So Random

And just like that, August is almost over. What's nice about old-fashioned blogs is that you can post anytime you want. But it's only been a month since my last post, and I already miss this place. This blog calls for an update.

First up, something related to the title of this post. Would you believe I am obsessed with a Disney sitcom from 2009? And I'm in my 40s!

On August 13, I clicked on a random YouTube video (above) about two teenage characters "being the definition of enemies to lovers," one of my favorite tropes. Less than a week later, I finished its 2 seasons. Although... I cheated a bit. I was only interested in the love story between Sonny and Chad, so I skipped some parts. There were several times, though, that I forgot the forward button, because the episode was too engrossing or too funny to pass up. The show, by the way, is called "Sonny with a Chance," in case, you know, you're interested.

About the Show

"Sonny (Demi Lovato) is a Midwestern girl who gets her big break when she is invited to join the cast of the hit teen sketch comedy show SO RANDOM! Sonny can't wait to become friends with her castmates, but not everyone is thrilled to share the spotlight, so Sonny must rely on her quick wit, talent and good humor to get her through any challenge." (Disney)

I thought the casting, acting, comedic timing were all excellent, especially Sterling Knight as Chad and Tiffany Thornton as Tawni. There was no weak link among the cast. And the best part? The chemistry between Demi and Sterling was unbelievable!

Unfortunately, the show was cut short and was not renewed for a third season because of Demi's health problems. Some things needed more development or a proper closure, so what we have was a bittersweet ending.

* * * * * *

Remember the trivia night with my high school friends last April? We've attended two more since then, every time with a new member. Ever since the first one, some of our friends have expressed interest in joining us if they visit Davao. We have a new regular, Pierre. Nej, who's now based in Makati, joined us during Kadayawan. And then last Saturday, we met another one who's home from the US. Unfortunately, we only found out there was no trivia night scheduled upon arriving at the venue, so we headed instead to a nice Japanese restaurant called Teitoku Izakaya for dinner. I had their Special Hakata ramen. Yum!

Celebrities who look alike - Batch 5

My last celebrity look-alike post was back in 2013, and I have accumulated a lot in my list that it was necessary to discard some, mostly because they did not look the same now or because I forgot who they were. So without further ado, here's batch five of celebrities who look alike:

Natalie Wood and Anna Friel

Hilary Duff and Marla Sokoloff

Mary Louise Parker and Kaya Scodelario

Keira Knightley and Katie McGrath

Orlando Bloom and Jon Foo (Asian Orlando Bloom)

Alan Rickman and Ronan Vibert

James Spader and Jensen Ackles

Josh Hutcherson and Nathan Gamble when they were kids.

And for the Asian (mostly Korean) celebrities:

Shin Min-ah and Minho (of Shinee) could play siblings...

...as well as Donghae (Super Junior) and Amber of f(x).

Sandeul and Jang Hyuk

I might be the only one who sees this, but Sandeul (B1A4) reminds me of Jang Hyuk, especially Bright Girl-era Jang Hyuk. The resemblance may be more of their expressions, I don't know, but I just SEE it. It can also be because they're both from Busan.

Yoo Seung Ho and Yesung (Super Junior)

This clip of Yesung (right photo) from their No Other music video is exactly that "aha" moment.

Leeteuk (Super Junior)  and Toma Ikuta and Tamaki Hiroshi

Thankfully, someone else made this image. I got tired of looking for the perfect photos.

Previously:
Celebrities who look alike - Batch 4
Celebrities who look alike - Batch 3
Celebrities who look alike - Batch 2
Celebrities who look alike - Batch 1

Hay, James Spader

James Spader in Pretty in Pink

You make me want to blog again.

I know how this all started. An FB friend posted about making her very own YouTube playlist because she missed the 80s and 90s. And who wouldn't want to listen to 80s/90s music? So I happily clicked away, listened, until If You Leave played and I suddenly had the urge to watch Pretty in Pink again. And I did, that day.

The first time I watched Pretty in Pink in high school, I was a big Andrew McCarthy fan. Naturally, I was team Blaaaaane. But after rewatching this month, I thought his character was weak (while Duckie was still annoying). Andie and Blane's relationship would not have lasted long.

