Soulmate by Natasha Bedingfield (2007)

Performed by: Natasha Bedingfield

Album: N.B.

What is your definition of a soulmate? To me, a soulmate is "someone who is brought into your life so that you can grow and be the best version of yourself. And when you feel a strong irresistible urge to enter a relationship with another person, that person could very well be your soulmate. A soulmate is someone who is put in this world with the ability to love you like you were made to be loved. Simply put, a soulmate is your one and only, the one you're destined to be with, the love of your life. It's a love that survives anything and everything, that struggles and pulls through. It's a love that makes you cringe at the thought that, had your life gone differently even for a millisecond, you may not have met this person - but in your heart you know you would have, some way, somehow, because soulmates always find one another." 

Before I settled on the above definition of a soulmate, the concept of a soulmate never really crossed my mind much because it's such a difficult thing to attain. Saying that someone is your soulmate is a BIG deal! And although it's just one word, or two some might argue, this one word encompasses A LOT! And seemingly unattainable really. 

In searching for what I think a soulmate is, I came across some quotes about the topic that I subscribe to and would like to share here with you. 

“True love is finding your soulmate in your best friend”  

- Faye Hall, My Gift To You

“Have you ever met someone for the first time, but in your heart you feel as if you’ve met them before?”  

- JoAnne Kenrick, When A Mullo Loves A Woman 

“Love doesn't make the world go 'round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”  

- Shannon L. Alder

"Soul mates aren't perfect people. They can come into your life and provide polar emotional experiences from intense love to intense pain. Growth comes from both. And a soul mate helps you grow. It isn't just '... and they lived happily ever after' but '... and they lived!' " 

- Lori Chidori Phillips 

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person that you will ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake." 

- Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray Love

What about you? Do you agree? Do you disagree? That there's a soulmate for everyone. I guess everyone deep down inside yearns to find their soulmate. And I agree with the lyrics of the song, a soulmate should "speak out if you do (exist and hear my cry), you're not easy to find". I think fate and destiny can only take you to the train station (so the speak), but it cannot force you to get on the train, and most certainly cannot decide which train you should take. That choice is yours and yours alone. So open your heart to the possibility of a soulmate and maybe yours just might appear in front of you. Of course, on the flip side  one could search till the ends of the earth and never find this one person. After all, there are SO MANY people in the world. If you can find this ONE person among the billions of people on earth, you are VERY lucky. And what if you think someone is your soulmate, then it turns out to be someone else? This soulmate business is really very tricky. 

But the song does make you believe and yearn to find this illusive soulmate. I can't deny that. And interestingly, I have recently wondered if I have indeed found my soulmate. Yes! It's a big deal. Because of the weight I place on the word soulmate. Some people use the word lightly. Words being the best tool I use to express myself, I tread carefully with the use of the word 'soulmate'. In fact, the word scares me. Yet it also thrills me. And to entertain the thought that I might have found a soulmate in someone makes me feel a million emotions. 

Fear being the most obvious and prominent emotion I can recognise feeling. Fear that I could be wrong. Fear that I could lose this person. Fear that he might not feel the same way.

To quote the movie Never Been Kissed, "that thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around you becomes hazy. And the only thing in focus is you and this person. And you realise that that person is the only person that you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life. And for one moment you get this amazing gift, and you want to laugh, and you want to cry, cause you feel so lucky that you found it, and so scared that that it will go away all at the same time."

I guess I just have to focus on the other emotions more. That, or I might just have to throw away all emotions about how I feel about the possibility of finding my soulmate and just enjoy whatever this is between me and this person.

So to this person, please love me. Cos it would totally suck if you turned out to be the kind of soulmate people usually read about in books and watch in movies, who turn out to be JUST your best friend.

We Can Fly Away by Emma Townshend (1999)

Performed by Emma Townshend

Theme song for the TV movie The Magical Legend Of The Leprechauns (1999)

Did You Know? - Emma Townshend is the daughter of Pete Townshend from the band The Who. Roger Daltrey from The Who also played a role in the TV movie The Magical Legend Of The Leprechauns. Actor Kevin McKidd also had a role in the film, he is better known as Dr Owen Hunt in the television series Grey's Anatomy. 



