Get over yourself.

This is sort of the first part of a two-part post I'm planning on writing.  It was originally going to be one post with a disclaimer.  But I realized I'd end up ranting for a couple paragraphs because this is a touchy subject with me and I figured why not just make the original rant shorter for the loss of the page-long disclaimer?

So this is the prologue to the oncoming blogpost, which I'm roughly entitling Doctor Who And Why I Call Myself a Whooligan and Not A Whovian Because My Favorite Season Was Season One and Whovians Hate Me For That.

I'm still working on the title.

But anyway.  The disclaimer was going to say this: loads of Whovians who watched the original Doctor Who before the rebooted show have told me that Eleven is more like the original Doctors, and that's why they prefer him to Nine or Ten.  And that's totally fine.  Different opinions - I like them.  The trouble comes when, as has happened to me, people get belligerent and say that Eleven is the best New Who Doctor and that the people who don't like him obviously have something wrong with them - and if they don't know the original Doctors, then they're obviously n00bs and their opinion is moot.

As John Green said, this is one of those few things that turns me into a giant squid of anger.

Especially now with all of the reboots, remakes, and revitalizations, elitism like this is everywhere.  The people who've been in fandoms before it was cool have disdain to spare for the oncoming newbies.  (Not all of them; I just want to make that clear.  There are idiots and smart people in every group.)  And sometimes I see someone who's had experience in a fandom or an area of interest, and they just swarm over a confused newbie like a one-man cloud of vampire bats, with this wad of corrections and clarifications and facepalms.

It's not. cool. guys.

Entertainment like this is not a big deal.  It's fun.  That's what entertainment is FOR - it's for FUN.  It's for relaxing and deepening your mind and maybe making friends that you wouldn't have made otherwise.

You do not use entertainment - movies, novels, mythologies, comic books, TV shows, radio programs - to talk down to people because they got something wrong.  Okay?  You don't.

A person should be able to enjoy the Marvel Cinematic Universe without getting lambasted because he's never read all hundred billion comics that came before.  A girl should be able to say she really enjoyed The Kane Chronicles even if she knows nothing about Egyptian mythology.  I should be able to talk about Doctor Who even if my favorite Doctor is Nine, I hate Amy with every fiber of my being, and I occasionally write Dr. Who instead of Doctor.  A guy should be able to say he enjoyed the book and the movie without getting "THEY CHANGED THE BOOK SO MUCH" shouted in his face as if he didn't notice himself.  And a girl should be able to say she enjoys Twilight without getting venom spit at her.

Elitism like is hurtful and damaging and it just makes you look like an idiot.  Not all fans do it - fandom people are generally awesome - and of course the nasty fans don't affect everybody the same way.  Some people can roll it off.  Other people internalize.  And before anyone says that they should get used to it - which they should, I agree - I can also say that they shouldn't have to.

I mean, come on.  Jesus loved noobs!  He didn't go around talking down to Gentiles because they didn't have the entire Jewish history in their bloodlines.  I think it was the people who thought they knew everything who ended up getting most of His righteous indignation, wasn't it?

So what this all boils down to, in the end, is respect.  Respect that other people have different opinions. Respect that some people just like Greek stories and that they don't know Ancient Greek and that it sure as heck isn't hurting you if they don't know that Hercules is Roman and not Greek.  Respect that someone doesn't have time to read all the original Avengers comic books and that even if they had the time they might not have the money and that where on earth do you get comic books anymore anyway?    Respect that maybe Owl City's latest album is actually their first introduction to electronica and that just because all they know yet is "Good Time" doesn't mean they don't have all the necessary enthusiasm, love, and effort to put into a fandom.

Or that someone doesn't want to be as big a fan as you are!  What an idea, that someone doesn't want to be just as hardcore and awesome as you are.  Kick in the pants, that.

Let. people. alone.  Newbies don't need a teacher.  They need someone who'll sit and scream with them at Weeping Angels and who'll headbang along with them to OneRepublic's new song and someone who'll await the next book or episode with just as much agony as they have.

In other words, get over yourself.

Time to break some eardrums.

Hey, guys!  Miss me?  Didn't think so.

Have you ever stuck your iPod on its dock, turned on This Awesome Song, and then cranked the volume till you just closed your eyes and felt the music pulsing through your veins?  If you have, ain't it great?  If you haven't, you need to get a life, dude.

And I am here to help you find such a life.  I have compiled a List of Songs Useful For Breaking Eardrums.  Your instructions are to go buy these songs and play them as loud as possible.  Then you can come back and thank me.

1. Hanging By A Moment - Lifehouse
It's freaking Lifehouse.  Of course it'll be awesome.  But there's something about the guitar and Jason Wade's voice.  He has a caramel voice - caramel voices always sound great cranked up.

2. Un Giorno Per Noi - Josh Groban
Bear with me.  Even classical-y songs can sound great with the volume up, and this is one of the best.  Especially towards the end.  Josh Groban's chocolate voice is almost as good as a caramel one.

3. Scream - Thousand Foot Krutch
TFK!  Real rock!  And this is one of their best songs.  The bridge is spectacular.  Turn this one up especially loud.

4. My Soul, Your Beats! - Lia
The opening theme song for the anime Angel Beats!, this song has some of the most gorgeous piano I've ever heard.  Seriously.  Listen to it.  Loud.

5. Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down
...I'm running out of ways to praise these great songs.  Kryptonite is awesome, anyway.  It always makes me feel out of breath, for some reason.

6. Comatose - Skillet
Pretty much any of Skillet's newer songs are awesome to play loud, but Comatose is one of my favorites.  Maybe it's the violin at the beginning...

7. The Islander - Nightwish
Even though it's one of Nightwish's more folky songs, it's just so beautiful.  The rhythm, the music, the words, the story, the mood...

So there you are, my seven favorite songs to blast until the walls shake.  And coming from a girl with over 4,000 songs, narrowing it down is pretty impressive.  So, really.  Go listen and be amazed.

Top Seven Disney Villain Songs

I said that there were going to be lists.  Well, beware, 'cause here's my first one.  Break out the awesome lighting effects and requisite dancing sycophants.

(Before I go any further, I should say that yes, I am a huge classic Disney fan and lots of my lists will probably be about them.  If you don't like dancing singing animals, then you're destined to sit in a depressingly mature hole for all of eternity, writing about the economy and what kind of dishwasher just came out.  I'd start liking dancing singing animals, if I were you.)

7.  Snuff Out The Light (Yzma's Song)

Now, I'm not sure where this song came from - whether it was originally to go in The Emperor's New Groove itself or in what TENG would have been, Kingdom Of The Sun.  I'm betting on the latter, because it would make much more sense in that respect.

Anyway, I've never heard of this song until I started looking.  And it's a creepy song buried under the jazzy music.  I always knew Yzma was a good villain.  Given a serious movie (not that TENG isn't awesome, because it is), she could have been really scary.

6. Friends On The Other Side

Now, I didn't really like  The Princess And The Frog.  It just wasn't that memorable for me. But this song is catchy, and the whole transformation sequence is... well, shall we say, well done.

(Though it seemed like a lot of trouble when all the good doctor wanted to do was to turn Whatshisface Prince into a frog.  A bit like overkill, if you ask me.) 

5. The Siamese Cat Song

I love the Siamese Twins.  They're awesome.  And they're cats.  So I don't usually consider them to be villains.  But everyone else does, so I'll count this epic song as a villain song.  

I mean, it's the Siamese Cat Song.  Who doesn't occasionally find himself singing:

We are Siamese if you please - 

We are Siamese if you don't please.

4. Hellfire

Now, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is one of those not-really-for-kiddies kiddie movies.  Mostly because of this song.  You can tell from the title that it's not exactly "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes."  It's really a pretty disturbing song - kind of PG-13, if we're being conservative.

That said, it's a very successful villain song, in that it 1) evil-fies the villain, and 2) gives a reason why the villain is being evil.  And, y'know, it's just plain disturbing

3. Mother Knows Best / Reprise

Ah, Gothel.  You're such an awesome villain.

To be honest, I'm cheating here a little, because, if you'll notice, I have links to two songs - "Mother Knows Best" and "Mother Knows Best (Reprise)" because, to be honest, you can't have one without the other.  The one sets up the entire story, really.  The second... well, the second is just bloomin' awesome.  I got the shivers the first time I heard it.

This is why he's here!
Don't let him deceive you!
Give it to him, watch - you'll see!
Trust me, my dear - that's how fast he'll leave you
I won't say I TOLD YOU SO!

2. Poor Unfortunate Souls

Okay, let's get this straight.  I can't stand The Little Mermaid.  It has oodles of horrible messages that I'd love to rant about here, but it's not really the place.  SO.   The song.

It's awesome.  Only good part of the movie.  Ursula is an awesome villain and her song is dead on.  Personally, I wish Ariel had ended up in Ursula's mer-garden, but a bunch of wittle girls probably wouldn't be too happy with that. 

And number one is...

1. Be Prepared

Now really, could it be anything else?

I don't think so.

With great visuals, great music, and fantastic characters, it's really hard to beat this song.  I feel kind of sorry for all the villain songs that came after "Be Prepared."  Because there's really no way to compete with the evilness contained within.

Well, those are my Top Seven.  Additions/subtractions?  Criticisms?

Safe And Sound is kind of an ironic title...

Now, I am not a tremendous Hunger Games fan.  The books are pretty good, but not epic.  I'm probably not going to be seeing the movie in theaters because I have books to read and music to buy and tea bags to splurge on.  

That said.... oh, my stars.  That is a gorgeous song.

I'm a rather big Taylor Swift fan, anyway, and what I've heard from The Civil Wars is awesome (if you haven't heard Barton Hollow, go listen to it and feel the shivers).  But... good grief.  This is a departure from Taylor Swift's music, but her voice is still beautiful.  It's more of The Civil Wars' style, and it really shows.  I never would have thought about the two working together on a song, buuuuuut... I'm kind of hoping for a partnership album now.  

Even if the movie is a fail (and I'm of the opinion that it will be, even if I do like Josh Hutcherson or however you say his name), then I'm thinking the soundtrack will be worth something, if all the songs are this good.  Here's hoping.