My Favorite TV Shows of 2009

2009 was a great year for TV, I missed alot of shows living in South Korea but thanks to Hulu, I got to catch up on all my favorites, here they are!!!

The Soup: This show has been around since 1991 when it was called Talk Soup with John Henson, my goodness that guy was funny but Joel McHale is Hilarious. I love that guy. Aisha Tyler was great too, but Joel is the best host in my book. Check in out on the E network!

Jersey Shore: My guilty little pleasure. Much more interesting than the latest seasons of The Real World. I love the self proclaimed guidos and guidettes. Catch all the fist pumping action on MTV.

Gossip Girl: Serena and Blair are awesome, and all the guys are hot. This is a great show depicting life on the upper east side from the point of views of the elite, wealthy teens and the less fortunate. Check it out on the CW.

Top Chef Las Vegas: Wow, this was a great season! One of the first times when I could be happy with any of the finalists winning, because they were all awesome and deserved it. The Voltaggio brothers brought all the drama filled silbling rivalry to the show. Congrats to Micael Voltaggio! Aired on Bravo, but you should get it on DVD or watch on Hulu.

True Blood: OMG, this show is so hot. In it's second season it's such a must see, get both seasons on DVD ASAP. Hot vampires, shape-shifters, secrets, intrigue and magic all around, what else could you want? Great plot and even greater characters, True Blood is a winner. HBO is where you can find this show.
P.S. Eric can be my maker any day ;) lol

Glee: This show was an instant hit on the Fox network, and for good reason. I love the story line and the characters, it's such an uplifting, yet funny show.

The Bad Girls Club: There's not much I can say here, you just have to watch it. I will tell you, this is the craziest season yet! These girls need some help. Mental help.

So You Think You Can Dance: Two winners in one year, wow, I love it!

Well that's it for 09, let's see what 2010 has to offer!

Happy New Year!!

Look out 2010!! Woohoo :D

The Most Shocking Moments of 2009!

This year has been amazing for many reasons. Personally, I think this was one of the best years of my life. Along with seeing Coldplay live for the first time as well as my first venture outside of the U.S. visiting South Korea, there were many other noteworthy events that took place all over the world. While those were some of the best moments of my year, here's my top 10 Most Shocking Moments of 2009!

This year Susan Boyle became a household name! With her average looks and seemingly shy nature, people expected her to make a fool of herself on the hit television show, Britain's Got Talent. Her beautiful, melodic, voice was beyond captivating and a surprise to the judges, audience and thanks to YouTube, the world! She instantly reminded me of the similar tale of Paul Potts, who had an exact reaction when he performed on the same show in 2007. I love stories of people being underestimated and coming out on top against all odds! Susan Boyles special on the TV guide network was beautifully done as well.

Al Roker calls out Heidi and Spencer Pratt on their outrageous behavior. Heidi and Spencers faces were priceless when Al Roker went on to scold them for how they acted on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! I admit, it was pretty unexpected, since Al Roker is usually so jolly and sweet to everyone else. When he asked Heidi if she were proud of their behavior and further cut her off when she began to tip toe around the question. Poor Heidi... lol

When Kanye West ruined Taylor Swifts acceptance speech I was mortified for her and embarrassed for him for acting like, (President Obama quote) "a jerk!" Everyone speculates about his alcohol intake before the MTV awards but I just think Kanye likes the attention. The more controversial the better.

Tiger woods: Wow, when I heard the tape of him pleading with his girlfriend to change her voicemail so that his wife wouldn't find out about them, I was disgusted. The golden boy is forever tarnished by his infidelity.

The Most Shocking Deaths of '09'

Michael Jackson: When we lost him, the sorrow was felt throughout the world. I loved Michael Jackson, he was an amazing singer, song writer, dancer, performer, trend setter. Thank him for teh Justin Timberlakes and Ushers out there. We will hear about his death for years to come, just watch the TV guide network, they probably won't stop for awhile. He will forever be immortalized in our hearts and we'll never forget him.

Patrick Swayze: Ugh, my heart tore when I heard he lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Gosh, I love Dirty Dancing, and even more than that, Ghost was my favorite movie when I was like 5 years old when I saw that in theaters. I had seen it so many times I couldn't help myself from telling all the details to my mom, spoiling it for her, but hey, I was 5! Anyway, he just seemed like such a nice guy in all of his interviews and his movies are classics.

