Would that this hoodie were a time hoodie!

OH GOD, THIS SONG:



So beautiful, and MAN did it make me think of Betty/Armando. Seriously, dudes, this could totally be their anthem. Anyway, hearing Big Kenny doing the harmony just made me realize how much I miss the glorious freak show that was Big and Rich. WHY DID THEY HAVE TO BREAK UP? WHYYYYYYY? They were my favorite, gosh darn it! And whenever I see either of them doing things without the other, it just depresses me. Except for this song, because Big Kenny sounded amazing, and I've come to realize that I freaking love Big Kenny when he's harmonizing with just about anyone, but Big Kenny solo? Eeeeesh, totally not my thing. I love his voice like crazy, but I guess I just don't dig his style when he has no one there beside him to reign him in. And with John Rich, it's kind of the opposite problem. John is so dang boring on his own and he is in desperate need of Big Kenny's eccentricities. Seriously, THESE MEN NEED EACH OTHER. WHY ARE THEY NOT TOGETHER? John is busy making the rounds on celebrity reality shows while Big Kenny is busy making weird music and traveling the world, and just... I NEED THEM TO GET BACK TOGETHER. I can only listen to two albums so many times before they stop being shiny. I need more, damn it! *sniff* Although if Big Kenny permanently joined Jaron and the Long Road to Love, I totally wouldn't mind.

In other YouTubing adventures, I came across this Secret Garden vid, which features Oska/Han Tae Ssun, and... I will not lie, I shipped the crap out of these two when I was actually following this drama, and had the show focused on them just a little bit harder, I would have probably followed this drama all the way to the end:



It kind of breaks my heart that the Korean culture is so against exploring homosexual themes (other than in Personal Taste, but, surprise surprise, the only person that didn't get a happy ending was the gay dude), because OMG these two would have been epic together, and Oska would have been far more interesting had his story been about angsting over his feelings for this young man who managed to catch his attention, instead of Oska endlessly angsting over the girl that the show failed to make me care about, and a romance that tried way too hard to be epic but was in fact failtastic. Bah. I know, I know, Secret Garden was about Gil Ra Im and Joo Won, not Oska, but their angst tortured me so much that it sucked all the fun out of the drama for me. And I was in mad love with Oska until his stupid romance story got so damn tiring. Ugh, Secret Garden, you started out so good! So many people adore you! I feel obligated to finish it simply because it's become a bit of a pop culture show in Korea, to the point where other dramas are already referencing it, but the aaaaaaangst! And evil meddling mothers! My heart can't take it. Honestly, if there is one cliche that I just can't stand and will instantly make me lose interest in an otherwise awesome drama, it's the evil meddling mother (or grandmother) of a rich boy. AUGH, I HATE IT. SO MUCH. It's unnecessary and lazy and overdone and freaking annoying. Er... anyway, my original point was: OMG, PRETTY.

SUGARLAND HAS A NEW SINGLE!!!!!



Greatest graphics EVER for a lyrics video, right? Usually lyrics videos are beyond lame, but this person actually made it super adorable and catchy, JUST LIKE THE SONG. Screw those YouTube commenters, whatever, SUGARLAND RULES, BITCHES. What I find interesting though is that people are usually down on Sugarland's new songs when they first come out, and then for some reason people seem to come around to them later. Even I'm that way sometimes, though as of late Sugarland could probably sing any damn song in the world and I'd love it to death (except for The Love Shack, UGH. Even they didn't manage to salvage that song for me). But anyway, yes, this song is more fluffy pop than Sugarland is known for, but Sugarland is all about bringing different genres together and putting some twang to it, so it's not like they were traditional to begin with, though, you know, they were more traditional than they were with the last album and the upcoming one, but whatever, I FREAKING LOVE THEM. And you know what? I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT TOO, SO SUCK IT, PURISTS. Not that I've ever agreed with the purists. Ever. Especially since they were always down on Garth Brooks back in the day (irony upon ironies, the modern day purists are the ones who want to harken back to the days of Garth. I love my Garth, he'll always be #1 in my heart, but he was a big proponent of the idea that music is constantly growing and changing and building on its roots. He too was a genre mixer, which is probably why I have such a strong fondness for Sugarland).

