American Idol 2008 Contestants!

The 24 finalists for this year's American Idol has been announced:

Men: Chikezie Eze, Colton Berry, Danny Noriega, David Archuleta, David Cook, David Hernandez, Garrett Haley, Jason Castro, Jason Yeager, Luke Menard, Michael Lee Johns and Robbie Carrico.

Women: Alaina Whitaker, Alexandrea “Alex” Lushington, Amanda L. Overmyer, Amy Davis, Asiah Epperson, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, Joanne Borgella, Kady Malloy, Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Malubay and Syesha Mercado.

65th Golden Globe Awards Nominees

These are the nominees for this year's 65th Golden Globe Awards. The winners will be announced on January 13, 2008. Who are your picks for each category?

Best Motion Picture

Drama Nominees:
American Gangster (2007)
Atonement (2007)
Eastern Promises (2007)
The Great Debaters (2007)
Michael Clayton (2007)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
There Will Be Blood (2007)

Musical or Comedy Nominees:
Across the Universe (2007)
Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
Hairspray (2007)
Juno (2007)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture

Drama Nominees:
George Clooney for Michael Clayton (2007)
Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007)
James McAvoy for Atonement (2007)
Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises (2007)
Denzel Washington for American Gangster (2007)

Musical or Comedy Nominees:
Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Ryan Gosling for Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Tom Hanks for Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Savages (2007)
John C. Reilly for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture

Drama Nominees:
Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Julie Christie for Away from Her (2006)
Jodie Foster for The Brave One (2007)
Angelina Jolie for A Mighty Heart (2007)
Keira Knightley for Atonement (2007)

Musical or Comedy Nominees:
Amy Adams for Enchanted (2007)
Nikki Blonsky for Hairspray (2007)
Helena Bonham Carter for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Marion Cotillard for Môme, La (2007)
Ellen Page for Juno (2007)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees:

Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men (2007)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
John Travolta for Hairspray (2007)
Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton (2007)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees:

Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There (2007)
Julia Roberts for Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
Saoirse Ronan for Atonement (2007)
Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton (2007)

Best Director

Motion Picture Nominees:
Tim Burton for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men (2007)
Julian Schnabel for Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007)
Ridley Scott for American Gangster (2007)
Joe Wright for Atonement (2007)

Best Screenplay

Motion Picture Nominees:
Atonement (2007): Christopher Hampton
Charlie Wilson's War (2007): Aaron Sorkin
Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007): Ronald Harwood
Juno (2007): Diablo Cody
No Country for Old Men (2007): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Best Original Song

Motion Picture Nominees:
Enchanted (2007)("That's How You Know")
Grace Is Gone (2007)("Grace Is Gone")
Into the Wild (2007)("Guaranteed")
Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)("Despedida" )
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)("Walk Hard")

Best Original Score

Motion Picture Nominees:
Atonement (2007): Dario Marianelli
Eastern Promises (2007): Howard Shore
Grace Is Gone (2007): Clint Eastwood
Into the Wild (2007): Michael Brook
The Kite Runner (2007): Alberto Iglesias

Best Animated Film Nominees:

Bee Movie (2007)
Ratatouille (2007)
The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Best Foreign Language Film Nominees:

4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile (2007)
Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007)
The Kite Runner (2007)
Se, jie (2007)
Persepolis (2007)

Best Television Series

Drama Nominees:
"Big Love" (2006)
"Damages" (2007)
"Grey's Anatomy" (2005)
"House M.D." (2004)
"Mad Men" (2007)
"The Tudors" (2007)

Musical or Comedy Nominees:
"Californication" (2007)
"Entourage" (2004)
"Extras" (2005)
"Pushing Daisies" (2007)
"30 Rock" (2006)

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Nominees:

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) (TV)
"The Company" (2007) (mini)
Longford (2006) (TV)
"The State Within" (2006)
"Five Days" (2007) (mini)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television Nominees:

Adam Beach for Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) (TV)
Jim Broadbent for Longford (2006) (TV)
Ernest Borgnine for A Grandpa for Christmas (2007) (TV)
Jason Isaacs for "The State Within" (2006)
James Nesbitt for "Jekyll" (2007)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television Nominees:

Bryce Dallas Howard for As You Like It (2006)
Queen Latifah for Life Support (2007)
Debra Messing for "The Starter Wife" (2007) (mini)
Sissy Spacek for Pictures of Hollis Woods (2007) (TV)
Ruth Wilson for "Jane Eyre" (2006) (mini)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series

Musical or Comedy Nominees:
Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)
Steve Carell for "The Office" (2005)
David Duchovny for "Californication" (2007)
Ricky Gervais for "Extras" (2005)
Lee Pace for "Pushing Daisies" (2007)

Drama Nominees:
Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" (2006)
Hugh Laurie for "House M.D." (2004)
Bill Paxton for "Big Love" (2006)
Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" (2007)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers for "The Tudors" (2007)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series

Musical or Comedy Nominees:
Christina Applegate for "Samantha Who?" (2007)
America Ferrera for "Ugly Betty" (2006)
Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)
Anna Friel for "Pushing Daisies" (2007)
Mary-Louise Parker for "Weeds" (2005)

Drama Nominees:
Patricia Arquette for "Medium" (2005)
Glenn Close for "Damages" (2007)
Minnie Driver for "The Riches" (2007)
Edie Falco for "The Sopranos" (1999)
Sally Field for "Brothers & Sisters" (2006)
Holly Hunter for "Saving Grace" (2007)
Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer" (2005)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Nominees:

Ted Danson for "Damages" (2007)
Kevin Dillon for "Entourage" (2004)
Jeremy Piven for "Entourage" (2004)
Andy Serkis for Longford (2006) (TV)
William Shatner for "Boston Legal" (2004)
Donald Sutherland for "Dirty Sexy Money" (2007)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Nominees:

Rose Byrne for "Damages" (2007)
Katherine Heigl for "Grey's Anatomy" (2005)
Rachel Griffiths for "Brothers & Sisters" (2006)
Samantha Morton for Longford (2006) (TV)
Anna Paquin for Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) (TV)
Jaime Pressly for "My Name Is Earl" (2005)

Is Beek Out of the Creek?!

Dawson's Creek -- I remember watching Dawson's Creek back in 1998 when it was first aired. I couldn't understand the adult themes back then but I still liked watching it. Until it sucked. They put in too many characters and twisted the story so bad, I stopped watching the adventures of Dawson, Pacey, Jen and Joey.

I still think that Dawson is butt-ugly. But that's my opinion.

There's not much to the story except that it centers around the four friends and their teenage life in a fictional town called Capeside. Adulthood and the things related to it are mostly what the episodes are about, plus the teenage perspective of growing-up of course. It picked up where Beverly Hills, 90210 left off, and now, Dawson's Creek is considered a basis for teenage-angst-related TV shows like The OC and Gilmore Girls.

As I said, I was kinda hooked to watching Dawson's Creek when I was a kid. Well, fine. I was waiting for it every Friday night at our local station. Ever since I started watching it, I resented the fact that someone like James Van derBeek is a lead character. I don't like how he looks. After the first season, or two, I don't really remember when, I lost interest and stopped watching. It was like their lives are getting more complicated when it isn't supposed to be complicated in the first place. Too much drama. But what the hell...we're talking about teenagers here. Of course their lives are all drama! I was like that too, 4 years ago.

Did anyone watch Dawson's Creek?

Cute Dinosaurs!

Land Before Time -- A 1988 animated movie directed by Don Bluth, Land Before Time is a movie about 5 baby dinosaurs who were on a journey to find the Great Valley after their home was destroyed by an earthquake.

The five dinosaurs are:
Littlefoot - Apatosaurus
Cera - Tricerotops
Ducky - Parasaurolophus
Petrie - Pteranodon
Spike - Stegosaurus

Littlefoot is the main character in the Land Before Time, the rest are his friends who help him go through any ordeal he encounters. The story basically revolves around Littlefoot...and for a dinosaur as young as he is, Littlefoot sure went through a whole lot.

