l.a. girl

2010-03-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

Oscars 2010

First things first...the show wasn't very good. The opening was bad, even though I like Neil Patrick Harris, and I thought Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin's stand-up opening wasn't very funny. Steve Martin's later off the cuff stuff was funny, but that was about it. Didn't enjoy a tribute to horror movies (wtf?) and the people talking about the actor nominees wasn't as moving as last year. I did like the dance to the best score nominees and, of course, I liked the John Hughes tribute. But, who cares, right? We're here to talk fashion.

Ruffles, ruffles, everywhere:
Vera Farmiga
I love the color but I'm not a fan of this type of dress which seems to pop up a lot. Too many ruffles!

Worst use of the color grey:
Elizabeth Banks
A lot of women wore grey/silver on the red carpet. Like A LOT. But I found that her hair color and complexion made this color all wrong. She later changed into this which I think I like better.

Best use of the color grey:
Helen Mirren
Okay, so maybe it's silver but damn, she's a silver fox.

Old lady dresses:
Marisa Tomei and Meryl Streep
Marisa just looks ridiculous but I was really disappointed in Meryl. She usually brings the kooky crazy but this just looks grandma-ish. I think it has shoulder pads.

Best way to draw attention to your boobs:
Charlize Theron
Don't hate the entire dress, per se, but hate the chest area. You can't help but stare at her boobs because those things are so distracting.

Worst attempt to combine two dresses:
Zoe Saldana
I don't really understand this. Yes, the bottom is crazy. But I don't always mind the crazy dramatic. But it's just that the top sparkly part doesn't seem to have anything to do with the skirt. So my overall vote is a NO.

Lifetime achievement award for most uncomfortable in a dress on the red carpet:
Tina Fey
Oh, Tina. I just don't know what to do with you.

Best lingerie:
Miley Cyrus
Oh, wait, she wore that as a dress? Crap.

Favorite color:
Penelope Cruz
I'm a sucker for burgundy and man, she wore it well.

Most embarrassingly similar dresses:
Jennifer Lopez and Amanda Seyfried
So apparently Armani made both of these dresses and they are pretty damn similar. The great news is, I hate both of them! Amanda's seriously stiff breast plate freaked me out and JLo's hip tumor seemed silly. Points to Lopez for being just naturally beautiful though, no matter how annoying. Amanda's a two time loser because she changed into this terrible number for the after party.

The Just Say No to tight updo's award:
Nicole Ritchie
Sorry honey. Jennifer Lopez might have the face to pull off a bun but you, sadly, do not.

Token male review:
Quentin Tarantino
Mickey Rourke was not in attendance so we get to focus on Quentin. He wore a regular tux to the Oscars but he did seem either drunk, high, or sick while presenting. But I was happy to see that he changed into his standard leather, hip hop trainwreck for the after parties.

Can't we just change the color of the dress? Please?:
Demi Moore and Anna Kendrick
I'm really not a fan of the "nude" color or "blush" or whatever you want to call it. At best it's boring and, at worst, it totally washes a person out. Demi's dress almost perfectly matches her fake tan. But I do really like the dress for some reason. And Anna's dress is lovely and soft and fits perfectly. It was just sort of blah in a sea of shiny sparkly stuff on the red carpet. Though it is WAY better than the unfortunate dress she changed in to.

Weirdest couple:
Jamie Foxx and Stacey Dash
I was flipping channels and caught Foxx giving an interview and who was on his arm? Stacey Dash. One of my favorites from "Clueless" and "Renaissance Man". Apparently they're dating. Or something. Weird. But I've always thought that she was gorgeous.

Somewhat scary:
Hilary Swank

Best dress on a non-famous person:
Zoe Kravitz
Okay, so she's not totally incognito, but Lenny Kravitz's daughter (with Lisa Bonet) looked really pretty. I like that.

The most retro:
Heidi Klum
Yes, crazy, but she's rad and pulled it off.

Dress with a sense of humor:
Carey Mulligan
At first glance, I liked Carey's gown. It wasn't as unflattering as her previous ones and, though I thought it was really bedazzled, I didn't mind it. But then people started talking about what all the stuff on the bodice was...little tiny scissors and forks and knives. I like it.

What's going on here?:
Leslie Mann and Salma Hayek
I stared at Leslie Mann's dress for 5 minutes and my first thought was that she was pregnant. She's not. And Salma is just trying to hypnotize me.

The dress that caused the most inner turmoil:
Sarah Jessica Parker
I just don't know. On the one hand, she's SJP so she has to wear something non-traditional. On the other hand, it's basically a bag with no shape. On the other hand, I kind of liked the buttercream yellow on her. On the other hand, her hair is big and weird. On the other hand, I kind of enjoyed the back. I just don't know.

The award for surprising me by looking really great:
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kelly Osborne, and Kristen Stewart
Surprisingly good, no? I usually think Maggie either looks like a bag lady or an alien and I really liked her last night. I admire her choice of a print when no one every does that. And the colors, cut, and hair were all very pretty. Kelly Osborne yes, has purple hair which is atrocious, but I was shocked when I saw the dress. I really like it. And Kristen Stewart who is BY FAR the worst public speaker I have ever seen actually chose a pretty rad dress. One of my favorites.

Most disappointing:
Cameron Diaz
Most people thought she looked great. I thought she didn't look like herself at all. She usually brings the quirky young style with interesting dresses. But this A-line shiny ballgown was boring. And so was her hair. Just not into it. She changed into this which I realize isn't out of this world, but I like it better. I guess I don't like big skirts on her.

Best dress on a woman who has no business looking good:
Molly Ringwald
Is it me or is that dress kind of rad? The gold metal accessories are slightly weird, but I'm just kind of down with the cut and color. Christ, I've even forgotten that it's one shouldered. What's wrong with me?

Avant Garde?:
Diane Kruger
Diane always always wears interesting high fashion stuff. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it sucks. But I was not feeling this. The big puffy parts just in the middle section just turn me off. And, to make matters worse, I thought it was the worst hair and makeup she's had in a long time. She did change into this and maybe it's just the sweet Pacey arm candy, but she looks better.

Least favorite:
Kate Winslet
The worst dress on my favorite person. I am sad. This two piece David's Bridal number just plain SUCKS though.

Favorites!!:
Sandra Bullock, Rachel McAdamsand Kate Bosworth
When Sandra showed up on the red carpet, I wasn't sure. Was it too gold? But the top detail and the shots from the chest up were just lovely. And on stage in high-def that dress kicked ass. I do love Rachel's dress a lot. The multi-color tie-dye esque pattern is kind of rad. And the dress looks totally comfortable while being dramatic. Love it. And, shockingly, I really like Kate Bosworth's dress. She usually looks like a starving skeleton, but I love the color and the cut. Bravo.

2010-02-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

Oscar Nominations

This morning the oscar nominations were announced. This year they expanded the Best Picture category to 10 films in the hopes that it would bring more viewers to the telecast. I find that hysterical because all they did was nominate more small indie movies that no one has seen. I thought that with the expansion they would nominate a "Star Trek" or "The Hangover". Nope, it paved the way for a "A Serious Man" nomination which is a film that has been seen by 15 people. Well, let's hope something draws the viewers....

My thoughts...

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker"

Colin Firth and Morgan Freeman were maybes but I guess I'm glad that Mr. Darcy is getting Oscar nods. Jeremy Renner was amazing but Jeff Bridges will win. And why shouldn't The Dude be an Oscar winner?

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds"

I think they wanted to be sure that Matt Damon showed up looking good in a tux so they've cemented that reality. Haven't seen the Plummer or Tucci movies. I'm so happy that Harrelson got nominated because he was damn good. But Christoph Waltz is the clear winner here.

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in "Julie and Julia"

First, I'm kind of over this Gabby Sidibe chick. Is she really that good in the movie? She doesn't have that many lines and to me she didn't seem like she did that much. But whatever. Oscar likes their fairy tale stories. And, speaking of...Sandra Bullock has been nominated for an Oscar. Wow. It seems like everything thinks that movie is a joke yet she keeps winning awards. So good for her. She's made enough amazing girl movies that I support her. But the fact that she could beat Meryl Streep is a bit ridiculous. This one's a toss up.

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

The Academy must love Penelope Cruz because she's always nominated under the radar. This was the one category that I was surprised by because Maggie Gyllenhaal was nominated. She hasn't really been nominated at all this awards season. I have to say, I have never been a fan and I thought she was completely miscast as a love interest for Jeff Bridges in that movie. But oh well. Mo'Nique will win in a landslide and she deserves to.

Best Director
“Avatar” - James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker” - Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” - Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” - Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” - Jason Reitman

Tarantino doesn't have a chance which is too bad because he's so rad. (And would give an amazing speech). This is the one category which I will be so pissed about if Cameron wins. For a guy who makes movies I love (mostly...up until recently), I really can't stand him. What an arrogant prick. So I hope Kathryn Bigelow wins. Not only because she made a great movie, but because she directed "Point Break". Amazing.

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

This was a little surprising as I said above. I thought they'd nominate a few more mainstream movies. Although The Blind Side was very unexpected. Not sure what will win. I'm worried that they'll reward Avatar simply because of the technology it's created and the VFX strides that they made. Which is a bummer because that movie sucks. My vote is for The Hurt Locker or Inglourious Basterds. We'll see on March 7th!

2010-01-25T13:35:00.000-08:00

Best/Worst Movies of 2009

I can honestly say this was the worst year for movies I can remember in a long time. At least for the 7 years I've been doing this on this blog and for many years before that I'm sure. Not sure what happened but not a single movie really blew me away. There were a couple good ones but, seriously, what a mediocre year.

TOP 10 LEAST FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2009

10. Avatar
Yes, technologically amazing and pretty. But I just can't ignore the fact that I didn't like any of the characters and I could not get any real emotion from either the male or female lead. And the Pandora world was so cartoon-y looking with it's bright colors and CGI that it refused to hook me.

9. 500 Days of Summer
Annoying hip and indie. And of course I have a Zooey Deschanel problem.

8. An Ugly Truth
My god is Katherine Heigl annoying nowadays. And this movie plays up her uptight annoying factor. Of course, I said the same thing last year about 27 Dresses on this exact list and I've watched that like 15 times on HBO.

7. GI Joe
I worked on it. And it sucked.

6. I Love You Man
I wanted this to be good because I adore Paul Rudd. The only way to make me not like him? Make him a girly wussy with no male friends.

5. Bruno
Just didn't think it was funny.

4. Bride Wars
Ugh. I'm offended for all chick flicks.

3. Confessions of a Shopaholic
See above.

2. Watchmen
Had trouble sitting through this one it was so bad.

1. Twilight: New Moon
Now, the first one was "bad" but it was enjoyable. This was just bad bad. Will I see the third film? Probably.

TOP 10 FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2009

10 1/2. First 30 minutes of Funny People
This movie deserves a shout out because it could have been good. COULD have. It started off so well...

10. Crazy Heart
Simple story and, while Maggie Gyllenhaal was annoying, the music is FANTASTIC and Jeff Bridges is great.

9. Julie and Julia
Ahh, Meryl Streep. So comforting.

8. An Education
Nice little British movie with a refreshing young star.

7. Star Trek
The best big summer popcorn flick I've seen in a long time. Probably because Chris Pine and the rest of the cast are so charismatic.

6. The Hangover
Have you heard? It's funny.

5. The Proposal
Makes the list if only because the scenery and the house was so damn awesome. But, up until the last movie I saw this year, it was the ONLY movie to move me to tears. Yes, I know.

4. Up In The Air
Nice movie. I think it's overhyped but it's nice.

3. The Messenger
And this is the movie that truly made me cry. A tiny movie that's under the radar but see it if you can. Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson are really terrific in a very moving movie.

2. The Hurt Locker
I wish all of these actors were getting more attention. The three leads are great and it's just well done all around.

1. Inglourious Basterds
I love Quentin. This is a movie that, the more you think about it, the more you realize how awesome it is. He makes it seem effortless but it takes a lot of talent to make something seem so easy. The farmhouse scene? The basement tavern scene? Rad.

2010-01-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

SAG Awards

Truthfully, I didn't get to watch most of the SAG awards because in a world without Tivo or DVR, it's hard to actually catch TV at appointed times. But I did see some of it and I definitely saw some dresses. Not as comprehensive as the Golden Globes, but worth noting. Most of these people were all at the Globes a week ago so it was interesting to see how different they dressed.

Diane Kruger
I really liked this dress. I don't know if I would wear that color but I thought she pulled it off.

