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Well you’ve been fun WordPress- Goodbye
Hey y’all. This is my final (ooo)shebop blog. I’ve fallen in love with someone else. And his name is Posterous.
So I’ve transfered all my blogs from here to my new address: http://amandamoutinho.posterous.com/
I hope you guys check it out! 
Week 12- The Tempest
“Let your indulgence set me free.” Those were the last words Shakespeare ever wrote.
We don’t know as much as Shakespeare as we’d like to know. But I feel the last monologue of the Tempest can give insight into the man himself, because Prospero’s words seem they could easily apply to the playwright himself.
To indulge means to satisfy to yield to the wishes of one. This line seems like Shakespeare asking the audience to listen to him. This is his final play and he’d like the audience to pay attention to him one last time before he can be free. Maybe Shakespeare felt like his play writing was an enslavement. As far as we know, we have no proof of the reason Shakepeare wrote his masterpieces. He died roughly six years after the Tempest was written at the ripe age of 52. What was he doing in those years that he wasn’t writing? Was he free to do as he wished? Did he not wish to write anymore?
“Now my spells are all broken,” the first line of monologue. Maybe Shakespeare thinks he has nothing left to offer. With the Tempest, he seemed to go out with a bang. It had romance, comedy, tragedy, politics… everything rolled into one. It’s as if Shakespeare was saying, “Here’s all I got. Now leave me alone!”
The last monologue of the play opens up so many questions to me. Did people pressure Shakespeare to write? Did he feel trapped? In the first few lines he says that he is weak and he begs to be released. He even talks about God and alludes to death as alternate option.
While I don’t know if this speech had anything to do with Shakespeare’s true feelings, I hope he didn’t feel like a slave. He wrote some of the most amazing words ever written. He will always be my favorite author, and my hero till I die.
Week 11- Othello
Was Inception based on Othello…?
No probably not. But there are some parallels in Othello that reminded me of Inception.
The entire point of inception is to plant an idea in someone’s head. Something simple. That will grow into something that will cause the person to act. And what happens in Othello? Iago places a small trinket of an idea in Othello’s mind and Othello ends up loosing control. He becomes so involved in this idea that he kills his wife.
In act 3 scene 3 is when the idea gets planted. Desdemona pleads with Othello on Cassio’s behalf, before this moment Othello has no reason to believe anything is going on. When Iago first suggests there’s something going on, Othello resists at first. Iago asks penetrating questions, hesitates, and acts like he knows something he shouldn’t. By the end of the scene Othello already starts to doubt and get angry with no proof. “I will chop her into messes,” (3.3.201).Why does he jump to conclusions so quickly? His suspicion rises from just one conversation with Iago. This suggests his relationship with Desdemona doesn’t seem to be rooted in very much trust. But it’s funny how it’s just a simple conversation, a simple idea grows into drastic action. (Maybe the opposite of Hamlet.)
In act 4 scene 2 Desdemona is pleading with Othello, and he’s not listening to her. He has become so intranced in this one idea that he doesn’t even find out the truth. Once you have your mind set then everything that happens will play into your mind. The whole handkerchief problem could have been avoided if Othello had kept his cool head and just asked Desdemona what happened. But since this idea grew into something larger he felt he had the whole story when he didn’t have any of it.
So how powerful is one idea. Just an inkling destroyed Othello’s life. That is why I wanted to write this blog. It’s interesting that just an idea can lead to something bigger, which was the reason I thought of Inception.
The Evolution of Degrassi
I guess you can say Degrassi is one of my favorite shows. I’ve watched the show since 2001. (the longest I’ve ever stayed with a show) OK, so I might be a tad obsessed… I may have waited in line for hours to meet Spinner and Jay. I may have multiple seasons of the ORIGINAL Degrassi Jr. High from the 80s. I might even have a season of Degrassi High….
But my blog is dedicated to the ongoing Degrassi: the Next Generation. If you’re not familiar with the show here’s a trailer from the first season:
Good times. Ashley, Terri, Toby, JT before he was stabbed, Jimmy before he was Drake… It’s weird to think how much the show has progressed in 219 episodes.
But Degrassi has not always been a joy to watch. The first few seasons were full of awwwkwardness, but at the time I was going through the same thing. So it was great to watch. But after a few seasons… it just lost it’s charm. Many people gave up on the series,it was constantly adding new characters and clinging onto the older characters as they went off to college.
The older characters on the show were getting too stale and the new characters just fell flat. I couldn’t care less about Emma, Liberty, and Manny living together at college (don’t even get me started on their horrible representation of college life…). Ugh. Move on and let those characters go. But at the same time I didn’t want to hear about Clare, Darcy’s nerdy little sister, or Danny, Liberty’s annoying little brother. The younger generation were all such weak characters and didn’t catch my attention.
