aWITCH'Stale

Saturday, September 13, 2003

To hell with blogging. I tried and tried, and I still didn't like what I was doing - so I've just decided to turn this into a site with thoughts on it. I might put up a message board or something of some sort for people to write their opinions on what I say, but for now - as I know that I'm probably the only one reading these - I'll just let it be.

Well, today's topic is spoilers:
I got into Charmed during the summer between the first and second seasons. As I eagerly awaited the second season's start, I was unfamiliar that it was possible to "spoil" future episodes of Charmed. I found the summary for "Wicca Envy" and "Morality Bites" but nothing more. As the second season progressed, I lived off the episode summaries supplied by tv guide, but I never read anything more about spoilers. I liked it that way b/c I never saw Leo getting his wings clipped coming, and I remember my mouth dropping in shock when Piper had the daydream about kissing Leo. As the third season came around, I had realized that there were spoilers out there that were completely summarized online before the episode would air. I purposefully hid my eyes from them because I wanted to be surprised. But, after Shannen was fired from the show, I dove into any Charmed info and/or spoiler I could find. Most of the 4th season was spoiled for me - and I was upset that I spoiled "Long live the Queen" and "Womb Raider" for myself. But, as the fifth season came, I decided that I had to chose whether to forge ahead in spoilerland, or to shy away completely. I dove into spoilerland. I knew Piper's baby was going to be a boy far far in advance, and it didn't make it any less special. I like spoilers in moderation - but I've never read the full episode play-by-plays on The Charmed Ones.com. I know a few tid-bits about the 6th season, but nothing is completely spoiled. I knew everything that was going to happen during "A Witch's Tail" during this time last year, but I've chosen not to spoil "Valkyrie Vixens" (aka "Valhalley of the Dolls") just to see if I like it better being unspoiled. As for the future, I'm on a few mailing lists that give away small tid-bits about future episodes - news about upcoming powers, Wyatt updates, episode titles and summaries, etc. and I like it that way. Spoilers are tricky in the sense that once you read them, it's over - you can't put the genie back in the bottle and you never know how much is going to be spoiled until you read them. Ah well, to be spoiled or not to be spoiled - that's one hell of a question.

Monday, September 08, 2003

Ah, my second post. This has been a long time coming since I wrote that last post over two months ago and have finally decided to pick up where I left off.

Moving on... I would like to talk about my favorite episode of Charmed.....
I want to say that it took me weeks upon weeks of debating which Charmed episode is my favorite, but it's actually really easy for me to pick out a favorite: Chick Flick.

The first time it aired, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. (I say "doing" meaning, obviously, besides watching the episode) I was vacationing in Maui, Hawaii with my parents, brother, and cousin, Andi. Since Maui is five hours behind eastern time, the Maui television schedule is very weird there - thursday 9pm episodes of WB shows are shown on friday at 5pm. So, it was Friday and there I was sitting in our hotel suite on the big comfy couch watching Charmed with my brother and cousin (who decided to join me.) For some reason I just remembered that I very firmly ordered that we not have early dinner plans on that Friday just so that I could watch the episode. Anywho, so I was giving the backstory to my cousin, who had many questions, and I just remember watching "Chick Flick" and laughing my ass off, loving every minute of the episode, and - upon returning home to Michigan - rewatching it and loving it even more.

In the summer between my junior and senior years of high school, I decided to try something that I wasn't sure would work: My "Charmed Resolution", which was to watch a Charmed episode every day of the summer. Not only did I fulfill it totally, but I also continued it the next summer. Anyway, so after I had watched every single episode, I realized that I had exactly ten days before school would start. So, I decided to list my top ten favorite episodes and watch them in countdown form. For whatever reason, I put "The Honeymoon's Over" as #1 and "Chick Flick" as #2 but then realized after the ten days were up, that "Chick Flick" was, in fact, my all time favorite episode of Charmed. The fourth and fifth season have come and gone, and I'm still stating that "Chick Flick" is my all time favorite episode.

