Alan Cumming. You probably don't know that you know him, but you do.

My posts about celebrities have been pretty few and far between. I've lamented over the career of Christian Slater, confided in you about my infatuation with David Bowie, and admitted my fascination with all that is Helena Bonham Carter. Today I'm going to share with you my latest celebrity obsession, Alan Cumming.

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You're probably thinking this Scot looks familiar, but no, he's not the guy who played PeeWee Herman, but I imagine if PeeWee and Joey (I think the grey-haired LeBlanc has infested my brain) were to ever have a love child, Alan Cumming would be it.

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I first took note of Alan in X2. He played Nightcrawler (like you didn't already know that), one of the most vulnerable and touching X-Men characters to appear in the X-Men trilogy (in my opinion). He's also had quite a number of one-time appearances on some pretty popular TV sitcoms like 3rd Rock from the Sun (love!), Frasier, and Robot Chicken (as well as some other shows that I've never watched before).

Alan lent his voice to God, the Devil and Bob as The Devil and will even be voicing Gutsy Smurf in the upcoming movie, The Smurfs (and I've already expressed to you how I feel about that). Another TV role that really caught my attention was Alan's portrayal as Glitch in the Tin Man (what do you mean you haven't seen it? Quick! Go put it on the top of your Netflix Instant Queue!), which I believe aired on the Sci-Fi Channel (before it "reworked" its imagine and became the more female-friendly Sy-Fy Channel. And before you jump on that "female-friendly" remark, they aired the movie Enchanted for crying out loud. Why? Why would they do something like that? The channel that brought us such greats as Dinoshark, Mega Piranha, and Ice Spiders chose to air a princess musical? But I digress, as is oft to happen here).

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Keeps your eyes open, and I'm sure you'll spot the unique look of Alan Cumming in other movies and TV series. I'm also pretty sure you can expect to see a great deal of him in the future. In fact, he'll be in the upcoming movie Burlesque with Cher and Christina Aquilera (although after reading about that film, I have very low expectations for it). And if you're interested in learning more about Alan Cumming, you can peruse his website or read his blog.

Do you have a favorite "odd-ball" actor or actress?

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Hope you all have a fabulous weekend. I have nothing planned, but of course, as history has shown us, that doesn't mean I won't have some wild tales to share with you on Monday.

A Message

                               
We interrupt previously scheduled programing to bring you this message:

We ♥ you.

You rock.

We now bring you back to your scheduled programming.

I ♥ Helena.

 

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My love affair with Helena Bonham Carter began with her performance in Hamlet as Ophelia. She played crazy so well.

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But it was her role in Merlin that really had me captivated. Once again, she portrayed crazy really well with her performance as Morgan Le Fey. Crazy aside, I really fell for her style in this movie. I still want hair like hers. Seriously, I do. 

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And then, of course, there was Fight Club. In which she KICKED ASS!

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And then I lost track of her for awhile. (Aside from Planet of the Apes, because who can love the style of an ape?) And then Big Fish came along, and Helena did phenomenally well as Jenny and the Witch.

    

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Fast forward past Corpse Bride and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, (I know she was in other movies, but I didn't watch any of them, so they don't count) and we have the Harry Potter series, where, once again, Helena plays crazy and witch very well, and I love her name, Bellatrix.

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And let's not forget one of my all-time favorites, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett is fantastic. (Did I mention she does crazy REALLY well?)

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One of these days I will get around to watching Alice in Wonderland. I heard Helena steals the show as the Red Queen.

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And you know what? As much as people criticize her personal style (and trust me, they do!), I really kind of like it.

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The tickets are now diamonds!

 

(Please forgive me for the plethora of lame-o post lately. In case you didn't know, I'm knee deep in thesis work, so right now, somethings gotta give.)

 

I love this commercial.

Oh boy!

   

So, I've been hearing snippets of this song on a Volvo commercial, and I keep meaning to look it up. Well, I finally did, and I really ♥ this song! It's "Oh Boy" by Miss Li. Enjoy!

