In about 12 hours, I will be officially 24 years old. I am totally not freaking out about this. And I mostly mean that in a non-sarcastic way.
Being 24 means I'm the same age my mother was when I was born, and hence, half her age. That's a little weird.
Mostly though, I'm hopeful.... that 24 is the year I won't have to move again. No. Well... mostly no. (I am really over moving. I've moved 4 times in 3 years). But my 20s have been way more awesome than my teenager years, so I am hopeful this continues. And as I have the past 2 years, I thought I'd like to reflect on what the past year has brought/taught me. So here goes:
Shows/Musicals/Concerts:
Julie Andrews (still dying over being in the same room as her).
Driving Miss Daisy
Idina Menzel (twice)
Grease (3 times)
Wicked (4 times)
The Lion King (after 10 years of waiting and wanting)
Wickedly Broadway with David Harris and Lucy Durack
Time is a Traveller (David Harris's cabaret show)
The Random Variety (Jemma Rix's cabaret show)
Beauty and the Beast concert at Melbourne Zoo.
Trips:
Auckland, New Zealand
Sydney
Melbourne
Adelaide
Canberra
Celebrities I Met (for the first time):
IDINA MENZEL!!!!!
Angela Lansbury
James Earl Jones (they saw us, we said hi, they said hi. I'm counting it).
You know what, we all know Idina Menzel is the most important one here, so we'll just stop. There were others but... you can't really top the 3 names already on this list.
Fanfics Published:
Feels Like Home
Come What May
All These Years
Saviour
The Beginning of Forever
Days Go By
One Hour
Innocent Eyes
God Save My Soul
Don't Tell the Bride
Ghost of Kiamo Ko (I'm counting this because I at least started posting and finished writing it while I was still 23).
Experiences Had (AKA Cool things I did or that happened to me):
Went to Comic Con and met Holly Marie Combs, Brian Krause (Piper and Leo from Charmed) and Ted and The Todd from Scrubs.
Moved... again.
Got a new job.
Finished all my hours required on my L's.
Went for my P's.
Failed my P's.
Honestly, when thinking on the past year all my head is screaming is- Wicked. Idina. Julie Andrews. That about sums it up.
Tonight was Idina Menzel's first Australian concert. And after eight months of planning and what feels like forever of dreaming, I got to finally see her in concert.
It was even more amazing than I ever imagined. Idina is so sweet, and funny, and amazing and it was the most amazing musical experience of my life. And of course, she has the most amazing voice.
She sang everything from Wicked to RENT, from Joni Mitchell to a bit of U2. I won't give away the whole set list, but it has something for everyone.
Admittedly, I started crying the second she started singing, and I have a severe headache right now from a lack of oxygen. For those who don't know me, and who I just really confused with that sentence, when I get super excited or something amazing happens, my brain forgets how to do basic functions- such as breathing. Remember breathing? That in and out, oxygen to the brain thing? Yeah, I didn't do a lot of that.
The most amazing thing was the emotional journey Idina took us on through the music. The show contained some absolutely beautiful and tender tributes to Marvin Hamlisch and Jonathon Larson, which I know inspired a few tears through the audience.
Speaking of the audience, Idina interacted with us a lot, which was awesome. She made a new friend in the front row, haha. She also sang Take me or leave me with three amazing audience members, who sang- as Idina said, "with harmonies!"
She also sang two of her own songs- 'I Stand' and a new song that she's been working on, which was so beautiful and was one of those aforementioned not-breathing moments. And on another note, 'I stand' sounds even more amazing with a full symphony.
Also, Idina is hilarious. Within the first five minutes of being on stage, she'd already complimented the ass of the conductor and made fun of her own word slip- confusing "element" for "elephant". She's so genuine and down to earth, and when she talks about her son, she just beams. There were so many little moments that happened that I will cherish the memory of forever.
Of course, she sang 'Defying Gravity', which was... I was a little worried beforehand that seeing it live would take away from listening to the Barefoot at the Symphony CD, but it didn't. It was just spell-binding, and such a once in a lifetime opportunity to actually hear her sing it live.
That was her first encore, and then she came back and sang an absolutely beautiful song that is (at this stage anyway) in her new musical If/Then, and 'Somewhere' from Glee.
