Brilliant, outstanding, witty, clever, memorable, whatever. Here are three characters from books, movies and TV that I personally think deserve the Novel Prize for Fictional Charisma (no, there is no such thing... Is there? There needs to be.) What do you think about these characters? What are your favourites? Let us know in the comments!

Jace from "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"

I've just finished reading City of Bones, or COB as I like to call it, and have been marvelling at what a brilliant character Jace is. His sarcasm and wit really do sparkle as brightly as he imagines them to; he pokes fun at anything and everything, and gets a huge kick out of being irritating. He is a deep character, but he also sent me to bed shrieking.

Bella from the "Twilight" series

You're thinking: Bella's a boring pig-arse and Kristen Stewart can't act. I'm thinking: she may seem boring, but in fact she's a very unusual girl. She reads Jane Austen novels "for the fun of it" and doesn't want to check her emails for days. I bet she doesn't even have a Facebook account... She's self-contained and intelligent. And she must be pretty depressed to choose to study maths when she could be gossiping. But then Bella simply doesn't do gossip- she's in a world apart, quite literally.

 Arthur from "Merlin"

This is just an old TV show, but I had to include this blast of mighty self-centred Princeness. Arthur is like an older sister- he verbally (and physically) bullies his servant Merlin and episodes end with a stream of bossy orders- "Merlin, you're such a girl's petticoat!" "And now, my room needs cleaning, my horses need exercising, my stables need to be mucked out, my clothes need ironing, my armour needs polishing, and when you've done all that, you can be a dummy for my wrestling practise." Wouldn't you just love to have Arthur as a sister? Yes, I'm sure you would.

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They haven't confirmed the separation yet, but I don't think it's ever too early to produce a list of the reasons I loved the J-Bros. I mean, who would ever miss a chance to post pictures and GIFs of the three cuties? It's a pity that these boys have hit a hard rock in the road, but hopefully, they'll sort things out.

To be honest, I'm not too thrilled about all those drug rumors and Kevin's wife apparently faking her pregnancy for publicity and all that, but let's just brush that aside and look back to the Jonas Brothers glory days. Oh, how I loved them.

1. They're actually a BAND

They actually play the instruments as they sing, which is pretty rare in this age of pop. Well, yeah, with only three people in the group, they have to bring more musicians to play as a full band, but when they play acoustically, my gosh. Kevin really gets into the music.

2. They write their own songs

All their songs have some kind of story to tell and they have songs to fit every mood. I can rock out to some of their faster songs and cry in my bed as I listen to their more emotional songs. That's totally awesome.

3. Two words: Camp Rock

Need I say any more? This is where I first encountered the hotness of Joe, the cuteness of Nick, and the plain dorkiness of Kevin. I CANNOT BELIEVE KEVIN IS MARRIED! Sorry, that was random, but OMG. I still remember his funniness in Camp Rock. *sobs*

4. They're good looking

*shrugs* They are. Don't you dare deny it! And their hair. OMG their hair is paradise! Those curls! THOSE CURLS!

5. They're funny



I'll let the video speak for itself.

6. They have the cutest relationship ever

I know. They're brothers. They're supposed to have good relationships. Yadda yadda yadda. BUT LOOK AT THEM! I'M DYING OF CUTENESS OVERLOAD!

7. They're nice to their fans. Yay!

Fine. I never met them. But considering the stuff I hear, I'll take a guess and say they are indeed nice to their fans. They stop for pictures, sign stuff, etc.

Wait. Was I supposed to write this entire blog post in past tense? *shrugs* I guess my mind's not ready to say good-bye to the Jonas Brothers yet. I'm hoping they can straighten out their problems... It's kind of sad that their tour was only a couple days away when they cancelled everything. But you know what makes me even sadder and more depressed? THEIR TWITTER IS MISSING! OMG WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY LIFE NOW?


-Barista Mia-

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Title: Starkissed
Author: Brynna Gabrielson
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

Kissing movie star Grant West may be every teenage girl’s dream, but when it happens to Sydney Kane, it’s nothing but a nightmare. Sure he’s cute, but having her face plastered all over celebrity gossip blogs is not something she’s interested in. Now cheerleaders are trying to befriend her, reporters won’t stop calling, and her mother keeps chasing her with a curling iron so she won’t be caught by the paparazzi with flat hair ever again.

