I'm planning my trip to Japan!

Japan is a country I have dreamed of seeing since I was a child. I am incredibly fascinated by the culture. I love the culture, the architecture, the art, all of it. I'm in the planning stages of planning a trip there. I am doing research into the types of restaurants to be found there, where I can stay, what kind of experiences I can sign up for and more

It's so much fun doing the research. Apparently, what I discovered during my research, is that if you visit the Visit Japan website, you can do all of your pre-registration or immigrations forms there. And have them ready for the officials at the airport, meaning you can start enjoying your trip faster! Oooooo. I am fine with that, especially if the makes the jobs easier for the customs officials at the airports

I'm also in the process of learning Japanese. I wish I had more time each night than 20-30 minutes to work on my lessons. I have to work with the little time I have each night after work. But, I've been doing research and compiling information about the types of experiences one can sign up for through authorized travel sites. There is one in Akihabara where you can customize your own Game Boy or Game Boy Advance. How cool is this? It's a bit pricy, at around $347, but it's definitely worth it. I'll definitely do that. And you can also visit Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea or Universal Studios Japan by going through this Asia-based travel site called Klook. They help you get tickets for places like that at reasonable rates. There are even experiences where you can don the kimono and armor of samurai and learn more about these ancient, but noble warriors. You can even buy tickets for events and attractions at convenience stores, or konbini, as they are called in Japan. Places like FamilyMart, Lawson or 7-Eleven!

I did keep seeing the same concept-buy tickets ahead of time or well in advance because of their popularity. What I didn't even realize is that, in addition to Japanese restaurants there, there are other ethnic restaurants in Japan. There are pizza parlors!! Can you believe that? Pizza parlors!! I've read that many of them have won awards for best pizza. One in particular, called PST Pizza in Tokyo, had won numerous awards for World's Best Pizza. I will definitely have to try that. There are even other ethnic restaurants in Japan, such as Chinese, Thai, American, Tex-Mex and more. It sounds strange to hear these ethnic restaurants in Japan, but it's been said that Japan prides itself on meticulous attention to detail. This must explain why the food often ends up being incredible! I cannot wait to try for myself. There are even pancake places there!! Ooooooooo. One notable restaurant is called Flippers Pancakes. I believe I will definitely try this place. A lot of these restaurants don't start opening until 9am or later; which is fine with me. I'm usually not awake until then anyway. And besides, even if I were to get up earlier, I can explore while the shops are up and running. One site that keeps getting mentioned in Tabelog; it's a Japanese restaurant review site that can be used to find restaurants. I will definitely use this site

I also found plenty of sites providing information on entering / exiting the country legally. Filling out the customs forms. What you can and cannot bring in and what you can and cannot take out. About tax free shopping. The policy on tattoos and more. Despite Japan becoming more relaxed in their strict no-tattoo policy, there are some who are not comfortable seeing tattoos, because of the stigma they carry. For those who are unaware, there is a form of organized crime in Japan called the Yakuza, or Japanese Mafia. They are known for heavy body tattooing. These articles I've read about whether tattoos are safe in Japan state that, while the attitudes towards tattoos are changing, it's still better safe than sorry to cover them up. Just to avoid the risk of offending / upsetting someone. It's always better to cover them up to respect someone's wishes

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

This is the sequel to the highly successful film

Summary

-Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) learns more about her mother's past while in the process of opening the Hotel Bella Donna

Cast

-Amanda Seyfried: Sophie

-Andy Garcia: Fernando Cienfuegos

-Celie Imrie: Vice Chancellor

-Lily James: Young Donna

-Alexa Davies: Young Rosie

-Jessica Keenan Wynn: Young Tanya

-Dominic Cooper: Sky

-Julie Walters: Rosie

-Christine Baranski: Tanya

-Pierce Brosnan: Sam Carmichael

-Omid Djalili: Greek Official

-Colin Firth: Harry Bright

-Stellan Skarsgard: Bill Anderson

-Cher: Ruby Sheridan

Did You Know?

