My Hero

My hero is Will Smith. Not only is he a great actor, but he is a great role model. The things he says are not only clever but are motivational for all those seeking a better life for themselves, which is the reason why I look up to him, not to mention the fact that he is absolutely hilarious.

First of all we have his incredible talent not only as an actor but as a rapper and all round entertainer. We have 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air' a show about a boy from the hood in West Philadelphia moving to live with his aunt and uncle in the rich and glamorous part of Los Angeles. The show not only was funny beyond comparison, but had real issues intertwined, such as black rights, family loyalty, young marriage, maturing, and school and Will was at the forefront of all of these. After that success we had amazing films such as Bad Boys, Enemy of the State, Ali, Men in Black, The Pursuit of Happyness, 7 Pounds and many more. His talents have been rewarded as an actor with two Best Actor Oscars, so there is no denying his talent.

All that is well, but my favourite thing about Will Smith are his ideologies and ways he lives his life. Here are a few of my favourite Will Smith quotes which sum these up:

“Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings & emotions” This is basically saying stop worrying about what those few people say that don't matter. This is a very important message because so many people change themselves because of what one person says about them.

“We spend money that we do not have, on things we do not need, to impress people who do not care.” This is all about the effect that money has on people. People become reckless with money and it is used to earn the acceptance of others. However money is not central to life and it should not be able to consume us. Money is an aspect of life, but there is more out there to experience.

“If you're absent during my struggle, don't expect to be present during my success” This is one of my favourites because it is about not allowing those negative people into your life once you have made it because when you were down they didn't support you. This is important, especially if you become high profile as people will try to use you. When you have nothing you see the true side to people, but when you have everything you see the falseness of the person.

There are many more, but you get the point. These are the reasons why Will Smith is my all-time hero. He is simply a legend and an amazing person to look up to.

Facebook

Facebook, designed so that you could interact with your friends, wherever you are, share photos and opinions with those people, tell others what you are doing. And it was good for a while because it was used for those reasons. 

But now, Facebook is being abused because my feed is filled up with random videos of disgusting and pointless things along with pictures of half naked girls. And the Facebook famous thing is getting out of control with girls doing stupid things like having sex with their dog or eating a used tampon for attention. It's completely ridiculous because the whole idea of Facebook is ruined as all it is now is a popularity contest between girls with more makeup and boobs than brains and boys who think it is okay to flirt with 14 year old girls.

Now I'm not completely against Facebook because you can find extremely talented people like Ryan Lawrie and Claudia Stevenson and some of the videos are quite funny and can spark conversations in the real world, however in my personal opinion I prefer Instagram and Twitter to share things and with the new Instagram update I can now find funny videos on there. So if Facebook want to keep people happy then they need to have a huge rethink, but then again, the brand itself will constantly draw people onto the site.

Inspiring Quote

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

This means that the thing we fear is the ability of doing something because we fear that by being successful we will make those around us feel bad, but in actual fact we do the opposite because by being the best we can be people are inspired to do the same. The line "your playing small does not serve the world" I my favourite line because of its hard hitting truth; what it means is that nothing will come from holding back. 

This quote was originally by Marianne Williamson but some of you may have heard of it when it was adapted for Coach Carter as Timo Cruz, and the message is an important one for our lives as it is teaching is to never hold back and fear being vulnerable due to success. I have read many a motivational speech and quote, but I feel that none really tell the truth as well as this one. It captures a different side to people and grasps the true thoughts of people. Some do hold back because of what others feel, some are scared of becoming successful because of all the pressure placed on them and that is the reason why I love this quote

My Favourite 3 Films

These three films are my favourites, and this was hard to choose, so what I did was look at the three films I watch the most, as they are obviously my favourites. Some films that I considered were Inception, The Departed, We Are Marshall, The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, Scarface, and a few others, but below are the top three.

Star Wars-
Alright, so this first one is a cheat because I am choosing the entire Star Wars series because it is just impossible to narrow it down to one of the amazing films, as any true Star Wars fan knows. Star Wars is filled with aliens, starships, lightsaber battles and of course Yoda. In the next few years this series is about to see the biggest thing ever as there are to be three more films made. It is questionable as to whether these films will keep up the good reputation of the Star Wars franchise, but let's not count Disney out yet, they may pull it out of the bag.

Shutter Island-
Ok, my next film is an absolute piece of genius, featuring one of the greatest actors of all time, Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is set on a prison for the mentally insane just outside of Boston and is a cleverly written film, which plays on the audiences mind. At some points during the film, you are left wondering what the hell is going on, but then the ending just puts everything into perspective and if you watch it again everything makes sense. The films twist is so intricately put together that you would never be able to guess what happens and for me that makes a great film, the not knowing what will happen.