And for fun, here's another, "Dancing the Whole Way Home"...

Doesn't that just make you feel good and happy and optimistic? I love spring! Alright, one more, "Gotta Leave My Troubles Behind"...

It's only forever, not long at all...

  

A short time ago I wrote about a childhood crush who has remained a crush of mine into adulthood (as a small update to that post, I think they canceled his show... again. One of these days, Christian, one of these days). Today, I write about another childhood crush who I still can't get enough of.

Yup, David Bowie. 

Now before you judge, I have to ask, have you NOT seen Labyrinth? I mean, seriously, what young girl growing up in the 80s didn't have the hots for David Bowie after that movie? (I must admit though, his pants were kind of frightening to my innocent eyes. I'm providing you with a visual) 

What young girl didn't fall asleep at night pretending she was Sarah, fighting her way to the castle beyond the Goblin City? I know I did. 

What young girl didn't fall in love with the ballroom scene and imagine that when she grew up, she would wear a dress just like Sarah's? And have you ever really listened to the lyrics to the song in that scene? Here, let me remind you...

"I'll paint you mornings of gold

I'll spin Valentine evenings"

 

(sigh) Magical, right? Yeah, I know. You're welcome. And who can forget Within You? This song haunted me and defined what it meant to be in love for me for many years (which probably explains a few of my relationships, unfortunately). It still makes me melt (I mean, aside from the whole obsessive, stalker thing it has going on). I apologize for the length of this one, the good stuff is in the first 2 minutes.

David Bowie just happens to be one of those musicians that I felt like I couldn't openly express my love for. I mean, we're not talking NKOTB here. When you were a young girl in elementary school, the last thing you wanted to do was tell your friends you liked David Bowie (I have to admit, I still have a hard time admitting this one. Kind of like admitting that I am was a huge Madonna fan. Some love is just meant to be kept a secret).

Let me leave you with a few more Bowie tunes (at this point, I must point out that while my love for the Goblin King was all encompassing, my love for David Bowie doesn't extend to his teeth, which are hideous. You'll see). 

Sorry, but I'm going to make you work for these videos. And remember...

"I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave."

Let's Dance     Dancing in the Street     China Girl     Modern Love    

Earlier today... (or, The post that took ten hours to write)

    

It's Sunday morning. I'm internet-less as well as cable-less. It's wet and nasty outside. What's a "multitasking" girl to do? Well, hey! Why not catch up on my iTunes podcasts and play Spider Solitaire? Great idea!

So, I'm listening to Iron & Wine on an NPR: Live Songs from All Things Considered Podcast podcast when it occurs to me that most of my musical education has occurred at the hands of men. (A good friend of mine was recently shocked to discover that I was unaware of Iron & Wine. I was also under this assumption as I am no good at names or titles. Low and behold, I opened up iTunes and discovered that I was, in fact, already acquainted with them. I'll have to remember to tell him.)

My first recollection of being introduced to music, outside of Strawberry Shortcake and Raffi, was on a car trip with my dad to my maternal grandmother's house. He had just picked up Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album. My sisters and I happily, and innocently, sang "Livin' Underwear" during our 6-ish hour long car ride to Long Island. I don't think my grandmother, a very prim and proper lady, was all that impressed when we excitedly told her about it. My dad's music collection also included The Doors, The Stones and Led Zeppelin, to name a few. (Now that I think about it, I believe my dad was also responsible for my introduction to the horror movie genre, but that's a tale for another day.)

