Being Human: Review and Tribute Video

It's hard to believe it's been a year since my all time favorite show ended. & I don't say "all time favorite" lightly. I don't have one favorite song or band (although 30 Seconds To Mars & M83 are up there), or one favorite movie (although Oblivion & Knowing are up there). I love shows like The 100 (based on books by Kass Morgan) & the tragically cancelled Star-Crossed, due to their Scifi themes, but Being Human is the only show in the history of television that I can truly say is my favorite.

Being Human started as a European show, which I saw a couple episodes of on BBC, but just couldn't get into it after seeing the U.S. version on the Syfy channel. No offense to the first Being human, but I think the U.S. version was drastically improved. I might be biased though. It's one of the very few shows where I can honestly say I adored the entire cast, especially the main characters.

In the beginning, Aidan (Sam Witwer) & Josh (Sam Huntington) move in together as roommates. One small problem though - one is a vampire & the other a werewolf. They soon discover that their new-found abode is haunted by a ghost named Sally (Meaghan Rath), & since their supernatural state allows them to see her, they quickly become friends with her quirky, lovable spirit. Then, eventually, Josh falls in love with a coworker named Nora (Kristen Hager), & accidentally turns her into a werewolf. Oh & he also impregnates her with his possibly monstrous child. Ruh-roh D:

The setup of a vampire, werewolf & ghost living under the same roof makes for tons of action & drama, but that's not really why I loved the show. I loved it because one minute the characters could be sitting at the kitchen table joking & laughing (& making me laugh quite a bit too), & the next minute they could be on the edge of life & death, screaming & crying & clawing to save each other. This contrast of comedy & drama is, I think, what made it so great. I've recently discovered a genre of music that I feel is my musical soul mate, called doom metal (bands like My Dying Bride & Forest of Shadows & our friend's band Agonal, & soon our own music too). Since then, I've referred to Being Human as the Doom Metal of TV. Because it does the same thing - makes you feel safe & warm, & then when you least expect it, rips it all away in a flurry of sorrow & despair. I loved being on that emotional roller coaster. Maybe I'm just crazy, but that's why it's my all time favorite show.

When it was announced that Being Human was ending a year ago, with only a couple weeks to adjust to the shocking news, many people were angry. I was too, at first, but then I found out why it was ending & I felt a little bit better about it. & the Series Finale was everything I could have hoped for, bringing all the story lines to a beautifully happy ending. Unlike with the aforementioned Star-Crossed, Being Human got the ending the characters & fans deserved, & I will always be grateful for that. :)

I seriously can't believe it's taken me a year to make my tribute video for Being Human. First, I had a plethora of songs to choose from, finally deciding on my remix of "Breath" by Breaking Benjamin, since it allowed me to showcase both the action & romance on the show. Some of the lyrics really went with certain things that happened too. Then I had some technical difficulties (way too many clips for poor little windows movie maker to handle), & then my novels & other projects got in the way, but finally I decided to finish it, coincidentally, exactly one month before the one year anniversary of the show's ending.

Speaking of the ending, I had to squeeze in another song at the end of the video - my remix of "I Won't Let You Go" by Snow Patrol. You may have heard this song on the Divergent soundtrack. It was in the credits of that movie, but I felt like it should have played when the credits first started rolling (it didn't - one of many musical issues I had with that movie), so for this video it is the credit song, & I really feel like it's perfect for what's happening at the end. Here are the lyrics of the part I used:


Never gonna be easy, was it?

You didn't think it'd be so much fun.

The smile comes despite the danger.

Get some.

I know I'm where I belong.

Deep down inside, I've known all along.

I won't let you go,
 so don't leave go of me.

I wanted something more, 
I wanted this right here.

This is what you really want.

This is what you asked for.


Any of Being Human's main characters could have written these lyrics about their loved ones in the show, & while most of the video is filled with action & dread (& a LOT of screaming, LOL), I wanted to end it on a happy note. Because I think I can speak for all fans of the show when I say these lyrics also sum up how we feel after that ending. This is what we really want. This is what we asked for.

I for one couldn't have asked for a more perfect show or a more perfect ending. I will never let Being Human go (pun intended). I could watch it over & over for the rest of my life & never get sick of it. & I just might do that, once I finally own it on DVD. ;)

Okay, enough gushing. Video time!

Warning: This video is basically the entire series squeezed into 4 minutes (thanks to this amazing & hilarious recap for some of the footage). Some big spoilers ahead. But chances are if you're reading this you've seen the show anyway, so sit back, relax, turn the volume up & enjoy the feels!

:')

P.S. (Spoiler)
I also just found out while researching for this blog that they intended all along for Sally & Aidan to have the same door (to the afterlife) which made this long time Saidan shipper very happy. They were soul mates. It doesn't get better than that. :)

I leave you with an article (interview with Sam Witwer AKA Aidan) discussing the door thing and much more, including a farewell interview video. This amazing show and its truly lovable characters will be missed, but I for one have never been so satisfied or fulfilled after a series. Thanks for the memories. 


Be Human,
Kylie Jude.


}i{

Star-Crossed: Review and Video.

UPDATE 1: 

Sadly, the CW chose to cancel Star-Crossed, with only one episode left in the breathtaking first season. I thought it was doing well & was absolutely shocked when the news hit (as were many others). Overall, 23 shows were axed. Some other great shows were cancelled, but Star-Crossed was probably the most shocking, & the most heartbreaking. There is so much left for this wonderful show, & I hate seeing the fans so crushed, as well as all the work put into this show going to waste. 

When a show has been cancelled, it's pretty unlikely it will get picked back up. Nonetheless, many Statgazers (fans of the show) have started campaigning for the CW to reconsider, or for another network to pick it up. Don't get your hopes up, but if you want to join us in the Twitter campaign, we are using hashtags like #SaveStarCrossed in addition to the usual hashtag, #StarCrossed. Some are also trying to get Netflix to pick it up. I personally think Syfy would be a good channel for it, but, we'll see. It's worth trying, but again, don't get your hopes up too high. Closure is important.

^ That was my first reaction. Just in shock. There are plenty more that feel the same, which is definitely apparent when you search for #SaveStarCrossed or any of the related tags on Twitter. It's even more shocking when compared to some of the shows that were renewed, and some of the new crap coming out to replace the cancelled. It makes no sense whatsoever. The brilliant minds behind Star-Crossed deserve a second chance to tell their amazing story, and even if it does no good, Stargazers will not go down without a fight.

Here are some petitions you can sign that MIGHT help:

Petition 1: Change.Org

Petition 2: Twitter 

Petition 3: DVD Release

Petition 4: Netflix

(If you know of more please let me know & I will add them here)




UPDATE 2:

 The season (and most likely series) finale of Star-Crossed aired this week (5-12-2014) and it was even better than the rest of the series, with plenty of eye candy, all sorts of feels, some plot twists, and tons of action. I joined in on Twitter during commercials, and it seems the finale had the best online ratings yet, with it not only being a crazy amazing episode, but with the fans desire to see another season, and the hopes that tweeting like crazy about it would help. Only time will tell if it did. All I know is, after the finale, I now love Star-Crossed even more than before.

~ Clearly, I was impressed. And the show used the perfectly dark cover of "Stand By Me" by one of my favorite musicians Ki: Theory for the disturbingly epic end of the episode, which only made it better. Like I said on Twitter, the editing was done so well during the song that it was almost like a music video (which is great since Ki: Theory unfortunately had to remove the original "Stand By Me" video from Youtube because of 'violence' - which was crazy, BTW). And the way the show ended was absolutely without a doubt a cliffhanger, obviously written when they expected a second season. So now the fans are even more distraught, because while Star-Crossed did most definitely end on a high note and go out with a bang, not to mention an exciting science fiction shot that made scifi nerds like me squeal, it's obvious that this wonderfully intricate show wasn't given the proper ending it deserved. Good shows have ended before, such as The CW's other show Nikita, and the wonderful Being Human on Syfy, but both shows were given a proper ending. So, while I miss both shows to this day, the emptiness we felt when they ended doesn't compare to the void that this cancellation has left. Star-Crossed deserves to go on.

