My high school has a very good theatre program; we were able to do a musical, a Shakespeare, and two "smaller" plays every year, while most others in the area were lucky to do two a year, alternating between musical and Shakespeare. I was never on stage for any of our musicals, because that's not my forte. I enjoyed doing tech work for them, but I made it clear to the director and choir teacher that I don't sing.
I do like some musicals. Sweeney Todd, for example. I enjoyed Into the Woods, and someone might be able to convince me to do it again, though as a nonsinging role. Wicked and Moulin Rouge are also great (I think there's a stage version of Moulin Rouge...).
The musicals we did while I was there were South Pasific, Hello, Dolly, Les Miserables, and Annie, Get your Gun. If I have to hear the songs "Hello, Dolly" or "There's No Business like Show Business" one more time, I think I just might kill someone.
Shakespeare can be hard to appriciate. I'd been reading it since I was about 10, so I learned to understand the language, which makes it alot easier to enjoy them.
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- Howler13
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Member for 18 years, 4 months, and 3 days
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Jan 9, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on The Tournament Scene From A Unique PerspectiveYou should. I've showed it to several of my friends, and they all loved it. Very well made movie all-around.Posted in: Howlings
Other than SA, I'm not a HUGE fan of most of his movies, but I have always enjoyed him; I've seen several movies where he is the only enjoyable part. I may sound biased, but I've read many reviews with the same sentiments.
He also has done alot of live theatre (just finished a 3-month run in off-Broadway). It would be an honor to meet him, and I think I might just die of a heart attack if I ever had a chance to work with him... -
Jan 9, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on Mental PortraitsI don't mind people who want to be "someone else" in places like MTGS; Since it doesn't matter, it's ther perogative. Some might say that I "masquerade" as a normal-sized person on the various forums I frequent, and they're half true; I don't pretend to be regular height, I just let people assume that. So, it's a false identity by ommission.Posted in: The Misty Void
I do have a problem with people doing that on MySpace and Facebook. One of my coworkers complains all the time about MySpace deleting the profiles for the characters of her novel. You go on those sites to be you, to interact with real people.
I remember, about a month or so ago, MaRo posted some "training" videos in one of his articles, and he even said he got alot of comments like, "You're voice is much higher than I thought!" When we've "known" someone for years, or at least been reading his articles, and all we have to go off of are pictures (real picture), we do the same thing: we start imagining how someone talks, acts, etc. Very similar. -
Jan 9, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on Rolelaying TL;DRWell, I can't speak from experience (never played a text-based RPG), but that does strike me as somewhat counterintuitive.Posted in: The Misty Void
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Jan 9, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on High School Drama: The Good Kind"Theatre" and "Musicals" are two completely different things in my book. I can't sing worth beans, but that's why I didn't do the musicals.Posted in: Howlings
I've done a fair share of "behind the scenes" work. I ran the sound board for Les Miserables, which was... challenging, to say the least. Twelve personal mikes constantly being traded off, because everyone and their grandmother had a solo in that play. I also stage managed Annie Get Your Gun. That was pretty easy, because everyone knew what they were suppoed to do, so I just had to help set props and move set pieces.
I directed some scenes in a beginning acting class my Senior year. I enjoyed it, got to work with some up-and-comers in the dept, and it was interesting being on "the other side." I had alot of fun, and once my actors stopped staring and started listening to me, I think we all enjoyed outselves and did some very good work.
I did notice something rather strange; pretty much everyone in the theatre department was either gay or Mormon. There were exceptions, but most people fell into one of the two camps. Not gonna say where I belonged... -
Jan 8, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on Mental PortraitsI don't think there's anything wrong with that on forums like these. We're here to talk about Magic (for the most part). It doesn't matter if you're male or female, black or white, 17 or 71... it's irrelevant. It doesn't matter what I look like when I'm posting in the Custom Cards section, what matters is the cards I post. I've built a bit of a rep with some members on there, worked on the sets of some, and none of them know I'm a dwarf (unless they read these things, which I doubt). And it doesn't matter.Posted in: The Misty Void
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Jan 8, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on The Tournament Scene From A Unique PerspectiveThere were alot of his movies I'd just missed, like I'd seen the preview and decided to skip it. About a month ago, I was putting away movies (I' work at a video store), I stumbled across The Station Agent. Needless to say, it caught my eye. I watched it, and fell in love with the movie. I checked his IMDb porfile, and was shocked at how many of his movies I'd heard of. He usually does "smaller" parts, but they tend to be very memorable (see Elf and Living in Oblivion as good examples).Posted in: Howlings
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Jan 8, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on The Sims 2Touché.Posted in: The Misty Void
You haven't played God of War? You've got a PS2, I'm assuming (given your rant on Tidus). You should play it, it's awesome. Unless you're under 17. Then you should wait. I would never endorse underage children playing violent video games.
