A Brief Detour Into Frivolity: A List of Some of My Current Favorite Celebrities

Apart from a long-time crush on Natalie Portman (mainly based on roles from two of her movies) and an off and on crush on Rachel McAdams, I have never really followed or been interested in celebrities and watching their interviews. Even for the previous two, I have very rarely watched interviews with them but recently there have been a few celebrities whose interviews I search out and enjoy watching and even enjoy learning some about their lives. So here is my celebrity favorites list and what I would like to do with each of them (spoiler alert, it's not anything dirty), in no particular order.

1. Jennifer Lawrence. I think this girl is one of the funniest, most ridiculous, and adorable actresses out there right now. I've heard she can curse like a sailor, so I know I wouldn't like that aspect of her, but I would like to find a really really bad/corny movie and watch it in a living-room group setting with her (with her providing plenty of narration of course). I love watching her interviews and enjoy her acting but I can't decide whether I would greatly enjoy hanging out with her or if she would drive me crazy. I think we would get along great in small doses. She would probably only tolerate me if she got my dry humor, otherwise I would be too bland.
2. Emma Watson. I admire this woman, for the character she got to play in Harry Potter and the woman she is today. I would love to get coffee with her to talk about books, current world events, and her work with the UN. I think she is smart, charming, and lovely. The thing I think I would be most nervous of is appearing a little ignorant.
3. Emma Stone. I think she is one of the most adorable and charming girls around. I would love to spend the day with her and Andrew Garfield (her boyfriend or past boyfriend) hiking or kayaking. I think they are cute together and genuinely think I would get along with both of them, especially if they were together.
4. Logan Lerman. He just seems like a sweet, likeable kid. I thought he was perfect in Perks of Being a Wallflower and I'm looking forward to seeing him in Fury. I think he, Andrew Garfield and I share similar personalities and think they may be oddball enough for me to get along with well.
5. And lastly, Taylor Swift. At certain times (especially when she does not have a lot of makeup on) I have thought she was quite beautiful but, and I know may seem odd, I never really developed a crush on her until I saw the video for Shake It Off. I love that even with all her fame, she doesn't take herself too seriously and isn't afraid to be a little dorky (which is one of the things I like about Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence as well). I also love that she is getting attention for being so supportive of some of her female friends. Speaking of her female friends, I think it would fun to make dinner with a couple of them and Taylor and then watch a movie. In high school and college I used to sometime be a part of “girl nights” and I think Taylor would be someone fun to experience this with. P.S. One day one of my sisters and I were talking about Taylor Swift and out of nowhere she said, “Your not allowed to date her.” So even if I ever got the chance, I guess I'd have to let it pass by. :)

A couple things I think all of these people have in common is that they are all sweet and intelligent people.

I know fame has a lot of advantages (and I believe some of the above people are using those advantages to help humanity), a lot of perks but I also know I probably would not handle fame well. I am a very passive and laid-back person but if paparazzi was getting in my face and especially in the face of someone I care about, I may have a hard time not throwing a punch or uttering a few threats. I know celebrity houses/estates are often very excessive but I can somewhat understand why so many indulge in that excessiveness. Those compounds are a refuge to attempt to keep prying eyes and listening ears at arms length. I think I would have to take the Johnny Depp approach and live in a place where not many people care about my fame.

I feel like I should say that if I were to make a list of favorite actors, as far as how well I like their acting, it would be a little different. Note: some of these people I do not like in “real life” I merely think they act well and typically chose good parts.

In no particular order:

1. Dakota Fanning. I've thought this girl was an amazing actress since she was tiny (in I Am Sam and Man on Fire)
2. Denzel Washington (good guy, bad guy, good guy who's ruthless, he can do them all)
3. Tom Hanks (I may have thought Castaway was boring, but he still did an amazing job)
4. Ashley Judd (she's so strong, I love her in Kiss the Girls)
5. Morgan Freeman
6. Will Smith (well, minus that After Earth or whatever one he recently did with his son)
7. Tom Cruise
8. Jennifer Lawrence (she made it onto both of my lists)
9. Leonardo Dicaprio (there may be a lot of his movies I don't really like, but he does a an excellent job)
10. Natalie Portman (if you think she always plays the same cute/adorable character then watch The Other Boleyn Girl, actually don't, it's a sad, twisted movie that makes you hate Ms. Portman)

Review for the movie Now Is Good with Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine

I do not remember exactly what was said which brought about the comment, but recently my brother told me, “I think Dakota Fanning is under-appreciated” and I would have to agree. I think she was amazing in I Am Sam, Man On Fire, Hide and Seek, and The Runaways. Now, I will add this one to the list. First of all, her British accent was so convincing, I looked her up to see if she was British, and she's actually from down south in Georgia. But enough about her and on to the movie.

Near the beginning, this movie reminded me of A Walk To Remember, except without a lot of its innocence. Later on I started to enjoy it for its own sake, and forgot about comparing it.

On IMDB the storyline/plot synopsis simply says, “A girl dying of leukemia compiles a list of things she'd like to do before passing away. Topping the list is her desire to lose her virginity” and while this is partially true, throughout the movie Dakota's character, Tessa, realizes that some of her list is a little silly, as she falls in love she adds things she knows she will never accomplish, “...a joint bank account, listening to you snore for years and years, to go to a parent's evening and [find out] our child's a genius, actually all three of our kids...”

As well as having a good script, the cinematography is wonderful, the music is well done, and it is, overall a very beautiful movie. To someone who isn't a hopeless romantic (which I am a most hopeless romantic) some of it may seem a little unbelievable, I mean, what late teen/early 20-year-old guy would really fall in love and be so committed to a girl he's newly met and soon finds out is dying? But besides that, much of it is very “real:” the mother just can't handle it, has moved out and doesn't really deal with any of her daughter's sickness; and the father, though he's doing his best, most of all just feels utterly helpless. Some people may think Tessa's little brother is quite heartless how he talks about her inevitable death, but it's just something he's grown up with, knowing that his sister is going to die. I like how the father is always slightly horrified by his remarks, but Tessa is always just a little amused.

Here is a quote involving Tessa and her love interest that I really like, because, as we die, isn't this what most of us want:

“Stay with me, stay the nights.” “What do you want from me, Tess?” “Night time, sleeping together, waking up together, breakfast.” “What do you really want?” “I want you to be with me in the dark, to hold me, to keep loving me. To help me when I get scared, to go right to the edge and see what's there.”

In summary, I think this is a movie which is beautiful and heartbreaking. Though it leaves you feeling sad, it is a sweet and warm sadness. If you like romantic dramas, I encourage you to check it out.

Instead of giving it a content rating myself, I will just put the MPAA rating. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving illness, sexuality, and drugs, and for brief strong language.