Pathetic Unicorn!

Meryl Streep love

2012-03-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

After winning her Oscar for 'Iron Lady':

She's so classy! I love her

Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!

2012-03-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

This is from the first time I met Buzz, in Tomorrowland. I was pretty thrilled, he's one of my favorite Toy Story characters. My Buzz action figure is currently standing on my bookshelf, waiting to rescue any lost toys. You can meet Buzz in Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom, and at Hollywood Studios.

Disney and Miyazaki DVDs I'd like to own:

2012-02-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
Tangled
The Princess And The Frog
Toy Story and Toy Story 2
Ratatouille
Oliver And Company
Tarzan
The Incredibles
The Sword In The Stone
Hercules
My Neighbor Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
A Goofy Movie
The Great Mouse Detective
The Emperor's New Groove
Miyazaki's Spirited Away

Food I want to Make

2012-02-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Cheesecakes
Coffee Cookie Dough Fudge Cheesecake
Caramel Fudge Brownie Cheesecake
Birthday Cake Cheesecake

Cakes
Salted Caramel Chocolate Trifle
Honeybun Cake with Caramel Sauce
Pumpkin Streusel Swirled Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Gâteau aux Noix
Toasted Almond Cake with Mascarpone Cream and Amarena Cherries

Pastries & Breads
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding
Buttermilk Cranberry Scones
Quick Rosemary, Fig, and Goat Cheese Tart
Quick and Easy Beer Bread

Cupcakes
Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Cupcakes
Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Reese’s Cup Cupcakes
Lemon Burst Fairycakes

Easy Sopapilla Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Pies and Tarts
Red Berry Pie — Version 2.0
Mini-Pies: Pumpkin, Peach Crisp, and Sour Cream Apple
Mini Apple Pies with Cheddar Crusts
Almost No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie

Savory
Summer Bean Salad
Apple, Brie, and Toasted Pecan Panini
World’s Best Grilled Cheese (Sharp Cheddar & Caramelized Onions on Beer Bread)
Naked Vegan Tacos with Corn Relish & Cilantro-Lime Slaw
Garlicky Peanut Noodles with Crunchy Vegetables
Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Billion Cheese Ravioli with Red Pepper Pancetta Sauce

Breakfast
Carrot Cake Waffles
Banana Nut Bread Waffles
Raspberry Almond Braid
Strawberry Walnut Ricotta Muffins
48 Homemade Breakfast Cereals

Articles/Baking Topics:
Baking to Freeze
Journey Towards the Perfect Crust (offsite)

Nutella Puppy Chow

Source
Source 2

Another Disney survey

2012-02-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Favorite Disney memory?
Meeting Belle for the first time in her ballgown at 21 and bursting into tears.

What ride or attraction would you have installed in your backyard?
Expedition Everest, the rollercoaster from Animal Kingdom

Next time you're at Disney World, you'll go straight to what attraction or area?
Magic Kingdom. To get a Dole Whip in Adventureland, then to Fantasyland to wander around, then to Main Street to meet the princesses.

What princess would you want to meet first?
Belle, my favorite!

If you could have any job with Disney, what would you want to do?
Right now? Social Media for Disney Fairytale Weddings, International College Program Recruiter, Radio Disney DJ, host of Disney 365 on Disney Channel, or Guest Relations at the parks.

What is your most treasured Disney item?
My autograph books. And my giant Pooh bear from my first program.

If you could be any Disney character for a day, who would you be and why?
Peter Pan, so I could fly to Neverland.

Favorite dining area in the parks?
Akershus in fake Norway. Or 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian.

Favorite Disney food?
Dole Whips. Pineapple and vanilla swirl, please.

What would you base the next Disney movie off of?
Hmmm. The last Princess Diaries book, Forever Princess. I liked the second Princess Diaries movie, but it made no sense in relation to the books. Mia is getting ready to graduate high school, and finds love with her first boyfriend, Michael.

Would you rather act on Disney Channel -or- be best friends with a character at the parks?
I would love to be friends with any princess.

Your opinion on Disney Channel?
I watched it when I was growing up, but now it's disappointing.I loved Doug, Recess, Kim Possible, Pepper Ann, and Lizzie McGuire.

All-time favorite Disney Channel show/DCOM?
Lizzie McGuire

Favorite piece of Disney magic?
Meeting your favorite character. Making magical moments for guests. Just wandering through the parks. It's all good!

Children's Books I Love

2012-02-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

In no particular order:

Any of the American Girl series, but especially Samantha, Josefina, Addy, and Molly's books
Any of the Royal Diaries series, but especially Elizabeth I and Marie Antoinette
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Anything by Beverly Cleary, but especially the Ramona series
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Amber Brown series by Paula Danziger
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series by Betty MacDonald
Ella Enchanted and Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
The Babysitter's Club series by Ann M. Martin (and various ghostwriters)
The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series (my favorite was Farmer Boy)
The Lorax and Happy Birthday to You by Dr. Seuss
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (and the rest of the series) by J.K. Rowling
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Madeline series by Ludwig Bemelmans
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Matilda (and The Witches and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG) by Roald Dahl
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (and the rest of the 'Chronicles of Narnia' series) by C.S. Lewis
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
The Bad Beginning (and the rest of 'Series of Unfortunate Events') by Lemony Snicket
The Magic School Bus series
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Allie Finkle series by Meg Cabot

Source

Top 10 Places to meet Characters at Disney World

2012-02-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

1. Town Square – In Magic Kingdom, at the Town Square Theater you can meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Mickey's backstage dressing room. In a separate room of the theatre you can also meet the Disney Princesses. There are usually three, and are usually from the main 5 (Belle, Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel or Snow White), although Tiana and Rapunzel are there from time to time also. Outside in the street, by the flagpole you can normally meet Daisy Duck or Pluto. Sometimes Pinocchio makes appearances too.

2. Adventureland – The fairies are here! Adventureland is also the home to Pirate Goofy, Aladdin and Jasmine. Captain Jack Sparrow also has a pirate recruiting show here.

3. Halloween or Christmas Parties - These are EXCELLENT opportunities for meeting some neat characters, and meeting characters in special outfits. They can vary from year to year, but most recently the two different seasonal events have seen the likes of the Seven Dwarfs, Gaston and the Princes, to name but a few. Mickey and Minnie are on hand to meet fans at the Town Square Theater, and will be in special themed costumes, and look out for other favourite characters around the park wearing seasonal attire appropriate for that party.

4. Future World - Future World is home to the EPCOT Character Spot (opposite Innoventions West), where you can meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto all at once. Opposite the Character Spot, Chip and Dale usually meet their fans.

At the main entrance in Future World you will often find Stitch or Daisy Duck meeting near Spaceship Earth.

Sometimes, if you're lucky you can find random/rare characters inside the hallway behind the Character Spot.

5. World Showcase -
Mexican Donald at Mexico
Mary Poppins, Alice and 2 random Pooh friends at the United Kingdom
Marie, Aurora, Belle and Beast at France
Snow White in Germany
Mulan in China
Aladdin and Jasmine in Morocco

On occasion you may also find random characters appearing at International Gateway, World Showplace (near Canada and UK pavilions) or to the side of the American Adventure.You can also eat at my favorite Princess restaurant, Akershus in fake Norway.

We exit through the International Gateway and make our way down the river to Hollywood Studios now...

6. Animation Building - The Animation Building is home to Sorcerer Mickey, the Incredibles (any combination of Mr, Mrs or Frozone), plus lots of random ones down on the floor later the day, when Fantasmic isn’t playing that night.

I’ve met Snow White, Belle, Mary Poppins and her penguins, Pocahontas and Meeko, Captain Hook, Smee, Jafar, Aladdin, Jasmie, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Rafiki, the Genie, Mulan, the Queen from Snow White, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Gepetto and Pinocchio, Chip and Dale, and the Queen of Hearts. It’s a magical hour, usually from 5-6. Again, make sure Fantasmic isn’t playing that night.

7. Star Wars Weekends - During the early summer (May/June), Hollywood Studios hosts the ridiculously popular Star Wars Weekends. A fantastic experience, but immensely busy, you can meet Stormtroopers, Anakin, Darth Vader, Ewoks, Leia, Luke and many, many more (there are far too many to list). On top of that, the Fab 5 friends get in on the act too, and you can find Jedi Mickey, Vader Goofy, Stormtrooper Donald and Leia Minnie!

Let us cool off now under the shade and trees of Animal Kingdom...

8. Discovery Island - At Discovery Island you can find Flik and any given three Pooh friends (nearly always Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore - but Piglet has been known to appear also).

9. Camp Minnie-Mickey - probably the best place in the park for characters, here you can meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto or Daisy all dressed in their Camp Counselor outfits at the Greetings Trails. They also dress up for Halloween and Christmas!

You can also find Thumper, Miss Bunny and Chip 'n' Dale nearby. We have also seen Meeko, Pocahontas, and Br’er Bear there recently. In the past Koda and Kenai would meet fairly often too, but not so much any more.

Finally for our top 10 WDW character hot spots is something special at the Grand Floridian...

10. 1900 Park Fare - Although 1900 Park Fare is a character meal which you have to pay extra for, there variety of characters is good, and can vary depending on the time of day/type of meal. You can meet the Tremaines, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Mary Poppins, Alice, Pooh, the Mad Hatter or others depending on the time of your visit, making it probably the most varied character meal on property (the others are very specific such as Princesses, Playhouse Disney or Fab 5, where as this one can vary).

Source

I'm going back to Disney World!!

2012-02-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

I’m going back to Disney World!! I just got accepted 2 hours ago, for the Fall Advantage 2012 program. I’m going to be a Character Attendant!! Words can’t express how excited I am, how I skipped around campus with a giant smile on my face, and how I can’t wait to graduate from college in May!

Things I'm excited for:

Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival (also to be presented by HGTV):
March 7 - May 20, 2012

2012 Star Wars Weekend Dates:
May 18-20
May 25-27
June 1-3
June 8-10
Star Wars Weekends is an annual event that celebrates the Star Wars film saga and the hit animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. During the celebration, we host special shows, presentations and offer some pretty cool memorabilia.

Sounds Like Summer Concert Series:
June 10, 2012–July 28, 2012
Sounds Like Summer is an annual live concert series at Epcot theme park that brings together a talented collection of tribute bands to authentically recreate the classic hits of legendary musical icons.

Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival:
September 28, 2012–November 11, 2012
The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is an autumn special event that transforms Epcot theme park into a food and wine lover's paradise with specialty food items, culinary events, wine seminars and live musical entertainment.

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Holidays Around The World – Candlelight Processional:
November 23, 2012–December 30, 2012

Stephen Colbert answering thoughtful questions

2012-02-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

Note from the reddit admins: back in October, when reddit was helping raise money for DonorsChoose, Stephen Colbert (major reddit fan, BTW) provided us with an extra incentive: if we raised $500,000 before the rally, he would let reddit ask him anything. Well, you guys held up your end of the deal ($575,000 and counting, with the vast majority of donations coming from redditors). You asked some great questions. And now, we have answers to the top 11, as voted by you.

Stephen's original response was in all-caps, due to being composed on a special iPad app while he was presumably curled up on the couch in a post-turkey coma. If you want to see that rough cut, it's available here. Otherwise, what follows is a slight reformatting.

Hi there,
Right off the bean, let me apologize for the all caps. It's the default style for our script writing program, and I'm just comfortable with it.

Secondly, I'm sorry this response is so long in coming, but until Thanksgiving week, the show didn't have any break after the rally. We were all shambling to the finish line, and my addled brain was in no shape to answer your questions. I'd like to think you couldn't tell how tired I was on air, though you probably could.
So without further ado, here we go...

#1 by Killfile
To this day I'm convinced that your appearance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner was because the Bush Administration didn't understand your show.
Did they? What happened behind the scenes there? Was it more "non-alcoholic beer in the Roosevelt Room" or "Dick Cheney peppering your limo with bird-shot as you beat a hasty retreat?"
I was as surprised as the next guy that I was invited to roast the President and the press corps that spring.
Here's how it works. The White House Press Association (or some name close to that) actually does the inviting, not the President or White House. The president of the press association that year was a man named, I believe, Mark Smith, I think from the AP. He invited me. When all was said and done, I wrote to thank him and said I hoped I hadn't made trouble for him. He said there was zero fallout.

As for the backstage aspects of the night, the President has a nice, small gathering in a room near the banquet hall. The presidential seal is etched into the granite on the floor. A few news anchors, football greats, cabinet members and advisors (I remember Rove and Chertoff, there were others I think), Rich Dahm, Allison Silverman, my brothers and sisters and mom, my wife Evie, and the President and Mrs. Bush.

Let me say that the President could not have been nicer, especially to my mother. I have some lovely pictures of her with him. The President and I had a brief conversation before we went on stage. There were in total maybe 60 people at the party, many of whom I should remember more about, but I was pretty focused on my job that night. There was no backstage event after the dinner, but several parties around town.

I had my family up to our room for a drink then hit a party, don't remember which one. We all had a great time. but I had no sense of public reaction until Monday at work.

#2 by linsage
You gained your fame and fortune slightly later in life, was there ever a point in your career where you thought about plan B? What kept you going as an actor, why did you keep trying?
At what point did you realize that everything was probably going to be okay, was it a specific gig you landed? What did you do to excel your career when you weren't booking gigs? Lastly, do you have any advice for 20 somethings pursuing a tough career during this economic downfall where it isn't just actors who aren't getting jobs?
When you are young and single, there really isn't anything to worry about.

Will you starve? Not likely. I worried that I didn't have enough gumption to get work. That I wouldn't know how to network or something. But at a young age several people, some professors and directors, told me I had talent, and that it was mine to husband if I was willing to work. Those kind words sustained me, many times.

I mostly just said yes to any opportunity to get on stage. Pay or no pay. Equity, amateur, comedy, avant garde, and improv especially. Chicago has a great improv community, and I could get up on stage a lot after I got to know the other members of the community. I called it getting in trouble. You say yes to something, then you are in trouble. You have to deliver. Each mini-crisis I forced myself into made me work hard.

As for true doubt, it got under my skin deeply only once. I was newly-married and I was offered a part I would have loved, but no pay. I had worked for six years doing anything, but had made a deal with myself that if I ever was to have family I could support, I would have to insist on pay. A small rule, right? But hard for a young actor to keep. Mostly you don't really get paid.

I said no to the part and immediately (I mean within minutes) went into a spiral of panic that lasted for months. I was sure I had made the wrong decision (I hadn't) and would never get a part like it again. But the worst feeling was that I knew I truly wanted to be an actor and there was no turning back now. I was too old to do anything else. This was a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Importantly, I was wrong on all counts. Just keep working as long as you can't think of anything else you could happily do. Keep saying yes.

#3 by DesCo83
After viewing the more candid interaction you had with John Kerry recently, I'm curious:
How often are there times, on the show, or in your day to day life where people will express a strong feeling of agreement with the more ludicrous things you say? Do you ever just want to yell "No you idiot, you can't possibly agree with what I said. What I said was stupid, and you're stupid for agreeing with me!"
I know I often play devil's advocate in arguments for fun, and sometimes I have to stop half way and just say "No, stop agreeing with me!"
There have been many times that I have successfully argued a position I don't agree with. That's a lot of fun. But the sort of thing that gets me is when simple lies are not refuted, like, "The founding fathers were all deeply-committed Christians who believed in the literal word of the Bible."

"Tax increases on the rich are proven to lead to job losses."

#4 by highoctanecaffeine
Do you feel like the comedy news shows by you and Stewart are having any effect on the actual mainstream / cable news networks?
You both pick their stories apart frequently and point out their biases, have you noticed any change in their practices? Is the goal of your show purely to entertain, or would you really like to affect a change on the news media?
I think the phrase "purely to entertain" has a nice ring to it. Much better than "merely to entertain."

I presently have no plans to change the news media. They are changing themselves without any help from me. I seem to remember that when I started the show five years ago there were fewer jokes in the cable news nightly broadcasts. And I was the only one crying on a regular basis. I could be misremembering that.

#5 by Btrash
Who have you tried to get for an interview, but won't come on your show? Who would you like to interview the most?
I've never been heartbroken not to have a guest. Our game doesn't flourish because of big names, but because of strong feelings about the guest or passion from the guest on their subject. And my booker is tenacious.

That being said, I'd like to have more conservatives on. But I can understand guests' hesitancy. They don't always know what to expect from a character. That may make them uncomfortable.

Salinger would have been nice. I'm a fan.

#6 by noncompliantcitizen
Do you sometimes wish you could not be in character for some interviews? Being in character, do you feel that it prevents some people from coming on the show?
Well these questions are really related. I'll say that from my end of the interview, I often have a guest whose subject I happen to know a thing or two about, and I want to engage them intelligently, but I am an aggressively ignorant character. That is frustrating.

Of course knowing their subject lets me make the dumbest possible characterizations of their position or idea. If you ever see me truly being vigorously dense with a guest, I probably know something of his or her subject. And as I said, yes, the character aspect may give some people pause.

#7 by capgrass
Has anyone ever walked off the set/out of the studio either during or before an interview? If so, why?
No one has ever walked out in studio. One congressperson was about to in D.C., but my crew jumped in to stop it from happening. Not I. I just wanted to capture whatever happened. After that moment, strangely, the representative went on to have a great time with me. I'm not sure what precipitated the threat to leave.

#8 by drunkmonkey81
How often do you interview people who still don't realize you're "in character"? Can you share a story of your favorite encounter with a "clueless" participant?
No one doesn't know I'm in character. I tell everyone first.

I admire Sacha Baron Cohen, but I am not doing Ali G.

#9 by Imidazole0
What is your stance on marijuana legalization?
When we were last in California for the Emmys, people came out of pot shops with lists of things to say to the doctor so he wold give you a legal prescription. Anxiety. Sleeplessness. What is the difference between that and legalization? So if it happened, I don't think the world would come to an end.

Unless... IT WAS THE POT SMOKERS WHO DREAMT UP SUBPRIME MORTGAGE BUNDLING IN THEIR DAMNED OPIATE FEVERS????!!!!

When I was young, marijuana was everywhere and basically a joke. Then in the eighties it was conflated with crack in the just say no days. I was truly surprised by the return of drug humor and movies in the last decade.

#10 by Willravel
Jon Stewart's interview on Rachel Maddow highlighted Jon's philosophy on the difference between his role and the role of news people like Rachel Maddow.
What, in your mind, is the difference between your responsibility or job and the responsibility or job of a news anchor or 24 hour news host / personality? Do you feel you're fulfilling your role? Do you feel they're fulfilling theirs?
Thanks for doing what you do. You're a funny, funny man.
I think Jon's appearance on Rachel highlighted his ability to be pretty sharp after vomiting for eight hours.
As for the 24 cable hosts / personalities fulfilling their roles, you bet they do -- as those roles are defined by their companies. If not, they are fired. The fact that the roles they fulfill are hard to recognize anymore, and have little to do with informing us, but are instead used to emotionally "engage" us with their brand personas, means I have a steady stream of material.

I too would be fired if I wasn't fulfilling my role as defined by my company. Happily they define that as comedy, and I agree. I have no real responsibility beyond working hard on jokes.

#11 by ManiacMagee
How does your family handle your constantly growing popularity? I know in an interview a while ago you said you didn't want your kids to watch your show because you feared they wouldn't be able to differentiate your character from who you really are. Is that still the case or are they allowed to watch your show now?
It has come to my attention that I can't stop them anymore, but I wish they would ask me which shows to watch. Sometimes the old guy can get on some rough subjects. I don't like the kids seeing that. He drops the F bomb a wee too much as well.

I am lucky to have gotten my flavor of fame after reaching man's estate.

Not that I don't confuse myself at times, but I have a pretty good idea of who I am, and am sustained by a breathtakingly levelheaded girl who married me long ago.

Thanks so much for all that you redditors did for the rally. I am so impressed that your idea of coercion is to do good deeds until they are national news. CNN and others were reporting your charity blackmail just days after you started. A new idea, I think, and something to be proud of. The rally was tremendously supported by you all, along with Facebook, and Twitter. I have no doubt that your efforts to organize and the joy you clearly brought to your part of the story contributed greatly to the turnout and success. Contrary to whatever bullshit quotes you may have heard in the bullshit press.

See you 'round.
Thanks,
S

Reddit source

Daniel Radcliffe, Heat magazine

2012-02-05T17:36:00.001-07:00

You’re only 22. Don’t most people in their early twenties drink too much?
Unfortunately it’s not that simple. I have a very addictive personality. It was a problem.

Really? There were never any stories of you going on wild benders…
People with problems like that are very adept at hiding it. It was bad. I don’t want to go into details but I drank a lot and it was daily - I mean nightly. I can honestly say I never drank at work on Harry Potter. I went into work still drunk, but I never drank at work.

You mean Harry Potter had a hangover?
I can point to many scenes where I’m just gone. Dead behind the eyes.

You were only 11 when you started on the films. Do you think growing up in the spotlight contributed to your drinking?
I think it would have happened anyway. I think it’s just in me. I loved the fact I suddenly could talk to people and feel so entertaining and so interesting. But after a while, you’re living under such a cloud of shame about what you’ve done and the dread of who you might see, what you might have said to them, what you might have done with them. You either have to change something or give into that shame and I wasn’t prepared to do that at 21.

Did you sleep with loads of groupies?
Not at all. I was always very nervous about the groupie thing. I like to like somebody before I sleep with them, I really do. You know you’re going to have to talk to them afterwards, even if it is a one-night stand. I have… I mean that has happened, but generally speaking I’ve known the person. Someone once said to me, “You can go outside and pick from the girls at the stage door.” And I said, “No, that’s not me.” [Stops.] Because, to do that, you kind of have to be a dick.

Read the full interview with Daniel – including what he has to say about his Harry Potter co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, and what he’s done with all his millions – pick up a copy of heat magazine on sale now!

Source

Daniel Radcliffe in the news, again!

2012-02-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

Fighting fit

"The thing is,” says Daniel Radcliffe, apologetically, “I’m aiming to become the most reliable actor in Hollywood.”

In isolation, it’s an admirable statement. However, as a last-minute excuse for cancelling his interview with ShortList, this seems paradoxical. Thankfully, Radcliffe expands. “My voice is going,” he croakily explains outside the New York studio where our exclusive cover shoot is taking place. “I’ve only got three weeks left on Broadway and I promised myself I wouldn’t miss a single show. I can’t risk talking for an hour and losing my voice completely. I don’t want to let anyone down.”

This kind of iron-willed professionalism seems a world away from the hot-headed petulance traditionally associated with those who have grown up in the spotlight, but then, as ShortList is discovering, Daniel Radcliffe is not your average superstar...He’s currently at the business end of a nine-month Broadway stint [in the raucous musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying] and, as his reluctance to waste vocal energy proves, he’s not taking his responsibilities lightly.

A month later, back in London, we’re shaking hands again. By now, the 22-year-old has made a full recovery and he’s energetically letting fly on everything from his first post-Potter film — a chilling big-screen adaptation of The Woman In Black — to school bullies, journalists and the beauty of Baileys...

How were the last few weeks on Broadway?
I didn’t miss a single show. But whenever I got ill, I got ultra-fucking paranoid, so I had to take any excuse I could not to talk for a while.

Professionalism is clearly important to you...
It’s a vastly underestimated quality that a lot of young actors don’t have. It comes down to the fact that actors get away with a lot of shit they shouldn’t, so people expect a certain level of complacency. I always feel that’s the perception of me I’m coming up against and I want to counteract that as strongly as I can. One of the main reasons I want to direct is so I can be really fucking bossy with actors. I won’t take any shit [laughs].

There'll be no mucking about for the blooper reel, then?
God, no. Even when I was 11 on the first Potter film and the other kids would say, “Let’s do something funny on this take,” I’d think, “No. Why don’t we just do our jobs?” The crew don’t fuck about, do they? They don’t do one take where they all fucking shake the camera. So why should the actors do it?

Let's talk about The Woman In Black. Did you see the play when you were younger?
I didn’t. I missed that school trip [laughs]. But I tend to mimic and copy, so I wanted to keep from seeing it as I knew I would end up borrowing elements I liked from the play.

Were there any Three Men & A Baby-esque ghostly apparitions on set?
No, although Tom Selleck did materialise in the background of one scene. It’s very brief — you just catch a glimpse of his moustache [laughs].

We'll watch out for that. Now, you mentioned in New York that you regretted not drinking more Baileys... Why is that?
[Laughs] I had a taste of Baileys just before I stopped drinking and I thought, “Gosh, that's nice. I could drink a huge amount of this.” It would have made things more pleasant for the people doing my make-up on set. They’d have smelt Baileys on my breath in the morning instead of vodka.

There's been a lot written about your drinking...What's the truth?
It’s ridiculous that it’s been talked about so much. The drinking was unhealthy and damaging to my body and my social life. That’s beyond question. I was living in constant fear of who I’d meet, what I might have said to them, what I might have done with them, so I’d stay in my apartment for days and drink alone. I was a recluse at 20. It was pathetic — it wasn’t me. I’m a fun, polite person and it turned me into a rude bore. For a long time people were saying to me, “We think you have a problem,” but in the end I had to come to the realisation myself.

Gary Oldman - who you worked with on the Potter films - has been through similar things. Did you ever confide in him?
I did talk to him about it once. I didn’t say I had a problem — because I didn’t think I did at that point — but I told him I shared that mentality he had for actively seeking out chaos. He just said, “You can’t keep doing this. You’ve got too much to lose.” And that really went in. But not even he could have stopped me alone — I had to stop myself. And stopping has shown me a world of happiness that I didn’t think was possible.

You must have had a couple of fun drunken nights out, though?
Yeah, but I can’t remember them [laughs]. Seriously, in the last three years of drinking I blacked out nearly every time. Blacking out was my thing.

How do you find staying sober when everyone else is drunk?
I quite enjoy it until everyone starts slurring, and you’re like, “You’ve told me this fucking story three times already!” Actually, after our Christmas party on Broadway, I had fun going into the rooms of people I knew had got really fucked up the night before, and shouting at them [laughs]. Just to be an arsehole. If you’re going to be sober, you might as well be smug about it.

Was there ever a point when you regretted signing up to Potter?
There was a time after the third film when I thought about quitting. It was only for a second, but I thought, “If I do the fourth, I’ll have to do them all,” and that seemed quite daunting. If I was going to leave, that would have been the perfect time because it would have given whoever came in to play Harry enough films to establish himself properly. It wouldn’t have totally dumped him in the shit. But then I started thinking, “What other good parts are there for 15-year-olds? None.”

You've talked in the past about getting hassle at school - did that contribute to you thinking of quitting?
I don’t know. I mean, school was shit because the kids didn’t like me, but I wasn’t there very often. The problem at school was that I ended up getting cocky. Although most of them were brighter than me, I’d spent five years on film sets, so I’d developed a sharp tongue. Kids would shout, “Oi, tell Hermione she’s fit, yeah?” and I’d say, “Definitely. You’re exactly her type, actually. She’ll go ape-shit when she hears you’re interested.”

You've cited Eddie Izzard's line about bullies - 'they hang out in groups of five because they have a fifth of a personality each' - as an inspiration. Have you ever told Izzard that?
No, I’d like to, but I’ve only met him once. It was in the toilet at the Baftas. I was about 16 and I hadn’t done anything for my girlfriend for Valentine’s Day, so I ran around getting Eddie, Anthony Hopkins and a few others to sign a card for her [laughs].

There are always crazy figures thrown about regarding how much you're worth. Do you even know yourself?
I only found out what I was worth two months ago. Seriously, I’d never wanted to know, but eventually I got so sick of hearing all these ridiculous figures that I asked my agent. She told me and my jaw hit my toenails. I won’t tell you what it was, but it was very surreal. You just go, “Oh. Well, that’s nice. I’ll buy you several drinks then, shall I?”

Is it still impossible for you to leave the house and not get mobbed by Potter fans?
Pretty much. Halloween is my favourite time of year because it’s completely acceptable to wear a mask [laughs]. I go out on Halloween with a mask on, and it’s amazing to be able to walk around with my head up and not worry about making eye contact with people.

How crazy are the fans? Do you get marriage proposals?
I get a lot of marriage proposals. Girls will come up and say, “I love you!”, to which I have a few responses. I use the old Seinfeld one a lot — “I love you too but I think we should see other people” [laughs]. That always goes down well.

Do children ever assume you can do magic?
Yes, that’s very confusing for them. If they ask me to do a spell I’ll usually say, “I can’t right now, there are people watching.” That’s a bit kinder than, “Grow up you little shit, there’s no such thing as magic! Oh, and Santa Claus isn’t real either.” [Laughs]

What's the strangest rumour you've heard about yourself?
Oh, I can give you a fucking great list. I once read I was having my own beer brewed by Belgian monks [laughs]. I guess it was midnight and they had to fill that extra column inch…

The journalists were desperately wracking their brains for something... anything...
Yeah. “Throw another dart at the dictionary… Right, ‘monks’! OK, how about… Radcliffe’s got monks to brew beer for him?” What else? The SAS were apparently walking my dogs at one point. That was good. The best, though, was that I had a life-size, naked statue of myself in my living room. It’s not a big deal, but you do open the paper and think, “Jesus Christ, somebody’s getting paid to write this!”

Do you ever Google yourself?
I try to stay away from the internet. Occasionally, I’ll type my name into Google to see what comes up — that’s funny. At the moment, it’s ‘gay’, ‘Twitter’ and ‘alcoholic’. That’s the top three [laughs]. ‘Gay’ always comes up, although it comes up for most people — even Florence Welch. So, really, if people aren’t saying you’re gay, you don’t have a career. I’m sure there are a few ostensibly straight celebrities who are gay, but that’s their fucking business. They’ll choose if and when they come out — they can’t be forced into it.

Is there anyone you're desperate to work with?
I’d love to work with Will Ferrell and Steve Carell. I find those gentlemen incredibly funny.

You think you could contend with Ferrell and Carell now?
I definitely think I could keep up with them. Not that I wouldn’t have a lot to learn from them, of course.

Have you considered putting a call in to set something up?
I’m nowhere near that level yet. The likes of George Clooney and Brad Pitt are the only actors whose involvement in a project can guarantee it will happen. I’m still an unknown quantity. I’ve got a built-in fanbase but people don’t really know what I can do. I’ve got a lot of respect for [Pitt and Clooney] though, because, if they’d wanted to, they could have spent their whole lives playing standard romantic leads, but they’ve chosen far more interesting routes.

Have you met either of them?
No. Who have I met that I admire? I once asked Christian Bale’s wife to tell Christian he was a big inspiration. She was on set one day and I said, “Will you tell him I think he’s fucking great, please?” Because people always ask the ‘child actor’ question, referring to Macaulay Culkin and Corey Haim, but nobody ever mentions Christian Bale, Elijah Wood, Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman... Plenty of successful actors started young. But I guess when you’re a kid in a big franchise, people expect things to go south.

You don't fancy another big franchise, such as Bond, then?
I’d like to be in the new one, with Sam Mendes directing. But I don’t know if I’d be any good as Bond. I definitely wouldn’t want to follow Daniel Craig.

You'd need a rubbish Bond in-between to lower expectations...
[Laughs] Exactly. I’ll let someone else have a go first. Erm… who’d be terrible as Bond?

Someone like Paul Giamatti would change the pace a bit...
Yeah, absolutely, he’d take it in a totally different direction. His Bond would just be sat at a desk, continually doing paperwork [laughs].

What have you got coming up next?
I’m shooting a film called Kill Your Darlings. I’ll be playing Allen Ginsberg.

Have you seen James Franco's Ginsberg in Howl?
No. I like the fact he played him, though, because I’m slightly too handsome to play Ginsberg, but James Franco is way too fucking handsome to play Ginsberg [laughs]. So if anybody tells me I don’t look right, I’ll be like, “Did you see Howl?”

The Woman In Black is at cinemas nationwide from 3 February
(Main photography: Danielle Levitt)
(Images: All Star)
Source

Happy Friday! More GIFS

2012-02-03T21:57:00.001-07:00

Daniel Radcliffe, hosting Saturday Night Live

One of the reasons I love Mulan

...The puppy! I want it.

Meet the Robinsons

Beauty and the Beast

Golden Girls hug

Princess Diaries love

Castle magic

Disney GIF Post

2012-02-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

Om nom nom

I love the fact that the Beast looks like the Cowardly Lion!

Tiana and Charlotte, from Princess and the Frog

Mickey and Minnie love

Ursula is one of the best Disney villains

The best Disney pairing, Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins!

Chernabog, from Fantasia!

"He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute!"

Things I learned in London

2012-01-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

At the Tiffany's store in Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport, I learned that people do, in fact, propose in airports. Having been there for 12 hours, I don't think I would find an airport marriage proposal that romantic. But the rings were pretty.

Queen Victoria survived 8 assassination attempts.

A drunk Irishman climbed over the fence to Buckingham Palace. A guard disabled the alarms, thinking it was malfunctioning. He found and finished a bottle of wine, broke something, and somehow hurt a hand or a foot. He found his way to Queen Elizabeth's bedroom, with his bleeding appendage. He and Queen Elizabeth had a nice chat, and he asked her for a cigarette.
She said "I'm so sorry, I don't smoke, but I'll call one of my servants."
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"I'd like a cigarette, please."
"But Your Majesty, you don't smoke."
"I know, my friend who is sitting on my bed does."
The guards were there in seconds. And charged the man with stealing a bottle of wine. Not breaking and entering.

King Henry VIII intended to live with Anne Boleyn in the royal apartments at Tower of London. He beheaded her in 1536, before they moved in.

Tea with milk is delicious.
So are mince pies. And Yorkshire puddings.

A couple men respected me because I was "An American girl! Drinking Guinness!"

Getting used to another form of money takes me a while. Near the end, I was still forgetting I had a bunch of one and two pound coins in my change purse that could buy me a meal.

I love staying in hostels. It's really easy to make friends.

Margaret Thatcher had the wall and gates built around 10 Downing Street because of protesters.

John Lennon wrote the lyrics of 'Ticket to Ride' on the back of his son Julian's 4th birthday card.

All face character performers, as well as parade and show performers at Disneyland Paris, all have to do meet and greets as fur characters as stated in their contracts.

Disneyland Paris

2012-01-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

He's going to eat me!

Chernabog! From Fantasia! On the Storybook boat ride

About to enter the Cave of Wonders

Meeting Belle, after waiting in line at the Princess Pavilion for an hour

Aladdin and Jasmine at the Stars and Cars parade

Gaston! Cruella! The Queen!

In Walt Disney Studios

Beautiful castle

Mickey's Winter Wonderland show

Rubbing the magic lamp

Disney pointing at the entrance to Fantasyland

A hug from Rapunzel

The castle lighting show, Princess Aurora's Christmas Wish

Best Vacation Recap

2012-01-18T13:32:00.001-07:00

December 27 and 28:
Flew out, from Helena to Denver, Denver to Toronto, Toronto to London. Watched Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, Princess Diaries, The Lion King, Footloose, Downton Abbey, and Glee. Dinner was awful. Married man asked me on a date. I declined. Waited in line at customs for an hour and a half, then reunited with Ruth! We fell, hugging, in the arrivals area, and gave everyone else waiting a good chuckle. Made it Ruth's house, saw sheep grazing along the highway, as you do.

December 29:
Ruth and I took the train into London. We watched the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, ate crepes in Covent Garden, and then took a walk along the Mall to the South Bank of the Thames river. We saw a terrible pickpocket (because he was so obvious), the National Theatre, Globe Theatre, poppies at memorials, National Gallery, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. The St. James Palace guard scared me by yelling at me "Stand back from the arches!" when I was going to pose with him.

December 30:
Ruth's parents drove us to Hampton Court Palace! I got chosen to dance with Francis Dereham, one of Catherine Howard's lovers. She was the 5th wife of King Henry VIII. We ice-skated in front of the palace, and I still have an awful bruise on my knee. It was my favorite palace, I couldn't believe I was walking in the same steps as the Tudors.

December 31:
Ruth, her boyfriend and I went to a Blitz-themed/1940's New Year's party. I got my first New Year's kiss, from a London sculptor dressed as a solider. Swoon!

January 1:
Stayed in with Ruth and her boyfriend. We watched My Boy Jack, Wallace and Gromit, and Return to Oz. We had an English Christmas, complete with Christmas pudding that was set on fire, Christmas crackers, Yorkshire puddings, mince pies, and sparklers. It was lovely!

January 2:
Bought a coin purse, because I kept forgetting that change is worth a lot there. One pound and two pound coins can buy lots of beer.

January 3:
Took the train in with Ruth's mom and found my hostel. I went to Kensington Palace, where I met name-dropper guide Paul, and was disappointed by the 'special Enchanted Palace' exhibition. There was only one tiara on display, and only a few dresses! Harumph. However, I did get to see Queen Victoria's childhood bedroom, which was neat.

I then saw the Royal Ballet's production of The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House. It was spectacular! I got really lost in Covent Garden trying to find the tube, and then went on a terrible date. Made a friend from Canada, and we went to the hostel bar, where there was a Prince impersonator, and I talked to a nice guy from Australia.

January 4:
Went to Platform 9 and 3/4! My new friend from Canada, Jean, and I spent the day together. We went to Harrods, and the Victoria and Albert museum.

January 5:
I got the Eurostar, out of St. Pancras Station at 7:01am. The train was an hour and a half late to Paris, and the machine wouldn't take my credit card or bills, so I had to wait in line for an hour to buy my metro tickets.

I got the metro to my hotel at 1, and was told that I couldn't check in until 4. I had missed my free walking tour, so I had to wander the streets of Paris for 3 hours. It was raining, and I had left my umbrella and maps at the hotel. My feet were wet and covered in blisters, I was exhausted; I couldn't remember any of my conversational French.

I had a Nutella crepe and a croissant, 2 old men tried to pick me up standing in the doors of sex shops....it was a really bad day. Reception was rude, and what should have taken me 10 minutes to find took 45-looking for the store to pick up my Disneyland Paris ticket.

Ended up eating dinner at Subway because I was too afraid to try and order a real dinner in my broken French. The night ended me in tears on the phone to my mom.

January 6:
I went to Versailles! Seeing the Hall of Mirrors was a dream come true for me. I walked the block of the Louvre to get to my tour bus, and made it just in time. After the tour, I wandered from the Louvre to the Palace of Justice, where I ate lunch, then found my way to Notre Dame!

I waited in line for an hour to climb the steps, which was totally worth it. I climbed the 387 steps to the top, all small circular staircases, and the view was magnificent. Seeing the gargoyles up close, and the bells...it was amazing. After I climbed down, I went inside the cathedral, and lit a prayer candle for my grandmother Mima.

I met Ruth outside, and we went out to dinner, then to a bar. The bartender and I were flirting in broken French and broken English, and he and the other bartenders thought my phrasebook was hilarious. I got on the wrong side of the metro, so I just rode it to the end of the line, then back to my stop.

January 7:
Ruth and I went to Disneyland Paris! We got there before park open, went to the Studios, then to Magic Kingdom. I got to meet Belle and Rapunzel! Saw a great themed parade, Stars and Cars. Cast Members were mostly rude, I got called stupid; and no one waved back on the rides. However, I got to kiss Captain Jack Sparrow and Flynn Rider! That was magical. The castle is gorgeous, and I love the fact that there's an actual dragon and stained glass windows telling Sleeping Beauty's story.

January 8:
My last day in Paris, I went to Gregorian Mass at Notre Dame. I don't go to church regularly anymore, but the music sent chills down my spine. I love the tradition of mass, even though it was in French, I knew what was going on. I lit a prayer candle for Grandma and Grandpa, and cried a little. I went back to my hotel, checked out, and wandered the streets for 20 minutes before finding an open cafe. Turns out almost everything is closed on Sundays in central Paris. I managed to make my lunch last over 2 hours, then got the metro to Gare du Nord.

The train ride back was uneventful, and I made it to my London hostel with no problems. I had French pastries, direct from Paris for dinner. The flaky almond cake, Galette de Rois, was my favorite. I made friends with 2 spectacular Australians, and found out that most everyone in the hostel was male, and going to bartending school. I was thrilled. Even better, I had booked a room with 12 beds, but I was the only one in it! So I made a pillow fort with the 11 other pillows.

January 9:
I went to Harrods and the Science Museum with my new Australian friend, Hayden. My favorite part of Harrods is definitely the evening gown and fascinator section.

I then took a free walking tour of London, where I learned that Margaret Thatcher had the wall and gates built around 10 Downing Street because of protesters, the history of Guy Fawkes Day, how Queen Elizabeth II dealt with a drunk intruder in her bedroom, Queen Victoria's 8 assassination attempts, saw the changing of the horse guards, and Westminster Abbey. The guide sang 'I wanna be like you' from the Jungle Book. He was awesome.

January 10:
I took the tube in the morning for the BBC Television Centre Tour! Seeing the newsroom, I freaked out a little. I eagerly volunteered to be a fake anchor at the interactive section, and I got to talk about the Prime Minister and Daniel Radcliffe. I got awarded a pen. Afterward, one of the guides and an Australian family told me that I should go into journalism. I got a travelling companion from the gift shop, a small Gromit! From Wallace and Gromit!

I took the tube to the British Library, where I saw the original Canterbury Tales, Dickens' drawings, Shakespeare's first folio, Jane Austen's writing desk, and letters from Elizabeth I, about Mary Queen of Scots. My favorite part were the original Beatles lyrics, including Help, Ticket to Ride, and Yesterday. John Lennon wrote Ticket to Ride on the back of his son's birthday card.

That night, because I was the only American at the hostel, I was invited to bar with Swedes, Norwegians, and Englishmen. They all respected me because I was drinking Guinness. I had a really fun time!

January 11:
I went to a Disneyland Paris audition at Covent Garden! I got cut after the first round, so I went to the Disney Store, and then to the Games Workshop, where I learned to play Warhammer and spent half an hour picking out a present for my brother. After lunch, I went to the National Portrait Gallery, where I freaked out in the Tudor section. Seeing the original paintings of Elizabeth, Mary, Edward, King Henry, and Shakespeare was another dream come true. I went to the National Gallery afterwards to look at some Monet and Degas.

January 12 and 13:
Spent these days back with Ruth and her parents. I got a great new red coat, did laundry, and watched BBC and movies. The last night, Ruth and I went to a seedy pub. It was really relaxing few days.

January 14:
Ruth and I went into London, where I checked into my hostel, then went to meet Hayden at the Natural History Museum. Dinosaurs, whales, and gemstones, oh my! I loved it. After that, we went to Abbey Road, where we graffitied the wall outside the Abbey Road studios. We went to a pub for dinner, and then parted. Later that night, I went out to a pub called 'The Old King's Head'-a King Henry VIII pub with 2 German guys. We ended up in Greenwich, outside the O2 Arena.

January 15:
A guy from Sweden flirted with me at breakfast, while I was still in my pajamas. I was thrilled! I went on a tour of the Globe Theatre, which was magnificent. Once again, it was a "I can't believe I'm here!" moment. I walked across the Millennium bridge, the one that the Death Eaters destroy in Harry Potter 5, to St. Paul's cathedral, where I didn't see the little old bird woman from Mary Poppins, but the Occupy London protesters.

I got the tube to Camden for my tour, which wasn't very good. My tour guide was much older, and didn't have any sense of what I wanted to see-which was MTV studios, not the canals. We parted, and I went back to my hostel. I spent the night sharing beers with some Australian boys in my room. They went drunk clubbing, and I went to bed.

January 16:
I went to the Tower of London, which was magnificent. Again, it was a "I can't believe I'm here!" moment. I saw the crown jewels, Anne Boleyn's and Catherine Howard's burial places in the church, Robert Dudley's graffiti, and King Henry VIII's various armor. However, the torture chambers were closed. Boooooo. I did get to see some thumb screws, but I really wanted to see a rack.

I got to meet up with a friend from Texas that afternoon! I hadn't seen him in 6 years, so it was an amazing reunion. We got lunch, then wandered around Chinatown and to Piccadilly Circus, where we had a pint of Brains beer. It was so, so good to see him again-and in London!

I got dinner and cocktails with Ruth on the South Bank of the Thames, and then got my stuff packed and ready to go to Heathrow.

January 17:
I got to Heathrow at 11:30pm. My flight didn't leave until 9am, but because I had to be there 3 hours early and the tube shuts down for 5 hours, I thought it was better to play it safe. However. My flight was delayed until 10:30am. So. I got changed to a later flight, 3pm from Toronto. We didn't get off the ground until 11:30am. 12 hours in Heathrow. We landed in Toronto, in heavy fog, at 2pm, and taxied for half an hour. I still had to go through customs, security, and re-check my bag. I was going to miss the 3pm flight.

Air Canada's 3pm flight to Denver had been delayed until 5pm. I would miss my Denver connection. So the flight person and I worked together, and found a flight from Minneapolis to Helena at 9:40. The flight would go from Toronto to Minneapolis at 8pm. I went through security and customs, and then proceeded to wait for 5 hours. I got my flight, moved from the last row to the first row, and when we landed in Minneapolis at 9:15. booked it from E30 to gate D5. I made it with 10 minutes to spare, got my boarding pass, and was on my way home, after 12 hours in Heathrow and 6 in Toronto.

I was home in Helena at 11pm. But my duffel bag isn't!

Daniel Radcliffe, Gypsy of the Year show

2011-12-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

I adore him. And Hugh Jackman. And Bernadette Peters.

Disney Things I Like:

2011-12-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Tigger!

Wall-E!

Wishes, from Cinderella's Royal Table

Holiday Wishes!

Darth Maul getting his face painted

Merlin

All these dress ideas

The Beast

Robin Hood

Aladdin

Mary Poppins

The Little Mermaid

Princess Diaries

Daniel Radcliffe in the news

2011-12-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

Daniel Radcliffe has skilfully mastered the transition from Hogwarts boy hero to leading man status (on film and Broadway)— but his girlfriend has torn him off a strip for not being better around the house. The star told me he has been given a two-year deadline to get his domestic act together.

Daniel, who opens in February in the sublime Gothic psychological thriller The Woman In Black, spelled out to me what Rosie Coker, his girlfriend, told him.

‘She says I have a deadline of two years to be like a fully-functioning human being around the house,’ he told me.

I asked him what, exactly, that entailed. ‘I think it means I have to be able to cook for myself better than I can at the moment, and it means I can’t leave the house in a state the way I do.

‘I didn’t promise her anything, but I have made it my mission to improve myself. There’s certainly progress to be made,’ he joked, after admitting that his talent as an actor far outweighed his ability to function in the kitchen.

He said a low point came when he was back in London a while ago and wolfed down half a bowl of cereal before rushing off to catch an early flight. A week later, the bowl and the cereal were still there: congealed into a rock-solid mess. ‘I tried to change after that, but it has been a slow process,’ he says.

Rosie has just finished working as a production assistant on Snow White And The Huntsman. She arrived in New York on Sunday.

I asked whether Daniel had hired someone to clean his apartment for her arrival. He blushed and made a startling confession. ‘My mum’s here and she came round and tidied everything up for me.’

Seeing my incredulous expression, he explained he had a good excuse: two performances on Saturday of his hit musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying — plus a Sunday matinee. On those points he’s forgiven because the show, directed by Rob Ashford, is like running a marathon every day.

Daniel and Rosie met on the Harry Potter set and have been close for more than a year, though she has had to fly in to see him during his ten months on Broadway. ‘She’s busy, I’m busy, but we’re making it work and it’s good. She’s helped me grow up and I love her very much.

‘When you find somebody as cool and as tolerant as my girlfriend then the clear policy is to cling on to them for dear life,’ Daniel told me as we sat in a diner not far from his apartment.

Daniel and Rosie, both 22, also worked on The Woman In Black together. The film is based on the ghostly thriller written by Susan Hill. As directed by James Watkins it’s an elegant homage to the old Hammer films. Indeed, it’s being released under the Hammer banner: the first time that’s happened in more than 20 years. The stage play it’s based on is still running in the West End. Daniel plays lawyer Arthur Kipps, who is sent to settle the estate of a deceased client who lived in a remote mansion, accessible only by a causeway...He gives a remarkable performance — confirming the early promise evident when he did Equus in the West End and on Broadway, and the later Potter pictures.

Daniel says he’s amazed he had ‘the cojones’ to do Equus (where he famously stripped off on stage), but he feels the play helped define him as an actor prepared to take serious risks.

He finishes in How To Succeed In Business on January 1. He’ll then do five weeks of promotion on The Woman In Black, have three weeks off and then prepare for the edgy independent movie Kill Your Darlings, in which he will portray beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

Source

Disney Characters Post 21

2011-12-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Princess Atta, Marie, Smee, Tigger, Br'er Bear, a bear from Country Bear Jamboree, King Louie, Pluto, and Bolt

Ah, Paris!

2011-12-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Paris for the second time in January. The first time I went, I was 12 and traveling with my family for a family reunion. I'm returning a decade later, alone. I can't wait!

Here's my plan:
January 5: Arrive on the Eurostar at 10am.
Do the free Montmartre Tour, from Discover Walks
This will take me:
Van Gogh, Edith Piaf and Picasso made this picturesque village within Paris their home. Enjoy stories of the lifestyles of current and former residents, the role of Montmartre in Paris culture, and the nobleman who caused the French Revolution – plus the best view of Paris. Includes:
Moulin Rouge and Cabaret of the assassins
Sacré Coeur and artists’ square
Espace Dali and chat noir

After that, I'll go to the Place St Michel, for my free tour from Sandemans New Europe.
This will take me:
From its beginnings as a medieval village to the capital of Napoleon’s empire, from the beheadings of the French Revolution to the excitement of La Belle Époque (not forgetting years of Nazi occupation and the secrets of today’s metropolis), this tour will show you Paris as it was meant to be seen. Includes:
Notre Dame de Paris and The Latin Quarter
Ile-de-la-Cité and Pont Neuf
The Louvre and Palais Royal
Eiffel Tower and Tuileries Gardens
Les Invalides and Académie Française
Opéra Garnier and Musée d’Orsay
Pont Alexandre III and Napoléon’s Tomb
Assemblé Nationale and Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde
Grand and Petit Palais

On January 6, I go to Versailles! I'm hoping to get back in time to go on the Left Bank/Latin Quarter tour from Discover Walks.
That will take me:
Throughout the Latin Quarter and to the Pantheon, meander through medieval streets and discover where Picasso, Hemingway, Rimbaud, and others found so much of their inspiration:
Sorbonne University and the Pantheon
Iconic cafés and leisurely terraces
Narrow medieval streets
The haunts of the unicorn and Cyrano de Bergerac
The combination of romantic sites, bohemian cafés and Parisian fashion is highly intoxicating.
It's also the Festival of Kings celebration, I'm hoping to find a galette des Rois to eat.
My friend Ruth from London is taking the Eurostar in, and we're going to have dinner together!

On January 7, Ruth and I are going to Disneyland Paris together! We'll be there from park open to close. There's going to be so many magical moments and happiness!

January 8 is my last day in Paris. I'm going to Gregorian mass at Notre Dame, and then hope to climb the 387 steps to the top of the cathedral. I leave Gare du Nord at 3pm.

Can it be December 27 yet, so I can fly to England and start my epic adventure and be amazed by all the history?

Things I Like, Post 2

2011-12-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

Calvin and Hobbes

Taylor Swift, especially her song 'Enchanted'

Disney castle lightings, especially Cinderella's castle at Disney World

Golden Girls

Disney Princesses on Facebook

Jon Stewart and the Daily Show

Snow White and her Prince

This dress

Prince Eric, from Little Mermaid

Hunchback of Notre Dame. Esmeralda is my favorite!

Merlin, from Sword and the Stone

Disney Characters Post 20

2011-11-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Hugs!
Row 1: Prince Eric, Rafiki, Timon
Row 2: Goofy, Donald, Mickey
Row 3: Minnie, Princess Aurora, Tigger

Proposals!
Aladdin, Naveen, Flynn Rider, Prince Phillip, Prince Charming, the Beast, and Prince Eric

Hugs! Part 2
Row 1: Pluto, Goofy, Winnie the Pooh
Row 2: Mickey, Pluto, Belle
Row 3: Belle, the Beast, Lotso (from Toy Stroy 3)
Row 4: Ariel, Prince Eric, Pluto

A proposal from Timon!

A proposal from Prince Naveen!

Prince William and Kate Middleton Picture Post

2011-11-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

Disney Characters Post 19

2011-11-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Belle and the Beast, Prince Phillip and Aurora, Prince Charming and Cinderella

Aurora and Prince Phillip in Magic Kingdom's parade

Cinderella and Belle

Br'er Fox and me!

Cinderella, Prince Charming and Lady Tremaine

Where's 'Golden Girls' on TV?

2011-11-14T21:42:00.001-07:00

Hallmark Channel has burst my balloon. They have stopped showing Golden Girls for the time being, instead showing hours upon hours of Frasier. Ick. I want Sophia's cutting wit, and the womens' antics, not another unfunny TV show!

I just wrote to Hallmark Channel on their website:
"Hi, I'm a 22 year-old college student taking 19 credits, who unwinds every night by watching an hour of Golden Girls at 10pm mountain time. WHAT HAPPENED? It's not on the schedule any more! It's all Christmas movies and hours upon hours of 'Frasier'! I want my witty Sophia, Blanche, Dorothy and Rose, getting into various shenanigans that I can watch before I wake up at 7am for French class! This is very disappointing, and I will continue writing until this awesome show is back on at night! Hmph."

You too can contact them here!

I'm turning into a 60 year-old woman.

Bring on the cats.

Tattoos!

2011-11-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter lightning bolt

Hobbes!

Quote and drawing from Calvin and Hobbes

Harry Potter quote, from the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince quote

Corduroy

Things I like

2011-11-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

Queen Elizabeth's dogs exiting an airplane

This disgruntled baby in a bunny costume

The sad pug and the cupcake wapper

Finding Nemo

Ariel, Belle, and Rapunzel

Mary Poppins

Daria

This test. In my geology lab, I once drew and labeled a worried elephant by one of my answers. When I got my test back, my professor had drawn and labeled a reassuring monkey.

Snow Totoro!

I know they ruined a book, but it's still so neat! I do love Alice in Wonderland.

Taylor Swift greeting cards

Kittens hugging

Up! I am the proud owner of a grape soda pin.

Julie Andrews

Gene Kelly

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Drinking butterbeer, and the cast of Harry Potter

Golden Girls

Disney Characters Post 18

2011-11-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Rapunzel and Flynn!

"Gaston, you are positively primeval."

Disney Character Autographs

2011-11-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Beauty

Mulan

Jasmine

Aladdin

Belle

Mary Poppins

Mr. Incredible and FroZone

Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

Pocahontas

Snow White

Belle

Ariel

Mary Poppins

Disney Survey

2011-11-06T15:50:00.001-07:00

What are your top three favorite Disney movies?
Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast

If you could date any Disney character who would it be?
Prince Phillip, from Sleeping Beauty

Which Disney character do you relate with most?
Belle, she has brown hair, loves to read, and was able to look past the Beast's looks and find love.

If you had to choose one Disney soundtrack to listen to for hours on loop, which one would you pick?
Hunchback of Notre Dame

Hug, Marry, Banish from the kingdom - (Insert three names)
Hug- Aladdin
Marry- Prince Eric
Banish- Tinkerbell

Favorite Disney Channel Original Movie.
Cadet Kelly

Best Disney kiss.
Aladdin and Jasmine

Have you ever been to Disneyland or Disney World?
I worked at Disney World last year for 6 months on the College Program, and I'm going to Disneyland Paris in January!

Do you own any Disney merchandise?
Um. Yes. 2 sweatshirts, 2 t-shirts, pajama pants, a giant Pooh Bear, a stuffed Tigger that my mom gave me, 6 Disney mugs, Buzz Lightyear, an Aladdin picture frame, Mr. Pricklepants, a framed Lion King poster I found at Goodwill, a Belle tiara, Villains Monopoly, Mickey earrings and mittens, the book 'The Art of Hunchback of Notre Dame', 3 autograph books, my CP graduation Mickey ears, and a Belle doll.

Which princess has the best outfit?
Belle and all her dresses

Who’s the best sidekick?
The Genie, from Aladdin

If you could have any Disney animal as a pet, which would you have?
Lady, from Lady and the Tramp, or Pascal from Tangled

Someone says “Disney sucks!” QUICK, HOW DO YOU RESPOND?
"So, you're not a fan of dreams, believing in yourself, magic, or imagination?"

What’s the last Disney movie you watched? How long ago?
Aladdin-it was on ABC Family last night.

Which Disney character would you like to have as a best friend?
Jasmine. Or Tigger.

Is there a Disney movie that has an especially important meaning or place in your life?
Mary Poppins, my parents and I both love the movie.

Do you have a favorite Disney villain? Which one and why?
Frollo, from Hunchback of Notre Dame. He just reeks of evil, and has one of the best songs, Hellfire.

Have you ever dressed up like a Disney character?
I was Belle for Halloween last year, and Mary Poppins in 4th grade

Do you think that there are any underrated Disney movies?
Sword and the Stone, The Great Mouse Detective, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and 101 Dalmatians

What is your favorite live-action Disney movie?
Toss-up between Princess Diaries and the Lizzie McGuire Movie. Feel free to judge.

"Thank you for being here today."

A Visit to Universal Studios (and Harry Potter World!)

2011-10-30T16:17:00.001-06:00

Princess posing by the giant spinning Universal ball

Hogsmeade!

'I haven't had this much fun since I was a kid!'

Walking through the 'Dueling Dragons' rollercostar queue. I liked the queue much better than that terrifying ride.

Right after the 'Cat in the Hat' ride

Victory lifted each of us on the elephant-thing in the 'If I Ran the Zoo' playground

Inside one of the shops, in our respective Hogwarts robes

On the 'Sneetches' ride in Seuss Landing

Under the Lorax's truffula trees!

"Adventure is out there!" with Thing One and Thing Two

We didn't see Sirius Black in Hogsmeade, unfortunately.

With the Hogwarts Express conductor!

I was tall enough go on the ride inside Hogwarts!

Drinking some frozen butterbeer. It's like nectar from the gods.

Paris Museums

2011-10-23T19:26:00.000-06:00

Museums I want to visit in Paris:

Musée Marmottan Monet
The museum features a collection of over 300 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works by Claude Monet (with the largest collection of his works in the world), Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, Paul Signac and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The nearest métro station is La Muette.

Address: 16th arrondissement, 2 rue Louis-Boilly
Hours: 10 am-6 pm; Thursday until 8 p.m.
5 euros

Musée de l'érotisme
Museum of Eroticism is a sex museum in Paris devoted to the erotic art collections of antique dealer Alain Plumey and French teacher Jo Khalifa. Founded in 1997, the museum is situated in the Pigalle district of Paris. The collection ranges from the ancient religious art of India, Japan and Africa right up to contemporary art with an erotic focus.

