Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Review: Upstairs, Downstairs - Series 2 (1972)
You may have seen a while ago that I started to watch Upstairs Downstairs. Continuing on that, I am reviewing Series 2. You may have remember that I was fairly lukewarm to Series 1, but what did I think of Series 2? Well, read and find out!
Note: This review of Upstairs, Downstairs will contain spoilers from Series 1. If you have not seen Series 1 and do not want to run into spoilers, you may want to wait before you read this review. I suggest that you read my Series 1 review first before watching.
Synopsis
The series Upstairs, Downstairs continues after the marriage of Elizabeth Bellamy and Lawrence Kirbridge, whose marriage has started rocky. Sarah and Captain James Bellamy see each other more seriously. And downstairs, new servants have arrived: Edward the new footman, and Ruby the new kitchen maid.
Characters
The cast from the previous series returns for another series of Upstairs, Downstairs. What I found interesting was that the actor that plays chauffeur Thomas Watkins (John Alderton) was also in Little Dorrit (2008) as Mr. Casby and that he is also married to the actress who plays occasional maid Sarah (Pauline Collins).
Elizabeth Kirbridge (nee Bellamy) is still fairly irritating. She isn't a very sympathetic character even though she does have troubles. She comes off as being too much of a baby at times: she'll sometimes yell at upperhouse parlor maid Rose even though Rose hasn't done anything. She also develops some more scandalous behavior as the series goes on. I felt sorry for Richard Bellamy and Lady Marjorie: they tried to control their daughter, but she just wouldn't be controlled.
Sarah, the under house parlor maid, returns in this series. I really didn't like her for the first series and for a good deal of the second series I didn't care for her much. She was very scandalous and wanted to start a fight whenever someone told her not to do something. She was still scandalous in this series and got herself involved with Captain James Bellamy, Richard and Lady Marjorie's son. She gets a little better as the series goes on, but I still wasn't very fond of her.
Since the start of Series 1, there had been some changes to the staff of 165 Eaton Place. Emily, the kitchen maid, had been replaced by new kitchen maid, Ruby. Alfred, the creepy footman, had been replaced by Edward, a bit of a girl-crazy footman. Even though Edward is a little girl-crazy, he isn't a bad character. He likes to joke a lot, but overall he is likable. Ruby takes a little bit of getting used to, though. Mid-Series, we see the addition of Thomas Watkins, the new chauffeur who once worked for the Kirbridges. He was mostly likable for the first part of the series, but once he came to 165 Eaton Place and got involved with Sarah he got fairly dislikable.
Scenery
Most of the scenes were still at 165 Eaton Place, the home of Richard and Lady Marjorie Bellamy. We do get a glimpse of the Kirbridge's new home after they are married, but it is not as nice as 165 Eaton Place. Scenes from the Kirbridge's new home do not last long, however. But we do see scenes from the Bellamy's garage where Thomas works.
Costuming
The costuming still had Edwardian fashions and hadn't changed very much since Series 1. The costumes were still nice, though.
Overall: 3/5
Well, Series 2 picks up a little quicker than Series 1 and is better than Series 1, but it still can't compare to Downton Abbey. The plot of Upstairs, Downstairs is still a little slow, but it's not entirely bad. There is some content in this series: again, nothing is horribly graphic, but there are still some mature scenes. The content almost borders on TV-14... almost. Like Series 1, you may want to view this series of Upstairs Downstairs first before showing it to a young audience (like preteen or young teenagers).
Upstairs Downstairs: Series 2 is available on DVD on its own or as apart of the Complete Collection. It has 13 hour long episodes.
Note: This review of Upstairs, Downstairs will contain spoilers from Series 1. If you have not seen Series 1 and do not want to run into spoilers, you may want to wait before you read this review. I suggest that you read my Series 1 review first before watching.
 |
| Box Art of Series 2 |
The series Upstairs, Downstairs continues after the marriage of Elizabeth Bellamy and Lawrence Kirbridge, whose marriage has started rocky. Sarah and Captain James Bellamy see each other more seriously. And downstairs, new servants have arrived: Edward the new footman, and Ruby the new kitchen maid.
