Inside the Katy Perry Prismatic Tour

Blogosphere, welcome back! Boy, do I have exciting stuff in store for you today. Katycats, you guys are about to totally freak out. Not only did I recently go to Katy Perry's Prismatic concert tour once, oh no, I went twice! And yes, it was unbelievably amazing both times. Of course, for those of you who haven't yet been, I'm not going to give away too many spoilers, but I can just warn you now, it will most likely be the best concert you'll go to in your entire life, so just be prepared for that. I think you'll also be pleased to know that my aim today is to not only give you a little low down of the concert experience, but to also incorporate as many pictures my friends and I took while there, so you're totally welcome in advance. Intro complete, let's get down to business . . .

My first Prismatic concert experience I'm happy to say was relatively stress-free, and despite being in the general admission mosh-pitty section, there wasn't much pushing or shoving going on. However, the second time, it was a whole different story. It was like my friends and I were competing with a bunch of starving animals over who got the last piece of human flesh. Despite this extreme, Hunger Games-esque battle for the ultimate position, guess who came out on top? This guy. And how close were we you ask?

That's right, totally touching distance. Although my friends, I can promise you, it wasn't easy. We seriously fought for our position long and hard, and managing to maintain it was a whole different story. Especially when you have to stand in a mass of sweaty, uncomfortably close people who want nothing more than to overtake you. But don't worry, I stood my ground. For 4 hours. In the same position. With no room for movement. But trust me, I'm not even being the least bit sarcastic when I say it was all totally worth it. And why is that? Because Katy Perry and I 100% shared several lengthy eye-contact moments.

Anyway, enough about me and my lame life stories, let's get into some things you guys actually care about. Now I don't know what goes down in other cities or countries, but I know that both times I attended the concert, we were graced with the musical stylings of Betty Who as our opening act. Was she relatively entertaining? Yes, I'll give her that. Plus, she seems nice enough, so that was a bonus. However, as always, the concert to come totally overshadowed all of this. Between the opening act and the time Katy Perry came out, us audience members were privy to some behind the scenes set up, but once that was all done and dusted, spectacular things definitely ensued.

From the moment Katy Perry stepped on stage I can honestly say there was never a dull moment. Every number was a whole new masterpiece, and I often found myself uttering the phrase 'oh my god, is this really happening?'. Expect the impossible my friends, that's all I can say.

One of the (many) things that I was thoroughly impressed with was the amount of detail that went into everything that happened on stage. It was all planned down to a tee, and I felt like we were all invited to an explosion of the technicolor insides of Katy Perry's mind. From the extravagant costumes to the amazing set, it was seriously a once in a lifetime experience (that I got to go to twice).

It's obvious that Katy likes to have a lot of input into her concerts, because literally everything we got to see showed another quirky side of her personality. I'm not even close to kidding when I say I'd love to go again, so if you have a spare ticket, feel free to let me come with you for the third time.

Another thing that really made the concert awesome was the fact that a whole lot of her old songs were chucked in there as well. I always hate it when artists come out and only play the songs from their new album and forget about what got them to where they are, but luckily, this definitely wasn't the case. I can't think of an old song she didn't perform, and to make it even better, Katy decided to shake things up a bit. I don't want to give too many hints away as to what's in store for you when you go, but let me just say she decides to give one of her classics a Broadway, jazzy, feline touch.

Despite the fact that this concert was certainly a ginormous spectacle, there were also moments where Katy toned it down a bit and just sang with her guitar. Not only was this a really nice change of pace, but it allowed us to hear her really sing without all the production behind her, which I am pleased to say was pretty great. She really brought it in the vocals department, and managed to interact with all her fans.

Speaking of Katy mingling with her fans, this just so happened to be one of the most interactive concerts I've been to in my life. There are selfies galore, there's pizza distribution, and last but definitely not least, there's a massive birthday celebration. If it happens to be your birth-a-versary and you have a prime position in the mosh pit, you're in for a definite treat.

