C'MON, GET HAPPY! These songs make me dizzy-silly-spinning-gleeful-joyous. Volume 1!

Deviating entirely from the usual tone of this blog, I bring you HAPPINESS. I'm the kinda person who can't go anywhere without my iPod earbuds firmly inserted in my ear. I don't drive, so I walk places. I've been getting cabs all winter because it's cold and unfortunate outside, but also because the cats ate my headphones, and until I get new ones, I just don't have the ambition. Music is freakin' awesome at making me want to move.

Dancey songs with a high BPM are good for keeping your pace quick. "Emo" songs? Not so much. But by far the best songs for putting a literal spring in your step are the ones that make you smile. Here are a few of mine. Featuring some YouTube so you can listen along*. Also I warn you, I sound like a gushy teenager for most of this. But it's happy, okay? Just deal with it.

*the official videos have ads before them! I'm sorry!


#1. Ever Ever After - Carrie Underwood

Unafraid, unashamed - there is joy to be claimed in this world.

I love Disney songs edited with Disney footage :D Hence choosing this video.

"No wonder your heart feels it's flying, your head feels it'spinning. Each happy ending's a brand new beginning." I actually tear up. A lot. Nothing makes me feel like a silly little girl like "Ever Ever After" does. Written for Disney's Enchated, one of my favorite movies, the whole song is upbeat, with cute lyrics, and it's guaranteed to make you move faster - hell, to make you wanna run. With your arms out like an airplane :D


#2. Be As - Prozzak

If there is a way that you and I could both be free, have a little understanding and we will be.

You guys know me. I am not a "kumbaiyahhhh everyone love everyone! Hold hands and sing!" kind of person. And that's pretty much what this song is. Yet, it's on the list. So, let's flashback to elementary school for a moment. In grade 6 this song made me deliriously happy. Prozzak are (were?) the most ridiculous cartoon band, ever, but I loved them, and still have a lot of their music on my iPod, because it's all dancey and uptempo and just awesome. This song's got that catchy Prozzak sound coupled with lyrics that have a message, and that makes it classic for me to get happy. And they're called Prozzak, so... wasn't that their intention?


#3. Must Have Done Something Right - Relient K

We should get jerseys 'cause we make a good team. But your's would look better than mine, 'cause you're out of my league.

And I know that it's so cliché to tell you that everyday I spend with you is the new best day of my life.

This is one of the few cheesy, love-y songs that I loved and listened to religiously even when I was single (I'm the bitter kind when it comes to love songs... well, not anymore, but for the 20 years I was single LOL). Pure pop-y goodness with vocals typical of the genre (happyemo? I don't know much about music /facepalm). This song is just CUTE. There's no other word. Cute, along with uptempo, and 100% infectious. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.


#4. Here in Your Arms - Hellogoodbye

I fell in love, in love with you suddenly.

Yeah, it's a love song. But it's unique musically, and it gives me the tingles. The chorus is pretty much yelled - and you'll want to yell along, too.

#5. You Can't Stop the Beat - Hairspray

You can't stop my happiness 'cause I LIKE the way I am.

This song is an all-in-one workout. Try to sing along without losing your breath - I dare you. I know every word and I still end up tongue tied. "You Can't Stop the Beat" is the absolutely EPIC climatic finish to the musical "Hairspray", and the 2007 movie version is my favorite of the song. It's a god-darn ANTHEM. And it's impossible to be in a bad mood after listening to it. If you don't want to listen to me, these are the highest-rated comments on the video:

#6. That's How You Know - Amy Adams

Does he dedicate a song with words meant just for you?

I FOUND THE SCENE ON YOUTUBE. Look for the little old men with yellow flowers! *high pitched squeal*

This is also from Disney's Enchanted. That entire movie slaps a gigantic smile on my face that I just can't shake. It's got a few cute little songs, but this one is the most cheerful, precious number going. I have to say this is one song on this list that is definitely better in viewing it in Enchanted, but when I'm going for walks, I can picture all the sweet li'l moments in the movie, and I always walk a little quicker.

That's it for volume 1. HappyHappySINGSING Volume 2 will be next week! : )

How I keep the holiday spirit; in the form of movies, music and mayhem.

*before I lose anyone, I'd like to mention I'm back on Twitter, http://twitter.com/brittanimac ... follow me.
The thing about Christmas (well, I guess there are a lot of things, really, but in relation to me and this blog) is that you either love it or hate it. Even though it's one of those things that is fairly black and white, I will admit that Christmas completely and utterly stresses me out, as I stated in my last post. It's expensive, it's messy (especially with a live tree and two cats that are insistent it is their jungle gym), and busybusybusy - but I do still love it. I've been decorated for a few weeks now, and my shopping is about 40% done (I realize that's not much, but people - it's Decemeber 8th. The last two Christmases I was still shopping Christmas Eve. This is progress.)  I had to delete dozens of songs from my iPod to fit all my Christmas tunes, and have watched both versions of the Grinch more than once, Fred Claus twice, and A Christmas Story four times (before finally purchasing it at Wal-Mart for $10 a few days ago) - all over the last two weeks.

I am so into Christmas this year, it's scary.

Marcus, however, is not. He hates me for this.

At least Max is entertained.

That being said, what does one write about Christmas? As I said; you can either rave maniacally about how wonderful it is, or you can tear it to shreds.

I could really do either - I hate how commercial Christmas is, as I've said time and time again, it's stressful, it's annoying, and it just makes me fucking tired. I'm not religious in the least, so I don't WANT to put the "Christ" back in "Christmas", stop asking me to.

Or I could go on about how pretty the snow is (though it's like +8 degrees CELSIUS right now... are we sure it's December?), and how wonderful the songs make me feel, and how happy every damned Christmas special makes me, and how I could stare at the lights or a snow globe forever (not to mention the free drinks I over-indulged in at my work Christmas party! /me pukes... everywhere... sorry wonderful boyfriend who has to deal with that.).

OR! I could do what I do best: List things. Mini-lists, mind you, with minimal explanation, just to show you how I roll this time o' years.

How I spend my Christmas vacation*, in list form.

*the only vacation I've had in the last 3 years was a 3-day trip to PEI with the boyfriend, so this is a filthy lie.

A tribute to the greats: Movies that are SO BAD they're good.

It seems like every movie I have seen in the past month since Christopher Nolan's magnum opus of a film, Inception, has been awful. Actually, to be fair, "awful" isn't the proper moniker; I believe "mediocre" is more fitting.

It doesn't matter if I saw it at the drive-in or rented it; whatever it was, was not good. The problem is, I may have "Post-Inception Syndrome" (which is NOT a real term, obviously something I just decided upon), being that in comparison to the sheer awesome, epic nature of Inception, everything else seems to ooze mediocrity in comparison. I don't know if that's the case, or if these movies are just that forgettable.

As I said, these are not bad movies. Nope. See, bad movies are actually kind of fun. As I've worked in customer service my whole working "career" (if you can call it that), I know that one thing people love to do is complain. Hell, I'm a whiner myself. The good thing about bitching about TV or movies is that no one gets hurt (unless you wrote or directed the damn thing, that is). It's a healthy way to vent. The problem with mediocre movies is that they don't even have the entertainment value that goes along with making fun of the terrible flicks.

I've seen my fair share of bad movies (Open Water being the absolute WORST). I've also seen a myriad of So-Bad-It's-Good types. They are awful, often-times low-budget, usually "horror" movies, and so ridiculously impossible to take seriously that they are 100% fun.

I haven't seen one in ages. So here's a short list of some of the
Best of the Worst:

***
(PS, I've made them clickable so you can check 'em out on IMDb!)

[1] The People Under the Stairs (1991):

I first saw this movie when I was 14. I think my sister (who is 3 years younger and has been watching slasher flicks since she was about 6-years-old) rented it. I had the misfortune of watching it with her... I was TERRIFIED! Upon watching it again at 20, I now find it HYSTERICALLY FUNNY. The whole thing is just plain silly; there are gaping plotholes (are the People Under the Stairs alive or dead? I'd say they're like zombies, but then one dies?).

RUN-ON SENTENCE SUMMARY -Basically there's this little black kid named Foo who needs to rob these people to pay for someone's operation but gets trapped in the house and the people are crazy and called Mommy and Daddy but they're actually brother and sister and they steal children and cut out their eyes or tongues or ears if they see, speak, or hear evil, they can't find the perfect boy-child because of it and they keep them locked up under the stairs in the basement, and they have a daughter named Alice they abuse the shit out of and keep locked up... IT'S RIDICULOUS.

That being said, it's also CLASSIC. You get some hilariously over-the-top performances, a completely unbelievable plot, some good, jumpy scares, and overall, just a really fun, trashy cinematic experience. It's constantly rented out at my store. A cult-classic, for sure. Oh, and it's a Wes Craven (Scream, anyone?) film.


[2] Clash of the Titans (1981)

I spoke of terribly mediocrity before, and the 2010 remake of this movie is the perfect example. After I saw it, I promptly forgot it. This little gem from the early-80s, however is unforgettable, for one reason: It has THE WORST special effects known to mankind. You could argue that they were top-notch for 30 years ago, but in all honesty, that would be a lie. Movies like StarWars proved that special effects were starting to come around, and there's just no excuse for this. Monsters that look like they're claymation, that random glowing god (he's more "flaming" than "glowing", or so it seems... if you know what I mean). Overall, it's impossible to take it seriously, despite the fact it's got some HUGE names (Maggie "Professor McGonagall" Smith! for instance). It's extremely fun. I watched it in Latin class in high school and was fully entertained the whole time, and recently picked it up in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart.

