"If you had a balloon that could carry a man to mars and the pilot you picked disappeared, would you get in the balloon yourself and cast off?" * - Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

Happy Halloween!

I wanted to do something extroadinary for all you dedicated readers out there, but... well failure, on both accounts.  Right now I'm watching Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  The 1941 version with Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, and Ingrid Bergman.  I've only got to the part where he JUST turned into Hyde, so I can't give anything away, even if I wanted to.  Ingrid Bergman's cockney accent is like nails on a chalkboard, but other than that, it seems like a decent movie.

Today kind of sucked, just a bit.  I didn't go "trick-or-treating" and had no costume.  So I just sort of moped about.  I was planning on being Alice, but originalized (like Lewis Carroll's illustrations, i.e. image below), you could say.  That failed.  Oh and I have no friends to go with, due to the fact that Anna lives thousands of miles away.  I put so much work into my pumpkins, that was entertaining at least.  I just took pictures, and I don't know where the camera cord is, so you won't see those.  Gesu... when did this become a "this is what I did today" blog!  But that is what I did today.  Not to mention the purple temporary hairspray-dye I stuck in my hair, I stuck my head in the sink, but I need shampoo.  It's so annoying.  So, yes.  I'll go finish that movie now... I hope Anna enjoyed her halloween.  Oh, and note, that quote cannot be exact.  I should just rewind the movie... but, eh.   I can't find it online.  But you get the point, just put it in a Spencer Tracy voice, and we've got it! (*I fixed the quote, that is exact.)

 

See, now this isn't too long now is it.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, don't die.

Ti amo e ciao,

Violetta

"Leave the gun, take the cannolis" - Clemenza, The Godfather (1972)

Oh, come on.  Like you didn't know that quote was going to come up at some point.  Want to know where to get amazing cannolis?  Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batalli went there, I've been going there since I was a little girl.  Gencarelli's Bakery in Bloomfield, New Jersey.  Cannolis are my favorite pastry (and I am a great lover of pastry) and I just got a cannoli there recently.  They must have just made the cream.  It was to die for.  I mean really.  My last meal would be grilled cheese and tomato soup (made by Thomas Keller, I'm addicted to Bouchon's, on Columbus Avenue in the Mall, NYC, grilled cheese and tomato soup)  or duck.. regardless.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup and a cannoli/cheesecake/creme brulee for desert.  Oh my god, YES.  Sorry, foodie moment right there.  Also Modern Pastry in Hartfield, Conneticut.  My mom apparentally went there when she was in college.  Those pastries are to die for, like Gencarelli's, trust me it's worth the schlep from New Jersey, or wherever you live.  Oh yes, food.  Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown is really amazing chinese food.  Just thought I'd share that.  Though most any chinese in chinatown is...


Anna said I should write a short post, you know, (i.e. Anna's post below...)

"When I see a long paragraph it looks intimidating and I don't want to read it" - Anna

Haha.  So here's a non-intimidating short (er) paragraph for you all. 

Ti amo e ciao,

Violetta 

Gothic Lolita Obsession

Alohas! Yessss, one follower! We love you! Anyway, in order to follow my pattern of copying everything Vivi does (although we do have different things to say on the topics), I will talk about fashion. My clothes obsession du jour is the gothic lolita (nicknamed gothic loli, for future reference) street fashion that is growing in popularity in Japan. As scene/emo style is becoming more mainstream here (yes, I know, the midwest can be a bit slow. . . . okay, that's an understatement), I am giving up my colored skinny jeans and purple-streaked side bang-bob (well, as soon as my hair grows out anyway. . . ) for black lace, sweet ruffles, and long black hair. x]
For all of you who don't know what gothic loli is, please do not confuse what I am talking about with the street term "loli" or "lolita" (a prepubescent girl who is either sexually active or attracted to much older men). It is a fashion based off of the elegant victorian/gothic dress style, sweet, elegant dolls, and the idea of being cute over sexy (this is actually quite common in Japan as you can see with the popularity of Hello Kitty among adults). Sweet lolita is usually cute little dresses with lots of lace and bows or ruffly skirts with knee high socks. It is usually in red, white, pink, yellow, things like that. Gothic loli is just like that except in colors like black, purple, and red, with a more punk-ish edge and maybe a little higher platform mary janes. x]

Sweet Lolita:

This may look like a little girl's dress (which I guess is kinda the point), but it is tailored to fit a woman.

