- Summer 2010 is drawing to a close (big sad face) and it's only a couple of weeks till I'll be back to university for my third and final year (big scared face). Since I know I haven't really given my first 2 years my all I feel like this year I should go all out and try and do myself proud. Academic wise uni hasn't really been all that I'd hoped it would be but I'm thinking if I give my third year a good go then maybe I'll be able to squeeze some enjoyment out of it. The start of the third year will also mean getting to spend some time in Brighton again which is always good. I'm hoping that in the first couple of months of the autumn term I'll be able to move around a bit as well, see some of my friends in various places and experience some new nightlife. I should, all going to plan, be able to fit in visits to Southampton, Bournemouth and Oxford in the coming months.
- On Wednesday I took my girlfriend to London to go and see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria for our anniversary (on Monday). It was an awesome day and Wicked was amazing! Will definitely have to go see again. Considering I didn't really know the songs or a huge amount about the story I was impressed with how much it all took me in. The songs turned out to be terrific, the story successfully interweaving the events told in The Wizard of Oz and the performances across the board were superb. Rachel Tucker as Elphaba has a masterful stage presence and an astonishing voice, particularly on the high notes. It reminded me just how much I love West End musicals and how much I need to go again soon! I still haven't seen The Lion King and would love to so maybe that can be next on the list. - I've applied to be an extra in the new X-Men film, so I will have to wait and see what they say when they get back to me about it. Having already had to turn down Captain America and an earlier extra role in X-Men: First Class, it will be nice if one of these opportunities finally works out! If it's not this one then I will keep searching as it seems like something that would be fantastic experience for me, not to mention good pay and something very much worth putting on the CV.
- Motivating myself at the moment is proving tricky (I'm still very much in lazy summer mode), but I'm trying to overcome this and get some serious scriptwriting done. I'm aware that nothing is just going to fall into my lap, I'm going to have to work for it and this all starts just by writing lots and eventually, hopefully, coming out of it with something I'm really proud of. I still have the ambition to film a couple of short films over the next couple of months so hopefully if I get something decent written and come across any actors then that will be possible.
- Something else on my radar at the moment is the More4 show 'Southland'. It's a cop show set in LA, is into its second series now and I definitely recommend it. Southland deviates from the usual police show formula and offers a more gritty and realistic portrayal of life in the force, as well as depicting a very different Los Angeles to the one we're used to seeing on TV and in films. The performances from all the main cast are strong, including that of Ben McKenzie, who is gaining some serious indie credibility since his days in The OC. I suggest checking the show out on 4od for sure! - So, on the current to-do list for autumn/winter 2010- Get a full-length film script written, write and possibly shoot a couple of short films, take on my uni course headfirst, enjoy Brighton life as much as possible, visit Southampton, Bournemouth and Oxford, have a fantastic and beautifully messy 21st birthday with all my mates in London, write read and watch as much as I can, have a day out in London, go to at least a couple of gigs, and enjoy being a student while I still can. And I would love love LOVE to be able to book a holiday for this Christmas holidays, a city break to somewhere suitably awesome like Paris or New York. We shall see.
- I'm currently listening to... Philip Selway, Pulled Apart by Horses, Kanye West and the Wicked Soundtrack. Hopefully I should be writing a couple more posts in the near future, one relating to my 'Summer 2010' and one about the growing pile of films I desperately want to see in the cinema this autumn/winter.