Sandra Bullock
Big miss for me from one of my favorites. I actually like it when she pulls back her hair like this but I am so so confused about the top. She was giving an award to Betty White so maybe she decided to dress like an old lady from the 80s?

Anna Kendrick
Better. Not great though. The color is younger but the top neckline kind of freaks me out as do the ruffles. And I don't love the hair thing.

Anna Paquin
Well, I thought this was a breath of fresh air. Totally different and I loved it.

Carey Mulligan
Still not getting it. Too much fabric, didn't like the cut.

Tina Fey
Improved. Still looks uncomfortable all dressed up, but much better.

Mo'Nique
A little old lady-ish and safe? Yes but her hair and makeup looked nice.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Yuck.

Marion Cotillard
Not only is it one shoulder but that one shoulder has been built up and is structured? Ugh.

Toni Collette
Still wearing sparkles which I admire. But I hate the ruffled skirt and I think the top should sit higher.

Lea Michele
Yay! I love this on her. Love the color and love that girly youth.

Jenna Fischer
Well, at least Jenna seems like a nice person.

Nicole Kidman
Confusing. It's actually kind of a rad dress but felt totally out of place for a formal awards show. In the winter. On ice queen Nicole Kidman. I'm thinking it would work on Kate Hudson at a summer concert series.

Juliana Marguiles
From a Star Trek dress to this weird velvet thing. Not feeling it.

Kyra Sedgwick
For a woman who often looks weird, I thought Kyra looked really pretty.

Christina Applegate
I loved this dress. So pretty.

Kate Hudson
I like it. Is that wrong? It feels wrong. Front was boring but this woman can wear white and when she turned around it was pretty stunning.

Joan Allen
Worst dressed. Period.

Drew Barrymore
I'm not sure I can defend Drew on this one. I mean, I know it's high fashion or whatever. But I don't like it. And I don't like her washed out makeup and her hair. Is this the end of our love affair?

2010-01-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

the movies in the middle

So I'm almost ready to do my top and bottom 10 movies of the year. Just have to watch one or two more. But I thought that in the mean time I'd mention a couple that won't make either list. I had high hopes for these movies but they fell flat in the middle "average" column. Most people disagree with me but....

District 9
There are great things about this movie. The main actor is absolutely fantastic. He gets to play an amazing arc and I bought every second of it. I really admired a lot of things about this movie. I admired the acting, I admired the originality, I admired what they accomplished on a tiny budget. But, as a whole, I just wasn't totally sucked in. I don't know if it was the actual creature design, or the lack of ending, but it didn't make my top 10 list. But I would recommend it.

500 Days of Summer
This one was pretty much what I expected. A cutesy indie movie that was trying so hard to be hip that it bordered on annoying. Don't get me wrong, I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt. But Zooey Deschanel is one of my least favorite actresses of all time. Ugh! I just find her so grating. So I didn't care about their love story and, consequently, didn't care about the movie.

Sherlock Holmes
This is the one movie I left and thought "this movie could have been so much better!" I mean, really. Robert Downey Jr. is absolutely charismatic and charming in everything and this was no exception. And he was great with Jude Law who, for the first time in a long time, I enjoyed. But something about it just wasn't executed well. I didn't like the color and the look of the whole movie. I thought Rachel McAdams was horribly miscast, and I thought it was too long. Oh well. Maybe they'll get it right in the sequel.

It's Complicated
Now this is (or should have been) a Lisa movie homerun. Seriously. It's been called femme-porn and I agree with that. A woman with a lot of money, a lot of free time, a gorgeous house with a gorgeous kitchen and gorgeous furnishings, and a little bakery we'd all love to own. Meryl Streep is lovely as usual. But Alec Baldwin was distracting as...well, Alec Baldwin. That's all he can do and it's great on "30 Rock" but sort of weird in a romantic comedy. Still enjoyable but John Krasinski was the best part of this movie.

2010-01-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

Golden Globes 2010 Recap

I was sad when I realized that I'd be out of town for the Golden Globes this year because I like to have a little get-together with my favorite ladies and make snarky comments at the screen and watch Ryan Seacrest chase down celebs. But this year I was in the Doubletree Hotel in Pittsburgh. So there I gathered my few friends in my hotel room and we watched on my sad 36 inch tube tv. We also don't get the E! channel here so I was forced to watch Billy Bush on NBC. Ugh. Annoying. I won't go into the show really (Ricky Gervais was okay but barely on...I hate James Cameron) but here's the really important stuff.

I applied too much spray tan:
Penelope Cruz
I love her but she looked orange on TV and didn't love the dress.

I'm accessorizing my head:
January Jones
A few people had headbands and I thought hers looked quite nice.

I'm too young to dress this old:
Jennifer Garner and Lea Michele
Lea is young, fresh, and plays a teenager on a show called "Glee". Nothing about this outfit makes me think she's any of those things. She looks good, but it's a little sad. Poor Jennifer, who I adore, has 55 year old hair and the dress, while she looks good in it, is too old for her. And she has lost too much weight.

I'm too old to dress like this:
Heather Graham and Kate Bosworth
Ah, Heather Graham. Remember when she was young and hot? And Kate. A little braid? Really? And oh my god eat something please!!

I'm big but I'm bringing it:
Mo'Nique
Mo'Nique is a big girl. But I think this dress is a nice choice for her and she looks lovely. And her speech made me laugh and cry. And she really is the one and only performance this year that knocked it out of the park.

I'm old but I'm working it:
Helen Mirren, Glenn Close, Sigourney Weaver, and Meryl Streep
Love these ladies. Mirren always looks phenomenal, I don't understand how Glenn is so muscular, Sigourney is a classy lady (and Stanford alum), and Meryl is Meryl.

I'm avant-garde so deal with it:
Diane Kruger, and Chloe Sevigny
First of all, I always expect the weird from our friend Chloe. This is no exception. It's fairly ugly but I thought it was cool that from the side it looked like the front and back weren't connected. She's so cool that she changed into another crazy outfit for the after-party. And Diane Kruger. How can you not love her when she's dating Pacey who is so obviously adorable? The dress was weird but in her close-up shots, the top is so interesting and textured that I thought it worked.

I wish I was avant-garde:
Amanda Seyfried
I love Amanda on "Big Love" but this is just too much for her to pull off. You're no Chloe.

I'm most improved!:
Jenna Fischer and Maggie Gyllenhaal
I've gone on record for usually hating poor Jenna's outfits but this is an improvement. Not great, but she looks more comfortable and the hair is more natural. And Maggie actually looks good here. I've called her an alien face and usually her dress choices are awful. And while the top of this is weird, I kind of like it and like the details and the color.

I'm actually a wax figure:
Cher and Christina Aguilera
Ugh. Yuck.

I am auditioning for the next "Star Trek" movie:
Julianna Marguiles
This particular picture actual makes the dress look okay. But the waist up shots looked weird because her boobs were squeezed in there and I didn't like the geometry.

I am abusing my bust:
Mariah Carey and Christina Hendricks
Mariah has squeezed into a too-tight dress again and looks ridiculous with her son, oops I mean husband, holding her umbrella. And I understand that Christina knows that men love her GIGANTIC boobs. But my goodness are they highlighted.

I need help:
Jennifer Morrison, Lauren Graham, and Amy Poehler
Jennifer...I don't like the old lady hair, I hate the pukey color, and the ruffles are overwhelming. Lauren...that color does not suit her and the satin isn't doing her any favors. And Amy, poor Amy. I love "Parks and Rec" but this red is overwhelming, the pink lipstick doesn't match, and the top is cut way too high and is too heavy.

I'm the worst dressed here:
Julianne Moore and Tina Fey
Oh goodness. Julianne...a pretty lady but that dress is so so unflattering and yucky. Even with those bitchin' emerald earrings she's not a winner. And Tina Fey. My god. I know she often looks weird when she dresses up but that is one of the worst skirts I've ever seen. Terrible length, terrible stiffness, terrible pattern.

I refuse to let the one shoulder trend die:
Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon,
Marion Cotillard
All of these ladies look lovely as usual. Kate looks so sophisticated, Jen's leg looks bangin', Reese looks skinny with FABulous hair, and Marion looks cute and French. But wouldn't these dresses look just as good with no straps or two straps? Help me out people.

I'm Drew Barrymore, bitches:
Drew Barrymore
So obviously I love Drew. That is well known. And, while this dress has weird sea urchin things coming out of the shoulder and waist, I kind of like it. Maybe it's because I love her hair and makeup but I think she looks nice. In spite of the urchins.

But I'm Julia Roberts, bitches:
Julia Roberts
Julia, Julia, Julia. Lately I've heard some rumors that Julia's a pretty big bitch. I think she thinks the world revolves around her and, that may be valid in some ways. But I have to admire someone who showed up to the red carpet wayyy tipsy after many limo cocktails and then proceeded to hang on Tom Hanks and make fun of everyone on live TV. And damn. That smile really does light up a room. Or Los Angeles.

I'm the next big thing so I need to do better:
Anna Kendrick and Carey Mulligan
Anna and Carey were both fantastic this year in "Up in the Air" and "An Education". They are young, nominated for Golden Globes, and can wear whatever and whoever they want. So I was really disappointed in Anna's RUFFLED one shoulder (the only way to make the one shoulder worse) and Carey's dowdy black heavy dress. I kept wanting to pull it up.

I'm all sparkly!:
Anna Paquin, Toni Collette, and Lindsay Lohan
I'm a sucker for sparkles I think. Maybe because I would NEVER wear them. But Anna looks crazy but cool, Toni looks fantastic, and Lindsay...well, Lindsay is Lindsay. She's wearing a HOOD with sparkles.

I'm making you confused:
Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, and Nicole Kidman
I am torn on these. Do I like Cameron's red lipstick and red dress? At first I thought the shoulders were too extreme but now I might like it. And at first glance I hated Kate's dress but the white sort of pops in a sea of other dresses. Too architectural though? And Nicole...it's boring but her hair is nice (and red) and it's kind of lovely.

I look surprisingly good:
Ashley Olsen
I am not a fan of the Olsen twins. They generally look like homeless trolls but, breaking news, I think I like this. LOVE the color and the detail on the top is kind of rad.

I am the best dressed:
Ginnifer Goodwin, Sandra Bullock, Emily Blunt, Zoe Saldana, and Courtney Cox
I can't get over how cute Ginnifer Goodwin looks. The cool top works perfectly with the short hair and I love the color. Sandra is one of my favorites and I've seen her in some TERRIBLE dresses but I thought this looked nice on her. Emily is marrying Jim from "The Office" so she's a winner. I don't want to like Zoe because she only weighs 90 pounds but I really like this dress. Love the color and, while the details are very different, I think it kind of works. Then there's Courtney. Totally boring black but she looks GREAT. I mean, check out this close-up. Did she make a deal with the devil or what?

I get the Lifetime Achievement award:
Halle Berry
Holy shit.

2010-01-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Ndugu,

So, is this still a blog if I haven't touched it for 5 months? Maybe, not sure. It's post Golden Globes time and I usually do a fashion roundup. I think I still will if only for posterity because I know no one is actually checking this blog anymore for new content. But now that work has calmed down, I do want to start blogging again. What better comeback than snarky fashion reviews?

2009-08-07T06:25:00.001-07:00

my senior thesis

When I was a senior in college, I chose to do my thesis on John Hughes' movies. Sure, kind of bullshit...or a lot of bullshit... but it was amazing. I knew all of his movies pretty well, but the thesis really made me delve into the 80s culture, classism, the brat pack, etc. In that time I read one of my favorite non-fiction books, this one. Cheesy but great. Wasn't too moved when Michael Jackson died but when John Hughes died this week, I was pretty damn sad. I happened upon this blog which made me tear up a little. It may seem pathetic, but it's true...

Sincerely, John Hughes

Read it.

2009-07-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

bali in brief. emphasis on brief.

Bali was amazing. For many reasons. One, the island is gorgeous. You get sandy beachs, sea cliffs, and warm ocean water along the shore. Head inland and you get rice patties, rainforests, tropical flowers, and green, green, green. We were lucky that we got to split our time between these two different landscapes. Half the time we were in a personal bungalow with a giant patio looking out at the rice patties. I adored this location. The bathroom was outdoors and there's really nothing like a private outdoor shower while looking up at the coconuts in a palm tree. The end of the trip we moved to the beach and stayed in a more American-style resort. Sure, it's more of what we're used to, but there's something to be said for a giant pool with a swim-up bar that's right on the sand and ocean. Good times.

Second reason it was amazing was the Indian wedding culture and traditions. It was amazing to see such a different culture. I loved the colorful outfits the females wore and all the shiny beads and jewels. It was beautiful. No black dresses here. The henna, the orange flower leis, the temple you had to walk around, the wrestling matches between relatives... all good times.

And thirdly, it was awesome to get to become friends with all of these LA people that my sister knows. We drank, we ate, we partied, we argued about movies, we bonded. Just like summer camp except we came home and, guess what? Everyone lives without 20 mins of each other so we're still hanging out. Who would have thought? All in all, an unforgettable time.

2009-07-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

asian flu virus

Back from a week in Bali (which was fantastic) but somehow managed to catch some nasty Asian flu virus. My doctor assures me it's not the swine flu which is a relief, but I'm second guessing my decision not to wear a mask on the flights like 90% of the other people. Luckily, I'm not alone though. All told, I think there were 8 of us who got really sick the minute we got home.

Once I'm recovered, a full Bali post is in order!

2009-06-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

paltrow is totally in touch with reality

Gwyneth Paltrow was raised by celebs in Beverly Hills and in every interview I've seen her in she comes off as a total snob. She had the balls to start a "lifestyle" website called Goop with amazing gems and tips for your life. (I refuse to link to it.) For some reason it's become fairly popular. No doubt for amazing recipes like this "Sandwich" one below:

"Spread each slice of bread with a tablespoon of Veganaise or mayonnaise, sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Layer the bacon, tomato, avocado and lettuce on four slices of the bread and then sandwich with the remaining four. Cut each sandwich in half and serve."

Take a sec, grab a pen and paper, and write that down. You don't want to forget how to make a sandwich.

2009-06-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

SYTYCD - Top 16

The Best:

Randi and Evan - This week's show wasn't as good as last week's so I had a hard time picking a favorite. But had to go with Mia Michaels' piece about Randi's ass. I've said it before but these two dancers are just fun and adorable and easy to watch. And Mia brings so much personality to every dance that she almost never misses.

The Worst:

Carla and Jonathan - Jonathan looked pretty damn horrible in this smooth criminal hip hop routine. Just totally out of his element and Carla was not much better.

The Rest:

Ade and Melissa - They are one of my favorite couples and I thought their rumba was very sexy and smooth. Her costume made me sit on the edge of my seat because I thought she was going to reveal a part of her body that I really didn't need to see. But that never happened and instead they pulled off a great dance.

Janette and Brandon - My other favorite couple. I love them more and more every week. Last week their disco was insane. This week their rock-n-roll hip hop was pretty sweet. Brandon was pretty damn impressive for a non-hip hopper. And I just like that Janette is the only competitor who said her 2nd career would be 'loan processing'. Awesome.

Kayla and Kupono - Kayla's an awesome dancer and I totally think her partner Max didn't deserve to go last week. Kupono is lucky to be paired with such a good dancer now. It was a Viennese Waltz which is never particularly thrilling but it looked pretty and he didn't suck.

Philip and Jeanine - Their Tice Broadway routine was pretty entertaining. I like Philip but it wasn't his strongest performance. Kind of a weird Broadway song choice too.

Caitlin and Jason - She isn't very versatile but she did okay. It's easy to be impressive with a showy dance like the Paso Doble and while Carmina Burana is blasting.

Asuke and Vitolio - My second least favorite of the week with their weak Mandy Moore Heartbreaker routine. The choreography didn't help them out because it was boring and the costumes were weird and dated.

In the end, I'm hoping Jonathan goes home as well as Carla or Asuke.

2009-06-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Girlfriend...help me out a little

Seriously Drew. You know you are my favorite. And I support most of your wacky fashion choices. But now you're going a little off the grid. I let this outfit slide because you deserve a pass and I think it was a Green Day concert and we all get a little crazy when we listen to the "Dookie" album, but, really. I appreciate that your (not) boyfriend Justin Long is following you out of the box, but please reel it in a little. Tie-dyed leggings look good on no one. And I saw that face paint on you two days ago at a music festival that was 2000 miles away from this baseball game. Please tell me you've washed your face since then. Please. Drew?

drewfull

DrewCU

2009-06-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 18

I love this show. Which I will now refer to as SYTYCD. Now, I don't know if anyone watches this show besides me and t, but I am going to write about it anyways. If you're not watching, you should. As someone who is not a "dance" fan per se, I really enjoy it.

So the Top 18:

The best:
My favorite of the night (aka the one I would watch again on Tivo) was Brandon and Janette's disco. Wow. That's all I could say afterwards. It's funny because disco is usually crappy and cheesy but these two completely elevated the genre. Of course, when I found out the choreographer was in "Dirty Dancing", I knew why I enjoyed it so much.

The worst:
Definitely Caitlin and Jason's hip hop routine. I didn't know Jason's name before now but I certainly knew Caitlin because they've highlighted her a lot. The minute I saw she was doing Shane Sparks I knew she was in serious trouble. And she was. Man, not good. They are in danger of being voted off.

The rest:
My other two favorites were Melissa (the ballerina) with Ade and Jonathan and Carla (had to look up their names).
Ade and Melissa did that sort of weird jazz contemporary dance choreographed by Sonya but I love watching them dance together. Last week their slow dance was my favorite (even though it was to Richard Marx).

Then there's Carla and Jonathan. The funny thing is that they are both not really great dancers. But when you've got "Falling Slowly" playing behind you and you're telling a love story, it's hard to miss. And the new Canadian choreographer really surprised me. Especially since at first I thought she seemed like a cheer coach and I thought she'd be a joke. What do I know.

Still love watching Broadway Evan dance with Randi because, as they would say, they are "fun". Good for them.

Vitolio and Asuka did a waltz that made Mary cry but I just thought was pedestrian.

Philip and Jeanine's tango was terrible but Philip is pretty damn awesome so I'm sure he'll be fine.

And then to close it out, Ashley and Kipono's hip hop was lame. Two strikes for Shane Sparks. Is that the end of the Sparks era?

2009-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

butterfish

Found this fantastic little sushi place walking distance from my house! It has everything you'd want in a local neighborhood sushi joint. A nice bar to sit at, fair prices, excellent albacore, and cool rolls for when you want a change of pace. Our friend also introduced us to a little drink he gets... Soju on the rocks with a few cut up jalapeno pepper slices. Not enough for you to actually taste it, but it's subtle. Delightful. This particular sushi joint also had "butter fish" on the menu and let me tell you, it was delicious. I highly recommend it. Apparently so does Andy Garcia because he was there too and obviously knew everyone. So take that into consideration....

2009-06-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

When Sam Mendes and Jim got together with Dave Eggers

Just got back from Away We Go which I am pretty sure I really enjoyed. It wasn't a perfect movie but it was one hell of a departure for Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road and American Beauty) and it gave John Krasinski a good chance to show that he deserves a lot of roles after "The Office" is over. It was a typical little indie movie with a good soundtrack and with a slight melancholy feel even over the funny scenes. But there are a good mix of comedic scenes and moving scenes. The supporting cast was excellent... Allison Janney is hysterical, Paul Schneider is good as usual, and there is this absolutely terrific, touching, portion of the movie with these two little known actors. (yes, I am too lazy to look it up and post the link). So, on the whole, I definitely recommend for a nice little movie experience or if you're looking for a change of pace from Star Trek or Transformers 2.

(and, by the way, The Hangover is absolutely hysterical. Really.)

2009-04-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

attention bsg fans...all three of you

Last week I attended an event for Battlestar Galactica and the new Ron Moore series, Caprica. The night started with a sneak preview of "Caprica". I had mixed feelings I had to admit. I mean, I really wasn't that excited about it because I knew it didn't really have much to do with BSG. And, sorry if you disagree, but I find Eric Stoltz incredibly bland and boring. But here's the deal... after a 90 minute premiere I can say I'll watch it again. But I didn't love it. It had problems in that it was seriously somber and it was missing the action-adventure portion to drive the story forward. There is no ticking clock or nothing to really progress the story. Ron Moore admitted it and said it was more of a soap opera in a sense that it was just about the characters. Fine. I watch plenty of soap operas...Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, etc. But that's because I enjoy watching the characters on those shows. Caprica didn't really have any characters I liked or got invested in. So, pretty major problem. The idea of it is pretty good which is what will make me watch it again, but I don't have high hopes.

The Q&A section of the evening was basically just the moderator (super-fan Seth Green) channeling Chris Farley. And what I mean is that he'd get super excited and describe a scene or plot and end with "wasn't that cool?". Yeah, it was cool. But that's not a question. The cast representatives from BSG were Grace Park and Tricia Helfer. Yes, they are both hot. The whole Caprica cast was there too but who cares. :-)

2009-04-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

a new department

I was at Michael's (craft store) today and I was in the check-out line. An old lady pushing an empty shopping cart sidled up to the register girl and asked her what aisle the bras were in. I think the 3 people within earshot didn't really believe that's what she said. But then she asked again where the bras were and pointed to her boobs while doing it. The employee had to then explain that they didn't sell clothes there. I really shouldn't be laughing (not that you could tell) because it turns out the old lady was looking for Marshall's and she had accidentally wandered into a craft store instead. Oh well.

2009-04-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

that hbo vampire show that only a few of you watch

So yesterday was the first of three events I am going to as part of the Museum of TV and Radio's Paley Festival. Each night features a different tv show and there's a Q&A with the cast and creator. I've been to a few and they've all been incredibly different experiences. Last night was HBO's "True Blood". I have to say that it was the most ridiculous, tragic audience I had ever seen. I was shocked when I got there two hours early and there was already a long line of people waiting. I expect that for the hardcore fan geek shows (ie "lost" and "battlestar") but this show? To describe the crowd, I'd say the typical attendee was around 50 years old and clearly not from LA. And by that I mean...well, how to say this...tragically dressed and not exactly into vanity. Or something. A big group of women were all wearing t-shirts that said "Bill's Babe" with a splash of blood. Apparently they'd flown all the way from Texas. Another group had flown in from NY. Oh my gosh. I mean, this was an event that didn't even last two hours.

So the actual panel... The entire cast was there as well as creator Alan Ball. Somehow, for some reason I can't clearly articulate, the crowd went WILD for this guy who had a tiny tiny part in Season 1. Granted, he was the star of "Generation Kill" on HBO and in general a tall, blonde, athletic drink of water. But, STILL. To get mores oohs and aahs than the guys who play Bill and Jason Stackhouse? Crazy. After enduring the squeals of 50 year old women while they cheered on actors 25 years their junior, they opened up the Q&A to the audience. There was one woman begging for a spandex and shower scene that is apparently in the books...there was a woman who schooled Alan Ball on when he got renewed for second season....there was a woman who emotionally described how the online chat rooms for this show had brought so many people together all over the country...the woman who got up and like a total nut actress asked Alan Ball for a job and wouldn't back off...the woman making a photo collage of the actors next to me....the woman who wanted to know what crevices the dirt got in when they filmed the sex scene in the dirt...and of course the dungeons and dragons type of guy who got up and told them to embrace the lightness and darkness so that HBO didn't cancel them like the bastards they are. So SOOOO awkward. I spent a majority up the time curled up in my seat, cringing, and hiding my head in my hands. The poor actors on stage looked absolutely horrified by the "fans" in the audience. A pretty eye-opening experience.

The best part was that one of the actresses on the show is married to Ben from "Lost". He was sitting in the audience for his wife's event and afterwards a ton of people came up to him and he was gracious enough to meet everyone and take pictures. What a delightful man.

2009-03-30T18:32:00.001-07:00

the one and only

You now know (or are reading) the one and only girl who could possibly get motion sickness while pole dancing. Congrats to me. As if the experience couldn't get any more painful....

2009-03-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

more thoughts on television

A new show premiered last week called Kings. I was intrigued because it stars Ian McShane of "Deadwood" fame and we all know he's awesome. After a two hour premiere I can honestly say I'm... intrigued. Not sure I'd say I loved it but it was definitely interesting. And fairly ambitious. It's not quite HBO quality and depth but I'm pretty shocked NBC agreed to make this show. It's a biblical analogy with a lot of God-talk and a confusing alternate non-America setting. It debuted to crappy ratings which is sad because it's a show that deserves a chance.

Oddly enough, I'm slowly becoming a fan of Jimmy Fallon. When I first heard he was taking over Conan's late night spot, I was quite concerned. And he is everything I thought he was. But the thing is, he's soo...earnest. He wants to succeed and somehow he magically comes off as likable. I want him to succeed. Not sure how this happened, but I'm now rooting for him.

Only one more episode of Battlestar Galactica and I'm already sad. And the season finale of Big Love is coming up. If you're not watching that show, start. This season has been spectacular.