Oh the antagonist here is a Tyrannosaurus Rex, otherwise known as Sharptooth. Well I guess it's pretty obvious by now that the names of the characters in Land Before Time describe, or at least is associated with the type of dinosaurs who own the name.

Land Before Time made me cry - both as a kid and as a 20-something kid-at-heart. The story is simple, but how they portrayed it moves a viewer to tears. It really does. I guess it's because anyone can relate to Littlefoot and his four friends. There's also a moral to the story, and it doesn't take an adult to explain it to a kid for the kid to understand it. Just by watching the movie, the kid would be able to understand what the movie is trying to teach.

Also, since the first movie was quite popular (my parents bought me a VHS copy when I was young and I actually memorized their lines from start to finish), so they made a sequel. Plus several other sequels after that. To date, there are around 12 Land Before Time movies and a television spin-off. I wasn't particularly fond of the TV spin-off, but the movies are quite amusing. They're more light-hearted as compared to the first Land Before Time movie, but nonetheless entertaining.

Get to know your Kingdom Vertebrata

Wild Chronicles -- This is one of my favorite National Geographic documentary series. The reason is pretty obvious too: learning about animals is cool. Well at least I think it's cool.

NatGeo's Wild Chronicles offers the viewers a different look at man's co-inhabitants on planet Earth. Viewers will get to learn more about the animals in a way that they rarely get to read in books. Besides, watching animals eat, run, sleep and do whatever they do best is better being watched than read, right?

National Geographic describes Wild Chronicles as a look...

"...at the human relationship with nature, highlighting breakthrough science that offers real hope for the future."

Isn't that intriguing? You get to learn about the animals and at the same time, you get to learn how to protect them. It's a universal fact that we need animals, so before anyone launches an all-out protest against conglomerates and other people who harm animals, better learn what you're protecting first. That pretty much makes sense, right?

It's really amazing how much we've all seen these animals in zoos and books and other media, but Wild Chronicles sheds a whole new light on them, giving the viewers information about different species that I don't think we'll ever know in our lifetimes (if you're not some nature buff or anything).

Let's All Take A Trip To...

The Magic School Bus -- Does anyone actually remember this show? It's been aired so long ago that I doubt kids these days remember it at all. I watch Magic School Bus when I was a kid and I learned a lot about science. Just the basic, kid stuff.

(Looking back, I realize that the Magic School Bus creators must be high at that time.)

Anyway, as I mentioned, the Magic School Bus is a kids' show that featured different science concepts with each episode. The multi-cultural children and their teacher, Ms. Frizzle, all go on a field trip every time to learn the concepts presented during class. They board the Magic School bus and then the fun begins.

The Magic School Bus can be anything: a space ship, submarine, shrinking machine... Anything that the class needs for them to learn the lesson. How COOL is that, right? Right? RIGHT?

It's actually a good way to teach your kids science before the internet was easily accessible to anyone.. But then, who wants to read long articles with graphs and charts right? I'm sure very little 8-year-olds would want to do that. So here is another option: Magic School Bus! It's not boring, it doesn't force kids to eat veggies (that discourages them from watching, trust me) and the best part is... Magic School Bus is a cartoon series! How COOL is that, right?!

Okay, so here's a list of episodes for all 4 seasons...just try to make out what each episode is about. Enjoy!

Season 1

• The Magic School Bus Gets Lost in Space
• The Magic School Bus For Lunch
• The Magic School Bus Inside Ralphie
• The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten
• The Magic School Bus Hops Home
• The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad
• The Magic School Bus All Dried Up
• The Magic School Bus in the Haunted House
• The Magic School Bus Gets Ready, Set, Dough
• The Magic School Bus Plays Ball
• The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed
• The Magic School Bus Gets Ants in Its Pants
• The Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm

Season 2

• The Magic School Bus Blows
  
• The Magic School Bus Flexes Its Muscles
• The Magic School Bus: The Busasaurus
• The Magic School Bus Going Batty
• The Magic School Bus: Butterfly And The Bog Beast
• The Magic School Bus Wet All Over
• The Magic School Bus in a Pickle
• The Magic School Bus Revving Up
• The Magic School Bus Taking Flight
• The Magic School Bus Getting Energized
• The Magic School Bus Out of this World
• The Magic School Bus Gets Cold Feet
• The Magic School Bus: Ups and Downs