I stopped caring and barely watched the show. But then something happened this summer: Every Degrassi Ever Marathon?? Hmmm intersting. All leading up to: DEGRASSI THE BOILING POINT. Six weeks, four new episodes a week? Now that sounds intriguing. So I caught up on the episodes I missed and got excited for the Boiling Point.
And what happened? I FELL BACK IN LOVE WITH DEGRASSI.
It kicked off with a movie where they finally said goodbye to the old characters. While having Emma and Spinner get married was an… interesting turn of events, I’m glad they finally passed the torch of the show onto the new characters.
I LOVE the new season. All Degrassi’s hard work paid off. They introduced these characters years ago and the audience has seen them evolve. Take Holly J. She started the show as the infamous, but never seen, Heather Sinclair’s little sister. She became the girl that everyone hated, taking the Queen Bee crown from Paige. She was completely obnoxious. There was even an episode where Alli makes an “I hate Holly J.” group. But as the show progressed so did her character. Holly J. grew into this senior girl who has a strong head on her shoulders. I love her character. Even through her rocky family life or seemingly perfect relationship with Declan she has survived it all, and done it while looking fabulous. Not only Holly J., all the characters have really grown into their own.
But not only have the characters evolved, so has the overall quality of the show. The fashion is trendy and classy (minus the heinous new uniforms). The cinematography is beautiful. Take the scene in Purple Pills part 2. Fiona’s drunk and her world is spinning, Riley is hopefully looking for openly gay athletes on the internet, and Adam is worried about fighting Fritz. All these storylines intertwine magnificently set to amazing song “Carjack my Heart” by Dance Movie. AndIf you wanna check out the clip here it is around 13:13ish. Speaking about the music- it’s awesome too. Degrassi has taken some real steps to improve the show and it’s gotten great.
It’s transgressed from a silly little Canadian show that many of us grew up with and eventually gave up on. But this blog is to all of you who stopped watching when it became way to over the top and awful. I”m here to announce Degrassi is good again! It has revitalized itself. I think they can finally be compared to shows along the same lines of 90210 and Gossip Girl. But the great thing about Degrassi is that it has still maintained its integrity, and it’s still relateable. It’s not about millionaire teenagers with unlimited spending budgets spending their time drinking and having sex. It’s about real kids with real problems. Watch it. Love it.
For those of you die hard Degrassi fans, here’s a little treat. The theme song from Degrassi Jr. High. ENJOY!
Week 10- Twelvfth Night
I’ve read this play before and anytime I go back to a play I’ve read I always have many passages highlighted. Well I didn’t even make it through the first line of the first scene of the first act without running into something I like.
“If music be the food of love, play on/ Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,/ the appetite may sicken and so die. “
(Act 1, Scene 1, Line 1-2) At the time I read this, I was lovesick and I related to Orsino. In his first speech he immediately becomes a character to relate to. We all have been so in love with someone that we just wallow in our own self pity and love sickness.
Love is one of the most prominent themes Shakespeare. Here he talks about its restlessness. One minute you love something and next minute you don’t. Considering the rest of the play, I don’t really know what Shakespeare is getting at. The character of Orsino really reminds me of Romeo. Romeo beings the play in love with Rosaline and then really finds his true love when he meets Juliet. Same with Orsino, at the end of the play he falls in love with Viola, despite pining over Olivia. Many people believe that makes these characters wishy washy but I believe it makes them human. Often when people are in love, they think about nothing but the other person. But the only way to get over one person is to fall in love with someone else. I believe it’s hopeful.
“Away before me to sweet beds of flowers. Love thoughts lie rich when canopied with bowers,” (Act 1, scene 1).
So go somewhere beautiful and think about love. And when you’re down because the person you love doesn’t love you back, just think that maybe soon you’ll meet your true love.
Week 9- Hamlet
Continued from last blog:
Ophelia insanitary seems to be rooted in Hamlet. When she comes into Act 4 Scene 5 she’s singing a song that symbolizes her current situation.
“‘Before you tumbled me,
You promised me to wed.’
He answers,
‘So would I ‘a done…
And thou hadst not come to my bed’”
(64- 69). In the song it makes it seem like Ophelia has given up her maidenhood to Hamlet. The girl in the song is distressed because she feels like she was lied to, but the man says he would have kept his promise if the girl hadn’t offered herself to him. So is it that Ophelia is promiscuous or did Hamlet pressure her? It plays into the argument that Ophelia was driven crazy. With my reading of the play I’ve come up with my own theories. I believe Ophelia is portrayed as this innocent fair girl, and Hamlet takes advantage of her. They share a bed, and because bad timing Hamlet [apparently?] goes crazy, and then drags Ophelia down with him.
