Katy Perry: Part of Me (The Movie)

     I recently watched Katy Perry: Part of Me (The Movie) with the wonder twins (my 5 yo kids). 

     They're fans, especially my daughter and I must say, her songs grow on you.  When my daughter was still in nursery school (~3 yo), her teacher heard her humming Teenage Dream while doing her artwork :).

     Anyway, I didn't expect much from this movie.  I thought that it was going to be just self-promotion for her world tour.

     Ha!  I saw myself weeping at the end and actually hoping that she will eventually find THE ONE who will be there for her, who will support her, her dreams and ambitions. :)  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

     The movie shows clips of Katy when she was still young, and talks about her Christian upbringing (along with her sister Angela and brother David).

      She started singing in church and had a gospel record by the age of 15!

     The movie shows how close she is with her family, especially her grandmother.  I remember reading an article about Katy bringing along her grandma in one of those music awards. :)

     Other record companies wanted to mold her into the next so and so, but she refused to budge (good for her!), eventually finding a record label that believed in her talent, liked her for who she really is, and helped her become who she wants to be.

     Despite her parents' trepidation, her first single was "I Kissed a Girl (And I liked it)".  They supported her choice and it turned out to be the song that launched her career.

     Along the way, she met her stylist Johnny Wujek

and make-up artist Todd Delano

and they're still with her all these years.  You can tell that she has their love, loyalty and respect.

     Her best friends are a constant in her life

     and so is her sister, Angela

     In between clips, you will see videos from fans declaring their love for her, how her music and lyrics resonate, and how she inspires them to believe in themselves.  Wow.

     During her gruelling tour, she still makes time to be with her then-husband, Russell Brand.  She jets off to meet him somewhere, no matter how exhausted she was.  Truly admirably.  Sadly, it wasn't enough.  Towards the end of the movie, you see her weeping before her Brazil concert, and you realize that the marriage she worked really hard for, ended.  She's given a choice of cancelling the concert, or still go on.  She decides to go on.  Heart breaking.  You hear her sobbing.  You see her struggling to hold back the tears before she is raised up on a platform to the stage.  With a deep breath, she looks straight ahead and affixes a smile to her face... Brave.  Loyal to her fans.  Strong.

     Though she still hurts, she knows that she has a good life, a beautiful life to be thankful for.  She realizes the pain is part of her journey and she still has so much to live for.

     This movie is very inspirational - a beautiful and hopeful message to the youth, that you never settle, that you have to be true to yourself, and to follow your dreams.

     I am enamored.  :)

MC Hammer @ 2012 AMA

     The 40th American Music Awards was shown in the US last November 18, and I missed the live telecast.  I read in the news that Psy performed with a surprise guest - MC Hammer!  Wow!  I was lucky enough to catch the rerun last Tuesday and waited oh-so-patiently for Psy to perform.  The wonder twins watched with me, they were excited about Psy, I was excited to see Hammer (talk about generation gap!).

     And finally, after listening to Carly Ray Jepsen sing off key, and Kelly Clarkson wow everyone with her powerful voice, and Justin Bieber winning the major awards (scoffs at his detractors too), Psy came out with his trademark Gangnam Style song/dance.  The wonder twins gleefully watch while I waited with bated breath for MC Hammer.  Then the lights dimmed... and there he was!  The audience screamed and I heard myself screaming with them.  Psy and MC Hammer danced to 2 Legit 2 Quit/Gangnam Style mash up.  What a performance!  It was electric! When it was over, we all jumped and clapped, adrenaline coursing through our veins - it was sssoooo worth the wait :)

     MC Hammer (real name Stanley Kirk Burrell) was at the peak of his career during the late 80's to mid 90's, prominently known for his dancing (and those parachute pants), churning out hits like

2 Legit 2 Quit

U can't touch this

Pray

Pumps and a Bump 

Addams Groove

    Unfortunately, mismanagement of his fortune - lavish lifestyle (?), burgeoning staff, caused him to file for bankruptcy in 1996.  We didn't hear from him for a while.  Then, Ellen had him as a guest in 2009 where it seems he was still active... on twitter!