My little cousin was born on 9th April and since I wanted to write entries that have something to do with her name 'Emma', I started looking out for actresses named Emma, singers named Emma, and films that have characters named Emma. It was then that I realised that although 2 of the biggest names in the film industry share the name 'Emma', I don't really know of many well known 'Emma's in the film and music industry! So I decided to get a little education about the name 'Emma' (God Bless Wikipedia).

In the film industry, we have Emma Watson, made famous by the Harry Potter films (See the post The Perks Of Being A Wallflower), Emma Stone (whose real name is really Emily Jean Stone), Emma Roberts, niece of Julia Roberts (See the post Aquamarine), Emma Thompson, think Nanny McPhee and Professor Sybill Trelawney, and Emma Chambers (an English actress who played Hugh Grant's sister in the film Notting Hill). 

There are also fictional characters like Emma Pillsbury played by Jayma Mays from the television series Glee, Emma Swan, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming played by Jennifer Morrison in the television series Once Upon A Time, Emma Morley played by Anne Hathaway from the film One Day, Emma Allen also played by Anne Hathaway in the film Bride Wars, Emma Dinsmore played by Kate Hudson in the film Alex & Emma, Emma Woodhouse from Jane Austen's book Emma (a role played by Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1996 film Emma), and the comic book character Emma Frost who has been played by actresses like January Jones in X-Men: First Class and Tahyna Tozzi in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

And in music there's of course Baby Spice Emma Bunton, Emma Hewitt, and Emma Townshend. I remembered a song from a TV movie I adored as a teenager The Magical Legend Of The Leprechauns - 'We Can Fly Away' by Emma Townshend. And I was thinking what an apt song it was for the TV movie. 

Emma Townshend's We Can Fly Away has a very uplifting and light-hearted tune that makes me smile every time I hear it. It has the perfect fairytale-like qualities to the music that not only fits the TV movie it was composed and written for but also the kind of music I love. It also helps that I really string instruments like the violin and piano. I love the sounds the violin and piano produces. 


We Can Fly Away Lyrics:

I have always been certain 
Things are not always what they seem 
Though the heavens stop turning 
I'll be holding on to our dream 

We can fly away, fly away 
No more doubt or fear, nothing left to say 
Fly away, fly away 
From the darkness to the sun 
Let our spirits be as one 

You heard 
My word 
My hope 
My call 
We can fly away over 
You gave 
Your hand 
Your heart 
Your all 
We can fly away over it all 

In a magical moment 
You reached out and touched the real me 
Now there's no storm before us 
As strong as the love we both feel 

We can fly away, fly away 
If we give our love, love will come our way 
Fly away, fly away 
From the darkness to the sun 
Let our spirits be as one 

You heard 
My word 
My hope 
My call 
We can fly away over 
You gave 
Your hand 
Your heart 
Your all 
We can fly away over it all 
We can fly away over

We can fly away, fly away 
If we give our love, love will come our way 
Fly away, fly away 
From the darkness to the sun 
Let our spirits be as one 

You heard 
My word 
My hope 
My call 
We can fly away over 
You gave 
Your hand 
Your heart 
Your all 
We can fly away over it all 


You heard 
My word 
My hope 
My call 
We can fly away over (it all)
You gave 
Your hand 
Your heart 
Your all 
We can fly away over it all 

YouTube Video:

While I could not find an official music video for Emma Townshend's We Can Fly Away, the video to the ending of the TV movie is also quite lovely to watch anyway. It's a HUGE spoiler though. So if you want, watch the TV movie first. 

The Eclectic Reviewer thinks... Emma Townshend's We Can Fly Away will make you feel as if you can really fly away and do or achieve anything. It's a romantic song that I might put on my list of songs I'd play at my wedding, provided I can find a clean copy without the dialogue from the TV movie. Plus, it really reminds me of the kind of Irish songs sung by The Corrs, a band I really love. So it's definitely a song that gets played a lot on my iPod. 


* Movie Poster from Wikipedia & Video from YouTube

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Pitch Perfect (2012)

Directed by Jason Moore (1) 

Cast: Anna Kendrick (2), Skylar Austin (3), Anna Camp (4), Brittany Snow (5), Rebel Wilson (6), Alexis Knapp (7), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (8), Elizabeth Banks (9)

(Watch the trailer)

My favourite quotes - "Look honey, college is great. You get to create memories here. I see it every day. You just have to give it a chance.", "How do you not like movies? Not liking movies is like not liking puppies.", "You guys are gonna get pitch slapped so hard, your man boobs are gonna concave.", & "Even though some of you are pretty thin, I think that you all have fat hearts. And that's what matters."

My favourite dialogue -

Bumper: You are probably the grossest human being I've ever seen.
Fat Amy: Well you're no panty dropper yourself.
Bumper: So I have a feeling that we should kiss. And, but is this feeling a good feeling? Or an incorrect feeling?
Fat Amy: Well, I some times have a feeling I can do crystal meth, but then I think... ummm... better not. 

Jesse: What's up weirdo! 
Beca: Oh! What's this?
Jesse: As much as I love spending time with you stacking CDs. And I do. I love it. Like more than life. I figured we can do some other fun things that don't make us wanna kill ourselves right?
Beca: Yeah. 

Jesse: So, I brought some movies. Jaws, E.T., The Breakfast Club, Star Wars, and Rocky. Best scored and soundtrack movies of all time. That's what I wanna do when I grow up. I wanna score movies. Bring people to tears, you know, blow their minds. I feel that only music can do that. 
Beca: Yeah. You must really sweep your girlfriend off her feet.

Jesse: Oh I don't have a girlfriend.
Beca: What? 
Jesse: Yup.
Beca: You have juice pouches and Rocky!

Jesse: Okay. So, what do you want to watch first?
Beca: Can we do something else? We could relive my parents' divorce, visit a gynecologist. 

Jesse: What do you not like movies or something? Like any movies? What the hell is wrong with you! How do you not like movies? Not liking movies is like not liking puppies.
Beca: They're fine. I just get bored and never make it to the end.

Jesse: The endings are the best part.
Beca: They're predictable. Like the guy gets the girl, and that kid sees dead people, and Darth Vader is Luke's father.

Jesse: Oh right, so you just happen to guess the biggest cinematic reveal in history.
Beca: 'Vader' in German means 'father'. His name is literally Darth Father. 

Jesse: Huh. So you know German. Well, now I know why you don't like fun things. You know, you need a movie education. You need a moviecation. And I'm gonna give it to you.

Did You Know? - The film is loosly based on a non-fiction book of the same name by Mickey Rapkin. 


Beca Mitchell: No one was more surprised than me. But I really liked those girls.
Dr Mitchell: And you er, you thought quitting was the answer?
Beca Mitchell: Seriously? You can say that to me?
Dr Mitchell: Oh come on Bec. That's so unfair. Look, your mum and I, we didn't work. But I tried so hard to make things right between us. But you just shut me out.
Beca Mitchell: Well I shut everybody out. Don't take it personally. It's just easier.
Dr Mitchell: It's also really lonely.
Beca Mitchell: What do I do?
Dr Mitchell: Well that's up to you.

No man, or woman, is an island. And that is especially so with a cappella. Besides showcasing the wonderful world of a cappella, Pitch Perfect tells the story of Beca Mitchell, played by the talented Anna Kendrick, who is forced by her father to attend college. All she wants to do is to be a DJ and produce music, but her father doesn't feel that there is a future to being a DJ. So he insists that she attend college, get a proper education, and experience college life. 

What Beca learns through the course of the movie is that letting people in isn't the end of the world. 

Once upon a time, I was like Beca. I got burnt before, so I closed myself to other people and didn't trust anyone enough to form strong bonds or any kind of friendship or relationship. That was during my secondary school days. So for 3 years, I was a loner. 

Dr Mitchell: Beca? Beca, wake up. Funny, this doesn't look like your Intro to Philosophy class.
Beca Mitchell: I'm posing an important philosophical question. If I don't actually go to that class will it still suck?
Dr Mitchell: Look honey, college is great. You get to create memories here. I see it every day. You just have to give it a chance. You've been here, what, a month now. Do you have any friends?
Beca Mitchell: Kimmy-Jin is my friend.
Kimmy-Jin: No.
Dr Mitchell: You gotta get out there Bec. You gotta try something.
Beca Mitchell: I got a job at the radio station.
Dr Mitchell: Oh great that place. Yes. Dark and dirty, has like, what, those 3 weirdos who work there.
Beca Mitchell: Well 4 now.
Dr Mitchell: You gotta try something new Bec. Join one club on campus. And if at the end of the year, you still don't wanna be here, you still wanna go off to LA and be P Diddy, well then, you can quit college. And I will help you move to LA.
Beca Mitchell: Seriously?
Dr Mitchell: Yes seriously. But I really need to see it Beca. This is college. Join in. 