Farrah Fawcett: She was a beautiful woman with a kind heart, I wish she could have beat her illness.

Britney Murphy: Wow, this was really shocking. She was so young and her future so bright. I loved her in Clueless, Never Talk To Strangers, Uptown Girls, and remember the Disney Channel show The Torkelsons? She was amazing.

David Carradine

DJ AM
Dom Deluise
Billy Mays
Bea Arthur (Golden Girls!)
Natasha Richardson
Walter Cronkite
We will remember you all!

Jersey Shore: Wow, we got to see Snookie get punched in the face by a a New York City gym teacher. Not cool sir, not cool.

Ryan And Kate Gosselin can't seem to keep their relationship together for their 8 children!

Chris Brown gets arrested for beating Rihanna. Sad, just sad. I love both of them as artists and they are both adorable. Such a cute couple, I couldn't believe there was such turmoil in their relationship, not to mention Chris Browns way of dealing with it.

Well, 2009 you were one crazy year!

Update : Upcoming Movie Buzz

I wrote a post on the must-see movies of 2010, here's a couple of additions to that list:

Daybreakers: Ethan Hawke!! ( We share birthdays)

The Crazies: Timothy Olyphant (Hitman, Dreamcather, Live Free or Die Hard)

Shutter Island: I don't know how I forgot about this Leonardo DiCaprio movie
Legion: I love Paul Bettany (hot hot)

Wanna surf my couch?

I know you're thinking, WHAT?! What is she talking about? Lol, well, when I was in South Korea a girl I met there told me about this awesome website called CouchSurfing.com. Apparently she traveled around Europe for weeks and never paid a penny in hotel costs. How could she possibly do that?

Well, CouchSurfing.com is a website dedicated to providing travelers with FREE living arrangements in any country they wish to go to. It's the hospitality exchange network with more than 1.5 million members in over 231 countries. It's like a network of people who are both verified by the website to prove that they are who they say they are and each person has a list of references of people that have stayed with them. You simply search the country and area you want to travel to and hundreds of profiles come up of people who are willing to offer you a space on their couch to crash on, a guest bedroom, floor space etc.

It's very convenient if you are planning on going abroad and don't know where to stay. The hosts may even actually give you a tour of the city and take you out for drinks. This was very appealing to me, although I already had living arrangements taken care of when I was in Korea, couch surfing would have been a very fun experience. Living with the locals is invaluable.

The mission statement of CouchSurfing is Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch at a Time: "CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding.

That same girl I met over in South Korea actually hosts other people as well, so it's like a cool exchange. My only concern would be safety and hoping the hosts, or surfers for that matter, aren't crazies like the people on Hostel! Well, like I mentioned earlier, each host has their location verified and a list of references so that you can speak with people who have actually surfed their homes. They give either positive or negative reviews and it's up to you if you want to take that chance. There's also an optional credit card verification that allows your surfers to see that you are a legit person with no intentions of doing anything harmful

This website gets over 30 million views daily! I don't know about you, but I'm surfing across Hawaii very soon, then Europe. Let's go!

"Kell on Earth"

Awesome, oh wow, like totally freak me out, I mean right on! Lol, a little snippet from the original Bring It On. Well, that's the way I feel about Bravos upcoming show, Kell on Earth. It centers around the wonderful, although intimidating Kelly Cutrone who is the owner of the successful PR company Peoples Revolution. I know you have seen her on The Hills, as Whitney's boss. She is absolutely the most entertaining person on the show. I love her blatant honesty and disregard for incompetent peoples feelings. She really "tells it like it is."
This new show is about her life dealing with Fashion Weeks, life as a single mom, and running a very popular company. I am highly excited to watch her wonderful life unfold before our eyes. She is the epitome of "good television." Look out for her on the Bravo TV network February 1st at 10pm!!!

Update: Sherlock Holmes

Update :

Well, I just got back from finally seeing this awesome movie. It was wonderfully done, with a very smart story and even better acting from Robert Downy Jr. and Jude Law. I love how Robert Downy Jr. portrayed Sherlock Holmes, with his amazing perceptiveness, intelligence as well as fighting skills! Jude Law was such a pleasure to watch as well. They honestly did a great job.

