Happy Birthday Carole!

Just like today, on July 25, some years ago, a star – a soon-to-be legend – was born. Just like today, the world witnessed the birth of a stunning soul that was bound to accomplish her dreams no matter what stands in her way. She grew up with determination and ambition and proved that fulfilling what you hope for is easy if you’re persistent enough to accomplish it. She never comprised when it came to that dream. She never altered any of her principles so she could get there faster. Carole Samaha never waited for luck to knock on her door. She fought. She struggled really hard. But in the end, she got there. She became a stage queen that can woo any crowd that stands across her. What’s also impressive about that star is that every day she proves that her journey is no way near an end. Even though it might seem like there’s no more to achieve, she still dreams of higher pursuits. Her aspiration reaches no fin. Her fortitude will not be stopped by anyone because her sky is the limit – at the very least. She has become a controversial icon because she’s not like anyone else. She’s unique. She’s special. She speaks her mind when she has to, not afraid of the consequences; she believes that sometimes we should stand up for what we believe in no matter what.

Happy Birthday Carole, may you have blissful days to come & may you stay the shining star forever… In hopes that you will always have the courage to stay the person you are today and the serenity to overcome all obstacles. May this day bring better days to come when you'll find that ideal person that'll lift your soul to paradise and make you the happiest woman ever. Remember, though, you're the best, Carole, so never settle for less! You have always dedicated your talent to a much higher purpose. So in return, we all hope that God will show you the way towards all of your dreams because that's the least of what you honestly deserve. It's only fair to say in the end that your songs have helped us all through difficult times; they made us smile when all we wanted to do was cry. They empowered us. They made us better people. That’s why the least we can do is promise to stand by your side whenever. We promise to be your loyal fans till the end of your everlasting voyage. 3a2bel l meye :)

My Favorite Movies!

Sweet Home Alabama: There’s something about Reese Witherspoon being lost between two of Hollywood’s hottest men that makes this movie worthwhile. Stuck in a dilemma in which she has to choose the city boy, a guy that is simply her dream guy or the guy she loved and married but just wanted to get away from because he’s simply everything she hates about herself, Melanie finds herself rooting back herself in Alabama. You can take the city out of the South, but you just can’t take the South out of the girl!

Even though they share a kiss in a cemetery, Melanie and her husband Jake find their way into our hearts as easily as chocolate fudge! In the movie's final scene, Melanie and Jake kiss under the pouring rain. Does anyone wanna go "awwe" with me? :)

What I also love about this movie is the scene where Melanie punches her mother-in-law-to-be for insulting her mom. You go girl!

Out of 10, this movie is a 10!

"Generating the biggest opening of September, the film grossed over $35 million in its first weekend. By the end of its run in the U.S., Sweet Home Alabama grossed over $130 million and another $53,399,006 internationally." -Box Office Mojo.

Watch the trailer! :))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WN76SQd-QA

Along Came Polly: We've all loved Jennifer Aniston in the ditzy and spoilt role of Rachel, but Jennifer Aniston achieves her personal best when she plays a clumsy hippie. She’s corky and proud of it. It’s fun seeing Ben Stiller playing the serious and safe guy falling for THAT! It’s light. It’s funny. It’s entertaining to a really high extent!

"For the most cautious man on Earth, life is about to get interesting." ;)

The Academy Award winning actor, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is a supporting actor in this movie playing a more believable character than the legendary Capote...but a nastier one. His disgusting moves throughout the movie make you flinch for a second and then smile it away.

And who can forget the blind

We Did It! :))

It finally feels like it’s over. It finally feels like we’ve closed a page to open another. Yesterday was one of those days that will forever be printed in my head. It was definitely not the end of the journey; it was actually the beginning of another one. We were given this responsibility to start a new track of our own. We were given the responsibility to prosper and nourish in the environment where we feel we belong best. Even though saying goodbye is the probably the hardest thing we ever had to do, starting over with a new mission felt surreal. Knowing that it’s our job now to become leaders in our fields made each of smile genuinely. There a lot of people we should thank for finally getting there. There are a lot of people we should kneel to in gratitude. It all goes to our parents that we grew up to be the people we are today; who knows who would we have become if they hadn’t raised us the way they did. Thanking our administrators and our teachers is also inevitable, for they stood right by our side every step of the way believing that we could actually make it! And finally, we should thank each other being one strong unit that never let go of one another in the hard times. I think, it’s because of that thing in particular, we are strong people today.