2009-03-03T10:15:00.001-08:00

catching up with Netflix DVDs

This past week I've seen some of the hits from last year that I missed. First, I saw Mamma Mia. I had serious reservations as I didn't love the stage musical and I'd heard some bad reviews. But I'd also heard from people who liked it and, hell, it's made half a billion dollars worldwide. Even beating Titanic in the UK. So all those people couldn't be wrong, right? Not right. What a train wreck of a movie. Blech. It was just crap. Like someone threw up on the screen and I'm not sure quite how they got there. I didn't like the costumes, hair and makeup, choreography, etc. And while Meryl and Amanda Seyfried can sing, the men couldn't and that was painful. It was all painful.

Also caught The Secret Life of Bees which I obviously know doesn't appeal to a wide audience. But I had heard good things and it was quite a nice little movie. Dakota Fanning is pretty rad and Michael from "The Wire" is in it. And so is Paul Bettany playing a racist asshole Southern father. And he's great.

And I finally saw Pineapple Express. I didn't know if I'd love this movie because I'm not a huge stoner fan but I have to say this movie was damn funny. I found myself laughing so hard and rolling off the couch many times. Bravo James Franco. Not sure if he was completely high in every scene (he looked it), but still. Rad.

2009-03-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

the bonus of unemployment...celeb sightings

The funny thing about not working is that you have plenty of time to blog. Yet you have nothing to blog about. I have discovered (or reconfirmed) that I am not cut out for a life of leisure. I get bored, I get antsy, and I don't have a hobby that lends itself to alone time. My hubby loves playing music, writing, etc. and all of that means that he loves time off work and doesn't mind being home alone. I'm pretty much the opposite.

The plus side is that when you go to lunch or happy hour or brunch with your other unemployed friends on a weekday, you see lots of actors. I've been seeing lots of really minor character actors but those are my favorites. The other day I saw Rachel Griffiths crossing the street. Then I was picking up some take-out and this random guy from Carnivale was in there. But best yet, I was getting brunch and standing in line next to Tory from Battlestar Galactica. I wanted to geek out but I maintained my composure.

2009-02-23T17:06:00.001-08:00

oscar fashion 2009

So I was expecting a lot of blandness on the red carpet this year. I thought people would play it safe and we'd see a lot of beige, taupe, and grey. What I got was so many unflattering dresses and missteps that I really enjoyed it. Too much white in general, but man, all the choices in the world and this is what you choose? Let's kick this off...

LOVE THE GAL, HATE THE DRESS

Oh Freida. This was your chance. You are young, hot, the newcomer, everyone is interested in you, and you've been wearing such cute things. So this lace, one-sleeved number was terrible. Like, really terrible. Beyond the lace and the one-sleeve which you obviously know my feelings on...it just looked OLD. Like something a 60 year-old would wear. Paired with old lady hair and jewelry and I hated it.

Reese Witherspoon is a cute girl. A year or two ago she became this fashion icon on the red carpet but now Jake Gyllenhaal has infected her with lameness and she chose this heinous dress. Unflattering, ugly, messy, dumb.

Heidi Klum is 10 feet tall, skinny, gorgeous, and, surprisingly, seemingly nice and funny. Everyone says she could wear a burlap sack and look hot. So clearly she put that theory to the test. I believe a bolt of fabric was wrapped around her...still not sure about the color. On TV it looked hot pink but everyone said it was red. Either way. Her hair is yucky and looks dirty, her makeup is bad, and her jewelry is ugly. Theory proven wrong.

I don't have anything against the extreme nature of Sarah Jessica Parker's dress. She's SJP and she has to wear something over the top. But this? I don't know. I do know her boobs were so pushed up that they were hitting her chin. And I really found her dark hair distracting. A miss for me.

I didn't know if I should include Anne Hathaway in the girls I love category but I folded. She's had a hard year so it's okay that she keeps blabbing on about herself. Besides, she says she likes to drink and I can see myself having fun throwing back a few cocktails with her. But I did not like this dress. I wanted her to wear color and she didn't. And the whole cut of the dress I thought was unflattering. It laid across her chest oddly and I wasn't into it. Decent hair and makeup though.

Amanda Seyfried is adorable on "Big Love". She was also on "Veronica Mars". And apparently she starred in one of the highest grossing movies ever this year, "Mamma Mia". She's young, adorable, on the rise, and yet she chooses the worst dress I've seen in years. As Stacey said, "very Sophisticated Lady". It was orange (I think), had a folded over neckline the likes of which I have not seen since 8th grade, a BOW, and the shittiest length imaginable on a dress. Boo.

Speaking of "Big Love", I love Ginnifer Goodwin on that show. But not in this. Ever.

Rachel Griffiths is awesome on "Brothers and Sisters" and "Six Feet Under". All I can saw is this must have been comfortable.

Naomi Watts just had a baby. Cool. Your body looks awesome. You are rad. But your dress is crap (the boob area is scaring me) and your hair looks bad.

My god Rachel Weisz. Pull it together. This is the Oscars dammit.

Beyonce, Beyonce, Beyonce. I learned this was from the collection you and your mother design. You mom is a nut job and this is clearly from her couch. Ugly as sin.

and my last minute addition to this category is Amy Adams. I originally didn't think I hated the look, but, in pictures, it's bad. The chiffon attached to the front is weird and the black lines are distracting. And the necklace doesn't go. So I guess the decision was made for me.

WORST HAIR

Runner up was nominee Melissa Leo. You can't tell that much in this pic but it's blown out in sort of an 80s mom way. Not good. (And yes, the dress is hideous but I'm too tired to discuss).

But worst hair had to be Lisa Rinna. I guess if you wanted it to distract from your face, you succeeded.

YOU'RE CRAZY/RAD/A LEGEND SO IT'S OKAY

A new category but some of the winners....

Sophia Loren obviously has to be mentioned. But if you're pushing 80 you can do whatever you want, right?

Meryl Streep is the best actress of all time. She can wear whatever she damn well pleases. (I wouldn't have minded if you went a little easy on the "up" curls you did though).

Tilda Swinton. Who in the hell is this alien woman?!! Hysterical.

Marion Cotillard is young, French, and a rock star for all I know. So I guess this is okay.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is so good in everything he does. So this black ski hat must be forgiven. Or not. Okay, NOT.

Mickey Rourke should and can wear whatever. But what got me here was this little picture of his dog around his neck. Oh my gosh that's amazing and touching. When he started talking about it on the red carpet to Seacrest I almost cried.

I DON'T KNOW...I GUESS IT'S OKAY?

Everyone loves Jen Aniston and feels for her. She had to present an award about 10 feet from the woman who stole her husband. So I guess she looked good. The dress isn't terrible. Her braided hair is cute. Right?

Penelope Cruz is so cute. She seemed so happy to win. And this dress is vintage and probably so pretty in person. On her it's not that flattering and looks sort of like a wedding dress though.

People were over the moon about this Natalie Portman number. I guess it's cute but it didn't knock me out.

Nicole Kidman. Predictable. Boring. Feathery.

Angelina shocks me by wearing a black, plain dress. Amazing. It's no wonder why we all think she's a goddess. (Okay, the emeralds were insane though).

Evan Rachel Wood looks pretty good. The color looks okay with her skin tone and the dress is vaguely pretty. The hair is a bit crazy for me though.

LOOKIN' GOOD LADIES

Newcomers Tariji P. Henson and Viola Davis both brought it. I especially love Tariji's outfit. Which is weird because I find her annoying.

Oddly enough, I liked Diane Lane's dress. The frayed top, the layers, the rocker necklace. Kind of cool.

CONTROVERSIAL LIKES!!

I don't think anyone else liked these but...

The more I look at it the more I love Marisa Tomei. It was high fashion but it was kind of rad. Even with the one shoulder. And she is just so naturally beautiful, especially in close-up without crazy jewelry or too much mystic tan.

It's insanely beaded, including hanging strands of beads, it's one shoulder, it's white...all things I hate... but I think Carrie Underwood looks pretty.

And to get even more insane, I sort of liked Miley Cyrus' dress. Clearly I just need some sort of different outfit out of boredom. But I swear, this dress (with all its sparkles) looked insanely awesome in Hi-Def. I really can't believe I'm saying this either since I find her so annoying.

I THOUGHT SHE'D LOOK SHITEOUS AND SHE ONLY LOOKED BAD

And that award goes to Madonna. Don't get me wrong, the dress is bad. The hair looks like mine when I don't blow dry it (sort of awesome) but her face doesn't look as psycho as normal. An improvement?

AND THE AWARD FOR WORST DRESSED....

First, our runner-up, Ms. Jessica Biel. Terrible hair, terrible makeup, obviously terrible dress, terrible length, terrible shoes. The funny thing is that she then changed for the after-party. Her new look was almost just as bad.

But the worst dressed of the evening was my favorite actress on the planet, Kate Winslet. It started with ugly helmet hair that looked crunchy, went on to a one-shoulder strap, continued with a chest area that showed the corset and boning she was wearing, tacked on a lace tablecloth to just one side of the skirt to make her look extra hippy, and finished with a boring grey color. So wholly disappointing. Kate said today on the Oprah show that she called her 8 year-old daughter just as she got off stage and the first thing her daughter yelled at her was "You're wearing grey!! You shouldn't have done that!" Agreed.

2009-02-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

the oscars happened

Before the fashion (ugly), a brief couple of notes about the show.

1. I had really REALLY high hopes for Hugh Jackman. He's hot, charming as hell, and can sing and dance which I love. Love musical numbers. Usually. But those song and dance numbers completely disappointed me. The opening wasn't that good but then the medley with Beyonce and the young kids was TERRIBLE. Baz Luhrmann, you should be ashamed. My god.

2. What I did like was the way they presented the acting awards. At first it kind of freaked me out. But then I really enjoyed seeing the past winners and then seeing the nominees get choked up as some of their idols described how much they enjoyed their performances. The most personal and heartfelt ones were most touching (ie Shirley McClaine to Anne Hathaway) and other presenters should have done their research better (Alan Arkin calling his nominee "Seymour Philip Hoffman").

3. For the first time I was actually seriously nervous, tense, and invested in the announcement for Best Actress and Best Actor. I was going to just die for Kate if she didn't win an Oscar after all this build-up. And then the Rourke vs. Penn fight was a good one. Obviously wanted to see Rourke's speech but Penn deserved to win.

4. Tina Fey and Steve Martin were so great together. That would be a fantastic hosting duo.

5. Too many montages!! Goddamn people. A montage for Romance, Action, Comedy, and Documentaries of 2008? Too much. And it just reminded me that no one can make a good chick flick. Pathetic.

6. Robert Pattinson really couldn't believe he was presenting at the Oscars. Nor can we. But I'm sure he's to thank for the 10% increase in ratings from last year.

7. The Japanese guy who won for short film or something who could not speak any English ended in "Domo arrigato, Mr. Roboto". So rad.

2009-02-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

no job = television

When you don't have a job, watching television is a great activity for two reasons. One, it is free. Two, it is still enjoyable if you do it alone. For that reason, I have been watching a lot of TV. Luckily, there are some seriously kick-ass things on right now. If I may briefly touch on them...

BIG LOVE
This is by far the best season so far and I am constantly amazed at how fantastic the writing is for these women. I am tempted to say the three women are the best female characters I've ever seen on tv. And for some damn reason, the Henrickson family is so appealing that it makes you start to question why a loving polygamous family is so wrong. Now THAT'S good writing.

TOP CHEF
This has been my favorite season of Top Chef so far. Probably because between Carla, Stefan, and Fabio, I haven't seen such entertaining personalities on this show ever before. I was (am) in love with Fabio along with every female viewer I know. Yes, it's predictable...he's fairly cute but it's the cliche Italian accent. And all those sound bites! "This is Top Chef...not Top Pussy." Fantastic. Then there's Carla who looks like Big Bird and apparently likes to channel energy into her food. But for some reason Stefan has really grown on me. Like a fungus I suppose. He's cocky but he is hysterical. Love it.

LOST
Yes, Lost has had it's ups and downs. But I'm really enjoying this year. It's still more entertaining than most things out there. Ben has been funny as usual and I've come to really like Daniel Farraday. As long as they keep Kate and Jack in the background, I'll be okay.

AMERICAN IDOL
Well, it's on. And I still watch it. And there are still good singers and bad singers. What more do you want?

DAMAGES
Starring what has to be the skinniest actress on TV, Rose Byrne consistently surprises me with her boniness. But, that aside, I am finally getting into this season. Glenn Close is awesome as usual and the bad guy this year, Kendrick, is played by "Rawls" from The Wire. He is amazing. And Timothy Olyphant has been some good eye candy.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Only a few more episodes of this outstanding series so I am sad. But it's been great so far. I am going to really miss this appointment viewing. I hope all these actors land new shows.

2009-02-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

my new NEW favorite YouTube sensation

Okay, so maybe not YouTube because there's no video, but Christian Bale's tirade on the set of "Terminator". Much has been said about it and lots of fantastic remixes and mash-ups are out there. But wanted to blog about it because a) he is one of my long time favorite crushes of all time and b) this doesn't phase me. I heard about this when it happened last year from some crew members. I thought they were exaggerating. They were not thank god because now the internet has some awesome stuff for all of time. I still love Bale (though recognize the heinousness of the Batman rasp) and I'm not THAT surprised that he loses it on the DP. (Who I've met and who IS an amateur douche.) The most illuminating part of this story is what an f-ing hack the director of "Terminator" is. I mean, anyone who legally changes his name to McG and is famous for directing "Charlie's Angels" is clearly not someone that a "serious" actor will respect. But when he lets Bale rip into his DP for 5 minutes without intervening? Lame. Does not have any control or rein of his set or actors. As far as the verbal abuse? Yeah, it went on for too long. Bad Christian. (Though hysterical. Have you seen this site that isolates each and every awesome sound bite?) But I've heard worse. Yesterday my producer lost it so bad the entire floor of 30 employees stopped and listened in silence and this guy tore our studio exec a new one. (And he's one of the nicest guys around.) We joked we should make our own mash-up. Maybe we will. After we're done making this amazing masterpiece.

2009-01-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

My new favorite YouTube sensation

Brilliant. (More brilliant after a bottle of wine.) Takes a while but watch.

Aladdin's A Whole New World with Jasmine and Aladdin's parts...

One Sweet Day by Mariah and Boyz II Men...

2009-01-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

What is the deal with Angie?

Angelina Jolie. She's famous. Like, really famous. She also must be a genius. Because she manipulated the media into turning her from a blood-vial, sex-crazed lunatic to some sort of saint who emits a holy glow at all times. My friends who have worked with her definitely say she's no saint but I do admire all of her charity work. But isn't it time we stop calling her one of the sexiest women alive? Her magazine spreads look great but every time she shows up to a red carpet she's wearing a tent. Literally. Yards and yards of fabric draped over what I can honestly say is a skeletal frame. This woman is severely underweight. Is this sexy? That combined with the fact that her acting is always overrated and she can barely deign to speak to these poor nervous red carpet interviewers. I don't know. I think I'm over her.

Though she is still hotter than Aniston.

2009-01-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

Oscar Noms 2008

Whoa. Some weird snubs. Weird. Here they are:

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor"
Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn in "Milk"
Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"

No Leo which is sad. Penn deserves to win but Rourke probably will.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin in "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt"
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight"
Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road"

I'm fairly annoyed by the Shannon nomination but the others played out as I thought. I was hoping Dev Patel from Slumdog would get a nod though. Ledger should and probably will win but I'd love to see another drunk speech from crazy Brolin.

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling"
Melissa Leo in "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep in "Doubt"
Kate Winslet in "The Reader"

Jolie, REALLY? I can only think these people are dying to get St. Angie to show up to their shindig. She is not good. Winslet got snubbed in Rev. Road but her performance in the Reader got bumped up to main actress. Melissa Leo was a shock over Sally Hawkins. I hope Winslet beats Hathaway.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in "Doubt"
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis in "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler"

I am happy for Davis because she seems completely humble and lovely. And she knocked her one scene out of the park. BUT Henson seems fairly annoying and her character was over the top. This category is sort of wide open as Winslet has been winning most awards. So, I suppose I'm pulling for my girl Tomei or Cruz who was really awesome.

Achievement in directing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - David Fincher
"Frost/Nixon" - Ron Howard
"Milk" - Gus Van Sant
"The Reader" - Stephen Daldry
"Slumdog Millionaire" - Danny Boyle

The snub here is really Christopher Nolan for Dark Knight. A lot of people thought he'd get nominated because it was such a complicated good movie. But I think this award will surely go to Boyle.

Best motion picture of the year
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

The overwhelming love for Benji Button is somewhat shocking. But I'm very happy with the other four nominations. They got it right. Slumdog will win and I will be watching. :-)

2009-01-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

Best/Worst Movies of 2008

Well, on the eve of the Oscar nominations, I figured it was time to break it down. So here are my favorite and least favorite movies of 2008. For the first time ever I had a hard time limiting my favorites to 10 so it was a good year for movies.

TOP 10 LEAST FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2008

10. Revolutionary Road - We don't need a movie to show us that living in the suburbs in a stale marriage with kids can be unsatisfying. Do we?

9. Rachel Getting Married - Two hour home video of the most annoying female I've ever met. No thanks.

8. Wanted - Two hour gun training session with zero story.

7. Made of Honor - Bland female lead and bland story that even Patrick Dempsey could not save.

6. 27 Dresses - Sure, I've seen this many times on HBO but Katherine Heigl has managed to go from fan favorite to annoying chick who should stop talking in only a few years. Bravo.

5. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - People liked this movie and I should have but Jason Segel just couldn't carry this movie. And, again, the female lead was soo bland.

4. Mad Money - Only saw 20 minutes of this movie on TV but it was so terrible that it clocks in at #4.

3. The Other Boyelyn Girl - Ugh.

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - My childhood is dead.

1. Changeling - Worst movie of the year by a mile. Nothing is close. Terrible acting, terrible story, too long. So terrible it makes me angry.

TOP 10 FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2008

Quickly, I must mention some movies I liked that didn't make the top 10. I still recommend these... Doubt, Last Chance Harvey, Wall-e, Tropic Thunder, Burn After Reading, Iron Man, Defiance, and, of course, my guilty pleasure, Twilight.

10. Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Not the most polished, not the best ending, but thoroughly entertaining. And Javier Bardem is easy to enjoy for 90 minutes.

9. The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke has a great comeback story though I do think he's basically playing himself in this film. Good performances by the two supporting females too.

8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - People are seriously split on this film. I agree it wasn't a homerun, but something about the love story got me. Enough to move me to tears.

7. Sex and the City - Perhaps I enjoyed this so much because my expectations were low. But I was surprised by how funny, entertaining, and sometimes moving this movie was. Great chick flick.

6. The Reader - Loved this movie. Love Kate Winslet and David Kross in this movie. Cried. Very hard.

5. Role Models - Best straight up comedy I've seen in a long time. Laughed from start to finish.

4. The Dark Knight - Re-watched this last week and it held up. Christian Bale is still somewhat ridiculous but the action sequences are amazing and Heath Ledger is insanely awesome.

3. Milk - Sean Penn is great as usual and Gus Van Sant did a good job.

2. Frost/Nixon - Probably my most surprising movie of the year because I thought it'd be somewhat boring and Ron Howard usually makes fairly bland movies. But this movie was funny, tense, and filled with great acting by everyone. Definitely highly recommend.

1. Slumdog Millionaire - Awesome.

2009-01-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

Favorite Headline of the Day

You probably know that Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer. You may or may not know that he was admitted into the hospital 2 1/2 weeks ago for pneumonia. He was released last night. The headline?

Swayze Puts Pneumonia In The Corner

Awesome.

2009-01-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

TV Highlights of 2008 - Part 2 - the Dramas

**I suppose this post contains spoilers if you haven't watched the most recent seasons of these shows....which is 99% of the people that read this blog. So this is mainly for me and the enjoyment I got out of rewatching these scenes.**

Lost
The Constant
For a show that went so completely downhill after Season 1, last year's Lost season was refreshing. Some good episodes. But it also included one of the best episodes I think they've ever done called "The Constant". It's the one that featured Desmond and Penny's love story and it's the only episode of this show that's ever made me cry.

The Wire
Late Editions
Ahh, my beloved Wire is gone. Season 5 wasn't as good as 3 or 4 but obviously it was fantastic. It did have one episode that I remember above all others. It was the penultimate episode and it showed Dukie turning into a sad street junkman, Michael killing Snoop, and lucky Namond succeeding at high school debate as Colvin's adopted son. My favorite scene though was the tragic Bubbles character attending a NA meeting and finally making forward progress. Great speech.

The Shield
Family Meeting
The Shield's series finale was miraculous. I enjoyed the final season more than almost any other show season ever and the finale was just breathtaking. Shane's character was the real standout of this season and his final showdown (on the phone no less) with Vic was just awesome.

2009-01-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

TV Highlights of 2008 - Part 1 - the Comedies

It's that time of year again. Time for the Best Of lists. It's really all about the Best and Worst Movies of the Year but I need another couple of days on that one so I can see a few more. I'm almost there though. So I thought I'd start with the best of television.

But then I looked at my list and realized it was so boring because it was the same shows as every other year. Shows that include The Shield, The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, The Office, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and my one newcomer, True Blood. So instead of a list, I'm just going to highlight a few episodes of shows that I can clearly remember, even months later. That has to say something, right? Here's part 1...the Comedies.

Saturday Night Live
Anne Hathaway episode and Paul Rudd episode
Sure, SNL is an old show and any given episode is usually only about 25% funny. But this year I felt like the percentage shot up to about 50% which is enough to make me watch it on TiVo. Because there were some really great skits. The digital shorts like "Jizz in My Pants" made me laugh as did Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Andy Samberg doing Mark Wahlberg. But here are the two sketches that I remember most clearly.
The first is Anne Hathaway in a "Lawrence Welk Show" parody. Kristen Wiig is so damn good.

And the second of course features Justin Timberlake. Sadly, host Paul Rudd is completely overshadowed by JT. And I hate myself for thinking he is awesome because I have a feeling he is one cocky son of a bitch. But his take on hosting SNL in two minutes is pretty damn fantastic.

The Colbert Report
David Simon episode and Charlie Kaufman episode
I watched a lot of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report this year because of the election and, I gotta say, Colbert overtook Stewart as funniest host. Sure, he has it easy because he gets to play a slightly over the top "character", but Colbert was absolutely hysterical this year. His interviews ALWAYS made me crack up too. Here are two of my favorites with David Simon, creator of the Wire, and crazy screenwriter/director Charlie Kaufman.

30 Rock
Succession
Season 1 of 30 Rock was awesome. Season 2 was very spotty. Don't even get me started on the current Season 3. But I did like one episode from Season 2 called Succession which was amazing. It's the one where Don Geiss goes into a diabetic coma. The real standout though is Dr. Spaceman coming to the rescue. "We have no way of knowing exactly where the heart is." "Is it 411 or 911?" "What listing please... Umm, diabetes repair I guess?"

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition
This season wasn't as funny as last, but this episode was f-ing hysterical. If you don't laugh at the clip below even I can't save you.

The Office
Customer Survey
The Office had lots of great episodes this year thanks to Amy Ryan and the Burlington Coat Factory, but I really think Jim is awesome in this role playing scene where Michael is trying to teach Dwight about customer service. Mr. Buttlicker indeed.

2009-01-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

p.s. re: the GGs

a few more favorite moments...

Megan Fox on the red carpet telling E! that she truely believes she is a tranny and "so painfully insecure that I'm on the verge of vomiting." The weird thing? She was telling the truth. I thought she might throw up right then. And more honesty from her? "I basically starved myself for a month." Yup. At least you told the truth.

Beyonce telling ET that she can't breathe in her dress and right afterwards she was going straight to In N Out Burger to eat. Also honest and also rad.

Ryan Seacrest showing his desperation as he climbed down off his platform and chased Brangelina down the red carpet. Did they stop or turn around? Nope.

Alec Baldwin grilling aforementioned Seacrest about the latest girls he was sleeping with. Ryan finally got frazzled. Amazing.

David Duchovny making a point to say "his wife" on stage so that we all know he's not really getting a divorce, despite his recent stint in rehab for sex addiction. Really? You needed to say that?