 

My grandma (and half of my face, and a plant)

Before I continue with my masculine musical influences, I should point out that many female figures in my life introduced me to music as well. My mom was a fan of folksy soft rock like The Carpenters and Carly Simon (decidedly NOT my thing). With my step-mother, it was Top 40 tunes (aka Pop music, yuck). My oldest sister, a true 80s child, introduced me to some rockin' 80s tunes (when her musical tastes crossed over to country, I didn't go with her). My twin sister added Tori Amos and Jewel to my musical repertoire (she has since crossed that country line as well), and my younger sister, a real true tree-hugging hippie, introduced me to Ani DiFranco (we still share the most similar musical tastes. My youngest sister's last opportunity to be musically influential over me was when she was five. To this day, I cannot stand big, purple, singing dinosaurs.). My friends were all madly in love with NKOTB, which I loathed but pretended to like because in elementary school, the last thing you wanted to do was tell your friends you don't like something they LOVE (I never trusted their musical tastes after that).

Back to the men. As a young and naive teenager, my music tastes tended towards the tastes of my current crushes and boyfriends. There was the basketball player who loved Bruce Springsteen, the hockey player and the Smashing Pumpkins, the soccer player and Garth Brooks (my ONLY foray into country music), the other basketball player and Dave Matthew's Band, the musician and The Police... Blues Traveler, Bob Dylan, Cake, CCR, The Eagles, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Silverchair, Steve Miller Band, STP... all music that I once claimed to love but only listened to because of some boy (I do really like Nirvana though, and they have the honor of still being in heavy rotation).

In college and into my late-twenties, a long-term boyfriend introduced me to Against Me!, the Beatles, Ben Harper, Bob Marley, Dropkick Murphys, Franz Ferdinand, G. Love, Gorillaz, Grateful Dawg, The Grateful Dead, Incubus, Jack Johnson, Matisyahu, OAR, Phish, Rusted Root, Stringcheese Incident and Sublime, to name a few. Yeah, I liked most of this music, but enough to say it defines my musical preferences? Nah.

During my journey of self-reflection, I've set a goal to discover the music that I like because I like it and not because some man in my life liked it. I write down any artist I hear that affects me and is worthy of exploration. My self-led musical education has unearthed some old favorites that I had previously tossed aside (Fiona Apple, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Candlebox...) and opened my eyes to some new faves (Adele, A Fine Frenzy, The Antlers, The Killers, She & Him, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ingrid Michaelson, you know, it would be easier if you just looked this up yourself. Scroll back up, on the right of the screen, and read Music I Can't Get Enough Of. It's not a complete list, but, whatever). 

I'm gaining a better understanding of who I am through my musical tastes. I've met two really good friends in grad school who I consider to be my soul-mates in friend form (and yes, one is a male, whom I previously mentioned) who have contributed to my current musical discoveries (Holly Miranda, Wolf Parade, TV on the Radio, Grizzly Bear...). They point me in a direction, and I'll either head down that path and like what I find, or I see where the path branches off, and I find my own way to somewhere else.

I like my music and for the first time in my life, I'm not ashamed of my musical tastes because they are a part of me and a reflection of me, and I'm starting to really like me again.

Can you feel the love?

Uh... nope! I don't do Valentine's Day. Call it what you will, maybe I'm bitter (in fact, you can check that version of me out over here. Please forgive the lack of content, it's new.), but I just don't like this day. It makes me uncomfortable. I think there's a lot of unfair pressure put on this day. For one, someone (usually the man) has to find a way to accurately sum up his feelings for his woman by magically finding the correct combination of overpriced, purchased crap (for more of my thoughts on overpriced crap, click here). Talk about pressure! If he doesn't do enough, his lady is going to think he doesn't care. If he does too much, his true love may think he's trying too hard, maybe attempting to make up for some un-confessed past misdeed... On the other hand, females feel some pressure on this day too (or at least I do). We are obligated to react to our counter-part's half-assed attempt at expressing their inner most feelings towards us through heart-shaped boxes and glittery Hallmark cards. Bleck.

I'm not sure when my contempt for this "holiday" began. Maybe it was in the fifth grade when I clearly remember having my heart crushed. My object of affection du jour hadn't even acknowledged me or the very thoughtful valentine (it was extra special because I had covered it in kisses before recess by the lockers) I secretly slipped into his shoebox "mailbox." (I was never the type of girl to make the first move. My mom had ingrained it into my head that good girls don't do that.) I was devastated.