Why is it my favorite? For starters, I love the illusion vs. reality concept. I love that there are these rules that govern both worlds and that this demon is so hard to defeat b/c it's unlike any other demon. The episode itself has some definite psychology to it. Phoebe's illusion of the perfect man, Prue's illusion of Finnley's personality, Piper's illusion of a normal relationship with Leo -- all subplots are tied directly to this theme of illusion, and all three illusions are very true to their owner. This episode is tied together so wonderfully and it's flow is so strong that the episode is over before you realize it - there aren't any moments of confusion, nor are there scenes that just "don't belong" or are boring.

Even though I love Cole, I've always been a Billy & Phoebe shipper. He is just so adorable!! I love how he treats Phoebe, how he struggles to "write his own lines", and how he really wants to protect the sisters - but relinquishes control when he realizes that "it's the woman's job to save the day". As for Bloody Mary and Axe Husband: PERFECT horror film villains. One is this supernatural killer, and the other is just a psycho. The special effects used to kill them are some of the best ever on Charmed. The demon of illusion was very amusing to watch: so cocky and so dramatic. He's one of my favorite villains on Charmed. (Just can't top Cole though)

My favorite scene in the episode is when Piper goes to hide in the shower, Prue find her, they scream, then they run from the bathroom once Bloody Mary finds them, and run straight into Billy and Phoebe - upon which much screaming ensues. Oh man, I crack up every time I see that scene.

Point of referance: Watch Billy's face as the four are walking towards the door when Darryl comes over. I'm sure in the script he's supossed to be acting all scared... but he's smiling. :)

I run the official Chick Flick Fanlisting - go check it out and join if you're a fan of this episode too.

Sunday, September 07, 2003

A Fan's Tale...

This is my first attempt at a blog. I know most blogs are all about the blogger's life, but this one is about Charmed. Ya know, that tv show on the WB that's about three sisters that live in San Francisco. Oh yeah, and they're witches. It's the best show ever on tv - in my opinion - and I've been a fan since July 28th, 1999. (That's when I saw my first episode: "That 70's Episode")

Speaking of that day, I should probably sit back and reminisce about the beginnings of my Charmed fan-hood...
Ok, so it was wednesday, July 28th, 1999 and I had just finished watching "Dawson's Creek." I had just gotten into that show during the spring and had missed some episodes, so the summer was a great chance to catch up on the shows I had missed. So, as the credits faded away from DC I saw that Charmed was on. I'd heard of the show, of course, but had never watched it. I remember seeing an ad for its first season in a magazine, and wanting to watch it, but I forgot for some reason. Call it laziness, call it boredom (I prefer to call it fate) but I watched the show. Within 5 minutes I was hooked. I had a little trouble remembering who Prue was, and was baffled at the name Piper, but as the episode wore on, I found myself completely engrossed. I regret not taping that episode, but I learned from my mistakes, and taped every single episode since then. I fell head over heels in love with Charmed on that July evening, and my love for the show has only grown since then.

As far as favorite characters go, mine's always been Phoebe. My brother also got into the show at the same time I did, and I remember asking him who his favorite character was. He said Piper, and then asked me who was my favorite. I thought for a brief moment, already knowing the answer: Phoebe. My favorite character always has, and always will be Phoebe. Alyssa Milano became my favorite actress and I received an e-mail from her on October 4th, 1999 wishing me a happy birthday. (As well as thanking me for the "sweet message" I had sent her.) Alyssa is my idol. I can't even describe how much i love her. As for Prue, Piper, Paige, Cole, Leo, Darryl, and all the other characters, I could never put them into any order as to 2nd to whatever else place amongst my favorites. After Phoebe, my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. favorite characters change with every episode. I truly love Piper, Paige, and Prue the same. As for the guys, I was always a huge Cole supporter, but I do disagree with what his character turned into towards the end of season 4 and all of season 5. I do miss him though. I love Leo - how could I not? He's adorable!! Wyatt is such a cutie, Chris seems like an interesting new character, Darryl is awesome, and I miss Andy. I'm sure that, as time goes on, I'll tackle each character, episodes, etc. and write in here my thoughts about them.

With all that being said, here's to the beginning of "A Witch's Tale" - my Charmed thoughts blog. Where it's Charmed 24/7/365.


