10 TV/Movie Couples: 4 and 3

4. Marty Claridge and Clark Davis from the Love Comes Softly movie

     The best movie of the Love Come Softly series from Janette Oke is one of the most sweetest and enduring romantic stories I've seen. Marty Claridge is a woman newly married and making her way to a new place with her new husband to start a family. Sadly tragedy strikes when her husband dies while chasing a runaway horse. Now Marty is alone and in a strange place in the west during the 1800s. In that time a woman all alone in a place like that would surely mean danger and possibly death. A man named Clark Davis gives Marty a proposition. Marry him and help him with his little girl until the spring where she can then take a train and go back to her original home. During that time Marty learns a new way of life and a new way of loving. Clark Davis is a good, christian man who teaches Marty how to pick up her life and start again. They slowly begin to fall in love with each other and Marty comes to accept and be happy with her new family.

     Clark Davis is played by the charming Dale Midkiff. He gives such a heartwarming and genuine performance of a man who lost his first wife and has now had to raise his young daughter alone. Marty is played by the lovely Katherine Heigl and she also gives a genuine and sweet performance of a woman who has lost everything and must take a step into a brave, new and sometime frightening world. This is a Christian based story that teaches a good lesson but also plays out the romance of the film just as well. I would recommend this to anyone who has a love of period romances. This is one that is not to be missed!


3. Maria and Captain Von Trapp from The Sound of Music

     Yes, another musical which is just as great as the other one in my opinion. Also, this one was based on true events! Maria is a sorta nun-in-training but she can't keep her head out of the clouds. So her Mother Superior gives her a chance to make a choice. Maria is given a job as a governess for a family of a man named Captain Von Trapp. Things go shall I say less than exceptional at the beginning between Maria and army of children Von Trapp has. As the long movie continues though things take a turn for the better for  Maria and the children but not so much for her and Von Trapp. After the other woman is taken care of, Von Trapp and Maria begin to see each other is a different light. A romantic light that is. They have an chemistry induced dance in the garden and everything changes! Soon Maria is Von Trapp's wife and the gang go on a musical rampage through the now Nazi controlled Austria.

     Maria is played by the always entertaining and lovely Julie Andrews with bubbly enthusiasm almost completely throughout the film. How could the children NOT love her?! She is freaking Mary Poppins!
Captain Von Trapp is played by the equally entertaining and charming Christopher Plummer. This guy is very striking and has such a presence! Try to remember the first time you saw this film! Wow! Yeah, me too! lol!
Everyone should watch this movie at least once in their lifetime if not more. If your a sucker for music and romance then this is your kind of film! :)

Dobby's Discovery

 A Dobby the House Elf fan fiction

     Unbeknownst to anyone but Hagrid and Dobby there was a moment in Harry's 4th year at Hogwarts during the wrangling of the dragons for the Triwizard Tournament that ensured the giant and the house elf as close friends. One day as Dobby was gathering some herbs near the edge of the Forbidden Forrest he had quite a fright for a little one such as himself! Dobby was appointed this task by Blimplet, the fattest and unfortunately the self proclaimed boss of the Hogwarts Kitchen Staff. Of all the house elves in the kitchens Blimplet was the crossest. Dobby had the ability to collect the finest herbs and Blimplet made sure no one but Dobby would have this task. Well, he was minding his own business and enjoying the sunshine and choosing the best gillyweed he could find when a huge hand grabbed the back of his pillow case gown, pulling him high into the air as red hot fire nearly singed his nether regions!
    

10 Tv and Movie Couples: 6 and 5

SPOILERS TO ANYONE WHO HAS NOT SEEN THESE MOVIE OR TV SHOWS! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!


6. Erik and Christine from The Phantom of the Opera

     Oh, this poor, twisted, (but beautiful) Beauty and the Beast like tale is filled to the brim with murder, music, and romance. Erik is The Phantom of the Opera and Christine is his student in the art of music and he hopes love, but Erik has lived a tortured life filled with ridicule and malice, mostly because of his hideous appearance. The cruelty he endured in childhood has turned him into the merciless, passionate killer living within the bows a French opera house. His obsession over Christine a chorus girl he turns into the lead singer borders dangerously close to the point of the "if I can't have you no one will" territory especially when she falls for a childhood friend, Raoul. The rest of the story is mostly about which one of these suitors will win Christine's favor.

                                     


     The 2006 version stars Gerard Butler as the Phantom and I found it quite hard to keep reminding myself that he was an insane murderer and it just wouldn't be right for Christine to accept him. Actually, down right dangerous of course! I like that in the end Erik proves that he still has some humanity within when he chooses not to kill Raoul and even lets Christine leave with him. Maybe it's the "if you love them let them go act". Well, unfortunately for Erik she didn't come back to him. Well, as far as we know she never did. This couple breaks up but while they were almost/sorta together it was enchanting and a little frightening to experience. Exactly what The Phantom of the Opera is suppose to be I'm sure.

5. Spock and Uhura from the new Star Trek films

      The first Star Trek film is what brought my attention to the marvelous being that is Zachary Quinto. It was quite spooky in the beginning to watch his portrayal of Spock originally brought to life by the equally marvelous Leonard Nimoy. Out of all the cast in the new revived series he was the one who resembled the original actor best. The lovely Zoe Saldana plays Uhura in these films and she brought a delightful chemistry to the screen for Zachary's Spock. Spock endures too much pain during the first film and dare I say in the newest one as well for different reasons.

     It is good to know that Uhura is there for him. Watching these two have lovers quarrels are quite telling and very funny. There is one problem in my opinion about this relationship...there isn't enough of it in the films. Especially the second one. We need more insight into Uhura. What does she do on her off time (besides going to bars of course)? What is some of her history? Maybe even see a complete date from beginning to end for the couple. Theirs is a very complicated yet simplistic relationship I feel. From what I've seen though Uhura seems to know Spock more than Spock knows himself. As the films continue maybe there will be more of this couple and more importantly more from Uhura to show us what exactly it is about her that made Spock fall hopelessly in love with her. Maybe I'm just yearning for that flashback of when they first fell for each other! lol! Hey, it's only logical. :)

10 Tv and Movie Couples: 8 and 7

 SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T SEEN THESE TV SHOWS AND MOVIES! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

8. The Doctor and Rose Tyler from Doctor Who

     I could go on and on about this long running tv series. I could go on and on about this couple. Yes, they're a couple because when the head writer (Russell T. Davies at the time) gives their Doctor's companion an almost exact replica to smooch on then yeah. He intended them to be a couple. Oh, but I guess there are rules when it comes to giving the real Doctor everlasting happiness so this was the very best next thing...hmmmm.

    Rose meets The Doctor when he's balding and has a seriously major chip on his shoulder (my Doctor, don't you just love Chris?!). A few episodes later they're acting like they can't survive without the other although never expressed very openly. Well, not yet. Soon, Rose changes in her robbing the cradle Doctor for the charming David Tennant.

For some the sparks really took flight after that so much so to the point that some fans have STILL never gotten over the fact these two are not on our screens anymore. Awww. He was our wounded, mad Timelord and she was our favorite shop girl with a heart. One heart for her and two for him but soon time began to run out for our star-crossed travelers.

The two were separated by two universes and failed "I love yous". It just couldn't end like that. It didn't of course. A few more appearances by Rose and playing marbles with the Earth then we truly, really had an ending for our cute couple. Two Doctors somehow came to be so The Doctor had a spare he could give to Rose and the first thing she does is kiss him (the spare). Our Dose or Roctor (terrible I know) became a reality! Well sorta. What did Russell T. Davies do to Doctor Who and it's fans?! Some of us have never recovered and the rest of Doctor Who seems bland and uninteresting after this. Don't hate on me peeps! Deep down inside you know it to be true!

7. Wolf and Virginia from The 10th Kingdom

     I JUST LOVE THIS MINI-SERIES!!! Hmmm. What to say after that? lol! My family first saw this fairy-land inspired beauty when it first aired on NBC. Yes, we were one of the few who actually DID watch it when it originally aired! Sadly, very little of the viewing public watched and that is why we will never have a sequel. Well, not with the same original cast I'm sure. It has been 13 years! What we do have though is a treasure which I've seen many, many times over since that first viewing. I can unashamedly admit the reason for the repeat views is the relationship between Scott Cohen's Wolf (my fav character) and Virginia Lewis played by Kimberly Williams...before she was a Paisley.

                                     


Wolf is a man who is half wolf of course from a land which holds 9 kingdoms all based on the fairy-tales we all grew up on. Virginia Lewis is a young woman from New York who lives with her father in an apartment. Their worlds collide when a portal connecting these two places is formed in Central Park following a little mishap with an escaped from prison Evil Queen, a prince who has been turned into a dog, and orders given to Wolf to find this lost dog prince. What transpires is a grand adventure through the land of fairy-tales and magic to find a way back to Virginia's world. During this lovely and enchanting journey these two go from strangers to friends and finally to romantic partners. The process of this happening is quite funny but also tear jerking.