At one stage in the evening, she was talking about Beyonce, and someone called out "You're better than Beyonce" and she said "that's what the reviews will say- 'She's better than Beyonce.'" Hence, the title of this post.
So, yes, Idina is better than Beyonce. It was such a honour and a privilege to get to see her and listen to her. I'm so grateful and happy that Idina finally gets to perform in Australia! Hopefully, she'll come back!
I can't wait until Wednesday when I get to see her perform in Sydney! Also, now I get to cross off "See Idina Menzel in concert" and "Meet Idina Menzel" off my bucket list!
This list was really hard. Especially when I was only allowed 20 songs total and 5 from Wicked.
This is the Moment (Jekyll and Hyde) I know- it's not Wicked, and you're all shocked. I'm surprised too. But I haven't even seen this show, but I know this song from when Anthony Warlow sang it in The Main Event, which was a concert with John Farnham and Olivia Newton John in like 1998. It was a big deal at the time. My mum and both grandmothers had the video and my grandmothers also had the CD, so I heard it a lot. I just get goosebumps every single time I hear this song. I have posted about this before.
Defying Gravity (Wicked) This was so close to being number 1. Because it is the greatest moment I've ever seen in live theatre. I've been known to forget to breathe in this moment (it happened once in Singapore, OK? Let's move on) so of course it's on the list. I love Idina singing it, but anyone who reads this blog enough knows all I need to say is "Jemma Rix" and you will understand. (In case you don't read this blog that much- I really, really love Jemma. She's my favourite Elphaba).
King of Pride Rock (The Lion King) I said I wasn't going to provide links in this post because it takes FOREVER to write otherwise, but this is an exception because people may not have any idea what I'm talking about. It's this moment (yes, the video is from the movie, but it's in the musical so it counts). Soaring instrumental music, and then Circle of Life reprise by a choir? What's not to love? I actually want this in my wedding... somehow. I don't know exactly how that would work yet.
Tomorrow (Annie) This is such a positive, happy song! It just always makes me happy. And because Annie is so popular, it's usually one of the first musicals/songs that kids are exposed to. I'm pretty sure it was one of the first I heard anyway when I saw the movie on TV. I've seen both Annie movies, saw the musical in Melbourne and have heard Idina Menzel sing it on her Barefoot at the Symphony DVD, and I love it. I like to play this when I'm feeling sad.
The Wizard and I (Wicked) From the first second of the first time I saw Wicked, I loved it and knew it was going to be amazing. But it was in this song that I fell in love with it and Jemma Rix's voice. Plus, it's so happy as you hear Elphaba's dreams and this vision she has for her future. Of course, in subsequent showings, it just becomes bittersweet, but still.
Circle of Life (The Lion King) One of the best starts to a musical. It just sets the mood instantly, and grabs your attention from the very first second. I'm dying to see this live when the musical comes back to Sydney this year.
As Long As You’re Mine (Wicked) This song is the Fiyeraba (Fiyero+Elphaba) anthem, and the big love song in the show, so of course, it's on this list. But I love that it's so dark and passionate. You can tell from just the music what they got up to in that forest ;) My favourite rendition I've seen is the third show I saw in Singapore with David Harris and Jemma Rix. It was perfect.
Finale B (Rent) So yes, my favourite Rent song is the last song. That feels awkward to me, but it's true. I love the harmonies, the melody's, the combination of songs. This finale has set the bar for all musical finales for me.
No Good Deed (Wicked) Such a passionate, emotional, raw song. Again, I have been known to forget to breathe in this moment. It's so powerful, to see Elphaba's pain and desperation to save Fiyero. And (if you see the actual Broadway version, not the tour version) that moment when Elphaba rises through the floor with that "Fiyerooooo!" riff... ugh. I die.
Another Day (Rent) I love how this song switches between rock and ballad. And then how the others join Mimi at the end. The first time I saw Rent, it was the movie. And I liked Seasons of Love, but after that for a lot of the time, I wasn't sure whether I was going to see this through to the end. Another Day got me hooked.
