In honor of the Pope's visit to the United States, today's entry is going to focus a bit more on Christian imagery. Of course, there is still an element of Halloween involved, but for those Christians among my readers, this post is for you!
Day 3: Christian Halloween
Don't worry--Christian Halloween doesn't mean we're going to be talking about dressing your kids up like saints. And this isn't going to be one of those posts that demonizes Halloween (or "Hell-oween" as I've heard it called). Naw. This is all about Catholic or Christian imagery and how Christians should really be enjoying Halloween. It's a great time of the year!
First up, I have a list of reasons why Christians should love the holiday here. And then, we'll follow that us with a bit of Catholic imagery in Dracula. I hope you enjoy!
I have always loved comedy, and I always thought it would be fun to be an actor. I think with a little time and effort, I could be halfway decent, but there is one thing I will never master--improv. There is something very intimidating about going into something without any prior practice. I like to have all my ducks lined up in a neat little row. Not having that throws my whole world into chaos.
Now, at the library where I work, I've given impromptu classes (like, I prep beforehand, but I don't have a specific speech planned out). But, all the same, I don't think I could get up on a stage and be funny without some proper preparation.
Day 3: Franken-Improv
For today's posting, I wanted to do something a bit funny. So, I've included here two Frankenstein-themed improv skits. The first is from Who's Line is it Anyway? and the second is from Rhett and Link's show Good Mythical Morning.
To start with, here's a bit with my favorites, Colin and Ryan. Ryan is Dr. Frankenstein, and Colin is a very light-footed Igor.
A note about this second video. Rhett and Link have a YouTube show called Good Mythical Morning, and they end each day's episode with a little skit using a prompt that they are given right beforehand. This video is part of a series that took the dialogue and animated it. I hope you enjoy :)
What's your favorite Halloween song? There are a lot of great titles out here, including "Werewolves of London" and "Thriller," but my favorite is "The Monster Mash". I always get such a kick out of that song. As a kid, it made monsters seem a lot more fun.
So, of course, today's "trick or treat" is going to be a dedication to one of my favorite tunes:)
Day 2: The Monster Mash
The first video below features the song of course, with pictures from various horror films, including Frankenstein, and The Invisible Ray. What I liked best, though, was that it started off with pictures and promotional posters of Bobby "Boris" Pickett, the lead singer.
Now, in case you weren't aware, there is a reason why the Monster Mash consists only of classic monsters. What would it be like with today's freaks: Jason Voorhees, Jigsaw, or Freddy Krueger? Well, Key of Awesome thought about that, too, and they have a more updated version of the Monster Mash for you here! While it's still funny, it's certainly more adult, so I guess this is just a warning if you're looking for the same wholesome fun of the original.
And if you enjoyed that, here's the behind the scenes video!
Happy October, everyone! Welcome to 2015's first of 31 Days of Halloween!
When I was a kid, I always wanted to prove that I was brave...by reading scary books. I wasn't brave enough to sleep without a night light, or to kill a spider by myself (I still can't do that), but I really wanted to show that I could read scary things and not get all worked up about it. Goosebumps? Sure! I could do that (they were pretty unsettling, and gave me some freaky dreams, but I wouldn't say the ones I read were scary per se).
Reading scary things meant that one time, I tried to read Poe's The Black Cat. It scared the crap out of me! And even now, I hate reading that story. This post isn't about The Black Cat, though. It's about another Poe story that is near and dear to my heart (Oh my! Was that a pun?) You guessed it, folks! The Tell Tale Heart!
This is what I like to describe as your classic chiller. A man goes mad over the image of his elderly roommate's hideous eye. What happens next (for those of you who haven't seen it) is a tale of psychological terrors.
First, the story itself. I'm including two video versions here, and have linked the full text under "Day 1". First is an animated version, and one of my personal favorites. It is perfectly creepy and unsettling, but with some moments of humor (but not too much!).
Now, we've heard versions of classic Poe tales told by Vincent Price and Christopher Lee, but this was the first time I found one by Bela Lugosi. So, the second version I have (included below) is his reading of it (and it is actually quite good, although I'm not sure why I expected anything else!)
Now, this final video is from Thug Notes. This is a great series on YouTube that provides summaries for classic stories and novels (in the vein of SparkNotes and CliffNotes), but with a "thug" twist. To see what I mean, take a look :)
What is your favorite Poe story? Is there anything else you would like featured during this series? Let me know in the comments :)
Hello, everyone! Have you sensed it yet? October is on its way! And when October is coming, that of course means Halloween. And so, in preparation for one of my favorite holidays, I'm going to be presenting 31 different posts for each of the days leading up to the 31st. Now, a quick disclaimer: I tried to do this the past two years, and it didn't really work out. We're trying again, though, and hopefully this year's collection of videos, articles, pictures, and songs will be a lot of fun for all of us!
In preparation for October 1st, I'm posting something a little bit early. I'm not sure if many of you remember, but a few years ago, I posted this little video of one of my favorite "monster" songs. So, in honor of the moment, I'm including another version of that same song. I highly recommend you check this one out, though, since it not only includes a live performance by the songwriter, Rob Cantor, but it also has a choir and interpretive dance. Who would have thought a song about a cannibal celebrity could be so...well, you know.
Also, I'm going to be trying to write up a few posts NOW so that by the time October comes around, I won't be able to say "Oh, well I was just too busy with grad school stuff to post." This week is pretty chill, so I'll be able to put together a few good posts. I've actually been collecting stuff since last October, so I hope you'll find something you like :)
One last note: if there is anything you want to see here (can be as broad as [name of actor] or specific as "love songs about werewolves", etc. Just for the record, I don't have any love songs about werewolves, so if you have any, please let me know).
I'm looking forward to a spooky and fun Halloween month. Make sure to stop by daily for new stuff!
As cliched as it sounds, in looking for a suitable dating partner, I want to find someone who "gets" me. And the more I embrace myself as a person, the more I realize that a lot of people out there are just not going to be able to fill that void. There are people out there who could date just about anyone, but I find that I need a special someone who gets me on all those weird and quirky levels that makes up me.
Like tonight. Just hanging out, watching clips from the Alan Arkin/Christopher Lee film The Return of Captain Invincible on YouTube. I just requested it at the library, and I'm super-excited :)
Possible conversation?
Boyfriend: Hey :)
Emmy: Hey :)
BF: What you doing? Em:Sitting around in my pajamas, watching clips from The Return of Captain Invincible. You?
BF: That sounds awesome...can I join you?
That's all I want. Someone who appreciates my love of obscure movies.
(By the way, I'm including one of the clips here for your viewing pleasure)
I'll let you know what I think of the movie as a whole once I finally get to watch it ;)
The hardest part about working during lunch is when you start to get hungry, but can't leave the desk to go and have a snack. Or worse--you CAN leave to go have a snack, but you didn't pack anything and don't have any money for the vending machine.
I have a very noisy stomach, so working around mealtimes is a huge bummer for me, because all I wanna do is munch. When I'm hungry, I sort of turn into an anime character, if you know what I mean. I have an insatiable urge to scarf!
I know it's not lady-like, but I'm not even embarrassed.