The most intriguing character, however, was the rich jerk played by James Spader, who for four years tried unsuccessfully to go out with Andie. Four years! Unfortunately, we couldn't do anything about it now.

There was another trivia that I just discovered. Robert Downey, Jr. could have played Duckie! I wonder...but I digress.

So that started my James Spader month. When I looked him up on IMDB, I realized I have not been a good fan. That's why I'm keeping up with the Spader movies. First, and this was something that I have been putting off for so long, was Secretary, the original 50 Shades.

Spader likes eccentric friends. Spader likes playing eccentric characters.

Then just this Easter Sunday, I finally watched Sex, Lies, and Videotape. I kind of hesitated at first because, obviously... and it was Easter. But it was just a case of don't judge a movie by its title. It's the type of movie that I really, really, really love. All talk, yes, but you would be glued to the screen. And it didn't even show any skin, which I liked.

Next, since I'm about to give up on Mr. Robot, I will give The Blacklist, Spader's current TV series, a try.

JJ Feild, Felicity, and Austen

Ladies and gentlemen, meet JJ Feild (not Tom Hiddleston, not Lee Pace). He starred in two Jane Austen films: the TV movie Northanger Abbey in 2007, then Austenland in 2013.

In both these movies, he fell in love with Felicity. This Felicity:

JJ Feild and Felicity Jones in Northanger Abbey

And this Felicity:

JJ Feild and Keri Russell in Austenland

Well, it's Keri Russell. My bad!

Unless you remember her:

That just goes to show how much I miss the 90s! :)

P.S. It's been so long since I last posted that I quite forgot how to use blogger.

James Corden and Sean Harris

There are actors who, coincidentally, suddenly show up everywhere. The past month or so I have been exposed to a lot of James Corden and Sean Harris movies. But I don't mind because they should be in more!

James Corden and Keira Knightley in Begin Again

Begin Again is one of the nicest movies I've seen. It's clean and fun, and we should have more of those types of films. James and Keira both played independent music artists/singer-songwriters.

I liked that he lost some weight since I first saw him in The History Boys.

James Corden and Emily Blunt in Into the Woods

From one musical to another, James played the Baker in last year's Into the Woods. He's got quite a nice voice, and if a man can sing, then plus pogi points to him! (I'd like to mention though, Chris Pine, Cinderella's prince, is the man! But this post is about Corden, so let's continue.)

Then, earlier this February, Vanity Fair released a short film featuring British actors recreating famous movie scenes. James Corden narrates the whole thing. Watch the 3-part short film here.



Bonus video: with Gary Barlow singing Take That's classic Pray. Gotta love them both!

Sean Harris in '71

My favorite depiction of St. Thomas was in the 1999 movie Jesus. That was all because of Sean Harris' performance. Since then, Sean has been known to play intense supporting characters or intense bad guy roles.

Sean Harris with Eric Bana in Deliver Us from Evil

This character actor supposedly stays in character in between takes. So imagine him on set of Deliver Us from Evil where he played a possessed former soldier.

Two of his next projects star Michael Fassbender. They are Trespass Against Us (another movie title from the Our Father) and Macbeth. I can't wait for Macbeth because he will be the good guy/antagonist to Fassbender's bad guy/hero.


Bonus video: Sean Harris wins Leading Actor BAFTA. Too cute, awkward, and funny!

Most Beautiful Korean Drama Actresses

It's well known that South Korea has become a mecca for plastic surgeries, not only for celebrities. I don't know which of these ladies had them or how much was done, and while the thought rather disappoints me, the following faces, nonetheless, are the most beautiful in our opinion.

In alphabetical order:

Choi Jung-Won
(Her Legend)

Kim Yoo-Jin a.k.a. Eugene
(Save Your Last Dance For Me, Wonderful Life)

Ha Ji-Won
(Secret Garden, Memories of Bali)

Han Chae-Young
(Sassy Girl Chun-hyang, Only You)

Han Ji-Min
(Rooftop Prince)

Jang Na-Ra
(Bright Girl's Success, Fated to Love You)

Lee Yo-Won
(The Great Queen Seondeok)

Park Shin-Hye
(You're Beautiful, Heartstrings, The Heirs)
Though she looks better with short hair or with her hair up in a bun

Song Hye-Kyo
(Full House, Autumn Fairy Tale)
When I saw her in The Grandmaster, wow!