Part of Your World (Reprise) (The Little Mermaid) Part of your world is a beautiful song all on its own. But to then have the reprise, which builds upon the inital song and have the big belting notes, that gets me every time- movie or musical (which I have only seen bits of on YouTube, but am hoping it comes to Australia one day. My friend Kelly and I think David Harris would be an awesome Prince Eric. We have our reasons!)
I'm Not That Girl (Wicked) This is such a heartbreaking song. And I don't think I know any girl who's seen it and hasn't related to this song. (I haven't asked any of the guys I know who have seen the show). Your heart just goes out to Elphaba in this song.
I Dreamed a Dream (Les Miserables) Another song full of raw emotion. I don't know what I can say about this song. I think though we can all relate to dreaming, and that pain that comes with those dreams not coming true. Plus, I mean the Lea Michele/Idina Menzel duet version on Glee? Pretty amazing.
The Lonely Goatherd (The Sound of Music) This is just such a fun song! It always gets stuck in my head after I watch The Sound of Music. It makes me smile every time. Plus, I like puppets.
Beyond My Wildest Dreams (The Little Mermaid) I think I love this song because of the tune. If you listen to it, you'll know what I mean. But I also relate to how Ariel is feeling in this song. That feeling when you're in a place you've only dreamed about and you can't even fathom that this is reality.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz) It's a classic. Need I say more? I never get tired of this song. At the moment, my favourite version is by Katharine McPhee as can be seen here (thank you very much, Smash pilot episode for making me realise this existed!)
Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) Such a beautiful ballad. "Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast." I never get tired of listening to it.
Any Dream Will Do (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) "I close my eyes, drew back the curtains, to see for certain what I thought I knew. Far far away, someone was weeping, but the world was sleeping any dream will do." I think I just love this tune! It's so catchy! But I was first introduced to this song through the movie, which has Donny Osmond who my mum loves, so that could be a factor.
I Have Dreamed (The King and I) I've only seen The King and I once when it was on TV, and to be honest I prefer Anna and the King (even though it's not a musical). But I heard this song when David Harris sang an arrangement of this and "Maria" from West Side Story, and I kind of fell in love with it.
I Still Call Australia Home (The Boy from Oz) I'm a patriot. That's the whole reason this song is on this list. I love Australia, so I love this song. I used to be glued to the TV whenever the Quantas ad was on growing up (when they used this song for their ads, of course). "Someday we'll all be together once more, when all of the ships come back to the shore. Then I realise something that I've always known, I still call Australia home."
Honorable Mentions (AKA "Songs that just missed out"):
Chip on my shoulder (Legally Blonde)- especially when sung by David Harris!
For Good (Wicked)- just because I was only allowed 5 Wicked songs
I saw this trending topic on twitter and thought 'I can easily think of 50 things I want to do before I die' but rather than do 50 tweets, I thought it would be easier to do it as a blog entry.
They're in no real order, I just wrote them as I thought of them.
So, here goes:
50 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:
Get married
Have children
See Wicked on Broadway
Meet Julia
Go to the USA (especially New York)
Go to London
Meet Tim Campbell [ACHIEVED June 2014]
Own a dog (current breed of choice is a schnauzer, but that could change)
Finish writing an original novel that I don't hate once I've finished it, or think is stupid.
Buy a house
Get a tattoo
Meet one of my favourite authors (I'd prefer JK Rowling, but I'm not picky)
Take a course in creative writing.
See Miss Webb again (my Year 8 English Teacher who was a huge influence on me in so many ways. I haven't actually seen her since Year 9). [ACHIEVED July 2014]
Take my siblings to see Wicked. [semi ACHIEVED November 2014 (took Nikki)]
Go to the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios.
See Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam.
Actually get my P's and be able to drive (am working on this). [ACHIEVED July 2014]
Meet Delta Goodrem (again. I met her once, but I was a rambling mess)
See Idina Menzel live in concert [ACHIEVED June 2013- TWICE]
Meet Idina Menzel. [ACHIEVED June 2013]
Write something meaningful.
Go to Tasmania and the Northern Territory, so I can say I've been to every state and territory in Australia.
Do something important.
Ride a horse.
Be a bridesmaid at someone's wedding.
Finish the Harry Potter fan fiction I abandoned to write Wicked fan fiction two years ago and have barely touched since. LOL.