Limitless-
This film interested me because it appeals to everyone because who wouldn't want to access 100% of your brain, making you the cleverest person ever, making the smallest tasks nothing. The film also shows drug dependence which is a huge thing at the moment so it is relevant as well as interesting. The acting is brilliant and they really capture the fantasy and the fall of this drug, and there are very few moments where I wasn't interested.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- Same Love

This is a song which speaks to me because it is a song about no being gay yourself but standing up for gay rights. The song hits the issues hard, especially the truthfulness of the words. "Man, that's gay gets dropped on the daily, We become so numb to what we're saying" These words sum up the current state of society. We don't think about what we are saying and how it may be perceived by others. Words are possibly the most hurtful thing in the world, yet also the most cowardly thing. People constantly call people gay as if it is an insult, yet the word sums up a persons life. Why do we need to put labels on people. As the song says "No freedom until we're all equal, Damn right I support it!" I know that this will probably never be solved but honestly, just stop and have a think about what is so wrong about those people and why do they need to be the outcasts in society, when they are human?

Upcoming Games

Ok, I am a gamer, not hardcore or anything, but I do enjoy the beauty of video games. This year is an exciting time for gamers because of all the amazing games coming out and here are my favourites

Madden 25-
I have always been a fan of the Madden series and this year looks the best ever, not only because they have improved the basic things that they messed up on last year, such as the infinity engine which meant that anytime you touched someone you'd fall to the ground easily. So in basic terms what they have done is made it more like an actual game, where players will instinctively react to other players, like jumping players on the ground, using their body to get around their team mates and other things like that. The most exciting thing for me though is this new Owner Mode, because I love simulation and role-playing aspects. The new mode is where you become the owner and decided prices for tickets, merchandise etc, relocate stadiums and upgrade them (The best part will be relocating a team to London) The game looks awesome and is available on August 27th (the day before my birthday YAY)

Watch Dogs-
This game looks amazing if you like sci-fi and open world games. The game is set in an alternate Chicago, Illinois and the main character is Aiden Pearce, a hacker. The main character is an antihero so I'm guessing there will be some choices between doing good and bad, or something to that degree. The game allows you to hack into loads of different things and the game features, stealth, parkour, and fighting so it should be an interesting one. The game is available 19th November in America, 21st in Australia and 22nd in Europe.

Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag-
When they first announced this me and a friend of mine sat in the common room at school and watched this trailer in awe at the game. I have been a huge follower of this series and have found that the games just continue to blow my mind. In the new game we take control of Edward Kenway, Connor's grandfather who is a English pirate based in the Caribbean. The game will have no loading screens when navigating the map, giving a more fluid exploration mode. You can quickly change from ground to sea and can even explore underwater, all very exciting features. The game is taking ideas from AC3, with trees, weather, different landscapes to interact with. I could go on for hours about this part of the game, but I won't because there is another aspect to the game, the modern side. Because of all the crazy things that happened with Desmond they have steered away from him and have created a new character, you. You become a researcher in Abstergo given the task of looking into Desmond's ancestors, which should be interesting to see what we find out. A guaranteed great game out on 29th October in the America, 31st October in Australia and 1st November in Europe. 

GTA V-
It's here!! Finally another Grand Theft Auto game. It has been a long wait, 5 years to be accurate, but they have done it, and there is no doubt it will be one of the best games ever made. They have took the game back to Los Santos, however the map is supposedly bigger than Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV combined so we shouldn't run out of places to explore anytime soon. Another cool feature is the fact that you are playing as three characters simultaneously and can swap between them at anytime and they could be doing anything. The producers said there are so many possibilities that it is unlikely that any situation will repeat itself. You can do a range of things with the characters such as yoga, triathlons, Jet Skiing, base-jumping, tennis, golf, scuba diving or go to the gym, so there is something for everyone. You can also change the characters clothing, but not their looks, so we have to have some compromise. I'm sure more will come out before the release date on 17th September worldwide, but this is the things I found most interesting.

Hope you enjoyed my views on some games coming out soon. Comment below on your thoughts on these games and any other games you are interested in.

University

So, I had my last exam today (Thank God!) and it got me thinking that the next time that I study will be at UNIVERSITY and this made me want to blog about the next year for myself.

The next year for me will be the most exciting, because not only am I going to  learn about the media industry and get amazing masterclasses from presenters and actors, but my eyes are going to be opened to a whole new world outside of my small town in rural Lincolnshire. I will either be attending Bedfordshire or Salford University studying BA(hons) Performance Media. Both places are on the brink of culture heavens, Manchester and London, so either place I attend will definitely be an experience to remember.