[3] Frogs (1972):

It seems like I'm pulling out one awful/awesome (awsul? awfum?) movie per decade here. Okay, a friend of mine showed me this in high school. She spoke highly of it; once I saw it, I understood. Frogs pretty much defines the so-bad-it's-good genre. Officially categorized as "horror" (subcategorized as a nature horror, where nature or animals turn against humans, e.g. Jaws.. yeah, I spent too much time on Wikipedia the other day), I would consider it more of a comedy. Like Clash of the Titans, the "effects" are laughable; but so is the plot. And the acting. And... everything. Basically, frogs attack. At one point I think they're literally just THROWING frogs at a window. It's an all-out laugh-fest from start to finish, and if you can get your hands on it, you MUST watch it! Oh, and SAM ELLIOT IS IN IT. Yeah, the same Sam Elliot that is now old as hell and whose perfomance's take backseat to his EPIC MUSTACHE nowadays.

[4]Deep Blue Sea(1999):

I know there are people out there who legitmately love this movie and think it is amazing. I actually really, really like it. But not because I think it's good. Unless there's AMAZING acting and a really strong story, I can't stand action movies, as I find them mindless. This definitely has neither the acting nor the story.

RUN-ON SENTENCE SUMMARY - There is this research station that's located primarily underwater and they're studying sharks and like injecting them with shit to try and cure Alzheimer's but all it does is make the sharks super-intelligent and they go crazy and decide to kill everyone in the station and a rag-tag group of people gets picked off one-by-one and the only black guys are the chef and of course he lives and has a parrott and Samuel L Jackson who has the MOST HILARIOUS DEATH SCENE, EVER.

Like the others on this list, it's fun from start-to-finish. Like The People Under the Stairs, it horrified me (and enthralled my sister, who would watch the VHS daily) as a child, and now makes me laugh SO HARD. The scene where Sam Jackson bites it is hilarious both in execution and CGI-effects... it was 1999, there is NO WAY the effects should've been as bad as they were. Overall, good fun!

[5]Good Burger(1997):

I have a small problem with Good Burger: I am not entirely sure if it's actually bad or if I think it's amazing. I watch it at LEAST once a month (I'm not kidding), and I find it just as funny now as I did as an 8-year-old kid watching it when it first came out. I'm not sure if it's a So-Bad-It's-Good sorta deal, or just plain-old nostalgia. There are a ton of terrible, terrible comedies from my childhood that I treasure like this, and I can't be certain if they're actually bad, or just mediocre movies I love simply because they bring me back. Like Spice World. Oh well.

***

As with my other lists, consider this volume 1. These are my absolute necessities for bad-movie viewing that'll make you laugh, or maybe just cringe. What are you favorite heinous but hilarious movies>

This is not a rant. TV on DVD; one of my greatest love affairs.

I went a good three years of my life without watching television, between the ages of 17 and 20. My reasoning had no deep meaning; I hadn't swore to start reading more, hadn't decided to put an end to the corrosion of my cerrebellum (just how misspelled is that, PS?). It was far simpler than that - I didn't have a TV. Now, for the some of that time period, I was living with a friend and spent every waking moment that I wasn't at work hiding in my bedroom, with my laptop. I moved back in with my parents, and again - hid in my room. By the time I'd moved out, I'd lost all desire to partake in the televised arts (would you even call them that? ... I didn't think so. I tried, whatever). Don't get me wrong; I'd check out The Simpsons and Family Guy from time to time, re-runs of Frasier and the Golden Girls. But that was the extent of it.

That is, until one of the greatest inventions of the past 20 years was brought to my attention: TV on DVD.

Now, many people think that the, "Wow! No commercials!" aspect is the greatest argument for watching TV on DVD. I beg to differ. I work random hours. Shiftwork. I have a life (really, I swear). I can not dedicate an hour or half hour of my time on a certain day each week to watch anything (with the exception of Big Brother). So I missed out on the first half of Glee, the entirety of the Friends series, the first two seasons of The Big Bang Theory. But I'm caught up. On all of it. Simply because I could rent the discs and watch them at my leisure. Whenever I want! And I can pause it and go to work and come back and pick up exactly where I left off. And like a movie, there were bonus features. Friends gag reels, Glee music videos. countless commentary and interviews.

One could argue that you can get the same benefits (save for the bonus features) with a PVR. To that, I must counter: I can't afford a PVR! Hell, I can't afford to actually BUY seasons of a TV show (if they're new, that is), I have to rent. But that's the beauty of it; I can spend an evening with my Friends, watching how they lived out 1999, and it'll cost me less than $6. I'd have to get Digital Cable to even get a PVR and wanna know a secret? I don't even pay for the cable I have here! It was hooked up when I moved in. (shameless, sure, but can ya blame me? Free things are good.)

Now, a new season of a TV series usually runs between $30 and $60 depending on how many discs it is and how popular the series is. The Tudors Season 3, for example, was running a steep $55 everywhere I looked. But give it a couple years, and it'll be in the bargain bin at Wal-Mart for 12 bucks, where Seinfeld is right now. Less than the cost of actually GOING TO SEE A MOVIE, you get HOURS of a TV show!

DISCLAIMER: I don't sell TV on DVD, I have nothing to do with it. I just love it to pieces, it's one of the things in the world that I am truly jazzed about.

Stay golden, Ponyboy(s).