The only game mentioned so far that actually fits your guidelines is Oblvion. Pokemon and Final Fantasy are both/all RPGs, no questions, but both follow fairly "linear" plots (as in what you do doesn't affect the outcome). There was a very good blog I read many years ago that got into this, sparked by the release of Kingdom Hearts. It discussed why KH was considered an RPG, while apparently similar games like God of War and the Lord of the Rings games were not. I wish I could find it, it made some great points... -
Jan 8, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on The Sims 2I never found the Sims to be very realistic. Or entertaining, for that matter. Sure, it'll be fun for an hour or so, and then it just gets boring, and I'll give up on them. Next time I fprce myself to play, I don't feel like continuing any of my families, and just sart a new one.Posted in: The Misty Void
I would NOT classify Sims as an RPG. It is a total simulation game (hence the title of the game). Though, nowadays, the term RPG is getting slapped onto alot of undeserving games. It begs the question what exactly defines and RPG. Your definition is rather loose; most games place you in the role of the main character. What makes Pokemon, Final Fantasy, and Elder Scrolls RPGs, as opposed to Halo, God of War, Mario, etc... see what I mean?
I don't know if I'm taking your blog a bit off-topic... -
Jan 5, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on Fact about Nai: ShynessI agree with Zombiemachine... somewhat. Try a bit of "immersion therapy": intentionally go places and do things that you wouldn't normally. Don't do things too extreme, and I'd suggest taking a friend, because it's never fun to go somewhere you don't know anyone. Like I said, theatre is what did it for me, and I got into it by complete accident! Just take chances, you don't know what it'll take to break that shell.Posted in: The Misty Void
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Jan 4, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on Fact about Nai: ShynessDude, I can empathize. =] I've never been good at striking up conversations with strangers, unless they mention video games. I was fortunate enough in high school to find a "place I belonged," I don't know how I would have made it through without it. Hopefully things get easier for you in the "real world," outside of all the stupid cliques.Posted in: The Misty Void
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Jan 4, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on The Tournament Scene From A Unique PerspectiveDon't worry, it was stuff that would have made anyone look silly. You ever try and sing Shakespeare? It's not easy, especially for someone tone-deaf like me.Posted in: Howlings
That's a very fine line, unfortunately; My sense of humor can be rather cynical at times (I blame my parents for that one), but I often take the stance that it's more about the intent behind what's being said. My friends and I make fun of each other all the time about things like that, but we never actually mean it. I think it can be theraputic, like you said; looking at it in a humorous light helps you get over it. This kind of stuff usually doesn't happen when out in public; mostly just when hanging out at someones house or in the theatre department.
Sadly, no; neither my avatar nor my profile pic are actually of me. They are both of Peter Dinklage. He is my favorite actor, not because he's a dwarf, but because he is incredible. [shameless plug]Everyone who reads this NEEDS to see the movie The Station Agent! It is absolutely amazing in so many ways! Track it down and see it! NOW![/shameless plug] The avatar is from the movie "Find Me Guilty," in which Peter plays a lawyer, and since frequently I'm a judge in the FCC, I thought it was fitting (y'know, lawyer, judge... same thing, right?). The prof pic is just from some photo shoot he did. I picked it because... well... as one straight man talking about another, I think it makes him look incredibly sexy. There, I said it.
