Medieval Drama Series Favorites

I always have this fascination with medieval dramas and films. Aside from their fancy clothes, title and hierarchy, there is so much history and drama a show can have for every character. Let's not forget the secrets they keep from each other that if revealed will usually cause war, death or destruction. Now that's a PLOT! That is probably why they are producing a lot of shows with this theme these days and each show is more grand and sexual than the next.

The very famous one is of course no other than, The Game of Thrones. This show has Royals, Magic and Dragons in it. What more can you ask for? The show just finished Season 4 and I was actually a bit disappointed at the end. I kind of predicted that to be the last episode because I remember my friend who read the book told me that part. I just can't wait for Season 5.

When I first saw Episode 1; Winter is Coming, I had to stop because of the all gore and sex it contains. I gave it another try and had to text my friend constantly and ask questions about the characters because there seems to be a lot of background story I don't know about therefore, couldn't keep up. Like, why were the people murdered by monsters? What is "The Wall"? Why do they keep saying "Winter is Coming"? What is up with that Tree? And it ended with WTF?! INCEST! I officially got hooked.

Another period TV Film Drama I love is The Tudors, the story about Henry VIII's reign. I know this is already an old show. It premiered April 2007 but I am sort of a new fan. Probably because I am much older now and has come to appreciate more mature films and actors like *ehem* Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Up to now I'm still a bit confused which is which with his wives. They all seem to be named Catherine and Anne.

The 3rd show I came to appreciate more recently is Da Vinci's Demons. It is an American Historical Fantasy Drama kinda like Game of Thrones but without the Dragons. It premiered April 12, 2013. I just finished watching Season 1 this month. The series explored the fictitious early life of Leonardo Da Vinci during the renaissance era in Italy. It may sound boring but cast a really hot Leonardo Da Vinci played by actor Tom Riley. A possible war because of political dispute with Rome. A really hot femme fatale Lucrezia Donati played by Laura Haddock who is not just the mistress of the ruler of Italy Lorenzo De Medici played by Elliot Cowan but at the same time the love interest of Leonardo Da Vinci himself. WOAH! I swear! I didn't just wrote the whole story.

The White Queen is show that I found out about by browsing YouTube. It is a British television drama series based on Philippa Gregory's historical novel series The Cousin's War (The White Queen, The Red Queen and the Kingsmaker's Daughter.) It is set against the backdrop of the War of the Roses, a war that has been going on for nine years fighting over who is the rightful King of England as two sides of the same family, The House of York and The House of Lancaster, are in violent conflict over the throne. It's like Game of Thrones meets The Tudors.

Unfortunately, it was only on air for Season 1. It can be a bit dragging towards the middle but it gets better at the end. I actually thought Season 2 would be very interesting but it was cancelled. Still a good show to watch though. 

Another oldie but a goodie is Merlin. The story about King Arthur and Merlin has been told and retold many times but this one is quite different because the story revolves around the Young Prince Arthur and Young Merlin during King Uther's reign when Magic has been forbidden in Camelot. The show has a mixture of humor, action and drama and the chemistry between Colin Morgan (Merlin) and Bradley James (Prince Arthur) is just perfect for the show and fangirls. 

Speaking of the characters and the actors playing them, I did like Lady Morgana up until she became the villain. I don't know why she started hating on everyone and started to choose the side of her evil sister Morgaus whom she barely know at the beginning! And no offense to Morgana fans out there but I'm not a huge fan of Katie McGrath acting as a villain. She has the same tone of voice Every.Single.Time!

This Merlin series has its inaccuracies and if you listen closely to the lines of the characters it does sound a bit modern. Probably because the series is geared to attract younger viewers. If you're not too meticulous then it won't be a problem.

The show ended on its 5th season last December 2012. But I'm sure this won't be the last film about Arthur and Merlin. It's just one of those classics that keeps coming back.

Last but definitely not the least is Hollow Crown. It's a series of television film featuring William Shakespear's history plays of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V. If Merlin has its inaccuracies, then this one is definitely very loyal to the books. If you're not used to reading Shakespeare then I suggest you keep a dictionary next to you and turn the subtitles on whilst watching the show.

I have to be honest, I just learned about this film because Tom Hiddleston plays Prince Hal and

Henry V in the film and you know how I'm a huge Tom Hiddleston fan. To my surprise, I actually liked it and I'm not just saying that because Tom Hiddleston is in it. After watching the series, it made me appreciate Shakespeare and it actually made me want to start reading his work. His books can be very intimidating but I'll start slow and get the book with the guide.

More news about Hollow Crown below from Wikipedia.

In March 2014, the BBC set a tentative date of 2016 for the concluding cycle of the The Hollow Crown. It will be produced by the same team that made the first series of films and will be directed by the former artistic director of Royal Court Theatre and Olivier Award winner, Dominic Cooke.^[4] It will be based on Shakespeare's first tetralogy: Henry VI, Part I, Henry VI, Part II, Henry VI, Part III and Richard III.^[5] In April 2014, BBC Two announced that Benedict Cumberbatch will play King Richard III which marks the actor's return to the network after the success of Parade's End in 2012.^[6][6]

There you have it! If your favorite is not on my list, please feel free to share! 

xxx Rissa

PS. I would love to attend/host a Medieval Times party! 

LATE POST: Hand me downs

I don't know if it's just a Filipino tradition but I have noticed that if you have relatives abroad, they usually send stuff that they don't use/like to us here in the Philippines. I got a few hand me downs from my Aunt who lives in Australia that was sent to us last month.

1. Elizabeth Arden lipstick in Soft Red - new
2. Lipgloss - new
3. Daisy by Marc Jacobs - 80% used
4. Lola by Marc Jacobs - 30% used

They sent us quite a few make-up but I'll have to share the rest with my cousins. These are the ones that I kept for myself. My cousin who lives in Australia used to work for a company called Beauty Box wherein you pay a monthly subscription fee and they send you a few samples of branded beauty products every month. This is probably the reason why they have a lot of unused make-up shipped.

The trend has reached the Philippines. Although, I haven't subscribed to any of it because I'm a huge cheapskate!

These perfumes will keep me smelling good until next year.

xxx
Rissa

How I Became A Hiddlestoner And How It Changed Me

This post is long overdue. I don't know how many of you follow me on Tumblr, Twitter or Facebook but if you do, you would know what my current obsession is. Rather, WHO my current obsession is. It's the 32 year old, British actor Tom Hiddleston.

I know exactly when this obsession started. It was when I saw his interview Conversations For A Cause with Zachary Levi on YouTube. I believe it was the night of July 23. That night changed how I see him.

But before I go into detail how I was absorbed to his fandom, let me say that I was completely aware of his existence in the Movie Industry. I did watch Thor and I remember telling my friend after watching the film that I like Loki more than I like Thor! She was shocked as to why I could ever like the villain in the movie. (But  I'm just like that, I do like Cersei in Game of Thrones when everyone seem to hate her!) And I did love him in Avengers and I was looking forward to seeing him in Thor: The Dark World! Before watching his interview with Zachary Levi, I was actually watching his appearance in Hall H during the San Diego Comic-con! That was EPIC!

I did like him as an actor. I did like him as Loki back then. But not I like this. Not like an individual. Not like an inspiration. Not like he's the most handsome, nicest, sexiest, and perfect person in the whole world! It all changed after watching that interview!

I don't know if it was the accent. His smile. Those beautiful blue/green eyes. How his chest muscles look in that tight "white shirt of sex".(That's what they call it on Tumblr) His humor. His laugh (ehehehe). How cultured and smart he is. How nice and polite he is to everyone most especially to his fans. Or because he can be an inspiration to all and how his positivity seems to be contagious that made me love -Yes, LOVE him as a person. As an individual and not just an actor anymore. That day I officially became a Hiddlestoner!

He gave such inspiring speeches / advice on that interview that made me look at life differently. That we have to love what we have. That we only live once! That we have to keep pushing ourselves to better and don't let other people put us down. That we have do what we love, no matter how difficult it is for us to get there! That we are responsible for our own happiness! Those were not his exact words but that is what I got from that panel.

It may be the fangirl in me talking but he an inspiration! He is my current obsession and I regret nothing!

To end this, I leave you with that interview and my favorite quote from him.

"We all have 2 lives. The second one begins when you realize you have only one."

Disclaimer: None of these photos are mine.

Samsung Gadgets

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Got a new gadget from Globe this August. It's the new Samsung Tab 3 and Samsung S Duos bundled for only plan 999. It goes well with my Samsung digicam.

I really think it's good deal from Globe. The Samsung Tab 3 7inch is worth Php 9,100 and the Samsung S Duos is worth Php 7,790. The plans comes with Unli Data, 101 free texts and 100 consumable. I don't really call or text much but I surf most of the time so I think it suits me.

However, there are some downside to this promo. I've had problems with the Tab's software during it's second week and the unit won't turn on. I can no longer return it to Globe since the 7 day warranty replacement has already passed so I have to take it to Samsung service center in SM North. Everything was covered by the 1 year warranty so I didn't pay for anything. Everything is working fine now. However this time, it's the Samsung S Duos that's having some problems. The hotspot router won't seem to connect my other devices. Went to Globe again to have it checked and they advised me to go to the service center again to have it fixed. 

I know it's such a hassle. I would be furious at Globe if the service center isn't near my place but thankfully it is so I don't have problems going there. I don't know if it's just me that got the defective unit or if its the same for all but I'm really disappointed with Samsung. Or probably because it's one of their cheaper models that is why it has some problems.

All in all, it's a good deal but I wouldn't recommend techie people to buy this tab and phone . It runs a bit slow compared to the I-pad and I-pod Touch that I'm used to. I'm not a techie type of person so this stuff doesn't affect me that much. As long as I can surf the net and play some music, I'm good! Plus, I only got it for free so I can't really complain that much. I just hope I don't encounter problems passed the warranty period. :s

Fresh Scents

I bought a new perfume yesterday. It's sort of a treat for myself on payday. I used to depend on my mom buying perfumes for me but this time I opted to buy my own.

This Benetton Hot Gold has a "citrusy" scent to it but not in a sweet way. It has more of a fresh scent. Which is more to my liking. It's smells very casual so it's best for everyday use. The price is also not bad. The 100ml is worth 1350php. Very budget friendly!

I bought mine at Fresh Fragrance Bar in Eastwood Mall. I highly recommend this perfume store because unlike the perfume section in your regular mall, they don't spray every single scent on you! They also have very good customer service because when I went to their store last week, I didn't know what I was looking for. I just told them my budget and what kind of scents I'm into and they recommended what perfume suits me best.

Planning to buy another perfume next pay day! =)

 

Here is is a picture of their store in Eastwood. Click here to go to Fresh Fragrance Bar's Facebook page!

One of my favorite things

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