This is me, off to see the HEADLESS HORSEMAN at Disney World for Hallowe'en. I'll be gone 10 days, starting in about an hour, and I haven't slept yet... whoops!

We don't do a lot of family vacations, but my sister's way of handling my brother-in-law's tour in Afghanistan was to plan this trip for his return, and we are all determined to have a great time! We are dragging 2 kids and 5 adults on this journey; including my cousin Chrissy, who has never been despite wanting to go since the age of 2. We will be making her wear the "first timer" button around the park, and apparently my sister has planned surprises for all of us. BE MORE AWESOME, SIBLING!

If there is anything that I should see when I get back, then please leave a link to it in this post. Thank you in advance!

I don't post a lot of vid recs anymore, because I can't just post a link, I have to talk about the vid in question. Talking about vids requires time and the ability to actually express ones self, which I kind of suck at these days. However, way2busymom posted a vid last night that I can't avoid recommending, because it made my week, okay!? I had to watch it a bunch of times instead of going to sleep, and then I had to start making people watch it... but the people were asleep, so I made this post instead.

You want to know why you should watch this vid????

Because it's a Patrick Kane vid, to The Club Can't Handle Me. OMG!!! \o/

BRILLIANT!!!!

For those poor souls who are not hockey fans and don't know who Patrick Kane is, let me explain: Patrick Kane is the most adorable douchebag you could ever meet! That seems a strange way to describe someone, but I will elaborate and it will all become clear to you why this man is both awesome and adorably douchey (We use "douchebag" with love, really!).

Patrick Kane (a.k.a. Kaner) is as much known for his hockey skills as he is for the time he got drunk and punched a cabbie; as the numerous times he has taken pictures in the back of limos with random women while they were all half naked; and the two times (yep, he didn't learn the first time. #rookiemistake) he took home the skeevy girl from the bar, only to have her take pictures of him sleeping with her cell phone and load them up on the internet to prove that she did in fact sleep with Patrick Kane. In short, the boy likes to PARTY and get NAKED! However, despite all of that, he is a very friendly and funny guy, a damn good hockey player, and someone that unapologetically LOVES the game. He's short, and smiley, and excitable; and has a real issue with keeping clothes on his body. He's also in an epic and angsty bromance with Jonathan Toews, but that is a post for another time.... This post is about a vid. A vid that is just TOO MUCH FUN TO BE HAD!

Now, Go watch way2busymom's vid, tell her how great both she and it is, and then come back and read my ramble. You can find the vid here: http://way2busymom.livejournal.com/386445.html

( Beyond this point you will not find coherency, just joy and small words, because I'm exhausted, but still full of joy for this vid )

I'm also very tempted to link Kane himself to the vid... his Twitter address is @88PKane if anyone wants to beat me to it. :P

It is the HOME OPENER tonight. I'm EXCITED! The Bell Centre is like no other place in all of the hockey kingdom, and several of our baby-Habs and new players will be experiencing their first taste of the Bell in a Habs uniform. The noise will be deafening, but in a good way. Ceremonies begin at 7:30 and puck drop will be at 7:50. I have no idea why it will take a full 20 minutes, but I'm sure that they will fill it with something... like the Montreal Symphony Orchestra playing the national anthem. No biggie deal. Hee!

goldy_dollar & skybound2, I have "finished" the posts I promised you. However, I do have to go back over them and proofread, edit, remove some youtube and picture links to avoid crashing photobucket and youtube, and then break them up so that they fit within the LJ word limit. They will start going up later tonight, after the game and the flailing that I will do because of the game. topics include the Habs 2010-2011 season review; summer trades, drafts and signings; preseason; injury report; opening games; rule changes; structure changes; Shanahan as VP of Player Safety; the passing of several hockey players this summer; the role of fighting in hockey; Hockey Fights Cancer; etc... And then I'll start working on posts about MY TEAM (current roster) and how much I love them! <3

HOME OPENER, FUCK YEAH!!!!!!

Also, skybound2 congratulations on giving in and getting cable just for hockey; I feel that was a GOOD LIFE CHOICE!

Fandomwise: Prime Suspect (U.S.), Downton Abbey and The Good Wife are all making me very happy! <--- see, I am making an attempt to talk about something other than hockey... I'm having trouble picking a tumblr name that isn't already taken, or that I won't hate in a week. The movement of most hockey content to tumblr will happen, it will just take longer than planned. Sorry F-list!

GO HABS GO!!!

