I love watching series and movies and/or reading literature. They inspire me and when that happens I love to write and/or talk about it. That's what you will find in this blog, connected to my life or the lessons I get from them.
FYI: The quote is from Buffy Summers. It's about her not being ready ('done baking') whoever she is going to turn out to be. I figured it fits.
** Usually I don't really explain my 'poems' or the like, but in this case I'd like to give a little explanation... When I write my 'poetry', it comes from a state of mind, a feeling that I just have to put in words. I wrote this one a while ago and can't seem to access that state of mind, so that's why it's a little.... off :P. Anyway... it turned out more as a doodle or something.
This morning I woke up to the devastating news that Cory Monteith died yesterday at the age of 31. The Glee-star was found yesterday at noon at the Vancouver Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel. I'm not the kind of person to fall in love with characters, or at least not in the way that a dedicated and devoted fan of a show does (not since/like Buffy anyway). But this news touched me deeply. Not only am I one of the millions of people who could enjoy his wonderful voice and his amazing talents on Glee, but he always seemed like a very happy man who enjoyed life. With his 31 years, he definitely belongs in the list of stars who died to soon (like James Dean and many others).
The news report It's been all over the news, like The Hollywood Reporter and BBC news, you name it. The police found out that Cory spent Friday night with friends, but came back on saturday morning by himself. When he missed his check out time at noon, the hotel staff went up to his room and found him. He was probably alone when he died. While cause of death hasn't been determined yet, the police don't expect foul play and they are questioning the friends who were with him the night before. It's unclear whether or not Glee castmates or his longtime girlfriend and co-star Lea Michele were with him.
In March this year Cory checked himself into rehab for substance abuse. Which wasn't the first time. When he was 19 years old, he had checked himself in as well. Many websites are now speculating that Cory possibly died because of a drug overdose. But let me just say that the police haven't said anything yet.
His big grin
When you look at pictures of Cory, you will always see his big smile and grin. It's hard to believe that someone like that is gone. Or that he even had a hard time in life. I first read the news on facebook and twitter and I went to check out his twitter account. His last tweets are so innocent that it hurts to read them. It shows just how totally unexpected this whole thing is. I checked out some of his tweetpics as well and they are simply heartbreaking. A picture of his girlfriend Lea Michele (Rachel Berry from Glee), from when he first learned her how to snowboard. And even further back a picture from him with some of the Glee cast at San Diego Comic Con... They are all memories that show who and what he's leaving behind. His family, friends, fellow castmates from Glee. Sure, fans share this pain. But the people who actually knew him... You really can't imagine what they are going through. THR has an entire list of tweets about his passing.
Fans are also retweeting messages Lea sent to him or things she said in interviews about their relationship. It makes his passing even more heartbreaking, especially now that everyone is sharing the picture where they announced they were getting married.
20th Century Fox shared: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic news. Cory was
an exceptional talent and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to
work with and we will all miss him tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers are
with his family and loved ones."
In Glee Since the beginning of the show in 2009 Cory Monteith played teenager Finn Hudson. A teenager with lots of problems but finally found happiness in Glee Club and his relationship with Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). In season four Finn and Rachel had broken up and we saw way less of him in the show. Glee producers, the network and Lea were all supporting him during rehab. It was the reason why he appeared in less episodes than originally planned. Through everything in the show, one thing always remained clear, which is that these two characters belong together. I remember thinking: "Finn and Rachel are one of those couples who have to endure a lot, break up, but will marry in the final episode of the series", because everyone knows that they are THE couple of the show. When I heard this news, my thoughts also went to the future of Glee. How will this affect the show? Cory is an amazing talent with a beautiful voice and we will always feel this loss. THR wrote that it's unclear how the sudden death of Cory will influence the production of Glee. The first episode of the fifth season is to premiere on september 19th... And he was supposed to be a series regular again. When tragedy strikes, in real life, it will undoubtedly come back in the show. I already know, that no matter how they do it, it's gonna be a tearjurker of an episode.
The internet is already filled with pictures, videos and sweet messages about Cory. The proof that pain and loss can be shared throughout the world. Everybody has their own way of honoring someone or remembering them. That's why my sunday will now be filled with writing this blog and watching several Glee episodes (like the Pilot or 3x22 Goodbye) and listening to their Glee songs.
I saw this Dutch movie two summers ago, called 'Zomerhitte' or translated it would be 'Summer Heat'. And yes, that's right. Two summers... I sometimes get behind on my blogs, or something more fun comes along and I do that first. In this case, it's called Summer Heat, which we're finally experiencing right now, and therefor I felt it was a blog that I should post now ;-). It might be dated, but I couldn't let it go. It's a good movie and I also really wanted to write it, because Jeroen Willems is in it. He's so amazing and this was a nice way to give him some of the attention he truly deserves.
Storyline Bob Griffioen (Waldemar Torentstra) is a photographer. He used to go to war areas and take pictures there, but after an incident, he switched to nature photography. Near the beach on the island Texel he's taking pictures in the dunes, until he sees the naked Kathleen (Sophie Hilbrand) emerging from the sea. From the first moment he's completely taken with her and can't let her go. That's why he attends parties (uninvited), to be with her, where she socialises with an older man, 'the Mummy' (Johan Leysen). A very possessive and jealous man, who decides to take action against Bob. Bob's only friend is the mysterious Federico Federici (Jeroen Willems), because even though Kathleen seems to be interested in Bob, it's unclear where her loyalties lie.
Act and direct Monique van de Ven is mostly known for her acting (such as Turks Fruit/'Turkish Delight' (1973) written by Jan Wolkers, and her first movie as an actress). Summer Heat is her debut feature film as a director, for which she chose to do this book - also written by Jan Wolkers. Before watching this movie - which was made in 2008 - I read a lot of negative reviews, so my hopes really weren't that high. It's one thing to act, and another to direct. But I really enjoyed the movie. Yes, the acting and directing could have been better, but it wasn't like it was bad. The lead actors, Torentstra and Hilbrand are married in real life (still, I believe), and this could have been tricky, but they did a good job. Their performance wasn't magical, but that's mostly because of their lines. There was a lot of playfullness in their eyes which was very enjoyable and it also makes you question who to trust the entire time of the movie.
Suspense Books and adaptations are never exactly the same. This movie is no different. The opening of the movie has been added to the story, as has a part of the ending. But what stayed with me during the movie was not the cheesy dialogue or just the weird way conversations seemed to go, but the suspense. The story is very strong and keeps you guessing, and that is why I really enjoyed this movie. It's got a lot of good elements (the beach, drugs, sex, trust, decievement) and even though some of the parts might be lacking, all of it put together makes a good and enjoyable movie. Especially if you love suspense in a movie and are looking for something that feels like summer. Jeroen Willems I also couldn't let this go by without writing something about Jeroen Willems. He's an amazing Dutch actor, that I actually interviewed over the phone last september. He's the kindest, sweetest man, with an amazing voice. He also stars in this movie, but he died a little while ago. He was actually rehearsing and collapsed on stage. This was one of those moments where you hear the news on television and go 'No way....' and you're just at a loss for words. He was only 50 years old. Jeroen Willems was an amazing singer and actor and may he rest in piece. Here are two beautiful songs he once performed (the Dutch version of a French song by Jacques Brel and the Dutch song by Frans Halsema). I went to his show during the Dutch Film Festival and it was very memorable, emotional and touching.
(Jeroen Willems singing 'Laat me niet alleen' / 'Ne me quitte pas')
(Jeroen Willems singing Madeleine)
The thing is, even after he died, a lot of his movies came out. He was so busy working that all these works were in the stages of post production. These movies/shows are: De Wederopstanding van een Klootzak (sorry, don't know the translation), Boven is het Stil/It's All so Quiet, Tula: The Revolt and the show (again no translation) De Ontmaskering van de Vastgoedfraude. And I'm sorry to say that I'm so behind on movies, that I haven't seen any of them. But at least I still have a lot to look forward to. Especially It's All So Quiet, because it has been said that that is one of his finest movies and the first one where he played the lead. Well, I hoped you enjoyed this little summer blog and that all of you are going to have a wonderful time during the summer!