Since doing School Days, a recent television series I worked on, I have been thinking a lot about my own school days. And looking back, I really don't have many fond memories of my primary or secondary school. For the first 10 years of compulsory education, I can count the number of friends, from those school days, I still keep in touch with regularly today. (PS: I'm excluding those on Facebook). Zero. Well, maybe 1. But I know her through Sunday classes rather than school, so to me, that doesn't really count. 

I don't have many fond memories during my primary or secondary school days, so after many years of being mostly friendless and keeping to myself, I decided that I needed to make a change and make friends. You see, I got lonely. I think it was my secondary school prom that made me wake up and decide that I need to break out of my shell and trust people again. On a side note, my prom experiences have never been good. Something bad always happens during my prom. But I'll save that story for another post on a film like Drive Me Crazy or Wish Upon A Star. 

Truth be told, I would say that my college years were the most eventful and fun, yet heartbreakingly painful. My polytechnic years were the most pleasant and memorable, with a healthy dose of suffering. And my university years were the most driven and educational period of my life. But I agree with Beca's father, there's much to experience when you are a student. If you can afford it, slow down and enjoy every minute of your school days. Don't be in such a hurry to get into the real world and work. 

You might think you know what you want, and you may actually end up doing what you love and want you think you want now. But who knows, all that could change over the years. In college, I wanted to be a Literature teacher and teach at my alma mater Catholic Junior College. But look where I am today! I'm a writer. I'm fulfilling a childhood dream.
This prayer is a favourite of one of my ex boyfriends, Mr 4.

God, give me grace to accept with serenity 
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.

- American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr

This prayer always reminds me that change is the only constant. But also that we must know what we can or cannot change. And remember that there are some things we cannot change no matter how hard we try.

I applaude how Beca dreams big and is such a go-getter. But I'm glad she eventually learns to slow down and smell the roses. It makes it all worth while to know that she realises that some people are worth being around and fighting for.

Beca isn't the only one who had to learn to be open to new things and change. Anna Camp's Aubrey also had to learn to let go of her need for control and accept that change isn't always a bad thing. Control. We can't always control the situation or people around us. And I'm glad Aubrey, played by Anna Camp, learns to let loose and go with the flow by the end of the film. And I loved the way Brittany Snow's Chloe finally took control of how she wanted to be treated by Aubrey and stood up for herself. These two wonderful actresses did a fantastic job as Aubrey and Chloe. Especially Anna Camp. She was able to play the "villain" without us writing her off as a total b***h.

The Script (Live @ Singapore Indoor Stadium)

I've always liked the architecture of the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

What an awesome night! Watching The Script live in concert was mind blowing. I may get flogged by many for saying this, but personally, I think The Script beat Lady Gaga's concert hands down. (Although it's probably cos I'm more of a Script fan than a Lady Gaga fan.)

No distractions or theatrics. 3 LED panels, 2 huge screens and a stage. That's all The Script had, and needed, to give their Singapore fans something to scream about. It all boiled down to pure musical entertainment and simple interaction with the audience. 

Local band The UnXpected opened the concert for The Script and their first as yet untitled song was really catchy and upbeat. It's a song I'd definitely look out for when they finally name the song. The other songs they sang like Thunder was nice, but I felt it was a little too slow for my liking. Especially in terms of getting the crowd hyped up. I wish they sang more songs like the first one. But still, lead vocalist Shirlyn Tan has a great voice and the songs had a pretty decent tune. Can't say too much about the lyrics as the music was a little too loud.

* Check out The UnXpected's Facebook page here. At the moment, they play at Wala on Thursdays and Saturdays and at Sky Loft on Fridays. 

Pretty lights to set the mood.

A lighting designer's heaven...

Although the ticket stub said 8pm, it was closer to 9pm when The Script finally took to the stage. I expected to wait, but not that long! However, all that is forgotten the minute the band walks onto stage. Right from the start of the concert, I knew it was going to be a night of pretty lights and soulful music. Most of the songs that I love was performed during the concert and it was fun singing along with The Script and the rest of the crowd at the Indoor Stadium. The crowd really helped make the concert an unforgettable one. Everyone sang along, swayed along, and screamed. A lot. They sung their big hits like The Man Who Can't Be Moved, Six Degrees Of Separation, Breakeven, For The First Time, Nothing, If You Could See Me Now, Science & Faith, and of course Hall Of Fame.

The Man Who Can't Be Moved is the song that put them on my radar so when they sang it acoustically, I was floored and very very happy. And I knew that the song If You Could See Me Now was a tribute to Danny O'Donoghue's father and guitarist Mark Sheehan's parents so it gave me a context that helped me appreciate the song so much more. That, and the fact that the lyrics always reminds me of my grandmother. 

Spotlight on guitarist Mark Sheehan.

The night was all about pretty light displays and awesome music!

There were many high points during the concert. My favourite moment was when the band members each started drinking a bottle of beer and talked about drunk calling. Then Danny O'Donoghue asked the audience in the mosh pit to call their ex on the phone. When one of the calls got connected, he took the phone and started to sing to the person on the other line. Someone called Elaine. Lucky girl! Though I wonder if she hung up even before the song ended. Does anyone know? LOL! I guess it's something I might never find out. The mention of Danny's habit of drunk calling is not new, but I haven't seen any videos of him actually singing to someone on the phone while singing that song. Yet. Maybe after tonight's concert there'll be videos of that.

I know it's not a very clear shot, but if you look more closely, Danny is
holding onto the phone that he borrowed from a member of the audience.

The audience sitting at the right side of the stage had a real treat when Danny O'Donoghue turned up at the top of the stairs and ran down from the top back to the stage. It was probably planned for already, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for the security personnel who had to fend off the fans when he did that. Still, I think it was a really nice thing that they did for the fans who were at the side. 

Danny O'Donoghue went close to the audience to interact with them quite often during the concert, even guitarist Mark Sheehan went towards the audience area once. Although I wasn't one of those who managed to get really close to them or shake their hand etc., I think those in front really appreciated their attempts to connect with their fans. In fact, I think plenty of Irish nationals attended the concert. I saw an Irish flag being held up by someone in the mosh pit area. Pity I didn't think to take a photo of that at the time. 

Like constellations in the night sky.
That's what the lights on the LED panels remind me of.

The Eclectic Reviewer thinks.... All in all, The Script gave me a night to remember, and I'm eagerly waiting for them to come back to Singapore!

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Hall Of Fame by The Script (2012)

Performed by: The Script (feat. will.i.am)

Album: #3

Do you know what The Corrs, Boyzone, B*Witched, Westlife, The Script, U2, The Cranberries, and Enya have in common? They're Irish! That, and the fact that I enjoy their music of course. 

I'm thrilled that it's finally the month of March! In 19 days, The Script will perform here at the Singapore Indoor Stadium! And I've got tickets to the concert! This would only be the 5th concert I've been to. The first concert I went to was in Sydney. I wanted to go to S.H.E's concert so much that I flew to Sydney from Brisbane to catch the concert. And because I didn't want to go alone, I paid for my friend's ticket too. (Oh and by the way, my friend is an Aussie girl who doesn't really understand Mandarin.)

The Script is an Irish band I noticed in 2008 after hearing their song The Man Who Can't Be Moved. Besides that song, I never really got into their music until their recent album #3. The song that sealed the deal for me with regards to their latest album is Hall Of Fame. The album #3 was released in late last year, and Hall Of Fame is the lead single for the album. 

But what do I like about this song? The lyrics! (I have a thing for songs that start with a piano or violin solo or contains a piano or violin solo in the middle of the song.) The lyrics combined with the catchy and inspirational tune can really lift my spirits up. It gives me strength and motives me because it makes me feel like I can achieve anything, as long as I set my mind to do it.

Recently, this has been my go-to song for inspiration. Because it's a song that helps motive me and remind me that I'm "never gonna know if (I) never even try"!

So what’s the uplifting track actually about?

“It’s all about hard work, dedication – the euphoria of the Olympics is there’s a generation about to be inspired by all these athletes and these things,” O’Donoghue explains.

“We wanted to do the same thing but also for music and teachers and politicians and people that are actually pillars of the community. It’s just a kind of call to arms… Do something in your community and hopefully you’ll go into their hearts and minds and that’s kind of the way you’ll live on forever, really.”