Like Amee said on Twitter (pictured) the main reason that the cancellation of Star-Crossed is so heartbreaking is that it never had a chance to tell its story, and it didn't get the proper ending it deserved. Season one left us with a huge cliffhanger, making us want to know what happens next season. Like I said, other shows (such as Nikita) at least had a good ending, so it was easier to say goodbye with everything tied up nicely. But Star-Crossed is left wide open, and while the finale was amazing, it just didn't wrap up the story as much as a series finale should. Some are even speculating that the CW is just messing with us and will soon laugh and say it was all a joke, but if it is a joke, it's not funny.

Even Ki: Theory (the musician who's music played at the end of the finale, pictured) enjoyed the final episode of Star-Crossed. Others such as the great William Shatner joined in on live tweeting in an attempt to "save scifi" - because in the end, I think that is what we're all fighting for. Good science fiction. And Star-Crossed was just that. It also had the rare ability to make you think, to make you question your own morals, and to open people's eyes about so many things. That is the main reason I will miss this show. Sure, I'll miss the Science Fiction aspect, and the graphics, and all the hard work that went into creating the Atrian history and culture, but the message of the show is what will stick with me more than anything. There just isn't enough "decent" programming on television these days, and this cancellation proves that networks would love to keep it that way.


If there is a silver lining to this cancellation, it might be that it brought people from around the world together for a cause. People bound by their love for this wonderful show, and by their similar feelings about it being wrongfully cancelled. Stargazers are pretty awesome, and I hope this fandom is around for a long time. Whether it's a tattoo of Atrian markings or the beautiful Sondiv language from the show, or whether it's music videos commemorating Star-Crossed, or whatever it is, I have a feeling Stargazers will keep shining for years to come.


So keep shining, Stargazers. And never forget the impact that Star-Crossed had on you. Hopefully the rest of the world will realize how unique, beautiful and innovative this show was, and if not, well, that's their loss. ;)

Phew! That was long. 
Now for my original post:

The CW has created some amazing TV shows, including Reign, The 100, The Tomorrow People, and much more. All of them have intriguing plot lines, epic quotes, stunning visual effects and cinematography, and perfect music that ties it all together for a great experience. But my favorite show of theirs so far is Star-Crossed, which is loosely based on Shakespeare's timeless tale of Romeo and Juliet, but with an alien twist.

In the show, Roman (who's name is an obvious play on Romeo) is among the aliens (called Atrians on the show) who come to Earth for sanctuary, and are in stead met with prejudice. Emery is the human girl (the equivalent of Juliet) who, unlike most humans, stands with the Atrians. After she befriends Roman as a child, they are separated for years, until a special program puts him and a group of his fellow Atrians at her high school, and the friendship (as well as romance) rekindles. Most of the humans continue to discriminate against the Atrians for being different, which is escalated by a few violent mishaps, and Emery continues to defend the Atrians, showing that not all humans are bad. Which is as true in the real world as it is in this show. Not all humans are bad. :)

Obviously, the romance between Roman and Emery is the main plot of the show, but it's done tastefully - the Atrians aren't "little green men" but look very similar to humans, aside from the markings on their skin, which are unique to each Atrian and glow blue in water "to light the way" - which hints at an amazingly intricate alien culture we want to know more about, and is intensified even more by their unique language, created by the wonderful David J. Peterson (who also created languages for HBO's Game of Thrones and Syfy's Defiance). There's a lot more to this show than just romance, and it holds a beautiful message about acceptance, tolerance, and the power of love. Which brings me to my music video. ;) 

After the long awaited and shockingly passionate first kiss between Roman and Emery in "To Seek A Foe" (yes, the episode titles are all quotes from Romeo and Juliet, which is awesome), I decided I had to make a music video. So, I went to work getting as much footage as possible from that episode and the ones before it. I didn't get as much as I would have liked (I especially wanted to include footage from "An Old Accustom'd Feast" which was the next episode, but our internet connection coupled with the replacement of Star-Crossed reruns on Fridays by Hart of Dixie made it impossible). So, I did what I could with what I had to work with. I also added a few photos from the show, and animated lens flares over them to make them more interesting. I hope it worked.