Part of the reason that it seems Hamlet has gone crazy is because he seems to have had feelings for Ophelia but then completely disregards it.
It’s interesting to think about who is insane? Did Hamlet lose his mind and not care who he brought down with him? Did he cause Ophelia to go crazy? Or in his attempt to achieve his revenge plot did he accidentally cause Ophelia to go crazy? Was it even Hamlet’s fault.
But we’ll never know the answers to all the questions…
It is enough to drive a girl crazy though: you fall in love with this guy. Your family tells you he’s a bad guy. Then he goes insane and goes back on everything he’s said. Kills your dad, then flees. Poor Ophelia.
So maybe she was a dumb girl who let herself get caught up in a self destructive man like Hamlet…
If only Ophelia had a sassy gay friend:
Week 8- Hamlet
Alright alright, I was wrong. Maybe Hamlet is a jerk. Maybe he pressured Ophelia into something she didn’t want to do…or did she?
I wanted to be positive and believe that Hamlet was a good guy who really loved Ophelia but he’s just so mean. Even if he does want to “pretend” to go crazy and fulfill his plan- if he truly loved Ophelia, he wouldn’t drag her down with him. But the audience never see his loving side toward her, he’s always just sexual and rude.
At the beginning Ophelia has been portrayed as such a push over. Her family pushes her around and she even lets Hamlet walk all over her- and in the end she can’t take it. It may be my unrealistic idea that Shakespeare wasn’t a chauvinistic pig, but I’m always hoping his female characters are actually strong passionate women, and Shakespeare only makes them appear weak. But maybe she is weak. She never stands up for herself, and she lets Hamlet take control.
In her final scenes, Ophelia completely looks like she’s gone bonkers. It’s a very cloudy play, and so we don’t have the full story. But I feel Hamlet broke Ophelia. She was so in love with him, even though everyone warned her. She invested herself fully (maybe even physically) into Hamlet and it just blows up in her face. So, Ophelia just crumbles.
And with the question of whether she committed suicide or not. I don’t believe she did. When the Queen explains the events of her death she says that at first she was swimming and eventually, “as one incapable of her own distress/or like a creature native and indued,” she drowns. Just like a metaphor for her situation. Everything is great, till she loses control….
To be continued…
Top 5 Musicals of All Time
What is going on with the Broadway world?
In high school I was a HUGE theater geek. My whole world revolved around Broadway. I listened to soundtracks religiously, looked up pirated clips online, and ranted on the Broadway World message boards. Over the years my fever cooled down, but my heart still belonged to the stage. The last decade has produced some of the most wonderful, influential, innovative, best musicals of a time. Musicals like Wicked, The Producers and Hairspray etc. all graced the stages of the Great White Way in the last 10 years. There have also been some extremely creative shows like Avenue Q, Spelling Bee, and even the classic example: Urinetown (a musical all about urine…).
This summer I went to New York City for the first time since I was 16. And as a theater lover, I wanted to check out a show. Well to my horror- I was not intrigued by ANY of them. To be fair, I’m not familiar with all these shows. I haven’t been immersed in the world in years, but no show captured my attention like a lot of my favorite shows have in the past…
So here’s my blog. Dedicated to my favorite musicals of all time. These are the musicals that have stayed with me over the years, and hold a special place in my heart.
Since I [apparently] had a lot to say… I cut my list to only 5, excluding classic musicals, movie musicals, and SO MANY other good choices. So, here’s my honorable mention: A Chorus Line, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Annie, Last 5 Years, Drowsy Chaperone, Hair!, Rocky Horror Picture Show
5. Avenue Q
Sesame Street for adults? Puppets having sex, talking about porn and racism… ? Fucking AWESOME! It’s the perfect idea for a musical. It’ has good music, it’s quirky, and it’s hilarious. It captures the sense of being in an age caught between graduating college and becoming a full-fledged adult. And it does it with puppets. Also, no other musical has more interesting song names than: “Everybody’s a Little Bit Racist,” “The Internet is for Porn,” “It Sucks to be Me,” “I’m Not Wearing Underwear Today,” and of course: “If You were Gay.”All great songs. All songs that theater geeks LOVE to start singing at any time. Just ask
Favorite Song: I Wish I Could Go Back to College.
4. Hairspray
Come on. Did you really think there could be any top musicals list WITHOUT Hairspray? It’s classic. It’s everything a musical should be. Loud, fun, colorful, exciting, complete with a man dressed as a woman! Oh and it’s about racism. Musicals have fantastic way of being funny and silly but having an underlining reality. Hairspray gives us a crusader for being different and loving it. Tracy Turnblad is an icon for every outcast who feels different from their peers. She says, “Hello world- I’m Big Blond and Beautiful, I’m going to be a star, and I’m going to date the most popular boy in school.” In case you were wondering- The original dreamy Link Larkin was played by Matthew Morrison- otherwise known as Mr. Schuester from Glee.