When you first meet Wolf it's easy to think: "What is wrong with this fellow?" He's totally obsessed with food, howls like there's no tomorrow, and scratches his face too much! lol! As the series progresses all his little antics make him so endearing though. Then there comes a scene where he's in a cage and is pleading with Virginia to stay with him. The look on his face and those puppy dog (wolf pup) eyes! I fell so hard and never recovered after that!

Virginia Lewis has some really hard truths to learn through the story. She's a spunky 20 something woman who thinks she has her life all planned out but underneath she's a hurt and frightened little girl still feeling the pain of when her mother left her when she was only seven years old. Through the crazy adventures and big revelations (there are some BIG moments of her) she becomes a braver person and learns she can move on from the pain. This girl has the power to make you cry and laugh along with her. One of my fav scenes is when she plays a shepherdess and sings We Will SHER You! :) Also, those beautiful and painful moments about her with The Evil Queen. So sad indeed. 

These two people (Wolf and Virginia) together bring out the best in each other and make for such a romantic exciting adventure for the rest of us! If you haven't seen this series then fry up some bacon, swallow a magic bean, play some A Whiter Shade of Pale (down low of course), and make a certain wish to settle down and enjoy this magical ride! :)

10 Couples From TV and Movies : Numbers 10 and 9

SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T SEEN THESE TV SHOWS OR MOVIES! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

This list isn't in any particular order. They're movies that I happen to own that have a little or more than a little romance in them. I'm going to share my opinion about each of these tv and movie couples and I might have another one of these list if this turns out well. Okay, here's my first 10 couple shout outs!

NUMBER 10

Ron and Herminone from Harry Potter

Oh, Ron and Hermione. What can be said about these two that probably hasn't been said over the 10 or so years this romance was splash across our movie screens. A muggle girl meets a pure-blood red head and sparks gradually fly. Well, it took them 6 years to actually get together and rightfully so since we are talking about children that literally grew up on the screen (characters and actors). In the books the relationship seemed to have a better flow because Ron's character wasn't as much of a buffoon as he was in the films. He had his moments especially in the the first few films but as the films progressed well lets just say it was because of hormones.

     We had our Ron/Hermione shippers but we also had Harry/Hermione shippers too. Well, we also had Snape/Hermione shippers and all kinds of other shippers but the most prominent I do believe was the fans of Harry and Hermione and I don't blame them. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson did seem to have a chemistry and that dance scene in Deathly Hallows 1 which was probably meant to show they were just friends only fueled the speculative fire. Hey, the writers of the films changed so much of the storyline (especially after David Yates took the helm but that's a whole other story) that Herminone choosing Harry over Ron wouldn't totally be beyond the scope of their wondering finger tips! Of course we wouldn't have had these lovely scenes if that had been the plan from the beginning. Not to mention this!

Wow. Wow. Wow. I'm saying that sarcastically. For someone who's read the books the big kiss we've all been waiting for...well it was semi-satisfying even though it was completely rewritten in a different place and at a different time. We're talking about the movie couple though so I guess it was satisfying enough...I guess.

     So, Ron and Hermione have a happy ending judging from the strange 19 years later scene. They have a boy and a girl and everything is right with the world. Ron seems to have turned into his father with the failing hairline but love isn't based on how much red hair one man has. May you both have billions of red headed children instilled with the most intelligence and tom-foolery the magical world has ever or will ever know!

NUMBER 9

Louise and Brad from Teen Witch

Okay, okay. I know. This movie is strange but I LOVE it! This magical, musical, romantic comedy has it own fair share of mockers. It's funny and sometimes (okay most of the time) doesn't make any sense but isn't that what it was suppose to be? Louise who's having the typical nerdy teen problems at school and at home discovers on her 16th birthday she's a witch. Okay, how'd this happen? Mom and Dad not telling something right? Well, Louise has this crush on Brad who's the typical football jock with a snobby girlfriend. New powers means Brad is MINE! So that's basically what happens. There's some chemistry between these two characters but I do wish that Brad was a little more intelligent. If he was that cheapo magic might not have worked so well or at the end when she gives up her magic and wants Brad to love her for being her I think he would've dumped her butt right then and there for trying to control him!

    I mean look right there! He can't decide which girl he wants to be with?! It's not rocket science Brad! The girl you've been with all through high school ( even though she is a snob) or the new girlfriend who you recently thought of as just a nerd but now has some creepy control over you! Oh well, when I was kid I wanted them together and it's an entertaining movie for whenever you have a need to go back to the crazy 80s.