Or maybe it was in high school. One year there was a Valentine's Day in which I was being pursued by two fellers (I'm not bragging. This isn't as fantastic as it sounds, trust me). These two gents took it upon themselves to use this day o' love as an opportunity to outdo each other with ridiculously useless gifts. I was swamped by roses (which I hate) and stuffed teddy bears too big to fit in my locker (gee, thanks, now what the hell do I do with this?), forcing me to haul them around to every class. I hate attention, and I blush very easily. I was mortified.

I insist every year that I don't want anything (which apparently means in girl-talk that I do in fact want something for V-day, at which point I have to once again mention that I am not your typical girl). No, really, I don't want anything. Please, don't even wish me a Happy Valentine's Day, because once you do I'll be obligated to say it back to you, therefore acknowledging the existence of this day that I loathe. If I want to tell you how I feel, I'll tell you how I feel (but most likely I won't). I don't need a special day to do it (or not do it).

To date, my most memorable Valentine's Days (above examples excluded) include the one where we took a trip to the McDonald's drive-thru, hit-up the corner store and rented a few movies (we were in college. This means of celebration may or may not have been influenced by an illicet substance). My other favorite V-day was the one in which I received this simple note, "Wanna be my valentine? Despite my lack of effort and spent money." Well, gee, when you put it that way, how can I resist?

I think I'm in love (again)

                           
that is all

He has returned!

     

Ah, life is good. Yes, everything in the world is right again. Christian Slater has returned to television. My prayers have been answered.

   

Seriously, I love Christian Slater. Alright, maybe not love, but I'm definitely, seriously infatuated with him. Ever since Will Scarlett chanted those magical words, "What a dope! He tripped on a rope! Now look at him shiver!" I was hooked. Maybe it was his sardonic humor or maybe it was those deviously squinty eyes, but regardless of what it was, I just CAN'T. GET. ENOUGH. 

         

I know some would cite Heathers as Christian's first (only) memorable role, but I was a mere eight years old when that movie came out, so I'm pretty sure I didn't see it until at least three or four years later, long after Will Scarlett stole my heart. Ah, Will Scarlett. Who didn't cry with him when he revealed to Robin that they were brothers and pleaded, "And what I want to know brother, is will you stay with us and finish what you started?" The tears well up just thinking about it (damn you, Kevin Costner, you don't deserve a brother). He introduced me to my first fuck, as in, "Fuck me, he cleared it!" (Sigh) And when he's being tortured in the dungeon and "turns" on Robin... (sigh) it was love.

       

I'll admit, Mr. Slater hasn't always had the greatest roles or chosen the best movies to be a part of (ahem, Bed of Roses? Really? Mary Stuart Masterson? Really? I can appreciate your romantic side, Mr. Slater, but who falls in love with Mary Stuart Masterson?). But he won me over again and again as Arkansas Dave and George Kuffs (and, hello! Milla Jovovich!). Gotta love that bad boy attitude!

    
But then I lost track of Christian for awhile (about ten years, to be more specific. Ten years of movies I've never even heard of, He Was a Quiet Man? What's that about?). In 2008 though, he returned in what I considered to be the best show on television*, My Own Worst Enemy, where he played not one, but TWO main characters. Score! But, ooh! Those geniuses at NBC had to go and cancel the show. Way to go NBC!

        

Fast forward to 2010 and switch the channel to ABC, and we have, The Forgotten. I have to admit, I haven't actually had the chance to watch this show yet. Unfortunately it airs after my other favorite show, Lost. (As soon as those credits roll, my sister and I are on the phone comparing notes and talking theories about our favorite island dwellers.) What I have seen of The Forgotten has been a muted Christian Slater. But I'm okay with that. At least he's back, and one of these nights I'm sure I'll catch the entire show. (Seriously, check out that scruff and those eyes, all wrapped up in a blue jean, leather-clad package. Yum!)

*but only after Lost, which is, of course, the best show on television.