Saturday, September 13, 2003 To hell with blogging. I tried and tried, and I still didn't like what I was doing - so I've just decided to turn this into a site with thoughts on it. I might put up a message board or something of some sort for people to write their opinions on what I say, but for now - as I know that I'm probably the only one reading these - I'll just let it be. Well, today's topic is spoilers: I got into Charmed during the summer between the first and second seasons. As I eagerly awaited the second season's start, I was unfamiliar that it was possible to "spoil" future episodes of Charmed. I found the summary for "Wicca Envy" and "Morality Bites" but nothing more. As the second season progressed, I lived off the episode summaries supplied by tv guide, but I never read anything more about spoilers. I liked it that way b/c I never saw Leo getting his wings clipped coming, and I remember my mouth dropping in shock when Piper had the daydream about kissing Leo. As the third season came around, I had realized that there were spoilers out there that were completely summarized online before the episode would air. I purposefully hid my eyes from them because I wanted to be surprised. But, after Shannen was fired from the show, I dove into any Charmed info and/or spoiler I could find. Most of the 4th season was spoiled for me - and I was upset that I spoiled "Long live the Queen" and "Womb Raider" for myself. But, as the fifth season came, I decided that I had to chose whether to forge ahead in spoilerland, or to shy away completely. I dove into spoilerland. I knew Piper's baby was going to be a boy far far in advance, and it didn't make it any less special. I like spoilers in moderation - but I've never read the full episode play-by-plays on The Charmed Ones.com. I know a few tid-bits about the 6th season, but nothing is completely spoiled. I knew everything that was going to happen during "A Witch's Tail" during this time last year, but I've chosen not to spoil "Valkyrie Vixens" (aka "Valhalley of the Dolls") just to see if I like it better being unspoiled. As for the future, I'm on a few mailing lists that give away small tid-bits about future episodes - news about upcoming powers, Wyatt updates, episode titles and summaries, etc. and I like it that way. Spoilers are tricky in the sense that once you read them, it's over - you can't put the genie back in the bottle and you never know how much is going to be spoiled until you read them. Ah well, to be spoiled or not to be spoiled - that's one hell of a question. Monday, September 08, 2003 Ah, my second post. This has been a long time coming since I wrote that last post over two months ago and have finally decided to pick up where I left off. Moving on... I would like to talk about my favorite episode of Charmed..... I want to say that it took me weeks upon weeks of debating which Charmed episode is my favorite, but it's actually really easy for me to pick out a favorite: Chick Flick. The first time it aired, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. (I say "doing" meaning, obviously, besides watching the episode) I was vacationing in Maui, Hawaii with my parents, brother, and cousin, Andi. Since Maui is five hours behind eastern time, the Maui television schedule is very weird there - thursday 9pm episodes of WB shows are shown on friday at 5pm. So, it was Friday and there I was sitting in our hotel suite on the big comfy couch watching Charmed with my brother and cousin (who decided to join me.) For some reason I just remembered that I very firmly ordered that we not have early dinner plans on that Friday just so that I could watch the episode. Anywho, so I was giving the backstory to my cousin, who had many questions, and I just remember watching "Chick Flick" and laughing my ass off, loving every minute of the episode, and - upon returning home to Michigan - rewatching it and loving it even more. In the summer between my junior and senior years of high school, I decided to try something that I wasn't sure would work: My "Charmed Resolution", which was to watch a Charmed episode every day of the summer. Not only did I fulfill it totally, but I also continued it the next summer. Anyway, so after I had watched every single episode, I realized that I had exactly ten days before school would start. So, I decided to list my top ten favorite episodes and watch them in countdown form. For whatever reason, I put "The Honeymoon's Over" as #1 and "Chick Flick" as #2 but then realized after the ten days were up, that "Chick Flick" was, in fact, my all time favorite episode of Charmed. The fourth and fifth season have come and gone, and I'm still stating that "Chick Flick" is my all time favorite episode. Why is it my favorite? For starters, I love the illusion vs. reality concept. I love that there are these rules that govern