Zooey and Ben

Well, I admit, this is sort of a creepy post. I love Zooey Deschanel, and I think it's time I tell the world how my fan-love has sort of evolved to this weird stage. I think she's a really talented artist, both musically and in film, and I really, really hope I get to meet her someday (I tweet about this constantly). I know she's married to Ben Gibbard, of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service fame, but I think it's great. They're a wonderful celebrity couple. I love Ben's music almost as much as Zooey's music (maybe) and I'm just waiting for them to get together and just bubble beautiful indie/emo music. I'd get that album instantaneously.


Anyways, the point of this post, really, is that I was listening to some of The Postal Service ("Such Great Heights") and I was thinking, "Wow, maybe Ben wrote this song when he was dating Zooey." I mean, it's possible. "Such Great Heights" was released in 2003 and Zooey and Ben got married in 2009. I have no idea when they started dating, but I'm willing to believe they at least knew each other by then. A six-year dating period isn't impossible.

Maybe a more avid Zooey Deschanel fan than me knows more, but for now I'm content thinking that this song was Ben's song for Zooey when she's away on tour. It fits. Anyways, here's the song so you can listen too.

The likelihood of all this conjecture being accurate is pretty low, but it's a nice thought. Zooey didn't start going on tour with She & Him until 2008, so maybe it refers more to her being on tour for filming. But the coincidence is just phenomenal. I like to think she listens to it when she's on the tour bus with She & Him, thinking of Ben.

It's such a sweet thought, one of those thoughts that romanticizes love and encourages us to believe in it still.

Character Study: Summer Finn

It's safe to say that (500) Days of Summer is one of my all-time, favorite movies. It doesn't hurt that my all-time, favorite actress is the titular character either. There is no denying that I am fully obsessed with Zooey Deschanel, so this may explain the subject of this particular post.

Don't worry, though, this won't be just me crooning about how great she is or how much I'm in love with her. I solemnly swear I will do my absolute best to maintain objectivity in what is going to be an in-depth study of a character I find intriguing and very well-constructed.

First, I should probably do a bit of explaining. If you don't know, (500) Days of Summer is a romantic-drama-comedy film. The movie is all about a guy named Tom who falls in love with a girl named Summer. He believes in love; she doesn't. It sounds like your average rom-com, but it truly stands out. The movie has so many layers (like a relationship) and what I'm trying to do is simply peel away at one of them.

The Conflict of College

College is coming. For those of you like me who are preparing for the big leave, it's safe to say that we are all feeling a little weird about it. Moving away. Meeting new people. Living on our own. As I was told very many times, it's natural to feel a little anxious. But what probably freaks us out the most is that a majority of our friends won't be coming with us. We're dispersing to different colleges, scattered by the four winds. We're afraid we may never see each other again.

I will miss my friends. The people who over the years I've become close to, who shared my experiences and who I've come to rely on and care very much about. You know who you are.

A New Star Wars Movie, Please?

No, no, no. Don't get excited. This neither official or a rumor. It isn't speculation either. It's simply wishful thinking from an undying Star Wars fan and lore nerd.

The original Star Wars trilogy and the prequel trilogy are done and over with. Even though a remake of either trilogy would be cool, I think that a completely new Star Wars story is waiting to be told. There's so much material out there; the Star Wars universe is massive. A new movie could take place thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin or thousands of years after.

Just do a quick Google search of Star Wars stories that have nothing to do with the films. There's so many and a lot of them have nothing to do with the Rebellion era or the Clone Wars, which would be a breath of fresh air in what's becoming a stale environment.

To start with we have the Tales of the Jedi story arcs with Ulic Qel-Droma, Exar Kun, and Nomi Sunrider. In these story arcs alone there are two epic conflicts: the Great Hyperspace War between the Republic and the Sith Empire under Naga Sadow and the Sith War with Exar Kun and the fallen Ulic Qel-Droma. There's literally enough there to create a whole new, epic trilogy.

Impressions: Starcraft II

Since I am not a professional critic (yet), I don't feel right calling this an official review. Instead I will just give you my feelings on the subject at hand. Impressions be my articles devoted to these pseudo-reviews. They won't be full reviews, but I'll share my thoughts with you.

So, for my first Impressions piece...

It's safe to say that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is one of the biggest launches of the year. Its predecessor was, and probably still is, played all across the globe by some of the most the diehard fans. But Blizzard's sequel delivers an experience that not only recalls the original, but improves upon the basic formula in such a way that it could single-handedly revive a struggling genre.

A Little Introduction

So you know what you're getting yourself into, I'll give you a little explanation and introduction. A prologue, if you will, to future posts on Oven-Blaked. I'll cover the 5 W's and tell you a bit about myself in the process. After that, you can decide whether you wish to keep following my blog. Or not.

The power to choose is, and always shall be, yours (I would appreciate you sticking around though).

Who?

I am Blake Gabriel Tan. I graduated Hoover High School in 2010 and will be attending the E.W. Scripps School for Journalism at Ohio University in the fall. I love to write; innumerable forests of pages to unfinished stories (sorry, Earth) lie lost in my room. I write stories, both short and long fiction. I've tried my hand at poetry, but after senior AP English and studying the intricacies of poetry, I have given up. Additionally, I enjoy opinion writing (which is partially why I started this blog in the first place). I find my ideas to be more coherent and my delivery more eloquent when written (or typed).

What?

Well, it's going to be my personal blog. You'll find my opinion here on various (mostly random) subjects, as well as reviews of movies, books, and video games, short stories, and excerpts from my longer stories. I will refrain from posts that simply complain or whine. However, I reserve the right to critique. I don't want to waste Web space or, more importantly, your time. You may also find cartoons I've doodled make their way onto here.

Where?

This is an easy one. It can be found right here on Blogger. I will also try to link future posts to Facebook and Twitter as well.

When?

Starting from this point onward to an undefined time in the future. I will try to post at least once a week, though more or less than that is possible.

Why?

The biggest question of all. Why, oh, why? Maybe it's just to jump on the bandwagon of the modern, digital age so I can be one of those posh bloggers (or vloggers) and I can sit at Starbucks and chit-chat about nonsense. Maybe. I can neither confirm or deny such rumors.

It is safe to say that I am blogging because I like to write. I like to hope that the remainder of my summer is not just spent on Starcraft II and to prove to myself that I can do something productive (the productive nature of blogging can be argued, but I rest my case).

And ever since graduation I haven't written an opinion piece since the senior issue of The Viking Views. Since my eventual wish is to write for Game Informer or an entertainment magazine, I thought it prudent to continue using my opinion-writing skills. It's the only way to keep them sharp after all.

So, from here on out, it will be Half-Blaked by me, your host, Blake Tan. Enjoy and I hope you continue following my posts in the future.