'Looking For Alaska' to be made into a film.

John Green is currently at a wonderful point in his career. The first film adaptation of his New York Times Best Selling Novel is #1 and the book is still selling well. Shortly after production wrapped on #TFIOS, it was announced that another of his books, Paper Towns, was set to be made into a film.

John Green has just announced that his book Looking For Alaska has been picked up by a director too.  Sarah Polley is set to direct the coming-of-age tale about a young man moving to another state to go to boarding school. I'm looking forward to scenes with Takumi in the same humour style as the Night of the Broken Trophies scene from The Fault in our Stars. I always thought that Looking For Alaska would make a good film so let's see and hope that it's as successful as The Fault in our Stars.

Why Millionaire Matchmaker is AWFUL.

I watch this show from time to time on the basis that it's awful. It is car crash television and you watch because of how awful it is. I've wanted to write a post about this for some time because I find this show to be rather problematic and wanted to discuss some things that I really don't like about Patti Stanger's show and methods.

Patti Stanger has used transphobic slurs, often dismisses redheads and is pretty darn sexist. She's incredibly judgemental. She seems to think that gender is solely a binary experience and criticises women for having 'masculine energy' whilst telling them to be feminine. Stanger has told women to 'dumb it down' to appear more appealing to men. She criticises their clothes: too conservative and too racy are both apparently to be shamed. She has said some pretty offensive things about gay men, mainly that they're all sexually licentious and unable to settle down with one person. She has made comments that suggest that she doesn't think that bisexuality exists. She has made fun of clients because of their weight or personal appearance. Stanger often loses her cool and yells at her clients, digging down into word-slinging matches.

I think she, as a television personality, likes to advertise herself as a tough-love giving, hard-talking business owner however it simply exposes her to be an incredibly offensive, marginalizing person with very narrow and regressive world views. It's a shocker that anyone even uses her agency at all. Some of her views about gender are pretty old fashioned. She feels that the man should always be masculine and should take charge of planing the date even when the millionaire is female and has the cash to spend arranging a wonderful date.

Also, Patti Stanger on her show talks about how she's a third generation match maker and boasts about how great she is at her job however after almost every show almost 90% of the couples she's matched never end up together. Some never meet up again. This isn't the best advertisement for her agency as it looks like her success rate is shockingly low. From what we know of her, she can't even make a match for herself.

Here is a further list of Patti Stanger's dating theories debunked and it discusses why some of the shitty things she says simply aren't true. 

Motivational Monday: 9 Famous People Who Will Inspire You To Never Give Up

Need something to make you feel uplifted today?

Then click here for a list of 9 Famous People who will inspire you to never give up with information from their own inspirational stories of things they overcame to be where they are now. If you relate to them then perhaps one day you'll find the success that you seek.

You too can work towards your own bright and positive future no matter what you're been through.

Worst Book Ever?

So I saw this post online about a book called Atlanta Nights. The book was apparently written by a group of sci fi authors and it was intended to be one of the worst books ever. The post says that it included a chapter of computer generated random sentences and it said that chapter 17 and 4 were utterly identical... And somehow it got published.

The book is published under the author name of Travis Tea.

Travis Tea.

Just let that one sink in.

Here's a link to buy the book on Amazon. I'm sure I'll be adding it to my collection:

Big January Film Review

Here's a post of films I saw this month and my thoughts on them. I started doing this last year because it means I can put together a big film review of several films each month all in one efficient post thus creating something concise and collected.

Here is a list of some of the films I watched in the month of January. I may have forgotten some but if I have I'll feature them in upcoming posts. That said, here are the films I saw in January and my thoughts on them.

American Hustle

Ok. This is going to be an unpopular opinion, I know, but I really didn't enjoy American Hustle.

For me it all felt kinda familiar, a little stale, and it wasn't really a breath taking film for me. I thought that Jennifer Lawrence gave a great, charismatic performance and Christian Bale went through a real transformation for the role but it didn't do it for me. The film had a pretty good soundtrack and, from what I hear, the director and cast were all more focused on exploring characters and real emotion rather than being tied down to a pre-written plot and I can appreciate that but I'm saying that this just isn't a film that I was really raving about with great passion.