All in all, let me just say, you absolutely need to go to this concert as soon as possible. Sure, you can just buy front row tickets to the concert movie in cinemas, but watching this live is just the best thing anyone can ever experience. Finding a concert to top this one is going to be a very difficult challenge which I don't really intend to complete, but I can always wait another two years for the next album tour. I practically just stood there in the moshpit, gob smacked the whole time thinking 'wow, this is all so expensive!'. It was just so awesome in every single aspect. The computer graphics were unbelievable, the dance routines were amazing, and the pyrotechnics at the end really just put a glittery cap on the night.

Now I'm afraid that my Katy Perry Prismatic tour round-up has come to an end, and we all have to go back to our drab, boring lives which contain significantly less fluro. If you can, try and get concert tickets right this moment, and if you can't, well at least you got to take a look at all my (original!) photos. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

Harry Potter Spells I Wish Were Real

Hello again readers! Today, for no particular reason, I thought I'd get in touch with my inner potterhead and list some of the awesome spells JK Rowling was kind enough to introduce us to. Before we begin, make sure you're in a comfortable position, because spoiler alert, it's story time. When I was little, I'm not even slightly joking, I was totally convinced I was a witch. I've briefly mentioned before that I was completely and utterly devastated at age 11 when I never received my letter to Hogwarts (and yes, of course I still hold a grudge), but it didn't stop there. I thought I had all this power over the universe, and if I'm being totally honest, I'm still pretty sure (or am under the illusion that) I have some kind of magical powers going on. Moral of the story, witchcraft is pretty frickin' awesome. Anyway, enough about me, let's get down to business . . .

Tarantallegra - Forces Target to Dance

This is officially the best thing ever. Some of you may not fully appreciate the awesomeness of it yet, but just think of all the flashmob possibilities! Come on, this is like my dream come true. Just imagine it, one moment your teacher's berating you in front of the whole class, and the next, they're breaking out some of the coolest 90's hip hop moves you've ever seen. Does life get any better than that? I think not. You're entire existence would just be like that one scene from 'Beetlejuice':

Legilimens - Reveals Memories and Thoughts of Target

Boy would this one come in handy. You know those annoyingly suspicious people who always look like they've got something on their mind but will never, ever tell you what it is? Imagine a world where they didn't exist. Yes, only sorcery could be responsible for such a thing, but isn't it awesome? You would seriously have the ultimate power. Just thinking about this is turning me a little evil. Things would only begin to go awry if the spell was used against you rather than to your advantage, but fingers crossed it doesn't come to that. 

Evanesco - Vanishing Spell

Talk about instant teleporation. If vanishing spells were a thing, think of how much time you'd save? Catching public transport would be a thing of the past, and cars would totally be rendered redundant. Sure, you won't have getting your license to look forward to when you turn 16, but you can teleport! See, every cloud has a silver lining. Plus, if you're really terrible at awkward goodbyes, just avoid the situation altogether and disappear mid sentence. Social conventions be damned!

Scourgify - Cleans Things

I'm not going to lie to you all and say that I currently spend gruelling hours cleaning my bedroom, because that would be completely and utterly untrue, however, am I asked to complete said task frequently? Yes, I most certainly am. How cool would it be to not only get the task done, but with minimal effort? At the flick of a wand, nagging parents are no more, and spotless surroundings are instant. 

Accio - Summoning Charm

Just think, any celebrity, any time. Your number one idol could be rocking up to your house right now! Don't tell me you'd deny yourself a brush with fame. If it were up to me, the entire Glee cast would be in my room at this moment, serenading me with whatever chart topper they've decided to tackle this week. This spell would definitely come in handy, and open you up to a whole range of perks you never even thought possible. Manipulation is so underrated. 

Glisseo - Turns a Staircase into a Slide

This would actually be one of the best things to ever grace this Earth. Instant slides, I think yes! Not only do you get the perks of a theme park without the lines, but this spell also happens to eliminate exercise. That's just the biggest win-win ever! Plus, slides are about as awesome as it gets. You get the gratification of thrill-seeking without doing anything vaguely risky. Could this spell get any better? I really don't think it's possible. Just imagine, everyday could be like that awesome scene from 'The Princess Diaries 2':

So bam, you've now reached the end of my slightly supernatural blog post! Here's hoping witchcraft and wizardry somehow becomes possible for the average human, and we can put these awesome spells to good use in say a week or so. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx  

Laments of a Know-It-All

Hello blogosphere, welcome back! Sorry about my major, just under two week hiatus. What's my excuse? Truth is, I've just been lazy. But to make it up to all of you readers out there, today, I thought I'd directly address the know-it-all inside me (and hopefully, you), and indulge in some of the hardships that come along with it. Everyone who's magically immune to channeling their inner smart-aleck often doesn't understand the pain we have to endure to appear to be a normal, but I'm here now to unveil this for all to see. Without further ado, let's get cracking . . .