Also, I am lame and keep picturing a married Jeff/Annie whenever I listen to that song. *sigh*

Anywhozle, I quite enjoyed Covert Affairs last night. I keep thinking that I'm going to drop the show, because as fun as it is, there's still nothing that's really making me attached to the story or consumed with the characters, but somehow it manages to draw me in every week. And this week's was especially good, probably because Annie had wicked hot chemistry with that Mossad guy. Plus, they brought out a darker side to Auggie that kind of made you think about where his loyalties lie (though I still believe that he is completely on Annie's side, just, you know, there could be a sinister side to this dude that we don't know about... though, I doubt it, but you never know).

In my continuing perusal of Wizards of Waverly Place, I came upon the ep entitled "Max's Secret Girlfriend" and do you know what happened? ALEX AND JUSTIN PRETENDED TO BE HIS PARENTS. Oh, Disney tween show with your highly suggestive incest, you are the light of my life. Side note: someone on F!S the other day complained about this show having its own Brother/Sister incest page, and I kind of agree. Sure, the show pushes it sometimes, but it's not canon, therefore it's incestyay and not straight up incest. Still though, that page amuses me with its truthiness. Also, Harper/Zeke is like the cutest thing ever. Usually I don't approve of just sticking the two weird kids together, as Disney shows are wont to do, but for some reason it works great for these two (maybe because the show sort of built it up? It was only a couple of eps, but that's still better than just randomly throwing them together out of the blue).

The 30 Day Shipping Meme
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing?

Tina Fey/Robert Downey Jr.



Because you know they'd be made of epic snarktastic gold. Plus, you know, they're kind of hot together.

Day 12 - Who had the best wedding?

Oh, that would be Betty/Armando. Never has a TV wedding felt more real:



I love that they went with real as opposed to overly comedic or dramatic, because when you watch this show, you really feel like you are on their journey with them, and their journey was so long and difficult but full of so many happy memories, and when it gets to the wedding you are just smiling like a loon and you feel like you're really there with them, like you're a part of their family, and it's just utterly beautiful (and yes, I cry every time, because again, they feel like real people that you've known forever and you're just so happy to finally see them together, all their dreams coming true). And I love the fact that Armando got these people to come and sing that duet at their wedding, because it's the song that Betty and Armando sang together on their first date, and Armando remembering this signifies that that moment had been important to him. He remembered this little detail even though at the time he had thought that he didn't care about her, but clearly he did, at least a little bit.

( Next time on firthgal's journal... )

The 30 Day Shipping Meme
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene?

Oh, by far, it's Betty reading Mario's letter to Armando.



No matter how many times I watch this, I cannot get through it without bursting into tears, especially since it comes just after this incredibly special night that Betty had spent with Armando where she basically bared her soul to him and he was finally realizing that he was madly in love with her, and they were both so happy before Betty read that stupid letter, and there was this moment before Armando left for his business meeting where it looked like he wanted to tell her everything, and Betty is finally comfortable in this love after so much fretting because she felt like Armando had fully given her his heart the night before, but then she reads this letter and her beautiful dream becomes this horrible nightmare, and this scene basically signifies the death of the Betty that the audience has come to love. Her enthusiasm for life is gone, she lashes out at innocent people, and she becomes an eternal pessimist as opposed to the determined optimist that she had been before. It's heartbreaking to watch all of the hope being sucked out of her. And her devastating heartbreak goes on for many scenes after this, and the bit where she flashes back to her childhood just makes this part even more tragic. The fact that she still approached life with such joy after so much pain was utterly beautiful, but Armando was the one that finally beat her down. She just couldn't take it anymore after that. She loved him with everything that she was, she gave him everything that she could, and it was all a joke to him. God, the scene where she's shaking in the bathroom really gets me, and the scene where she finally lets all of her tears out while Nicolas is holding her makes me bawl like crazy. Like, all out bawling. I just... ugh, I always have to skip that whenever I do an epic rewatch, because my heart just can't take all of that pain.

Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage?

