For someone who have never watched the show (and this also means the early seasons of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and not the spin-offs and variations of the original show), they might not understand what the hype is about.

Well, it was really cool. The idea of six teens with powers and gargantuan Zords at their call, saving the city of Angel Grove from puddies (the mindless, writhing goons whose only purpose is to stir trouble), ugly monsters and Rita Repulsor and Lord Z (pronounced Zedd) was pretty cool. The fight scenes, Ranger costumes and the different Zords was the coolest. The fact that the six of them were ordinary teens that went to high school and had to put up with class clowns Bulk and Skull was cool too because it was funny and refreshing; it made the existence of Power Rangers almost real and normal. Most importantly, the six of them were, in their own right, super cool.

Before I get ahead of myself, for those who are completely clueless about the Power Rangers, I will tell you what it's all about.

Okay...

Rita Repulsor, the Empress of Evil with a few goons with her, have set their sights on Earth, intending to conquer it and spread evil. Now Zordon, the all-round good guy, is an inter-dimensional being (who appears as a floating head) and is helped by a robot, Alpha Phi. He tells Alpha to find five teenagers with attitudes and gives them the five Powers of prehistoric animals: the Powers of the Mastodon, Pterodactyl, Triceratops, Sabre-tooth Tiger, and Tyrannosaurus. They are given 'morphers' for them to morph into Rangers and are able to summon their Zords (the huge robotic animals). The Zords can enter battle mode and combine to form the Megazord. They also must abide the three rules: 1) They cannot use their Powers for personal gain, 2) They can only enter battle when Rita forces them to, and 3) Their must keep their identity as Rangers secret.

The first Rangers were Jason (Red), Zack (Black), Billy (Blue), Trini (Yellow) and Kimberly (Pink). Later, Tommy is introduced into the show. Sensing his potential, Rita puts him under a spell, controlling his mind, and gives him a Power Coin (Rangers all have power coins). So, he becomes the Green Ranger. He has his own Zord too, the Dragonzord. But he is first evil and causes trouble for the Power Rangers. But they break the spell and he joins them.

The Power Rangers were actually based on a Japanese show, the Super Sentai Series. The costumes and original Zords and Megazord follow the Zyuranger series. The Thunder Zords (Red Dragon, Black Lion, Blue Unicorn, Yellow Griffin and Pink Firebird), the Thunder-Megazord and the new White Ranger was taken from the Dairanger. It is a well-known fact that the American makers literally took the footage of the fight sequences and battle scenes from the Japanese show. However, the rest was original and eventually the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers became completely original in its own right when they started to make their own footage. This began when the Green Ranger died in the Japanese show, but Saban (the producers) decided to keep Tommy due to popular demand (of course!). In the show, Tommy would be seen to slowly lose his Power and often become weak. He was excluded from the battle scenes; a clear indication that Green Ranger was no longer present in the Japanese version.

Hence, we would see the colour theme of Tommy's clothes (the Rangers always wear their respective colours) change to white and Zordon finally gives him the White Ranger Power, the Power of the Tiger. Like earlier mentioned, the White Ranger was taken from Dairanger. This was so that they could continue using footage from the Japanese show when needed. This happened in the second season. In the second season as well, Lord Z was introduced and the Thunder Powers and the Thunder Zords were given, in line with Dairanger.

The characters of the Rangers changed later on, so we would see Jason, Zack and Trini leave. They were replaced by Rocky, Adam and Aisha. Many (and myself included) always argue that the original characters were the best. Fortunately, the White Ranger never changed.

So, back to what I think, my love is only for the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Not any of the subsequent Power Rangers variations. I watched some; Turbo, Lightspeed Rescue, S.P.D., Time Force to name a few, but my opinion stands. The others do not have the entertaining simplicity, humour and utter coolness of the first Power Rangers.