I apologize for the poor quality. Since we don't have DVR or anything like that, I have to get most of my footage by recording the TV screen with a video camera. So that's why. That's also why you can barely hear the audio clips from the show, but I added text so you can at least know what they are saying. I just loved the quotes and had to use them, one way or another. I know it's not my best video, especially because of all this, but please try to ignore it and enjoy. The second half is hopefully better than the first, so try to stick with it!

When it came to choosing a song, I was stumped. So I posted about it on Twitter and got a couple song suggestions from fellow Stargazers (that's what fans of the show call themselves). @ThiaBaybee suggested "The Power Of Love" (the cover version performed by Gabrielle Aplin) and @MarsAmee suggested "Aquarius" (also a cover, performed by Digital Daggers - who I love BTW). Both great suggestions! 

I had heard Gabrielle Aplin's cover of "The Power Of Love" on CW's other wonderful show Reign (it played during the "Frary" wedding scene), and I thought the lyrics were perfect for the storyline of Star-Crossed, but the music, although beautiful, didn't have quite enough "oomph" to edit to. But I decided to soldier on and add my own drum beats to the song to make it more powerful and easier to showcase my editing "skills" with. LOL.

I also added some subtle clips of the other request (the Digital Daggers cover of "Aquarius") over the song, essentially blending the 2 songs together. I have done this before, but never while adding my own beats, so the music alone is a pretty exciting reveal for me. You might need to blast it on headphones, but hopefully you can hear the changes. I will definitely be editing more music like this in the future, so keep those eyes peeled! 

Oh, and "Aquarius" was used at the end of the very first episode of Star-Crossed, so I finished off the video with a clip of that song (also with drums added). I suggest listening to the whole song though - it really is amazing. 

I hope both Stargazers who suggested songs will approve of the music and the video! I tried to give it the best of both worlds ;) And I added clips of the drums I used during the video credits (without music), in case you're curious.

Caution: This video is pretty romantic. Not only is the main song called "The Power Of Love" and the clips chosen accordingly, but it was made right after the first "Romery" kiss, so just keep that in mind. More than anything, I guess this is a "Romery" video, mainly for fangirls, LOL. So, watch with care. And possibly tissues? IDK.

Side note: This is my first official TV show music video and review! I plan to do more in the future (such as Syfy's recently deceased Being Human & hopefully some more CW shows) so again, keep your eyes peeled. And be nice. Keep in mind this is my first. No better show than Star-Crossed to break the ice with. :) 

You can see Star-Crossed every Monday on the CW, 

and you can see my video RIGHT HERE:

*Squeals* I hope you liked it! Please comment here or on the video itself and let me know! And please "like" and share and subscribe and all that jazz. Thanks for reading, and thanks for watching! 

Be the lightning, 

Kylie Kerosene. 

}i{

Professional Fangirl

After much consideration, I have decided to add the term "Professional Fangirl" to my Facebook Bio. However, to me, the term "fangirl" doesn't necessarily mean what it means to most people. I'm aware that there are some insane people who take fandoms way too far and can even become violent in their love for something or someone, but I am not one of those people. In fact, I hate those people. I am simply a fan of a lot of different things. Movies, TV shows, bands, even some actors and actresses. But my main goal is supporting them and spreading the word about them, because they move something in me, and I simply want others to be moved as well. 

Here is the top description of a fangirl from Urban Dictionary: 

"A rabid breed of human female who is obesessed with either a fictional character or an actor. Similar to the breed of fanboy. Fangirls congregate at anime conventions and livejournal. They have been known to glomp, grope, and tackle when encountering said obsessions." 

Yeah, so that doesn't really describe me at ALL. While I am a fan of a lot of things, I definitely am not obsessed. And I most certainly would NEVER tackle someone just because I admired them for their work. Why would I want to hurt someone who inspires me? Admiration should come with RESPECT. If I were to meet my favorite director M. Night Shyamalan or my favorite band 30 Seconds To Mars, I would be excited, sure, but not to the point that I would scream in their faces and turn into an ape-like being with no sense to utter normal words.

