Emmys 2013

Ok let me break it down for you.

1. Intensity does not equal quality

• quality is well-developed characters, multi-layered ones that are so true to life, and in some ways, larger than life
• in game of thrones, weak characters carry good plot (DON'T EVEN START YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE)
• yes, it's true, the writers and directors do a great job of building up intensity, but it's also the actor's job to maintain that tension and in all honesty, most of the got actors are wooden (if kit harrington is ever nominated i'll scream)
• there are so many great films i've seen where, looking back, the plot was flat, yet the actors managed to make their characters so unique and dynamic
• i think of the two, brba is definitely more deserving, and until i see another scene like the red wedding, i'm unconvinced got is worthy of almost anything in the acting category

2. Awards, ultimately, mean jackshit

• yeah, it's nice to have that recognition for all the work you've done, but in the end the title of 'emmy-winning actress' is really only a nice advertisement for the show
• plus awards do not equal viewership
• brba and got are two of the highest viewed television shows in america, they're seriously raking in the viewers, and with ratings like that, who needs awards when you're making $$$?
• superficial, i suppose, but at the end of the day, you need to make rent
• like something because you like it, not because it won a bunch of awards (i hated les mis, love big brother), life's too short to get caught up in stuff like that

3. Awards are rigged

• yep lol
• all award shows have their own agendas and focus on that instead of quality so stop whining
• everything is run by old white heterosexual men so don't expect someone like kerry washington to win that easily

4. Breaking Bad will probably win next year

• stop crying about aaron and bryan being robbed
• they might have been, but who cares?
• if you're watching this season of brba you'll know that bryan is incredible and will almost certainly be up for a nom next year
• not sure if i can say the same for aaron, but dude has like three (?) emmys already
• also can't we all just be happy that anna gunn finally won???? I'M SO HAPPY

5. People care about Boardwalk Empire, House of Cards, Mad Men, Louie, 30 Rock, Behind the Candelabra, etc.

• just because they don't have fandoms riddled with teenagers doesn't mean they're insignificant
• never make this argument again or i'll shoot you in the face

There's probably so much more I have to bitch about but I'm tired so I'll just wrap it up here.

Yeah, I'm disappointed Vera Farmiga didn't win for Norma Bates, surprised 'The Newsroom' won for anything, ecstatic for Anna Gunn, JDL, Tony Hale and the cast of 'Breaking Bad', confused by Jim Parsons' win, pleasantly surprised by Bobby Cannavale won, kinda bummed Jonathan Banks didn't, and forever depressed that Amy Poehler/Parks and Recreation has yet to win anything.

But hey, if Leslie Knope can carry on, I can continue watching the shows I like regardless of whether they have a small shiny statue or not.

two of the coolest people in the world

http://michiganavemag.com/personalities/articles/idris-elba-interviews-lucy-liu

20/9/13

My favourite film critic Roger Ebert once said: 'I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do.  To make others less happy is a crime.  To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts.  We must try to contribute joy to the world.  That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances.  We must try.  I didn't always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.'

Yeah, I know this quote doesn't really relate at all to graduation but you know what?  I love this quote so you're all going to have to bear with me.

Most people I know seem to be sad that we're finished with high school, and I can understand why.  What the fuck are we all going to do now?  It's the unknown we fear the most, and I feel this anxiety surrounding the murky future sometimes takes precedence over the past.  I'm writing this to remind you that hey, it's scary losing that structure we had in school, but you shouldn't forget the truly great times we had.

Right now, take a breath.  It's going to be okay.  If you're scared about what happens next, don't be.  There will always be something somewhere that fills you with an indescribable, exhilarating feeling.  Take time to find it.  And when you do find it, chase that little sucker.  Sure, you might trip and stumble along the way, but fuck it.  Just get up and keep going.  It took me eleven years, a bunch of unfinished stories and a few inspirational people to find that something and I don't remember feeling this happy in a long time.  So please don't be anxious; you'll get there.

Even before I knew of Ebert, I think I understood this quote.  I tried really hard to cheer people up and make them laugh even if I was feeling shitty myself, because there's nothing better than seeing someone you care about smile.  I don't know if you were laughing at me or with me, but fuck it, you were laughing and that's all that matters to me.

Of course, you can say the same vice-versa.  I can't tell you the amount of times I've had a shitty morning listening to Eminem on my iPod and staring out of a bus window only to have one of you assholes make me smile from ear to year.  I went from wanting to write depressing Bukowski poetry to laughing my butt off, so thanks you guys, thanks for stunting my creative growth.

In all seriousness though, I've had fun these past six years.  Sure, there were ugly spats and seriously emotional time periods, but I think I came out of this relatively unscathed with a renewed sense of optimism, and I hope that you can also feel this way.

I never really looked foward to the future, but now I do, because people like you have given me the courage to do whatever I want.  I think I've finally grown into the person I was always meant to be, and I hope that those of you who haven't quite found her yet don't give up.

Thinking about the future now, it seems like it's full of endless possibilities.  Of course, this optimism will probably wear off, but I'll never stop chasing after my dream, and you shouldn't either.  Thanks for the memories, but more importantly, thanks for being my friends.  I'll always hold you in my heart, even when I'm dying of some bacon-related disease in my early thirties.

Cheers for the six years amigos; I love all your faces and I really did try to fit in Ebert's quote as best I could but it kinda failed, didn't it?  Ah well, it's a nice quote anyway.

(I feel it's the norm to shove in a cheesy friendship quote so here goes)

'I am glad you are here with me.  Here at the end of all things, Sam.' - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

TL;DR - I hope you're all really fucking happy in the future.  Holla at me anytime.