famous people I am fond of

Have recently been doodling pictures of people I admire.  I'm igeneration, I will share.  I'm also going to say why I like the person.

William Shakespeare

Why:  He wrote stuff like "two star-cross'd lovers, take their life" "Oh brave new world" and other similarly famous and pleasant things.  He wrote characters like King Lear and Hamlet that are difficult and interesting. He wrote plays, like Twelfth Night, which are funny.  Also, reading his work is rather challenging, which makes it more fun when you get it.  Also, when you get it, you can feel very superior and mock actors who obviously don't understand what they're saying.

I would like to emulate this famous person's writing skills.  I would like to be able to understand the human mind as well as he seemed to do.  I would also like to be good at poetry.

"Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania."

Angela Barret's beautiful illustrations for the Random House Book of Shakespeare Stories.  Poured over them endlessly at age ten - and now I adore Shakespeare at twenty.  I think there's a definite cause and effect there! 

A Midsummer Night's Dream. 7.

Isn't this fabulous? I am dying to see The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers just to see it.  The sped-up, skittering thing they did with the fairy godmother looks fantastic. (FACTOID: Keira Knightley - the fairy - did all her acting and movements very slowly. When the film was sped-up, any little movements she made at normal speed looked totally inhuman.  If that makes any sense.  It's incredible, really.)
That's how I always imagine Titania looking. A bit less winter-y, but very similar. In my head, the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream look just like this - not a bit human.
Assuming I had a zillion dollars to toss about or some naive young producer to give it to me - because that's about how much money I'd need if I wanted to do it well - I'd love to put on a really, really good stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Like, the most ethereal, fantastic Midsummer Night's Dream you can imagine. (I'd also like to see how many times I can write A Midsummer Night's Dream in one blog post. That's 5 so far.)
I recently saw the film of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Stanley Tucci (Puck) and, of course, Rupert Everett (Oberon) were good. And Michele Pfeiffer has the perfect look for Titania. But - surprise, surprise - the fairy costumes bothered me.

Hey! The Starbucks Christmas cup is in!  It's very cheery. (at right is my sloppy tribute.) I heard a man snort and mutter disgustedly in Target the other day while passing the "holiday" section. I don't like the commercialism that's been tacked on to it, but I do love Christmas.

And a Midsummer Night's Dream. 6

P.S.
Now that I know how to imbed video, the best way to explain the whole fairy stop-motion thing is not to.  A lot of this is blah blah, but at a minute 50, you see the fairy and at 2:40 or so they talk about the skittery film style.  The close-up is really neat.

FYI - I think they show a bit where the brothers spit out their own hearts.  If you're squeamish like me, this is your official warning.  I am such a wimp.  But at peace with it.