I periodically need to watch this to maintain my mental health.



Bonus today: Jimmy Fallon fangirling Alan Rickman as he tells a story about his first movie role as Hans Gruber in that iconic American classic, Die Hard.

Alan Rickman Hurt His Knee in Die Hard, Discovers Punk in “CBGB”

Adorbs all around.

Oy, here it comes. Obligatory Harry Potter post. Please be aware my links and narrative may spoil the new book for you, though I will attempt to contain my narrative as much as possible out of respect for your reading enjoyment.

I will admit that even though I love to read, I've never cracked one of the books. Not interested after watching the first film. Love the films, I do. And a very large part of my love for those films is the magnificent Alan Rickman's portrayal of Severus Snape.



























Yes, if you know me, you've got me -- it does have a lot to do with the villianous black nehru jacket and flowing black priest-like cloaks (phwoar!), the gothic trappings, the uptightness, the jet-black hair, the measured and stern voice...*swoon*

Ah, and don't forget his riding crop...erm, I mean wand...erm, no, I mean...how about that wand?

*ahem* anyway...

My first brush with Alan Rickman was as one of the two actors in the excellent film Closet Land; since then I've really enjoyed his hysterical performance as Metatron in Kevin Smith's Dogma and of course his very important bit as Severus Snape. Very similar characters, in a way, I know, but he's also quite versatile. Who can forget the evil Hans in Die Hard and "classic fool" Harry in Love, Actually?

So, of course, being completely enthralled with Alan Rickman's performance and knowing the importance that Snape plays in the last two books, I have been all over the internets gathering the last story because I just couldn't wait.

And you know what? I was heartbroken at the injustice of the end.

I realize Harry is ultimately an innocent and deserves a happy ending. But a less than innocent but long-suffering -- and most importantly, repentant and romantic -- character such as Snape, highly dedicated and a master of his craft, but unloved and under constant, almost lifetime stress for a greater good, deserved much more than what JKR dished out. I'm definitely not the only one who feels this way -- there's an excellent essay about this travesty of justice here.

It could be said that there was a certain romance to Snape's end. Maybe I'm a different kind of romantic, but if that is what was intended, it lacked fundamental pieces that make such things bittersweet and thus romantic. Boo, I say -- I just didn't get it.