Dude, this is a hard one. The majority of my ships carry some pretty messed up baggage (hello Betty/Armando), but I think the winner here is Uther/Morgana, because as messed up as Betty and Armando are, neither one ever actually wanted to kill the other. Uther/Morgana baggage:

1. Uther is Morgana's guardian, therefore he is basically her stepfather (or adoptive father or what have you)
2. Morgana believes that Uther is responsible for her actual father's death, and yes, she does hold this against him
3. Uther hates (and kills) anything that has even the smallest association with magic, and Morgana is a Seer, which means she has magic in her blood. DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN.
4. Morgana is deathly afraid of losing Uther's love because of said magic, therefore she decided to hate him first.
5. Morgana really, really wants to kill Uther. Like, really.
6. Despite numbers 1 through 5, Uther is a mess without Morgana, and Morgana's number one motivation for wanting to kill Uther is that she thinks he doesn't love her anymore. She specifically said this in ep 2x12. HIS LOVE MEANS EVERYTHING TO HER, IS WHAT I'M SAYING. So, they love each other, but they also hate each other, and sometimes they know they love each other but sometimes they don't, and sometimes they know they hate each other but sometimes they don't, and things just get really confusing for them.

Okay, I was looking at fanvids on YouTube, checking to see if there are any good new ones, and I came across one that completely stole the ending to one of my vids (plus, it took a few of my other clips, too). NOT COOL. Oh well, it's not like I filmed the show or anything (and my vids aren't that fancy anyway), so I guess I shouldn't get angry. But I mean, really, what's the point of making a fanvid if you're just going to take someone else's fanvid clip for clip and put different music to it? It just doesn't make sense (I think they used a few other people's fanvids for the beginning). Whatever. That's fandom for you.

Anyways, I couldn't find a good one, so, let's just rewatch the one I made last year, because I'm still kind of in love with it:



*dreamy sigh* They are so, so beautiful.

( Next time on firthgal's journal... )

P.S.
Check out my new moodtheme (by crackers4jenn)! I've Jeff/Annie-ified it! Apparently I am still really, really into them. Although I suspect I'll switch back to the Merlin one once series 3 starts.

The 30 Day Shipping Meme
Day 06 - The best kiss?

Well, I pretty much covered this in the TV meme, but let me talk about it again (and then add another one just for symmetry)

1. Jeff/Annie - Community (season 1 finale)



Beautifully shot, beautifully executed, and basically it was everything that a TV kiss should be. I think what made it super special though was that 1) I wasn't expecting something that huge to happen, and 2) the conversation they have just before it makes it clear that this isn't just about hormones, it's about what feels right for the both of them (even though their conversation was about other love interests, you could feel them starting to understand that they always gravitate towards each other because they feel like their actual selves around each other). Anyway, I love that kiss.

2. Betty/Armando - Yo Soy Betty, la Fea



Okay, I love pretty much all of their kisses, but this one comes after such a long time of Betty torturing Armando's soul, and Betty has been deeply tormented by the fact that she loves this awful man that she shouldn't love and doesn't want to love, and Armando is basically lashing out at her here for way more than just business reasons and his demeanor is just egging her on into carrying out her revenge, but then, but then he appeals to her with his heart. He tells her that his life is in her hands, and if she's ever loved him at all, then does she really want to see him suffer? And oh does it get her. And she doesn't even realize that he's talking about his ENTIRE life and not just the business, because his heart was in her hands too, and he was tired of suffering (of course, she doesn't know this, because she still thinks that he's only seducing her for business reasons). It's a very, very screwed up love, and not one that I would want for myself, but oh man did they share some freakishly hot kisses. I could basically watch these two makeout all day long. And they do the realistic making out, too. The kisses are messy, intense, and kind of seedy, just like their romance.

Oh, and just for organizational reasons, here's yesterday's meme post (I had posted it along with a personal entry, so here it is in a purely fandom entry):

( Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry? )

( Next time on firthgal's journal... )

I am finally getting some alone time today. I've forgotten how much I appreciate my alone time. Anyway:

The 30 Day TV Meme
Day 21 - Favorite ship

This is kind of hard since it quite often changes, because, at the moment? It's totally Jeff/Annie (from Community). And not so long ago my OTP of all OTPs was Daniel/Betty from Ugly Betty (which has actually morphed into Armando/Betty, since I seem to get obsessed with them in every single version of the show). But then there's Buffy/Giles, an OTP I got so ridiculously wrapped up in and it is so epic and angsty that my love for them will probably last a lifetime. And we can't forget Uther/Morgana, but in all honesty, I'm kind of over them for the moment? Which feels weird, but once Merlin kicks back up again I'm sure my obsessive love for them will resurface.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, my current flavor of the month is Jeff/Annie, the ship that I most enjoy and love watching (repeatedly) in all incarnations is Armando/Betty (aka Daniel/Betty), but the ship with the most staying power in terms of watching and fanfic is probably Buffy/Giles.

And now I'm going to hit you with a random Jeff/Annie fanvid, just because:



*dreamy sigh*

Also, if anyone is looking for Jeff/Annie fanfic recs, I highly, HIGHLY rec these two fics by drearygirl:

Slow Show - This is both canon-based (up to 1x16) and future!fic, and it manages to incorporate the entire ensemble in the most brilliant ways possible, and I love how it emphasizes the importance of the entire group for Jeff, not just Annie or Britta, everyone, and there were so many moments where I was laughing out loud with this fic (especially during pretty much any bit that mentions Pierce), but it's also this beautifully plotted out romance for Jeff and Annie and it's completely believable and you're really on this emotional journey with them, and just... I can't say enough good things about this fic. And it's interesting how many themes it hits upon that were explored in the show later in the season (it's like the writer was psychic or something, or... you know, picking up on things that I wasn't looking for). This is a two parter, so be sure to check out the second chapter, too.

Like to Tell You All I Want is Now - By far my favorite post-finale fic that has been posted. It just captures that peace between Jeff and Annie so beautifully, how they just enjoy being around each other, how they always seem to flawlessly know what the other needs at the exact moment that they need it, and just, GAH, I love it.

Basically anything by this author is made of win, but those two are my favorites.

( the days )

The 30 Day Film Meme
Day 05 - Favourite love story in a film

Okay, to choose just one is wicked hard. I mentioned some of my favorites last night, but it is virtually impossible for me to choose between them, so I think I'm just going to go with my favorite epic period romance: Anna and the King.



Gaaaah, the repressed feelings! The constant butting of heads! The way he is always dazzled by her crazy English lady views! The way he makes her blush when he teases her! The way they take each other's breath away! The way they want each other so badly when they know they can't have each other! The way she makes him understand only wanting one woman! The way they totally break each other's hearts and yet decide to keep loving each other anyway! The little moments where they almost touch but don't! Basically, everything about this romance is beautiful. Yeah, the film is obscenely inaccurate with the historical details, BUT DO I CARE? HELL NO. Because Anna and King Mongkut are so, so, so tragically beautiful. And it's got one of those endings where your voice gets all screechy and you're like, "NO! NO, GOD, WHY? WHY CAN'T THEY BE TOGETHER?" But you know why, and yet it still hurts, but that ending shot with them dancing and sort of finally giving into their feelings is so insanely beautiful.

( the days )

IS HE NOT THE KING OF HEARTBROKEN LOOKS?






Seriously, John Lloyd, seriously, stop making me feel bad for Armando. *sigh* I've just finished a quick rewatch of I ♥ Betty la Fea. Sort of. I started from the bit where Armando knew he was falling in love, and then I quit after they got back together, so, I guess I skipped quite a bit, but I watched all the important parts. Anyway, during the rewatch, I was reminded of how much the slow-mo editing annoyed the crap out of me. The lead ups to their very few kisses were slow enough without the slow-mo, gosh darn it! And I don't need to see their hugs from five different angles! In slow-mo! *sigh* But then it gives me a whole montage of adorableness such as this:



AND SUDDENLY ALL IS FORGIVEN.

Okay, I admit it, during my watch of I ♥ Betty la Fea, I was so completely bummed that they didn't give us the classic Betty/Armando karaoke scene (even the American version gave it to us!), but you know what? THIS TOTALLY MAKES UP FOR IT, OMG.



♥ ♥ ♥ THEY STAY SO MAGNIFICENTLY IN CHARACTER, IT IS PURE ADORABLENESS. Possibly even more adorable than them being themselves:



Why yes, I am in a spammy mood, why do you ask?

On a sidenote, I've totally just learned how to embed vids at a specific start time. Oh, if only I had known that was possible AGES ago!

I feel like I've been away from LJ forever, but in actuality it's only been 2 or 3 days. Hm. But anyway, I have a backlog of comments and PMs to answer, which I will! Eventually! Now that I've finished watching I ♥ Betty la Fea (and yes, I feel just as empty now as when I finished the original version. *sigh*)

But anyway, before I get to Ugly Betty talk, here are my Thursday Night TV reactions:

1. Community - HELL YES. JEFF/ANNIE 4EVR!!!1!1!1!! ♥ ♥ ♥ No, but seriously, they were on fire tonight. I LOVE THEM SO VERY MUCH! And Troy with his natural plumbing talents! And Senor Chang with his keytar aspirations! And Abed with his accidentally offensive movie quotes! And Pierce! Oh, this show, I love it. Especially when Jeff and Annie make googly eyes at each other and then blush.

2. Parks and Rec - Loved it, as usual. Ron was my favorite, as usual. April and Andy were adorable yet dense, as usual. *sigh* Rob Lowe dazzled me with his pearly white smile, as usual (he's like a Ken doll!). I am enjoying Leslie's new man, even though I still 100% believe that Ron and Leslie were made for each other. Ann made me giggle! She so rarely gets to be the goofy one. So, basically, I enjoyed this ep, and I am especially loving the April/Andy angst that manages to be rather subtle but still pretty obvious (and kind of heartbreaking).

3. The Office - Andy! ANDY!!!!!!!! Oh, you guys, my Andy is so back. ♥ Er... that's pretty much all I have to say about the ep. It made me laugh! A lot! So, that was good.

4. 30 Rock - Meh. I am enjoying this show a lot less without my Jack/Liz enthusiasm. However, I still found the ep funny, just, you know, it bugs me so much when Jack and Liz are trying so hard to find "the one" when all evidence points to the fact that they are each other's "one," especially since that passage that Liz was reading at the wedding shouted "THAT'S JACK AND LIZ" at me, and then Liz proceeds to stall the wedding simply because Jack asked her to in text form. She didn't even think about it, she just did it! And if that's not love, then I don't know what is. Not only that, but she just freaking lit up when she realized he was there. THEY COMPLETE EACH OTHER, SHOW. WHY CAN'T YOU FIGURE THIS OUT ALREADY? Liz can't find the right dude because none of them are Jack. You know it, I know it, Hong Kong knows it, so, COME THE FREAK ON. I... I really didn't mean to rant. I enjoyed the episode! I did! Especially Dennis! And Wesley! But you know how I feel about my Jack/Liz. I miss the show focusing on their awesomeness.

---

Okay, so, as I mentioned earlier, I've finished the Filipino version of Ugly Betty. It was INSANE, but I enjoyed it immensely. What I loved about this version so much is that the romance between Betty and Armando was genuine throughout the whole show. They started as boss and employee, and Armando actually resented Betty at first since his father made him hire her (probably an homage to the American version, as was Betty walking into the plate glass window), and a lot of the first few eps happened a lot like the original, except this Betty wasn't so naive, and while she was a little scared in the beginning, she started to stand up for herself and make Armando realize what a jerk he was, and their dynamic really reminded me of the American version, especially once they started getting closer. They really did become good friends, but Armando was kind of clueless (again, he really reminded me of the American version of the character once he got out of his jerky stage). And the more time Armando spent with Betty, the more he realized that they click with each other on every level. When she wasn't with him, he felt incomplete, and that was before his feelings even started getting romantic. I loved how, when he was on vacation with Marcela and feeling trapped, he opened his computer and watched the video Betty had given him, and he gets this warm look on his face and then just bursts out laughing during the part where she's laughing, and for this one moment he feels free, but then thoughts of Marcela come into his mind and he starts crying. GUH! And I like how it took certain moments from the original and completely changed their context, like the handkerchief moment, or Betty's botched makeover (which was intentionally bad in this version because she thought that Armando's feelings weren't real). Basically, what I loved the most about this version is that it took the same story but looked at it from a legitimate point of view rather than having the romance be deceptive, so instead of Betty and Armando's problems arising out of betrayal, the problems they faced were about people looking down on them for their romance/people thinking they were mismatched/people thinking that Betty was the waitress or the maid instead of Armando's girlfriend. And ooooooooh were they adorable together. The courtship was well-paced and beautiful and the show knew when to focus solely on them. But then the bad stuff started happening, and then Armando did a really, really stupid thing that broke my Betty's heart, and it was a long, long road to recovery, some of which I enjoyed immensely, but also some of which I thought went on for too long (which was mainly the bit where they were separated for so many episodes, but I actually think the separation was a lot shorter than the Colombian and Russian versions).

So, while I really, really enjoyed the romance, to the point where I maybe even loved them more than the original Betty/Armando (maybe), the show went wrong in a lot of places. Namely, all the scheming. My god, I always thought that the American version had too much scheming going on, but it was nothing compared to this one. Nothing. I got so sick of Daniela's schemes that I just wanted to reach into my computer and strangle her. Especially since she kept blaming all of her family's problems on Betty, which was so insanely ridiculous. And Armando's father was such a jackass, I freaking hated him, but then he became sympathetic, but then he turned into a jackass again, and the dude just had the poorest judgment in the world for trusting Daniela even after she destroyed the company, and he has the nerve to treat Betty like dirt after she restored the company to its full glory, and just... ugh. Tragedy upon tragedy fell on Betty's family (and her romance with Armando) because of Daniela's scheming and Roberto's stupidity, and in the end they all get forgiven like nothing happened. UGH. So, yeah, the show stretched itself too thin with the soap opera theatrics, but at least they kept the romance perfect. What I loved about the original was that even though it was a soap opera, it really didn't feel like a soap opera since the problems the characters faced were realistic, and the show made every single character so very human. This version failed in that, but I don't think it ever set out to do that. Anyway, it kept the romance very real and sweet and heartbreaking and adorable, and it kept the Pengson family moments very real (most of which made me cry like crazy), so, I enjoyed this version very, very much, even though quality-wise it really pales in comparison to the original.

And now I'm sad since I'm out of versions to watch. I still want to see the German version. WHY IS IT NOT ON YOUTUBE, DAMN IT?

So uh... you know the Filipino version of Ugly Betty that I've been talking about all weekend? I finally got to the romance, and I was right, it was totally legit, no deviance whatsoever! IT'S PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I WANTED THE AMERICAN VERSION TO BE. But I've now hit the heartbreak, where Betty thinks he did it for the business, but in actuality he had totally fallen in love with her long before he had started romancing her. THEY ARE SO ADORABLE, YOU GUYS. But now they are both in pain for no damn reason! Ugh, it's killing me! Stupid Mario. Stupid, stupid Mario.

ETA: Okay, they are already back to their adorable hair-smelling selves! OMG, I LOVE THEM. But you know that Daniella and Marcela will soon destroy their happiness, because that's just how they roll.

In I ♥ Betty la Fea, Marcela is freaking nuts. She tries to kill herself every time Armando breaks up with her! Good lord, if that had happened on the original version Marcela would have attempted suicide in every episode. I FEEL REALLY, REALLY BAD FOR ARMANDO. Which is weird, because in the other versions I've watched I always feel bad for Marcela, but seriously, the biggest difference with this version (so far) is the Valencia family and their complete insanity. And I am still trying to figure out where the deceptive Betty/Armando romance will factor into this story, because at this point it feels like he is legitimately falling for her without realizing it, and if he starts the whole "romance Betty to save the company" plot, it will be all the more heartbreaking, because he's actually been really sweet with her so far (the baby episodes nearly killed me with their cuteness).

(Believe it or not, I've actually dusted and vacuumed the whole house today, cleaned the kitchen, and the rest of the family will soon be arriving for Mother's Day dinner, and yet I somehow manage to fit in time to watch this silly soap opera. *sigh*)