 Haha, well, this Japanese girl does look a little like a 12 year old.

Soooo cute. Looove the sweetheart neckline. :D Gah, that smiley doesn't work in this font.

Hey look! It's my name! XD This shows you more of the details of the dress. Are you sensing the key factors (bows, lace, ruffles. . .)? Haha, well I'll give you one more for good measure.

Okay, I think you get the idea.

Gothic Lolita:

Kind of looks like Victorian mourning clothing. Head dresses (smallish ones) are also popular.

Love this one. Except this is longer than the usual lolita skirts.

Is she not the cutest thing you have ever seen?? (Well, except for you Vivi, darling. Love you!)

This one is super interesting. At first I wouldn't touch it (or click it, to be literal), but it's grown on me. I mean, look at the bottom. The ribbons may be a bit much, but still. And the sleeves. . . oh, I just love it. Excuse me as I'm at a loss for words for fashion. . . that's not shallow at all. . .

Well at least I don't have to worry about copyright infringement here. It's not like they STAMPED THEIR NAME ALL OVER THE IMAGE or anything.

[vivi fixed it showing up way under the image because it was pissing her off! - vivi]
[nevermind, won't work, damn it will have to continue to piss me off - vivi]

(Sorry if this showed up waaaay below the image, my computer's freaking out) Kay, so this doesn't look so good on the model, but try to get past it. The little hat thingy is pretty typical of this style. This is more of a Hot Topic looking dress with the chains and all.

I give full credit to the girl on Etsy.com who made this. I LOOOOOVE it and am attempting to recreate it myself, despite my lack of ability to sew. Unfortunately, I don't have 200 something dollars to blow on this (it comes with the dress, not the girl x[ Haha)

The front of another awesome Etsy creation.

The back of the image above. No not directly above you idiot, above above. Sheesh. x]

The Accessories:

Aww, such a sweet little umbrella.

Oh my god. . . . . this lace. . . . *licks picture*

Sweet lace head dress thingy. Wonder how it attaches. . . ?

Haha Vivi, please excuse this. I think you may be a little tired of my corset obsession. Next time I don't like your topic, maybe I'll post something on corsets just to spite you! Muhahaha! Ti amo, mi amore! <3

This is probably going to be too much with all the frivolous (but still lovable) little details on the dresses, but still adorable.

Platform Mary Janes. 'Nuff said.

I could put sooooo much more on here, but I doubt this blog format thing has the space for it, and I know  I don't have the time. If you're interested in this kind of stuff or just plain bored (since a lot of this is really quite entertaining), look up "gothic lolita" or "sweet lolita".

Love you guys that don't exist!

Anna

"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time." - Jean Cocteau, Filmmaker, Playwright, Artist and more

I know I wasn't going to blog for a while but... here I am.  I was planning on not blogging and pretending I had much better things to do.  (stop spell checking me blogger, I'm quite sure wasn't is a word, or at least a proper abbreviation) Well, yesterday I did nothing.  But today I was on facebook and I kept seeing this dress I was in love with.  So I finally clicked it and I found   http://www.modcloth.com/  I LOVE it.  Like most vintage, some of it is really hideous, but others are gorgeous.  I'm a big fan of vintage, so you see how it is.  I'd much rather shop here personal than buying a re-make at Urban Outfitters for $200.00.  Though, I do love Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie.  I'm in them all the time now.  But anyway, go to that link.  I love the dresses and the coats.  I really want ot buy the entire contents of that store.