Another great thing about university will be the learning curve that comes with it, not in the course but in life. I will become independent, have to work to pay for things, budgeting, doing all the things that I take for granted in my own home. I honestly cannot wait for this experience to branch out and try new things, however I will remember the people who got me this far, my friends, my family, and most importantly my teachers. I have already embarked on some projects to keep my in contact with those people, predominately the musical I'm writing.

So Uni, prepare yourself to experience Philip Marshall Junior, it's going to be one hell of a ride.

Top 5 19/06/2013

5: Tyler Ward and Jason Derulo 
I have been a huge fan of Tyler Ward ever since I first saw him in 2010 on YouTube and earlier last week he released a video of his cover of Jason Derulo's 'The Other Side' on which Jason Derulo sings with him. This is a huge moment for Tyler Ward and his fans everywhere because now more people will be exposed to his brilliance.



4: The Voice
The Voice UK final is this weekend and the finalists are simply amazing. First we have my favourite Mike Ward, because he is doing something that no other person is doing and is bringing country music to the UK and as a fan of country music I take my hat off to him. We also have Leah McFall, who is obviously popular as she managed to land in the top 20 after her first live performance. We also have Will.I.Am's twin Matt Henry who I find to be both entertaining and a great singer. And bringing up the rear is Andrea Begley, who shocked the nation when she knocked out the incredibly talented Karl Micheal. It should be an interesting final and the coaches are performing together so that should be exciting.


3: Russell Brand

Russell Brand has been causing mayhem in America this year when he went on Morning Joe for an interview about his new comedy tour. The interview quickly descended into chaos with Russell using his intellectual vocabulary to confuse the hosts. The show was seen as controversial because of a few comments he made to Mika Brzezinski were seen as sexual and inappropriate. I personally found the interview hilarious as it showed the comedic side to Russell. Also you can catch Mr.Brand on Question Time discussing politics and important issues along with Boris Johnson on BBC2 on Thursday.




2: The Apprentice

It is time for another episode of The Apprentice and personally I am loving this series, because the people are possibly the most incompetent people ever to go on the show. My favourite contestant is Jason, purely because he is so out of it he just becomes instantly likeable. Would I go into business with him? No. Would I want to trust him with my money? No. Nonetheless he is simply amazing. Also we have Alex, the Welsh vampire. I mean, seriously, the guy looks like he is auditioning for a new horror movie, and those eyebrows are ridiculously stupid. But then again it is entertaining an that is the reason I will be tuning in.



1: Big Brother Secrets and Lies
I know that some people hate the show and some people love it; I am in the latter. And this year is even more exciting because of the amazing twists involved. To start with we have Michael, the actor, who is the 'People's Puppet' who is in the house to stir things up. The people choose what he does and it is hilarious to see the outcome. We also have Gina, who seems incapable of opening her mouth yet never shuts up. We also have Wolfy, who is completely bonkers yet entertaining when she mentions auras and spirit animals and the faces on the housemates faces drop. We also have a few models for eye candy, which always makes for interesting watching, so tune in to channel 5 for the most interesting Big Brother ever.

The New Generation

Every generation has views on the next and I am no exception. All generations think that they are better than the next and one again I am no exception.

My generation is the generation that is run by the electronics of the world. On average a person checks their phone every six minutes. Over 200 million people have Facebook on their phone. Yes we may have lost some of the main values of life, like going to church and spending time with the family, but we have made so many progressions in technology some improving life, and some hindering it. However this can be seen as good, because it is encouraging creativity and teaching us that life has no boundaries, which will in turn enhance the human mind to see new ways. So yes, our generation isn't perfect, we still fight, there is still prejudice, but those aren't things that can be solved in a matter of years.

So, onto the next generation. These are the people who have taken our ideas and have taken it onto a whole new level. We came up with the idea of LOL, CBA, BRB, YOLO and many more, however the next generation have incorporated these acronyms into their speech, which makes no sense because when a person says "LOL" they are contradicting themselves because they are not doing what the word stands for, instead they are replacing it with a word. In the future are children going to say 'eat' instead of eating because they have become that lazy.

The next thing that they have ruined is the idea of cool. What used to be cool was things that you aspired to be or have, but now it means nothing as everyone thinks that they are the coolest person. It is a constant fight to be popular, to which girls will degrade themselves for the attention and the boys will lose all morals for acceptance. People think that it is cool to do stupid things like wearing short shorts in the snow, or wearing see through tights whilst wearing a thong, yet in the mind of the older people it is just a disgrace and repulsive.

My advice to the next generation would be to just relax, everything is not about acceptance and who has slept with a person first. Life is about enjoying the things you do, with the people you love. Respect and acceptance will come as a result of sticking to your morals and not conforming to the crowd. Change the way in which your generation is perceived, otherwise all the complaints you receive, you will deserve.