Helena Bonham Carter

Warning: May contain fangirl. Will contain photos. Many many of them. 

From the day I started a blog, I knew that this post was going to be coming, it was just a question of when. 

Helena Bonham Carter, for those that don't know, is my absolute idol. In the same way that the Little Monsters go crazy for Gaga and the Beiberites (what are they called? Something ridiculous at any rate) for mental for J-beebz, I simply adore Helena. Well, maybe it's not in the same way because there isn't a hand gesture for Helena fans, and I certainly wouldn't slice my wrists open if I found out she was smoking weed, but you get the general idea. 

I am a Helenaist. 

The first time I remember becoming aware of Helena was when I saw this photo of her in a magazine and I remember thinking "who the hell is that? She is all sorts of fabulous" 

And so a couple years later when my friend absolutely forced me to watch Sweeney Todd, the mad woman with the crazy hair turned up again and boom. It began. 

Now, Helena gets a lot of flack for the way the things that she wears on the street and the way she does her hair and the dresses she wears to award shows. But the thing is, she doesn't give a damn. She wears mismatching shoes. She doesn't brush her hair if she's going to the shop and gasp! She gets papped without her make-up on. To me, that is someone that is pretty damn impressive. Maybe not for your average woman, but when you happen to be followed by paps everywhere you go and then have those photos slammed in mags and rags, yet you still don't feel the need to dress up just to leave your house - that's a strong woman. 

Speaking of what she wears, I personally simply love the way that she dresses. Who can every call Helena Bonham Carter boring?

And really, in a world where "boring" is the most common personality type and being a hipster is considered different, then isn't someone that dresses exactly how they want to refreshing? I think so. 

In recent years, I have noticed that Helena has gone from being the woman that is seen as an absolute wreck to someone that is appreciated for her carefree attitude to fashion and I think it's because of a mix of both people craving someone that doesn't look perfect all the time, and her ever increasing profile. With the likes of the Kings Speech and Harry Potter making her more and more known, I've found that it's no longer "cool" to absolutely slam Helena for wearing ensembles such as this.... 

But rather more acceptable to talk about her with the loving tone that you would use about your crazy Aunty. You can practically hear journalists rolling their eyes when the latest candids of Helena land on their desk, but nowadays, you can also hear the smile. 

Then of course there is the fact that she isn't loved for nothing. There's a reason that films that Helena stars in pull in viewers. Why? Because she's a bloody amazing actress. Many people look down on her, thinking she only gets  jobs because of her "husband", but that is entirely untrue. She was a well established and respected actress long before she even met Tim and although being in many of his films since, she is a star in her own right. The Kings Speech and the Harry Potter movies are some of the top grossing British films of all time - no Tim Burton. Jobs roll in for her not because she's the father of Burtons kids, but because she's Helena Bonham Carter. 

With a range that literally goes from one end of the spectrum to the other, she's one of Englands most diverse actresses, playing anything from a character named simply "Woman" in Conversations With Other Women about the relationship between a man and woman over 12 hours or so, to a pie maker that bakes the victims of her murderous partner in crime in Sweeney Todd, she comes across as real and convincing. When people say that the only character she can play is the "crazy bitch", they're wrong. Yes, some of her high profile parts have fallen under the "crazy ass woman" umbrella - Bellatrix Lestrange, Marla Singer, the Red Queen to name a few - she's also played women that are emotional, real and as sane as they come. Sinful sister, Dinah, in The Heart of Me. Mother of four autistic boys, Maggi Jackson in Magnificent 7. The upcoming TV film Burton and Taylor will see her starring as Elizabeth Taylor and although there has been no end of arguments about her "not looking like Liz" or "not being good enough", the fact that she was cast shows that the BBC think she is good enough and I, for one, agree. 

Then of course there is the fact that she is absolutely bloody gorgeous. I know a lot of people that seem to think she's not simply because they have only seen her in films where she is usually in full make up and looking crazy, but for a 46 year old mother of two, she's not bloody bad. 

So there we are. Helena Bonham Carter. Not only an actress and individual, but a wonderful mother and a bloody amazing person. 

What do you think? Are you in the Helenaist camp or do think that she's overrated? Lemme know! 

M x 

The Obsessive Mind of a Fangirl.

So if there is one thing that people know about me, it's that when I get obsessed with something/someone, I really go to town. I don't mean in a stalker-standing-outside-their-house way; I don't get overly attached to boyfriends or the people around me. But more to celebrities in a "You are incredible" kind of way. I am, in other words, a fangirl. 

My question is this : Is it unhealthy to be a hardcore fangirl?