The Five Pennies Review Fathers and Daughters

       I seriously just finished watching the great Danny Kaye in the film The Five Pennies for the very first time. Some will be shocked to hear this. I've read in many comments on YouTube clips of this wonderful movie that they grew up with Danny Kaye. Well, I've known about Danny Kaye for a while myself. Used to watch some of his work when I was younger (Hans Christian Anderson being the first and probably fav) but this film escaped me. For the past few days I've been on a Danny Kaye marathon and after watching some clips of The Five Pennies and read all those great comments about how the film was one of Danny's best I couldn't go any longer without giving it a try. Earlier I'd seen a clip from The Danny Kaye Show where the guest for that episode was Louis Armstrong. They sang the same song they sung in The Five Pennies. They were quite the pair but this review isn't going to be talking about them. In this review I'm going to talk about the relationship between Kaye's character and the two young ladies who played his daughter.

     The Five Pennies is a film loosely based on the life of Red Nichols, a famous band leader from the 1920s. Kaye plays Mr. Nichols with his usual Kaye style along with the engaging music written by his real life wife Silvia Fine. Now I've seen a few Danny Kaye films and most of them have that comic flair that only Mr. Kaye can deliver but when he throws in the drama with the comedy I do believe that's where Kaye shines the best. This film has plenty of laughs and plenty of drama. In the film when Red's daughter Dorothy is born the musician is torn between making it big in his career and taking care of his little girl. One night his daughter doesn't want to go to sleep and it's 2am. Red and his band boys are playing poker so Red gets a little huffy with his daughter and yells at her to go back to bed. This upsets her and his band mates. The boys leave and we are subject to a beautiful song sung by Red to his daughter to try to get her to go to sleep. This is the moment when the film changed for me from being just another movie to something really special. I guess to get you to see it from my point of view I have to tell you a little about my own life.

     For the first three years of my life I had a father. He was my stepfather and I loved him dearly. Well, from what I was told and from what I can barely remember. After my mother divorced him it was only my mother and I for about three years until my brother was born of course. Never again was I to have a stable father in my life. Men would come and go in my mother's life and mine but none of them stayed to be a part of our family. I think ever since then when I watch famous male movie stars of yesteryear I have a sort of fascination with them and wonder what it would be like if they would've been my father. Okay, I'll admit it. I guess I have daddy issues! lol! I don't know if you've ever heard about this but it's sort of like what a real daughter of a famous father once said about her own past. Clark Gable's and Loretta Young's secret love child Judy Lewis only met her famous father once in her life at 15. She never saw him again in real life only in the movies of course. She used to watch Gone With the Wind and cry when Gable was playing with his onscreen daughter. Lewis said she used to pretend that she was that girl because she herself never experience having Gable be there for her. I can empathize with her in a way. Father/daughter moments in films if they're done right make me start to ball my eyes out because I know I'll never experience anything like that in my life. Back to The Five Pennies. When Red sings The Five Pennies theme song to his daughter it is one of the most touching scenes in the whole film. I was okay at the beginning but somewhere in the middle of the song to his little one I turned into Niagara Falls. I started envy this little girl and also Danny Kaye's real life daughter Dena. She got to experience a father who could entertain her, love her, and teach her about life. Believe me, you people out there who have a father or had one all through your childhood, one who was good to you and cared for you and loved you dearly, you should be thankful. There a many of us out there that will NEVER know what that is like. EVER.

     Later in the film the drama kicks in even more. Red seems to neglect his daughter by keeping her in boarding schools while him and his wife travel the country with his band. Even missing birthdays and holidays away from their little girl. When Dorthy is struck with polio, this seems to put things into sharp and painful perspective for Red and his wife. His daughter doesn't even want him around at first. So he quits his music and works in a shipyard, buys a home for his family, and takes care of Dorthy for years helping her to walk again.

When Dorthy is a teen and everyone else in Red's old band has moved on without him and became famous, Red's daughter wants him to go back into the music business because she can see how much he did for her and how much he desperately needs to go back. Of course they have to end the film with all his buddies coming in to a club to play with Red (even Louis Armstrong) and we also have daughter Dorthy giving her father a surprise. She can finally stand and walk on her own. Red's wife (played by the lovely Barbara Bel Geddes who you might recognize from a future role in Dallas) sings The Five Pennies theme song again and I'm a Niagara Falls mess one more time! You know Hans Christian Anderson may have to step aside as my favorite Danny Kaye film from now on. This film gave me the same feeling as when Colin Firth danced a father/daughter dance with Amanda Bynes at the end of What a Girl Wants. Yep, we always want what we cannot have right? Tootles.

A Little Bit About Me: I Love To Sing.

I love to sing karaoke. Here are a couple of songs from the wonderful and fun website KaraokeParty.com. Hope you enjoy. http://www.karaokeparty.com/en/recordings