And, of course, Tommy. He is the best Ranger ever. At that age (when I watched it), you wouldn't know who's hot and who's not, but I knew Tommy was hot. He was the real leader after Jason left and he seemed to have the most power. He was the strongest and (for want of a better word) cool! And, everyone knows Tommy and Kimberly had a thing for each other. It had to be the first romance I watched. Hahaha. (unless all those Disney classics like Snow White and Pocahontas should count as well) And they looked really sweet together. I never actually seen an episode where they kissed or were totally romantic when I first watched it but there are some! You'll find me watching all the episodes on Youtube. (Speaking of which, those interested to watch those legendary episodes of the first and second season should tune into and subscribe to this channel on Youtube. Click here.)

Finally, I have to say, even after all these years, I still love the Power Rangers. I still watch it with awe and laugh at the silliness of Bulk and Skull. I still think Tommy is hot.

I wish I could get the whole three seasons on DVD or something. But apparently, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers is banned in Malaysia. It's really stupid and moronic. They said it's a bad influence because there is the word 'morphin' in it. Blah! How stupid can you get?!

...I love the Power Rangers and I'm 18 years old. Got a problem with that? XP

Check out this video for full clips and with the full theme song by Mighty Raw. (I wanted to embed it but it is disabled)

My stepmom bought the second season of The Tudors last night! Finished watching it today. Hahaha.

Oh man, it was fantastic! Jonathan Rhys Meyers returns as King Henry VIII and more gorgeous and riveting as ever. I must say, his portrayal of King Henry is disarmingly powerful. His performances in both seasons has got to be his best performances yet. The story of his life is colourfully painted with much detail. Thumbs-up to the makers of the show, really. They did an awesome job with the cast, storyline, settings and everything else.

In comparison to a movie, The Tudors has more depth because it spans many episodes. Like in the movie, The Other Boleyn Girl, it lacks the depth and intricacy of the story of Anne Boleyn as shown in The Tudors.

The drama is immense; with a lot of politicking, double-crossing, lies, ill-rumour, greed, blind ambition, power struggles, and of course, lust. The second season wraps up Anne Boleyn's story (which began in the first) and therefore hints that the third season will be about King Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, whose family seems to be just as ambitious and social-climbing as the Boleyns.

The first season was mainly about King Henry's early days of his reign, when his counsel was still the corrupt Cardinal Wolsey and other self-preserving nobles such as the Duke of Norfolk and of course, the scheming Thomas Boleyn. Thomas Boleyn would urge his daughter Anne to seduce the King so that their family may benefit from the crumbling of the King's marriage to his current wife, Katherine of Aragon. Yet, being a mistress of a king will not suffice. So Anne, using her woman's virtue as her ace, demands the King to divorce Katherine so that she may become the new Queen of England. Yet, the papacy in Rome refuses to condone the annulment of the King's marriage. Hence, Anne, with encouragement from her father and Mr. Cromwell (a Lutheran) lays out a solution for the King; break ties with the Pope and assume complete supremacy over the kingdom in all matters spiritual and otherwise. In other words, the King can do whatever he wishes; absolute power. This apparently was an idea from the Protestant faith. This way, the King can divorce wives and remarry as many times as he chooses (King Henry VIII had six wives). The first season ended with the removal and eventual suicide of Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas More taking his place as Chancellor, Anne already brazenly assuming the Queen's place, and the steady falling of Catholicism in England.

Only in the second season does the supremacy of the King and the estrangement of his kingdom from Rome is finalised. All the while, Katherine loved the King despite everything he did but is shunted into obscurity and is separated from her daughter, Princess Mary until her death. Before the papacy could decide on annulling the King's first marriage, the King married Anne in secret (since they so staunchly believe that his first marriage had always been null and void). Later, she is crowned Queen. But her troubles is far from over. She gives birth to a daughter, not a son as promised, Elizabeth (who would become Queen Elizabeth I). The King's interest in her wanes as he begins to realise how much he had sacrificed for their marriage yet the only thing he wanted in return, a son, was not yet given. His sacrifices would include the death of another of his close friends and counsel, Thomas More, who was a devout Catholic and refused to acknowledge the King's supremacy. This season ended with the execution of Anne and four innocent men including her brother (she was charged with treason, that is, sleeping with other men) and the King preparing to betroth Jane Seymour the day after Anne's execution. The end also hints at a war between France and England coming in the next season. And just in, the third season will also debut his wife #4, Anna of Cleves played by Joss Stone.

These very brief synopsises are actually based on historical fact so you really have to watch the show to see how it all plays out. Like the voiceover at the beginning of the show says: "You think you know the story, but you only know how it ends. To get to the heart of the story, you must go back to the beginning." So, the interesting part of the show is not finding out how it ends, but how it came to such an end.

That, I believe, is why I like the show. The scandals, controversies and drama is really something worth watching. I also think that every character was acted out very well, especially Katherine of Aragon (you will really respect her), Thomas More and of course, Anne Boleyn.

Not forgetting my beloved Henry Cavill, or in the show, Charles Brandon, he was more mature in this season. He remarried (he rashly married the King's sister Margaret in the first season, who later died) and was no longer the womaniser he was (yay!). But he still was as hot as ever. Love him!

I cannot wait for the thrid season now. It looks really exciting! I don't actually know how long it will take for it to come to Malaysia but I hope it won't be too far behind the date it comes out officially, April 5th 2009. If all else fails, I'll make sure I find the pirated DVD. I'm sorry, but if it comes down to that, it means I'm just desperate.

Since I want you people to watch this show, here's the trailer for season two and the opening credits for season 1. Enjoy! (and please, please tell me you like it and you will watch it! Haha...)

The Tudors Season 2 trailer



It seems that I cannot find a nice trailer for the first season but there are some music videos worth watching too. (I also think the music is nice...;) )

So, my best bud Ainaa tagged me on her blog, Second Child Syndrome. Here goes...

WHOEVER WHO GETS TAGGED HAS TO WRITE 10 THINGS ABOUT THE PERSON WHO TAGGED HIM/HER.

Ainaa Kamal. The Definition of Brilliance (I'm not kidding!)

I suppose, while there are many who always have a great Valentine's, I am with a larger group of people out there who positively dread that day. It's depressing.

Call me a sour grape, the rain on the parade or just a hormonal teen who started watching romance movies too early in life. Bitter 'cause nothing ever happens on that ever talked about day of the year. Whole corporations reap hefty profits from the commercialisation of that day alone. You can never escape the 14th of February.

So yes, when people ask me, "So, tomorrow is Valentine's...anything planned?" I will simply groan and moan, "Depressing...."

It's terrible having to flip through any ol' magazine or just open the home page of Yahoo and see never-ceasing tips for "Your Valentine's Date" or "Valentine Gift Ideas" etc. etc.

There's just too much going into this date on the calendar. No one is spared from having to expect something on that day or better yet, expect nothing while everyone else has something.

Moving on, only ONE person wished me Valentine's via SMS. And that was because I wished him first. Just writing it makes it sound so pathetic. Oh well, like I said, I'm one of those who have to expect nothing. What I have to come to expect is that although feelings are out in the open, yet nothing is official, you still cannot expect anything to change much from last year.

So, how did I spend Valentine's and the days leading up to it? Like the rest of the dateless singles out there, I watched tv. And, of course, something romantic (as if you need another catalyst to make you even more bitter and self-deprecating). In the spur of the moment, I decided to fish out my nearly-a-decade-old box set of that hugely popular Meteor Garden drama series. I watched it countless of times, yet it is my all-time favourite Asian drama series ever. Jerry Yan who plays Dau Ming Shi, always manages to rock my boat. I recall vividly how crazy I was over F4 when NTV7 started airing that show in 2003. I daresay that my passion is rekindled. Jerry rocks! :D

An original poem by yours truly. Subject to copyright!