Yoon Eun-Hye
(Princess Hours, Coffee Prince)

RUNNERS-UP
Jeon Ji-Hyeon, Ko Hyun-Jung, and spunky Choo Ja-Hyun

We've also considered: Park Min-Young, Lee Da-Hae, and Son Ye-Jin

Previous Post: Most Handsome Korean Drama Actors

Most Handsome Korean Drama Actors

Because I got frustrated over some most choices from other top 10s around the web, I made my own with the help of my brother and sister. Yes, we were very serious about this because this is no laughing matter. :p

Without further ado, and in alphabetical order:

Gong Yoo
(Coffee Prince)

Go Soo
(Green Rose)
Looks like a cousin of the Padillas. 

Jang Hyuk
(Bright Girl, Fated to Love You)

Kim Jae Wook
(Coffee Prince, Mary Stayed Out All Night)

Kim Nam Gil
(The Great Queen Seondeok)

Lee Jun Ki
(My Girl, Il Ji-Mae)

Park Yoo-Chun
(Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Rooftop Prince)
So far the most photogenic of this group. Him and Jang Hyuk are my brother's only choices.

Song Joong-Ki
(Sungkyunkwan Scandal)

Won Bin
(Autumn Fairy Tale)

Yu Seung Ho
(The Great Queen Seondeok, Arang and the Magistrate)
This kid, seriously! Plus points for the cat!

RUNNERS-UP
Bae Yong Jun, Choi Jin Hyuk, Jae Hee, Jang Geun Suk, Kim Jeong Hoon, Jang Seo Won, Yun Sang Hyeon, Jung Yong Hwa, Lee Min Ho

We've also thought about adding Lee Dong-Wook, Rain, Kim Woo Bin and Hyun Bin, but from what photos and dramas we've seen, they're a little inconsistent.

So there you go. Next will be the actresses.

The Hunger Games

Josh Hutcherson is the reason I watched the movie. I have been a fan since Bridge to Terabithia. His character, Peeta, is the reason I read the books, which I finished Monday.

Great read! These are the things I liked about the trilogy, aside from Peeta, of course: the plot, length of the trilogy, strength & variety of characters, and how 'real' it felt.

Though I think it's wrong to compare it to Twilight, I can't help it. This is my gauge, THG was a lot less annoying. The point of view bothers me sometimes, especially during Katniss' confused and whiny states. I would really love to read it again, this time in the third person, and see if it makes an improvement.

Gale was someone I didn't really warm up to. For me, he's character was replaceable, though not insignificant. I also wonder what directions the story would take had Gale been removed entirely. Because surely, he had been there to complete the triangle.

I can't wait for the next movie. Sam Claflin (Finnick) and Jena Malone (Johanna) will be there!

Celebrities who look alike - Batch 4

It's been a long time! For those who haven't seen the other batches, here they are: batch 1, batch 2, batch 3. My list for this part included more, but a lot of people already noted them:

• Val Kilmer and Jeff Bridges
• Teresa Palmer and Kristen Stewart
• Vincent D'Onofrio and Mark Ruffalo

Somehow Sam Claflin's moles remind me of Ben Affleck's, too. So without further ado, this is part four of celebrities who look alike:

Lauren German and Milla Jovovich

Devon Sawa and Tom Felton
Rise of the Planet of the Apes got me fooled!

Dougray Scott (Ever After) and Stephan Jenkins (third eye blind)

Gregory Smith looks like 3 persons, maybe more: James McAvoy, Taylor Hanson, Ben Barnes

Hayley Atwell and Julia Ormond

Jensen Ackles and Gabriel Macht

Lovi Poe and Vanessa Hudgens

Mark Rendall should play Jeff Buckley!

Yeng Constantino reminds me of Nora Aunor. I don't know why.