Hold a lion cub.
Swim with dolphins (or just be in water with dolphins given that I can't actually swim). [ACHIEVED 15/4/2013]
Stay at a 5 star hotel somewhere, even just for one night. [ACHIEVED May 23rd 2014]
Teach overseas
Get through the entire Wicked book series (every time I've tried I can't do. I made it to end of Son of a witch and that was it, although I own the whole series).
Go out dancing.
Do karaoke (I'm mostly a watcher. I'm too shy to actually do it myself. Plus I can't sing).
Give a sermon.
Read the whole bible cover to cover.
Look and feel beautiful, just once.
Finish Wuthering Heights. I've started it 5 times. Every time I get bored and stop, but it's one of those classic novels.
Re-read Great Expectations. The last time I read it, I was 9.
Get a hug from my sister. (She's not a hugger. The last time I remember getting a hug from her, she was probably about 10. She's now nearly 21). [ACHIEVED October 3rd 2015]
Break a bone. (This sounds weird, but I never have. And I'd like to be able to say I have. Otherwise all I have is splitting my chin open and spraining my wrist and big toe- at different times).
Actually keep a diary, instead of forgetting it's there and only writing in it once every 6 months or so.
Be able to have a deep, personal conversation about myself without crying.
Go to Prince Edward Island (Four Words: Anne Of Green Gables).
Read the entire Narnia series (the only one I've read is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
In my house, have a library.
Sponser a child in a Third World nation.
Go to a psychic (just for fun). [ACHIEVED 18/4/2013]
See at least one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Enter the lottery- just once so I can say I did. [ACHIEVED 19/4/2013- and won $4. LOL)
How many times have you heard someone say "I'm [insert person, fandom, whatever name here]'s biggest fan"?
And maybe it's just me, but I didn't realise admiring someone's work and being passionate about whatever it is was a competition.
And sometimes (not all times, but there's definitely a few I know of) the self-proclaimed "biggest fan" looks down on all other fans, as if to say "this is mine and you can't share in it."
Which is ridiculous, because there's nothing better than a fanbase becoming a community and all members supporting one another. And I know for a fact how supportive these fandoms can be and the wonderful friendships that can be formed.
And sometimes, the "biggest fan" can be... well, more creepy than anything else.
Case in point, Exhibit A if you will:
OK, I love Harry Potter and have since I was 10 years old. I consider myself a pretty big fan. But I stopped keeping track of how many times I've read the books when book 4 got over 100. I don't see the point in having more than 1 copy of each book and movie (although I am considering buying myself another set of books, because the new covers are gorgeous).
But I get seriously creeped out everytime I watch this video- which after the first time was usually to prove this point.
Harry Potter is my main fandom, right with Wicked the musical. And this is where the bone I have to pick gets harder:
There are a few lucky people I know of who were aware of Wicked's existence in Australia from the beginning in 2008 (I was in a uni bubble. Nothing new rarely gets through.). They work full-time and so were able to save more money and sometimes lived in closer proximity to the theatres, so their tally of how many times they've seen the show is naturally a lot higher than mine or the majority of people.
But I've read comments from these people on various social networking sites, where they proclaim themselves as the biggest fan.
Now, maybe it's just me, but in my mind, seeing the show x amount of times, reading the books, movies, going to concerts... whatever the fandom you're talking about here, doesn't make you the biggest fan.
And yes I am a tiny bit jealous of people who have the time and money to be able to see the show so much and travel around to do so, but I don't think I'm any less of a big fan because I've only seen the show 6 (it'll be 7 as of tomorrow, actually) times and wasn't aware of its existence until 2010.
Some of the biggest Wicked fans I know have only seen the show once. (Hi, Julia!) And the truth is, I was really lucky each time I've gotten to see the show. For shows 2, 3, and now 5-7, I saved my butt off for months to be able to go.
Same with musicans. I'm a huge Delta Goodrem fan, I think she's amazing and I have all her albums. But I've actually had someone tell me I'm not a "true" fan, because I haven't been to all her concerts, etc. Um, I went to her Believe Again tour in Sydney (one show, unlike the person who was telling me this who had literally followed it all around the country. And again, I saved like crazy to do so), but when her Visualise tour was touring, I was 15 and had just moved 2 hours from Sydney. If you think my parents were going to take me to a Delta Goodrem concert or let me go alone, you've got another think coming.
And there is a Delta Goodrem fan group on FB (which I recently left for reasons I'll explain in a moment, whilst continuing on my rant), which contains some huge, genuine Delta fans who live in countries where Delta has of yet never been and is not a hugely popular artist.
But when has being the "biggest fan" meant anything? What does it mean? You don't get a prize, do you? Unless there's something I've missed here.
But yes, I recently left a Delta Goodrem fan group on FB for one reason- I was sick and tired of the negativity I was hearing, and frankly, it was cheesing me off.
Delta will, in 2012, release her first studio album since 2007. So, naturally, long-time fans are a bit impatient and excited. This FB group I was a part of... I regularly read comments such as "this album had better be epic for keeping us waiting for so long" and "she should just release something before no one wants to listen to it anymore".
First of all, Delta hasn't exactly been doing nothing since 2007. Her tour was 2009, and she's been working so hard in the US and released songs with Jim Brickman and Michael Bolton. She did a voice for a film last year, Santa's Apprentice and because she writes/ co-writes pretty much all her own songs, she's been writing and learning for the past few years.
As a perfectionist and creative type person (nothing musical, but still), I can understand her wanting to make sure everything she releases, she's happy with. Especially when she's said in the past she wouldn't mind changing a few things about her second album, Mistaken Identity, which she felt she rushed to put out after her cancer battle. (I'm still impatient for the new music, but I get it!)
She released the first single "Sitting on top of the world" at the beginning of the month. I love it. It's catchy, and upbeat and makes you incredibly happy just listening to it. You totally get the sense Delta is loving her life at the moment, and that makes me happy.
But when she released a 30 second sample (teaser, more accurately, I played it on a loop for days, dying to hear the full song), people were so negative!
Things like "I expected better after 5 years", "this doesn't sound like Delta", and my personal favourite "Just remember if you don't like this song, there's a minimum of at least 12 that we can expect to hear later in the year, so don't give up hope."
Um, what the hell?
One more example, (I promise!), is when I bought Idina Menzel's CD and DVD of Live: Barefoot at the Symphony. I loved the DVD and CD, but it was only when I went to put the CD on my computer that I noticed "I'm not that girl" didn't make the transfer.
A tad disappointed, I decided to google in case it was available online somehow (with the internet, you never know!). Google led me to amazon, and I decided to read some reviews whilst I was there, and spread the Idina love.
Now, I don't know if the people who reviewed the CD hadn't seen the DVD or hadn't listened to the track before so were unaware of the context. But there is a beautiful, spine-tingling moment when Idina sings "For Good" (yes, from Wicked) acapalla to the audience as a thank you for coming and their support. There is no music, just her amazing voice. She doesn't even use the microphone, her voice just carries (I suppose there could also be other mics on the stage, but I have no clue) throughout the room. Hence, the chills.
This is set up in the track before on the CD when she thanks the audience.
But the reviews were saying things such as "it sounds as though she's a million miles away from the microphone" and "this needed the orchestra".
Um, no, it didn't. If Idina had sung it with the orchestra and into the mic, yes it wouldn't have been just as amazing, but the intimacy of the song and the personal touch would have been gone.
One of my favourite comments stated that all the song choices were obscure and seemed completely random.
If you watch the DVD, and listen to the whole CD, Idina does a little chat before most songs, to set them up. And they pretty much all have some personal connection or sentiment to her, which is why she chose to share them with the audience.
But when did being a fan mean you can tear people down? I thought the point of being a fan was that you admire the person, the music/story whatever means something to you in some way, and supporting the fandom, whatever it may be.
I realise notihing is perfect and everything will always have flaws, but I don't see that as an excuse to gripe over them.
I don't love all Delta songs, I don't like certain parts in Harry Potter and wish JK Rowling had done it a little differently, and there are always some cast members I've seen in Wicked who I feel don't 100% match the role or I'd rather they delivered a line a bit differently. But I'm not going to go tear them down because of it.
Supporting someone/something means accepting the good and bad. You just focus on the good.
Do I make sense or am I just ridiculously positive?
