Tag Archives | joe manganiello

Short stories, strippers and cookies

By on April 10, 2012 in books, films, tv, words, yonder

This week’s been fun. This week I have been -

Watching: Once Upon A Time

If I could be a fairy-tale character in this programme, I’d be someone who grants wishes in exchange for the things my heart most desires. Then I would demand The Evil Queen’s red, red lipstick, and the forest-y wallpaper the clever set designers used in her house (pic below). I’d also claim Emma Swann’s knee high, lace-up boots and her cool, yellow VW Beetle. Sheriff Graham’s beard (above) and Irish accent are also very pleasing, but I don’t think they’d suit me.

Reading: Creating Short Fiction, by Damon Knight.

Partly because it’s supposed to be amazing, partly because I want to try writing short stories once this novel is done, mostly because I am jealous of Emma who’s been selected to attend Clarion this summer. Not heard of Clarion? It’s a very cool, very prestigious writer’s workshop in San Diego with a ridiculously impressive lineage of tutors and students. Here’s the blurb -

Established in 1968, the Clarion Writers’ Workshop is the oldest workshop of its kind and is widely recognized as a premier proving and training ground for aspiring writers of fantasy and science fiction.

Damon Knight was one of Clarion’s co-founders, and so far the book is as good as I’d heard – very readable, with advice that works for stories of all length, not only short ones. Congrats Emma – I’m sure you’ll have a blast, and I look forward to reading the stories that come out of the workshops.

Laughing at: Jo’s letter’s to Hunger Games characters. I think the one to Finnick is my favourite, or maybe it’s her note to Rue? Read them and giggle.

Magic Mike 2012 Steven Soderbergh Channing Tatum Matt Bomer, Alex Pettyfer William Levy

Waiting Impatiently For: Magic Mike to be released. Steven Soderbergh directs a film about male strippers, featuring Joe Mangienello (a familiar face round here) and the gentlemen pictured above. Jaw-droppingly exciting news, yes? No word yet on a David Holmes soundtrack but that would make me even more excited. It’s not til July though. boo!

I haven’t seen Haywire yet (though I own and love the soundtrack), but that’s out on DVD next month so perhaps it will sate me in the meantime. Don’t think it has any strippers in it, though.

Gorging on Dark Chocolate & Sour Cherry Cookies. Mmm, yes. If I really was that wish-granting character from a fairytale, I’d demand a pack of these as payment as well. Every day.

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Bunyip Terror

By on April 4, 2012 in films, words, writing
Dot and the Kangaroo

Dot: presumably related to Lois from Family Guy

Found a note in my outline today that said ‘make this scene scary like Dot and the Kangaroo‘. That’s my personal shorthand for ‘make this nightmarish and confusing, full of things that will doubtless eat you once you are sufficiently terrified’. *shudders*.

Of course I had to go look the film up on Youtube before I got down to writing – it’s called research, all right?

Here’s a clip which still scares me, to be honest. Is that just because it freaked me out when I was little, or does it give you the fear as well?

Dot was on all the time in our house when I was little. I don’t know why I rewatched a film so often when it scared me witless – maybe when I was little I was better at enjoying being frightened? These days my spooky/horror threshold is way too low to voluntarily watch scary films. Usually it was my little brother who cried at the tv then, flinching from the screen as I forced him to watch Dumbo‘s Pink Elephants on Parade over and over again because I thought it was funny how scared he was. Oops. Sorry baby bro.

Maybe it wasn’t even that I enjoyed the film that much, maybe it was just that thing you did in the ’80s, watch the same video repeatedly, play the same tape again and again. There are albums and films that I can never play now because of the horror of how many times I heard it back then. Does the internet mean that people don’t watch the same things repeatedly like we used to, or does it make it even easier to find (& rewind) the bits you like? The only thing I’ve played over and over again recently is Alcide from True Blood sneaking back into bed (NSFW) with Debbie in S4 (episode 9). God Bless HD.

 

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AdventThanksgiving: Finally, someone attractive in True Blood

By on December 10, 2011 in advent, tv, words
true blood werewolf joe manganiello

So strong he can lift a man with each elbow

My Advent Thanksgiving series is a series of posts about stuff I liked in 2011. Music, books, tv, games, handsome gentlemen – you get the idea.

Sorry Eric fans, but the blond Nord never really did it for me. And I tried to like Bill but he’s just too blah for this Bowley. Jason Stackhouse? No thanks. He’ll always be Vinnie from Home & Away to me, forever overshadowed by Travis Nash. Ah, Travis…

Anyway, finally Season 3 provided a guy I could lust after. It’s not essential for my viewing pleasure, and I prefer the first two seasons in many ways, but having someone hunky to look forward to is good business sense and I’m glad the casting director finally gave me what I wanted. It’s easier to overlook patchy storylines or shambolic pacing when the sexy werewolf man might smoulder onto the screen any minute.

joe manganiello true blood werewolf

"It's a were thing. We run hot."

Not into guys? Despair not. If ladies were my thing I doubt I’d dig Sookie (too annoying; would look better than me in hot pants: not much with the book learnin’), but I could easily see myself as Evan Rachel Wood’s thrall, lounging around her Gatsby villa, playing board games and trying not to get blood on the chaise-lounge. Sookie’s cousin Hadley had the right idea there.

evan rachel-wood alexander starsgard sophie vampire queen eric northman true blood

Put it away, Eric, Sophies the one for me. '20s summer house style trumps dark 80s fang bar

 

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