One of the most interesting things about this movie was how we got a glimpse of how Sherlock Holmes thinks as he shares what action he's about to take place before he actually does it. We see this in his fighting scenes as well as others when he observes crime scenes and flashes back to what happened before he even arrived. If you go see this movie, you won't be disappointed.

Just remember this movie is set in a time period where the U.S just had it's Civil War and carriages are still being drawn by horses, so don't expect too much modern technology or overly done special effects. Enjoy the movie for what it is, a Sir Arthor Conan Doyle masterpiece re-visioned by Guy Ritchie!

Wow, and Wow!! Tron: Legacy

OK, it's 2:55 in the morning, but, this just could not wait! I just saw a teaser trailer for Comic Con on YouTube for a sequel to the Disney film, Tron. What!? Can this be? I was sure that the trailer was a fake, but no, it's 100% real!

OK, I must calm down now, take a breathe and continue. I'm a sci-fi nerd so please forgive my enthusiasm. Trust this excitement is for good reason! The 1982 version of Tron is a cult classic starring Jeff Bridges who is Kevin Flynn, a video game designer who has to try and prove that a big time exec stole his idea. But in this tale, he is sucked into the computers main frame where programs are representations of their writers.
Nonetheless, in this upcoming sequel, Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years.
Starring Olivia Wilde, (House, Year One) Beau Garrett, (Touristas) Garrett Hedlund (Death Sentence, Eragon) I am anxious to see how the story holds up as well as the visual aspect of the movie. You can't forget the classic scenes of the riders on their 'Light Cycles' in the mainframe on that glass-like surface, color block streaming behind them, or Family Guys parody of that exact scene. Well it looks like it has a major upgrade, the special effects look super cool. Woohoo, get excited :P
Coming to theaters December 17th 2010!!
See you there!

Excerpt from my upcoming novel, Rise of the Flame)

Rise of The Flame

By, K.N. Lee

Part One

Chapter 1

The Underworld had been Delia’s home since the beginning of time, and now, she was chased out. She trudged through the thick snow of the mortal world in determined silence. Delia’s enemies couldn’t follow her into this world, and she refused to sit around while they destroyed everything she’d ever known.

She glanced up at the sky and locks of thick black hair flew free from beneath her cloak. The harsh winter winds blew at her exposed face. The wolves of the forest howled into the night, but they did not dare test her. It was as if they knew. They could sense the immense power she held in her new body. A human body felt like such a foreign thing to her.

Her blue eyes stung as she tried to see her way through the darkness. Even though the elements were against her, she was anxious to prove herself to the Ancients. Delia was grateful to be chosen. She was young again.

Her third horse had died on this important journey and her toes were nearly frozen from the long walk. She had to reach Auroria before midnight. Delia had been walking for days and her legs ached. Every fiber burned but she was too focused to take notice. Her pale cheeks were numb and reddened. Her lips were cracked and nearly bleeding. She resisted licking them, knowing that it would only make them worse.

She welcomed the pain. It was what she needed to remind her who she was.

The poor woman that she had killed needed to be remembered. Delia had claimed her body as her own. Her first kill. It was a necessary action, but she vowed to never kill an innocent person again.

Nonetheless, she was grateful for a chance to save their world. Centuries as an authority figure in the Underworld were testimonies of her power. She would blend in with the people of this world, but if they were to see even a glimpse of her true form, there would be screams of terror.

The Gatekeeper had arrived.

Random thoughts

Hmmm, doesn't Josh Hartnett look like he could be Tommy Lee Jones son? Also, doesn't Susan Surandon look like Bette Davis's daughter? Weird...

My favorite classic films pre-1960

I am a huge classic movie buff. Movies in black and white don't bother me in the least. The actors of this time period were amazingly talented, often having to have multiple talents to make it in the film industry. Women and men alike usually had to have stunning good looks, impeccable acting as well as the ability to sing and dance! My favorites actors of this time are Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Audrey and Katherine Hepburn, Ester Williams, Ingrid Bergman, Danny Kaye, Red Skelton and Bette Davis. There are many more, but I love the movies these actors are in. Their movies are timeless and full of depth. My favorites are as follows:
In Name Only
The Women
Sylvia Scarlett
Bathing Beauty
Pride and Prejudice
The Picture of Dorian Grey
All About Eve
An Affair to Remember
Dark Victory
It's a Wonderful Life
Jezebel
Breakfast At Tiffany's
The King and I
Gone With The Wind
King Kong
Meet Me in St. Louis
Hans Christian Anderson
The Wizard of Oz
And many, many, more!

Sherlock Holmes

This is dedicated to one of my loyal followers who requested that I write something about this upcoming film. Robert Downey Jr. has been a favorite of mine for some time. We go waaay back lol. I remember him in Only You with Marissa Tomei and I fell in love. When I heard that he was going to be Iron Man, despite my love for him, I was skeptical. Never again will I doubt his abilities! He was amazing as Tony Stark, the billionaire weapons developer/super hero in Iron Man, and the not yet released Iron Man 2. What about Tropic Thunder? Can I just say that he totally stole the show. Ben Stiller is funny, and we expected him to be the main comedic influence in the movie. Surprisingly, it was Downey Jr, who filled that spot. He was absolutely hilarious.

Now there's Jude Law, remember Gattaca? That was the first time I saw him, and have enjoyed him ever since. Closer was an amazing movie, although Natalie Portman and Clive Owen were the most pivotal characters with the best performances for me. Combine Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law as Watson and you've got instant movie magic. I will be at the theater this Christmas with a group of friends to see this riveting, action packed, instant classic. I am excited to see Rachel McAdams( The Notebook) flaunt her onscreen charm as well. I'll keep you posted with an accurate "post viewing" review this Friday!
See you there!

Upcoming movie buzz!

We all know that I am a huge action adventure/ fantasy fan, so here's an update on the movies I am impatiently waiting to see in 2010!!

Clash of the Titans:
Sam Worthington (his royal hotness) takes on the role of Perseus in this remake of one of my favorite movies growing up. The ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. This story is a Greek mythology classic! It also stars Gemma Arterton, who you'll see in the upcoming Prince of Persia, and I love her from one of her lesser known roles as Tess, in the BBC Masterpiece Classic, Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Join me in theaters March 26th 2010.

Since we're on the subject...
Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time
Starring a sexy, buff, Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton and Ben Kingsley, is something I've been waiting for awhile now. I love movies based off of video games, and Prince of Persia was one that I actually played as a child. Set in 9th century Persia, this movie will include all the big budget special effects I love so much. Magic, sword-fighting and romance will all have it's place in this upcoming film. See it May 28th 2010

Iron Man 2:
Woohoo, Robert Downey Jr is back in one of my favorite comic movies. But guess what! So is Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, the beautiful Scarlett Johansson (as Black Widow) Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow and so on and so fourth. For me, you can't go wrong with super hero movies (unless it's Fantastic Four, yuck!) If you liked the first one, then come out and see the highly anticipated sequel, which is sure to have lots of action and suspense!
May 7th 2010

Book of Eli:
What else can I say, Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, sounds like a winner to me! A science fiction/ fantasy movie where Denzel is a lone traveler in a not too distant future where there was a final war, leaving our world a wasteland full of vicious killers and desperate survivors. Nonethless, only one other man in this ruined world understands the power Eli holds, and is determined to make it his own: Carnegie(Oldman), the self-appointed despot of a makeshift town of thieves and gunmen. Meanwhile, Carnegie's adopted daughter Solara( Mila Kunis) is fascinated by Eli for another reason: the glimpse he offers of what may exist beyond her stepfather's domain.
January 15th 2010

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief:
With newcomer Logan Lerman(Gamer, young Evan in The Butterfly Effect), Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman, this is one of my most anticipated movies, check out the trailer and you'll know why! It's the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters have walked out of the pages of high school student Percy Jackson's Greek mythology texts and into his life. And they're not happy: Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
February 12th 2010

The Wolfman:
Benecio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily blunt in the tale of man turned into wolf.
February 12th 2010

Alice in Wonderland:
Johnny Depp, enough said.
Ok, ok, I'll say a little more. How about Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway as the red and white queen in this timeless classic tale of fantasy and self discovery.
March 5th 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollow Part 1:
The final adventure of Harry Potter begins, as he attempts to bring an end to his nemesis, Lord Voldemort.
November 19th 2010

Nightmare on Elm Street:
One of the only movies that kind of frightened me as a kid, along with Chucky in Childs Play lol. But wow, guess what, there's a new guy playing Freddy and he is awesome! Remember Rorschach(Jackie Earle Haley) from Watchmen(one of the only interesting characters besides Dr. Manhattan) well he is the new Freddy and I am ecstatic! This one looks updated and fresh, along with a cast of up and coming young actors I think this will surprise alot of people. Usually with movies like this that have been done a million times, like Halloween (OMG let him die already) Freddy still has some tricks up his sleeve and I want to see!
April 30th 2010

Happy movie hopping next year!!