Tom Hanks telling Access Hollywood's Billy Bush that "Your tan is as fake as my sincere sentiment." :)

2009-01-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

golden globes

So of course I was joined by some of my favorite ladies last night as we watched the Globes and the red carpet. I have to say that the actual awards show was one of the best ones in a long time. Lots of interesting winners and touching speeches. Ricky Gervais' presenter speech was absolutely hysterical which is odd since I don't really love him. Then Tracy Morgan accepted the "30 Rock" award and I almost fell out of my chair. Combine that with my girl Kate Winslet winning two awards and it was awesome. Of course, Kate got to publicly declare her love for Leo which was rad. Other highlights included a completely anorexic Sally Hawkins accepting her best actress award (totally overwhelmed with emotion), a lovely Slumdog Millionaire cast getting so choked up as their film won, a tearful Marty Scorsese presenting Spielberg with the Lifetime Achievement, a funny Tina Fey telling her haters to "suck it", Alec Baldwin being Alec Baldwin, Colin Farrell all cleaned up, looking good, and winning an acting award, and Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, and Tom Hanks accepting "John Adams" awards and showing why they are all classy professionals. But f- all that class. Let's talk about fashion.

All in all, an extremely underwhelming red carpet due to one unescapable trend - nude and bland colors. We decided that stylists told their stars it was a recession so they had to not be showy and wear nudes, beiges, taupes, and other colors that completely wash people out.

TTHE BLAND LEADING THE BLAND

Salma Hayek can wear any color under the sun and she chooses a boring beige.

Amanda Seyfried was great on "Veronica Mars" and is also fantastic on "Big Love" but ugh, bland color. AND WILL THE ONE SHOULDER TREND PLEASE DIE ALREADY?! How many years must we endure it?

Isla Fisher's color is boring but I really don't like the dress either.

America Ferrera has been looking hot lately in some red and maroon dresses that I've seen her in yet she chooses to wear this dress which is a boring gray but most importantly, a totally unflattering style.

Penelope Cruz can be va va voom but this color is LAME.

Beyonce. No.

Demi Moore is damn hot for her age but I still think she should have chosen a color.

Kristin Scott Thomas has been quality from way back in the "Four Weddings and a Funeral" days but this dress is boring. She looks lovely but the color is blah.

Elizabeth Banks seems like a funny, normal girl who I would want to hang out with. Which is why I think this dress is not only pale pink and washes her out, but it's too "soft" for her. Pretty dress I guess but didn't love it on her.

Angelina Jolie practically lives in grey. But I guess she can do no wrong.

One of the dresses I sort of liked in a washed out color was (oddly enough), Vanessa Hudgens.

And here's the other pale dress I liked on Brooke Burke.

NICE CLOSE-UP

Some people got their hair and make-up quite right.

While I think Amy Adam's dress is not quite right for her (never liked her in black), but I think her soft hair, make-up, and earrings are lovely.

I never love Laura Linney's dress choices (though this isn't too bad), but I thought her close-up was nice and I liked her earrings. :-)

WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?

Rachel Griffiths seems like a rad woman...smart, not anorexic, a good actress...but her fashion choices are odd. This dress is wrinkled the minute she steps out of the car and it appears to just be wrapped and draped very oddly.

Will someone please give Rita Wilson a reality check? Remind her of her age and that she is not now (nor ever was) a supermodel. What in the hell kind of silver fringe sparkly number is that?

Blake Lively is a very attractive, very young woman on a show that basically exists to show off fashion. So why is she wearing a bad prom dress? Really? Not good. And fix your hair.

Melissa George was kind of good on "In Treatment" but I don't understand this dress. Again, it's like folded over but what is that? A plastic bow?

Maggie Gyllenhaal, really? Really?! Teal leopard print? Yuck.

Jennifer Lopez, you never disappoint. So predictable. Even if it is a gold shimmer scarf draped around you.

Taraji P. Henson, you are good in "Benji Button" but this fabric is heinous. Which designer would actually choose it to make a dress?

RAD OLD PERSON AWARD

Susan Sarandon. Cool.

TRAGIC OLD PERSON AWARD

Glenn Close. My god, Glenn. You are not 80. You just ran a marathon last year. Why are you doing this to yourself?

COLOR!

A few people chose to wear color with varying degrees of success.

I will admit that Eva Longoria looked good even though it's pretty plain.

Loved this color blue on Jennifer Morrison from "House". (Though the hair was wrong.)

Christina Applegate chose a bright yellow and I am so happy that she's triumphed through her breast cancer and come out looking lovely, but I don't really like this dress.

Kyra Sedgwick also chose red but I don't like this dress. Plus, as usual, she looks too skinny and her hair was cemented in place which looked odd.

I realize Anna Paquin is only wearing a dark plum color, but I like it. I thought she looked lovely and I was glad "True Blood" got some love.

Jenna Fischer seems like a very nice person. And is just so cute on "The Office". But goddamn she picks the worst dresses. This print is not good. Worst of all was her TERRIBLE hair. I couldn't find a picture of the back of her hair but it was atrocious. Poor girl.

Mary Louise Parker is one crazy ho but she looks rad. Gorgeous color.

Cameron Diaz is a hot mess as usual but for some reason I love this. LOVE IT.

WORST CULPRITS OF THE "NAPKIN" TREND

While the one-shoulder trend has persevered, I can't imagine this napkin trend will last. It's hideous.

Eva Mendes was the biggest culprit which is sad because I think she is one of the most gorgeous women working today.

Kate Beckinsale could use that napkin at the top of her dress as a bib...if she ever ate anything.

I realize Heidi Klum's "napkin" is more of a flower, but still...not good. Hard to make a tall supermodel look good, but she accomplished it!

APPLAUSE FOR A GIRL WHO DOESN'T USE A STYLIST!

Love it or hate it, at least Marisa Tomei is interesting and an individual.

TERRIBLE HAIR AWARD

Debra Messing takes the cake for worst hair I think. I don't think this pic does it justice because it was the biggest, ugliest, fake ponytail I've ever seen.

Tina Fey never does "dress up" very well. I think she's more comfortable in jeans and sneakers. But damn, this hair is bad. The tease up and over in the front reminded me of 6th grade.

Megan Fox is a young gorgeous girl but this hair is too severe.

DISAPPOINTING WOMEN I STILL LOVE

Anne Hathaway is edging towards unlikable lately but I'm going to keep enjoying her until she does something really egregious. This dress almost gets her there but not quite.

Sandra Bullock. Sandy! My girl! This is boring.

Oh Kate Winslet. How I adore you. Total class act, beyond talented, seem to be smart yet can tell a good dirty joke. Have a lifelong really cool friendship with Leo. And right now your body is rad. You might possibly be at your peak. So why are you wearing this boring dress? Black? Stale silhouette? I expect more at the Oscars.

MOST ADORABLE COUPLE

Okay, they are not a couple, but Frieda Pinto and Dev Patel from "Slumdog Millionaire" are so cute.

WORST. IN ANY AND EVERY CATEGORY.

And the honor goes to Renee Zellweger. Wow. Beyond tragic hair. And a dress that I can't fathom. The top is...see through? The bottom is a tight mermaid? She looks like she is constipated? Having an accident? I don't understand.

CRAZY...BUT I LOVE THEM.

The male winner has to be Mickey Rourke obviously.

But the female? My girl crush of course! Drew Barrymore!!! I actually really liked her dress. I would have liked it better in a color but I think it was a lovely cut and look great on her. But then there's her hair. It's teased, it's poufed, it's hairsprayed in place. It doesn't look good. Yet...does it? She is rad and crazy so YES IT DOES.

2009-01-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

veronica and kenneth

Latest celeb sighting was one I particularly enjoyed. Outside the wine bar (Marah talking too loudly and oblivious to it all)...Veronica Mars sitting with her boyfriend Dax, and they were joined by Kenneth the NBC Page from "30 Rock". I almost asked him why his show sucked so bad now but I held back. I'm sure he's hoping for a Golden Globe win tomorrow but I say "NO".

2009-01-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

my girl crush

I love this girl.

Doesn't she need a new best friend? Isn't she tired of Cameron D? I would rock that hairstyle with her.

2008-12-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

A visit from Santa

I may be 30 but Santa still manages to visit. Even finds me when I'm away from home, thousands of miles away. Some things I'm looking forward to playing with...

-- the Twilight series - That's right. The series of books for 13 year olds. I'm still enjoying the first one, though I sort of wish I hadn't seen the movie so I didn't have those actors in mind.

-- a handmade butcher block cutting board - My father-in-law is too talented. This cutting board is awesome and beautiful.

-- a zip-up hoodie with The National logo on the front - "The National" meaning the band. One of my favorites.

-- "The Wire" season 5 - this completes our collection.

-- Gift certificate for the Arclight theaters - because I'm too old to wait in line for seats.

-- "Wishful Drinking" by Carrie Fisher - I already read it because it only took about 40 minutes, but she's a funny writer.

-- My hubby and I got each other a new TV for the bedroom - a 32 inch flat panel. It's pretty rad.

There's also talk of getting the Wii. The sports seem so fun and we want to get Wii fit because we hear good things from friends. Does anyone have a Wii? Is it worth it?

2008-12-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

disturbing

I hope this is not true:

"Eddie Murphy will play Gotham villian The Riddler in the next Batman movie, reports The Sun.

The 47-year-old former Beverly Hills Cop was tapped by British director Christopher Nolan to reprise the role played by Jim Carrey in 1995’s Batman Forever.

The studio has also reportedly signed up Transformers star Shia LaBeouf, 22, to play Robin. Rachel Weisz is rumored to be taking up the Catwoman role."

All bad news.

2008-12-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

the revolutionary story about millionaire nixon wrestling with his doubt about milk

I've been lucky enough to see a lot of movies via DVD screeners this holiday season. I would say that every one of these movies would be better viewed on the big screen but I couldn't wait for the weeks it would take me to get to the theater for all of these. Besides, my TV is pretty big. :) A few reviews before I forget everything...

Frost/Nixon
I went into this movie with pretty low expectations for a few reasons. One, I tend to think that Ron Howard is overrated as a director. Seems like a lovely nice guy, but I didn't care for A Beautiful Mind or The Da Vinci Code or Cinderella Man. But what he has here is a great screenwriter (Peter Morgan who wrote one of my favorite movies in recent years Last King of Scotland), and amazing actors. Two, I was surprised that they were able to make an interesting movie out of a very small subject matter that I didn't really care much about. But they inserted tension and life a series of interviews that took place over 30 years ago. I really enjoyed Sam Rockwell and Oliver Platt in supporting roles. Frank Langella does a very good Nixon but I was even more impressed with Michael Sheen's Frost. Very charming.

Doubt
It was fascinating to see Doubt right after Frost/Nixon because it was interesting to compare two theatrical versions of highly acclaimed plays. I have to say that I thought, cinematically, Frost/Nixon was far better than Doubt. Doubt is adapted for the screen by the playwriter John Patrick Shanley and he also directs. The only other movie this guy has directed is Joe Vs. The Volcano. You heard me. The 1990 classic starring Tom Hanks. I'll admit I enjoy that movie when it's on TBS, but he certainly is not skilled enough to rise up to Best Director status with this movie. Amy Adams is good doing her usual naive innocent girl. And Meryl Streep is again amazing and doing an interesting NY accent. She is actually quite funny in some scenes which I didn't expect. I thought the standout was Philip Seymour Hoffman who was amazing. But this is really an actor's showcase. The film isn't that outstanding...from the production design to the direction to the cinematography. Go see for the performances but it's not at the top of my list.

Revolutionary Road
Based on a book, I'm not sure this is a movie for me. Or, I know it's not. I knew before I watched it that I would hate it and I did. Kate Winslet is one of my favorite actresses and she is awesome. Leo is also great. So is the direction. The music. The set design. The cinematography. But I am just not interested in watching 2 hours of a married couple fighting. They are miserable and the acting is so good that the emotional fights are just so...full of despair. I'll take a depressing movie but at least give me a character arc or a great story. Not just misery beginning to end.

The Wrestler
This movie is getting a lot of buzz for Mickey Rourke's "comeback" performance. I expected interesting things from director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) but I just didn't think it was that interesting. A small story about a washed up professional wrestler, Rourke was good but, then again, I thought he was just playing himself. Evan Rachel Wood was actually surprisingly great but there was nothing fantastic enough about this story to really hook me. If you want to see a lot of Marisa Tomei's tits though, I highly recommend it.

Milk
Great damn movie. I think biopics are always restricting in some ways...so much to fit in...but Gus Van Sant does an awesome job of constructing this movie. We get just enough of Milk's life but not too much so that it feels long. I can't praise Sean Penn enough so I'll leave it at that. But Emile Hirsch and James Franco are also awesome. And it's the only movie so far that has moved me to tears.

Slumdog Millionaire
F-ing awesome. I almost don't want to say that because then it'll be too built up and if you ever see it, your expectations will be too high and the movie will fall short. All that is definitely possible. I came in with medium expectations and they exceeded them. I think it is just such a refreshing and original movie... from the way it's structured, to the colors, to the music, to the tone. Just nice to see something different. The cinematography truly stands out and I was happy to see it's the same DP who did The Last King of Scotland which I loved the look of. And it's finally nice to see something with a bit of hope and optimism. Go see it!

2008-12-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

sighted in the wild

5:00pm today. Sitting in traffic on Cahuenga. Stopped. Me on the passenger side. Car pulls up alongside us and parks on the curb. Out jumps fairly hot male driver. "Wow", I say, "that guy is hot. Maybe he's famous. Turn around guy." He does. It's Ashton Kutcher. Looking way too hot for Ashton Kutcher. "Damn", I think, "is he with Demi?" Turn to look at who is getting out of the passenger side. It's Demi Moore. "Holy shit. She looks gorgeous. Younger and hotter than any of my twenty something friends. She has an amazing surgeon/trainer/face cream/diet. What a bitch."

The end.

2008-12-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

Golden Globe noms for 2008

So the Golden Globe nominations were announced and the best thing is that there will be a lot of star power among the attendees. Which is all that really matters as an avid red carpet watcher. I haven't seen all the movies yet but let's do a little run down of the main categories...

Best Motion Picture, Drama
Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire
First off, I can say that Slumdog Millionaire is absolutely awesome. I am hoping this wins though I haven't seen the Reader and Benji Button yet. I can also add that the Frost/Nixon nom is well deserved but Revolutionary Road was not good. Just not a movie that needed to be made. It stole a nomination from Dark Knight and Milk as far as I'm concerned.

Best Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical
Burn After Reading
Happy Go Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Wow. I really can't comment on any of this. I missed Burn After Reading because I was in Europe and I hear that In Bruges and Vicky are really good. But I heard Mamma Mia sucked and I don't even know what Happy Go Lucky is. Damn Role Models was robbed and probably Tropic Thunder too. There is really no respect for the straight-up comedies.

Best Actor Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn in Milk
Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler
Well, Leo was good in Rev. Road but he won't win. Frank Langella was a great Nixon but I actually thought Michael Sheen was more impressive as Frost. No one listens to me though. I'm seeing Milk tonight but I'm sure Sean Penn is great. I'll weigh in on this later. Brad Pitt? Really? Haven't seen it but I have my doubts. And I hear the Wrestler is great and I should be seeing that next week. So I guess I'll weigh in on this category later....

Best Actress Drama
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas in I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road
So it's no secret that I didn't really enjoy Rachel Getting Married. And while I'm a huge fan of Anne Hathaway, I didn't really like this performance. It's good, but more overacting. Have I mentioned Changeling yet? Guess what everyone? Listen up. THIS MOVIE BLOWS GOATS. Ugh. What a mess. And I think Angelina is an overrated actress. She's fooling everyone but she can't act that well. I'll see Doubt next week but I'm sure Meryl is awesome. Haven't heard of the Thomas movie and while Kate Winslet is awesome as usual, I didn't find the movie that good. So who in the hell am I rooting for? I know Kate wants to win an Oscar so I guess I vote for her.

Best Actor Comedy
Javier Bardem in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell in In Bruges
James Franco in Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman in Last Chance Harvey
Don't really have an opinion except that Javier Bardem is hot. Dustin is good in Last Chance Harvey but not award worthy.

Best Actress Comedy
Rebecca Hall in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins in Happy Go Lucky
Frances McDormand in Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia
Emma Thompson in Last Chance Harvey
I'm rooting for Meryl or Emma because I want to hear an acceptance speech from one of them.

Best Supporting Actor
Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr in Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes in the Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Okay, this category is really offensive. Let's keep in mind this is a category that combines Comedy and Drama. But Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder? It's an extended cameo for godsakes. And he's just dancing. He gets a nod instead of the Milk supporting cast or the kid in Slumdog? Offensive. I'm sure Heath Ledger will win and it's probably the most deserved.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams in Doubt
Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis in Doubt
Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler
Kate Winslet in The Reader
Clearly I have to try to see this Vicky Cristina Barcelona movie. I have a soft spot for Marisa Tomei from My Cousin Vinny though.

Best TV series, Drama
Dexter
House
In Treatment
Mad Men
True Blood
Go True Blood!! Mad Men is overrated and I don't watch Dexter (I know, I know). In Treatment was decent but really an actor's showcase. I will not comment on House which took a spot from The Wire and The Shield. There are no words.

Best TV series, Comedy
30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
The Office
Weeds
The Office is consistently the best.

Other things to touch on...I hope Anna Paquin wins for TV actress though I'm sad that no one else from True Blood got nominated. I also think that Danny Boyle deserves to win Best Director for Slumdog Millionaire. Amazing.

What do you think?

2008-12-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

7th

With 6th grade down, next up is the almight 7th grade at Black Mountain! After exploring my yearbook one thing is clear...apparently I started becoming friends with boys. Or at least I let them sign my yearbook. The yearbook class apparently decided that 11 year olds weren't interested in current events because there are none listed. Instead they chose to go with the more tween friendly "favorites" page. From 1990-91, our favorite TV show was "In Living Color", favorite movie was "Ghost", favorite song was "Ice Ice Baby", favorite singer was MC Hammer, favorite actors were Bart Simpson and Alyssa Milano, and favorite clothing brand was Guess. The most amazing part of this yearbook is a page called "The Ultimate Image" which is about the fashion of the day. Apparently "with overall straps up or down, airbrushed or plain, they still look good no matter what." And "whether it's shorts, shirts, or pants, floral prints come in any sort of clothing." Damn straight. I still remember my floral denim jean shorts.

And now some really quality yearbook signatures...

"You are pretty nice except when you make fun of me." from Colin. Don't think badly of me. I'm pretty sure that's sarcasm.

"Well, I guess this long year wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." from Stacey. She seems just as optimistic, even now. :-)

"I had fun copying off of you. Thanks. TRICK!" from Danny M. I don't think he was "tricking".

"Have a great summer. You write good." from John L. I did write good.

"Have a good summer. Give your brain a rest." from Darin. Okay, I'm beginning to see a pattern of dorky nerdiness.

"Have a very nifty summer. Hate Mrs. Suarez." from Sean. There are a lot of messages referring to our not-awesome 7th grade teacher.

"Have a holsum summer." from Steve H. Proving that while Steve was a TOTAL nerd, he wasn't a smart nerd. Sad.

"Have fun this summer and next year. Don't get a geeky teacher." from Chachi. And now he is the geeky teacher. Irony.

"Stay sweet, nice, wonderful, beautiful, weird, and crazy." from sugaryabuse. I guess she was trying to expand on the "great" adjective she overused in the 6th grade.

"It's been great knowing you!" from t. Sounds like she was trying to give me the kiss-off but little did she know I'd stick around another 17 years!!

2008-12-07T22:43:00.001-08:00

james bond in defiance

So tonight I went to a screening of a movie called Defiance. If you're not in LA, this movie will probably not come to your town. But it's directed by Ed Zwick (Glory, Last Samurai, Blood Diamond) and stars Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell. It's a true story that takes place during the Holocaust so it's not exactly Christmas fare. (But it is a somewhat uplifting story.) I wasn't that interested in it but it was a free screening and I was wooed by the fact that there was going to be a Q&A afterwards. Watching the movie I thought it was okay. Really well made, well directed, well acted. But it just never hooked me. But the thing about Q&A's is that they usually make you view the movie in a better light. Hearing people talk passionately about a movie they worked on for so long will usually do that. Oh, and who were the people talking? Zwick, Craig, Schrieber, and Bell. It may be because I have a huge crush on all of them but I certainly came out feeling better about the movie.

I've always loved Zwick because he created one of my favorite TV shows of all time, "My So-Called Life". I thought it would be inappropriate to raise my hand and ask a question about Jordan Catalano at the Holocaust screening so I held back. Then there was Daniel Craig. James Bond. Oh god. Will someone please explain to me how this guy's eyes got so damn blue? Unreal. And not to diminish the fact that he is a great actor...but he just has this presence that is so damn sexy. Even in the Chuck Taylors he was wearing. And he was funny. Almost as funny as Liev Schreiber who I've always liked. He's very tall and he was funny as hell. They were joined by Jamie Bell who was Billy Elliot long ago. Now he is a sarcastic funny 22 year old that I would say was cute if I wasn't 30 and that wasn't pervy. In one serious moment Bell said that just acting alongside these actors elevated his performance and Liev just started nodding emphatically. Funny. Then Zwick said that he had to go overseas to get all independent financing because all Hollywood studios were interested in making were huge action superhero movies and sequels. Then he looked over at Daniel and said "no offense". Also funny.

Anyways, the morale of the story is: the movie was okay, the true story was actually fascinating to learn about, and Daniel Craig is hot in person.

2008-12-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

BFF, Stay Sweet, KIT

Recently my mom finally decided to hand over the boxes and boxes of old stuff she'd been storing for me. The deal was always that she would store her kids' old stuff (books, yearbooks, memorabilia, photos, etc.) until we had a "place" for them. Turns out that buying a house qualifies. So in my vast free time due to unemployment, I started to go through everything and actually put stuff away. My mom is so awesome. She had saved every single school yearbook I ever got. From kindergarten through college. They are amazing. I wish I had time to scan some photos from the earlier ones but I'm too lazy. Besides, the best part is all of the notes and signatures from friends. It's a treasure trove of amazing blog topics. Maybe I'll randomly pull one each day and do a post. First up...

6th GRADE
My Black Mountain yearbook tells me that in 1989-1990 Pete Rose was banned from baseball, the Berlin Wall fell, there was an Alaskan oil spill, and a major earthquake in San Francisco. I don't remember talking about any of that in school. But I do remember most of my friends who signed my yearbook.

You have been sweet for the amount of time I have known you. Don't change." - from Genevieve. Oh Genevieve. If you only knew how much I have changed, despite your warning.

"Stay fresh!" - Ewww...is that good? from some girl I don't know named Leia

"You're a great, great, great, great, great friend. See you next year man." - From the famous sugaryabuse. I thought she liked me in 6th grade but the 5 "greats" seem sort of superficial.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to know you better but, from what I know, you're a really sweet person." - from Beulah - Ha! she didn't know me at all if she thought I was a sweet person.

"Thanks for being my friend this year by not calling me names." - from Lisette. Awww...that one kind of makes me sad. I'm glad I never called anyone names. To their face.

The most mature and best vocabulary award obviously goes to t who wrote - "I love your sense of humor so don't lose it! And your very smart so I'm sure you'll have fun over the summer." I obviously forgave her incorrect use of "your" and continued to be friends with her.

2008-12-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Prop 8 Musical

I love musicals and I love celebrities so this is right up my alley. Check out this Prop 8 musical that this group just put together starring people like Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris, Alison Janney, John C. Reilly, etc. They probably should have made it 4 weeks ago but oh well.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

2008-12-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

3.0.

Today is the big 3-0. I still have so many posts I want to blog about like Britney Spears and recent movies and television but now I'm distracted by hitting that next decade in my life. Obviously no one really "feels" different on their birthday when they turn another year older but this year it definitely feels weird when I hear myself saying "I'm 30." Damn. Not 20-something. Everyone says it's a great decade but what do people know anyways? Most of them are old and probably getting senile. But I thought I'd take this opportunity to combine my usual thanksgiving post and my 'oh my god i'm old' post and list the things I'm thankful for today as I plunge into the depths of middle age.

I'm thankful for... (Let's get all the sentimental ones out of the way first...)

1. A healthy and happy family. I'm thrilled that my parents and brother and sisters are all doing so well.

2. A wonderful husband who puts up with my bitchy moods, long absences, and general malaise.

3. Some of the most awesome friends in the whole world. We can dance together, eat cheese and bread together, enjoy award shows together, have hour long discourses about different ice creams together, watch football games together, sit in saunas together, and get drunk together.

4. The current fashion trend which really allows scarves to be worn most days of the year. Thank god because I have about 30 and I have to get some use out of them.

5. Shane and Vic in "The Shield" finale, the introduction of Jason Stackhouse and "True Blood", and the ongoing greatness of Dennis, Mac, and Charlie on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia".

6. My iPhone. Seriously. I now get agitated and jittery if I forget it somewhere. Can't live without it.

7. Facebook. Silly, yes. But it allowed me to wake up to about 30 birthday wishes which was pretty awesome.

8. My new friends in Europe. I especially enjoyed this birthday pic from a friend who found a satellite picture of my house on Google Earth. Notice the gift of rum. Ahh, they know me so well.

9. My house. Been here over a year and a half but I still love it and still think it's an awesome house. Especially now that I've stripped the ugly white paint off my now beautiful brick fireplace.