Season 3

• The Magic School Bus In A Beehive
• The Magic School Bus In The Arctic
  
• The Magic School Bus Spins A Web
• The Magic School Bus Under Construction
• The Magic School Bus Gets A Bright Idea
• The Magic School Bus Makes A Rainbow
• The Magic School Bus Goes Upstream
• The Magic School Bus Works Out
• The Magic School Bus Gets Planted
• The Magic School Bus In The Rainforest
• The Magic School Bus Rocks And Rolls
• The Magic School Bus Holiday Special

Season 4

• The Magic School Bus Meets Molly Cule
• The Magic School Bus Cracks A Yolk
• The Magic School Bus Goes To Mussel Beach
• The Magic School Bus Goes On Air
• The Magic School Bus Gets Swamped
• The Magic School Bus Goes Cellular
• The Magic School Bus Sees Stars
• The Magic School Bus Gains Weight
• The Magic School Bus Makes A Stink
• The Magic School Bus Gets Charged
• The Magic School Bus Gets Programmed
• The Magic School Bus In The City
• The Magic School Bus Takes A Dive

Enjoy ;)

What to do when everybody hates you

Everybody Hates Chris -- I'm sure everyone has their own favorite comedy shows that they can't get tired of watching, to the point where they actually get their jokes and quotes in the programs themselves.

I have a few favorites too. One of them is Everybody Hates Chris. I just like the whole concept of the show where the eldest child almost always gets the blame for everything that happens around him.

Everybody Hates Chris is a sitcom that reflects actor Chris Rock's own teenage experiences. Each episode is packed with Chris' day-to-day normal life adventures that is seemingly extraordinary to me as a viewer. Why? Because no matter how hard-headed and naughty I am, I can't get to as much trouble as Chris does in one day. And that amuses me a lot!

If this is the kind of childhood he had, and the kind of child he was, I'm sure that contributed a lot to how he is right now and why he is in the comedy business.

Although I also think that these things will only be funny if it happens to someone else and not to yourself. I mean, I wouldn't want to get blamed for anything at all! If you guys want a funny, inspiring and plain wacky sitcom to end that stressful day, watch Everybody Hates Chris.

The Sweet Life!

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody -- Wouldn't it be grand if you can live in a hotel suite for free? Well okay, not really for free if your mom works at the hotel restaurant as a singer. At least, you get to roam around the hotel as much as you want and get to do whatever you want too. Although, you might get in trouble with the hotel manager one too many times in the process.

This is the life of Zack and Cody. They are twins whose mom works at the Tipton Hotel as a singer. They were able to live in a suite as part of their mom's contract with the hotel. The Tipton is owned by the parents of one of the residents there, London Tipton, who happens to be the twin's friend. Zack and Cody also befriended Maddie, candy-counter girl and Camp Tipton Daycare Center manager, who also happens to be London's friend.

The episodes of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody usually just revolves around the adventures of the twins within the premises of the Tipton Hotel. They both get into trouble most of the time, especially with the Tipton's manager, Mr. Moseby, who tries his best to keep everything under his control...usually, his efforts all end up in vain. Not to worry though, at the end of the episode, everything is patched up by the twins and the people around them.

Too Big A Love?

Big Love -- If you're not too partial on morals and ethics and stuff, I suggest you try watching Big Love, another one of HBO's original series.

Big Love features the life of a polygamous family who lives in Utah. Who you see in the picture is Bill Henrickson and his three wives: (L-R) Nicki, Margene and Barbara. Bill has 8 kids from these three women. They encounter a lot of problems because of their lifestyle since their neighbors look down on the practice of polygamy.

Bill and his family don't think that what they are doing is wrong. Then again, why would they try to hide it in the first place if they didn't think it was wrong, right? Hehe Bill is messed up in my opinion.