Here's a few of my favorites:

 ( http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Dresses/Printed/Chagall+Dress )

( http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Dresses/Printed/The+Great+Barrier+Reef+Dress )

( http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Dresses/Printed/Betsey+Johnson+Green+with+Envy+Dress )  


But that's really expensive, Betsey Johnson, no kidding.

( http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Tops/Short+Sleeve+Shirts/Rare+Delicacy+Capelet )

Oh, and the COATS.

(  http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Outerwear/Coats/+La+Mode+Coat )

I love how elegant that is.

( http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Outerwear/Jackets/Red+Means+Stop+Jacket )

I seriously think Audrey Hepburn has worn that (not THAT but the same style and such)  But, that's enough of fashion for today.  I still haven't gotten out to see Where the Wild Things Are, I'm dying to.

Books, I'm reading Emma by Jane Austen right now.  It's really good, well clearly.  But I don't know.  I really loved Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.  I think I prefer the darker sort of books.  I do love classics nonetheless.  I really still have to read Dracula.  Well, that's all for today.  Please, if your reading this.  If you like it, please follow us!

The Topic That Must Not Be Named.

Okay, so Vivi is giving up posting for a little bit (already) so it is my duty to our lack of readers to post in her place. And since she ranted about harp last time and introduced the offensive fact that I sing opera (and since I do steal all of her ideas), I will talk about opera (Nooo! Don't run away!). This may follow the stereotypical argument format that all opera lovers pose, but I promise to provide sufficient reasons for my opinions (I do hope that statements such as "Justin Timberlake sucks" are qualified as sufficient for you).
First of all, opera is extremely under appreciated in the world of music. Vivi will back me up on this (although she may be a little biased considering the fact that her mother is an opera singer). When most *ignorant* people picture opera, they think of fat ladies in elaborate costumes wailing at the top of their lungs, and a dark, crowded hall of people who somehow enjoy it (which makes them totally misinformed when you face the fact that that image is, in reality, Alicia Keys). Opera does take a lot of talent, energy and time to learn (please don't think that I mean that in a self-righteous way, as I haven't even come close to thinking about reaching the level of professional singers– we are always learning).
Though some operas may fit the stereotype (*cough* WAGNER *cough*), many are sweet, lyrical pieces with hummable tunes. I sing opera because it happens to be the style that my teacher thinks I am best at. I have a remarkably loud sound and opera helps that sound reach it's full potential (well, I am Italian and Irish, of course I have a loud sound). If any of you nonexistent readers are thinking that I am crazy (which I am, but for other reasons) for liking this music, you have obviously not heard Puccini. His operas are beautiful and the music alone is enough to make you cry (well maybe not in Turandot, as it has a happy ending which is the screwiest thing in the world).
The only thing cliche about operas are the story-lines. I know what you're thinking. "Well that's like the whole freaking thing, so screw that." No, it's not. Most singers can't act anyway (I, however, am the exception *prima donna pose* haha, just kidding), so if you're thinking it's like a musical, then back off. But I will be gracious enough to provide the formula for an opera.

Act I: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love at first sight. Boy and girl go happily into the sunset. (NOT)
Act II, option A: Problem is presented. Boy and girl try to find a way to be together. Boy almost gets mortally wounded.
Act II, option B: Problem is presented. Boy and girl try to find a way to be together. Girl gets raped.
Act III, option A: Problem forces itself between boy and girl. Meanwhile, boy gets murdered.
Act III, option B: Problem forces itself between boy and girl. Girl commits suicide and has a looooong death scene, singing a heartbreaking melody as she chokes on her own blood.

