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Underrated Treasures Blogfest!

Hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanagh, this blogfest is sure to entertain you for days to come.

Everyone has a favorite movie or band that no one else has ever heard about. For whatever reason, they remain undiscovered and underrated. Now is our chance to tell the world about these obscure treasures!

Today’s the day I post about my favorite unknown:  MOVIE, BAND/ARTIST, TV SHOW, or BOOK. I can post about one or all four – my choice.

So here I go.

Movie– MirrorMask

Wikipedia

I like the movie MirrorMask. I’m not saying that it’s my favorite movie or even my favorite obscure movie, but I do think it’s worth mentioning and here’s why: Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, and Jim Henson.

There aren’t many around today who aren’t at least socially aware of the creative talent of Neil Gaiman. Whether or not people like his work or have even experienced it personally, most people in western civilization, at least, know who he is. I like Gaiman’s work. His influence and voice are clearly evident throughout this film.

Apparently Dave McKean wears many hats, including: Illustrator, photographer, writer, filmmaker, and musician. That’s all well and good, but I mainly know him from, Batman: Arkham Asylum, but have recently viewed some of this other work and am pleased with it. McKean’s signature artistic style shines in this film.

Then there’s Jim Henson. No need to talk this guy and his production company up. If people don’t know who he is, they can Google him. The Henson influence in this film isn’t huge, but it is significant. The Henson influence also isn’t its typically bright, high-spirited, more popular influence; it’s more along the lines of Dark Crystal and Labyrinth…which of course, is right up my alley.

When it comes to describing this movie there are three words that come to mind: weird, trippy, and complex. This isn’t a film that leaves you completely satisfied upon completing it, but that’s why I like it. It’s keeps you wondering, second guessing, and tilting your head. It’s a visual anomaly, having many clever and striking graphics, but there are also some that you’re just not quite sure are supposed to appear the way they do. This isn’t a comfortable film to watch, but for me, that challenge is part of the magic that makes this movie worth experiencing…And despite what critics say, the story is wonderful. It’s not completely coherent in places, but it’s unique and original, and that in itself is an accomplishment.

See the trailer here:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swrcKRVgeGI&w=320&h=240]

Song– Bohemian Rhapsody cover by The Braids (altering the category of BAND/ARTIST)

Wikipedia

There’s nothing better than the original Bohemian Rhapsody by the band Queen. This is one of those times when you’ll really have to hear me out before you decide to hang me. There’s a very specific and important reason I want to feature this particular cover of this song, but first I need to explain why I chose it for this list.

Plain and simple, I chose this song because not many people know it exists. Being from the High School High soundtrack, I can’t blame them. I’ve never even seen this movie, but I’m pretty sure I don’t need to. I originally heard the song on the radio back in high school, which brings me to why I’m featuring this song now.

I think most people take it for granted that everyone kind of shares their options about certain things without taking into consideration cultural difference. One great Cultural Revolution I like at the moment is the mixture of musical genres. Now I do love my classics and can be a bit of a traditionalist, but I like that people are expanding their musical horizons.

There was a time, and in some places this is still the case, when music was strictly regional. Black urban youths had no idea who groups like Queen and The Ramones were. I’m sure there were other regions where groups like Digable Planets and Digital Underground didn’t exist either.

When I heard The Braids cover of this song, I was excited to finally have a way to talk about a song and band I liked with my peers by sharing and comparing this song to the original version. This isn’t a great cover, but it’s not a bad one either. It’s definitely different from the original, but that’s why it’s so special. I have several friends now who’ve experienced many different musical genres all because I found a way to reach them, initially, with this simple cover song.

Finding a sample of this song was more than hard. Unfortunately the only one I could find was from a You Tube video where the person who posted it, included a picture of the group Fugees. I’m not sure why this person did that, but this song is definitely not by the Fugees; it’s by The Braids.

Listen to (don’t watch) this song here:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_dKmVya-Y&w=320&h=240]

TV show– Out of This World

Wikipedia

Every time I try to bring this show up in a conversation, people look at me like I’ve smashed together the languages of French and Stark Trek’s Klingon. I was actually amazed by how easy it was to find this with a Google search, but I guess it was because I knew what I was looking for. I know I can’t be the only sci-fi/fantasy fan who remembers this show from their childhood.

I distinctly remember the classic song, Swinging a Star popularized by Bing Crosby, being the theme song for the show, though it wasn’t his version that was used. As a kid, this show was right up there with Small Wonder, Alf, and Greatest American Hero (another underrated classic). If you don’t know these either, head to the Google machine.

This show had everything a young female sci-fi fan could ask for. It told the story of a girl who was half alien and had special alien powers. It was traditional silly, after school sit-con material, though it could also fit in well with Saturday morning shows like Saved By the Bell. I don’t think this show was ever in danger of winning an Emmy, but I liked it.

See the trailer here:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2UkZzdyD0A&w=320&h=240]

Well that’s it. It’s more than I meant to share, but hey, I was on a roll. I couldn’t think of a book to add, so you lucked out there. Be sure to drop by and visit other stops on this hop. Whether you liked what I posted or not, someone else is bound to have something just for you.

Click here to see the Linky list.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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About Toi Other

Happy 2nd Blog Anniversary! – An Interview, Part 5, Finale

anniversayGreetings readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors. It’s my anniversary and I thought I’d interview myself and share it with you. I’ve come a long way as a writer, blogger, reviewer, and interviewer and I’d thought it would be nice to share some of the things I’ve learned and tell you a little about myself, in case you don’t already know.