Characters
The cast from the previous series returns for another series of Upstairs, Downstairs. What I found interesting was that the actor that plays chauffeur Thomas Watkins (John Alderton) was also in Little Dorrit (2008) as Mr. Casby and that he is also married to the actress who plays occasional maid Sarah (Pauline Collins).
Elizabeth Kirbridge (nee Bellamy) is still fairly irritating. She isn't a very sympathetic character even though she does have troubles. She comes off as being too much of a baby at times: she'll sometimes yell at upperhouse parlor maid Rose even though Rose hasn't done anything. She also develops some more scandalous behavior as the series goes on. I felt sorry for Richard Bellamy and Lady Marjorie: they tried to control their daughter, but she just wouldn't be controlled.
Sarah, the under house parlor maid, returns in this series. I really didn't like her for the first series and for a good deal of the second series I didn't care for her much. She was very scandalous and wanted to start a fight whenever someone told her not to do something. She was still scandalous in this series and got herself involved with Captain James Bellamy, Richard and Lady Marjorie's son. She gets a little better as the series goes on, but I still wasn't very fond of her.
 |
| Mrs. Bridges cooking. Thomas and Rose look on. |
Since the start of Series 1, there had been some changes to the staff of 165 Eaton Place. Emily, the kitchen maid, had been replaced by new kitchen maid, Ruby. Alfred, the creepy footman, had been replaced by Edward, a bit of a girl-crazy footman. Even though Edward is a little girl-crazy, he isn't a bad character. He likes to joke a lot, but overall he is likable. Ruby takes a little bit of getting used to, though. Mid-Series, we see the addition of Thomas Watkins, the new chauffeur who once worked for the Kirbridges. He was mostly likable for the first part of the series, but once he came to 165 Eaton Place and got involved with Sarah he got fairly dislikable.
Scenery
 |
| Mr. and Mrs. Kirbridge at a party. |
Costuming
The costuming still had Edwardian fashions and hadn't changed very much since Series 1. The costumes were still nice, though.
Overall: 3/5
Well, Series 2 picks up a little quicker than Series 1 and is better than Series 1, but it still can't compare to Downton Abbey. The plot of Upstairs, Downstairs is still a little slow, but it's not entirely bad. There is some content in this series: again, nothing is horribly graphic, but there are still some mature scenes. The content almost borders on TV-14... almost. Like Series 1, you may want to view this series of Upstairs Downstairs first before showing it to a young audience (like preteen or young teenagers).
Upstairs Downstairs: Series 2 is available on DVD on its own or as apart of the Complete Collection. It has 13 hour long episodes.
One of the two
Standing in a bookstore and facing the moment that you have to commit a serious childhood crime. That's what happened when I saw the two covers of the april issues of the British ELLE.
One with the fascinating and edgy Mary-Kate Olsen, and the other with the sophisticated and feminine Ashley Olsen. I had to choose between my all-time favorite women in the world, who I adore since I was a little girl. Staring at those covers it wasn't about the magazine anymore, it was a matter of principle. It felt like you must choose between your divorced parents. Terrible.
Unfortunately my bank account said to me I wasn't in the position to buy both of them, because of the ridiculous prices of foreign magazines in the Netherlands. After twisting and turning, I made my decision. I adore Mary-Kate a little more than Ashley. She's the only person in the world beside myself who I would like to be. She is just fucking marvelous.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Wedding
Blouse Yumi, Jeans SisterS Point, Wedges Culture, Collar Versteegh
Well then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife?
Is it Love that brings you here or Love that brings you life?
Or if loving is the answer, then who's the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before?
Oh there's Love, there is Love.
Is it Love that brings you here or Love that brings you life?
