, and inspire everyone. Sometimes, music can even say things louder than words.

But that's the beauty of the combination. Together, there's nothing music and words can't do. Together, they can be the most powerful thing in the world. More powerful than guns, more powerful than wars, more powerful than hatred, or anger.

Just something to think about.

7 - Advanced Placement

Let me start out by saying that this post is in no way meant to be a post of congratulations towards me. It's not. This post is an urging for those in high school, or have loved ones in high school, to consider (and consider again after you've decided that its not worth it) the advanced placement program.

I know there are a lot of different stories, and it really does depend on where you go to college. But I took entirely too many AP classes and expected next to nothing in return when I actually was in college because so many people told me that all they got out of taking those stupid tests was elective credit. Oh how wrong I was.

You see, I went to my orientation today at Utah State University. There, I signed up for classes with my advisor, assigned by major. Lucky me, English Education is one of the longest degrees. He said, with all the other general requirements, it usually takes about five and a half years. That time period seemed a bit daunting. So we set out to fulfill my generals when he got a look at my AP credit score. And one by one, checked the little boxes on the piece of paper he gave me. 

Long story short, by the end of fall semester, I will have fulfilled ALL the requirements for my generals. 

No, I'm not kidding. 

Now, like I said, it entirely depends on the college of your choice. It just so happens that USU was really awesome. :) 

So I have my generals done, and to put icing on the cake, I only have ONE class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

I love college. 

6 - The Way I See It #1

So my sister showed me a blog that her friend had a few years ago and I thought it was really cool. It was her friend giving reviews on things that she'd seen, read or whatever. She had food, books, movies... she gave a really funny review of Breaking Dawn. (Click here to read it.) And I'm going to copy her. Not for my whole blog, but just occasionally as a post when I've seen or read something I found noteworthy.

So. My first critique.

5 - Rethink, Revisit, Renew.

My best friend, Adri, has inspired me.

I looked at her blog and in the entire month of June, she has dedicated herself to her blog.
It might just be the boredom of summertime, or the anticipation of the future, or for no reason at all. Either way, I've decided I really want to give this a shot and see if blogging is really something I want to keep up on. Her blog is much, much cooler. Click here if you're curious. Seriously, it's awesome. I'll leave another link just in case you changed your mind. It's called Oh, The Places We'll Go! and I recommend checking it out.

Anyway.

I have renamed this blog Brand New Day to represent my renewal in life. I looked at the very first post I did, and realized that I have been "on the brink" all year. And now is the time to act.