I don't know where this obsessive character trait of mine has come from or when it really began but when I watch a show/hear more music by/read more and more about a person, I can feel the fangirl in me begin to awaken and wave around screaming about how fabulous they are. 

Some may say this is unhealthy and I suppose that to a certain extent I agree, but then again I harm noone and I like to think that the line between reality and fantasy aren't blurred. I am under no false illusions that me and *blank* are going to become best friends and go out for brunch to put the world to rights over a cup of tea and a panini. And I know that, living where I do, it's unlikely I'll even meet *blank* *blank* or *blank*. 

The good side of obsession

Fangirling, as many of you (you being the readers that I will imagine I have) will know, is a full time job. I can't really think of a time when I didn't have something or other to fangirl about. I think I've always had the mindset that I either dislike something or out-and-out love it. For instance, my first 'obsession' was Cher. 

I still absolute adore Cher, I always have and I think I always will. When I was as young as 3 or 4, Cher was always my favourite singer. I loved her showmanship and her ever changing image. Nowadays I suppose the sparkles and 'out there' outfits are all part of the package, but when I was younger there was no Gaga or Minaj. To me, there was only Cher. Some of my crazes fade, but this one is far too shiny and fabulous to do that. It's lasted 18 years so far and like the lady herself, I think it will stand the test of time. 

Cher-y goodness. Just look at those sequins. 

Another biggy in my fangirl head is Helena Bonham Carter. 

Photo Credit to mandrakescry.tumblr.com

Over the last few years, I've noticed that the view of HBC is slipping from the 'she's a mess and I don't like her' view and into the 'she's eccentric and a national treasure' view. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that she's recognised as the truly incredible actress that she is, but the hypocrisy of it all infuriates me. But that is something I will probably cover in another post at a later date. Helena. Now, she has been the big obsession of my teenage years really. To have a role model that defies all the laws of celebrity and does what she damn well wants is so refreshing. She isn't different in the way that every single other celebrity is different - she doesn't wear outlandish things for attention or the paps. How do I know that? Because yes, she steps out in strange combinations of clothes that are sometimes eyecatching and sometimes insane, but at the same time she often has no make-up on, flawed hair, mismatching socks. Do you see many other high profile celebrities doing the same thing on a regular basis? Not that I can think of. She's a normal person who doesn't plan what 'crazy' thing she is going to wear so that she gets in the mags and rags; she's a woman who has two kids and a full time job - albeit not your regular 9 to 5 - who is going to the shop for milk or *gasp* a chocolate bar. Not to mention her eclectic backlog of films and absolutely flawless performances in each and every one of them. HBC, I take my many hats off to you. And necklaces. And sunglasses. And z-coils... 

Keeley Hawes. 

This particular obsession is intertwined with Ashes to Ashes and Gene Hunt, I must say. Ashes is where I first saw Keeley (that I remember) and I absolutely fell in love with the 80s and all things Drake. I didn't watch the show when it first came out and have only watched it this year on Netflix but oh my gosh, it is incredible. I would recommend it to anyone and the Ashes/Keeley fandoms are just amazing. Ashes to Ashes, despite finishing just over 2 years ago, has a fandom that is still going strong and is so welcoming. But to Keeley. Again, I doubt that I will ever meet Keeley in person but from what I have heard, she is such a lovely person. This doesn't come from just one account either. I've spoken to many people who have said that she always has time for fans, replies to every letter she receives and is genuinely grateful for what life has given her. I don't think I can really explain why I like Keeley. Although not as much as a household name as people such as Helena, I find Keeley amazing. She's an incredible actress and so wonderfully down to earth, it's hard not to want to sit down with her and have a glass of wine. But, as I've said, that's not going to happen. Don't worry - I don't haunt her local cafes in the hopes she'll join me for a cuppa.

So anyway, I think this post is quite long enough and has gone on far longer than I intended. But I must say, although my self-proclaimed obsessions are seen as weird by a lot of people, they have also helped me to meet people that I never would have met otherwise. This ranges from people in college that I have analysed Doctor Who with to people in America who love Meryl Streep that I have fangirled with. My best friend who I could not possible love more filled that position through fangirling and although she lives on the other side of the country and I haven't seen her in over a year, we still have regular keyboard bashing 'asdfghjkl' sessions about our latest love. 

And so, no. I don't think it's unhealthy to fangirl. I know some people don't understand why I love certain things or people so much but I, personally, think it has made me who I am. 

And to all of you who don't get emotionally attached to a TV show or feel the need to watch everything one actor/actress has ever been in : I don't understand you.

So what about you, readers? I'd love to know your thoughts on fangirling and your obsessions! 

M x