1. When you get the Overwhelming Urge to Correct People.

Trust me when I say that I can definitely vouch for this one. I mean, it's just so difficult to resist the urge to correct people when they, say for example, mis-pronounce a word, or incorrectly use grammar. And really, is there anything wrong with rectifying people's mistakes? Surely you think they'd be grateful. After all, you're just trying equip them with the correct vocabulary every human should strive to obtain. But no, unfortunately  it ordinarily doesn't go down so well. Whether it's a spelling and punctuation error or simply a linguistic oversight, in the words of Rizzo from 'Grease', some people are so touchy.

2. You Really Enjoy Being Right. Like, a lot. 

No one wants to admit it, but that surge of self satisfaction you feel when proving someone wrong is almost worth the massive argument you have to go through to get your point across (or at least the amount of internet you waste proving this to be true). Come on, smacking people down with the power of your knowledge is really just one of the best feelings a person can experience. However, this doesn't always go over so well with your friends. You get called all kinds of things, from 'argumentative', to 'competitive', but really you just feel you're being a Good Samaritan and trying to better their education by gracing them with your superior wisdom. No matter the consequences, I think this one is just every know-it-all's secret guilty pleasure, and there's really no denying it.

3. Trying to Seem Cool Headed Around People You've Only Just Met is Really Hard.

When you've become accustomed to speaking your mind around the small group of people you know, it becomes super difficult to seem normal around those you've just met. However, that doesn't mean you go down without a fight. Once a new person is thrown into the mix, I always try so hard to be a normal, rational human who reacts totally normally to things. So you end up just kind of bottling up all your rage, adopting a ridiculously grumpy demeanour and refusing to talk to people for the rest of the day. What's the end result of that? Newbies just end up thinking you're a whole different, I-hate-the-world-and-people-around-me type weird, or possibly even worse than that, they think you're just shy.

4. When People Try and Best You, the Monster Within you is Released

I have one word for you, 'Glee'. It's my thing. Absolutely, 100%, I know more about it than anything or anyone else in the world. Sorry Gleeks, you've met your match. Luckily, the majority of people around me know their place (either that, or they just don't care, which is probably more likely), but there are those few over the years who have tried to test me and reign supreme, and I am actually a bit ashamed to say that the person I become when everything I know to be true is challenged is not someone you want to be around. It's like some weird protective instinct that causes a gigantic, terrifying beast to take over my body and crush people (with words of course) into a blithering pulp. Luckily, this scarcely occurs, as people ordinarily just understand that I'm as Gleeky as it gets and I can manage to feign normality for 99% of the time, however when it all goes down, boy, does it get cray. 

5. You're Always the First Person to Grace People with Fun Facts

To me, this seems perfectly fine, but apparently to some, sharing your knowledge with the world is perceived as cocky. I don't know, people just suck, but that's the way ordinary (subpar) humans are. It's only natural for us know-it-alls to get our Stephen Fry on and let the world know that dolphins only sleep with one eye open, or that koalas can give you chlamydia, but no, common folk either don't care or adamantly protest your awesomeness. But have no fear, there are people like you out there who are dying to spread around their exciting factoids, so just keep doing what you're doing and play the ignorant card.

6. Being Wrong Sucks

Just like being right is one of the best feelings a know-it-all can have, being wrong sits firmly at the other end of the spectrum. Of course you try and play it off like it doesn't phase you at all, but let's be honest here in our safe haven that is the (super public) internet, it is the worst thing ever. Everything you think you know you begin to call into question, and you begin to wonder if you've been living a lie your entire life. Plus, having your pride severely wounded for everyone to see brings along with it a significantly high embarrassment factor. Though generally, being a labelled as a know it all tends to mean that you do in most cases have the correct answers, so luckily, this only occurs rarely (therefore only heightening the blow).

