A Little Late Night Reading

Hello everyone and welcome to a late night version of The Magical Mystery Blog.

Tonight I thought I’d do something completely different. Instead of writing up my usual list of things, reviews, or entry of current events, I’ve decided to post one of my poems. I've been writing poetry since I was a child and am often inspired by nature, my own thoughts and feelings, and anything that sparks something in my mind. This is one of my poems I sent in to my old college's magazine in hopes for it to be published. Feel free to offer any improvement on it and as always, enjoy.

Morning

The prepubescent glow
bathes the chamber in dusty blue,
sleepy eyes shy away from the
arrival of a new day, and seek
comfort in the fading dark.

Shadows cling to corners
still scared of their ritual
demise – though temporary
until nightfall.

Parting stars slow with time,
dividing the blackened ocean,
making way for the gilded bringer.

Leaves capture flecks of gold,
a cluster of hanging basins
bound to one form, whose arms
embrace the oncoming warmth,
and witness the golden birth.

It's Sexy to be Single

Good evening everyone and welcome to a sultry, sexy version of The Magical Mystery Blog.

Valentine’s Day has come and passed. Some people love it, others hate it. People enjoy this holiday with their beloved or their friends, while others might have spent it alone. Growing up, I always spent this holiday by myself, being the last resort or the ugly duckling of the class. But now that I have a boyfriend, it’s almost expected to celebrate the holiday in a stereotypical fashion of going out, and romancing it up. This is our second Valentine’s year to date, but yet, it has also made me realize why it’s perfectly okay to be alone on Valentine’s Day.

3) It’s Just like Christmas

Valentine’s Day is just like Christmas: you give gifts to show how much you love someone, but really don’t understand the purpose of the holiday. You can show your affection for someone any time or day of the year, which makes this holiday pointless. However, behind the heart shaped boxes of candy lies a bloody history to this specific day. Valentine’s Day was originally created to celebrate Saint Valentine who married young couples despite the law banning their marriage. This law was made because it was believed unmarried men would do better in battle than those who were wed. Saint Valentine was eventually caught for his crime and beaten, stoned, and decapitated. The term ‘Valentine’ derives from his name and a letter he wrote to a young lady in which he signed ‘from your Valentine’.

2) You Save Money

Chocolate is an iconic symbol of Valentine’s Day and in many cases, we see a heart shaped box of chocolate is the best way to show our love for another person.  While some of us buy the popular box on Valentine’s Day if not prior to, it would be best to not buy them until after the holiday has passed. That way you can purchase the same chocolates for a lower price and still have enough money to rent a heart wrenching movie.

1) You Don’t Always Need Someone

Growing up, we are exposed to tons of Valentine’s Day specials where it’s almost a requirement that you need a Valentine for this day. In life, you won’t always be with someone. You won’t always have a partner by your side to shower you with love or compliment you and that’s okay. While you might think otherwise, you will grow in time to see that being alone is fine. By being alone you get to learn more about yourself, have fun in ways only you can, and understand that being single isn’t the end of the world.

What do you think of Valentine’s Day? Feel free to comment and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.

Curtain Call for Some of Broadway's Greatest Hits

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Today an Edgar Allen Poe musical entitled ‘Red-Eye to Havre de Grace’,  popped up in my newsfeed and sent my bookwormy self into a hysteria of happiness. The plot of this musical entails the final days of the great poet and how he died. To my dismay, it was an article published in the early fall of 2012; thus meaning that this brilliant musical was no more.

However, this old news made me think of all the great musicals that were taken off Broadway.  Over the years, tons of shows have been produced, and performed beautifully by many actors and actresses. Yet time rolled on and one by one these musicals were plucked off Broadway one by one. Below are my top three shows that should have not been kicked off Broadway:

3) ‘Beauty and the Beast ‘

It’s a tale as old as time that was a hit Broadway musical. Sticking to Disney’s version of the classic fairy tale, this show toured the nation and dazzled audiences with its lavish sets and costumes. The show even included songs that weren’t in the movie such as Maison de Lunes, Human Again, Home, If I Can’t Love Her, and many others.  ‘Beauty and the Beast’ started its Broadway run in 1994 and completed it in 2007 and was considered to be Broadway’s eighth longest running musical. Even more intriguing about this play, the woman who played Belle also voiced Meg in the Disney classic, Hercules.

2) ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’

Some things in life are bad, like getting kicked off Broadway. This play “ripped off” Monty Python’s Holy Grail flick and created a parody of the King Arthur age that differed from the movie. While the musical heavily touched on King Arthur, Camelot, and his court, it also focused on other Arthurian myths such as the Lady in the Lake. Starting in 2005, it ended four short years later leaving audiences rolling with laughter. It featured many songs, including the ever popular The Song that Goes Like This. Literally, that’s the title, and it’s perfect for that tune.

1) ‘RENT’

How do you measure the years after Broadway? By a live action film featuring Anthony Rapp and enough fans (also known as ‘RENT’ heads) to take up the entire district of Alphabet City. Originally based off of Giacomo Puccini’s classic opera La boheme, this musical focuses on starving artists trying to survive and create in New York.  ‘RENT’ took to the theaters in 1996 and finished its run in 2008, causing its run to last for 12 years.

What Broadway musical would you like to see return to the stage? Feel free to comment and as always feedback and followers are welcomed. 

Walkin in an Olympic Motherland

Hello everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Tonight the Sochi Winter Olympics welcomed everyone with their opening ceremony. Teams from all over the world gathered in Sochi, Russia to represent their nation and strength. The Olympics is a special time of the year when viewers everywhere see the athletic talent of other countries. With every performance, a nation’s culture is displayed by how an athlete interprets a song through ice skating or how an athlete shows their skills in bobsledding.

As mentioned before, I am not a sports fan, but I am fond of ice skating. I’ve always enjoyed the grace skaters displayed while performing with bladed shoes. To this day, I am still fascinated by their skill and beauty.  Although there will be tons of figure skaters in Sochi’s Olympics, I still refuse to watch this special program.

• The Olympics is a time of coming together and celebrating various nationalities, regardless of race, color, and/or orientation. When asked about having homosexuals in Russia, Putin replied that they are not accepted; especially after he passed an anti-gay law last July. This led to an onslaught of violent attacks towards those who are interested in those of their own gender. Not only does this go against the purpose of the Olympics, but it terribly violates people. In response to this outrageous treatment of homosexuals, Google has changed its Olympic logo to the colors of the rainbow – the symbol for homosexuality. The Canadian Institute of Diversity and Inclusion also rallied for homosexuality in Russia and the Olympics by making a PSA.

CNN.com

• In order to prep for the coming of the Olympics, Sochi had to clean up its town. This meant getting rid of trash, restoring some of their hotels, and killing stray dogs. Yes, the last one is sickeningly true. Apparently, dogs roamed around the parks in Sochi, and no one seemed to mind; they even enjoyed the company of a fluffy, four legged friend. But with the Winter Olympics approaching, this drastically changed; pest control was hired to kill dogs by any means possible to make the Olympic Village more sanitary and beautiful. Thankfully, animal rescue shelters and charities have been able to save most of the dogs from death.

The Olympics is a celebration of life, strength, nationality, and unity. When the country that’s hosting the Olympics abuses homosexuals and murders dogs, it’s a contradiction. There are other places that would have been better suited for the Winter Olympics that uphold the themes of unity and admiration.

Where would you like to have seen the Olympics?

Feel free to comment and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.  

Coca Cola's Vision of America

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With the Superbowl finished (the Seahawks slaughtering the Broncos and taking the trophy (just as The Oatmeal predicted)), people are still abuzz about a few things; namely, the game and the Coca Cola advertisement.  For those of you who didn’t bother to watch the game, here is the Coca Cola commercial that everyone is fighting over:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8iM73E6JP8 – Coca Cola: America, the Beautiful

People have been tweeting Coca Cola no sooner they saw the commercial. Each tweet contained a message of people deeming Coca Cola “un-American” and vowing to never drink their product. Their ultimate reason for this is because that the song America, the Beautiful was sung in eight foreign languages.

(theblaze.com)

But what is America exactly? Most of us have different definitions of it. America is patriotic, idealistic, the land of opportunity, the home of dreams, and my personal favorite, the ultimate supplier of bacon. Coca Cola envisions America as a diverse melting pot, culminating with races and languages of different nationalities. This theme was seen and heard throughout the ad which featured a homosexual couple roller skating with their daughter, a family dinner, friends engaging in various fun activities such as surfing and watching a movie, and various nationalities joining in on the fun.

Coca Cola’s intent was to “get people talking and thinking about what it means to be American” (Lee, USA Today). While their attempt was promising and understandable, most people thought otherwise. As for myself, I’m not a big fan of Coca Cola for what it does to your body, much like other sodas. However, I believe the commercial was decent and carried out a meaning of America that has been always defined this nation.

America has always been a melting pot that speaks more than one language. The most popular languages spoken in this nation are: English, French, and Spanish. They are languages that have migrated to this country by way of people. Over time, more people have come to this country in search of a new life, and with it, they brought their language regardless if it was Japanese or Italian. So why are we now causing a commotion over something that has been happening for ages with this nation?

Feel free to leave your comments below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Greetings everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

This Sunday is the Sunday football fanatics have been waiting for: Superbowl Sunday. The Superbowl is a time honored event when two triumphant teams fight each other for bragging rights, a ring, and a trophy. While most people tune in for this special occasion, others like myself, only enjoy it for a few things. Honestly I’m not a big fan of football, I tried to get into it, but it just wasn't my jar of jam. Yet I still like the Superbowl for the following reasons.

3. The Puppy and Kitten Bowls

Because how can you resist the playful glimmer of puppy eyes or the soft, sweet little meows of kittens. This Sunday, the Animal Planet channel will be hosting the tenth puppy bowl at 3 pm.  However, for those who enjoy fluffy kittens over puppies, the Hallmark Channel will be showcasing the first ever kitten bowl. Tons of adorable meowing cutie bombs will take over television on Sunday, at 2 pm.

2. Feasting and Drinking

Who doesn't love a drink, especially on a day filled with excitement, frustration, and insanity? While some may consider watching the Superbowl to be incredibly boring, a drink can easily remedy that. If you’re not much of a drinker it’s all right because Superbowl food is fantastic. Hoagies, party snacks, football themed desserts all wait to enter your stomach and make you want more.

1. The Commercials

The commercials are the second thing that draws the attention of many to the Superbowl. These ads have been known to be controversial, funny, sexy, and strange. So far, we’ve only seen a few of this year’s Superbowl commercials leaked onto the Internet. One of them in particular is Budweiser’s Puppy Love ad, featuring the friendship between the beer’s iconic Clydesdale horse and a sweet little puppy. This commercial has caused many hearts to melt and increasing urges to get a puppy. Bud Light has revealed tons of secretive commercials, hinting at what content may be shown in the Superbowl ads for this year. Even Doritos has unleashed some ads by means of the Internet.

Are you a Superbowl fan? What do you enjoy the most about it? Feel free to comment and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.

Once Upon a Revisited Dream

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Last night, people watched the Grammy Awards Show to witness the awkwardness of Taylor Swift, the reuniting of Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, and the many marriages of happy homosexuals. However, while this night of Hollywood merriment commenced, CBS revealed another trailer to the long awaited Maleficent movie premiering in theaters on May 30^th, 2014. As the teaser revealed the villain, the main score of the original Sleeping Beauty movie played.

However, this isn’t the Once Upon a Dream song you grew up with.

Rather, it is a remake much like other classic Disney songs. But this redoing of Once Upon a Dream is completely and utterly brilliant. This version of the song is a nod to what we heard as children and possibly played the death out of. While it still keeps the whimsicalness that we remember, there is a darker tone added to the tune. This eeriness is included to remind everyone of the story of the villainess that is to be told. Yet this shadowy feel also evolves the classic tune into a more mature melody that resonates with Disney’s target audience for Maleficent.

Maleficent is a Disney movie and Disney movies are often directed towards children. Maleficent is not only targeted at kids, but at adult who grew up watching the original film. When they listen to this tune, not only do they reflect on themselves as children watching Sleeping Beauty, but how the story of a sleeping damsel has evolved with the times.

When Sleeping Beauty was made, everything was set to a simplistic plot for children to understand: Aurora good. Maleficent bad.  It was constructed this way for its child audience so they could comprehend it. But now, children have grown up and so has this story. This story now features Aurora, still on the good side, but she isn’t the main character as much. We now have someone who we always figured was evil, taking the spotlight, and changing the story. Maleficent alters the classic tale because we never received her side of the story. No one wanted to know about the wicked villain who placed a curse on the innocent Aurora. We just generally assumed she was evil. Now in the modern times, everyone wants to know about the reckless monster, and the cause of their actions.

Maleficent’s motives are shrouded in mystery, just like her character which is what also makes the redone Once Upon a Dream song wonderful. The song is sung with a beautiful unknown that captures our hearts and lures us in because it’s something we’re all familiar with. It’s manipulated so not only we are reminded of a childhood tune turned hauntingly enchanting, but it will give a whole new generation a new ideal of Once Upon a Dream.

What do you think of the redone Once Upon a Dream tune? Are you excited for the upcoming Maleficent movie? Feel free to leave your comments below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.