Rules and Regulations

Apparently to be a theatre student here, like me and many of my friends, there are a few rules. But my favorite is this:

-Be obese or be gorgeous.

Okay, so I'm paraphrasing (a lot), but those are more or less our options. And that's because we're so young. Apparently, if you're built like me, this body doesn't work for characters until about age 35-40 when I can start playing moms. Until then, I need to be gorgeous...somehow. Therefore, diet starts now. Step away from me with those cookies, Jake. I can sense you pushing them towards me and I want no part of it.

Weight

"I want to gain weight."

Never, ever, EVER say that sentence to me unless you want me to glare at you. I have been struggling for the past two years to lose at least fifteen (preferably twenty) pounds. I have not been successful because I don't have willpower at all. But that's beside the point. Some beautifully thin person whose body I envy turns to me and says, "I want to gain weight"...does not compute. Brain malfunction. I simply don't understand.

You really don't want to gain weight. Maybe if you're way underweight and it's unhealthy, but if you're perfectly normal and you look amazing (and all of us with two chins are jealous of you), you really don't. I promise. And don't get me started on wanting a bigger chest, because I will smack you.

I'm really not a mean person and I don't mean to come off as one when I rant like that. But I PROMISE you, you will be happier being thin and flat. Just trust me on that one.

A Few Dream Roles

Here are a few roles I would love to play someday:

Catherine in "Proof"
Mayella in "To Kill a Mockingbird"
Mother in "Ragtime"
Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera"
Nora in "A Doll's House"
Sarah in "Children of a Lesser God"
Melissa in "Love Letters"
Cecily in "The Importance of Being Earnest"
The Leading Player in "Pippin"
Mary Jane in "Big River"
Yonah in "Children of Eden"

There are so many more...someday!

Richmond

I really want to do a photo series of a walking tour of Richmond. It truly is a beautiful city with all sorts of cool, random locations. One second you're walking on cobblestones down pretty Monument Avenue, the next you're walking past Nanci Raygun's sign that says "Nazi punks @#$% off". You can be standing under the waterfall at Maymont and then go wish you could steal the swan bed from the Dooley Mansion and then go to Carytown for the BEST burgers in the universe.

This would be a fun idea except that my camera is broken. I'll fix it eventually.

First Acting Class

I just took my first acting class of my college career! It definitely sounds like it will be an adventure. Everyone seems very nice and I knew a few people from auditions (and both roommates are in it with me). We all wore black (we looked like ninjas) and played Red Rover. I have Costume Construction at 2:00 and my mom's bringing me essentials soon. Should be interesting!

Classes!

Classes officially start tomorrow. I begin my day with an 8:00 AM acting class (and probably an overdose of coffee with soy milk!) and end it with an evening algebra class. I love how I get to start the day doing what I love and end it doing what I strongly dislike...although I shouldn't prejudge. Maybe my math teacher will be amazing and I'll discover my John Nashlike math skills. Hopefully minus the schizophrenia, because that doesn't sound like fun.

Kaytren (roomie 1) and I went grocery shopping today. We were really good and bought juice, water, fruit, and tea. The only thing bad for us that we got was Coke, but neither of us drink it much. Sarah (roomie 2) has Diet Coke as well, so there's the option to be healthyish there. Maybe I'll get to avoid the Freshman Fifteen! I am on the tenth floor, after all. If things get bad, I'll do some stairstepping to burn it all off.

Musical Theatre

I wonder what the next "trend" in musical theatre will be? It's taken on so many forms. From Zeigfield to "Oklahoma" to "Cats" to "Rent"...it's interesting to see what shows work and what ones don't. I'm a big fan of rock opera, to be totally honest, and I think that taking actual opera music and having rock music behind it is a lot of fun to listen to. Maybe I'll write one.

I love how that paragraph (well, few sentences) makes very little sense and has very little depth. This is because I got about five hours of sleep and no coffee. And THAT would be because...I'm a college student. Yeah, baby.

Oh, and when I tried to write "student", it came out "stupid" on my first try. Freudian slip?

I'm at College Now

I officially moved into VCU today!

My dorm is really, really, really big. It's a triple, but even so, we don't feel cramped at all. The windows are huge (and there are five of them) and our view is ideal. What god did we please, exactly? And even better, both of my roommates are writers (I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be a lot of peer editing going on in here) who stay up late and have no qualms about sharing space. Thanks to whoever is in charge of putting roommates together!

It's funny because since our dorm is so big and pretty, we have a lot of "tourists". Just last night at least twenty people stopped by just to see it. We started calling it a museum. We plan to have movie nights every week. This year will be interesting, if nothing else...