-Cher chose Andy Garcia to play the role of Fernando over other selected actors

-During filming in November 2017, Dame Julie Walters was given a day off to attend Buckingham Palace for an investiture ceremony, where she would receive her Commander of the Order of the British Empire honor from Queen Elizabeth II. The cast and crew gathered together to welcome her back by singing "There is Nothing Like a Dame" from the musical South Pacific

-On the day she came home from the hospital, after giving birth to her daughter, Amanda Seyfried's agent informed her that this movie was successfully greenlit and would begin production. She thought it was a practical joke

-After appearing in this film, Cher released an entire album of ABBA covers called Dancing Queen

-Despite them playing mother and daughter, Cher is only three years older than Meryl Streep

-This is the film debut of Nina Sadoski, who is Amanda Seyfried's daughter

-Early in the film, when Sophie is addressing invitations to people for a party she is planning, one is to c/o Epstein Martin. This is a reference to The Beatles, specifically of the surnames of Beatles manager Brian Epstein and their record producer George Martin

-The movie does not state whether Sophie and Sky ever got married between the 2008 film Mamma Mia! and this film or whether they are partners for life. Since they are both not wearing wedding rings, it implies they are not husband and wife

-Out of all of the cast members, Cher is the oldest one, having been born on May 20, 1946. She is three years older than Meryl Streep, born June 22, 1949, who plays her daughter, and ten years older than Andy Garcia, who was born April 12, 1956, who plays a long lost love

-Sophie names the hotel Bella Donna. This term has two meanings. In Italian, it means "Beautiful Woman". It's also the name, in Latin, for deadly nightshade, one of the most dangerous plants in the Eastern Hemisphere that contains atropine and scopolamine

Mamma Mia (2008)

This popular film uses the music of Swedish band ABBA

Summary

-Donna is a hotel owner preparing for her daughter's wedding with help from two old friends. While bride to be Sophie invites three men from her mother's past to her wedding to determine which one is her biological father

Cast

-Amanda Seyfried: Sophie

-Stellan Skaarsgard: Bill Anderson

-Pierce Brosnan: Sam Carmichael

-Colin Firth: Harry Bright

-Meryl Streep: Donna

-Julie Walters: Rosie

-Christine Baranski: Tanya

-Ricardo Montez: Stavros

-Norma Atallah: Irini

-Dominic Cooper: Sky

Did You Know?

-Stellan Skarsgard said about this movie "It was absurd to ask me to be in a musical. I can't sing, I can't dance. And I saw it was also Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, and they can't sing and dance either, so I felt a little safer there."

-Meryl Streep saw the musical in October 2001 with her daugter Louisa. She wrote letters to the producers, praising them for bringing a bit of happiness and light into New York City after the recent 9/11 terrorist attacks

-On an episode of Inside the Actor's Studio, Colin Firth was asked the question "If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say when you arrive at the pearly gates?" He responded with "I personally thought you were very good in Mamma Mia"

-All of the cast members did their own singing

-Stellan Skarsgard explained why he flashed his bare backside. "We decided that I should be cooking on the boat. I thought I should have an apron on. The director (Phyllida Llody) did not know that I would be naked under there, and have those butt tattoos. So when the camera rolled, I turned around right in front of it. The cameraman jumped and screamed, while Phyllida keeled over laughing."

-The boat Bill Anderson captains features the flag of Sweden, the native country of both Stellan Skarsgard and ABBA

-Three of the members of ABBA are from Sweden, just like actor Stellan Skarsgard, who plays Bill Anderson. The other member of ABBA is Anni-Frida Lyngstad, who is Norwegian

-Initially Cher was offered a role in this film, to play Tanya Wilkinson. Because of commitments to concerts, she couldn't do it. She did appear in the 2018 sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, playing Ruby Sheridan

-Colin Firth poked fun at the James Bond series by saying "I'm Bright, Harry Bright" when he was standing next to Pierce Brosnan. Pierce had played the role of James Bond in at least four films of the series. Meanwhile Firth starred in his own series of spy films, Kingsman: The Secret Service in 2014 and Kingsman: The Golden Circle in 2017

-In the original musical on stage, Bill Austin was an Australian character. This was a tribute to ABBA's popularity in Australia. For this movie, Bill's last name was changed to Anderson, to make it Swedish, like Stellan Skarsgard, who plays that character and like the group ABBA

-Actor Bill Nighy was considered for one of the roles of the fathers

-Colin Firth (Harry Bright) actually used to play guitar in a band

-This was the first movie shot on the new 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios after a fire that happened when the 2006 film Casino Royale finished up. The stage was used for the song and dance numbers that could not be filmed in sunny Greece

-The song at the wedding scene, "Knowing Me, Knowing You" was considered inappropriate for a wedding because it's about divorce. "Knowing me, knowing you, there is nothing we can do. Knowing me, knowing you, we just have to face it this time we're through. Breaking up is never easy, I know but I have to go."

