On Camera, Favorite Scenes, Birdie, and Book Desires

1.  Dreamed about fighting giant crocodiles.

2. Missed another Aussie birthday on Facebook. We get the notices a day late because of the time change. It's frustrating, and a bit embarrassing.  This one I actually wrote on my calendar so I'd remember.  The problem is I forget to regularly check the calendar.

3. Read Patrick McGorry's recent editorial. He's asking more dollars to be pledged to mental health.   Maybe he should impose a levy.

Seriously though.  He does bring up some good points.  He talks about people seeking help and not getting it.  Although I don't agree with over-labeling and over-medicating, I also don't believe in neglect. When I was having a really hard time, someone convinced me to seek help. I emailed 2-4 psychologists. They each wrote me back, so I know my email didn't get lost. But when I emailed them back again with more information, none of them responded.  I seriously doubt that was about lack of funding, though.  I'd guess it was more about laziness and apathy.

4. While getting ready to go to Dallas, we watched a little bit of Seven Years in Tibet. I suddenly realized that it has a similar theme to The King's Speech.   Both involve a prestigious leader befriending a commoner. And in both cases the leader obtained his position by inheritance—one by blood, and the other by reincarnation.

Also, both movies have Harry Potter actors. The King's Speech has Dumbeldore, Bellatrix, and Peter Pettigrew.  Seven Years in Tibet has Professor Lupin.  

5. Sat in hotel and waited.  The event organizers asked if Tim was there for an interview as well. I said he saw the movie too, and if everyone was okay with it (including Tim) they could interview him too. They said they'd interview us together. I felt maybe this would be better for me. I felt I'd probably be less shy if Tim was involved with it too.

6.  Went into a hotel room, and waited.  While waiting we got our make up done. Jack waited WITH us, and then FOR us.  I was impressed that he was able to stay relatively quiet.  And he was very patient. I think he liked watching us get filmed.

I'd like to be optimistic, but my guess is we'll get left on the cutting room floor. We didn't say anything that profound, and whatever we did say….I don't think we said it very well.

On the bright side……The film crew people  were VERY nice and patient with us. We enjoyed talking to them.  I just wish we could have given them more to work with.

The funny part was before the camera was on, the interviewer mentioned some scene, and he said it had made him emotional.  I said I often get emotional, and I might start crying if we talk about the movie. He said they'd be HAPPY if I cried.  I guess me crying would have been a great contribution to the project.  Unfortunately, I didn't cry.

7.  Talked briefly about Australia and The King's Speech at my brother-in-law's birthday celebration.   And I didn't bring it up!  Well, I might have brought up The King's Speech.  I can't remember.  But my cousin's husband asked about the floods, and that started the Australian conversation.   

8. On the way home from Dallas, Tim and I talked about The King's Speech and our experience with the filming thing. Tim agrees that we'll probably be on the cutting room floor.  Actually, because of modern technology, we'll just go into the computer's little trash icon.  Oh well.

As for the movie.....During the interview, we both had to talk about our favorite scenes from the movie.  I realized that we both chose things that were kind of connected thematically. I chose the scene where Bertie confronts Lionel Logue about the fact that he's not a doctor and therefore a fraud. Logue is forced to defend himself.  Then Tim's favorite scene was when Bertie started smoking, and Logue told him smoking was unhealthy.  Bertie argued that his doctors recommended it. That neither convinces nor impresses Logue.  So see...there's this idea. You don't have to be a doctor to help someone, and if someone IS a doctor they're not necessarily going to give you healthy and/or safe advice.  

9. Stopped at the bookstore, because I wanted to get The King's Speech book.  It was closed.    Probably for the best. I remembered I still have lots of money left on my Powell's gift certificate. I'll buy it from there.  I also have a Half Price books gift certificate. They might have the book as well.

10. Read that there is a heatwave in Sydney. PLEASE be careful if you're there.  

11. Was just told by Jack (who he reading while I write) that he thought Bertie was named Birdie.   

12. Read opinions on Facebook regarding Mayor Doyle attending a Scientology thing.  One person says, And anyone who is a scientologist should be embarrassed also, they worship aliens for gods sake!   Yes.  But it's okay to worship a Jewish carpenter who was born from a virgin.  And it's okay to believe some divine being parted the red sea and drowned a bunch of Egyptians.  Whatever......


I think Denise Carter is like me. She asks, yep, why be against one religion, when there are pros and cons with all of them?

13. Watched the Mark Logue video again.    


14. Went to order Logue book on Powells.  The problem is I don't have enough books on my wish list right now to fulfill the $50 dollar free shipping minimum. Tim said he has some books that he wants.   I'll see if they have thoseI think also....a part of me is reluctant to read the book.   There have been times that I've loved a movie, so I purchase the book. Then the book turns out to be boring and/or disappointing.  What if it causes me to lose my love for the movie?  It seems almost better that I wait until I'm less into the movie.  Then if the book is good, it will renew my interest.   On the other hand, when I was in 7th grade I saw Alex the Life of a Child, I was slightly obsessed.  Then I read the book and became even more obsessed.   


15. Ordered the book!   I'm very excited. I'm going to have to break my rigid neurotic book rule.   When I buy books, I put them randomly on my to-read shelf.  Then I read them in the order that they're placed.   If I followed that rule, I wouldn't be reading The King's Speech until several months from now.  The problem is I'd be rushing through the other books and not giving them enough love and attention.  So I'm going to break the silly rule, and read the book as soon as I get it. Although I might go ahead and finish the book I'm reading when the shipment arrives. Or I could read two books simultaneously.    


I was hoping to get the book from the library, because with library books I read them pretty much immediately....well, because you're not allowed to keep them from very long.   But our library doesn't have the Logue book yet.   


16. Went to the SAGS award website to see if any Australians and/or The King's Speech people won.   The King's Speech won for best cast. AWESOME!!  Colin Firth won.  Cool. Geoffrey Rush didn't win.  Not cool.  I thought he was so amazing. But I know.  Everyone has different opinions.  And if I saw the Christian Bale movie, maybe I would have been impressed and understanding of why he won the award.   


Modern Family won for best cast in a comedy!!  That's neither Australian nor The King's Speech related.  But that's okay. See?  I DO have diverse interests.   


17. Felt a bit better after watching interviews with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. They SEEMED almost as lost and nervous as Tim and me.  Well, that might be going way too far.  We were much worse than them.  However, I do think both those guys do much better when they're working from a script. Maybe that's what I learned today.  Being in front of a camera is probably always hard.  But I think it's even harder when you don't have your lines already written for you.  

Sometimes I'll see actors being interviewed, and I become somewhat disillusioned. They're less funny than I expected or less interesting.  Sometimes they barely make sense to me.  Now I think I'll be much more understanding about all that.    

Edited to Add.....


18.   Had some deep thoughts, and realized maybe I was hypocritical during the interview.  First of all, I blabbered on and on about how you don't have to have a degree to be able to help people and how we're so reliant on degrees rather than experience and ability.  But as Tim pointed out, I have two degrees.   


Okay, to my defense, though....I got those degrees BEFORE I believed what I believe now.  So it's not really hypocritical.  I used to believe a degree was necessary for validation.  And sadly, there's a part of me that still clings to that falsehood. But I'm trying to get out of that mindset.     


I also blabbered on about how the movie was about seeking help, and trusting someone else to help you.  It's not about overcoming adversity on your own.   It's about overcoming adversity with the help of someone else.  Well, I am sometimes horrible at seeking out help.   I'm very much like Bertie at the beginning of the film.   I distrust people, and I don't have enough faith to depend on others to help me.  It's gotten worse in the last year or so.  Oh well. I don't imagine these things will change anytime soon.  But maybe in the far future? We shall see.