Or if loving is the answer, then who's the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before?
Oh there's Love, there is Love.
Three More Days for Submissions For Letter #4
There are three more days to submit your letter to the Period Drama Advice Event's final letter. Submit your letter here.
God Bless,
The sexiest woman in the world without Photoshop
An angel from Victoria's Secret, a Sports Illustrated model and a plus-size model, together on a beach in St. Barth's? We already have in your head an image of perfection. Well, caught by paparazzi, no bit of Photoshop, models are far from being as sexy as we are accustomed. Men are dreaming, and women envy them.
Neither is reluctant to appear as sexy poses and magazines around the world would pay anything to have them on the cover. All three are ultra popular and paparazzi follow them constantly. The pictorials are perfect and despair are the reason millions of ladies across the world to your diet. All women want to look like them. Well, ladies and gentlemen, even perfection has its imperfections.
Victoria's Secret Between Brooklyn Decker and Crystal Renn hardly notice large differences, although the former is Sports Illustrated cover girl, and last plus-size model. Do not believe until you see ... The two are as plump :) We can not take notice many differences between the pictures captured by paparazzi and the final version of the shoot - the cover of Glamour magazine. Alessandra Ambrosio is the least "modified", while her colleagues "have suffered" more changes.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Jennifer Lopez hair 2012
Each occurrence of Jennifer Lopez in the American Idol show is spectacular. Star worth salary record demonstrates that he has chosen the show's producers, impressing each time with his outfits.
If past shows impressed with outfit created by Maria Lucia Hohan and neon pink dress slit challenging, this time held by J Lo made a stir with a metal skirt, split.
t. "I do not wear size 0 or size 2 . I d`ont have 1.82 in height, as models around me. When I compare them think "Wow, are even shorter!" [Jennifer is 1.65 cm]. The star ended the rumors about her actions, saying "I'm an average woman. I wear size 6 , eating too much holiday can have size 8 , when I do plenty of exercise can have size 4 . May fluctuate, but generally keep my weight. It's more about being healthy and feel good about yourself. I am at peace with myself, with who I am. I know I'm not perfect, but that's OK. "
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
instagram ! :)
Blonde Hairstyles 2012
In a subtly rebellious and extremely sensual, studied, but with a touch negligent intent, long hair is caught in a modern urban braid. The focus is on volume and bulky knitting spectacular start to the neck. Mentioned that the blonde glacé was trendy in the fall of 2011 and Dessange experts estimate that it will maintain and continue the trend in 2012. Braiding can be obtained if a hair, with hair extensions.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Some Blog HTML
Yep, as promised, I made this little post to help you with some HTML codes.
Some small notes (Please Read):
Text Boxes/Text Areas
Some Notes: Cols is the width of the textbox, and rows is the height. Where the # is in the code is where you put a number that you want for the width or height (leave in the quotations)
Blog Button Code
Some notes: Height and Width refer to the image's height and width. Alt is the text that appears when you hover your cursor over the image. Technically, you are supposed to have height, width, and alt for the image, but I've gotten away with not including them. The # you replace with the number of pixels high or wide the image is.
Resizing an Image/Thumbnails
Original Image:
Smaller Image:
There are two ways to do this, either by width or by height.
By width
By height
Some Notes: You can do either by width or by height, but not both unless you know the exact measurements for both. If you don't have the exact measurements for both the picture will be distorted. And the number that you put in (#) is the number of pixels wide or high.
Borders
Some Notes: The border on the above picture is 2 pixels, so where the # is you would put 2. The default for any image is 0, which would be no border. The default color should be black.
Change Border Color
Some Notes: Please read this before using the code. For the border, I had to use a * because the number sign is very important in this code. So, where the * is in the code, put a number for the width of the border you want. Now, where it says #------ is where you would put in the color code for the border. You can find these codes here. Once you've selected a color, insert the code into the dashes. LEAVE THE #. So if you wanted to use the color 0EFF2A (which would be green), the code should look like "...border-color: #0EFF2A;...". Line Break
Some Notes: Very small code for a simple line. This can be very useful if you want to break up paragraphs or sections.