Favorite Song: You Can’t Stop the Beat
3. Spring Awakening- YOU THINK GLEE DISCOVERED LEA MICHELE? Think again, my friend. After hearing about 30 seconds of “The Bitch of Living,” I went to the store and bought the CD. And then and there started my OBSESSION with this musical. A musical all about the hardships of teen life. Spring Awakening deals with serious issues like: incest, rape, sex, suicide, sexual orientation, abortion… and did I mention it’s set in 1891 Germay? This show has the most beautiful music- that really captures the hardships of being a teenager. Plus the cast is uh-mazing. Talented young performers like Lea Michele, Jonathan Groth (better known as Jesse St. James on Glee), John Gallager Jr., and all the other actors and actresses too. It’s stylistically beautiful and creative. It has relateable content, and beautiful music to boot.
Favorite Song: [Gah. It's like choosing between my children.] Four-way tie: Bitch of Living, Dark I Know Well, I Don’t Do Sadness, Touch Me.
2. Wicked
What isn’t there to say about Wicked? It’s phenomenal in every sense of the word. The music, the performers, the book, the costumes, the set- everything comes together to fit into this one perfect show. Granted I’m a little biased because I have a deep love for the Wizard of Oz, but this show is truly incredible. Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth. One of the most fabulous duos of all time. I’m really at a loss of words to describe Wicked because, for anyone who’s seen it, it’s hard to really capture what makes the show so unforgettable. I guess this can sum it up:
Favorite Song: Dancing Through Life
1. RENT 
RENT changed my life. I remember the night I saw the movie. I went home and immediately downloaded the soundtrack and listened to it non-stop till the next night, when I went to see the movie again. It touched me in way that no other movie had. It awoke this passion for theater in me that turned my world upside down. And when I saw it in June 2009 in Denver with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal… words can not describe it. I was LITERALLY: on the edge of my seat, tears in my eyes, goosebumps, clutching my hands to my chest- all the possible cliche things you can do- I was doing them. The story is beautiful and showcases the realities of AIDS in the 80s and 90s. The songs are anywhere from hilarious, uplifting, depressing, beatuiful, and inspriartional. It also has an unbelievable original cast. To this day it remains my favorite musical, my favorite performance/show/concert I have ever been to, and “Seasons of Love” remains my favorite song of all time.
Favorite Song: See above.
Alternates: I’ll Cover You, La Vie Boheme, Light My Candle,
Everyone should love musicals. They have great music, they’re funny, interesting, compelling, fun, colorful, and they all deal with real issues. Trust me. They’re fabulous 
What’s your top 5 look like?
Week 7- Hamlet
Hamlet: the famous morose prince of Denmark.What is he most known for? Whining, sulking and asking the famous question, “Should I do myself in or not?”
While one of the most talked about, complex characters of all literature, he definitely has a bad reputation as such a whiny brat.
But is he justified? Does Hamlet not get enough credit? I believe Hamlet has every reason to act a little emo.
His father just died. His mother just married his uncle. And everyone’s telling him to stop being so depressed and to just get over it. My question is, why is no one on his side? Why is Hamlet so antagonized?
The framework he enters the play in does not set Hamlet up as a sympathetic character. The new king is giving a speech saying it’s time to get over the death of the previous king and move on. Everyone tells him to get over his father’s death. So Hamlet’s sympathy is being underplayed.
Queen: “Why seems it so particular with thee?”
Hamlet: “Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not seems.”
(1.2.75-76).
Hamlet answers his mother with sarcasm, snaps at her for telling him not to be upset. But the more you analyze Hamlet’s sorrow the more you get confused that no one is on his side. Hamlet is so alienated and his once loving family has disappeared. Hamlet feels lost. And it’s been less than two months since his father’s death, and he’s expected to be completely over it? That’s very unfair. So this sets up Hamlet looking like a whiner.
In another scene both Laertes and Polonius are telling Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet. He’s hot headed, not committed, a prince, who doesn’t care for Ophelia. Polonius even says,
“Set your entreatments at a higher rate,” (1,3,128).
“You can do better,” her father tells us. So in this particular scene, the audience has barely met Hamlet and they’re being told all these negative things about him. We don’t know if any of these things are true. We don’t know Hamlet’s true feelings for Opheila, we’ve never seen them interact. So my question remain: Why does everyone hate Hamlet?
No wonder he talked to a skull… he had no other friends!
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