Celeste and Jesse Forever

I actually didn't know if I'd like this or not but I saw it on Netflix and decided to put it on. It's the story of a couple at the very end of their relationship as they are about to finalise their divorce and yet they remain close best friends and as they put an end to their marriage they begin to question their flaws and feelings. It's a very human film with a real indie edge and some brilliant moments.

Tangled

I can't believe it took me so long to see this movie. A friend of mine wrote about it for her university dissertation for crying out loud. I watched it and really enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun and had some very entertaining moments throughout. The relationship between Flynn and Maximus was reminiscent of Jean Valjean and Javert and I loved that it put a really light twist on a Grimm fairy tale.

47 Ronin

This movie totally bombed at the box office but I actually really enjoyed it. It was a colourful fight fest with imaginative elements fused with the essence of feudal Japanese history and culture. It comes with an unexpected ending that most Hollywood films would try to re-write. Rinko Kikuchi totally stole the film for me via an utterly stunning performance. It was refreshing to see a film where there were only a handful of white characters as we're often so used to Hollywood white-washing. It was visually stunning with a great soundtrack that reignited my love of taiko drumming and Japanese language.







Catfish: The Movie

OK, so I watch the TV show of Catfish but until recently I had not seen the film/documentary that sparked it all.
I sat down to watch it and appreciated seeing the roots and inspiration for the show. It was kinda heartbreaking to see just how much faith Nev had put into this stranger. Of course, if you've watched the TV show, you know how it all ended for Nev but the movie was just so fascinating because you realise just how deep the deception in this particular story went and it's scary but thankfully since the documentary was released, and the subsequent TV follow up, internet safety has been signal boosted.





Heathers

I am not exaggerating when I say that this was one of the best films I've seen in a long time. It was so good that I don't want to say too much. From what I'd heard of it I assumed it'd be like Mean Girls... but in the 80s. Oh, how wrong I was.

Don't read anything about this movie, just watch it. It's on Netflix or DVD copies will be fairly cheap but do yourself a favour and watch it.

You Again

This was a bit of a gamble as I don't really like chick flicks or family comedies like this but it was a decent, predictable watch with moments of slapstick comedy and immaturity. It follows a young woman who returns to her home town for the wedding of her older brother. The only problem is she finds out on arrival that her brother is marrying her high school tormentor. Unwilling to allow her brother to marry a bully she does her best to break the two up in the run up to the wedding. If you like chick flicks, family comedy, wedding movies and light hearted fun then this is the flick for you.

Safety Not Guaranteed

This is one of the most recent films I watched and it was a refreshing film. This oddball, indie sci-fi was a great watch that left you guessing throughout the whole film. It follows a group of journalists who go undercover to follow up a bizarre ad in the personal column seeking an assistant for a time travelling mission. Their safety, it states, is not guaranteed. It's a film about trust, adventure and acceptance. This is a great summer movie or a good Valentine's Day movie regardless of you relationship status. It reminds us to remain open to adventure and to have hope and trust. As an audience you bounce between belief and disbelief as the film goes on and it unwraps slowly but it's a real laid back film that I highly recommend.




What movies have YOU watched in the past month?
What have you been enjoying?
Let me know in the comments section below.

Scotland passes marriage equality bill!

I'm proud of my home country today as Scotland have officially passed the bill for equal marriage. Marriage there is apparently set to start in the autumn of this year.
In celebration, good old George Takei posted this great quote that I thought was worth sharing.
We're not re-defining marriage. We just want equal rights and representation. 

Florence Welch Writing New Album ... And Adopts A Cat

Florence Welch, singer of Florence + The Machine, is working on a new album. Yes, the songstress is working to a follow up to the fantastic album 'Ceremonials' which came out in 2011. Album writing, however, can be a lonely process. It would appear that Florence Welch has adopted a feline friend from Battersea Cats and Dogs Home. Welch found and fell for a tortoise shell mog called Missus. Working away on an album may be lonely business, but less so with a kitty companion about. Read more on her new feline friendship here.

'Ceremonials' is one of my favourite albums of all time and I'm very excited to hear what Ms Welch is working on.

I'm a BLURBerring wreck!

Guys, I am so happy I think that I might cry.

I just got to read the blurb for my collection of short stories and it's all starting to feel real. I feel like I'm going to cry happy tears. Sure, it's only a little chapbook but this is such a wonderful first step as an author and I'm so utterly grateful for this experience.

The next stages are getting the final, FINAL copy and looking over the cover. I've had no say in the cover artwork and I'm actually really excited to see how it looks. It's all happening so fast and soon it'll be off to the printers. I'm so happy.

Game of Thrones, Season 4, Behind The Scenes Promo Released.

Are you needing a Game of Thrones fix?

Well don't you worry - you came to the right place.

A behind the scenes promo video has been released for season 4.

Here it is:

Orange Is The New Black Star Injured In Car Accident: Michelle Hurst aka Miss Claudette Recovering From Injuries After Waking From Coma

Actress Michelle Hurst has woken from a coma following a terrible car accident.
The actress, famed for playing "Miss Claudette" on Netflix hit show Orange Is The New Black, woke successfully from a medically induced coma after a car accident. She is being treated in intensive care and is now responsive and progressing through recovery stages. Hurst gave an utterly heart wrenching performance in season one of Orange Is The New Black and I wish her a speedy and easy recovery.

A fundraising page has been set up to help her cover the cost of medical bills and to help her get back on her feet after the accident. CLICK HERE to see the fundraising page. Over $18,000 has been raised already.

Disney Hit "Frozen" To Become A Musical?

Yes, it seems to be true. The reigning box office hit "Frozen", a classic Disney flick still in cinemas, is set to become a stage musical. It's not the first Disney film to hit the stage: Mary Poppins, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid have all become musicals and have remained overwhelmingly popular. The voice of Elsa was played by Idina Menzel, an actress who is no stranger to Broadway stage especially in her breakthrough role as Elphaba in Wicked. If she were to play Else in the stage show this musical could be unstoppable.

Would YOU go to see a stage musical of Frozen?

16 Books To Read Before Their Films Come Out in 2014!

There are some great movies set for release in 2014. It's good to look forward to these films but whilst waiting for them don't forget that some of them were books first, books that are worth reading. Buzzfeed has created a list of 16 Books To Read Before They Hit Theaters This Year. Why not head down to your local book store and pick up one or two of these books to support good literature and to be more in the know when the film comes out. I always love seeing how a film changes when adapted for the big screen.

I am so happy to see that The Fault In Our Stars and Divergent are on here. I'm so excited to see them as films.

UK Town To Be Renamed After Place In Game of Thrones?

A town in the sleepy county of Hertfordshire in the UK is putting itself on the map all over again after it has been announced that the name of the town will soon be changing. Langley, a small town with strong Saxon heritage and a small parish church is officially now going to be called "Kings Langley" after the capital city of Westeros, Kings Landing. It all came about because a producer from HBO apparently saw the town name whilst commuting into London and made a comment about how it should be "Kings Langley" instead and sure enough the change has been made.

I guess it's time for a cheesy road trip just to get photos standing next to the town sign...

Amazon Purchases Just Got More Expensive.

If you're like me and enjoy the occasional treat from Amazon then you'll want to read this.

I often love to treat myself to a little something from Amazon. I keep my wish list full of items I want and when I spot a good deal on one of them, or if I have some spare pennies, I treat myself. I rather like the suspense of waiting for that joyous delivery of a little brown parcel. I look forward to the arrival when I have a new book to read or a film to watch. I like buying an item and, upon reaching the online check out, choosing the super saver delivery. That said, as of today, there is no more super saver delivery on items under £10. As of the 7th of January 2014 Amazon purchases only apply for the super saver delivery option when they are over the £10 mark. The £10 previously applied in some areas of Amazon but not with books, music, film, tv, software, PC and video game items. It now means that online media purchases will become just that little bit more expensive.

Author Ned Vizzini Has Passed Away.

This feels so strange since, for the past few months, I've been sleeping with a copy of It's Kind Of A Funny Story next to my bed. I've been waiting to read it as I have so many books to work through. My aim was to read and review it soon. 

It was, therefore, a shock to hear that the author has passed away. Apparently his death was the result of suicide. It's Kind Of A Funny Story is a tale about a young man who fails to commit suicide.  A film adaptation was made in 2010. Vizzini has written other books including Be More Chill and House of Secrets. He leaves behind a wife and son. This seems so horrible and so tragic that, I suppose, I'll be picking up my copy of It's Kind Of A Funny Story very soon. It will be the next book that I read...

This Morning, Katie Hopkins and the importance of a child's birthday

The more I see of Ms Hopkins, the more I am convinced that she can't be real.
Can anyone honestly be so dismissive and heartless?
In this interview she stoops to new levels of rudeness by attacking online parenting groups and her debate opponent. Watch this video and see what you think.
Would you miss the birthday of your child to focus on your own work?
Do you think Katie Hopkins has stepped too far in an effort to milk her fame?

I DID A THING....

So I did a thing...

Since I started properly blogging back in March it has been a wonderfully enriching experience for me that has brought only happiness. I've seen this blog get thousands of views from people all over the world from celebrities such as Carice Van Houten, Dan Bucatinsky, the band Molotov Jukeboks featuring actress Natalia Tena... 

I am so grateful for all the attention this blog has received. It's because of this that I'm planning on moving from blogging into vlogging. Don't worry - I'll still be writing here, probably just as much, but whilst also creating vlogs. I'm forever fascinated with how we use media to socialise and I love YouTube. This seemed like a really clear and natural decision for me. I've made a channel and even filmed/uploaded a rather awkward, British introduction video. I aim to shoot a second video very soon.

For those of you who don't know a vlog is essentially a video blog. If you're interested then you can find my channel and first video here. Be patient with me. I'm still learning about the joys of video editing and so on, but I'll get there eventually.

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel - my hopes are that good things lie ahead and that YouTube is as great an experience as my blogging experience has been. I'm really positive about this new way to meet viewers and produce interesting content and hope to see you over on YouTube from now on also.

Love you, blog-ghosts.

Recommended Reads

Here we are at the dawn of another beautiful Wednesday. Every Wednesday I recommend some things I've enjoyed on the internet from the past week through a few quick recommendations.
Here are those recommendations:

• It may sound boring but THIS WEBSITE HAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COLLECTION OF WALLPAPERS EVER. As in ... for walls, not computers. Sorry guys.
• Dog Shaming - I'm sure I've mentioned it before but who doesn't love this strange internet trend?
• Old Loves - do you remember when these celebrity couples were together? Me neither... so this is a bit of a blast from the past.
• "White Men Wearing Google Glass" - presented without comment.
• News: Woman sues colleagues after her morning sickness prevents her from accessing any of her share of lottery syndicate winnings

The Show To Watch: Whose Line Is It Anyway?

So glad that not only is Whose Line Is It Anyway back on the air - but it has just been renewed for more episodes! 
Never heard of the show? 
Here's the deal: The show is all about improvisation. Did you ever study drama or attend drama classes/workshops where you played silly improv games to warm up? This is a whole show of that. It may sound simple but I can assure you that it remains one of the funniest shows I've ever watched and my family and I still quote scenes regularly. If you've never watched it then please check out the new series and older episodes. New fans will help keep the show on the air. Also just type "Whose Line Is It Anyway" into YouTube for a wealth of sketches and comedy gold.

Kavos

Right now I should be boarding the plane to Kavos.
I've set up scheduled posts so that the blog will be updated as it normally is however instead of being at my computer regularly I'll be tucked away on a nice, sandy beach in Corfu.

If something goes wrong and there aren't daily posts coming out then tweet me - if I have WiFi at any point in the holiday I'll check Twitter and so on to make sure everything is OK. Remember: any posts over the next week and a half, unless stated otherwise, are automated.

Please feel free to leave comments on my articles, share links to my blog on social networking sites and boost my page views whilst I'm away. I look forward to coming back to a buzz of activity. See you in a week, dear readers!