Gossip Guys: Fashion Icons

We've already covered the women of Gossip Girl. However, the men have their share of trend-setting style, as well. Chuck Bass, Nate Archibald, and Dan Humphrey: gorgeous and fashionable.

• He’s the guy we love to hate and sexiness is his specialty. I’m definitely talking about Chuck Bass. And I think it all comes down to his exceptional and original wardrobe. We always see him dressed in suits, always the most luxurious ones. Eric Daman, the costume designer off of Gossip Girl, has apparently stated that Chuck’s suits are influenced by Steve McQueen, Oscar Wilde, and James Bond. Combining the styles of “The King of Cool”, the Irish poet, and England’s favorite hero surely does the trick. It’s hard not to stare at his clothes every time he’s in a scene. It’s because he’s a genius in combining all sorts of themes in his clothing. You could see him wearing a grey tuxedo jacket with a pink tie, and purple pants. No one other than him does that. And of course, we can’t forget his trademark scarves. He wouldn’t be Chuck Bass without them. As for his hair, it’s always chicly combed back. All these factors make him one of TV’s hottest characters and those who think this man isn’t terribly sexy should honestly get their eyes checked!

• Being a Lacrosse player at St. Jude’s is the reason why Nate Archibald’s clothing is preppy almost all the time. We could always see him wearing lots of Polo shirts, often the shades of blue. Rarely do we see him wearing shiny colors like Chuck; he’s more classical. I mean, you wouldn’t See Nate sporting an orange vest; that’s just not him. Even when he’s wearing a formal suit, it’s usually black and white, just like any other wealthy guy from Upper East Side Manhattan. He’s also got the Zac Efron hair style going on, but with much more elegance. It doesn’t make him look childish at all. It does, on the other hand, sweep the girls off of their feet. His clean cut and awesome blue eyes make him the guy we’d want our parents to meet. He’s the good-looking guy with faultless wardrobe to match.
  

• Although Dan Humphrey is supposed to be the poor guy from Brooklyn, the way he dresses seems very well put together. He does, however, seem less elegant than the other boys on the show, but that’s on purpose. He’s the writer who’s sticks to morals and principles first. He’s no Chuck or Nate. He is also different from them by the clothes he wears. Brown and Black shades are his favorite mix of colors. He’s so earthy. Moreover, his favorite clothes item is the vest. No episode passes without Dan wearing some kind of vest, very simple yet stunning. He’s got the “Dockers” style going on, combining both Khaki and Denim in his wardrobe. As hard as the writers on the show try to make him seem less attractive from his glamorous peers, Dan’s honesty and mediocre style make him more gorgeous than any girl could ask for.
  
  
  
  

3, 2, 1..Fashion!

I have a feeling this is going to be my shallowest blog-entry ever, but to all the girls out there, this one's for you. All through the show, I was getting obsessed with the fights and the hookups. I just realized, though, that the clothes worn by the actresses in the show have gotten under my skin. I think it's safe to say that this show has the classiest and most elegant stylist ever because each character on the show has her own glamorous style.

Even though Serena Van Der Woodsoon is dressed by the most prestigious fashion designers in America, she has this bohemian approach. You can see her combining vintage with up-to-date chic. She has said countless times that she would love to go back to the 60s, and you can see that in her wardrobe. Her hair adds up to the whole thing. She lets it down with a hint of curl… hippy all the way. I don't think anyone could pull off that unique fashion statement Blake Lively shows through every episode; it's said to be inspired by the one and only Kate Moss.

As for Blair Waldorf, she mixes preppy with trendy, somehow. I don’t think what she wears would look good on anyone but her. It’s Upper-East Side style, something we’re not really used to here in Middle Class Saida. However, the way she combines all these colors together –whether they match or not- is terribly incredible. You could see her wearing Red & Pink, and she would still look excellent, flawless. She manages to give you that idea that she’s a straight-A student heading off to Yale with the way she dresses and the accessories she wears- especially the numerous headbands. As collegefashion.net states, “Blair’s fashion sense is definitely the quintessential upper-east-side stereotype, and she’s not ashamed of it!”

Finally, Jenny Humphrey… She's the fashion designer wanna-be. Her determination to become a designer drives her to change her style oh-so-many times on the show. At first, she's the good girl, wearing plaids with lots of hats. When she gets what she wants though, Jenny becomes the total opposite. Her style transforms into punk meets pink. You could see her wearing lots of grey and black jackets and hats, yet adding a hint of pink somewhere in her wardrobe. Add to that the smoky eyes and the bleach blond hair, you get the new stylish up-to-the-minute- Jenny Humphrey.

My Gossip Girl Addiction

I almost forgot the pleasure of watching Gossip Girl until I found the season 2 DVDs and watched the show all over again. This show is different. It’s daring. It's not like anything I'm used to. It’s not One Tree Hill or Friends. It has this hint of complexity with the addition of all of what teenagers go through everyday – Upper East Side teenagers that is. I never understood the difference in cultures until I watched Gossip Girl. Watching Blair striving for Yale, Serena becoming a class A socailite, Chuck sleeping around, and Nate losing it all made me realize what a dissimilar society we live in. I think watching that show became a challenge for me. It was like, I was yearning to understand that almost dirty civilization that gang lives in, without letting it get under my skin. That was hard though. It’s not easy prohibiting Chuck Bass’s bad boy charm from taking you off guard. It’s definitely difficult not letting Nate’s blue eyes from making your legs weak. It’s also tricky not falling under Serena and Blair’s spell of becoming the ideal prep girls. On the other hand, watching their accomplishments and their many failures in love, school, and family hits home very well. As strange as they might be, they’re still adolescents trying to survive through their teenage years. They’re still kids trying to get the acceptance and the recognition of their family through everything they do. And that makes the whole show worthwhile. It’s so edgy and real that I can’t stop following it. I can’t stop myself from taking sides whenever a catfight goes on. I can’t stop myself from crossing my fingers whenever I see a sign of a romantic hookup. And I truthfully can’t stop myself from getting addicted to the show!

GO ENGLAND!

So England won! Surprised? Sorta. It was amazing though. All through the game I was hoping Slovenia doesn't get a goal, and thank God they didn't. When the world cup started, the boys thought it'll be easy to win. They thought that since the odds are with them, they don't need to play hard. But later on, they understood the deal: It's no piece of cake. It's real. It's difficult. They proved all those cynical wrong, and they wiped the smile off of their know-it-all faces! I was also flipping through the USA VS Algeria game. It's saddening that Algeria didn't make it to the final 16. I mean they played hard to get there; they should have played a little harder - I believe. It's no luck. It's effort and persistence. And England had those two factors. I know I'm not English - or even British. But I love that team. The show these players put on during their games keeps me at the edge of my seat every time. I started liking them because I had a huge obsession with David Beckham and then I became infatuated by Ronney. But now, I admire them. I admire their determination to get to that place they got to 44 years ago. They've got the stamina. They've got the spirit. They just need us to be with them. C'mon England. 

Crying, a closer look.

"We can't cry the pain away"

It's like we resort to tears believing it'll make things better. It'll take the pressure off of our hearts, but it doesn't. We cry believing that maybe, just maybe, we'll wake up and realize it's all just a bad dream. We close our eyes shut. We press really hard, and then we open them. We're still there. The pillow is wet. The agony is still there. This act of wailing is our way of fleeing away from reality. Crying takes us somewhere far far away. But then, after just a few moments, just when you think it's all better, the pain returns. & it returns even worse. It's like it never left. I'm not being cynical now. I'm just talking out of experience. I'm the crier when it comes to my friends. I'm the one who weeps whenever anything goes wrong. It's probably a sign of weakness. I don't know.I cry, though, because it's my way of telling myself it'll be okay. For some bizarre reason, crying makes me believe that it'll be fine in no time. Shedding all those warm tears reassures me that it'll all just fade away. However, when the tears dry, I reconnect with reality, and most of the time, reality sucks. Crying is my drug -our drug. It's just like ecstacy; it makes things better for a while, but then it destroys your health for the rest of the day.

