I am very honored to be working with Hallmark as a Life is a Special Occasion featured blogger and for their sponsoring this blog post, allowing me to share personal stories, insights and inspirations in enjoying simple, every day moments, with you (yes, YOU!)
I began my obsession with Twilight in the Summer of 2007 when my oldest daughter (she was 13 at the time) insisted that...YES!...it would keep her interest and...OF COURSE!...the genre would make an absolutely perfect fit into her 8th grade summer reading list.
"It's a vampire love story!"
Uh-huh.
So, I read it first to make sure that it was...you know...appropriately shelved in the teen readers section and...YES!...it truly was love at first bite.
[cringe]
Don't worry, Stephenie Meyer writes way good-er than me and had an excellent run with a story line that is not really all that unique.
"You know, I had a thing for vampires, back in the day..."
In fact, some of whom have just now entered their twilight years, these actors continue to remain my top celebrity crushes, have done very well for themselves and ALL have hung out (in one form or another) with vampires:
Frank Langella (homeboy born in Bayonne, NJ...YO!...Frank-keeeeeey!) was, quite simply, the GREATEST example of what I loved about vampires: tall, eyes the color of melted chocolate, silky voice, laced with an identifiable accent...[shiver]...totally seductive.
TODAY: the man continues to strike an impressive pose, IMHO, and plays a crusty old curmudgeon in the award-winning independent film, Robot & Frank, but Frank-keeeeeey still looks good...DAMMIT!
Gary Oldman, on the other hand: brilliantly plays an oppressive, tortured soul (see also: Immortal Beloved) and, to me, is an example of the quintessential bad boy of all vampires. I was rooting for him in Bram Stoker's Dracula the entire time!
TODAY: Gary Oldman is an Academy Award-nominated best actor...sandwiched up there in between George Clooney and Colin Firth...YUMMY!
Along with my oldest celebrity crush, Christopher Plummer: I fell in love with Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music....which, I realize....sounds sort of weird...seeing as I was an infant when the movie was released and it has NOTHING to do with vampires.
By the way, Christopher Plummer played Professor Van Helsing in Dracula 2000 (see also: Gerard Butler, the YUMMIEST vampire...EVUH!)
Then, there's George Clooney [takes deep breath, exhales] a vampire hunter in From Dusk Till Dawn and, well, although campy (and perhaps the bloodiest vampire movie I have ever seen) it took him from TV stardom on ER (look it up, youngsters!) to an award-winning film career as a serious actor, writer, producer and director.
Oh, and Colin Firth was considered for the lead of Stoker. Also, so NOT about vampires, a horror story nevertheless and...well..there you go...Vampire Diaries would have killed in the 80's!
"Can you play that meadow scene again, mom!"
Now that my kids are older, it's sort of fun to be able to read and dicuss our favorite books or watch more grown-up-type movies together.
"Noooo...not THAT one...the proposal scene with the OTHER Mr. Darcy."
Aaaaand, therein lies the last and final connection. Don't you see it? The sun rising? Darcy and Lizzy looking all shine-y and glitter-like? Pride and Prejudice and Vampires?
[sound of crickets, chirping]
Hey, look over there, isn't that Robert Pattinson?!?
Speaking of shine-y and glitter-like, Hallmark has launched a Justin Bieber line of greeting cards and, well, the last I heard, my youngest daughter took ALL my samples to school and I have NOT seen hide nor hair of the Biebs since.
She's 10, enough said. He may or may not be a vampire, either.
How about you? Do you have any celebrity crushes? Have you seen the Biebs and/or his new line of cards at Hallmark?
Oh, and in case you missed it: more of our LIASO moments.
© 2003 - 2012 This Full House
Disclosure: I am being compensated for my services for the length of the program. To receive notices on Hallmark products and special offers, feel free to sign up for the newsletter (when you have time, of course!)