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What’s the most fun experience I’ve ever had, to date?

I have so many fond memories with friends and family that it’s nearly impossible to focus in on just one, but I’ll do my best. When I think long and hard about it, I’d have to say that my most fun experiences are of times spent on short little trips with my husband.

One year we got away from it all: our jobs, our friends, and our families just to spend a private Thanksgiving together. It was really nice and a lot of fun, especially since our getaway destination was Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA or as I like to call it “Little Vegas”.

The whole experience was weird, fun, nice, and exciting in a way that’s just too complicated to describe here. I sincerely hope we get the chance to recreate that moment again down the road.

Not that I can see into the future, but in my opinion, what does the future hold?

I’m going to go against my very nature and try to be positive here. I’m a realist, but I feel a need to look on the bright side, or at least search for one. I hope that the US figures out that what it’s doing isn’t working and realizes it may be time to let some non-politicians come up with some ideas for how to fix things. I hope that at some point the rich will stop trying to keep all the rich people rich and the poor people poor and start focusing on how to manage their wealth in a way that allows them to keep wealth without keeping it from others.

As for me, if by some miracle I’m able to step away from a day-job and write full-time, I’ll be happy, but if not I’ll still be right here sharing with all of you. I’ll be doing that anyway…but hopefully in the future there will be a lot more of you to share with.

Is there a message or cause that I want to share with the world?

I could stand on my soap box and talk all day about all kinds of issues that I feel are important, but I won’t go against the nature of this blog, which is to be lighthearted. If you really want to know how I feel, get to know me. Aside from my author page, Toi Thomas, on Facebook, I have a personal profile as Toinette Thomas. You don’t have become my friend to see what I’m doing, thinking, and sharing. Follow me for a while and see for yourself.

Aside from that, I’ve posted, in several places on this blog, some of the causes that I’m actively promoting and giving to, including The American Cancer Society. Please feel free to seek them out and learn more.

 

Any last words to offer these readers after visiting here at the ToiBox of Words?

In case you haven’t picked up on it by now, this is a very diverse blog and I am a diverse person. I don’t have a lot of extremes about me and I don’t fit neatly into any specific category. In truth, I think that most people are like this whether they realize it or not. I think that we are all more alike than we are different and I welcome all to experience what the ToiBox of Words has to offer.

My blog motto: “I promote books and authors because I think authors should be just as important to the world of entertainment as music groups and movie stars.”

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Okay readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors, that’s all for today…unless you have a question you’d like to ask me. 😉

Thank you for sticking with me these past two years and these past five days. I hope you have enjoyed at least some of the things I’ve shared. I do so humbly look forward to seeing you around the ToiBox of Words in the future.

This has been a

interviewpic-toibox

 Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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About Toi Other

Happy 2nd Blog Anniversary! – An Interview, Part 4

anniversayGreetings readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors. It’s my anniversary and I thought I’d interview myself and share it with you. I’ve come a long way as a writer, blogger, reviewer, and interviewer and I’d thought it would be nice to share some of the things I’ve learned and tell you a little about myself, in case you don’t already know.

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What is my favorite food or meal and why?

Wikipedia

Food is an issue with me. I enjoy cooking and baking and experiencing new food sensations, even when I turn out not to like them. Food, like music, is one of those things that I believe can bring people together across racial, national, and religious barriers.

My favorite food is rice. I can eat it almost any kind of way and with anything, but most of all I can eat it plain.

My favorite meal changes, right now I’m going through an Indian cuisine phase, but I’ll never be tired of my mother’s vegetable stew with cornbread. It’s the one thing she makes that’s better than everything else.

If I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life, what would it be?

Wikipedia

This is not a fair question to ask, but since I put other authors through this torture, I’ll give it a go.

I’d first like to acknowledge that this answer may be different at another time on another day. For now, I’d say the one movie I’d watch over and over, if it was the only movie I could have, would be Love Actually.

When the soundtrack of my life is playing in my head, what songs express my glee and what songs bring out my rage?

I adore this question but never stopped to realize just hard it would be to answer it. The problem I’m currently having is that I do actually hear a soundtrack running through my head all the time and there’s no way I can describe it all to you. Plus, I’m a music lover; there are few forms of music I can’t at least appreciate.

Popular or Pop music is what it is. I like it, but it’s not what brings me glee; it takes several musical forms to do that. When I’m down, listening to Harlem Renaissance jazz, opera, oldies Do Wop and beach music, and even some Reggae brings a smile to my face.

Wikipedia

When I’m raging, because I can admit that I do that sometimes, listening to punk, rap, and even some alternative music (that’s not too hard-core) lets me get it all out of my system.

I have other songs that serve other purposes, but I won’t mention them all.

Currently my favorite album to sit back, relax, and enjoy an evening with my husband is Talking Book, by Stevie Wonder.  Oh, and of course I listen to it on vinyl.

Let’s play zombie urban survivor.What 3 things would I need to survive a black-out in Central Park the day zombies attack?

Wikipedia

Why am I in Central Park? …This is actually more like three and a half things since one thing goes with the other. I’d need at least one pair of night vision goggles, a Swiss Army Knife, and a semi-automatic weapon with lots of ammo. Too bad I only asked for three items; this list could get very interesting.

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Okay readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors, that’s all for today…unless you have a question you’d like to ask me. 😉

Thank you for sticking with me these past two years. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for part five of this interview and hopefully enjoy some more of my insights.

This has been a

interviewpic-toibox

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords