Another holiday that falls on a Friday = another post that no one is going to stick around to read. Therefore it’s time for another edition of hot men in suits if you decide to stop by on the blog today.
God Bless America!
I don’t know about you but I’m proud to be an American.
I realize that this being a holiday weekend that NO ONE in the right mind is really going to stick around and read anything on blogs today. So with that in mind, I’ll just leave you here with this in case you’re stopping by and then you can get along with the rest of your holiday.
Hope you enjoy your holiday!
Today is Star Wars Day.
For those of you not into geek culture, today is May 4th. May the 4th. May the force…..get it? So if you’re running around today and see stormtroopers or Jedi running around the streets and you’re supremely confused, this is why.
After those of you who don’t care stop shaking your heads, as one of my friends said the other day “It’s a glorious time to be alive!” We have a new Star Wars movie coming out later this year. Sure it’s not directed by Lucas but then again after the prequels (which I still will watch and defend though they aren’t my favorite) maybe that is for the best?
If you’ve been living in a cave and have NOT seen the new teaser trailer yet, here you go:
What does it all mean? Will Han and Chewie live for the entire movie? Will Luke and Leia? Seriously that’s the most important question for myself. I’m excited to learn about all the new characters and see if any of them are related to our beloved original characters but if JJ Abrams kills off all the old ones, we will not be happy people. Especially after they already deemed all the people I loved in the expanded universe as non canon. Sigh.
I’m really glad that this is my kind of thing because I can see how for some people who are not, everyone talking about all this could be extremely boring or not being able to understand the excitement. At some point I’ll do a proper geekness post about my love for this franchise.
Until then…may the 4th be with you!
I found out this week that Josh Groban is dating Kat Dennings.
While I am understandably heartbroken at the fact that he didn’t choose me, it is ok. I am happy that he is finally publicly dating someone again and he seems happy as well.
I’ve had many celeb crushes over the years and I’ve just gotten used to the fact that I will never end up with any of them.
So today, I will just feature my celeb crushes that just were not meant to be.
Adam Banks from The Mighty Ducks (Vincent LaRusso)
Spot Conlon from Newsies (Gabriel Damon)
Benny ‘The Jet’ Rodriguez from The Sandlot (Mike Vitar)
JTT
Devon Sawa (Casper, Little Giants, Now and Then)
Mark Paul Gosselaar
Who were your crushes growing up?
Growing up as a girl in the 90s, I had my fair share of celebrity crushes.
JTT, Jonathan Brandis, the guy who was Spot Conlon from Newsies, Mike Vitar from The Sandlot. Just to name a few.
Many of those guys have disappeared from public life, died, or are still cute if not in the Hollywood business gracing teen magazines anymore.
And then there are some guys who started off cute and then aged very very well. Like Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
I mean you remember Angels in the Outfield:
Bonus Matthew McConaughey in there as well.
Then he was on 3rd Rock from the Sun with his long flowing hair.
He was in one of my favorite teen movies of all time, 10 Things I Hate About You (aka the teen movie that starred The Joker and Robin). Afterwards, he kind of disappeared for a while. Which is usually what happens when child actors start growing up. Do they want to change their public image? What happens if the fame they found as a cute kid doesn’t translate over into more adult roles? Sometimes it fails horribly.
And then there’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt who decided to go the indie route with movies that I never saw and to be honest for a while forgot that he existed. But it worked in his favor because he was able to move towards serious acting and building credibility vs just riding on his previous fame.
Reemerging with one of my favorite movies of all time (500) Days of Summer. I will admit, I sided with the Tom character because of who played him.
In 2012, he starred in four movies and I saw every single one of them in theaters: The Dark Knight Rises, Premium Rush, Looper, and Lincoln. They were all excellent movies (well, Premium Rush was ok, but JGL on a bike? Yes.) It was a very good year.
He’s done tons of other stuff including directing and starting up a production company HitRecord. He also does fantastic lip synching.
JGL is one of those celebrities that everyone can enjoy. He seems like someone who you could hang out with and grab a few beers. He’s got that boy next door appeal but with way more style.