I make a habit of not posting pictures of myself on the internet, not even on my MySpace or Facebook. Some of my friends say I do look a bit like him, but I think they're simply noticing the common physical characteristics of an Achondroplasiac dwarf. And we have a similar style of goatee. So, if you wanted to pretend that was me, you wouldn't be too far off. =] -
Jan 3, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on The Tournament Scene From A Unique PerspectiveTrust me, it wasn't until recently that I final came to terms with it. For the longest time, I would let stuff like that get to me. The fact that I've been a member of MTGS for over two years, and this is the first I'm bringing this up, should show that. It's only the last year or so I really opened up like this. That's why I'd like to try going to another tournament - I don't know if that stuff would bother me anymore.Posted in: Howlings
I'd say my involvment with theatre in high school did alot to help break me out of my shell. I was forced to do alot of things that I knew would make me look silly; eventually, you just have to let it go. -
Jan 1, 2008
Howler13 posted a message on Street Fighter IV...I'll be honest, not a huge Street Fighter fan (not a real fighter fan in general), but when I heard about this and saw the teaser trailer, I got excited.Posted in: Hydrokinesis's Blog
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Dec 29, 2007
Howler13 posted a message on The Weary Gaijin: The Chronicles of Mr. StuffThat's awesome. I hpe to someday visity the Land of the Rising Sun, after I've learned their language. Good luck doing... whatever it is that you will be doing.Posted in: The Weary Gaijin: The Chronicles of Mr. Stuff
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Some general thoughts:
Catwoman: I liked her. I was never one of the decriers of Hathaway's casting as Kyle, I think she's a very talented actress, and that she was a great pic for the role. I wasn't disappointed. She's getting a lot of praise as "the real star of the show" and the like, which I think is a bit overkill, but she was very good.
Bane: Physically, I think he worked. Sure, he wasn't a 12-foot-tall menace like in the comics, but he was still a massive physical presence. His voice, however, was inconsistently effective for me. Some scenes it worked great, others I could barely understand him, and at times it just sounded downright laughable. And I don't place any of the blame on Hardy, he was doing great. It's almost like they came up with three different voice filters for Bane, and couldn't make up their mind which to use.
Storytelling was a bit of a mess. The story was good, the plot was fine, just the storytelling had issues. It was just too rushed. Certain scenes and plotpoints played out way too fast, they needed to take their time to let things unfold more naturally. And it's not like I felt there were parts that were unnecessary; it's more like they had too much story for one movie. As though Nolan had originally conceived it as a two-parter, but then had to mash them together. In the end, nothing was really "missing", I got everything that was going on. Just wish it had played out more smoothly.
Now for some "spoiler" thoughts:
Miranda Tate being Talia al Ghul would have been a huge twist it weren't so heavily speculated upon for the last year or two.
I really thought the Batman was dead. I had been predicting it for the longest time, it just seemed like the "right" way to conclude the trilogy. Even when Lucius found out Bruce had fixed the autopilot, I still thought he had gone down with the plane. Not in a "I'm ready to die" committing suicide kind of way, but in a "I have completed my journey, and being the martyr is what the city needs me to be" sense. But it was kind of cool that he lived, while still saying pretty clearly that he would NOT be returning as Batman.
As for "cliffhanger" ending: Everyone knew there would be more to Levitt's character than was being revealed. Everyone was speculating that he would be come Robin, despite Nolan's and Bale's insistence that they would never do a Batman movie with Robin in it. But we all know where the ending was leading. I think that if, IF, Nolan decided to continue the franchise, Blake won't be come Robin, but someone else (hence giving him the name "Robin"). My guess would be Nightwing. I know in the comics, that the original Robin becomes Nightwing, and that removing that step for his character would makes the fanboys rage, but I feel like that would be the most natural way for Nolan to do it. But I guess we will see.
Finally, a reply about the ending:
I'd like to think I could listen to both sides present their case and offer an unbiased opinion on the matter.
Um... yeah... uh, that would... totally be, like, the WORST idea ever. I mean, c'mon... who would do that? ...duh...
Ugh, just what I need... Because adolescents aren't problematic enough as-is...
Do they sell that in stores? Do I need to get a prescription? It's probably got some nasty side effects, those "miracle drugs" always do.
I've heard about this. I had a friend in high school who was asexual, she said she just felt no sexual attraction to anyone, and any interest in sex was on a scientific level, not emotional. But then she met a guy. They've been together for nearly 10 years, married, got a kid. It may not seem like much comfort, but some of the best advice I can give is "just ride it out, things will change when you meet the right person."
I also know it's not uncommon for people to go through phases like that. It can often be linked to depression or self-worth/self-image issues. "I'm not attractive, no one could possibly be attracted to me, so I'm just gonna make things easy on myself and not be attracted to them as well." So if you already have a history (personal or family) with depression, that's probably a cause. If you're taking steps to deal with the depression, everything else should fall into place as well.