Sound familiar? Maybe a little like Romeo and Juliet? You'd be surprised how creative some of these opera writers can get though. Haha. But there are operas that go against this and have a *gasp* happy ending (believe me, if you give yourself a chance, you'll grow to love these depressing finales). If you want something lighter, try The Magic Flute or Turandot. Though Puccini did sort of typecast these operas.
. . . . .
Oh wow. This got long. Sorry. Not that anyone's reading this. I have a lot more to say, I just won't say it now. It'll probably leak in in some of my future entries. Ick. Leak. I don't like that word. It's all. . . leaky. Meh. Anyway!
Ciao!
Anna

"Modern music is as dangerous as cocaine" Pietro Mascagni (1863 - 1945)

I blogged yesterday, and I know this is beginning to seem obsessive, judging by out fabulously high number of followers this must be DEFINITELY necessary.  I, am a harpist.  I just wanted to express my outrage at this: http://elizabethjaxon.blogspot.com/  .  Now, the Israel Competition is the biggest competition for harpist, I'm not eligible yet.  But, we get ready for 2+ years practicing 3+ hours a day.  That is just horrible.  Imagine that, whatever you do.  The biggest competition, you've been getting ready for 2 years practicing 4 hours a day.  You are on of the three finalists.  You know you will receive some sort of award.  Poised as they announced third, not you, second, not you.  You are so happy!  You won!  You know it!  Then they announce.  There will be no first place this year.  You have won nothing.  You aren't up to "their standards" that is bullshit.  First place should be the best of the contestants in the current competition.  They might not be the same level as the ones in prior competition but so what?! (if you haven't noticed I believe italics to express rage a lot more than CAPITALS.  Though, you must LOVE THEM BOTH.) Regardless.  So put your heart out to Emily Levin (that sounded sappy), but just imagine yourself in her shoes.

I apologize.  Just playing the crazy harpist.

Anna's an opera singer so she understands.  Recommended you follow procedure and, well, at least pretend you give a fudgling.  Excuse my saves.  They include:

sh*t or schroomburger
f*ck or fudgling, fudge, fledgling
hell or health food

etc., etc., I like that etc.,etc. thing as you might figure, as I believe I've used it in EVERY POST.  Oh, favorite modern movies.  I guess movies are the topic of the week.  It's get to know us week!

everything Anna listed, except Star Trek.  Haven't seen it but hate the classics but love the actors, so the new one must be blasphemy.  Though I am not a Star Trek nerd, I apologize.  Do I make it up by being a Harry Potter dork (the books) ?

just putting it out there... I HATE MY "FRIENDS" (not Anna, love her to pieces.)

now for the movies.

Modern (ish)
Donnie Darko (2001)
Something About Mary (1998) I'm sorry, it's funny, in it's own... screwed up way.
The Notebook (2004) yes, you may shoot me now.  It's really well done though.  No but, it's really sweet, too.  I read the book and, yes argue, but I liked the movie better....

Don Juan DeMarco (1994) such a lost treasure.  Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando.  How can you pass that up? Actually, my favorite of his movies, next being...
Chocolat (2000)
Titanic (1997)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Sophie's Choice (1982) this one is brilliant.  Just brilliant.  I was sobbing throughout, Meryl Streep is just... uh! (a happy sort of sigh, not anything sexual thank you)
Doubt (2008) Streep again, genius.
The Reader (2008) dark but BRILLIANT, JUST BRILLIANT. That's all I say about these, but it really is. I love how they give you the other side.  You never get the other side in Holocaust movies. I understand why, there isn't any excuses for their side, but see this.  If you see any of these see this and Sophie's Choice.  For comic relief, Don Jaun DeMarco.

And many, many, many more.  I apologize that all of those have Johnny Depp in them or Kate Winslet, or Meryl Streep, and are mostly Oscar nominations.  But the Oscar committee has good taste, no kidding.  Though Revolutionary Road... I liked it the first time.  The second time I though, why did I like this.  Leo and Kate are great, obviously.  But she... the ending happens, and it doesn't feel like it was for anything.  Though definitely see it.  Just don't have your expectations too high.  Before you ask about Slumdog Millionaire, yes I liked it.  Not my top list.  I'm sorry, doesn't cut it.  So, I thought this would be short.  My rants become, well this. 

Ah.  This massage chair hurts so bad.  And this laptop is LITERALLY burning me.  Shi... Schroomburger.


Ti amo e ciao,

Violetta

Horror Movies (Yes, Vivi, I am doing this)

Hello all. Or nobody. Haha, not sure. Anyway, it's Anna today. To sort of continue Vivi's topic of movies, I'll start with horror movies. First off, let me just say that it is almost impossible to find a good "horror movie" anymore. If you want one that is well done (not necessarily scary as it is hard to get past the awful quality of the effects; though the blood may have actually been better in some of the older movies– sorry, getting off track. . .) you had better go with one before the 21st century. Movies like The Unborn (unrated or no), The Ring, or remakes of classics are almost guaranteed to just be cheap thrills (such as flashes of almost unrelated, freaky images, or the female protagonist taking off her clothes) with no plot. Remakes are just going to be the same story-line (give or take a few scenes) with more sex and gore. And honestly, unless you are a giant ball of testosterone (no pun intended), I doubt many people think those are the key elements to a good story.

Now, I'm not saying to give up new horror movies. I still watch them, if only to criticize and laugh at them with my friends (*cough* VIVI *cough*). But every now and then I come across one that I really like and think is well done. For example, Stephen King's 1408 with John Cusack. Vivi and I watched it together last summer (followed by House Bunny with Anna Faris, which was undoubtedly the scarier of the two) and we both thought that it was very good. Maybe it wasn't the most disturbing, creepiest thing in the world, but it had a great psychological element to it. It was also nice to see Cusack out of the sappy, puppy-dog romantic characters he's been stereotyped into. I thought he did an awesome job.

So, to wrap this up (and copy Vivi) I will give you a list of movies put in the horror category that I think are worth seeing (at least more so than others).

• 1408 (2007)
• The Shining (1980– okay, so the effects and some aspects of the story may be laughable, but it was overall worthwhile)
• The Sixth Sense (1999)
• The Village (2004– I don't know if this is considered horror, but it was well done nonetheless)
• The Ring Two, Unrated (2005– okay, so I hated this one, but it was still too hilarious to pass up)

Oh wow, I can't think of anymore at the moment (see, doesn't this show the lack of good ones?). So here's a list of movies you MUST see (this list may be a little more modern than Vivi's). Please excuse the fact that almost every movie stars Johnny Depp.

• Benny and Joon (1993)
• Edward Scissorhands (1990)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (2003– the first one, not any of the others. They suck. And no, I don't care that no one agrees with me)
• The Invisible (2007)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993– Yes, I know)
• Star Trek (2009 Remake– And yes, I am serious. This was an awesome movie)
• Sweeney Todd (Any production will do, but I particularly like the Johnny Depp one, once you get past the fact that they use about a million gallons of hot pink blood)

Well, that's it for now. Arrividerci!

Con Amore,

Anna

"Life's candy and the sun's a ball a' butta' " - Fanny Brice, Funny Girl (1968)

I KNOW nobody reads this, well. No one follows it. If you are reading this, please click that little follow button over there in the corner! It would really encourage me to actually blog. Well, I do like it. It makes me feel like I'm not just talking to myself. Regardless. I feel it is my duty as a movie fanatic to see Where the Wild Things Are. It's quite hyped up. "Parents are worried it is too scary to bring their kids to." according to trusty radio. They probably smothered the book (in a bad way, in this case), but all the Harry Potter movies did, and, well, I still saw them! Well, that isn't to say I liked them. So, might as well. I saw Psycho yesterday. Funny Girl the day before. They are definitely related (please, note the sarcasm). Funny Girl was spectacular. Barbra Streisand is just a joy to watch, thank god she took that Oscar that year. (fact: tied with Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter), second tie in Oscar history, first exact tie (first being Frederic March (Jr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde) and Wallace Beery (The Champ) in 1932, one vote apart.) ). I believe I just did a double parentheses. Breaking barriers here, being rebellious. Anyway. Omar Shariff, just his elegance and just, he is so amazing. The only actor who can pull off a mustache, aside from almost if not equally classy, Clark Gable. If you haven't seen Funny Girl, you must (must, must, MUST) see it now. Psycho has now made my top ten list as well. I won't spoil anything. But it has the best twist ending, and goes against all horror-movie-structure. (You know, the boyfriend dies last, the comic relief second, the unfortunate bystander first, da dum, da, da, and so on.)