Address: 18th arrondissement; 72 Boulevard de Clichy
Hours: 10am-2am
3 euros

Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits
The Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits is a museum of letters and manuscripts. The nearest métro station is Rue du Bac.
It contains nearly 250 original manuscripts and letters, including the cease-fire order signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower on May 7, 1945, poems of Paul Éluard, and a love-letter by Théodore Géricault. It also includes:
• Royalty - Charles VI, Charles VIII, François I, Catherine de' Medici, and Henri IV.
• Statesmen - Leon Trotsky, Mohandas Gandhi, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt

Address: 7th arrondissement; 222, boulevard Saint-Germain
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, from 10am-7pm; open on Thursday until 9:30pm
5 Euros

Musée de la Mode et du Costume de la Ville de Paris
The Musée Galliera is a fashion museum, opened in 1977. It's located within the 19th-century palace owned by the Duchess Galliera, and contains both temporary exhibits and permanent exhibits of French fashion and costume from the eighteenth century to the present day. The museum's collections contain about 70,000 items.
Costumes - from the 18th century to the present, including clothes owned by Marie-Antoinette, Louis XVII, and the Empress Josephine, the dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, and fashion displays by the leading 19th and 20th century designers.

Address: 16th arrondissement; 10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie
Hours: 10am to 6pm
5 Euros

Musée du Vin (Paris)
The museum opened in 1984, and showcases the French craft of winemaking through an exposure to tools and objects used to work the grapevine and the wine. The collection is showed in an old setting used in the Middle Ages and arranged later in storerooms by the Tiny Brothers of the Convent of Passy.

Address: 16th arrondissement; 5/7 Square Charles Dickens, Rue des Eaux
Hours: 10am to 6pm
9.90 Euros, for an unguided tour of the museum and one glass of wine

Disney Characters Post 17

2011-10-23T16:21:00.000-06:00

Pocahontas and Captain Jack Sparrow

Indiana Jones

Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother

Cinderella and Prince Charming

Pocahontas

Hercules and Meg

13 Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance:

2011-10-19T11:48:00.000-06:00

Lemony Snicket, the pen name of Daniel Handler and author of A Series of Unfortunate Events, is one of many on the Occupy Writers site to begin contributing to as well as supporting Occupy Wall Street protests...His sharp, poignant, and always tongue-in-cheek commentary can be found below.

Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance:

1. If you work hard, and become successful, it does not necessarily mean you are successful because you worked hard, just as if you are tall with long hair it doesn't mean you would be a midget if you were bald.

2. "Fortune" is a word for having a lot of money and for having a lot of luck, but that does not mean the word has two definitions.

3. Money is like a child-rarely unaccompanied. When it disappears, look to those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on it while you were at the grocery store. You might also look for someone who has a lot of extra children sitting around, with long, suspicious explanations for how they got there.

4. People who say money doesn't matter are like people who say cake doesn't matter-it's probably because they've already had a few slices.

5. There may not be a reason to share your cake. It is, after all, yours. You probably baked it yourself, in an oven of your own construction with ingredients you harvested yourself. It may be possible to keep your entire cake while explaining to any nearby hungry people just how reasonable you are.

6. Nobody wants to fall into a safety net, because it means the structure in which they've been living is in a state of collapse and they have no choice but to tumble downwards. However, it beats the alternative.

7. Someone feeling wronged is like someone feeling thirsty. Don't tell them they aren't. Sit with them and have a drink.

8. Don't ask yourself if something is fair. Ask someone else-a stranger in the street, for example.

9. People gathering in the streets feeling wronged tend to be loud, as it is difficult to make oneself heard on the other side of an impressive edifice.

10. It is not always the job of people shouting outside impressive buildings to solve problems. It is often the job of the people inside, who have paper, pens, desks, and an impressive view.

11. Historically, a story about people inside impressive buildings ignoring or even taunting people standing outside shouting at them turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending.

12. If you have a large crowd shouting outside your building, there might not be room for a safety net if you're the one tumbling down when it collapses.

13. 99 percent is a very large percentage. For instance, easily 99 percent of people want a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and the occasional slice of cake for dessert. Surely an arrangement can be made with that niggling 1 percent who disagree.

Source

Sexuality/Identity Panel-In the Minority

2011-10-18T22:24:00.000-06:00

On campus today, I was part of a panel for the 'Human Sexuality' class. I took the class 3 years ago, and am friends with the professor and TA. It was a gender/sexual identity panel.

I was representing a 'heterosexual who identifies as female and is attracted to the opposite sex', or 'a straight girl'. There was supposed to be a straight man on the panel as well, but he never showed.

The other 3 people on the panel were a transgendered man, a transgendered woman, and a woman who dresses like a man "60% of the time", and called herself "gender fluid".

The term 'gender fluid' is: Genderqueer (GQ; alternatively non-binary) is a catch-all term for gender identities other than man and woman, thus outside of the gender binary and heteronormativity. Also can be 'moving between genders (genderfluid)' Source

For the first time in my life, I was in the minority.

As I expected, most of the questions from the class were directed at the 2 transgendered people on the panel. Questions like "How much does gender re-assignment surgery cost?" "How did you know you were transgendered?" "Will you ever have gender re-assignment surgery?" Questions I couldn't answer.

Some of the other questions asked were "How do you have relationships?"

My answer "Honestly, I tend to meet men on vacation. I haven't had a boyfriend in a few years." I then told the class that I had had some really, really good experiences with men (see: every Englishman I've ever met) and really bad experiences (I told the story about getting punched in the face when going down on a guy). I ended it with saying "After he told me I wasn't pretty and he never wanted to see me again, I went back to my room and wrote a list of things that were good about myself. So that's my suggestion. When something bad happens to you, write a list of things that you like about yourself. And eat ice cream."

"Are you happy?"
My answer: "I'm pretty happy all the time. However, I do get lonely sometimes. I do wish I could hold hands with someone walking around campus."

"How much are your monthly expenses?"
"I work two part-time jobs, and my parents very generously pay for my school...so...$200 a month? I guess?"

"Do you want kids?"
"Yes. But I want a husband and health insurance first."

"Are your parents supportive?"
"My parents are very supportive in every way."

"How did you decide what to wear today?"
"Well, I'm wearing jeans 'cause I get cold really easily. I'm wearing tennis shoes because I'm incredibly clumsy, and I'm wearing this shirt, because as a female, I like showing cleavage."

"What birth control do you use?"
"I get a shot every 3 months called Dep-Provera, and I use condoms."

Obviously, every persons' answers on the panel were different. When it ended, the professor asked the class to write a note to one person on the panel. I thought "I'll probably only get one. Straight females are not that interesting. I wouldn't write a note to me. I'd much rather write a note to the trans man." I felt like Eeyore.

Imagine my surprise when I got handed a handful of pieces of paper. 16.

One note simply said "Anna, YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL." Others thanked me for my input on the panel. One boy wrote me the sweetest note and left his number. Others said that they were sure I would soon find "the perfect guy to hold hands with on campus", and that while guys were stupid, there are some good ones out there. Two said that they were going to follow my example of writing a list of good things about themselves. One confessed a huge secret, and said that me telling my story made her feel better.

Reading these positive, amazing notes made me cry. It was amazing.

It was such a lovely, positive experience. I'm so glad I got to do this.

Disney Characters Post 16

2011-10-17T21:22:00.000-06:00

Meg and Hercules

Prince Eric and Max

Pocahontas in Tokyo

Sleeping Beauty in Tokyo

Cruella de Vil

The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio!

Sleeping Beauty and Prince Philip

US Travel

2011-10-12T22:54:00.001-06:00

US States I've been to:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado (lived there)
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida (lived there)
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana (live here now)
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia (born there)
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

27 states at 22. Not bad. I should really make it out to the East Coast sometime. Thanks, parents, for making travel a priority in life.

Cinderella!

2011-10-10T21:17:00.000-06:00

A dream is a wish your heart makes!

Movies I Love

2011-10-09T22:22:00.000-06:00

The Princess Bride

Roman Holiday

Wizard of Oz

Finding Neverland

The Holiday

The Notebook

An American in Paris

Singin' in the Rain

Mary Poppins

Harry Potter Post 58

2011-10-06T18:57:00.000-06:00

Planning my Winter Trip (Part 6)

2011-10-04T21:01:00.002-06:00

"Anna's Castle-Touring, History-Loving, Englishmen and Frenchmen-Meeting, French Pastry-Eating Vacation Extravaganza!"

England Plans:
-Buckingham Palace
-Changing of the Guard
-Tower of London
-Ice skating at Hampton Court Palace
-Globe Theatre
-St. Paul's Cathedral
-Westminster Abbey
-Museums- Victoria and Albert, National History Museum, British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Museum of Childhood (at Bethnal Green), Banqueting House and Clarence House (in North Westminster), Cinema Museum and London Film Museum (in Lambeth), The Newsroom-Guardian and Observer Archive and Visitor Centre (in Islington), Sherlock Holmes Museum (in Regent's Park)
-Kensington Palace
-Platform 9 ¾ and Diagon Alley
-Trafalgar Square
-Portobello Road
-BBC Tour
-The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House, in Covent Garden, London
-Hamlet or Richard II
-Royal London Walking Tour
-The London Walk-Westminster & the West End Walking Tour
-Shakespeare's & Dickens' London- the Old City Walking Tou
-Deathly Hallows: The Quest Walking Tour
-Along the Thames Pub Walking Tour
-Brighton
- Christmas in London
- Greenwich Christmas Lights
- Royal Manuscripts at the British Library
- Charles Dickens at the British Library

Paris Plans:

-Versailles!!

-Disneyland Paris!!

-Gregorian Mass at Notre Dame!!

-Climb the 387 steps to the top of the cathedral

-Ice skate on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower

-Paris National Library (they have a Babar exhibit!)

-2 or 3 free walking tours

Disney Character Hugs

2011-10-02T20:35:00.000-06:00

Aladdin and Jasmine in Epcot

Christmas Mickey in Animal Kingdom

Minnie in Hollywood Studios

Princess Aurora in Epcot

Tigger in Epcot

Prince Naveen in Magic Kingdom

Prince Eric in Magic Kingdom

Cowboy Goofy in Animal Kingdom

Jasmine and the Genie at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Rafiki at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Timon at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Pluto in Epcot

Mickey in Epcot

Belle in Magic Kingdom

The Beast in Epcot

Henry Cavill Appreciation

2011-10-02T12:17:00.000-06:00

The new Superman. Charles Brandon from the Tudors. He's so gorgeous.

Alice in Wonderland

2011-10-01T15:02:00.000-06:00

Meeting J.K. Simmons

2011-09-30T23:05:00.001-06:00

J.K. Simmons was in town today, to receive a 'Distinguished Alumni' award from the university. I went to his hour-long lecture, and got my picture taken with him afterward! He was super charismatic, and so nice.

J.K. Simmons and me, thrilled to pieces

His IMDB credits (including Juno and Spiderman)

Disney Concept Art, Post 10

2011-09-30T22:56:00.000-06:00

Disney Concept Art, Post 9

2011-09-29T20:41:00.000-06:00

Pocahontas and John Smith

Disney Characters Post 15

2011-09-29T20:32:00.000-06:00

Phoebus looks slightly off.

Kiss

2011-09-27T21:48:00.000-06:00

I want my life to change to this. 90 days until my England adventures begin!

Disney Characters Post 14

2011-09-27T21:41:00.000-06:00

Carousel love!

GASTON!

I love him. He uses antlers in all of his decorating!

Disney Concept Art, Post 8

2011-09-27T21:38:00.000-06:00

Princess and the Frog!

Picture of the Day 21

2011-09-26T22:28:00.000-06:00

This was taken during the only time I met Flik, from A Bug's Life. He does meet and greets at Animal Kingdom. During the last month of my college program, Mr. Pricklepants from Toy Story 3 was my travel companion to meet characters. Stitch, Minnie, Timon and Aladdin were especially excited to see him.

Disney Concept Art, Post 7

2011-09-26T21:05:00.000-06:00

Hercules!

Disney Characters Post 13

2011-09-26T21:02:00.000-06:00

Esmeralda is my favorite Disney heroine from my favorite Disney movie. I hope I get to meet her when I go to Disneyland Paris!

Planning my Winter Trip (Part 5)

2011-09-25T20:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, with my mom's help, I stumbled through a French website to buy....A TICKET TO DISNEYLAND PARIS!!

January 7, both parks! I can't wait. It's exactly a year to the day that I left Disney World in Orlando.

So here's my plan for my Paris trip:
January 5 (Thursday):
Arrive on the Eurostar at 10am
Check into my hotel
Do 2 free Paris walks (from Discover Walks). The Landmark Tour at 2:30 (meet at the Opera Garnier) and the Romantic River tour at 5 (meet at Notre Dame)
Pick up my ticket for Disneyland Paris

January 6 (Friday):
Versailles!!
Return for the free Discover Walks Left Bank/Latin Quarter tour at 4, if possible

January 7 (Saturday):
Disneyland Paris!!

January 8 (Sunday):
Gregorian Mass at Notre Dame at 10am.
Climb the 387 steps to the top of the cathedral
Buy some pastries, and take the train back to London at 3pm.

Random Disney

2011-09-25T20:18:00.000-06:00

Disney Concept Art, Post 6

2011-09-25T20:14:00.000-06:00

Mulan! She is mysterious as the dark side of the moon.

Disney Autographs

2011-09-22T21:11:00.000-06:00

Old Vogue fashion shoot

Disney Concept Art, Post 5

2011-09-22T21:08:00.000-06:00

Disney Characters Post 12

2011-09-21T20:04:00.000-06:00

(from left to right): Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy and Doc

Shel Silverstein

2011-09-21T19:59:00.000-06:00

Harry Potter Post 57

2011-09-19T21:33:00.000-06:00

Disney Characters Post 11

2011-09-19T21:22:00.000-06:00

Tarzan, Jane and Terk

Mary Poppins and Bert

Ariel

Mulan and Mushu

Pocahontas

Aurora and Prince Philip

Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable

Belle!

Anastasia and Drizella

Disney Concept Art, Post 4

2011-09-19T21:18:00.000-06:00

Disney Characters Post 10

2011-09-18T21:40:00.000-06:00

Disney Concept Art, Post 3

2011-09-18T21:37:00.000-06:00

The Best Part of the Emmys

2011-09-18T21:27:00.000-06:00

Congratulations, Jon and the Daily Show for winning 2 Emmys!

Planning my Winter Trip (Part 4)

2011-09-15T20:42:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I bought my ticket on the Eurostar from London to Paris!
January 5 at 7am from London's St. Pancras station, arriving at 10:17 at Gare du Nord in Paris!
I leave January 8 at 3:13pm, arrive in London at 4:39.

Ahhh!!!!!!!!!

January 8 is a Sunday-which means:

Yeah. Gregorian Mass at 10am at the Notre Dame Cathedral.
YES!

After that, I want to climb the 387 steps to the top, so I can sing 'God Help the Outcasts' and remember one of my favorite Disney movies:

Freaking out like Totoro right now.

Disney Characters Post 9

2011-09-15T20:33:00.000-06:00

I love Alice and the Mad Hatter

Paris

2011-09-14T21:35:00.000-06:00

Lise: Maybe Paris has a way of making people forget.
Jerry: Paris? No. Not this city. It's too real and too beautiful to ever let you forget anything.
-An American in Paris

Disney Characters Post 8

2011-09-14T20:09:00.000-06:00

Disney Concept Art, Post 2

2011-09-13T20:35:00.000-06:00

Disney Characters Post 7

2011-09-12T19:15:00.000-06:00

Disney Characters Post 6

2011-09-11T14:05:00.000-06:00

The Queen and Frollo (Frollo's my favorite villain)

Cinderella and Aurora

Esmeralda and Aurora

Eeyore, Mary Poppins, Bert, and Pooh

Mary Poppins and Alice

Belle, the Queen, and Mulan

Queen of Hearts and the Queen

Harry Potter Post 56

2011-09-08T12:02:00.000-06:00

Disney Characters Post 5

2011-09-08T11:44:00.000-06:00

Captain Hook

The Queen and Jack Sparrow

Anastasia, Lady Tremaine, the Queen of Hearts and Drizella

Aurora, Esmeralda, and Belle

Woody, Mickey, and Cinderella

Alice

Doc, Cinderella and Bashful

Disney Concept Art

2011-09-06T20:57:00.000-06:00

All from Beauty and the Beast

Disney Characters Post 4

2011-09-06T14:42:00.000-06:00

Princess post!

Belle, Cinderella, Snow White

Ariel, Belle, Cinderella

Snow White and Cinderella

Cinderella, Ariel and Belle

Princesses on the Speedway!

Ariel, Cinderella, Aurora

Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Aurora, Snow White and Jasmine

Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel and Belle

Peter Pan

2011-09-06T14:30:00.001-06:00

Maleficent, Peter Pan, and the Queen from Snow White

Wendy, Peter Pan, Aurora and Prince Phillip

Peter Pan and Wendy

Peter and Tinkerbell

The Queen and Peter

Ariel and Prince Eric

2011-09-05T17:52:00.001-06:00

At Disney World

Disneyland Paris

Disney World

Disneyland Paris

I think this is Disneyland

Rapunzel and Flynn Rider

2011-09-05T17:46:00.000-06:00

At Disneyland Paris

At Disneyland in California

Flynn showing off his satchel at Disney World

At Disneyland Paris

At Disney World

Disneyland Paris

Prince Charming and Cinderella

2011-09-04T15:54:00.000-06:00

Disney Characters Post 3

2011-09-04T15:38:00.001-06:00

The Queen and Snow White

Ariel, Cinderella and mini-Mulan

Peter Pan and mini-Tinkerbell

Snow White, Aurora, mini-Mary Poppins, Cinderella and Ariel

Belle in Epcot

Belle with mini-Gaston in Magic Kingdom

The Queen and mini-Snow White

Moldovian Encounter

2011-09-04T14:59:00.000-06:00

The first Saturday after classes started meant breakfast with my brother, a fantastic ice cream date, going to a party at the International House on campus and meeting new people (from Georgia, Kenya, Romania, Ukraine, Japan, China, Italy, Serbia and France), and then going out with a friend to some bars! I had told the Frenchman that I'd like to meet up with him, so my friend and I ended up at the Rhino downtown, after going to the Badlander and Bodega.

About an hour before, we had met up with some of her friends, and I had met a guy from Moldova. It's a small country underneath Ukraine. It turns out that he had spent the summer here studying computers/business and was leaving on Monday. I was attracted to him, but was focused on meeting up with the Frenchman.

So my friend and I went into the Rhino, and I found the Frenchman. He's my age, and we talked about France and family and school. After one drink, his roommate decided that it was Bodega time. My friend and I were ready to head home, so the Frenchman and I made plans to meet up in next few days, and said goodbye.

Walking outside, there was the guy from Moldova. So we talked for a bit, and my friend left to get some food. It was just me and him, and he just looked at me. He then said "You're very beautiful." I thanked him, and then he asked me if I was cold. I said yes, and he hugged me. Hugging turned into a kiss. Which turned into more kissing.
Then he said "Can you stay?"
"No, I'm tired, I want to go home."
"Come on, just for an hour?"
"No, my friend's waiting for me."
"Ask her if she'll stay for you!"
"No, that's mean."
"Please?" He kissed me again. He was a really good kisser.
"I'm sorry, I can't. But I'm glad I met you, and I hope you have a safe trip home."
"You're too good for me."
We kissed one more time, and I walked to meet my friend. We took the bus home, and I went to bed.

England. Ireland. Scotland. Italy. Moldova. Am I trying to kiss a guy from every European country? Is that another goal for my twenties? If so, I have 32 more.