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I told Miyazaki I love the “gratuitous motion” in his films; instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment, or they will sigh, or look in a running stream, or do something extra, not to advance the story but only to give the sense of time and place and who they are.

“We have a word for that in Japanese,” he said. “It’s called ma. Emptiness. It’s there intentionally.”

Is that like the “pillow words” that separate phrases in Japanese poetry?

“I don’t think it’s like the pillow word.” He clapped his hands three or four times. “The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it’s just busyness, But if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you just get numb.”

Which helps explain why Miyazaki’s films are more absorbing and involving than the frantic cheerful action in a lot of American animation. I asked him to explain that a little more.

“The people who make the movies are scared of silence, so they want to paper and plaster it over,” he said. “They’re worried that the audience will get bored. They might go up and get some popcorn.

But just because it’s 80 percent intense all the time doesn’t mean the kids are going to bless you with their concentration. What really matters is the underlying emotions–that you never let go of those.

— Roger Ebert in conversation with Hiyao Miyazaki

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Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper performs at the 91st Annual Academy Awards

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this is my favorite flagged post at the moment 

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I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice. I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh.

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Not much between despair and ecstasy

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I’ve had the pleasure of seeing JOJ as both the Phantom (London, December 30, 2015) and Valjean (New York, August 21, 2016). 

I can die happy. 

#MyAngelOfMusic 

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Flipping through my old Les Miserables and The Producers playbills from 2006 and look who I find inside ^_^ 

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Everyone knows that I'm totally psyched that I get to see John Owen Jones as Jean Valjean and Hayden Tee as Javert when I go see Les Misérables Broadway on August 21st, but I'm quickly falling for Chris McCarrell and can't wait to see him as Marius <3 

The last time, also the first time, I saw Les Miz was the winter of 2006. It was at the Broadhurst Theater then. The stage had a revolving center, and that was super cool. My favorite character was Javert, because he was played by the amazing Norm Lewis. Alexander Gemignani was JvJ, Lea Salonga was Fantine, Adam Jacobs (who is currently playing Aladdin!) was Marius, Drew Sarich was Enjolras (he was the u/s at that time), Jenny Galloway was Madame Thénardier and Gary Beach was Thénardier. It was an excellent cast! 

I’m really looking forward to seeing it again though, now that I know much more about the production than I did at that time, but mostly because JOJ is my favorite Valjean and I can’t wait to see him perform the whole show live! (Yes, I have watched the old recordings on YouTube) I was lucky enough to see him as the Phantom in London this past Christmas. I’ve been a fan of his for so very long, and getting to see him as both the Phantom and Valjean is literally a dream come true. 

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My #JerseyBoys

Saw Jersey Boys for the first time on July 2, 2016. What a cast! Their voices fit so perfectly together and they were insanely good on their own, too! I’m officially in love with all four of them <3 I want to go back to see the show before they split up (the Broadway cast is constantly changing!) but it took me 10+ years to get around to seeing it in the first place, so that’s probably not going to happen...Hoping to catch Richard in A Bronx Tale next year though! 

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Saw thes guys on the Great White Way yesterday afternoon. Loved every single one of them! I wish I could go back and see the show again before they change up the cast!

JERSEY BOYS Cast is Beggin at Stars in the Alley

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Wizard World Philly 2016

My first Comic-Con. I had a GA (general admission) ticket only. No photo-ops. No Autographs. I was there alone. And yet, I had a wonderful time! I got there at 7.30 and went straight upstairs to the Terrace Ballroom (gorgeous, by the way!) after getting my wrist band. I waited in line until around 9.30 when they started letting us in for the Captain America panel. I was psyched when I actually got in! The GA seats were pretty far back but there were three large tv screens focused on the stage. Chris, Anthony and Seb were hilarious together! Anthony is definitely the joker of the group! The presenter brought plums for Seb and that made everyone laugh. Anthony threw them into the crowd. He called himself the Marvel Oprah and everyone cheered!  The fan questions were great! Someone asked “if your character got a tattoo what would it be and where”. Anthony said “Muhammad Ali” and Chris said probably an American flag on his arm. The fan told him not to be boring, so he said “A large photo of Peggy” and the crowd went wild! Someone asked where Seb thinks his character is headed. He basically said he hopes to find out in the Black Panther movie! Chris Evans mentioned he'd like to be cast in a new version of “West Side Story” and I found that interesting. Someone asked about the helicopter scene and if Chris’ arm was CGI or real (LOL). Chris said that it was his arm, and admitted that he worked out quite a bit before filming that scene. He said that he and Anthony worked out on set a lot. They were asked who would win in a Marvel Civil War. Chris said Vision. Seb and Anthony pointed out that the Scarlet Witch was able to take him out lol Anthony said Thor and Seb said the Hulk. They threw it to the audience and the audience agreed that it would be Thor. After all, he's a God! I don't recall how this actually came up, but for some reason Anthony said he was obsessed with Chris Hemsworth's hair and he said that he wanted to shampoo it – which people later told Chris during his panel. Chris claimed no knowledge of Anthony's obsession with his hair, but said Anthony could brush it, if he really wanted to! I wish I could give you a play-by-play of each panel but I really can't remember everything. I'm sure someone's going to upload it on YouTube anyway. It was a super popular panel and I was so lucky to have been there.