Brothers

The Brothers staring Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman was at the very least, intense. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'll admit, this is not the type of movie I'd go to a theater to see. Usually it's all action/adventure, fantasy, special effect type of movies that I go for. Nonetheless, I am a big fan of Natalie Portman, ever since her wonderful performance as a child in The Professional.

So after sitting there for an hour and fifty minutes, yawning a couple of times (mostly because I was just tired) I was quite impressed by Tobey Maguire's performance. After being classified as dead after an aircraft crash in Afghanistan, Maguire's wife, Portman turns to his younger brother, Gyllenhaal, who is was once treated as the family screw up. Gyllenhaal takes over the role of a fatherly figure to the children and even achieves a kiss from Portman. Of course, once they find out the Maguire is alive, things get tricky. In my opinion, he aptly portrayed the role of a traumatized, paranoid, troubled marine.

I won't give up too much more of the story, just see it!

Avatar!!

So, I went to the midnight showing of James Camerons new movie, Avatar. I had been waiting to see this movie since I first saw a trailer for it on the Syfy channel. I purchased my tickets through Fandango, so that I would be guarenteed a seat for this heavily anticipated film. My friends and I were all equally excited, and arrived an hour early to get a good seat, after waiting in a line to enter the auditorium. We were lucky to get seats high enough and centered and the air in the room was full of anticipation. I saw people in Avatar T-shirts and everyone talked about how "revolutionary" James Camerons new camera and shooting style was.

Anyway, after some rather interesting previews, Percy Jacksons: The Olympiad, The Lightning Thief, and Knight and Day, which certainly caught my attention, the movie began. My goodness, the movie was AMAZING. Can I just say that I wish I could live on Pandora! The story was wonderful,humans living on the planet to obtain data from the planet as well as try and convince the natives to move their home so that we can dig into their ground for a new material, called unobtainium ironically enough. Yet the visual aspects were the winning features for me. I saw it in Imax 3D, the only way I'd recommend seeing it. I found myself fanning away dust from the movie, because it appeared to be right in my face. You have to restrain yourself from reaching out at the screen, yet the world seemed to real. Such vibrant colors and extraordinary plant and animal life were what Pandora had to offer.

Of course Sam Worthington was just delightful to watch, with his adorable self, nonetheless he did a great job in his role as an Avatar created to fit in with Pandora's native people, the Navi. I was quite impressed by Zoe Saldana's performance. Her character as the chief of one of the Navi clans daughter was visually stunning. The supporting actors such as Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi Michelle Rodriguez, etc, were good in their roles, yet, the story centered around Sam and Zoe's characters.

I will be viewing this movie again tomorrow with family, and will buy it on dvd when available, but trust me, you want to view it in Imax 3D first. Enjoy!

Locks Of Love

Korean Tradition.
Couples put up locks on this fence to symbolize their everlasting love. Sweet huh!? This lock covered fence is located at the Seoul Tower. It stretches a few yards at the entrance of this tourist destination with love letters and locks of all shapes, colors and sizes as a remembrance to those in love.
I personally found this sight to be quite touching. Seeing the amount and the clustering of these locks made me imagine the smiling faces of the couples. Holding hands and approaching the fence, the romantic words they shared as they decided to display their love in such a way. Then, I wondered what happened when, or if, their relationships faltered. Would one of them return to try and take it down, did they even keep the key? I'll never know, but I'd like to imagine that they threw the key over into the Han River to further show their commitment and dedication to one another.

The Nomad Scrolls

Hello Everyone!

I'm K. Nycole Lee and I am thrilled to share with you my views on numerous topics. I am what you'd call a pop culture fanatic as well as an avid traveler. Join me on my travels of the world and enjoy my short stories and other fantasy writing on www.writelikeawizard.com

Thank you for visiting :)