Soliloqui

I must say, seeing Ashley Parker Angel playing Link Larkin in the Broadway production of Hairspray left me starstruck, despite my minimal interest in O-Town back in my middle? school days. He plays an adorable Link, and most of the time I was staring at him and his smooth moves mwahahaha. It was a lovely and lively show, a far cry from the beautiful but melancholic Phantom of the Opera, which I’ve seen three times on Broadway. It’s my first “American” Broadway show, as ‘Phantom’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and ‘Le Mis’ all took place in France, and Lion King took place in Africa. I wouldn’t say it’s my style, but I thought it was very entertaining and optimistic. I wondered if I should wait outside to meet Ashley Angel come out but we were a bit strapped for time and having never waited before, didn’t know how long the wait could be and if he would even come out at all. I need to go to more concerts and shows. I like feeling starstruck haha.

I just finished Mars, after years of intending to finish watching it. I was surprised by how good it was, and how touching. Unlike other Taiwanese dramas, it hardly dragged, and nothing in it seemed to be put in just to take advantage of girls who love pretty boys. It was just a straightforward story acted out beautifully and thoughtfully. It upsets me that more dramas haven’t learned from this one that less is actually more. A lot of the scenes were succinct but full of meaning and there weren’t many pointless scenes. It wasn’t as heartwrenching as Love Contract but I must say Mars is a strong second.

Blue Gate Crossing (Lanse Da Men) is a Taiwanese indie film I just saw today. I absolutely adored it. It is simple yet filling, so subtle and at times awkward but always brilliantly executed as a carbon-copy slice of life. Chen Bo-Lin, male protagonist, is the cutest thing ever. His smile is infectious. The dialogue was so realistic that only the artistic cinematography reminded me that it was a film. Loved it. Period. I really love realistic, artful indie films that don’t bore me to death.

Edit: I was watching F.I.R. music videos today when I realized that the girl from the Wo Men De Ai video is the girl from Blue Gate Crossing! I was hearing her talk in the music video and thinking, “That voice sounds so familiar.” I looked at her face again and it came to me. She looks so much prettier in the music video because she’s not pretending to be a girl confused about her sexuality. No wonder I never realized the connection. Also, the hair is different. Haha, I remember going through this for the male actor in Wo Men De Ai, who turns out to be A-Qi from Dou Yu (The Outsiders).