Forgetting Grant is all Sydney wants and Colin, the guy she’s had a crush on since seventh grade, seems like a pretty good way to do it. Then Grant shows up at Sydney’s door begging for a second chance and the more she gets to know him, the more she isn’t sure she wants him to go away. But with Grant in the picture, Colin is backing off and she definitely doesn’t want that. Everything is a mess and Sydney doesn’t know what to do, who to choose, or how to make those pesky cheerleaders leave her alone. She only knows one thing for sure, being STARKISSED isn’t a dream come true at all.

Review:

4/5

*WARNING: very slight spoilers*

I picked this up hoping for a cutesy read because I wasn’t in the mood for studying. Starkissed turned out to be the exact thing I needed. A cute, romantic comedy that is impossible to put down, I read it in two hours nonstop and I never noticed the time ticking by.

As a rule, I’m a sucker for storylines where a rock star/movie star boy falls for an ordinary girl. Because, hello? Harry Styles anybody? And this book was so my style. I think the biggest thing that sold me was the characters. Especially Sydney. She’s so lovable and relatable. I could definitely feel Sydney’s pain with her being the only plain one in her family. And honestly, I believe everyone has felt that way at least once in their lives. When she was being compared with her sisters at school, and when she was comparing herself with her sisters... If Sydney were real, she and I would be best friends.

But the best part? First of all, I’m not very emotional, which leads to occasional emotional attacks in which I cry for hours straight nonstop, but that’s a different story. I could literally feel Sydney’s pain and happiness. My heart beat so fast whenever Sydney’s was. My heart broke when Sydney’s did. My heart leaped when Sydney’s did. I haven’t felt so connected to a main character for a long time. I think it’s got to do with me and her having so many similarities personality wise, though I would definitely say she's so much braver than I am. I could see myself acting as she did, and I could see myself thinking as she did. We would totes be crying on each others' shoulders as we bathe in our un-awesome-ness.

From time to time, I would find myself hating Syd’s family (See? I even made a nickname for my fictional best friend!). They would sometimes really piss me off. Leaving Syd to go to NYC themselves? I hate you! But I got to know them better, and eventually got to understand them at the end.

And the two boys. Hm. What should I say? They’re confusing. There’s no other way to put it. But I’m not saying they’re confusing in a bad way. It was a good kind of confusing, because it got me guessing about who Syd would end up with, though I knew who it would be. Speaking of which, although I knew who, I still speculated. It kept me on the edge of my seat, hoping Syd would end up with my favorite guy character.

The epilogue was epic. Nice touch, Brynna Gabrielson.

If I had something bad to say about this book, it would be that there weren’t enough scenes with Sydney and THE HOTTEST BOOK CHARACTER OF ALL TIME. More, I say, more!

I would recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a quick, fun read that will make you fall in love with the characters and every teenage girl out there.

Oh and P.S. I don't like the cover. I thought Syd was supposed to be a brunette? But whatevs.


-Barista Mia-

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I'm sorry. But I had to bring that up, because I just came across the most horrifying thing I've ever seen in the history of this universe. It's almost as bad, no, it's as bad as Friday. For those of you who missed the hype back in 2011 or just want a reminder of how bad it was, here's the Friday music video:



Yeah, it was that bad. Do you remember now? I sure as heck do and I won't be watching the video again. *secretly watches it one more time* I don't know what it is, but I just love watching dumb things. It's funny and I like to bathe in the funniness, okay?

Do you guys remember Rebecca Black x2 from last year? You know... the two girls who were talking about how hot they were and stuff?

Here's the video for y'all who want to watch it. A little warning, though, your ears might just die.



The reason I'm showing you guys these horrible songs is that there's a new song and video in YouTube world, baby!

Anyway, Rebecca Black and these two girls, whoever they are, had better watch out because this song is about to break some ears. It's about Chinese food and how awesome it is and how the singer absolutely loves it. No, I'm not joking. Not surprisingly, it was written by the same dude who wrote Friday. Ugh. He really needs a new job.

I have so many things to criticize about this video.

1. What's with those random subtitles?
2. This little girl, Alison, went clubbing, then hugging, then got hungry? Are you serious?
3. She just starts to point out all the stuff she likes.
4. She meets a panda and goes frolicking in the meadows with him.
5. That panda turns out to be that rapper in the Friday video.
6. That panda hangs out with little girls and plays monopoly. Only because monopoly rhymes with broccoli.
7. He actually raps about Chinese food with this creepy smile on his face. Uh. Pedo bear alert?
8. Then these geishas just pop up and start to dance.
9. The panda flies out of the roof on a rainbow.

Shudders. This is what I imagine happens during the process of writing the song.

Writer: So what do you like?
Alison: Uh, I don't know.
Writer: Oh, come on. Just tell me anything you like.
Alison: I like pandas, and food, and China. I wish I was Chinese.
Writer: *ten seconds later* Wrote this for you.

To be fair, though, Chinese food is pretty awesome, I guess. What do you think was the worst song of them all?


-Barista Mia- Read more »

I’m not going to write about Take Me Home, or Little Mix’s new (uh, fairly new) album, although I do love these and they are great for rocking out to whilst eating chocolate with your friends. 1D are terrific, but they’re not, well, deep, are they? Do you really want to listen to them singing about having parties with girls whose daddies are dentists when you’re feeling down and out? It’s my opinion that we all get the miseries from time to time, even if some people are more, unfairly, lucky than others. If you ever want something new to listen to that’s still uplifting but not so in-your-face-we-have-everything-cheerful, look up Sara Bareilles' new album, “The Blessed Unrest” on YouTube. After one listen, I was in love. It’s a beautiful combination of creative ramblings like the ones normal people don’t actually do but that I think everyone should, and your classic love gumph; “Cos Ah caaaaaaaan’t have youuuuuuuuu.”

No, these songs really are inspiring. The single, “Brave” pretty much voices exactly what I need at the moment...



Then there’s the song “Satellite Call”, which reminds me of the night sky and the universe and a whole lot else.



Then there’s “I Wanna Be Like Me”, which I think a lot of us could find something worthwhile in. Lying in bed eating ice cream and thinking you wanna be like yourself is sure to cheer you up, as soon as you realise it’s true!

Overall, the album has a brisk but dreamy tone, as if Sara is talking in a stream of conciousness out of her brilliant creative mind (which, may I add, I know nothing of except what she shows in this album,  because I had hardly even heard of her before finding it.) Oh, and “Brave” has even been compared to Katy Perry’s “Roar”, yes! In actual fact there’s not much similarity except that the opening bars of music sound the same, and loosely, both the songs are about getting guts and bein’ brave. And magically turning into animals. Well, that’s just Katy. Sara, on the other hand, is perfectly happy with descriptions of gravestones and constellations and little black dresses.


-Barista Sabita-

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I'm a movie freak. I check the theaters for new movies that are coming out daily and watch every single trailer that pops up anywhere. And as for IMDB, I check it almost five times a day, no joke. It's not like the site updates that often, but I like movies and I like to stay on top of things THAT much. Anyway, while I was browsing IMDB almost a year ago (I think), I discovered that a remake was on the works. And not any old remake, a Romeo and Juliet remake. Cue excited screams here.

Okay, okay. To be honest, I'm not the biggest RJ fan. I feel like Romeo and Juliet are two stupid young people who are just so stupid that I can't even handle life right now. BUT! I really do love watching the movies. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's the kissing, the romance, or the sheer handsomeness of Romeo and the gorgeousness of Juliet (who doesn't like watching good-looking people, huh?). One thing's for sure, though, I cannot wait for RJ to hit theaters in Korea.

I've been keeping tabs on this remake for a while now and it's just DAYS away from releasing in America, so I thought it would be time for me to introduce you guys to the stars of this new RJ remake. Eek! I seriously cannot wait to watch this movie! The actors are too awesome and ugh.

Anyway....

ROMEO!!!!!!!!!!

Douglas Booth

Isn't he the perfect Romeo? Those cheekbones and jawline of his are going to kill me. Definitely someone to go all "Romeo, Romeo. My true love." over. Oh, and by the way, he's British. *squeals*

And Juliet <3

Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee's someone I've been keeping an eye on for a long time. Since her debut alongside Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges in True Grit, it's been hard to not notice her. And what's more? Her long, brown hair is perfect for Juliet.

Friar Lawrence

Paul Giamatti

That beard! If that's not Friar Lawrence-y enough, I don't know what is!

Tybalt

Ed Westwick

CHUUUUUUCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Lord Capulet

Damian Lewis

I have a love-hate relationship with Lord Capulet. Let's see how Damian pulls this character off. I reckon he's one of the most difficult to play.

Benvolio

Kodi Smit-Mcphee

I still remember him as the little kid in Let Me In. He's grown so much!

Ugh. I can see the movie already! I can't freaking wait! For now, nobody touch me or I will explode of anticipation. I have high expectations, people. HIGH EXPECTATIONS.

Oh, and to close, here's the trailer to the new Romeo and Juliet adaptation:

There are shivers down my spine.

-Barista Mia-

Images:  Walking With The Wounded, Hailee Steinfeld's Twitter, Justin Hoch, Greg Hernandez, Damian Lewis's Twitter, Kodi Smit-Mchphee's Twitter

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