Marquee
Some Notes: The motion will not show up in the post, but if you preview it and post it, it should work. Be careful how you use this: if you use it too much, it can be distracting and busy. You can also apply any text effect to the marquee text and if you like you can even do images in a marquee: where it says TEXT HERE simply paste the image code.
If there is anything that is unclear in my instructions or there is some problem with your code, leave a comment so I can correct whatever errors I made.
And, of course, if enough people suggest what else they would like to see in HTML, I can do a second post about more Blog HTML. Again, just leave a comment.
God Bless,
Some small notes (Please Read):
- In HTML, there are some values that are put in quotation marks. Make sure you leave in the quotation marks where they appear in the code.
- Where there is all caps in the code is where you'll be able to put what ever content you want. So for a URL, it will say in the code INSERT URL HERE; you would delete INSERT URL HERE and put in whatever URL you want.
Some Notes: Cols is the width of the textbox, and rows is the height. Where the # is in the code is where you put a number that you want for the width or height (leave in the quotations)
Blog Button Code
Resizing an Image/Thumbnails
Original Image:
Smaller Image:
There are two ways to do this, either by width or by height.
By width
By height
Some Notes: You can do either by width or by height, but not both unless you know the exact measurements for both. If you don't have the exact measurements for both the picture will be distorted. And the number that you put in (#) is the number of pixels wide or high.
Some Notes: Very small code for a simple line. This can be very useful if you want to break up paragraphs or sections.
Some Notes: The motion will not show up in the post, but if you preview it and post it, it should work. Be careful how you use this: if you use it too much, it can be distracting and busy. You can also apply any text effect to the marquee text and if you like you can even do images in a marquee: where it says TEXT HERE simply paste the image code.
If there is anything that is unclear in my instructions or there is some problem with your code, leave a comment so I can correct whatever errors I made.
And, of course, if enough people suggest what else they would like to see in HTML, I can do a second post about more Blog HTML. Again, just leave a comment.
God Bless,
Letter #4: Period Drama Advice Event
Here is the final letter for the Period Drama Advice Event. We have just received a letter from a Doctor Harrison (Cranford)*
*Note: This letter was originally written by Miss Laurie from Old-Fashioned Charm for the Jane Austen Advice Column that was apart of Jane Austen Week.
My name is Frank Harrison. I am a medical doctor and have recently taken up a new post in the small town of Cranford where I assist the elderly Dr. Morgan by attending some of his numerous patients. Cranford is a bit of an oddity where the women reign supreme (not unlike amazons!), careless of new fashions and fearful of change. I've already had to rid my wardrobe of a particularly handsome red jacket because Dr. Morgan told me the ladies of Cranford would think it fanciful. But on the whole I had found the residents of Cranford very welcoming until today when many things unseen to my eye came to a head. Upon my arrival here one of my first visits was to the vicarage where I met Reverend Hutton and his lovely daughter Miss Sophy Hutton. She is an angel! and I was making strides to ask if I might court her when her young brother Walter fell ill and despite all of the methods of modern medicine I applied soon died. You may well imagine what a rift this caused between the young lady and myself and yet I loved her more each day. Quite a few months later Miss Hutton came to trust me again and I was bold enough to ask her father if I might court her. What happiness when he gave his permission! Our courtship was going on so well until this afternoon while attending the town's May festival, it came to the attention of the whole town that two other ladies felt themselves as good as engaged to me! Miss Tompkinson is a spinsterish young lady who lives with her sister in town and though I have attended her many times for palpitations and other maladies I was never aware of having shown her any other interest than that of a doctor to his patient. Likewise Mrs. Rose, who is my widowed housekeeper, seems to think that I have shown signs of love for her, which I never have done! The worst of the matter was seeing my dear Sophy stricken with horror at my supposed unfaithfulness and see her directed away by her father. I am in a state of shock from which I shall not soon recover! Please tell me dear sir or madam, what am I to do!?!
Desperate for advice,
Dr. Frank Harrison
God Bless,
Asymmetric bob haircuts for round face
Asymmetric bob, popularized in the 2000s, is distinguished by its short form at the back and getting longer by the chin. This type of cut gives volume, oblong face shape also.
Short bob haircuts for oval face
Women with oval face are favored by a short bob, Louise Brooks style or Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction) to draw attention to facial features and will give gentle face.
Bob haircuts for straight hair
Classic bob is easy to arrange and fits any physiognomy and hair textures, both the right and the wave. However, many women choose curly hair opt for asymmetric models, exceeding the chin and not give so much volume.
Monday, April 2, 2012
HTML post? (Read and Comment, please)
As you may or may not know, I am taking a Web Development class and learning more about HTML, which you may use on your blogs or in your posts. And you may have seen that I like to help others out with HTML coding and what-not. So I was wondering, would you all like a post about some simple HTML codes that you can use on your blogs?
If you do, what kinds of things would you like in the post? I can't promise I'll cover everything that you all suggest, but I certainly can try. I'm not going to code something big like a layout and put it in the post (it can get very complicated and there are so many variations). What I mean are simple things like Text Boxes, Blog Button Code, things like that.
So, would you be interested in a post like this? What would you like to suggest that I put in this post?
God Bless,
If you do, what kinds of things would you like in the post? I can't promise I'll cover everything that you all suggest, but I certainly can try. I'm not going to code something big like a layout and put it in the post (it can get very complicated and there are so many variations). What I mean are simple things like Text Boxes, Blog Button Code, things like that.
So, would you be interested in a post like this? What would you like to suggest that I put in this post?
God Bless,
Review: McLintock! (1963)
Okay, I know. You wouldn't have expected me to review Westerns, but they are technically period dramas. My dad has been a fan of John Wayne for years and he would occasionally show me scenes from different John Wayne movies. I finally watched a John Wayne movie all the way through, and that was McLintock!
Synopsis
George Washington McLintock (also known as G.W.) is the richest man in the town of McLintock. After being away for two years, his estranged wife, Katherine/Kate, returns after living in the capital.
Characters
There are some famous actors/actresses in this movie. Most notably is John Wayne, who plays G.W. Maureen O'hara, who has been in a couple of John Wayne's movies, plays his wife Katherine. Hired hand Devlin Warren is played by John Wayne's real life son, Patrick Wayne. G.W.'s newly hired cook, Mrs. Warren, is played by Yvonne De Carlo, who was also in The Ten Commandments and the TV show The Munsters. There also may have been a number of the cast that were character actors from other Westerns, but I can't say for sure.
There are two levels to this movie. There is a comedic side to it and there's the serious side to it. A good deal of the comedy is slapstick, but there are some funny quotes too. The acting was hilarious where it was supposed to be. Maureen O'hara was hilarious as the feisty Katherine who tried to control everything and would not let anyone outdo her. There were also a variety of town characters that were in the movie for comic relief.
The more serious scenes were about moving the Comanche to a reservation: G.W. translated the Comanche chief's wishes in a moving speech. G.W. also had a good deal of quotes that were moving and "life lesson" quotes (but he also had some funny quotes).
Scenery
The scenery looked nice, but the whole movie was probably a set in a movie studio as a lot of movies at the time were (but I can't say for sure); even if it was filmed on a set, the scenery did look nice. The entire movie took place in the town of McLintock, which in the movie was a working town filled with people who worked with cattle or farmland (picture a Western movie set).
Costuming
I would estimate the year based on the costuming to be sometime in either the late 1890s or the early 1900s. This guess would be based off of Kate's wardrobe since she lived in the capital for a while and would have more access to the current fashions. I probably shouldn't take the costume accuracy too literally since westerns don't necessarily have accurate costuming, but you all know me! The costuming was still very nice. Kate's clothes, since she has been in the city, are more current and fashionable than the rest of the cast members. Becky, her daughter, in contrast to Kate who wore bolder colors for her clothes, had lighter colors, probably since she was young. Most of the men in the movie had work clothes on, though a couple of male characters had fashionable menswear.
Overall: 4/5
I really enjoyed this movie! There's some slapstick and there are some memorable quotes. I honestly don't know why sites have rated this movie TV-14: comparing it to what is rated TV-14 today, there really isn't anything so objectionable that it earns that rating. Honestly, I would rate it TV-PG. There are a couple of fights, but nothing is graphic. Some one in one scene is in public wearing Victorian/Edwardian undergarments (which to today's standards isn't that horrible), and there is some light swearing. Overall, McLintock is an enjoyable film and I would watch it again.
McLintock is available on DVD. It runs for 127 minutes.
 |
| Box Art |
Synopsis
George Washington McLintock (also known as G.W.) is the richest man in the town of McLintock. After being away for two years, his estranged wife, Katherine/Kate, returns after living in the capital.
Characters
There are some famous actors/actresses in this movie. Most notably is John Wayne, who plays G.W. Maureen O'hara, who has been in a couple of John Wayne's movies, plays his wife Katherine. Hired hand Devlin Warren is played by John Wayne's real life son, Patrick Wayne. G.W.'s newly hired cook, Mrs. Warren, is played by Yvonne De Carlo, who was also in The Ten Commandments and the TV show The Munsters. There also may have been a number of the cast that were character actors from other Westerns, but I can't say for sure.
 |
| One of the slapstick scenes ended in a mud fight in which Katherine gets involved. |
The more serious scenes were about moving the Comanche to a reservation: G.W. translated the Comanche chief's wishes in a moving speech. G.W. also had a good deal of quotes that were moving and "life lesson" quotes (but he also had some funny quotes).
Scenery
 |
| G.W. at his ranch. |
 |
| Becky McLintock |
I would estimate the year based on the costuming to be sometime in either the late 1890s or the early 1900s. This guess would be based off of Kate's wardrobe since she lived in the capital for a while and would have more access to the current fashions. I probably shouldn't take the costume accuracy too literally since westerns don't necessarily have accurate costuming, but you all know me! The costuming was still very nice. Kate's clothes, since she has been in the city, are more current and fashionable than the rest of the cast members. Becky, her daughter, in contrast to Kate who wore bolder colors for her clothes, had lighter colors, probably since she was young. Most of the men in the movie had work clothes on, though a couple of male characters had fashionable menswear.
Overall: 4/5
I really enjoyed this movie! There's some slapstick and there are some memorable quotes. I honestly don't know why sites have rated this movie TV-14: comparing it to what is rated TV-14 today, there really isn't anything so objectionable that it earns that rating. Honestly, I would rate it TV-PG. There are a couple of fights, but nothing is graphic. Some one in one scene is in public wearing Victorian/Edwardian undergarments (which to today's standards isn't that horrible), and there is some light swearing. Overall, McLintock is an enjoyable film and I would watch it again.
McLintock is available on DVD. It runs for 127 minutes.
Letter #3 Poll Close: Results
10 (40%) |
3 (12%) |
4 (16%) |
18 (72%) |
10 (40%) |
7 (28%) |
Congratulations, Miss Dashwood! Please contact me if you would like a small banner or a button, which period drama character you would want on the banner or button, and whether you would want your name/username or blog name on the button.
Letter #4 (the final letter!) will be revealed tomorrow!
God Bless,
Inspirations 2'4'12
"I need explanations and some fitting solutions,
cause I am turning in a stranger more and more.
I need explanations and some fitting solutions,
cause my emotions make me feel so insecure."
Selah Sue - Explanations
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