I'm not really into this whole polygamy thing so I don't really enjoy watching Big Love, but for those of you who don't really have any inhibitions and stuff, try watching it.

Do You Know The Greatest Story Ever Told?

It's Stanley! It's Stanley!

Stanley -- That round-headed, six-haired, freckled kid you see on the picture is called Stanley. He has a pet goldfish named Dennis and they go on different adventures that involves learning about animals.

Yep. A-NI-MAL-SSSSSS.

Stanley is Playhouse Disney's version of NatGeo's Wild. Whenever Stanley is in some sort of predicament that his little underdeveloped brain couldn't understand yet, he consults Dennis about this. (Yes, the fish can talk. Quite eloquently, actually.) When Dennis can't answer Stanley's query, they both consult the omniscient Great Big Book of Everything (*echo* -thing...-thing...-ing...). Surprisingly, this book contains facts about all the animals Stanley can think of.

The odd pair tries to see what the animal will do when it faces a similar predicament that Stanley faces. By "trying to see", I meant they go inside the book, to the page where that specific animal is in and just have fun and learn and sometimes, get into trouble too. Sometimes, its the animals who come out of the book. Either way, Stanley creates an adventure in order for him to learn how to solve his problems. It's cool.

Besides, Stanley is way too cute.

Remembering Clarissa

Clarissa Explains It All -- If you watched Nickelodeon during the mid-90s, you must definitely know who Clarissa Darling is. If you don't, well she's a teenager who describes her day-to-day activities, problems and feelings in a fun and non-conventional way. Oh yeah, Clarissa is played by Melissa Joan Hart, of the Sabrina fame.

The show is very, very amusing and it doesn't get boring. Even re-runs still make me laugh. Clarissa is a light-hearted show that both kids and adults can relate to.

Here's a look back at Sabri-- I meant Clarissa Explains It All.

I Want A Gazillion-Bajillion Wishes!

Fairly Oddparents -- Wouldn't it be nice to have fairy godparents who can grant your every wish, no matter how many and with no strings attached? I'd probably wish for everything I can think of and maybe make some things (and people) disappear too while in the process. That would be more than super.

Which brings me to today's TV show review. Meet Timmy Turner - a 10-year-old who must probably be the unluckiest kid in Dimmsdale. His buckteeth always gets noticed and he always gets picked on by the neighborhood bully. Then his parents almost always ignore him and leave him at home with the vile babysitter, Vicky, whose life's primary purpose seems to be to torture Timmy.

Due to Timmy's unfortunate life, two fairy godparents were sent to him from Fairyland. So why is the title Fairly Oddparents? That's because they're odd, no other reason. Cosmo, the green-haired fairy, is always in space, so it's up to his wife, Wanda, the pink-haired one, to bring him back. Since no one is supposed to find out about them, Cosmo and Wanda usually transform into various objects or animals so they can freely go with Timmy.

The Fairly Oddparents follows no single storyline, meaning it's more or less random, but there are some occurrences where you had to have seen some earlier episodes and such. Although even if you didn't, the 30-minute cartoon would still be funny. Sometimes, one word can leave me laughing throughout the whole show and after, as I keep remembering it. Oh and it's also funny how Timmy gets tortured by Vicky. I know it's mean, but it makes me laugh.

I love this one song from The Fairly Oddparents, so I'll share it with you!

Icky Vicky

V! I! C-K-Y!
The sound of her name makes the little kids cry
OHHHHHHHH!

Hey Vicky!
You're so so icky
Just the thought of bein' round you
Makes me oh, so sicky

Hey Vicky
Won't you please explain
How you get so much enjoyment
Outta causing kids pain?

A chick who's just plain mean
A sour sweet sixteen
She a fire-breathing dragon
In a pair of black jeans!

The Simple Life Isn't So Simple After All

The Simple Life -- Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie would definitely die if they were left alone without cash, credit cards, cellphone, cars and all those stuff that rich people have. How is that possible? If you watch their "reality tv" stint together, The Simple Life, you'll understand what I mean.