Also, the Echelon (30 Seconds To Mars fan base) has some great people in it, but some are so insane that they will threaten people online with finding where they live, coming to their house, and killing them, just for being seen with Jared Leto (the band's singer). That's some pretty scary stuff. I do consider myself an Echelon, but there's no way in hell I'd be that crazy with it. Of course the guy has female friends and lovers. He's a musician. Why should I care what he does with his free time? As long as he and his fellow band members keep pumping out amazing music to strengthen and inspire me, I'm good. Thanks.

When Taylor Swift visited The Ellen Show  to promote her newly released album "Red" and perform a couple songs, I noticed that when she came out into the crowd of screaming fans, a few of them literally reached up and grabbed her, nearly pulling her from the stage. You could see it on her face - her guard was up. Luckily, she knew how to handle it, jerking her hand away with a smile, but I felt so bad for her and for all celebrities who get treated like this. I mean, this person is performing for you, and you're screaming so loud you can't even hear them? And you're really going to try and hurt them just so you can be near them? REALLY? Some people are crazy. Actually, most people are. I will never understand most fans and their mindless obsessions with other human beings just because of what they do. What happened to the days when people went to concerts to hear the music, not to try and get a piece of the musician?!? Sadly it seems those days are dead and gone. 

But anyway, I'm ranting. Where was I?

One thing I've noticed on Twitter is that celebrities typically do not respond to the crazy fans that tweet them constant praise for their work, and if they DO respond or retweet and that person freaks out, throwing up all over the internet, it's over. That celebrity will probably never talk to that fan again. However, when you treat a celebrity like a NORMAL person (which is what they are) the chances that they will respond to you are so much higher. I know this from experience. And I HATE when a twitter account fills their bio with "So and so retweeted me" or "followed by so and so" - Um, HELLO, bio's are supposed to tell people about YOU, not about what a nut you are. That is the one sure way I for one WON'T follow you on Twitter. I mean, some of my favorite celebrities and TV shows have replied, retweeted, and followed me on Twitter, but it's no big deal. Know why? Because they're just another person! And I guarantee you I wouldn't have had the continued relationships I've formed with some of them if I had been like "OMG OMG OMG YOU JUST REPLIED TO ME OMFG AAAHHH!!!" LOL. That's annoying. Not only to the person you're addressing, but to everyone who sees it. You have to put yourself in the other person's shoes when talking to someone. And that goes for anyone, not just celebrities. 

But I'm ranting again. What is this about? Oh, right, being a professional fangirl. 

 Whereas regular fangirls might be crazy like that, I feel that the term "professional" fangirl describes someone who is a fan but doesn't go crazy over things, or people. That might not be the official definition of it, but that's how I feel. I am labeling myself as such because I am simply inspired by certain music, TV shows, movies, and people to be who I am. To live the life I want to live. It's hard to explain, but in a way my love for these things is a way of expressing myself, and even defining myself. My love of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones represents the side of me that is a warrior. My love of science fiction (such as Defiance and Mass Effect) is a reflection of my desire to explore the unknown and to evolve as a human being and a race as a whole. And I could go on and on, but there are pieces of me in the things I love, and therefore I love sharing them with the world, because it's part of who I am in a sense. Even if I end up a celebrity myself, I'll probably always continue to love and support and appreciate good movies, music, TV, ETC. I don't think I'll ever be able to explain it no matter how much I type, so I leave you with a list of some TV shows I'm considered a fan of.

Being Human (Syfy)
Defiance (Syfy)

Game of Thrones (HBO)
True Blood (HBO)

The Vampire Diaries (CW)
 Beauty and the Beast (CW)
Nikita (CW)

Enlightened (Cancelled by HBO)
The Secret Circle (Cancelled by CW)

Teen Wolf (MTV)

Bomb Girls (Reelz)

Vikings (H2)


You can find me fangirling regularly on Twitter and Facebook.
I also create fan art sometimes. Check it out ;)