If you interested, which I can only hope you are. Here is a list of movies you MUST SEE. Note: there are bound to be more, I just am still watching.

Classics
Psycho (1960)
Funny Girl (1968)
Notorious (1946)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)
Two For the Road (1967)
Funny Face (1957)
Charade (1963)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Sabrina (1954)
My Fair Lady (1964)
Guys and Dolls (1955)
High Society (1956)
Philadelphia Story (1940)

etc., etc. that would be just a brief list. Most anything Hepburn (Audrey & Katharine), Grace Kelly, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, you know the usual. I'll list more movies I honor, modern ones perhaps. (I appear to have dawdled away and well. Sidetracked. So easy for me, I didn't finish.)

Are these blogs not so interesting? Are you just SO glad your following this? Oh wait BUT YOUR NOT. So get to it, please. Oh, Sabrina is truly amazing. You must see that one if you see none others. Well and the Hitchcock gems. OH. And I'm going to start having a quote of the day. As my title. You see today's. It's from Funny Girl. Jesus this is stream of conscience.

Ti amo e ciao,

Violetta

Anna Here (Just Rambling) x]

Buon giorno world of internet stalkers and such!

It is Anna writing today (on my birthday!), proving that I am not a figment of Vivi's imagination! Haha. At least I don't think so. . . . Anyway, umm. What to write about?

Well, I was just saying today to Vivi that a lot of today's music is overrated. Like Green Day for example. Please hold the stampede of crazed fangirls for a second and hear me out. Several times while listening to their new songs I have thought, "Didn't this 'new single' come out last month?". I mean, to me (and Vivi), "21 Guns" sounds just like "Wake Me Up When September Ends". And that song was decently good ("Wake Me Up"), but not good enough to recreate over and over again. They were good in the beginning, but I think they need to except that they are not creative enough to continue producing more music. . . . Haha, that sounds really harsh. x]

Ok well, in order to stop this from turning into a full-blown rant, I'm going to stop now. Hehee, this is a lot shorter Vivi's but oh well!

Arrivederci!

Anna

Blathering Away

Hello world. Whoever is unfortunate enough to read this. I was thinking the other day, I love to write, I have an unfortunate lot to say. Isn't that what blogging is for? So, Anna and I are going to start a blog. (I being Violetta, or ViVi if preferable.) Here we will review movies (I am a complete movie-buff, so please bear with me.), give views on books, TV shows (maybe), food, music (from opera to this new found Justin Beiber, proving this centuries complete lack of taste, I mean he's a little white boy who can't even sing and does some invention of... I won't get into that now, make you hate me later.) So, that is all for today. Perhaps I'll have something of more interest in the future. Oh. I will mostly be talking about the New York/Northern New Jersey suburbs area. Anna was forced against her will to relocate from here to South Dakota. So, those will be the focus of what we talk about. Though, I'm likely writing to myself. I figure hey if I don't have any friends in "real life" at least I might be popular over the internet! We're both of Italian descent, (among other things, but that is the most important, well to me at least) and are attempting to become fluent. So if I throw in bits of Italian, mi scusi, just use a translator. That's most likely where I get most of it from. (Not all, I swear.) Oh, and just for the record. My name is pronounced: Vee-o-leh-tta (not da, no jersey t's, t, I'm very specific about my pronunciation, mi scusi for being a snob.)

Ti amo e Ciao,

Violetta