Odd piece of advice: work out. Seriously, pretty much anyone I know who's been dealing with depression, myself included, has been recommended that they start working out. And it helps. Apart from the chemical reactions, it makes you feel better about how you look, builds confidence because you're sticking with a program, it gives you more energy to counteract the bouts of lethargy, all sorts of things. Try it out.
Oh, Mikey, glad to see you haven't changed one bit.
Oh, and in case it needs be mentioned: BB is still an awesome movie, and I doubt anything in TDK has changed so I'm gonna guess that's still gonna be amazing.
That pretty much answers your question. I've heard much the same about it being substandard, and it completely missed the feel of the original TV show (which was much more of a drama). All that, plus the fact that you don't otherwise care for any/most of the people involved, lead me to suspect that you wouldn't like it.
As someone so far removed from all the personal vendettas and hurt feelings surrounding the gutter, I am most interested to hear your opinions and what you have viewed as abuse of power from Ria (not that I would otherwise be opposed to hearing your opinions Bel
What Burton is doing is an old Hollywood practice; a director would pick a writer, a composer, a troupe of actors, etc., and all of his projects would involve those people. These people were all friends, typically college classmates (which I believe is the case for Burton and Depp), and basically become like a little family/club.
What Burton is doing probably wouldn't be so bad if he had a large pool of actors he was using, so that were weren't seeing Depp and Carter (Burton's wife, for those who don't know) starring in EVERY one of his movies, sometimes relegated to supporting or minor roles. For a comparison, Christopher Nolan is getting into this habit. Anyone else notice that about 5 actors in The Dark Knight Rises were also in Inception? And a couple of those actors had appeared in some of his earlier stuff as well. He's starting to form his inner circle of standards, but he's doing a good job of rotating them between major and minor roles, as well as using leads outside that circle. Burton could learn something from Nolan. Ok, he could learn a LOT from Nolan, but I digress.
Oh, it's changed quite a bit since I've been around! The saddle is a nice new touch, but I sure will miss the pineapples...
Yeah, tell me about it. It's all just a constant reminder of how old I'm getting.
Yeah, I haven't figured out how to deal with that. I'm thinking a healthy dose of verbal/emotional abuse over the next few years should keep him in check.
Actually I'm probably going to be reaching out to some sort of LP group for advice on that. I'm sure it's a common topic, how LP parents deal with their significantly-bigger AH kids. Not that I foresee it being a problem but... I mean, c'mon, what teenage boy hasn't at least had the thought of "hmm, I wonder if I could beat up my dad?" cross his mind? (I did) Some even try it (I did). Most are unsuccessful (I was).
If this is a surprise to you, you CLEARLY don't know Kraj very well.
Welcome to Gaymers. Has anyone shown you the secret handshake yet? ;-)
Because we don't want every forum poster and their mother coming into the gutter telling us we need to watch our language. In this overly-PC world we live in, most people can't grasp the concept of "if you don't like something, then leave." They'd rather stay and try to force everyone else to conform to their standards.
Assuming it maintained it's 18+ status, not at all. (Yes, I watch my language around kids IRL. Shocking, I'm sure.)
A section of the forum members want the forum to be "not safe for work." This would be bad, as it would drive away the underage crowd (and let's just be honest here, M:tG is a card game, so it's being marketed to people under the age of 18) as well as those who frequent the site while at work. Less traffic means less advertisers, which means less money to maintain the forums and writers, etc.
However denial of a NSFW area would drive away a group of forum members as well. A smaller group, perhaps, but lost membership is lost membership. So the compromise is to have a subsection of the forums, blocked from general access, where NSFW discussion and language is allowed.
Why does the gutter exist? Because there are people who want it to exist. Why do they use inappropriate language? Because they want to use inappropriate language. There really isn't some greater vision going on, but there doesn't NEED to be. You don't like this stuff? Don't join the gutter.
It's like if I went to a restaurant and complained that they had a separate room where they have video poker machines and smoking is allowed. It's existence doesn't hinder or affect my dining experience; it's a completely separate part of the establishment. If I asked them why they had that room, they'd say "because there are people who want to go there." If I asked them to close the room down, they'd say "if you don't like it, don't go in there."