Thank you tumblr for this image

*SINGS* It's the most wonderful time of the year! *SINGS* NO. Not Christmas. HOCKEY SEASON! Warning to anyone who follows me and is the type to read everything that shows up on their Friends-list: For the next week you really should scroll by me. I'll mark them clearly, so that they are easily identifiable for scrolling. you see, I promised goldy_dollar and skybound2 a bunch of posts months ago, but writing hockey reports to my brother-in-law while he was overseas, and contributing to a Montreal Canadiens primer for ontd_pucking meant that those posts never got finished.... BUT, a promise is a promise, so I need to get my stick on the ice and take the damn shot already.

I plan on starting a tumblr after the game to keep sort of a catalogue of the hockey season, as well as a majority of the hockey jokes and thoughts in one place, so I'm fairly certain that for the reminder of the season the hockey posts here will be minimal -- in case anyone is about to throw themselves at the unfriending button. I know that there are a grand total of 5 hockey fans following me, and only 2 watch the season as closely as I do, so I'll try to minimize the impact on everyone's reading lists, and return this journal to something a little bit more balanced. It won't just be hockey or 3 months of silence, it will have things. I haven't been comfortable sharing anything personal here for a number of months, but I did once talk about scripted television and vidders... in a time long ago and far away.

Any way, back to HOCKEY! The game starts at 7pm EST against the Toronto Maple Leafs (Booo, Hissss!!!), with Philly and Boston playing at the same time and Pittsburgh playing in Vancouver against the Canucks at 10pm EST.


( And for both the hockey fans and non hockey fans, ESPN decided for no particular reason, to ask Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks to pose naked while gripping a giant block of ice, no idea why, but it happened and we are all very grateful that it did. (NSFW) )


Okay, time to get ready for the game!

I promised skybound2 that we would have a hockey talk, and then life, the draft and Unrestricted Free Agency happened. And now here we are weeks later. More than likely she doesn't even need a summary of events now, but I was determined to write something. I started off prepared to talk about the draft and UFA day in general, and then ended up just rambling about the Flyers when a scary number of words came out. I know that I'll have to force myself to talk about something other than hockey at some point, or post a picspam for added colour and eye candy, but I'll probably end up posting about my Habs next just to spite all the non-hockey watchers on my F-list. Sorry everyone, I can't help my obsession. :P

__tiana__ let me know if you want to talk about the Caps sometime, or if we can arrange for a Ti, Sky and Diya hockey chat. You seem to be the one with the most deadlines right now.


( This is what happens when I pretend I know what I am talking about )

I've been watching this "Vancouver Canucks: the road so far" video on repeat for a few days now. It makes me smile and forget how close the offseason is. Let me just take a moment to collect myself and set aside that nasty thought. *takes a deep breath* Tonight is Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, and if the Canucks can win just one more game (tonight or possible Game 7 on Wed.) then they will hoist the Cup. More importantly, the Boston Bruins will NOT!!! \o/ I went into this series more invested in the Boston Bruins losing than the Canucks winning, since my hatred of Boston is of the infinite variety, but it is hard not to appreciate the great piece of NHL history that the Canucks are writing.



Think about this for a second: The Canucks franchise is 40 years old this year, they've been to the Stanley cup final only twice before, and have NEVER won the Cup. I'd say that it is time! This year, under Henrik Sedin in his first year of captaincy, they plan on continuing the grand Canadian tradition of winning the cup the year after their city hosted the Olympics, and if they do then you can bet that Toronto is going to fight tooth and nail for the next Canadian Olympic bid. LOL!!! 44 year drought, and a toast to 44 more! *evil cackle*

The playoffs, like the regular season this year, has been full of stupid drama: bad referee-ing (though after watching the AHL playoffs I would gladly take the NHL refs); nasty injuries; and some really school-yard verbal-sparing on the ice, as well as out of the mouths of on-air analysts. And yet, when Boston loses Vancouver wins that won't be what I take away from these playoffs. It'll be the crowds at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver chanting "Manny" for Manny Malhotra, who returned after fighting to keep his left eye when doctors recommended its removal due to injures sustained from a puck to the face in March. It'll be Maxim Lapierre answering his critics and dancing an on-ice jig after scoring the GWG in game 5, on a night when neither goalie wanted to be the one to crack. And it'll be seeing Alex Burrows, after scoring the game winning goal in game 7 of round 1 against the Blackhawks, simulate sending an arrow to heaven for his late friend, and fellow Canuck, Luc Bourdon -- who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2008. Burrows capped the celebration off by tweeting pictures of his brand new baby girl, Victoria, who was born just hours later. I've always liked the Canucks, but I've never been invested in them like I am now. Though it still hurts that my Montreal Canadiens were eliminated, these finals are now more about wanting to see Vancouver win than wanting our most hated rival to lose, despite what I wrote above. I like how much more positive that is! :D

GO CANUCKS GO!!!

( Stanley is in the house! )

BTW, way2busymom, I see you supporting Boston over there. I know that your team has a rivalry with the Canucks, but there has to be a better way. The Bruins are EVIL! DON'T SELL YOUR SOUL!!!! :P

That's it! Forget the Hockey Gods, I'm going back to Voodoo!

It appears the Hockey Gods have decided that the most entertaining playoffs is one where the maximum amount of people are on suicide watch by the end of Round 1. There have been ridiculously big leads; improbable comebacks; road-ice advantage instead of home-ice (this one I'll keep gladly); unintentional birds; surprise suspensions and surprise lack of suspensions; the NY Rangers' Sean Avery accusing Brooks Laich of biting him; the repeated injuring of the Capitals' Mike Green (no TSN, I don't need a close up of the screws coming out of his helmet after that puck hit him); and a Mario-esque goal by the Ducks' Bobby Ryan... that ultimately meant nothing when his team lost in overtime...

( Bobby Ryan's goal under here )

So, in response to superstitions not working, and my mother abandoning me to attend Easter dinner at my sister's house, I'm thinking that alcohol is my only hope. :P

Montreal is in Boston at 7PM EST; Los Angeles is in San Jose at 10:30pm EST; the Tampa Bay versus Pittsburgh game ended 8-2 (freakish); and Washington is about to eliminate the New York Rangers. GO HABS GO \o/

Game 4 tonight! I figured out what I did wrong for game 3 and have corrected it, so GAME 4 WILL BE AMAZING!!! Trust. *sacrifices a Leafs fan to the Hockey Gods*

Congratulations to greensilver's team, the Detroit Red Wings for sweeping the Phoenix Coyotes in 4 straight. I feel bad for the Coyote fans, since it will most likely be the last game for the franchise in Phoenix, but it also pleases me that a franchise will be returning to Canada... even if it will screw up the Western Conference and force a reshuffle of divisions. :P

( The Hockey Gods are getting serious )

Motivational video for the day: I was originally going to go with a Carey Price tribute vid here, but last game I went with a Subban tribute and he had his worst game of the series. The last thing my team needs is for me to jinx our lord and saviour, Carey Jesus Price! So instead I'm going with this team inclusive one. Highlights include: White kicking the crap out of a Bruin, Pacioretty NOT INJURED, and Price being his usual awesome self. Though the colouring is too dark and the intro/outro is too long. :P



From Twitter: @matdarche52 Mathieu Darche
Tout le monde est prêt pour ce soir! Everybody ready for tonight! Let's get back on track.

The game starts at 7pm EST tonight, with Chicago versus Vancouver at 10pm EST, and San Jose versus Los Angeles at 10:30pm EST. GO HABS GO \o/

If it is even possible, I am more stressed about tonight's game 3 at home than I was for game 1 of the series. It is one thing to lose game 1, on the road, in Boston's building; but it is a WHOLE OTHER THING to lose at home, in the Bell Centre, in front of 22 thousand Montreal Canadiens fans. What if they don't play desperate hockey now that they have a lead? 0_0 ... I barely slept last night. I feel nauseous. WHAT IS BREATHING????

The good news is that Subban is finally getting the recognition he deserves from some unlikely sources, and despite the palpable tension in the city, people seem to be expressing it in positive and non-destructive ways so far. This is a good thing, because I feared that the weather and stress might send people in the opposite direction, and Habs fans can be ... well, let's just say "excitable"!?

( The Hockey Gods are enjoying my superstitions )

Motivational vid for the day: This video is an amazing summation of all the crap P.K. Subban has had to deal with this year from players and analysts that really have NO BUSINESS throwing stones. Some of them are jealous of his talent; some are mad because he easily throws them off their game; some went after him looking for headlines and got their butt handed to them instead; and Don Cherry went batshit insane a long time ago. Through it all, P.K. has just become a better and better defenseman, and when you consider that he is in his rookie year, that is so very impressive!



Game starts at 7:30pm EST; Philadelphia and Buffalo start at 7PM EST; Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay are also at 7:30pm EST, and the night will finish off with Detroit and Phoenix at 10:30PM EST. GO HABS GO \o/

GAME 2 GOES TO MONTREAL!!!! \o/
OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE!!!
Montreal 3, Boston 1.