both worlds and that this demon is so hard to defeat b/c it's unlike any other demon. The episode itself has some definite psychology to it. Phoebe's illusion of the perfect man, Prue's illusion of Finnley's personality, Piper's illusion of a normal relationship with Leo -- all subplots are tied directly to this theme of illusion, and all three illusions are very true to their owner. This episode is tied together so wonderfully and it's flow is so strong that the episode is over before you realize it - there aren't any moments of confusion, nor are there scenes that just "don't belong" or are boring. Even though I love Cole, I've always been a Billy & Phoebe shipper. He is just so adorable!! I love how he treats Phoebe, how he struggles to "write his own lines", and how he really wants to protect the sisters - but relinquishes control when he realizes that "it's the woman's job to save the day". As for Bloody Mary and Axe Husband: PERFECT horror film villains. One is this supernatural killer, and the other is just a psycho. The special effects used to kill them are some of the best ever on Charmed. The demon of illusion was very amusing to watch: so cocky and so dramatic. He's one of my favorite villains on Charmed. (Just can't top Cole though) My favorite scene in the episode is when Piper goes to hide in the shower, Prue find her, they scream, then they run from the bathroom once Bloody Mary finds them, and run straight into Billy and Phoebe - upon which much screaming ensues. Oh man, I crack up every time I see that scene. Point of referance: Watch Billy's face as the four are walking towards the door when Darryl comes over. I'm sure in the script he's supossed to be acting all scared... but he's smiling. :) I run the official Chick Flick Fanlisting - go check it out and join if you're a fan of this episode too. Sunday, September 07, 2003 A Fan's Tale... This is my first attempt at a blog. I know most blogs are all about the blogger's life, but this one is about Charmed. Ya know, that tv show on the WB that's about three sisters that live in San Francisco. Oh yeah, and they're witches. It's the best show ever on tv - in my opinion - and I've been a fan since July 28th, 1999. (That's when I saw my first episode: "That 70's Episode") Speaking of that day, I should probably sit back and reminisce about the beginnings of my Charmed fan-hood... Ok, so it was wednesday, July 28th, 1999 and I had just finished watching "Dawson's Creek." I had just gotten into that show during the spring and had missed some episodes, so the summer was a great chance to catch up on the shows I had missed. So, as the credits faded away from DC I saw that Charmed was on. I'd heard of the show, of course, but had never watched it. I remember seeing an ad for its first season in a magazine, and wanting to watch it, but I forgot for some reason. Call it laziness, call it boredom (I prefer to call it fate) but I watched the show. Within 5 minutes I was hooked. I had a little trouble remembering who Prue was, and was baffled at the name Piper, but as the episode wore on, I found myself completely engrossed. I regret not taping that episode, but I learned from my mistakes, and taped every single episode since then. I fell head over heels in love with Charmed on that July evening, and my love for the show has only grown since then. As far as favorite characters go, mine's always been Phoebe. My brother also got into the show at the same time I did, and I remember asking him who his favorite character was. He said Piper, and then asked me who was my favorite. I thought for a brief moment, already knowing the answer: Phoebe. My favorite character always has, and always will be Phoebe. Alyssa Milano became my favorite actress and I received an e-mail from her on October 4th, 1999 wishing me a happy birthday. (As well as thanking me for the "sweet message" I had sent her.) Alyssa is my idol. I can't even describe how much i love her. As for Prue, Piper, Paige, Cole, Leo, Darryl, and all the other characters, I could never put them into any order as to 2nd to whatever else place amongst my favorites. After Phoebe, my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. favorite characters change with every episode. I truly love Piper, Paige, and Prue the same. As for the guys, I was always a huge Cole supporter, but I do disagree with what his character turned into towards the end of season 4 and all of season 5. I do miss him though. I love Leo - how could I not? He's adorable!! Wyatt is such a cutie, Chris seems like an interesting new character, Darryl is awesome, and I miss Andy. I'm sure that, as time goes on, I'll tackle each character, episodes, etc. and write in here my thoughts about them. With all that being said, here's to the beginning of "A Witch's Tale" - my Charmed thoughts blog. Where it's Charmed 24/7/365.