- an extract from Novafm.com

Hall Of Fame Lyrics:

Yeah, You could be the greatest
You can be the best
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest

You could beat the world
You could beat the war
You could talk to God go banging on his door

You can throw your hands up
You can beat the clock
You can move a mountain
You can break rocks
You could be a master don't wait for luck
Dedicate yourself and you gonn' find yourself

Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

You could go the distance
You can run the mile
You can walk straight through hell with a smile

You could be the hero 
You could get the gold
Breakin' all the records that thought never could be broke

Do it for your people
Do it for your pride
Never gonna know, if you never even try

Do it for your country
Do it for your name
Cause there's gonna be a day

When you're standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

Be a champion, be a champion, be a champion, be a champion

On the walls of the hall of fame

Be students
Be teachers
Be politicians
Be preachers

Be believers
Be leaders
Be astronauts
Be champions
Be truth seekers

Be students

Be teachers
Be politicians
Be preachers

Be believers
Be leaders
Be astronauts
Be champions

Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

(You can be a champion)
You could be the greatest
(You can be a champion)
You can be the best
(You can be a champion)
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest

(You can be a champion)
You could beat the world
(You can be a champion)
You could beat the war
(You can be a champion)
You could talk to God go banging on his door

(You can be a champion)
You can throw your hands up
(You can be a champion)
You can beat the clock
(You can be a champion)
You can move a mountain
(You can be a champion)
You can break rocks

(You can be a champion)
You could be a master
(You can be a champion)
Don't wait for luck
(You can be a champion)
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself
(You can be a champion)

Standing in the hall of fame


Music Video:

I love this music video for Hall Of Fame! Although the song is powerful enough on its own without the visuals to explain or get across what it's trying to say, the music video does a fantastic job at portraying the underdog coming from behind to come out on top. It's one of those music videos that you can watch over and over again. And still, each time you watch it, it hits you right in the heart again and again.

The Eclectic Reviewer thinks... The Script's Hall Of Fame is her #1 favourite. It's a great song to listen to when you're feeling the need for a little motivation and to get you all fired up. I also really enjoyed the music video so do check it out!

* Album cover from Wikipedia

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The Fairytale Reboot: Tales Come Alive

"Give me the same thing... only different" that is what storytelling has always been about. But it's the way we put new twists on old tales, bring them up to date, and give them a spin that's meaningful for our contemporaries. It's a skill we must master and apply to all aspects of the craft. - Blake Snyder (Save The Cat! p. 44)

With the recent trend of show reboots/remakes like Man Of Steel, Star Trek and The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Total Recall, I was inspired to take a look at some classic fairytales that have been given some sort of reboot as well.

My idea of a fairytale has always been connected to Disney. This probably stems from the fact that my fondest childhood memories all involve hand drawn 2D Disney animation - my personal favourite is The Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid has been given a live reboot a number of times. Although not quite like the actual tale, it definitely went through a modern overhaul like in the movie Splash and Aquamarine. There's even a Hong Kong movie based on The Little Mermaid tale called 人魚傳說 aka Mermaid Got Married. The television series Charmed also had an episode about a mermaid looking for love and even resulted in one of the lead characters, Phoebe, turning into a mermaid herself. 

However, reboots can always have reboots and the mermaid tale’s most recent reboot is the teen movie titled Aquamarine starring Sara Paxton, Emma Roberts and Joanna Levesque better known as singer JoJo.

Although it is loosely based on a children’s book of the same name by Alice Hoffman, the mermaid played by Sara Paxton does talk of wanting to find true love so that she doesn’t have to marry a mermaid her father chooses for her.

The latest fairytale reboot that inspired this article is the tale of the Beauty and the Beast. We all know the classic tale of the handsome man who was transformed to look the way he acted towards people - ugly, who had a set time frame to become normal again by truly loving a girl and getting her to love him in return, proving the love with a kiss. The most well known telling of the fairytale is Disney’s animation Beauty and the Beast.

The modern spin on this fairytale comes in the form of the film Beastly starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer. The movie is actually based on a book also titled Beastly by Alex Flinn, an updated version of the original tale. And of course, this year, there is a remake of the Beauty and the Beast television series which I absolutely adore.

Now there are also many other tales that have been updated or retold. After all, if the story works, why not use it again right? Anyway, adaptation is about the director's or screenwriter's vision or interpretation of the original text. Isn't it limiting to say that a good film has to be of an original idea? Sometimes even the oldest of tales when retold in a fresh way can be pretty groundbreaking or interesting. 