The Habs return home and go into the Bell Centre with a 2 game lead. THIS IS AMAZING!!!! Bruins captain, Zdeno Chara was scratched due to being treated for dehydration, and commentators had the nerve to say that Boston's injury problems were more severe than ours.... we have no Markov, no Gorges, no Pacioretty, no Halpern, Kostitsyn is out due to the puck he blocked last game, and we played a 7th defenceman in a forward position to fill the hole.... ya, the Bruins being down one guy sounds really grave. /sarcasm

All my boys were SO AMAZING, I don't even know where to begin to lavish praise on them. OH. MY. GOD!!! There were a few tense moments though: blown calls, Subban getting high-sticked in the face, Wiz getting into a fight when his face is already broken, and White getting the bad end of another stanchion hit by the Bruins... BUT WE WON and no one looks seriously injured -- that is SUCH a relief! According to the press the boys were very calm in the dressing room and refered to the 2 game lead as a "successful business road trip". LOVE IT!

Game 3 is in Montreal on Monday! ... and we are even better at home than we are on the road! :D

From Pacioretty's Twitter: @MaxPacioretty67 Max Pacioretty
the boys played awesome, again! lets keep this thing going

From Brent Sopel's Twitter: @BrentSopel Brent Sopel
That's playoff hockey. A war. Time to get on the plane and head back to Montreal. Great job boys.

From Mathie Darche's Twitter: @matdarche52 Mathieu Darche
Et de deux! Here's number 2! It's only gonna get tougher. Can't wait to see our fans. Très hâte de voir nos partisans.

I promise, dear f-list, that I will try very hard to keep by big text, emotional freakouts, and celebration videos both to a minimum and behind a cut tag as often as I can. However, I am a hockey fan, and by that I mean that I am deeply superstitious. Some may even call it crazy, but my team won on Thursday, so in order to not upset the Hockey Gods I feel compelled to repeat everything I did on Thursday, so that the Habs can emerge victorious in Game 2, tonight. Yes, victory does depend on me wearing the same the Jersey during the game, and cleaning cat boxes at 6am. No, this is not irrational, THIS IS HOCKEY!!@!!!

Therefore, I will be posting a history related video behind a cut, a motivational video above the cut, and try not to freak out about the lack of a "leaving for the game" announcement via Twitter from Mathieu Darche. Seriously, everything must be repeated! Darchey, why have you abandoned twitter me???

( The Hockey Gods are smiling )

The motivational video for the day: The vidder named this Hearth of Courage, which has got to be a type-o. :P Another video that contrasts the present and the past, and shows how similar they really are. It is quite dramatic and lovely! :)



The game starts at 7 pm EST; Detroit already played, and beat Phoenix (soon to be Winnipeg) earlier today; Buffalo and Philadelphia are on now *waves to skybound2; and Los Angeles and San Jose will end the night starting at 10pm EST. GO HABS GO \o/

I have been utterly useless today. If only there was some kind of magic number of Youtube videos you could watch that would send you from being completely non-productive to PRODUCTIVE YAY! \o/ Tell me dear F-list, what is that magic number???

Youtube has some AMAZING sports video editors! I have been really pleased with what I've been finding lately. I bookmarked a number of vids to help me get through the playoffs; some of them could use a good beta, but I forgive a lot when the intention of the piece comes through and leaves me a happy Habs fan by the end. The following two are my staples for today:

( The Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins Rivalry history video )

And then this is my Motivational Video of the day: The editing gets weaker as the vid goes on, unfortunately, but I LOVE the message. It gets me pumped for tonight's game. :)



However, at about 4:15pm Mathieu Darche posted the following on Twitter and all my nerves came rushing back:

matdarche52 Mathieu Darche: En route vers le match! On the way to the game! Game 1......

The game starts at 7 pm EST. Buffalo versus Philadelphia is at 7:30 pm *waves to skybound2*, and then Los Angeles versus San Jose at 10 pm EST. GO HABS GO! \o/

For printable playoff brackets: click on the picture for mediafire hosted download


The playoffs are an extremely emotional time for me in the best of years, but this year, due to both personal reasons which will not be discussed here, and the drama that has unfolded within the National Hockey League, this year will be Diya's simulation of Bi-polar disorder. If emotional whip-lash is not your idea of an entertaining read, then you might want to just scroll on by any post I make over the next two months.

( The Hockey Gods are Laughing! )

* I found out last night that my cousin bought me Hockey tickets for my birthday!!!! \o/ The game isn't until April 5th, but that doesn't matter, what matters is that I AM GOING TO A GAME AND SITTING IN THE REDS! I haven't been to a game all season, and there is NOTHING like hockey at the Bell Centre. I'm extremely excited! :D

* Due to halcyon_shift's vid Anywhere on this Road and a couple of sleepless nights I've been making my way through Jericho. I'm enjoying the show for the overall concept, the more difficult relationships and the research that went into some of the details sprinkled throughout the show, but I also find some of the execution deeply frustrating. Stanley is pretty much the only character that I haven't wanted to smack for his actions, or more often, inaction; and the writers need to learn that banishing or killing characters just because their storylines became inconvenient after episode 5 is not always an interesting plot twist, but an obvious showrunner mistake. A show this high concept always has budget trade-offs between character number and FX, but the removal of characters should feel organic and true to the universe in which the story is set, and many of these didn't feel that way to me. However, I can completely see why so many viewers fell in love with the show, and the potential of the core concept alone is enough to keep me watching until I get to the end. I think this will be a show that I will like more and more with subsequent viewings.

* I wasn't in the right head space for festivids, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get through all the vids before the reveal (I saw about 20 out of 173 :P), but I have truly enjoyed the ones I've seen so far. E-transitions made me a wonderfully creepy vid for the movie Snow White: A Tale of Terror called Bare Your Teeth. If you haven't seen the movie you are missing out on creepy, cheesy, beautiful and twisted good fun! See the movie, then the vid, or the vid then the movie. Either way, see them both! *nods*

The Montreal Canadiens could not make me more proud to be a fan. THIS TEAM! I have such LOVE! Those who actually watch hockey and pay attention to the games might be asking themselves "Why? You lost to Buffalo on Tuesday. BUFFALO!", and that is true, we lost in overtime. However, it is was character, determination and hard work that got a bruised and battered Habs team into overtime. A team that was playing its second game in 19 hours and its 3rd in 4 nights; a team that was already down it's two best defensemen (Markov & Gorges); a team that was down one forward going into the game (Pouliot) and that lost 3 more in the first period (Cammalleri, Pacioretty, Halpern), forcing them to play with a shortened bench for the remaining 40 minutes. And those 40 minutes were brutal! Nothing seemed to be called in our favor, or against the Buffalo Sabres' Katela, Gerbe and Weber who were guilty of more than one serious offense. The Habs that remained played season high minutes, and took numerous pucks to every part of the body it seemed. And they did this all while knowing that Cammalleri and Halpern were having arms put back in sockets and Pacioretty was being rushed via ambulance to the hospital -- which TSN and RDS were kind enough to show the audience and freak us all the hell out.

( Here, take a look at the post game injury inventory I wrote up )

SEE! Brutal! Then, during overtime we ended up on the penalty kill and they scored. We ended up on the penalty kill because Gomez was sick of being slashed from behind without it being called and retaliated with a highstick. Then, he APOLOGIZED to the team and fans for not showing more discipline. 0_0 Gomer, don't make me like you, you are the one Hab I am not suppose to like!

The game was so bad that not only were the commentators giving the viewers updates on how the Habs farm team was doing -- since we knew that they would be calling up several players for future games -- but they also gave what they call "the Monster of the night award", the award for being the real game changer, to Graham Rynbend: the trainer for the Montreal Canadiens who was taking care of our boys when they were injured. It was that bad!

It has been less than 2 days since the game and Pacioretty and Halpern skated today. In fact they were the first ones on the ice this morning for practice, and have both said that they want to play in the back to back games we have Friday and Saturday. THIS TEAM!!! However, I don't think they will let Patches (Pacioretty) play, and we have called up Andreas Engqvist from our farm team(Hamilton Bulldogs), along with Ryan White. Engqvist will replace Halpern, Pyatt will come out of the pressbox, Pouliot will be back in now that he has recovered from illness, and White will step in if the trainers refuse to let Patches play.

In all of this madness members of THIS TEAM still propped each other up during the game. Gionta tried to make Gill laugh on the bench, Price checked on Subban after a blocked shot and they congratulated each other on a good play while it was still going on (SUPER CUTE!), and Cammy took time out of being seen by the trainers for his separated shoulder this morning to call Josh Gorges up and find out how his surgery went. AWWWWWWWW, MY TEAM!!!! I love them SO MUCH!

This isn't a great time for injuries; they just started the second half of the season, they have a number of back to back games on the schedule, and they are flanked in the standings by teams who are only a few points above and blow them. However, the good news is that the AllStar break is coming up and that will give the team a week to rest and recover from injuries -- we are only sending our goalie to the game, and he doesn't like downtime any way.