     Oprah Winfrey featured him in the Oprah Show in 2011 "Whatever Happened to MC Hammer?".  Apparently, apart from being such a great dancer, hip hop artist, a devout Christian & family man (been married to the same woman for 27 years), he's also a super geek!  Ha!  Who would have thought? 

     I do hope we'll hear more from him again soon.  "U can't touch this" will always be in my ipod/iphone.  Now, if only I can learn his moves... or am I too old for that?? :)

People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive

     People Magazine recently announced their choice for 2012 Sexiest Man Alive and the honor goes to ... drumroll please ... Channing Tatum!  He made quite a few hearts quicken with his movie Magic Mike, got people laughing  in 21 Jump Street and made women sigh in The Vow.  All that in 2012 alone!  He has, I think, four (4) films slated next year.  Busy, busy man.

     Here's the list of People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive since it began in 1985 (*twice honored).

People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive List		Age
2012	Channing Tatum	32
2011	Bradley Cooper	37
2010	Ryan Reynolds	36
2009	Johnny Depp	49
2008	Hugh Jackman	44
2007	Matt Damon	42
2006	George Clooney*	51
2005	Matthew McConaughey	43
2004	Jude Law	40
2003	Johnny Depp*	49
2002	Ben Affleck	40
2001	Pierce Brosnan	59
2000	Brad Pitt	49
1999	Richard Gere*	63
1998	Harrison Ford	70
1997	George Clooney	51
1996	Denzel Washington	58
1995	Brad Pitt	49
1994	-
1993	Richard Gere (Sexiest Couple with Cindy Crawford)	63
1992	Nick Nolte	71
1991	Patrick Swayze†	57
1990	Tom Cruise	50
1989	Sean Connery	82
1988	John F. Kennedy Jr.†	38
1987	Harry Hamlin	61
1986	Mark Harmon	61
1985	Mel Gibson	56

     I've hi-lited those who are over 50 yrs old and I must say, Richard Gere has aged beautifully, coming in really close at 2nd place is George Clooney & Mark Harmon.  OK fine, I'm a sucker for salt n pepper hair :)

The elevator scene in the movie Shall We Dance is absolutely swoon worthy!!

My Top 5 Picks (over 50):

    

     Richard Gere.  Be still my beating heart.

    

      George Clooney.  Like fine wine.

      Pierce Brosnan.  Still a charmer. 

      Harrison Ford.  Gimme Han Solo anytime :) 

     Mark Harmon.  NCIS forever!

     Here's hoping the young 'uns will age as gracefully as these gentlemen :)

Love Actually

     Another british film that tugged my heart strings is Love Actually.  Shown in 2003, it's an ensemble movie that covers about 9 (me thinks) love stories involving random individuals who are somehow connected to each other.  The film begins (and ends) with heart warming scenes at the airport.

Billy Mack & his manager Joe:

     Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) is an aging rocker who's trying for a comeback via a Christmas song "Christmas is all around" which is a variation of "Love is All Around" by Wet Wet Wet.  Billy maligns the song, much to his manager, Joe's chagrin (Gregor Fisher) and confesses on radio that Christmas is pretty much a miserable day for him as he is alone,  mostly because of the way he treated those around him during his heydey.  Camera pans to his manager, who grimaces at each word that comes out of Billy's mouth. 

     Later on, he promises to perform naked if his record becomes #1, and naturally it did.  He gets a party invite from Elton John and excitedly accepts only to leave almost as soon as he arrives after having an epiphany.  He'd rather celebrate Christmas with Joe after realizing he loves Joe for being there for him through thick and thin.  Joe turned out be the f**king love of his life :).  Pardon the language, he is, after all, a rocker, albeit, old :)

Jamie & Aurelia

     Jamie (Colin Firth) leaves his sick girlfriend at home to attend Juliet and Peter's wedding.  He goes back home early and sees his brother at his home with a lame excuse of borrowing a cd.  He later finds out his girlfriend and brother are having an affair after hearing his girlfriend yell from the bedroom that she's ready for some exciting stuff in bed (yikes!).  He retreats to his quaint french cottage to presumably nurse his broken heart and to work on his book.  He is introduced to his house keeper Aurelia (Lucia Muniz) who only speaks Portuguese.  You can sense an instant attraction between the two and I love their conversations, one in english, the other in Portuguese, neither understanding the other, but somehow, their words complement each other.

     He goes back to England to celebrate Christmas with his family and as they part ways, he realizes he's in love with her.  And you can see from her face that she is equally in love with him.  He learns how to speak Portuguese and on Christmas eve, after dropping off his presents to his family, flies to France to propose to Aurelia.  She accepts, in english! :)

Juliet, Peter & Mark

     At the aforementioned wedding, Juliet (Keira Knightly) & Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) weds with Mark (Andrew Lincoln) as the best man. 

     Juliet wants to borrow some footage from Mark and at the same time, tries to befriend him as she feels that Mark is quite aloof with her.  She drops by at his house with some pastry as a peace offering, and finds the tape.  She watches it while Mark looks on with dread.  The shots in the video were all of her, and she realizes that Mark is in love with her. 

    Mark leaves her at his house - self preservation, he calls it, and walks away with Dido singing in the background (love the song).

     He professes his doomed love for Juliet at Christmas, with Peter none the wiser.

Harry & Karen

     Karen (Emma Thompson) is Harry's wife (Alan Rickman).  She's busy as a housewife while Harry is the managing director of a design agency.  His secretary Mia (Heike Makatsch) shamelessly flirts with him and asks for a gift for Christmas.  He goes shopping with his wife and while she's off looking for gifts for their mothers, he sees a necklace and thinks of buying it for Mia.  The man behind the counter is none other than Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean, if you will).  See how he made Harry squirm.

     Karen sees the necklace and thinks its for her.  On Christmas eve, she excitedly opens her gift only to see a cd of Joni Mitchell.  She excuses herself and cries softly in their bedroom, with Joni Mitchell singing in the background.  Heart breaking :( 

     She still shows a brave face and attends the Nativity play in school.  She confronts Harry after the play and he confesses that he's a fool.  She tells him that his actions made her life with him seem foolish.

David & Natalie

     David (Hugh Grant) is the newly appointed Prime Minister.  He also happens to be Karen's brother.  He meets Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) who's a staff at the PM's residence.  He's attracted to her but he keeps it hidden as it seems to be inappropriate.  Enter POTUS (President of the United States, played by Billy Bob Thornton).  While discussing affairs of the states, David leaves to get a document only to come back and see POTUS trying to seduce Natalie.  It propels him to declare that Britain will not be bullied by the US.  Here's his celebration dance (of sorts).

     He then asks Natalie to be assigned elsewhere but as days pass, he misses her.  On Christmas eve, he sees Natalie's Christmas Card, professing her love for him.  Inspired, he goes off in search of her house and after knocking at 100 houses, finally finds Natalie's abode.  He meets her family and he gives them a ride to the school, to attend the Nativity Play.  At the school, he bumps into Karen who hugs him so tight (after she realizes Harry might be having an affair).  Natalie and David hide backstage and eventually kisses.  The curtain opens while they're kissing, everyone sees them, cameras flashing, and they awkwardly wave and bow before running off :)

Daniel, Sam & Joanna

    Daniel (Liam Neeson) is Karen's friend, and his wife Joanna, sadly, just passed away.  He tries to cope with the loss but he notices that Sam (Thomas Sangster), his stepson, has become very distant.  He thinks its because Sam just lost his mom and tries to talk to him.  Turns out, Sam is in love with a classmate, who's name is, coincidentally Joanna (Olivia Olson).

     Sam decides to join the school play in order to impress Joanna.  He practiced the drums while Daniel suffers in silence.  On the night of the play, Same performs really well and thinks that he has finally gotten Joanna's attention, but it doesn't seem so.  Joanna leaves for the airport after the show, and is going back to America.  Daniel convinces his son to tell Joanna how he really feels and they both race off to the airport.  Sam sneaks past security, and guards chase him as he runs towards the boarding gate.  He manages to enter the gate without being seen as the ground staff were watching Billy Mack perform naked on TV.  The guards finally caught up with him but now he's aware that Joanna actually knows him.  As he is being escorted out of the boarding area with a silly grin on his face, Joanna appears and gives him a peck on the cheek.  Success!

Sarah & Karl

     We first see Sarah (Laura Linney) in Peter and Juliet's wedding, seated next to Jamie.  She works for Harry at the design agency and has secretly been longing for Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), a colleague.  Apparently, everyone knows about her crush, including Karl himself. 

     At the Christmas party, Karl asks her to dance and she nervously accepts.  Karl brings her home and you'd think things are definitely looking up for Sarah.  But alas, her phone rings, and the (frequent) caller is her brother, Michael, who is mentally ill.  Karl tries to convince her to ignore the phone, but she still picks up the call and tries to appease Michael.  That ends what would have been a magical night for Sarah, and dashes any hope of having a relationship.

Colin & Tony
     Colin (Kris Marshall) & Tony (Abdul Salis) are best buds.  Colin delivers food to the graphic design company where Harry, Karen and Mia works.  He tries to hit on Mia but naturally fails in his attempt.  He tries his luck again at a wedding, where he's working as the waiter.  He offers food to a nice looking lady, tries out the food on the tray and spits it out.  That nice looking lady happens to be the cook!  He thinks british girls are too uptight that's why he's not lucky in love, but I beg to differ! :)  Anyway, he finally decides that he might have better luck with girls in America, and the ace up his sleeve is his self-proclaimed "cute" british accent.  Tony, who works as a production assistant in a what-I-believe-to-be a porn studio, tries to dissuade him but nothing could change his mind.

     He arrives in Milwaukee, goes to a bar and meets 3 beautiful girls who are enamored with his accent!  Go figure!  And hey, there's a fourth, who happens to be the "sexy" one!  Suffice to say, he got his wish :)

John & Judy
     John (Martin Freeman) & Judy (Joanna Page) work as body doubles in the same porn company where Tony works.  They are comfortable being naked around each other, but is shy with each other after work.  They start dating and she tells him that all she wants for Christmas is him. :)  They attend the same school play where Karen's kids are performing.

Rufus
     Rufus is played by Rowan Atkinson.  He's the jewelry salesman who almost caused Harry a heart attack and the man who conveniently distracts the airport staff so that Sam could sneak in.  Minor but very significant role in the movie :)


     The movie ends a month after Christmas, and the scene is again, at the airport. 

     Billy Mack arrives with a new girlfriend, Greta.

     Juliet, Peter & Mark welcomes Jamie and Aurelia.

     Harry's daughter greets him as goes through the gate, while Karen looks on.  She says she's fine, but seems to still have issues.

     Joanna comes back from America, and waves at Sam, who happens to be with his friend and who's mom is a Claudia Schiffer look alike named Carol (played by Claudia Schiffer).  Looks like Daniel has found a new love.

     John & Judy sees Tony at the airport and she shows Tony her engagement ring.

     Colin arrives with the 4th American girl Harriet (Shannon Elizabeth).  She brought along her sister Carla (Denise Richards) and Tony looks awestruck as Carla kisses him and declares him gorgeous :)

     David arrives and is greeted rather enthusiastically by Natalie.  I guess the relationship's out in the open now :)

     Finally we see actual footage from Heathrow Airport, people hugging and kissing, happy to see each other again.

     I have decided to watch this movie every Christmas with the family.  It's light, funny and very touching.  And again, the soundtrack is very, very good.