For example, the story of Pocahontas, when Avatar was released, many drew comparisons of its tale to that of Pocahontas. But is that a bad thing? The only thing negative I can see from the connection is that we may not have learnt much from past history.  In 2005, I also watched The New World which is based on the historical figures Captain John Smith and Pocahontas.

Little Red Riding Hood has also been presented in film and animation many times. As a horror film in 2011's Red Riding Hood and the character of Red Riding Hood was the lead in the animation Hoodwinked!. Now I really love this animation because it not only follows the structure of Rashomon in which we hear the point of view of various lead characters in the film, but also because it tries to "solve" a crime that has been committed. It was an animation I throughly enjoyed.

Cinderella has been given so many makeovers it really makes it hard to surprise people or interest people in another version of the tale. I guess it's because the tale of the rags to riches is a popular and common plotline so anything with that kind of plot could be categorized as a Cinderella-telling. Disney's recent update on the Cinderella tale would be Another Cinderella Story starring one of Disney’s It Girl Selena Gomez and Drew Seeley. 

This movie was trying to repeat the success of A Cinderella Story with performances by Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, Jennifer Coolidge, Regina King, and Dan Byrd (I first noticed him through this movie and I always mix him up with Hannah Montana’s brother Jackson Stewart played by Jason Earles). But I liked A Cinderella Story much more than the sequel. 

There are of course other movies that feature the rags to riches, nobody to somebody type theme that doesn’t quite scream Cinderella but is very similar. Everyone wants the underdog to win, that’s one of the reasons why this theme is so popular with the masses - think of movies like The Princess Diaries; the film that launched Anne Hathaway’s career, Maid in Manhattan; which didn't do much for Jennifer Lopez's film career, and What A Girl Wants; starring Amanda Bynes, a film that put her on my radar.

My favourite Cinderella retelling so far is Ever After. Not exactly modern day California like in A Cinderella Story, but this is a somewhat modern twist because Cinderella didn’t need saving (Prince Henry was a little late) and Cinderella had to save the Prince when encountering a band of Gypsies (She carried Prince Henry on her back when told she was free to go with whatever she could carry - She chose to carry Prince Henry).

Ever After's Cinderella was a girl with gusto and held her own ground. With excellent performances by Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, and Dougray Scott. Even the horrible step sister played by Megan Dodds acted so well I wanted to punch her myself (thankfully Drew Barrymore’s Cinderella named Danielle did it for me).

Now if Cinderella has a modern updated version, how can Snow White not have one too? Amanda Bynes acted in a teen comedy film called Sydney White, in fact, Aquamarine's Sara Paxton also acts in the film as well. And the actress currently playing Beauty from CW's Beauty And The Beast televisions series Kristin Kreuk, also played Snow White in 2001 in a film also known in the US as Snow White: Fairest Of Them All alongside Miranda Richardson and Warwick Davis.

Now the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves fairytale has been done to death. But the most recent film is Mirror Mirror, Snow White And The Huntsman and one of my favourite television series right now Once Upon A Time. Although the series covers many fairytales and storybook characters from various genres, I think because it first follows the tale of Snow White and her Prince Charming together with the Evil Queen, I'd classify it under the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves tale. However, the mixing of fairytales is very popular these days. There's also the series called Grimm, which is darker and more like a supernatural police procedural. And even in movies like the Shrek series and Enchanted, where multiple fairytales or story book characters come together to share the "screen" so to speak.

Talking about Enchanted, this is a film that I absolutely love. Although I don’t exactly know which fairytale to classify it under because I feel that it doesn’t just encompass one fairytale theme. It can be considered a type of fish out of the water Little Mermaid theme (without the tail). It can also be seen as a Sleeping Beauty theme where she doesn’t literally wake up from her slumber but she wakes up to the real world and sees New York City in all its glamour and “horror”. I’d say there is also a little Cinderella in there too because she’s just an ordinary girl who’s hoping that her prince will come and give her True Love’s Kiss, and she does become a princess if she marries the prince, but instead she found her modern day hero in Patrick Dempsey’s Robert. Of course the film also pays homage to Disney’s finest with countless references to the “original” animations from Disney.

These days making the original look good again or better is in, if it isn’t a book adaptation, its a retelling, or a reboot, or a remake of an old film, a musical, a comic book, or another fairytale story.