Monday, we meet again. So far, you’ve actually been pretty okay to me. I hope you don’t make me regret saying that.
Before I really begin this post, I do want to take a moment to honor the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman. As I’m sure most of you know by now, he passed away yesterday from an apparent drug overdose. That just kills me. My sister and I always said that he was one of the good ones. I mean really good. He could take any part, no matter how small, and turn it into a brilliant performance, impossible to forget. I remember finding out that he would be playing Plutarch Heavensbee in Catching Fire. I was thrilled, not only because I love the character, but because every role automatically became ten times better whenever he was cast. I try to make you all think I’m nice and happy here on this blog, but in reality, I can be a pretty harsh critic. I’m a fangirl and I become addicted to certain franchises easily, but I can also be very difficult to impress. Philip Seymour Hoffman always impressed me. Always. And I’m absolutely devastated that such a bright, brilliant, and promising life has been cut so tragically short. Rest in Peace, Philip, May Light Perpetual Shine Upon You, and May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor.
In other news, I hear the Seahawks won the Super Bowl. I’m not much of a football fan (much to my small-town, big-time college football jock Dad’s dismay). Besides, I was too busy fretting over the current Ron-Hermione-Harry situation to really care what was happening on television.
Actually, that’s kind of a lie. I wasn’t fretting. My sister and I were laughing and making a lot of mean joke’s at poor Ron’s expense. I know to some fans, it’s not funny at all that JK announced that she regretted pairing Ron and Hermione up, but that poor guy! Even his own author thinks he’s a loser! That’s just so sad, you really don’t have a choice but to laugh about it! To quote my sister, “Least loved by the mother who craved a daughter. Least loved by the girl who prefers your friend. Least loved NOW BY JK ROWLING.”
Poor Ron. He really did get the short end of the stick in pretty much EVERY situation. I do agree with JK though that Hermione could have done a lot better. But a part of me does like them together, especially in the eighth movie when Ron runs after Malfoy and his lackeys and screams, “THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND, YOU NUMPTIES!” So romantic. And basically the only point in the entire series that I like in the movie better than in the book.
Speaking of movies vs. books, I’ve finally begun reading the Percy Jackson series. I’ve only read the first two, but so far, I’m really enjoying them. I’m a huge Greek Mythology nerd. In fact, I’ve always said if I wasn’t a Christian, I’d be an Ancient Greek Mythologist because it’s just so cool. Anyway, the books are great. The movies? Well, there are parts of them that I like. For example, I loved Tyson in the second one. He was just off-the-charts adorable. I also loved how they designed the hippocampus. I’m not sure I want a hippocampus quite as much as I want a dragon, but it’s definitely close!
Unfortunately overall, both movies were a bit of a disappointment, especially the second one. One of my favorite things about the book was how often it paralleled The Odyssey. Not the case in the movie. They took out almost all references, including but not limited to Grover making and then unmaking his wedding train, Nobody, and the Sirens.
HELLO. HOW COULD YOU LEAVE OUT THE SIRENS?! They were one of the coolest parts of the entire book! You’re killin’ me, Hollywood!
Luckily for the show, it did have one redeeming quality (besides Tyson and the hippocampus): Nathan Fillion as Hermes. Granted, he was only in one scene, but his performance, as expected, was a show-stealer. They even threw in a Firefly joke, and even though I don’t watch Firefly, I cracked up.
After seeing Mr. Fillion as Hermes (and recalling his hysterical role as Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog), I realized something. He would make a perfect Luke Rainer (one of the main characters from Cemetery Tours for those who haven’t read it yet). I know that I’ve said that Jensen Ackles was my ideal Luke Rainer, and physically, he still is. But Nathan Fillion, although a little older than I intended Luke to be, has it all. That cheeky, smarmy, almost-douchebag yet somehow still lovable character that he plays so well is Luke. Plus, he’s totally handsome enough to be Luke Rainer: Spectral Sex Symbol, The Ghost Prince of Primetime.
The weirdest part is that my sister was texting me earlier and I told her about watching Percy Jackson and she goes, “You know… Nathan Fillion kind of reminds me of an older Luke Rainer.” I was FLOORED. I was like, “DUDE. I just thought the same thing LAST NIGHT. I’m going to write a blog about it later!” So ensued the typical sisterly “OMG”-fest when the two of you share a similar thought even though you hadn’t mentioned it to the other. Of course, if you prefer Jensen Ackles, then feel free to still imagine him as Luke. He is still incredibly handsome. Or you can picture Nathan. Or you can create your own casting. Don’t go by what I say.
One of my favorite things I learned in my writing classes in college (make that one of the ONLY things I learned) was that when you write a book, you’re actually writing three books. You write the physical copy, you write the book the way you see it, and you write the book that others see. My interpretation of every book I’ve ever read is different than the way you imagine it, and I love that. It’s so fascinating that we can all experience the same thing in a way that is completely and totally unique. This post is actually turning out to be much longer than usual. I’ll try to wrap it up here. Cemetery Tours got another great review from someone who stopped by and liked my blog, so thank you, not only for reading, but for your kind words! They are so greatly appreciated. 
Man, everyone loves Brink! I’m really glad I added him more into the sequel. I hope everyone has a pleasant Monday. It’s cold and gray here, so I will be spending the rest of the day writing and trying to stay warm. Cheerio!
A Platform of Sorts 