And well. I’ll just leave this here:
When you first meet me, there are probably many assumptions you will make about me and some will be dead on right and others so wrong that you will feel embarrassed that you assumed. However there is one assumption that almost no one ever makes about me because you would just never think that about me. (I also realize that by telling you this, I can’t use this when playing “2 Facts and a Lie” anymore.)
I like NASCAR.
I know. I know. I don’t fit the demographics of your typical NASCAR fan. AT ALL. But I do. While I’m not the HUGE fan I used to be years ago, it’s still entertaining for me to watch every now and then. I check up with the race stats and news, see what drivers are in the running for the Chase, find out who has switched teams and gotten new endorsements. Sponsorships have always been interesting because sport has so much product placement, more so than any other sport I believe.
I’ve never actually been to a race and I doubt that I will get a chance to in my lifetime (and I kind of doubt I would fit in if I actually got the chance). However I have been to the Bristol Motor Speedway and I did get to drive on the track. Granted it was during the Christmas lights show and we were going like 10mph but it was an awesome opportunity. And the banking on those tracks is REALLY steep. It’s basically like visiting a Roman coliseum.
I also did enjoy Talledega Nights and Cars for being NASCAR themed movies and because I got a lot of the in jokes.
Though I’m going to have to admit this. My reasons for why I started liking NASCAR are rather dubious. Fine, let’s just admit it. Back in 2002, I started watching NASCAR because I thought Dale Earnhardt Jr. was hot. It was summer and I had a broken ankle and couldn’t move around easily. And I remember one Sunday when I couldn’t go to church and I was stuck lying on the couch. I turned on the TV and since we didn’t have cable, I had limited options and there was a NASCAR race on. I started watching. Then they showed clips of the drivers. And I’m like. Oh hey that guy is cute. And thus, it began.
I basically became a Dale Jr. groupie for the better half of two years. I watched every race. I did my research on him. I bought and read his book. It was an awesome time. I really got to understand racing and became involved in that whole culture. Much like folks do fantasy football, I did fantasy driving leagues. I had to know about ALL the driver to see which one would be best each week and how they would do for the whole season. I learned about trades and what went on during off season.
I was such a big fan that I won passes to meet him when he came to Norfolk in 2002 for arena car racing. I was so excited. I had my calendar all ready for him to sign. And I knew what I was going to say to him. I was in college at the time so I was going to say something like “Oh, you should come to Virginia Tech and party with us sometime.” Because you know he totally would have. (*sarcasm*) Instead in typical awkward Deborah fashion, what came out was “You’re hotter in person than you are on TV!” His response “Um….thanks.” And then this picture was taken.
Can you feel the awkwardness? Because I still can. How many Asian fans does he really have? He probably remembered that for awhile. I ruined my chances!
As I’ve gotten older, I realized realistically, Dale Jr. and I probably would not have matched well. He’s a lot older than I am and he’s….more Southern than I normally like. He still sounds like a great guy to hang around. And actually I’m looking back at pictures of him from 2002-2004 and he looks a lot better NOW than he did back then. Then again my tastes have changed a lot since then.
But my affiliations have since moved on to his teammate. Kasey Kahne. I mean….come on.
And
And
Because it’s not just me who feels this way:
Though just like with Josh Groban, what is it with all the older woman?
And he’s also a good driver as well. The first year he raced in the Sprint Cup he got Rookie of the Year, he finished 4th in 2012, and he’s had 16 wins and 127 top ten finishes in races. He’s very good at what he does. And it doesn’t hurt he’s easy on the eyes too.
The fun part is that now with social media, I can follow both these guys on Twitter to see what they’re up to. While I haven’t gotten a response back from either of them yet, (Dale Jr might still remember me and thus avoiding) it’s still cool to be able to connect in ways one couldn’t beforehand.
All this to say that I do enjoy watching races. NASCAR does have a stereotype to it, but if you take the time it’s actually pretty fun to watch. You can make all the jokes you want. I am secure in my liking of this.
If you know me any, then you know I love me some Brits.
Did you see that Superbowl commercial about the British villains?
Do you see who one of the stars is in that video?
That’s right. Tom Hiddleston.
Apparently I was introduced to Tom years ago back in 2008 when I watched a movie called Miss Austen Regrets and he appears as a suitor to Jane Austen’s niece.
But it wasn’t until 2012 when I began to fully appreciate him. Marvel’s The Avengers was about to come out and I needed to backtrack to Thor to catch up. Now there are many reasons why I really like that movie (Hawkeye introduction being one of them) but Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal of Loki really got to me. If you read the comics, you’re not supposed to like Loki. He’s a boss villain. He’s evil. He’s manipulative. He’s a trickster. He’s not a good guy AT ALL. And yet in that movie, you cannot help but feel sorry for Loki. (Unless you have a heart of stone, you weirdo.) All thanks to Hiddles’ fantastic acting to garner sympathy for the character which then continues in the Avengers movie. No I don’t agree with Loki’s actions or decisions, but once again I know WHY he’s doing it. And Hiddles’ plays it up with such perfection that I want to give him a hug. And he has fabulous hair to boot in the movies.
But disregarding all that. He’s so many other things as well. He does Shakespeare. He does historical drama. He does vampires. Basically he’s REALLY good at everything he does. And he’s really funny too.
But instead of me talking about it let me show you why Tom Hiddleston worthy of fangirling?
Because things like this:
And this:
And this (I recommend closing your eyes as you listen to the soothing tones):
I could go on but I think you get the point by now.
Hiddles is a fantastic actor. Sure he’s also quite good looking, but once again it’s the humor and the being really good at what you can do that make him worthy of admiration From Shakespeare to super heroes, he’s fantastic is whatever he does. I mean how could you not love someone who does this?
If any of you read my blog post last week on what I was currently geeking out over, you may have noticed that I included a GIF of Josh Groban. And you may have been like, Hmm that’s random. But yes, I am now a Josh Groban fan.
Truth: I have several male celebs that I may fangirl over from time to time (contrary to popular belief Jeremy Renner is NOT one of them). And they may get brought up on this blog. (Hello Hiddles!)
Funny story though, I’m not really into his music quite yet. I’ve actually only really listened to his Christmas album and “You Raise Me Up. ” Maybe eventually I’ll get into the other stuff but that’s for later, not now. In fact last year I was invited to go see him perform when he came to the Northern Virginia area and I was like “Josh Groban? Surely you jest.” I made fun of my best friend for listening to him when we were on a road trip, “Josh Groban, really? You? What?”
And then I discovered his Twitter feed.
Nope, it’s not his not music or even the fact that he’s pretty hot that made me become a fan of him. It’s his wittiness on Twitter. That man is funny. Who knew? (And it’s actually him.) I thought he was just some pretty boy who sang music that made older women swoon. Seriously he’s the type of guy you want to bring home to your parents but if you did, you’d have women from 16-80 trying to attack you for stealing their golden boy. Therefore he must be a clean-cut and slightly boring guy who was just very vanilla.
Not at all. I mean first off, did you see him on The Office as Andy’s brother? Or him on Glee? Or his adorableness when he was very young on Ally McBeal? Ok that’s not really what I was going for. Backtracking…. I remember this video from The Jimmy Kimmel Show that Josh Groban participated in and I was like Oh wow, that’s out of character for him, that’s funny. (Warning that video is not appropriate if you get easily offended, it’s the one about Ben Affleck, so don’t click on it if you do get offended easily) Basically he wasn’t what I thought he was.
So like I said it was his Twitter feed that won me over with examples like these (though you may not find these as funny as I did):
Even the HuffPo thinks that Josh Groban’s twitter feed is awesome as evident here in this article.
I found this Tumblr blog that ALL about him. Basically whoever runs it has been doing it for several years. They post pics, videos, his Twitter posts, basically anything that is Groban related. And through I’ve learned a lot. Like his dog’s name. And the fact he appears to wear a lot of grandpa cardigans. Also his high school pictures. Also that man takes a LOT of posed pictures. If I didn’t know he was a singer, I’d just think he was some fashion model based on how many pics there are of him.
But all that aside, it’s been pretty fun to become interested in someone through their words and wittiness vs what they are really famous for. If I ever got the chance to meet him, I would be pretty cool with telling him that “Hey, you’re a funny guy. Oh you sing too. That’s cool. More wittiness though please.” I think I could honestly say that if Josh Groban serenaded me, I’d be like “erhm, can we actually just talk instead?” Humor and using words well makes someone more attractive and intriguing.
I have a weird superhero interest…semi-obsession. Not weird as in strange. But weird as in very random.
I am a fan of Clint Barton aka Hawkeye, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent from the Marvel comics that is very skilled with a bow and arrow. Now before you start thinking “Oh, she only likes Jeremy Renner” that is not true. I have read several comic books with Hawkeye and I’ve also watched the Avengers cartoon.
I will admit that my interest did start because of the movie. I’m actually not quite sure how I became a fan though. I’ve gone back and looked at Facebook posts and tweets and there’s no evidence to showing how it began. The earliest thing I found was back in February of 2012 where I reference my excitement at seeing a trailer and then used a Hawkeye hashtag.
Now to be fair, I am a big fan of characters that are archers. Legolas, Katniss, Merida, Robin Hood. Heck I even got excited during the beginning of The Dark Knight Rises and Bruce Wayne pulls out a bow and arrow for a brief shot. Because I’d like to do that myself one day. With the archery lessons I am supposed to have. You know. One day.
With that in mind, when the trailers for the Avengers movie came out I had NOT yet seen Thor at the time. And while I do enjoy a good Renner flick, he’s not my main reason for watching a movie. Therefore there isn’t really a logical explanation as to why I was so excited to see him in the movie. Perhaps maybe because he was a smaller character and I was happy for that?
Anyways my fandom grew and after watching his cameo in Thor, I was very excited at seeing him in the movie. When he makes his first appearance in the Avengers, I audibly cheered in the theater. Then to my horror, they made him into a bad guy almost immediately. Though now when I think about it, Hawkeye and Loki together is the ultimate dream team. And did you know that Hawkeye’s total screen time only equals to about 12 minutes? And that they had a girl beat him up? Regardless of all that, I very much enjoyed Renner’s performance in the movie. He has a few good lines and some really excellent archery action scenes. The one where he shoots the arrow perfectly WITHOUT LOOKING is a favorite. So much that I would actually be ok with a Black Widow/Hawkeye movie to explore their backstory because there really should be one to explain their characters’ chemistry. This is important because I’m not a Scarlet fan but I am willing to put that aside if this movie ever got made.
The thing with Hawkeye is that he’s not a superhero because of magical powers or super serum or freak accidents or high tech machinery. He’s just extremely skilled in prime peak condition and is REALLY good at what he does. So that actually makes him more dangerous, at least in my opinion.
I’m excited because Joss Whedon has confirmed that there will be more Hawkeye in the upcoming Avengers sequel. I’m a little disappointed because he’s not showing up in any other movie before then (as far as I know). I hope that Barton gets more mention the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tv show because he actually IS a S.H.I.E.L.D agent and even if Renner doesn’t actually show up, the character should be mentioned more.
Now for the record, I do not have the same affections for Green Arrow from DC Comics. I have not watched the show and I am mostly unfamiliar with his story. Though I will say he does intrigue me with the archery and I will probably want to learn more in the future.
I get a lot of good natured teasing from my friends. All the jokes about him, I’ve heard. I’ve been sent things from the Hawkeye Initiative so many times. (Google it) I’ve had comics pasted on Facebook wall. I just shake my head.
But I know they love me because my Christmas and birthday presents have shown my friends going out of their way to get me things that feature Hawkeye. And it really is quite hard to find Avengers things with him in it as a lot of the marketing focuses on The Big Four (sometimes they even leave Hulk out). So when I receive something that has him in it, I know the time and energy spent trying to find it and it makes me love my friends even more as they help to enable the fangirl. It’s been joked that whoever I end up dating is going to be called Hawkeye for a while. Well, hope whoever that will be is ok with that….
A Girl Who Is a Geek 