I stuck around for the Stephen Amell panel, even though I don't watch Arrow, because I wanted to score good seats for the Hemsworth/Hiddleston panel that was after it. The first thing I texted to my friend after the panel was “I seriously have to start watching Arrow”! Stephen is very sweet and he was very funny, and the fans seem super nice as well. One kid's question was “If you couldn't pay Oliver Queen, who would you want to play him” and Stephen's response was “That's like asking what handsome man do you want to take your wife to dinner if you can't” and the whole crowd cracked up. By the way, Stephen answered his own question. “It would be John Barrowman, for obvious reasons” haha. Stephen said he met Chris Evans earlier in the day and Steve said Chris was “disarmingly handsome”. Stephen talked a bit about the new TMNT movie also, which I had no interest in seeing until today...Stephen's advice to young actors, or young people interested in acting, was not to judge success just in terms of how much money you make. He said he knows lots of theater actors who are brilliant, but they certainly don't make as much as someone who gets lucky enough to be cast in a long-running tv show. Stephen also mentioned that he loves passionate fans – no matter if they love it passionately, or hate it passionately. He said that it's indifference he doesn't like. He also said he doesn't understand why people attack the actor for something a character did. He said that if you do that you are not a true fan and that it goes without saying that the actors are separate from their characters and should be treated as such. Someone pointed out that most of the cast are also talented singers, and he said they will absolutely not be doing a musical episode of Arrow. However, he said he would be interested in doing a one-off Arrow based musical production with the cast – with all proceeds going to charity. Make it happen people!

Up next was the “Brotherly Love: Thor & Loki” panel. Another one where the GA seating was very far back, but even though I was about half a room away from them they literally took my breath away! Those men are even more handsome in person – and I honestly did not believe that could be possible! IF I were ever lucky enough to obtain autograph or photo-op tickets for either one of them, I'd probably faint. Anyway. Love these two! Again, the fan questions were great! Tom dodged the 007 questions, and talked about how he's excited to be playing Loki again. One question was “if you could take the Hammer and Staff home, would you and why?”. Chris said he'd take it home to do “household maintenance” and Tom said he needs a broom so he'd take Loki's staff home and put a broom on the end of it. He added “it glows in the dark, so you can do your housekeeping at night” LOL There were a few questions about their favorite Shakespeare plays/characters and it's decided that there are too many to pick a favorite. Chris suggested Tom should play Juliet. Tom said only if Chris would be his Romeo, and that was – of course – met with thunderous applause! Tom said he'd like to play King Lear someday. Chris said he'd like to play a villain for once. He said he usually enjoys the villain more because they seem more complex than the hero, because the hero always has to do the right thing. Someone asked how Thor would respond to the “Civil War”. Chris said Thor would tell them to “knock it off and get it together” basically. Another asked what King Loki's Asgard looks like. Tom said that the streets would be clean, everyone would be working and Chris chimed in : “but no one would be happy!” lol Someone mentioned that Tom and Chris have done some amazing films and in Tom's case TV shows (The Night Manager, please watch it if you haven't!) since playing Thor and Loki and asked what it was like to be known mostly for those two roles, rather than all of the other ones. They both said Marvel has some dedicated fans, and they are thankful for the opportunity to portray these characters, but as they were both at the start of their careers when they got the roles it kinda spoiled future roles because the fan reaction to those other roles wasn't as intense. But they enjoy playing various characters and do love the roles of Thor and Loki. Chris talked a bit about his role in the new Ghost Busters movie. He said he's more like that character than like Thor. “A bit clumsy, and in need of saving” haha. Tom's advice to young people (not just actors): (along these lines): Life is short, don't take no for an answer, and always do what you love. Tom has won my heart so many times, and I think it will be impossible for me to ever fall in love with anyone else.

The next panel was Back to the Future. It was Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson. Michael certainly hasn't lost his comedic timing! He's so funny! He mentioned the time he was dressed as a girl (dress, wig, the whole thing) and got hit on by one of the guards at the production studio. He thought it was hilarious. They talked about how they never anticipated the movie would be as big as it was, and how crazy it was that they were sitting there today still talking about the film. They mentioned that the second script was so long that it got split into two movies (part 2 and 3) even though the studio initially didn't want to commit to two more films. I didn't know that they weren't signed on for a second movie when they made the first one! I always thought the sequel was planned from the start, but that wasn't the case. They talked a bit about the make-up and prosthetics they used, and their experience portraying characters at different ages. They also discussed modern technology vs the tech that was envisioned when the film was made. Michael and Lea said their favorite parts to film were the ones set in the 50s. Christopher said his favorite was the Wild West. It was a very interesting panel and I was very excited for it. Back to the Future is the movie that got me interested in sci-fi, and the whole trilogy has always been one of my favorites. I had originally planned on going on Sunday, but I knew this panel was only going to be on Saturday because MJF was only appearing on Saturday.

The next one is another one I was dying to see: X-Files (David Duchovney, Mitch Pileggi, and William B. Davis)! I got grounded so many times for watching the X-Files when I was younger, and it is – to this day – one of my favorite tv shows. I was beside myself when they announced the revival! David was one of my very first tv crushes. I still love him to bits. I love everything I've ever seen him in. I was 7 rows from the stage for this one. Directly in front of David. I was so nervous snapping photos because he was looking right. at. me. *dies* They talked about the audition process and David admitted when he accepted the role he didn't think the show would go past the first six episodes without being canceled. He thought the whole premise of the show was crazy. William mentioned he was a reformed smoker before accepting the role on the show. David talked about how he – a non-smoker – always thought real smokers would notice he (David) was “fake smoking” on tv (not necessarily in x-files). I wasn't too impressed with the fan questions on this panel. A lot of them had to do with character development and other conceptual questions like story arcs and monsters, etc, which the actors themselves have a very difficult time answering because they are not involved in that process. Unfortunately, they had to point this out several times during the Q&A and weren't asked many questions they could actually respond to. One girl said she's taking a class on the X-Files. David joked that he'd get a D if he had to take that class. Someone asked if they do another season if there might be some more exploration into the William story-line and how giving him up affected the characters. David's response was wonderful. He said it's primarily an action show and while that arc adds a nice element to the characters, he doesn't really want to see it explored in depth, because he doesn't want the show to turn into a soap-opera. I agree with him. I want them to keep the focus where it's been – and where it has worked best – for the past 10 seasons. Some else asked about behind-the-scenes antics. Mitch said David liked to throw nerf balls at his (Mitch) head while he (Mitch) was giving on-camera interviews. David said he doesn't recall that but said it certainly sounds like something he'd do! LOL!!

The last panel was the Agent Carter panel. It's a shame James D'Arcy canceled because I was actually contemplating a photo-op with him, and I love how he and Hayley get on. It was just Hayley and Dominic, and Dominic was running late. Hayley joked that he was doing his hair. Hayley said she supports the GiveCapABoyfriend campaign. She talked a bit about the DubSmashWars and how they came about. Someone asked how Peggy, had she been alive, would have responded to Sharron kissing Cap. She said she would have grounded Sharron immediately – and everyone cheered! There was a great question about Peggy's fighting style, and comment about how she uses “brute force” rather than finesse and a more refined fighting style like most female superheros, and the fan wanted to know how that fighting style came about. Hayley said it's simply because she (Hayley, the actor) has “lots of confidence and very little skill”. After injuring several stunt men with her attempts at a more refined fighting style, she had to give in to what she, the actor, could do best, which is why Peggy fights the way she does. Dominic said he thinks Howard would support his son in the Civil War. Hayley said several times she'd like to do another series of Agent Carter and how she's glad she got the opportunity to do the show in the first place because she loved exploring the character. Hayley said Peggy felt a bit stiff in the first Cap movie, and she's glad Peggy was able to grow with the show. Dominic's natural accent is so amazing! This ended up being my favorite panel of the day! They both seemed genuinely interested and happy to be there, and they flirted and laughed and it felt more like a chat with friends than a Q&A. They did talk a bit about their new shows also. I'm looking forward to both. I know Preacher has already started but I plan on catching it up soon.

I still can't believe I was in the same room as all of these amazing people today! I really had a great time and I encourage anyone who may be a little nervous about going to one of these things to just take a deep breath and don't ask yourself if you can – tell yourself that you can. I was certain I was going to have a panic attack. I never took the train to Philly before. I certainly never went alone. I'm going to be 30 years old and I just learned today that I actually enjoy spending time with myself. I met a few nice people who chatted with me between panels – and one very cute boy who asked for my number. It was a good day. ^_^

If you have any questions feel free to send me a message, I'll be happy to respond.

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I can’t wait to go to Wizard World tomorrow! I’ve never been to a convention like this before! I only have a GA ticket, but hope to be able to get into some of the panels tomorrow. I heard they let you in after the VIP’s, if there’s room. I don’t have any autograph or photo-op tickets, but I still think it’s going to be fun. Unfortunately, I’m going alone. Hopefully I meet some cool people who don’t mind chatting to a random stranger for a bit. 

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#‎BestSummerEver‬

June 4th: Wizard World Comic-Con in Philadelphia | July 2nd: Jersey Boys on Broadway | August 21st: Les Miserables on Broadway. Possibly a camping trip and revolutionary war reenactment in-between, and hopefully a few more day trips to NYC and maybe a concert or two...I haven’t looked forward to summer since I left school, but this year I’m determined to have a great time. Hopefully as the weather starts to cool down I’ll find myself in my own apartment, and if that happens then my budget will start to include furniture and utility bills and I probably will not have the extra money to do these things.