And I leave you with that folks. Hopefully you've either been able to find parts of yourself on this list, or at least found a place deep within that understands the emotional turmoil us smart aleks are forced to endure on a daily basis. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

Introducing: Barrett Wilbert Weed

Greetings readers! You may be a tad confused as to what this post is about, but have no fear, all is about to become clear (and yeah, that was supposed to rhyme). You know when you find these awesomely, talented people on the interweb, start stalking their filmographies (or in this case, theatre credits), and feel like you've discovered them, only to find that they become massively famous in the next few months and no one believes you were an original fan? Yeah, it happens to me all the time *cough* Ansel Elgort *cough*. However, I am here today to officially put a stop to this. If you read my recent 'Heathers: The Musical' review, perhaps you remember the name Barrett Wilbert Weed popping up (because to be honest, it's kind of hard to forget).

Of course you guys know I am totally and utterly obsessed with it right now, and therefore, it's not that hard to believe that I've been kinda sorta cyberstalking the girl who originated the role of Veronica Sawyer Off-Broadway. Also, considering it's her birthday today, I thought hey, what better time to prove my fangirling abilities? She may be well and truly known around the theatre community at the moment, but I'm just going to put it out there now, when she makes it really big and becomes a household name (which will totally happen), I knew her first. Strangely long intro over, let's get into it . . .

Who is She?

If you're an uncultured being and still have no idea who I'm talking about, this subheading is definitely for you. Barrett is obviously a musical theatre performer who's starred not only as Veronica in 'Heathers the Musical', but as Nadia in 'Bare', Denise in 'Found: A New Musical' Off Broadway, and was the understudy for the lead in Broadway's Lysistrata Jones in 2011. Not convinced of her experience yet? You have a problem.

Prior to all this stage work, she attended Elon University, and guess what? Majored in Musical Theatre, where she played Maureen in their production of 'Rent'. I know, I can feel all you Broadway fangirls out there getting super excited, because I did exactly the same thing. Seriously, who doesn't love 'Rent'?

Why She's Totally Awesome

Introductions over with, it's time to officially prove to you guys why she is 100% fangirlable (and yes, let's just pretend that's a word). 

She's Got Mega-Talent

As with most musical theatre performers, Barrett happens to have a whole lot of talent at her disposal. Doing 8 live shows a week including strenuous dance routines and some uber belting definitely requires a lot of hard work and natural ability, which handily, Barrett happens to have in spades. I wouldn't say its her voice that totally sets her apart (though don't get me wrong, that's super awesome too), but I really just think it's the whole package. Her more naturalistic style of acting is kind of like a breath of fresh air, and her inherently awesome comic timing really just makes for an immensely enjoyable theatre experience. What can I say? She's got the goods. 

She Has an Awesome Sense of Humour

You know how sometimes you watch people on TV or in musicals and they seem really funny and nice, and then you see them in interviews and they're completely and utterly boring and serious? Yeah, this isn't even close to being the case (thank god). Every interview I've seen her in she comes out with some pretty awesome stuff, and it's obvious that she enjoys fangirling just as much as us mere mortals do. If you decide to do some scoping out on the magical world of Instagram, you'll inevitably come to the same conclusion. Don't believe me? Go right now and check out her rendition of 'I Could Be Jewish For You' and I think you'll change your mind. 

She Loves all her Cast Members

I have to admit, in the productions I've been apart of in my musical theatre experiences, I've found it difficult sometimes to get along with everybody I've had to work alongside. However, Barrett seems like she's just a genuinely nice person, and somehow has managed to befriend just about everyone she's worked with. Of course, us fans can't be certain considering we're not with her every second of her entire life (because seriously, that's even too stalkerish for someone like me), but based on every interview ever and her abundance of Instagram posts, everything seems to be constantly peachy. They have little private jokes that we all try (but fail) to cop on to, and in a few of her tweets, Barrett was pretty heavily encouraging everyone to vote for her 'Heathers' co-star Alice Lee on 'Rising Star'. How cool and awesome is that?