-In the film, using the real ages of the actors, when Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) was born, Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep) was 36, Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgard) was 34, Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan) was 32 and Harry Bright (Colin Firth) was 25

-Donny Osmond was considered for the role of Sam Carmichael. This role went to Pierce Brosnan

-This film surpassed the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire as Pierce Brosnan's highest-grossing film in the world. But, domestically, Mrs. Doubtfire is still highly successful

A Very British Christmas by Rob Temple

Just when you thought the laughing ended, now Rob Temple has done it again. He's come out with a how-to guide on surviving the holidays, referencing Christmas, Boxing Day and even New Year's Eve

Read this how-to guide on surviving the holidays with a dash of wit and humor to keep your sanity intact as you watch relatives turn a simple game of Monopoly in to the next world war, how relatives take over your kitchen and make their food like they are a chef with their own cooking show or even who sits next to who so as to avoid awkward questions or handling the Christmas shopping in such a way that either no one gets arrested by the police or no one gets a gift that they will later give away or re-gift to someone else

Very British Problems: The Most Awkward One Yet

This is another standalone book from Rob Temple, the same hilarious mind who brought Very British Problems to life

Have you ever found yourself in these types of situations? Broken out in hives at the suggestion that you 'introduce yourself' over Zoom? Been extra dramatic while rubbing in the shop's hand sanitiser, so everyone knows how thoroughly decent you are? If you answered yes, Rob Temple firmly believes you are suffering from Very British Problems

He takes the quirkier things in life and adds a dash of humor to it. Some of the things he mentions are quite relatable. You'll be laughing in no time

Britain According to Very British Problems by Rob Temple

This standalone book is from the same comedic genius who brought the world Very British Problems

Rob takes every region of Britain and describes them with loving and hysterical humor. This A-Z road map of Britain will have you laughing from beginning to end. He says Britain is a maze of unique and eccentric sights, even going as far as to describe The Shard in London as "The Eye of Sauron". He takes everything Britain is known for and adds a dash of humor in it, saying things to the effect of "Birmingham being known for Black Sabbath", "Platform 9 3/4-after a few hours waiting in a railway station, have your photo taken next to a brick wall"

Very British Problems Volume III by Rob Temple (3 of 3)

The third installment in the highly successful (and hilarious) Very British Problems series

Here Rob tackles random things that can turn in to full scale arguments and regards them with a dash of hysterical humor. He also references his Twitter account @soverybritish regarding random polls he's posted. Also, he now has a Facebook page called Very British Problems where the hilarious situations continue

More Very British Problems by Rob Temple (2 of 3)

The second book in this highly successful (and hilarious) series by Rob Temple

Read about very relatable travel woes that we've all experienced at least once or see when going on vacation or holiday. I especially love it when he describes different kind of accommodations. It's all about the various travel woes we've all faced at one point or another. He describes all inclusives as all drunks

Very British Problems by Rob Temple (1 of 3)

This book series caught my eye when I was browsing the Humor section on the Amazon Kindle store. The title caught my eye. When I read the description, it sounded funny and interesting. After reading it, I realized I have never laughed this hard in a while.

What the book is essentially about is sarcasm regarding every aspect of life. How being socially awkward is a common thing, how to combat being odd in more ways than one and trying to make it day to day with your sanity and dignity intact. Some of the things he mentions are very relatable

Here is a link to it on Amazon

1000 Things You Didn't Know About Me

This book is very similar to the 3000 Questions About Me book. It allows someone to get to know you without saying much. I won't list all 1000 questions, but here are some of the questions included

1. When I have free time, I love to

-Read, do jigsaw puzzles, work on paint by number, diamond art, draw, work on my Japanese lessons

2. My biggest weakness is

-Beanie Babies, books, music

3. My favorite type of music is

-Rock, metal, country, pop, punk

4. The most exciting thing that ever happened to me was

-I went to see Judas Priest in 2018 on their Firepower tour. And two of their crew were charging people $20 to get a picture on the motorcycle Rob Halford would ride onto the stage on. They said they are donating the money to research for Parkinson's Disease. Me and my sister happily did this, knowing the money was going to a good cause

5. I am currently working towards

-Losing weight. I have lost 10 pounds of fat but gained a few pounds in muscle. I am fine with losing body fat but gaining muscle weight.  I'm still working on losing weight and trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The managing of stress is a lot harder since I have very little time to do this except for the weekends

6. The one movie I could watch over and over is

-The Living Daylights, License to Kill, Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, What a Girl Wants, The Man with the Golden Gun, too many to list

7. The weirdest thing I do with food is

-Mix corn with mashed potatoes, mix Coke and Sprite together

8. The best song for a sing along is

-Blurry-Puddle of Mudd, Baby Girl-Sugarland, No Excuses-Alice in Chains, Ain't Just the Whiskey Talkin'-Trace Adkins, Riot-Kane Brown, Bury Me in Georgia-Kane Brown, Halfway to Hell-Jelly Roll, Liar-Jelly Roll, Dead Man Walking-Jelly Roll

9. I have a collection of

-Beanie Babies, books, metal pins, CDs, Lego models, jigsaw puzzles

I actually have at least three featured in this photo. The blue jay, the green-headed mallard and the leopard

10. My favorite way to spoil myself is

-Buying a cup of coffee from Dunkin' Donuts every Friday. As a way of celebrating another week done

11. My biggest insecurity is

-My body. I was bullied as a child, by both my father and school classmates. To this day, I still think of myself as unattractive, ignorant and heavyset

12. My dream car is

-1971 Plymouth Barracuda

-1971 Ford Gran Torino

-1970s Dodge Challenger / Charger

13. The most important thing on my bucket list is

-Planning a trip to England, Australia, Japan and Hawaii

14. When life stresses me out, I always

-Work on my Japanese lessons. Paying attention to my lessons takes my mind off stress

15. My favorite sports team is

-Arsenal Gunners

-Tottenham Hotspurs

-Cincinnati Cyclones

-Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team

-Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team

16. My most complicated relationship was

-My father. He verbally abused me and my sister, put us down, belittled us, made us feel inferior, made us feel that we would never amount to anything. He even told us we would never amount to much

17. If I were to learn another language, it would be

-Japanese. I'm actually in the process of learning

18. My favorite actor is

-Jet Li, Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino, Hugh Jackman

19. My favorite band is

-Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, too many to list

20. I don't trust myself with

-Being in bookstores / music stores with money

21. The best costume I ever wore was

-My Steampunk costume. I wore it two years ago to work and everyone loved it

22. Sometimes I suffer from

-Anxiety, depression

23. One thing I do for hours is

-Read, do jigsaw puzzles, draw, work on paint by number / diamond art, work on Japanese lessons

24. My favorite trilogy is

-Austin Powers, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, I would say the James Bond series, but that is more than three films

25. The hardest I have ever laughed was when

-I discovered this humorous series of books by a British author named Rob Temple called Very British Problems. I am not quite sure why, but the sarcastic tone he uses in those books ensured I was in tears from laughing so hard. I even bought his Very British Christmas book and nearly laughed myself into an asthma attack. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Some of the things he lists in that series are very relatable, in fact, I've done quite a few before

26. The three words that best describe me are

-Nerd, headbanger / metalhead, bookworm

27. I'm currently saving money for

-A trip to England, Japan, Australia and Hawaii. Not at the same time, of course. Over the course of time I would like to visit all of these places

28. I think tattoos are

-Awesome! I have 9 and am torn between four different ideas for number 10

29. I love the lyrics of the song

-No Excuses: Alice in Chains, Blurry: Puddle of Mudd, Last Resort: Falling in Reverse, Cats in the Cradle: Harry Chapin, Selfish Age: As Lions, Wasted Years: Iron Maiden

30. I'm quietly battling

-Anxiety, occasional bouts of depression

31. My favorite line from a movie is

-Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you are born to stand out?- What a Girl Wants

32. One golden opportunity I missed out on was

-Seeing the band Ghost when they were here in Cincinnati. It was during the week, all of the good seats were already bought and I had no one to go with

33. I love every song on the album by

-Selfish Age: As Lions, Seventh Star: Black Sabbath

34. My favorite role model is

-Queen Elizabeth II. She was elegant, classy and beautiful. Her holiday speeches were inspirational, heartwarming and she made everyone feel that she really cares if they have a good year. And plus I love the fact that she's tough as nails despite appearing as a kindly older woman

35. The best way to get me to open up is

-Talk about music

3000 Questions About Me

This is a book me and my sister found at a local store. It's a sort of "getting to know you" type book. I won't list all 3000 questions. But here are some of the questions listed

1. Choose and defend your position: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?

-Both. I like both bands. The Rolling Stones are good because their music is edgy and sometimes risque with the lyrics. The Beatles are good because their music has an upbeat melody sure to raise your spirits

2. What is your greatest fear?

-Spiders! I am terrified of them. What scares me even more is knowing that two of the more dangerous species of spider, black widows and brown recluse, are native to the area where I live. In fact, I've seen black widow spiders hanging down from my grandmother's house and had to go around. Whereas my stepdad saw the red hourglass and he hit it with a baseball bat, killing it

3. What type of person angers you the most?

-Narcissists. I hate this type of person. They think the world should revolve around them. That everyone should drop whatever they are doing and cater to this person's every need and desire. My relative Lexie is a narcissist. She believes that everyone needs to cater to her. She's 16 and practically pestered her own aunt Margo to work in a bar / restaurant called Ford's Garage, a place where she can't even hold a bottle of liquor, being under 21; she has to have an older coworker handle alcoholic drink orders

4. Do you have a favorite t-shirt? Is there anything written on it?

-A black V-neck t-shirt that is slim fit and has two crossed Gibson Flying V's and two bony hands forming the Metal Horns gesture and saying, in Iron Maiden-style writing "Yes I'm a Girl Yes I Speak Fluent Metal"

5. Have you ever had a health scare?

-I recently went to the eye doctor and she informed me that my eye pressure was slightly elevated. She asked me if I drink coffee, I told her yes. That's when I realized I was drinking too much coffee or tea and cut it down immediately. At my next appointment, it was still elevated, leading me to my next suspect cause-stress. I've been trying to reduce my stress, but it's hard working with the people I work with. At my job, I feel as though I am the only one who does actual work, since my coworkers feel socializing and taking long personal calls are far more important. Working where I work, an ophthalmology clinic, hearing elevated eye pressure, my mind goes immediately to glaucoma, of which one of the symptoms is elevated eye pressure. This is a progressive condition that, once you have it, you can't go back or reverse it; you can only keep it from progressing

6. What was the name of the first album you ever bought and who was the artist(s)?

-Black Sabbath Paranoid

7. Would you date anyone in a wheelchair or with a handicap?

-Yes. I would not care about the handicap. I would make adjustments. So what if someone has a handicap? Simply make adjustments. If you have something in common with that person, handicaps shouldn't stand in the way

8. Do you have a nerdy side? If so, what brings it out?

-Music, Harry Potter

9. What is your opinion on rats as pets?

-I love them! I love rats as pets. They're smart, adorable and so loving. They only ask for unconditional love from their owners. Plus, I love the little squeaking noises they make. It's too cute!!

How can someone say no to this little face?

10. What is one thing you've learned about people over the years?

-People cannot always be trusted. People will lie, cheat and steal just to serve their own selfish needs

11. Who would you want as your partner on Dancing with the Stars?

-Dave Murray, Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford. I feel they would probably be good dancers

12. Where would be the scariest place to get lost?

-Hoia-Baciu Forest in Transylvania, Romania. First and foremost, it's in Transylvania, which is the home country of the legendary Dracula. Second, this forest is known as the Bermuda Triangle of Romania. People have gone missing and not returned, there are ghosts there, it's just an overall eerie place

13. What book have you read multiple times?

-Goodnight from London, Four Four Two, Memoirs of a Geisha, too many to list

14. Recall the best message you ever got in a fortune cookie

-Stop waiting! Buy the ticket that takes that special trip!

15. What was your favorite movie that was based on a book?

-Any of the James Bond films, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Green Mile, Harry Potter, Goodfellas, Casino, Donnie Brasco

16. If you were in a band, what instrument / role would you play?

-Electric guitar or bass guitar

17. What famous person's memoir would you most love to read?

-Michael Imperioli, Sylvester Stallone, Roger Glover, Dave Murray, Steve Harris, Glenn Tipton

18. What is your favorite smell / scent?

-Freshly brewed coffee, chocolate, gardenia, jasmine, citrus, eucalyptus, mint, lavender, pineapple, fresh air

19. If you were to get a tattoo tomorrow, what would it be?

-I have at least 4 ideas in my head right now. I can't decide between something related to Harry Potter, the lines "Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years" from one of my favorite Iron Maiden songs "Wasted Years", something related to the film Across the Universe, something related to Scooby Doo or something related to Japanese culture, despite already having two Japanese tattoos

20. What is your favorite breed of dog?

-German Shepherd, Irish / Russian Wolfhound, Great Dane, St. Bernard, Corgi, Pug, Golden Retriever, Chocolate Labrador, Black Labrador, Labrador Retriever, Bloodhound, Basset Hound, Doberman, Pit Bull (I am of the firm belief these dogs are good. They are simply raised to be mean by their owners. Any dog can be mean if it's raised that way), Rottweiler, Husky, English Bulldog, English Sheepdog

21. What is the longest book you've ever read?

-Louder Than H---: The Definitive Oral History of Heavy Metal by Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman. This book is around 800 pages if not more

22. What is the largest amount of money you've spent at one time?

-$5,000. This was a down payment on a car. My current car in fact. The price was $12,500. I put down $5,000 to reduce the amount I needed to pay

23. What is the most radical thing you've done, appearance wise?

-Tattoos. I have 9 so far and am planning number 10

24. Pick the title of a novel to describe your love life

-Solitaire

25. What three songs will always be found at the top of your playlist?

-Rainmaker, The Living Daylights, Deaf Forever

26. What band would you love to tour with - and be a roadie for?

-The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest

27. What singer's voice gives you chills - in a good way?

-Bruce Dickinson, David Draiman, Ivan Moody, Sully Erna, Rob Halford, Austin Dickinson, Ronnie James Dio

28. What is your favorite sport?

-Formula 1, soccer (football), hockey

29. What is your favorite love song?

-Your Song: Elton John, Have I Told You Lately: Rod Stewart, Throwing It All Away: Genesis

30. Do you still listen to local stations on the radio or only streaming / playlist music?

-Both. I do listen to local radio stations. Here in Cincinnati, we have 92.5 The Fox, which plays classic rock and metal. 96.5 known as 96 Rock which plays a combination of both new and old rock and metal. 102.7 known as WEBN which plays the same music as 96 Rock. And when I am driving to / from work, my playlist, which can go from one extreme to the next

31. Do you like Saturday Night Live, and if so, who would you love to see as a new host?

-Yes. I enjoy watching the older episodes of SNL. If there is a newer episode with a musical guest I like, I will watch it. As for hosts, it would be interesting to see Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford or even Def Leppard host it

32. If you were having lunch with the Queen of England, what would you talk to her about?

-I would love to talk to her about all the wonderful things she's done. Her unique and heartwarming Christmas speeches that are so inspirational and heartwarming. How she visited those who were in hospital after the shooting in Manchester at the Ariana Grande concert

33. If you were musically inclined, whom would you want to have a private jam session with?

-Guitar: Ritchie Blackmore, Glenn Tipton, Dave Murray, Phil Collen

-Bass: Roger Glover, Ian Hill, Steve Harris, Rick Savage

34. Which fictional married couple from TV or cartoons best fits your parent's marriage?

-Ben and Susan Harper from My Family. Thankfully, unlike Susan, my mom can actually cook and does not think of herself as a gourmet cook

35. What song or playlist gets played the most?

-Deaf Forever: Motorhead

Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

The third installment in the highly successful Ocean's series

Summary

-One of the original crew members, Reuben Tishkoff, was ripped off by casino manager Willy Bank. Now it's time for the crew to plan a third heist as payback

Cast

-George Clooney: Danny Ocean

-Brad Pitt: Rusty Ryan

-Matt Damon: Linus Caldwell / Lenny Pepperidge

-Michael Mantell: Dr. Ryan

-Elliott Gould: Reueb Tishkoff

-Al Pacino: Willy Bank

-Eddie Jemison: Livingston Dell

-Don Cheadle: Basher Tarr

-Shaobo Qin: Yen

-Casey Affleck: Virgil Malloy

-Scott Caan: Turk Malloy

-Bernie Mac: Frank Catton

-Carl Reiner: Saul Bloom

-Eddie Izzard: Roman Nagel

-Ellen Barkin: Abigail Sponder

-Julian Sands: Greco Montgomery

-Don McManus: Neil the Pit Boss

Did You Know?

-The scenes showing Linus walking through the streets of London talking on the phone were shot while Matt Damon was in London filming The Bourne Ultimatum. The production crew of Ocean's Thirteen took advantage of this, as they wanted the character Greco to be British and a former classmate of Roman Nagel

-The phone Abigail Sponder gives Willy Bank is a custom made Gold Samsung, made just for the movie

-The numbers Mr. Weng picks on the roulette wheel, 11, 12, 13, all refer to the films in the Ocean's series

-This was one of Bernie Mac's final roles on screen before his death on August 9, 2008, at the age of 50

-Director Steven Soderbergh had Al Pacino in mind first as the role of Willy Bank. The producer for the film, Jerry Weintraub, is a good friend of Pacino's and convinced him to be in the film

-All of the scenes featuring Al Pacino were shot in 3 weeks

-This film reunited Al Pacino and Andy Garcia after they worked together on The Godfather Pt. III (1990)

-The ringtone on Rusty's phone is The Human League's "Don't You Want Me"

-In the scene where the pit boss is seen leaving a pawn shop, he passes by a sign reading "Griffin". In Las Vegas, The Griffin Agency is responsible for helping casinos spot card counters and cheaters. In this area of town, The Griffin Bar is downtown

-The stuntman who Don Cheadle impersonates uses the stage name "Fender Roads." This is a homonym of "Fender Rhodes", an electric piano made by the Fender Corporation in the 1940s and 1950s, developed by Harold Rhodes

-This film reunites both Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin, both of whom starred in the 1989 film Sea of Love

-Terry Benedicts pretends to show interest in the 'Nuff Said dominoes game. The real Bellagio features a dominoes game called Pai Gow, which originated in China

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

This is the second installment of the highly successful Ocean's series

Summary

-Danny and the crew, plus an additional member, head to Europe to pull off three major heists

Cast

-Brad Pitt: Rusty Ryan

-Catherine Zeta-Jones: Isabel Lahiri

-George Clooney: Danny Ocean

-Julia Roberts: Tess Ocean

-Casey Affleck: Virgil Malloy

-Andy Garcia: Terry Benedict

-Scott Caan: Turk Malloy

-Shaobo Qin: Yen

-Don Cheadle: Basher Tarr

-Matt Damon: Linus Caldwell

-Carl Reiner: Saul Bloom

-Robbie Coltrane: Matsui

Did You Know?

-For the laser dance, Vincent Cassel didn't need a stuntman. He is an expert in the Brazilian martial art known as capoeira. He did the entire dance himself

-While shooting in Rome, Brad Pitt and George Clooney got caught in the rain while jogging. The doorman of their hotel wouldn't let them enter the hotel because he thought they were vagrants

-Sitting on the shores of Lake Como in Italy is the Nigh Fox's mansion. The city overlooking Lake Como is called Bellagio. The city and lake inspired the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas, where the site of the original heist was in 2001's Ocean's Eleven

-The necklace that Rusty Ryan wears is a replica of a necklace with the wedding ring that Brad Pitt wore when he was married to Jennifer Aniston

-Despite Europol being a police organization in Europe, they have no executive powers to execute warrants or arrest people like they are shown in the movie. They exist to foster cooperation between the police services in Europe

-Unlike the movie, where it suggests that Europol is in Amsterdam, in real life Europol is located in The Hague, where many war crimes are put on trial. Many of the scenes showing the Europol office were shot in the city hall of The Hague and this location is only 50km south of Amsterdam

-In the scene with the train, Turk is seen wearing a Boston Red Sox cap while Danny is seen wearing a New York Yankees cap. This was to make it seem more realistic to distract the guards on the train. This is because the Yankees and the Red Sox have been rivals for over 100 years and their fans don't get along with each other