The Simple Life basically throws Paris and Nicole into different common jobs every episode. They have to do those jobs without the accessories that they use every single day (money and credit cards included). Their jobs vary from farm work to cleaning to working as fast food servers.

I always try to watch The Simple Life whenever I can, not because I'm a fan of Paris or Nicole or the Paris-Nicole tandem, but because it cracks me up and makes me realize how lucky I am not to be that pampered. Hehe watching rich people doing something that they weren't raised to do is funny.

If you don't mind watching two rich (some claim "intellectually challenged" - for the sake of political correctness) girls trying to do the work that us common people do, commit mistakes that only common children do, then by all means, watch The Simple Life and have a wheeeee! time in front of the TV.

The Immortal Highlander

"Here we are, born to be kings we're the princes of the universe..."

Highlander -- Awesome, awesome show. I was so obsessed with Highlander when I was growing up. I enjoyed the fact that the characters are immortal and you can't kill them off unless you slice their heads clean off their necks. They can only be killed by fellow immortals, and at times, by accident, some mortals manage to do the job.

The Highlander series revolves around Duncan MacLeod, the protagonist of the story. Born on Scotland in 1592, he is, indeed, an immortal. I like his sword, a katana, given to him by some Japanese dude some 200 years ago (we're on the Highlander timeline here).

The fight scenes are really awesome and can get pretty long too. I never got bored though. The sword fights are usually from different disciplines so you get to see a bit of everything - from Asian to European, etc. Then when one of them successfully slices the head of his opponent off, the winner absorbs all of the loser's powers with a lightning bolt. It would be pretty lucky if you're an amateur immortal and you accidentally kill one of the veteran immortals hehe...

Oh and the opening song of Highlander, as quoted above, is a single entitled "Princes of the Universe" by Queen.

Creepiest kid-show ever!

Teletubbies -- These four aliens are probably the creepiest kid-show hosts I've ever seen. I'm over my teenage years but they still creep me out. Okay, they scare me. To the point that I've had nightmares about them.

If you think you're too mature for kid-shows and you have no idea as to who these four "creatures" on the picture are, they're called Teletubbies. They are individually known and color-coordinated as:

Tinky Winky - (male) violet
Dipsy - (male) green
Laa-Laa - (female) yellow
Po - (female) red

They live in a dome called Tubbytronic Superdome. These Teletubbies have screens on their tummies that can be used as television sets. Also, the place where they live is almost always sunny. Oh yeah, the sun. Whoever saw a sun that has a laughing baby head right at the middle of it?? Anyway, these characters imitate toddlers - the age group that they cater - from proportions of their bodies to actions and manner of speaking.

Oh there's also a controversy surrounding the Teletubbies. I do not wish to elaborate on this one, except that they have been seen as promoters of homosexuality. Well, watch and judge them for yourselves. Oh, before you let your kids watch this, try to watch it on your own first. Just in case =)

Open the Shijintenshou......

Fushigi Yuugi -- This is my top 1 favorite anime ever! I fell in love with Fushigi Yuugi's story and characters since the first time I saw it. It has drama, romance, action, comedy, adventure and mystery rolled into one 52-episode animation series!

I already mentioned that Fushigi Yuugi is a 52-episode anime. The series was taken from the 18-volume manga by Watase Yuu. The story that was in the series are taken from volumes 1-13 of the manga: the real FY story arc. Volumes 14-18, the Tenkou arc, is the storyline for the second FY OVA. The story arcs of the three Fushigi Yuugi OVAs:

FY OVA I - happens within the arc of the series
FY OVA II - happens after the series
FY OVA III - happens 10 years after the second OVA

What is Fushigi Yuugi all about?
Fushigi Yuugi is the story of a girl, Miaka, who one day visits the library with her best friend, Yui. Miaka then wanders off to the restricted section as she tries to find a red bird that caught her attention. Yui finds Miaka in the restricted section when a book suddenly falls open in front of them from one of the shelves. The title of the book was "Shijintenshou"...

As soon as they start reading the Shijintenshou (Yui was reading because Miaka can't read Chinese characters), the both get sucked in the book by a red light and find themselves in ancient China. They meet a group of slave drivers who were about to take them away but they get saved by a mysterious man with a mark on his forehead. Then Yui and Miaka go back to the real world just as they were thanking the man. Soon enough, Miaka enters the book again, finds out that she is in a country called Hongnan (Konan) and is promising the young emperor of the country to become the Priestess of Suzaku...and that's how Fushigi Yuugi starts. If I continue more than that, I'll end up telling the whole story.

Fushigi Yuugi was influenced by ancient Chinese myths. Shijintenshou translates to "The Universe of the Four Gods". These four gods are the ruler of the North, South, East and West and their powers are based on the four basic elements: ice, fire, wood and water respectively. These gods have 7 constellations each under them (28 known constellations of the ancient times have been divided into 4). Oh and these gods are represented in animal form too.

For a breakdown of the gods and their constellations:
Genbu (direction: north, element: ice, animal: white tiger) - Uruki, Tomite, Hatsui, Namame, Hikitsu, Inami and Urumiya
Suzaku (direction: south, element: fire, animal: phoenix) - Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Chichiri, Tasuki, Mitsukake and Chiriko
Byakko (direction: east, element: wood, animal: reptile) - Tokaki, Subaru, Tatara, Kokie, Amefuri, Karasuki and Toroki
Seiryu (direction: west, element: water, animal: dragon) - Nakago, Amiboshi, Suboshi, Soi, Ashitare, Tomo and Miboshi
I'm hoping that that tempts you enough to watch Fushigi Yuugi. Honestly, it's something that girls would like more although I've had guy friends who liked the story as well. It's a feel-good anime. You'll cry with them, laugh with them and the characters (and story) really grow on you.

O castitatis lilium...

Elfen Lied -- This has definitely got to be one of the goriest, saddest and most twisted anime I've ever seen.

What is Elfen Lied?
Elfen Lied is an anime/manga created by Okamoto Rin. The story revolves around a Diclonius named Lucy who was stranded in an island inn where she washed up after being hit on the head by a sniper's bullet. The hit caused her to have split personality disorder, her other "self" was called Nyu by Kouta and Yuka - the people who found her. Nyu's appearance causes Kouta to remember events from his past that seemed to be buried so deep that he forgot about them while the lab where Lucy escaped from ordered a man-hunt for her.

What is a "Diclonius"?
A Diclonius is a mutated human. You can tell them apart from other humans because they have horns on their heads that resemble cat ears. A diclonius possesses telekinetic powers that they can use through their "vectors".

What are "Vectors"?
Vectors represent a diclonius' power. They are like invisible hands surrounding the diclonius. They seem invisible because they move at speeds that the eyes cannot keep track of.

How does this post's title relate to Elfen Lied?
The title is taken from Elfen Lied's opening song, "Lilium". It's a Latin song, btw.

Elfen Lied is not recommended for those who are under 18 and those who have weak hearts and stomach. That's because a lot of killings happen and they are represented quite graphically. Nude and torture scenes are present too. I did like Elfen Lied though. Putting the violence aside, it's a sad story, especially Nana (another diclonius) who wanted to be accepted by the man she calls her father. It's tragic too...

Which is why if you're over 18, has a strong heart and tummy, watch Elfen Lied.

Azumanga Daioh

Azumanga Daioh -- Meet Yomi, Sakaki, Kagura, Tomo, Osaka and Chiyo. Six high school girls whose daily antics will never fail to give you a good laugh. They're crazy, gullible, absent-minded...and uhm...plain stupid.

Azumanga Daioh is based on a 4-volume manga (Japanese comics) by Azuma Kiyohiko. The series has 26 episodes but each episode is divided into 5 mini episodes. Azumanga Daioh doesn't really follow any story. In a general sense, it just shows the lives of six girls during their high school years. It starts when they're in their first year of high school and ends with their graduation - well..when they were accepted in different collages.

I'll tell you a bit about the major characters:
Yomi - she can't stop eating but she's always on a diet. Yomi's always aggravated by her friend since junior high, Tomo.
Tomo - she wants to be the best in everything but her stupidity always messes things up. She's loud, annoying and thick-skinned too.
Kagura - what she lacks in brains, she makes up through sports. She's second to Sakaki in terms of athleticism.
Sakaki - she's reserved, admired not only by boys but by girls too. Sakaki's the best in sports in their whole school and she's secretly obsessed with anything cute.
Osaka - her head is always up in the clouds. Osaka has a different view of the world, she spouts randomness at any given time, she sucks at studying and sports...but that makes her, IMO, the funniest character.
Chiyo - she's a 10-year-old genius who skipped grades and is now a high school student. Chiyo is still a child despite the level of her brain, she's always cute in whatever she does, and she owns a big dog that she rides on the back - Tadakichi-san.

Other characters:
Kaoru - she has the biggest crush on Sakaki but unfortunately, Kimura fancies her.
Yukari - she's the girls' homeroom teacher. She's an adult version on Tomo and she gave Chiyo a trauma.
Nyamo - she's the school's PE teacher and Yukari's friend (and rival). Students like Nyamo better than Yukari in terms of personality.
Kimura - he's the only male cast and the school's literature teacher. He loves high school girls and is open about him being perverted.

You should watch Azumanga Daioh because I promise you won't regret it at all. It might even become one of your favorite anime series! It's funny and it's a good way to relax and have a good time, by yourself or with your friends. I also have to admit, the things Osaka blurts sometimes sound so witty, she might just be a genius too!

Lazy Town

Lazy Town -- You'd probably be aware of Lazy Town if:

1) You're a kid who likes Nickelodeon,
2) You like watching kids' shows or
3) You like small, underage girls (or lolita, as they call it)

Anyway, there's not much plot with Lazy Town. Simply put, Stephanie (the pink-haired human girl) moves to Lazy Town and she meets different people and befriends them. Oh..did I say people? I meant puppets. She befriends puppets.

There are only three human characters in Lazy Town. There's Stephanie, Sportacus (the sporty guy dressed in blue) and Robbie Rotten (the guy with the chin that rivals Leno). The puppets are unimportant. You guys don't have to know them.

I used to watch Lazy Town whenever I'd catch it on Nick. Then I realized that the characters in Lazy Town all seem to have eaten a kilo of sugar each before every episode. They're all hyperactive! Watching them jump everywhere tires me out. The songs are really addictive though. The ones that they sing are the types that get stuck inside your head and no matter what you do, you'd be hearing...

Bing bang diggly dong
First thing that I say after I wake up
Bing bang diggly dong
I say those words before I go to sleep

...erm... You'd be hearing that all day long!

Well, watch Lazy Town. Even if they're all hyperactive and they sing songs that are hard to forget, Lazy Town is still amusing, even for a 22-year old like me. (Oh mind you, I'm a girl and I don't like lolis.)

MacGyver

MacGyver -- MacGyver was aired back in 1985 until 1992 so a lot of kids today probably don't remember the show. Heck, I think a lot of people born in the 80s only have a vague idea about MacGyver because 1) it's not a cartoon show and 2) it's something Daddy would watch.

Who is this guy? (He's the one with the mullet, btw.) MacGuyver - also the title of the show - is a hero. Hero in the sense that he rescues people, towns, etc. Yeah, he's a typical "hero"...or so you think. MacGuyver can do all his heroic stunts with the least amount of weapons. No, he doesn't do martial arts. Give him a lightbulb and he can go through any door using that as a lock pick. That's the kind of "hero" he is. MacGyver can turn any ordinary object into a weapon or a tool that can help him save himself and others from critical danger.

Did I mention he's afraid of heights?

If you're looking for some clean and action-packed adventure series, then you're looking for MacGyver. You won't be left asking for more, plus, it's a great Do-It-Yourself (DIY) guide show. So when you watch MacGyver, be sure to get your pen and paper ready to take down notes so you'll know what to do to save yourself the next time you get stuck at the bottom of a 1000-ft. well with a bomb that's about to go off in 20 seconds and all you have with you is a pair of toothpicks, 3 pieces of marshmallow and dog poo.