THIS TEAM! I want to wrap them all in bubblewrap! <3

( Video of First Period Injuries )

( Video of Price thanking PK Subban for blocking a shot )

For all the Hockey fans on my F-list, especially __tiana__, since her team is actually taking part in the Winter Classic, I give you HBO's 12 minute preview of their documentary 24/7 Road To The Winter Classic:



OH. MY. GOD. I am SO excited for this I can't even find the words. It looks SO PRETTY, and I am not just talking about Brooks Laich! Yes, HBO over sells it and the players involved; yes, HBO did get Talbot's number wrong, but that isn't the point. THE POINT IS I LOVE HOCKEY AND IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL HERE!!! I am a big consumer of all things "behind the scenes", I love the process just as much as the finished product, and I also get a perverse pleasure out of knowing that my team kicked both of these teams out of the playoffs last season, so THERE! ... wait... what was I saying? Oh yes, THERE WILL BE PRETTY, PRETTY FOOTAGE OF HOCKEY!

Dear Hockey Gods, THANK YOU!
Next time could you make it the Canadiens?

( If you don't know what the Winter Classic is STILL, you can find out more about it here along with the Heritage Classic highlight reel )

For a good while now I haven't been feeling fannish about any series on TV. That isn't to say that I haven't enjoyed a lot of what I have been watching, but talking about any of them at great length is not something that I've wanted to do. Instead, all of my fannish attention has been divided between my first fandom, Hockey, and sound in film... which has resulted in a very empty journal and a lot of posting elsewhere.

I somehow managed to talk zimshan into collaborating with me on some writing about sound and score in media, and with any luck our schedules will allow for it sooner rather than later. Also, I have spent a good amount of my free time at a hockey news community that I found during the playoffs last season, and that has been SO MUCH FUN, but a real time-suck all the same. I used to always talk to my dad about hockey, but he gets really anxious during games now and prefers to watch the replay once he knows the score. Poor, way too invested daddy! :D

( In which I rave about Carey Price and PK Subban, rant about the loss of Markov as well as the Orange Goon Squad known as the Flyers. This is a NO SKYBOUND2 ZONE )

In other news, I have my source for festivids watched and ripped, notes have been taken and a project file opened... now I just need a song. Yep, a month into the process and the song hunt continues. I am refusing to panic! However, that might be due to the fact that I am swamped with other things, and distracted by the new Harry Potter movie coming out at midnight. I couldn't get tickets for the midnight show, but managed to con a large group of people to go together tomorrow night, so that should be fun! :)

THIS POST IS FOR greensilver and __tiana__!!!

Leonardo DiCaprio is going to play one of the most prolific serial killers in Chicago history, the 19th Century equivalent of Hannibal Lecter. DiCaprio and his Appian Way partner Jennifer Killoran and Double Features partners Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher have joined forces to acquire screen rights to The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic And Madness At The Fair That Changed America, the 2003 non-fiction book by Erik Larson. DiCaprio will play Dr. HH Holmes, a cunning serial killer believed to have murdered anywhere from 27-200 people at a time when the city of Chicago was enthralled with hosting the World's Fair of 1893. Holmes constructed The World's Fair Hotel, an inn more lethal than the Bates Motel, especially for young single women. The sociopath used charm and guile to lure guests into what became known as a "murder castle," a haunt that had a gas chamber, crematorium and a dissecting table where Holmes would murder his victims and strip their skeletons to sell for medical and scientific study.

In a statement, Killoran called the book "truly a one-of-its-kind American story about our nation's first serial killer. We're exited to bring it to the big screen." Said Shamberg and Sher: "This is a big, entertaining thriller in an incredible setting that will appeal to worldwide audience."

DiCaprio hasn't played a role like this, but has long been interested in the notorious killer. Back in 2003, when Tom Cruise optioned the Larson book with the intention to play the killer, DiCaprio set up a rival project, planning to rely on public domain materials of Holmes's murderous exploits. When the book rights came available, Appian Way and Double Features acquired it from Paradigm on behalf of lit agency Black Inc. They will hire a writer and put together a package before making a deal with a studio. Shamberg and Sher used that formula most recently on the Steven Soderbergh-directed Contagion, which stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Marion Cotillard. DiCaprio, coming off this year’s hits Shutter Island and Inception, next plays FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in the Clint Eastwood-directed Hoover for Warner Bros.

SOURCE

Okay, so he looks nothing like Herman Webster Mudget a.k.a. H.H. Holmes, and I would have expected the role to go to someone like Tom Hardy, BUT ALL THAT MATTERS IS THAT THEY ARE MAKING THE MOVIE AND WITH LEO INVOLVED IT WILL HAVE REAL MONEY BEHIND IT!!!

I am so excited to see this book become a movie I might just flail right out of my chair. EEEEEEEEEeeeeeee!!!! \o/

Dear Festividder,

So, you were crazy enough to sign up to festivids, agreed to make a vid for someone at random, and that someone ended up being me. COME BACK!!! YAY, you are back, and too AWESOME for words, I might add. Let me thank you in advance: THANK YOU for being awesome and making me a vid gift!!!!

I'm sure that just like me you are excited and frantically searching through your music collection for inspiration, so don't let me stop you, or influence you away from whatever ideas demand to be vidded. However, if you're bored then reading the rest of this post is a good way to kill a few minutes.

I didn't include any information about music choices in my form request, because though I could put things like "I don't like emo, and will people please stop encouraging Hedley by calling them a band?", I think that will only make this feel more like an assignment with limitations, and I want you to have FUN!!! I like a lot of different kinds of music and if the song is right for the idea then the vid will prove it to me. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT!!! \o/

I will say that I am not big on the epically sweet shipper vid and tend to gravitate towards the character studies, overviews, dancey-crack vids, and angsty-drama, but if you feel that you can convince me that I am wrong, PLEASE GO FOR IT! If you think it will help to have a little bit more information about what interests me in the movies and shows that I requested, then you can read my further ramblings by clicking on the cut tag below.

( Ramblings this way )

ETA treat vids: That would be lovely and I thank you for your generosity of time, brain power and hard drive space!

ETA2 Squicks, triggers, warnings: I don't have any triggers or violence issues with media, and I don't believe there is anything you could do with these sources that would squick me.

This is the unofficial Canada day party post! The place to spam with pictures of your favourite Canadian actors, singers, athletes and heroes. Link to picspams, vids and information posts on your favourite Canadian fandoms or hockey teams. Upload or link to Canadian music, commercials, jokes, macros and everything in between. If it is Canadian then I want it!

Or you could just leave me to spam my own journal all by my lonesome until I have to get ready for my actual Canada Days plans. Up to you, I'm cool with both. :P

ETA: Time for me to go to a picnic. Be back later :)

( The Stanley Cup is in the Building Soooo PRETTY )

Congratulations to the lonely Chicago Blackhawks fan on my flist: way2busymom. I expect pictures from the Stanley Cup parade! Condolences to the Flyers fans on my flist: skybound2 and psubrat. *hugs*

ETA: Conn Smythe (MVP award) = TOEWS \o/

In related news: Cammalleri (Canadiens #13) still has the most goals in the post-season at 13. A little belated birthday gift for him. SUCK IT Briere! \o/ Halak might also have the best save % in the post, but I have to get that confirmed once the offical numbers come in for this game.

ETA 2: The longest dry spell now belongs to the Toronto Maple Leafs who last won the cup in 1967. LOL!

In other hockey news: The Sharks' Rob Blake is retiring. Yzerman has appointed Guy Boucher from the Hamilton Bulldogs (Baby Habs) of the AHL as the new coach of the Tamp Bay Lightning, and Scott Arniel of the Manitoba Moose (also AHL)has been given the job as head coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Trent Reznor has established a new band with Atticus Ross, producer Alan Moulder, and the new Mrs Mariqueen of Scots Reznor, called How To Destroy Angels (after the Coil song). The band has been experimenting and creating demos for a few months, while trying to establish the sound of the band; and though Reznor admits that the initial demos still sound too much like Nine Inch Nails, they liked them enough to release them as a free download EP at 12:01am EST, June 1st. Link to their website.

The band also shot a video for their first single called "The Space in Between", which you will find below. I think what I love most about this video is that it looks like milly wrote up the treatment for it. Also, Mariqueen is unbelievably gorgeous in it, so there is that! Enjoy :D

This one is for goldy_dollar, the new HABS fan on my flist, who is just as obsessed with lucky number 13 as I am. :D Everyone get your stop watches ready, and let's see how long she takes to explode with fangirl GLEE!

The problem with that whole school thing I have been doing, is that it keeps me from seeing the most important things that air on television. Yes, I did just type that! Hockey Night In Canada followed Mike Cammalleri around for a day just after he returned from his knee injury, and presented it in a 5 and a half minute piece for Inside Hockey.

Now... this is where my own fangirl goes into over drive, because OMG, I COULDN'T LOVE HIM MORE! Typically I don't obsessively fangirl individual hockey players. I respect many of them, love to watch them play, have a few that I am big fans of on and off the ice, etc... but I don't usually CRUSH on them, if you know what I am saying? Cammalleri has broken me! \o/

Back to the video: The cameraman that filmed this kind of falls in love with Cammy's ass and gives us several gratuitous ass shots at the end of the piece. Also -- though I am sure that goldy_dollar has already watched this 5 times by now, and seen this part already -- there are TWO WHIRL POOLS at the Bell Center. *bounces* WHAT? This is important information that everyone MUST have! I've already informed milly that she will be assisting me in a minor B&E that will allow me to get access to them. Whirl pools, here I come!!!

Below the cut you'll find me talking far too much about the following:

• Emo HABS fan recovers from elimination


• Canadiens update: Cammalleri twitter, free-agent signing, etc...



• Bettman Press conference:
    
  1. Coyotes franchise and future relocations
    
  2. Outdoor Games & other scheduled events
      
  3. Other ratings and revenue announcements
  
  
• Hockey Scout Combine


• Yzerman becomes Tampa Bay GM, and greensilver cries

( I should just get a job at this, shouldn't I? )

Hey __tiana__ we need to have a chat about what our teams need to do in the off season to get ready for next year. I have opinions on what your team is doing with their money, and I need your take on it. YAY Backstrom, but WTH money management? :P

I find that I have been complaining about a lot of stuff lately, and some news today put all my grumbling into perspective, so I had planned to just post happy things for at least a week. However, I need to get something out of the way first. The mascot for the London 2012 games were revealed yesterday... I honestly thought that they couldn't screw up the marketing anymore after the 2012 Official Logo, but I was wrong.

( Click for the picture )

In other news, Milly linked me to a hilarious post by _thirty2flavors in which she explains Everything you ever wanted to know about Canada and Hockey. Truly, this post is hilariously EPIC! \o/

Also, the new viewer commentary challenge at vid_commentary has opened for sign-ups, and boy is it slow going: 4 days and a grand total of 3 volunteers. With 201 people watching the community and all of them vid viewers, I was really hoping for more participation at this point. Perhaps a little pimping, and a few reminders will make the second week of sign-ups much better? *fingers crossed* If I am really lucky then there are a bunch of people still trying to figure out what vid(s) to write/record commentary for. *cough*likeme*cough*

Thank the fates that the NHL playoffs just started up again, after having no hockey for Thursday and yesterday (Memorial cup doesn't count... neither does the IIHF world Championship. SHUT UP!) I was going into DTs! I actually started watching old hockey themed Disney cartoons on youtube to get my fix. However, the Western Conference finals started at 3pm (EST) and the Eastern Conference finals start in a little under 3 hours. I'm SO excited! \o/

Updated NHL PLAYOFF BRACKETS: http://www.sendspace.com/file/r3uzgq

Also, I think it should be known that Michael Cammalleri is my Hockey boyfriend! It is a little weird since just like my last boyfriend he grew up in Richmond Hill and is very close in age, in fact I am fairly certain that they know each other... but, I LOVE HIM! In the past Montreal has had trouble attracting free-agents to our team, no matter how much money we throw at them, because playing in Montreal is like playing in a fish bowl: everybody watches, and everyone has an opinion. When asked about it earlier this week, this is what my Cammy said:

"To live the reality of Montreal is hard to explain to people - and what the atmosphere is like, unless you’re in that building, ....When I was a kid and dreamed of playing in the NHL, this is what I dreamed it would be like.... I almost feel bad for any guy who plays his whole NHL career without ever experiencing what it’s like to be a Montreal Canadien. I understand that it can be ugly too, but it’s pretty fun right now." Source

This highlights why things never would have worked out with my last boyfriend; he was a Leafs fan and didn't understand the significance of the Montreal Canadiens history. There is only so much STUPID you can take before you just have to walk away, you know? My Cammy on the other hand, he gets it! ;D

( Clips from Game 7 versus Pittsburgh and Cammy on Coachs Corner )



Though Game 7 between Montreal and Pittsburgh was played in Pittsburgh, the Bell Center hosted a viewing party, with tickets going for $7 - $10 a pop. Over $150,000 was raised for the Canadiens Children's Charity and 20,000 fans got to watch the game together on the bigscreen.

( I found a clip on youtube of the crowd for the last 30 or so seconds of the game )

Okay, I am off to join the madness of my fellow Montrealers and light some candles for the ghosts, but before I go I'll leave you with those ( Disney Cartoons )
And yes, I do realize that I am probably just talking to myself at this point.... HOCKEY \o/