Of Nominations and Type-Casting...

So I didn't get nominated for a Pavilion Award for the musical and I have to say I'm pretty shocked. I'm not one who is usually cocky, but I thought I definitely had a chance... Guess I was wrong, right? Absolutely. I wouldn't have cared if I had won... I just wanted the damn nomination. For those of you who don't know, the Pavilion Awards are like... The Grammys for high school theater in Cortland County. So I don't really know what to say or think right now... All I want to do, and just might do... Is write a web series of some sort, with some sort of kick ass character for myself, and produce a few episodes over the summer. I've already got a few ideas (okay, rip-offs) for one. I've been working on this one series, called The Weird Brothers, which is kind of a combination of shows like Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, and The Secret Circle... It's about this teenaged guy who comes home from a mental institution for the first time in months and discovers that he and his three younger brothers all have magic powers and an intertwined destiny that they have to figure out for themselves, because their parents abandoned them while they were young and they live with two really weird uncles. It sounds simple but I have a lot of ideas. A lot... I mostly start these sorts of things because I'm sick of being seen as one type of character, namely the dumb-funny characters and I like to invision myself playing something different. Like a bad ass or... Even, as nutty as it sounds for me, the leading male. But apparently, I'm not aware of my own limitations to believe I can be anything but funny or dumb... Whatever. Type-casting is the dumbest shit ever. I know it's nutty but I think it's okay to have a goal like that, even if I don't actually achieve it. It's nice to have something to work towards.

Mommie Dearest...

I swear, sometimes I feel like my mother is actually Joan Crawford (if you don't know who that is, Google her... But to be honest, I don't really know who she is either. I've just heard she was a crazy bitch.) Seriously. She's such an angry person sometimes and it really frustrates me. She constantly barks at me and makes comments about how I need to lose weight and whatnot and it's really frustrating. She counts what I eat and when I eat and whenever I decide to eat again, she feels the need to make comments on it. I mean, I guess it could be a lot worse. She could be legitimately abusive but she's not. She just really... Upsets me when she makes rude comments about me but then expects me to be able to make changes ASAP. Weight loss isn't an overnight thing...

Merry Wives of Windsor...

The play is finally over and I'm relieved. As sad as I am that it was my last one and it's over, I'm glad to finally have some stress-free free time to myself. Everyone in the cast was driving me absolutely NUTS. I seriously wanted to kill everyone. But it's over and now all I have is the memories of this and the last three years worth of shows. They've all been super stressful, or boring, but in the end, everything ends up okay. I'll never lose those memories... I could say so much more but I'm still pretty burnt out from this weekend so... That's for a later post!

They Had It Coming...

You know how some people have these little habits that get you down? I have one person in mind, but I'm not going to say their name, in case this gets back to them. Let me start by saying, if you are reading this, it's most likely not you. Unless, you are this person, and somehow got my blog URL, in which case, I apologize that you may be reading a ranty post about you because you can't expect these things to happen and me to have absolutely no reaction to it. I have nothing against you, and I hope you know we're friends but I'm still a little pissed. Not at you, but in general. This person hasn't really offended me themselves, but it's the public reaction to this person that frustrates me. This person and I have a lot of extra-curricular activities (and friends, for that matter) in common and if you ask me, we are just as good as each other. However, according to the public this person is a freaking god. It really pisses me off, especially because certain people do NOT need to be given superiority complexes. And it's really unfair shit too. I am literally just as good as this person. We have similar vocal ranges and we have similar strength too, but this person gets absolutely EVERYTHING. A lead in the musical, every solo they audition for, etc. While I'm constantly runner-up, second best, or not even on the radar. And everyone goes hog wild for this person. "So-and-so needs to audition last!" "I'm excited for you-know-who to sing!" "Blankity-blank, will you perform in the Invasion with me?" NO one has ever said those things about me or to me and it sorta makes me feel like... What's the point? If my hard work isn't being recognized, is there any point? While this other person just has to stand up there and everyone DIES for them. I know it's going to be said "Oh, Jon, don't worry about it. You're graduating, you're going to have so many other opportunities after high school." Okay, still bull shit because this person got so many opportunities while in high school and they still have a few more years. So it's fair that I have to wait but this person gets everything now? Maybe I'm whiny, maybe I'm bitter, but I know bull shit when I smell it and with this thing, the place be stinkin' up. I don't think it's too much to ask for the same opportunities as this person (and a lot of other people, too.) And I've had this feeling for years now and I've kept my mouth shut for the most part, but now I feel I must say it. I don't think there's any excuse for one person getting everything, except favoritism. However, if you call someone out on favoritism, they'll deny it. People are stupid and everyone deserves a fair and equal opportunity. And that's how Jon sees it.

MORP

I'm starting to get soo anti-prom right now (hence the title of this post being MORP, prom backwards for those who didn't get it.) It's getting to be such a stressor. I had a problem because I didn't know if I'd be able to bring my date, my girlfriend, because she's a year out of high school. Yes, you read that right. Jon has a girlfriend who is a college student. Let's get all of the shock and awe out of the way now. Anyway, I had to track VE or Lang down to ensure that I could, so I can buy the tickets tomorrow, and I couldn't find them all day. Why is it those two can't ever be found when you actually need them? I managed to find VE and he told me that I really didn't need to worry, which made me feel great. I do tend to stress and worry little things but not as much as this. I really want Demmarie (my girlfriend) to go because I love her and I want to spend time with her (and most of all, prove to everyone she's real). Also, I really wanted to get a red tux, like coat and pants red. But the tux store had NONE. Disappointed. Apparently, they were removed from stock back in February. DUMB. I really wanted to do something different from everyone else, but I had to settle with white and red... Whatever. But the good news is my BFF, Kira, is on prom court! Which is another thing I'm not actually all that happy about, but I've heard some rants about that today (here's to you, Taylyn!) and I feel like I've already said all I can say about that situation.

Social Networks...

Social networks only exist so that people can cause drama without having to deal with people face-to-face. I love thinking about people who get so mad at each other on Facebook and then sit there, pounding on the keys with a scowl on their face and typing in ALL CAPS and run-on sentences to get their point across that they're mad. It's hilarious. Also, as I said on a post last night, that pointing out that someone else only does things on Facebook for drama is just asking for more drama. The bitch who thinks she's smart for calling another out is only being little miss attention seeker herself. I don't usually get involved in Facebook drama, unless there is a direct and personal attack, but in that case, I could resist throwing my two cents in there. That dumb bitch didn't have ANYTHING to say after that. Not to mention, my next favorite social network drama cliche... The person who says "If you don't want everyone to know, why do you put it on Facebook?" I love this douche bag because they usually come in at the end of the fight and then just restart the whole thing. Typically, this person has been watching the fight and actually getting really pissed off and feels they have to say something before the fight ends. But the fight moves too fast, so they can only throw their comment in at the end, which usually pisses off the instigator even more and then BOOM, BANG, POW... You got another fight. I hate Facebook drama so much because it's usually petty bull shit but it's absolutely hysterical to watch. Especially between people who can't spell.

Brief Thoughts of the Immediate Future

So I’ve made the huge life changing choice of what I’m doing with my life after college. After getting rejected from SUNY Cortland, LeMoyne, Buffalo, and pretty much every other four year school I applied too, I decided, I’m going to TC3. At least, for a year. I’ll be majoring in Digital Cinema with a concentration in screenwriting. I’m not sure if it’s necessarily something I’ll want to do professionally, but it’s an interest and I’ve been told I’m good at it… I’m not sure if I would agree with that but I’ll take a compliment. It’s hard for me to write good, believable dialogue. I know, it’s shocking considering how much I talk everyday, but it’s hard to come up with other things people would say that are relevant to the plot of the script. Hopefully, this course will teach me what I need to know to do well. Or, plan B, which is actually more of a “going to happen anyway” sort of plan, I start working out like crazy and once I get hot, I’ll become a male stripper. Yes, I said “a male stripper.” It sounds disgusting and crazy but ridiculously fun. Okay, so maybe more of dancer, than a stripper, but still… There won’t be clothes removed here. Regardless of what I do immediately after high school, I hope someday I’ll get where I want to be. I don’t necessarily want to write or act professionally. I want to sing. I know I sound like an 80s movie.

Blood Thirsty... POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR HUNGER GAMES

Second post of mine with the word blood in the title...

I saw the film version of The Hunger Games and it really did not disappoint. Okay, it did a little, but that's only if I nitpick about the smaller things that were left out from the book. There weren't very many, but there were some.

Sitting in the theater in the last few minutes of the movie made me realize: I freaking love the character of Cato.

I know we, the audience, are supposed to hate him or love to hate him because he is the main antagonist, but he's such a bad ass (like Katniss.) I feel like the parts he wasn't in the film made the character so interesting, especially when you did see him on screen. Like seeing the way he was on screen, going around brutally and heartlessly killing others and whatnot, made me wonder more about what he was like when he wasn't killing people, or he was hunting his prey. Was he confident about winning? Did he ever think there was a possibility he would lose? Did he have a plan or did he just kill whoever he could find? What was his motive for winning? What was he like before The Games started? Did getting his name drawn at The Reaping completely change him as a person? Or was he always an emotional citadel?

Those are the sorts of questions I had about Cato.

And watching the scene where he and Peeta fight on top of the Cornucopia made me realize... As an actor, I would LOVE to play someone like Cato. I want to be the bad ass, because it's so different from anything else I've ever played. I'm typecast as the stupid/flamboyant/over-the-top comedic character, but a bad ass would be a challenge. Especially if I got to kick ass, like Cato, or meet a gruesome end.

Hungry for a Great Book?

EVERYONE and their mother has been talking about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins for months upon months. With all of the press about the movie coming out and ‘Who will play Katniss? Peeta? Gale?’, it’s ridiculously hard to not have heard of the series. But let’s not forget where the whole film started… As a book.

An incredibly well-written and well thought out book, that is. Not another novel about some whiny-ass white chick who falls in love with a vampire and has to pick between him and a Native American werewolf. Katniss don’t need no man (though I guess she’s cool with having one.) And yes, that was a very specific shout out to Twilight. Sorry, Steph.

This book is about a young girl, Katniss, who has fame and potential fortune thrust upon her when she volunteers as tribute for the Hunger Games, a popular competition/reality show in Panem where 24 walk in and only one walks out, alive. Think American Idol, except there's no judges, no singing, and you get murdered when you are eliminated. She along with her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta, must fight to survive the Hunger Games, at any cost, even if it means they may have to fight each other in the end.

I’d have to say that my favorite part of The Hunger Games is how much of a bad ass Katniss is. She literally is the anti-Bella Swan, which is just what the world needs right now. It is a character like this that shows young girls that they need not depend on their boyfriends to survive in the world. As a matter of fact, Katniss risks her life for someone she loves, and it’s not even a boyfriend. And it’s not just so she can have some weird (most likely drug induced) hallucinations of him. She risks herself to save her sister’s life! Any one who will put family (or at least someone they really, honestly, truly care about) before them and sacrifice their own safety for that person has my respect.

Katniss is a great example of what a modern woman should be: strong, independent, but with a heart of gold and courageousness when it comes to the face of adversity. I also like the way that she shows that women can be action heroes too, without being Angelina Jolie levels of slutty (i.e. Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, cuz let’s be honest, that movie was about getting Angelina in a tight wife-beater more than anything else.)

Survival is a major theme and element throughtout the novel. From the beginning, Katniss makes it very clear to the reader that the living conditions in District 12 are less than desirable. District 12 is stricken with poverty and Katniss and her family are no except here. There is major scarcity of food and houses are falling apart all over the place. It is a major struggle for everyone in District 12, and everyone in Panem in general, to survive. This theme definitely intensifies as the Hunger Games begin. As said before, Katniss sacrifices her ability to survive by taking her sister’s place during the Reaping. Once the Hunger Games begin, Katniss must do everything in her power to survive. She and her friend, Peeta, District 12’s other tribute, form an alliance of sorts, as the other tributes form their own alliances, creating a lot of chaos amongst the Games.

One literary element within the story is flashback. Katniss has an almost immediate flashback to Primrose, her sister, when she is with Rue, as the characters remind her of each other. It is possible Collins did this on purpose to give the reader a flashback to Katniss’s relationship with Prim or to show a more maternal side to Katniss, so she can be shown in more dimension than to just be a female action hero.

Basically, The Hunger Games is an amazing book with a bad ass main character and totally worth the hype. I would suggest this book to anyone and everyone who hasn’t read it already (though, I don’t know who that is.)

Blood, Guts, and Gore

I've come to the realization that I'm incredibly fascinated by blood and other bloodily fluids. Not urine, breast milk, bile, or semen though. That's just gross. I also think veins and arteries are really cool to look at. That's why I like having really skinny friends with protruding veins. And scars, bruises, and stitches are like... Beautiful to me. Oh, and nose bleeds. I've always wanted to have a nose bleed and I never have!

I only have two scars, on my feet from walking around town in flip flops all last summer. Blisters suck, BTW. Never had stitches and bruises? I get them all the time. Whenever I have them, I just really love to look at them and touch them. I'm not some freak who is turned on by pain... I just like touching bruises and stuff...

I don't know why, but I just find these things INCREDIBLY fascinating. Maybe I'd be better off going into a medical field, than in the music or acting direction, but it's not THAT interesting to me. I know, I sound like a total freak here, but shut up. You come to my blog and judge what I have to say. If you think it's weird, whatever. I think it's cool.