She Worked Really Hard to Get Where She Is

Similar to a lot of people in the business, Barrett hasn't just got all her parts on a whim. Obviously, to make it in the industry and be successful you need to put in a lot of effort, but specifically in Barrett's case, she did a whole lot of ground work before she even got started. She wasn't just like 'hmm, musical theatre sounds fun, I'm going to give that a go', she'd studied a lot and attended university, making sure she got all the training she needed to hopefully make it big. And bam, it worked! Considering that's what I'm planning to do in just over 2 years (how scary is that?!), it's important to have people to look up to. And hey, looks like I just found another one.

Overall guys, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm giving you all a new person to stalk and obsess over. You're welcome. Just when you think the Earth's run out of people to fangirl over to the extreme, a Barrett Wilbert Weed comes out of the woodwork. Now go! Do all the things! Listen to all her covers on Youtube, follow her on Instagram and Twitter, and perhaps most importantly, send her a Happy Birthday message.

Well, I think this post is just about drawing to a close. I bid you all goodbye.

Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

Goodbye October: Greetings November!

Blogosphere, hello and welcome to November! October managed to come and go in the blink of an eye, and now we all get to endeavour into a new month of awesomeness. However, by now you should know the drill, and understand that I'm not letting October get away that easily. Today, I'm just going to do my usual monthly thing and recap some of the important celeb news and drama to grace us last month, and then we can all feel free to move on with our lives. Sound good? I think yes.

5. Candice Accola and Joe King Tie the Knot

It seems that wedding bells were prevalent recently, as 'Vampire Diaries' star Candice Accola and musician Joe King decided to make things official and get hitched on October 18th. Sure, I'm not invested in their relationship or anything (in fact I didn't even know they were dating until about a week ago), but I'll be nice and wish them well. I've come to know Candice as Caroline in TVD, so I hope it all works out for them, because I'm just an uber nice person. 

4. Lena Dunham Releases 'Not That Kind of Girl'

It got quite a bit of media coverage recently that star of 'Girls' Lena Dunham was releasing her very own memoir 'Not That Kind of Girl'. Prior to release, it actually seemed to get all kinds of positive reviews, however when it hit shelves this month, it was literally marked down to 30% off in a matter of hours (if that). I guess that kind of sucks for her (you know, a lot), but I have to say, I can't help finding it just a little bit funny, probably because (not so) deep down, I'm truly a horrible person. 

3. Ariana Grande and Big Sean Get Together

It seems like not too long ago I was talking about the engagement between Naya Rivera and Big Sean (probably because it wasn't), and now, it seems he's decided to well and truly move on also. Popular singer Ariana Grande has now taken her place, as the two artists have been entangled romantically rather recently. My inner journalist is dying to find a scandal somewhere here, but I have a feeling that everything's pretty legit. Despite the fact she's a mainstream popular artist (something ordinarily sure to deter me), I actually really like Ariana Grande. Not only is she awesomely talented, but she just so happens to have a Broadway background. So yeah, I'm going to be nice and wish them all the best, despite the fact I'm not totally sure Big Sean isn't just a big idiot. 

2. Blake Lively Announces Her Pregnancy

It seems like it wasn't long ago that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds decided to have their nuptials, yet as of this month, it was officially announced that the couple are soon to be expecting a kid. That's all very exciting, and I can honestly say I'm pretty pumped to see a 'Gossip Girl' baby toddling around. Throwing a little Van Der Woodsen in the mix can only be a good thing, and I hope they enjoy taking care of a tiny crying, screaming and vomiting human. 

1. Gough Whitlam Dies

Tragically, former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam passed away recently at age 98 on the 21st of October. Sure, he had a pretty good run, but it's still sad nonetheless. Coincidentally, we had just finished learning about his contribution to Australian politics in History, so I was well informed on the impact he made on our country, which I guess just kind of highlighted the fact that we were losing someone pretty influential to say the least. It's still super sad obviously, but at least he can say goodbye to planet Earth knowing he implemented some pretty cool and beneficial reforms that have and will continue to assist generations of people. 

So that's all there is to it. October's officially done and dusted, and we can now let go of that and focus on the potential awesomeness to come. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx