She’s brilliant! I’ve loved her forever. She creeped me out in Heavenly Creatures and made me cheer in Titanic. She depressed me in Revolutionary Road and made me sad in Finding Neverland. She made me laugh in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and cry in Sense and Sensibility. She was magnificent in The Holiday, and sufficiently evil in Divergent. I could list her complete filmography here, but let me tell you why she’s my favorite.
RELEASE DATE: 13 December 1995. MOVIE TITLE: Sense and Sensibility – STUDIO: Columbia Pictures Corporation. PLOT: Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. Two daughters are the titular opposites. PICTURED: KATE WINSLET as Marianne Dashwood
Yes, she’s beautiful, talented, and an A-list actress, but I love her because she plays quirky roles as well as those of a leading lady. In my mind, she’s the female version of Johnny Depp. I mean that with all sincerity and honor. I love him as an actor! She is the kind of actress who makes me believe whatever role she takes on.
I read up on her a bit and was shocked to discover she was the first actress considered for the role of Dr. River Song in Dr. Who. WHAT? She was also offered the role of Eowyn in Lord of the Rings! How did I not know this?
Kate is stunning, sassy, and spectacular in all of her roles. If she’s in a film, you can bet I’ll watch it.
I have a confession. I am not a groupie. There isn’t a band on the planet I’d wait in line to buy tickets for or put up with a huge crowd to see them in concert. My daughter begged me to attend some music festival – Warped Tour? I think my audible sigh was heard all the way in Wyoming when she told me her friend’s mom said she’d take them. Thank. God.
I don’t have anything against concerts or people who attend them, I just prefer a more intimate setting, like my earbuds in place. 😉 I have enjoyed smaller settings like living room concerts and jam sessions, and we just finished up the Resound Conference two weekends ago which is a worship conference featuring some great speakers and bands with an audience of less than 500 people. I can do that. That’s more my speed.
Confession #2: I’ve always had this annoying habit of falling for bands (their music and sound) without being able to name the band members. I mean no disrespect, it’s just not my thing. Maybe it should be. I can aspire to that, I guess. Is that surprising considering I’m a people person? If you want to know band member names, ask my daughter.
I LOVE MUSIC! I have tunes to suit my every mood. I’m friends with a lot of musicians and love them dearly. I even remember all of their names. Ha! For time’s sake, I can’t promote them all in this post, so I chose just one. My friend, neighbor, and the most peaceful man I’ve ever met. He’s one of my favorites:
He’s an incredible musician, songwriter, music producer, and recording/mixing/mastering engineer. Dave plays in two Indie Rock bands, A Boy & His Kite and Loud Harp. If you’re my real-life friend, you’ve heard me mention both many times.
Photo by Ray Rushing
In 2011, Dave and Asher “accidentally” formed the band Loud Harp. I’m so glad they did. Their music soothes my soul! You can read all about them on their site: loudharp.com (Asher is amazing too! Check him out!)
Photo by Jarrod Reno
In 2012, A Boy & His Kite’s single, “Cover Your Tracks” was included in the film and soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2:
Dave’s lyrics and music embody such depth of soul and spirit.
I don’t know how he feels about his Twilight fame, but I can tell you it is his joy to make great music and help others do the same. He is currently building a new studio and running a Kickstarter campaign to finish it. Want to kick something in? Click here: http://davewilton.com/newstudio/
We’re nearing the end of the challenge! Have you been checking out my other challenger’s posts?
If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?
She’s adventurous, feisty, and desires to control her own destiny. She’s a gifted archer and good with a sword, but it is her spunk that drew me in. I love her playful relationship with her dad, and I love her bravery!
Merida of the Clan DunBroch
Don thought I’d choose Katniss Everdeen. I thought about Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I could have easily chosen Eowyn again, or one of the other kickass heroines I love so much, but Merida has been on my mind. I relate to her defiance against traditions and expectations, and admire her fighting spirit. And who doesn’t love her red hair? 😉
I share some of her less desirable qualitites as well, I suppose. She’s brash and sometimes acts without thinking only to regret it later. Been there. But I couldn’t help cheering when I watched this scene:
She’s been my Facebook profile picture many times, she’s currently my cover photo, and friends send me pictures of her. Fans of Merida have drawn and painted amazing depictions of her. This one by artist Heather Theurer is my favorite:
A few years ago, my friend Michelle bought me a figurine which now sits in my office. Every kid who stops by wants to play with her because she’s beautiful, posable, and her accessories rock! She only came with one arrow, which I assume is enough – she’s that good. I love her.
She inspires me when I write by reminding me I too am brave.
Have you stopped by my fellow challenger’s sites lately? We still have a few days left to catch up and finish our challenge!
This one was a little unclear. Don and I discussed whether or not this challenge meant our favorite comic book character, favorite comic/comedian, or that we had to make one up ourselves. I needed a good laugh, so I chose door #3. To honor the release of The Hunger Games on DVD this week, here’s a bit of bad drawing and even worse poetry. You’re welcome. (Click on the pic to enlarge.)
I think my kids have dropped out of the challenge.
I LOVED this movie! Back in October I blogged about it and I never posted the follow up piece after my son Max and I went to see it together. We both loved it. I have to say it’s one of my top 5 movies of 2007. I liked the actors and the storyline, but I LOVED the music. Heather gave me the soundtrack for Christmas and it is still the most listened to CD at our house. The genius behind the guitar playing? An AMAZING woman! Here she is, Kaki King Playing with Pink Noise:
Why did I connect with this movie so much? All my life I’ve been getting into trouble for tapping my fingers, pencils, whatever on the desk, table, you name it. I don’t think Benny likes holding my hand because I can’t hold my fingers still for very long. I don’t think it’s OCD. 🙂 He has perfected “the look” to let me know my fidgeting is bugging him. I practice piano scales, tap out random rhythms, and practice typing – o.k., that last one isn’t exactly musical unless you’re a writer. The clicking of the keyboard is musical in it’s own way. I hear music everywhere. When I saw the preview for this movie and saw how the boy was feeling the rhythm of the world around him, I could totally relate. Someone was finally able to show on film what I’d felt and been unable to express clearly. Music is my language. I was hooked.
The movie is a feel good story about holding out hope, pressing on against all odds, reaching for your dreams, and believing in love. My heart went out to Evan (later named August Rush) as he was targeted for bullying by some of the older boys at the Boy’s home he was living in. That really bothered my tenderhearted son as well. There were two scenes like this in the movie that Max was uncomfortable with, otherwise he really liked the movie. We were able to have some really good discussion regarding how people should be treated. Like me, my son lives musically. Within minutes of arriving home, he was strumming away on his guitar and putting on a mini concert for his siblings, copying some of the slap style playing from the movie. He’s a creative kid that moves through life adding music and color from his own bold palette. You’ll know what I mean in my next post. 🙂
If you have not seen this movie yet, go rent it this weekend. It suspends reality a bit, but it’s so sweet and I love the positive attitude this kid has. We could all use an attitude like that, right?
Sometimes I Write 