Moving

I'm moving in to VCU tomorrow into a triple that I will share with two other acting majors. I can only hope they like musicals as much as I do, because I don't want to have my headphones on ALL the time.

The fact that I'm really going to college is making me extremely nervous. I had to request to my mom that she not cry in front of me if she can help it. I have no idea how I'm going to be. I have no idea if I'm going to end up being the star of the program or the shyest one in class (more likely). Will I discover that I can't act after all? Or will I discover that I'm actually pretty good? Will I even stick with theatre as my major? Maybe something will stop me from graduating. Who knows? It's such an uncertain time.

In other news, I rediscovered my love for "The Phantom of the Opera". I'm not a Phan or anything, but I really like it. I've never been a huge Webber fan, having never been a "Cats" kid (I listened to "1776" more than anything in my childhood), but I have to admit that POTO is pretty darn good. I feel bad for Erik. He needs a hug. And possibly a girlfriend. And maybe some plastic surgery.

Opera

I really want to get opera training. I have no idea if I have the talent or ability to sing opera, but I would like to give it a try. I've never had a vocal lesson in my life and it's high time I got some training! I can sing, but I have zero technical talent or breath control. And my vibrato is random. If anyone has a name of a vocal teacher that a poor college student who pays her way through life by making sandwiches could afford, please let me know.

Follies Withdrawal

I am suffering from "Follies" Withdrawal.

I always feel this way after finishing a show...it's that whole "NOW what do I do with my evenings?" thing. But this time in particular, I really miss it terribly. Maybe it's because I got to reconnect with so many people from "The Secret Garden" and "Ragtime". Maybe it's because one of my best friends in the world was in it with me. Maybe it's because the cast was so easy to befriend. Maybe it's because I had my first "part-part" at the Dell. Whatever the reason, I miss the show so much more than I thought I would.

At least there's the move to VCU to look forward to. I'm supposed to be packing now, actually. Well, really, I should be sleeping since I have a twelve-hour shift tomorrow, but that's a technicality. I move in on Sunday, making me an official Richmonder. Both my roommates are acting majors as well, which should make for an interesting room!

Caroline's Film Recommends

I love how I've made three posts in one night just so it looks like I have a lot to say.

Anyway.

I've compiled an ever-growing list of films that I recommend people see for various reasons. It's alphabetized. Here are the A's:

All About Eve
All the President’s Men ­
A Lot Like Love
Amadeus
Amelie
American Beauty
Anastasia

The B's will come another day.

Blogging

I just realized I opened this site with a blog about bald celebrities rather than anything about myself, which may have been a smarter move on my part. So, who am I?

Well, I'm an eighteen-year-old aspiring actress from Virginia. I am a freshman at VCU studying theatre performance. My favorite movie is "Dear Frankie" (it also contains the best screen kiss ever, in my opinion). I have fallen in love with this recording: http://www.ourmedia.org/node/250935. My favorite musicals are "Ragtime", "Big River", "Man of La Mancha", "Pippin", and "1776". My favorite plays are "Butterflies are Free", "Children of a Lesser God", "Proof", "The Crucible", "Noises Off", and "Picasso at the Lapin Agile"...though both of those lists have many more that are added on.

Now, look how boring all of that was. Wouldn't you have liked it better the other way? Where I just talk about how the fact that Natalie Portman looks great bald doesn't interest me at all? I thought so! Let's go back to that.

Why I Don't Care About Bald Chicks

I just signed onto AOL and saw this article:

"Since V for Vendetta was recently released on DVD, I've found myself asking a deep, philosophical question. How many other actresses shaved their heads or went totally bald for the sake of the cinematic arts? It turns out there were quite a few. I found nine worth mentioning and eventually decided to drop Robin Tunney (Empire Records) and Demi Moore (G.I. Jane) to runner-up status. "

But here's the thing. These are stunningly beautiful Hollywood actresses who have a team of experts applying their makeup and training their bodies every day. Sure, it's cool that they can prove that feminine beauty can exist despite a lack of visible hair...but the Orthodox Jews have been doing that for years (snoods, anyone?).

Of course Natalie Portman looks like a total babe when she's bald. She's very pretty. Same with all the others on that list. I don't really care about the list of who looks great bald. But the writer of this article sure does. And you know why? Because secretly, they wonder what they'd look like bald. They wonder if they'd be as hot as Sigourney Weaver in "Alien". But are they brave enough to test it out?

Ay, there's the rub.