My First Blog!

All of my life, I've become a fan of tons of artists. I've loved them and respected them with all of my heart. And now that summer has started & I have been getting bored, I've decided to start my first real mission as soon-to-be journalist. I've decided to write my first blog about one of my favorite people ever..

• Carole Samaha: It's not easy writing about my favorite superstar in an unbiast prespective especially that she has this enchanting power in making the whole world fall in love with her, but I will honestly try my best.

Carole has always wanted to become the person she is today. She has dreamt of herself becoming an artist since she was a little girl. Her father also wanted to witness his baby become a prominent artist; he unfortunately didn't get that chance.

Born in Kenchara, Carole started off with acting. She enrolled into IESAV to study acting and directing, a path that will later lead her to Lebanon's leading theatres. Trying to make it big, Carole joined Nidal Al Ashkar, one of Lebanon's most prestigous actors and directors, and acted alongside her in lots of plays. She also renacted the Spanish play, House Of Bernarda Alba. She didn't stop there, her passion also drove her to meet Lebanon's daring director, Michel Jaber. Until then, Carole was merely an amateur like many of the Lebanese trying to become famous. But she was determined. She had a goal. She had a plan. She enrolled into IESAV again to get her Masters degree, and now she was looking forward at the horizon. She wasn't about to give up or end her journey there. She was immensely intrested in combining the two things she knows best, acting and singing. That's why it's not surprising that this lady was able to act under the guidance of Caracalla and Rahbani, the two leading rivals in the Lebanese theatre. She acted with Caracala in the musical "Amira men Haza Al Zaman". She later played the unforgettable role of Theodora in "The Last Of Socrates". Many roles were played by this soon-to-be legend in the Rahbani plays, combining both provocativeness and eleagance. She also had the chance to act in many Lebanese TV shows like Talbin El Ereb, Esmouha La, & Noura, in which she had a main role.

But her aim wasn't fulfilled yet. She still hadn't reached the finish line, and Oussama Rahbani noticed that very well. That's when she was offered -in my opinion- the chance of a lifetime. Written by Mansour Rahbani and composed by non-other than Oussama, Carole amazed the world by singing "Bi Sabah Al Alf Al Talet". She tilted heads with her fascinating voice. People had no idea that this woman had such huge potentials. In her opinion, Carole says that such a step could have ruined her career if she wasn't smart enough. She believes that people would have framed her forever in that genre not allowing her to spread her wings. But being who she is, Carole wasn't about to accept accomplishement. In 2003, she released her first album called, "Helm" - as in, "Dream". She was finally close to becoming that person she had envisioned in her sleeps years ago. She was finally able to sing in front of thousands of a cheering audience. The singles released in that record were "Tlaa Feye" & "Habib Albi". Those two songs made her close to the Egyptian fans. She was no longer a local artist..she was evolving. As time passed by, and after acting "Molook Tawaef" with The Rahbanis, Carole decided to end her theatrical career there; she wanted to focus on her musical one. In 2004, she released "Ana Horra" ,and in 2006, she released, "Adwaa L Shohra". At that point, she was relatively famous, but she still hadn't reach the Class A level. Her collaboration with Marwan Khoury the following year surely did the trick. Together, they performed "Ya Rab", a romantic song that captured the hearts of millions of Arabs. Her success made her the spotlight of rumors and of media trashing. Being the daring person that she is, Carole released videos that made lots of people wonder what she was thinking. Tabloids started talking that this woman has thrown her voice and become like everyone else. She proved them wrong, though. She decided to continue her path alone - actually, with a group of three. She refused all offers for production companies and started her own production company, La Carma. For three years, she and tens of veterans in Art worked ecxeptionally to deliver "Best Album of year 2009": "Hdoudi L Sama". Now, she is no longer a passing breeze. She's here to stay.