10. That gelato in Milano, that pasta amatriciana in Roma, and that pear ravioli with gorgonzola sauce in Firenze.

2008-11-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

Bond and Harvey

Two quick movie reviews of two very different movies. We'll start with the small one...

Last Chance Harvey is a little bity movie starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Someone described it as "Before Sunrise" for the older crowd. Hoffman flies to London to attend his estranged daughter's wedding and meets Emma Thompson there. The movie takes place over the course of a day or two and it's pretty much just Hoffman and Thompson talking to each other and getting to know each other. It's a charming little movie but, at a cool 88 minutes, I'm happy I didn't plop down $14 for this one. (It was a free screening). The best part about it was definitely Emma Thompson. I totally forgot how in love with this woman I am. She has always been amazing (Much Ado About Nothing, Peter's Friends, that "Cheers" episode, Sense and Sensibility) and I've missed her so much. I think she hasn't worked in the past few years to concentrate on her husband and family but she needs to go back to work. Screw them. Share your talent with the world!

Quantum of Solace (probably didn't need the link) is good. Not great, but good. I really liked Casino Royale (though it was way too long). But Casino had that amazing opening sequence and some great "character" scenes with Bond and Vesper. I totally fell in love with Daniel Craig in that movie and he brought a perfect balance of ruggedness and suaveness to the role. (Full disclosure - I never like any previous Bond movies...too patsy for me or something.) Craig is still completely amazing (and hot) in Quantum, but the movie is a mess. The script is lame and my friend at Sony tells me that it's because the writer's strike started just as the writers turned in their first draft. So they had to shoot a first draft which is a definite no-no in most movies. But still... Not sure if it's because director Mark Forster had never done an action movie...but the action sequences weren't even that good. They copied Bourne and, to make matters worse, they didn't even copy it well. The editing was choppy which I didn't mind, but they did a really poor job of establishing the geography so you couldn't enjoy the chases very well. They drastically cut the running time of this movie, yet it still felt long in some parts. The highlights were Jeffrey Wright (always great), Judi Dench (she had more to do), the French baddie (he's a good actor), and, surprisingly, the girl. She wasn't laughable like most old Bond girls of old. So, I guess I do recommend this movie because I will watch 100 minutes of a beat up Daniel Craig walking around in a suit any day. And it's pretty entertaining. But I'm looking forward to the next installment with a different story and a different director.

2008-11-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

"I need a hero!"

Quick observation....
Footloose is on right now and I happened to catch the very climatic scene where Ren plays chicken with the evil Chuck. What I just noticed? The beautiful Ariel tosses up her hat and the race starts and that awesome song "Holding Out for a Hero" blasts on. It's exciting. The song is pumping and it's fast. And then I realize that all this tension comes during a tractor race. I use the term "race" loosely because, from what I can tell, the tractors are going as fast as me walking down the street. Literally. Yet we're supposed to be swept up in this exhilarating scene. Turns out, I was swept up when I was 10...and I guess I still am. Just blogging about it now.

2008-11-17T16:53:00.001-08:00

SLO

Spent the weekend in San Luis Obispo with the incomparable t and her lovely family. A few observations...

1. t's neighborhood is just like Pleasantville complete with a community park, perfectly manicured lawns, and brand new houses that all vaguely look familiar and alike.

2. College kids are young. Like a full decade younger than me. Dammit.

3. My favorite person was t's fellow english professor friend who said she thought I was a student. Sweet. I know she was lying but on the brink of 30 years old, that feels good.

4. People wear cowboy hats and boots in parts of California. For real.

5. The best brie i've ever had in my life is not in France or Italy...It's in Paso Robles.

6. "Down low" is a "funny word" apparently. At least to 20 month olds.

7. SLO clearly does not respect movies or the work I dedicate my life to. The local movie theater started our film at least 15 minutes late. What the hell?

8. This is a seriously cute kid. Like one of the cutest in the world. He was a bit wary of the camera though.

2008-11-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

Role Models

Saw Role Models this past weekend and it was awesome. People should see this movie. Probably one of the best straight-up comedies that I've seen in a while. Paul Rudd was amazing as usual and even Sean William Scott didn't bother me. The highlight though is Jane Lynch. I've seen her in the Christopher Guest movies and 40 Year Old Virgin but this was the funniest I've ever seen her. So, what are you waiting for? Go see it.

2008-11-07T10:50:00.001-08:00

An American President

It's no secret that I'm in love with the movie "American President". I will watch it any time it's on TNT or TBS or any of my other favorite channels. I've always been a sucker for big speeches and optimistic characters and maybe that's why I love Aaron Sorkin...and Barack Obama. There's not much I can add to the Obama commentary from the past few days. He is awesome, it was an amazing and historic night, and his speech made me cry. But Tuesday night one thing struck me so strongly... He is just like a fictional movie President. And I mean JUST like a movie character. His delivery, his confidence, his words of optimism, hope, and his general ability to make flags wave, butterflies fly, and birds start singing. Pretty amazing really. Ahh, but not so amazing once you think about it. You see, his campaign chief David Axelrod, was a consultant for "The West Wing" when they were devising the Jimmy Smits Presidential nominee storyline. And what else? Well, Obama just hired Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. Besides the fact that his brother is probably the biggest agent in Hollywood (and the inspiration for Jeremy Piven's character on "Entourage"), Emanuel was the inspiration for Josh Lyman, Bradley Whitford's character on "The West Wing". Got all that?

Nonetheless, Obama's speech on Tuesday got me thinking of all of the great Presidents we've seen on the screen. His speech definitely reminded me of Andrew Shepherd from "American President" with a dash of Josiah Bartlett from "The West Wing". But also a bit of the humility of Dave Kovic/Bill Mitchell from "Dave". Plus a little bit of the rousing aggression of Bill Pullman's President in "Independence Day" and the intelligence of Laura Roslin from "Battlestar Galactica". And even though David Palmer from "24" claims he paved the way for Obama, I doubt Barack would trust Kiefer Sutherland to do anything besides get drunk at the Inaugural Ball and hit on Michelle.

2008-11-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

"If you want to destroy my sweater...

So Weezer says all you have to do is hold this thread as I walk away. My sweater didn't unravel in Italy but it did disappear.

It started on our first night in Florence. We got to our apartment (yes, we stayed in apartments rather than hotels) in the late afternoon. We had read about a good restaurant that we wanted to try so we set out from the apartment with our keys and started to explore the city. After about an hour we headed to this restaurant called "Il Latini". As we rounded the corner we saw a group of people huddled around a doorway. Bad sign. We found that the restaurant was already full about 30 minutes after it opened and all these people were waiting for a table. And when I say "waiting" I mean that there was no list with names, no line, no order...just a group huddled outside the door staring at the seated patrons inside eating delicious food. My friend and I decided that we had nothing else to do and this place was clearly worth it, so we decided to wait. We learned a few things... 1. we could tell the tables inside were family-style seating...we were going to sit next to strangers. 2. i really didn't want to sit next to the silent grumpy old men who were standing next to us. 3. the local sitting at the bar inside had the biggest nose i'd ever seen. for real. like "roxanne"/steve martin big. the picture doesn't capture it, but check it out:

So during the HOUR we waited, one of the waiters kept bringing out free glasses of white wine. Two glasses down, we were finally ushered inside where we were seated with, you guessed it, the two grumpy men. Turns out this was the best thing to happen to us all trip. Jerome and Mario were 50 or 60 year old Parisians. The minute we all sat down their frowns turned upside down. After the introductions (and my already tipsy demeanor) they thought it would be great if we all got drunk. So with a steady supply of red wine always on the table, the alcohol started flowing. A quick note about the restaurant...it was the type of place where the waiter just asked if you felt like some appetizers...if you felt like pasta...then meat...etc. My favorite type of place. As everyone got more and more drunk, a few things happened. Our waiter clearly was loving our table because we were fun. And, more importantly, our French friends began to tell some funny stories. Clearly these two men were gay, but mid-way through the meal, Jerome felt the need to whisper to my friend, "you know, Mario and I are homosexuals. We have been together for 25 years." Ahh, adorable. He then proceeded to tell us about his trip to San Francisco in 1970 where he bought a lovely "glass decoration" that turned out to be a bong that some hippie helped him smoke his first weed in and then he drove around in a pink cadillac all night where he thought he was flying. Imagine that story in a broken drunk French accent. Our sweet dinner party:

The night carried on, the volume got louder, and the dessert limoncello came. The Frenchmen were tired so they got their bill and left. The owner (typical big Italian guy sitting in the back corner) pulled our waiter over and gestured towards our table. Out came another shot of limoncello...and grappa...and muscat. My god. This is where everything gets very hazy. Somehow someone took about 30 pictures of me and my friend. Most people tell me that it must have been me, holding my arm out. I don't believe it but it may be true. There were also pictures of us with our funny waiter, Alessandro. Equally awesome.

Turns out we stayed until closing but the best part was when the bill came. We celebrated because although we had drank and eaten more than our French partners, our bill was half the price. Wow. Sometimes it's awesome to be a woman. At this point, I stop remembering things clearly because I have mixed too many types of alcohols. I know not to mix but apparently that rule didn't follow me to Italy. My friend is totally used to mixing and she can handle it so, while she was drunk, I think she was aware. As the restaurant was closing, our waiter and some of the other waitstaff invited us to a bar where they were getting a drink. Sure, why not? Well, I'll tell you why. Because I probably didn't need to add two rum and cokes to my beverage mix. But I did. I remember three things total from the bar portion of the night. 1. I was freezing walking to the bar so I put on my sweater but it was hot in the bar so I took it off. 2. I yelled at the Italians for thinking Cameron Diaz was hot because I screamed that her face was full of acne (not my proudest moment). And 3. I abruptly got up from the table at some point, walked outside and crouched in some building doorway for about 5 minutes because I was so dizzy. Not sure why I didn't go to the bathroom but there you go. I went back inside and basically grabbed my friend and said I had to go. She obliged and I left without saying goodbye to these people who had just bought us all these drinks. Oh well. My friend says she grabbed my sweater from the table and handed it to me. She thinks I tied it around my waist.

From there we realized we had to get "home" to an apartment we had never walked home to before. Ever. Guess what? We got lost. Big time. God knows where we were but I wasn't making sense. I grabbed the map from my friend yelling about how great my sense of direction was and proceeded to lead us in the complete wrong direction. My friend eventually got us home and in door #1 off the street. Door #2 that lead into our floor was not as easy. Of course we both had to go to the bathroom and it was 3am and the goddamn key wasn't working. She tried it many times, I tried it many times, and to no avail. Goddamnit. I was done so I sat on the stairs and told her that she had to knock on the landlord's door upstairs. I believe I demanded it. After realizing we were going to have to sleep in the stairwell, she knocked on the landlord's door. Down he came, picked up the key, and immediately opened the door. Shit. We were idiots. (Obviously). We thanked him, I apparently drunkenly told him that our internet wasn't working (at 3AM?! What was he to do?!) and I fell into bed.

When I woke up at 1pm the next day, I was so so so goddamn hungover it was not funny. I couldn't leave the apartment for hours and my friend had to go out to get me juice and fruit. The most drunk I'd been in 10 years of drinking. And the saddest part... I couldn't find my sweater. Dammit. I had dropped it in our 40 minute quest to find home. My favorite favorite black sweater that I had had for 8 years was now part of the Firenze art scene. Son of a bitch. Still, it was WAYYY worth it.

2008-11-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

and two more brief movie reviews

Damn, my unemployment is leading me to the movies more than I thought. Here's two more movies I saw today...

Zack and Miri Make a Porno
So, brief disclosure...I used to love Kevin Smith. Still do I guess... but I was way into Clerks, Chasing Amy, and, yes, most of all Mallrats when they were out. I haven't like his latest movies including Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob, Jersey Girl (didn't see it), etc. But "Zack and Miri" looked like it could be good.
I don't know if I'd say it was great...not really sure how to describe it. I will say that Justin Long is in this movie and he is really fricking awesome. There are some very funny parts and there are some gross parts. But the bottom line is that Seth Rogen is adorable and I think I would watch him in anything. He has the ability to deliver Kevin Smith's biting, expletive-filled, graphic rants about sexual positions and then in the next scene be totally vunerable and romantic and sweet. Hard to pull off but he does it effortlessly.

Eastern Promises
Yes, I know, this came out a year ago. BUT, I just saw it on HBO so that counts, right? I avoided this movie like the plague last year because I don't really enjoy the director David Cronenberg's work (A History of Violence, Existenz, Crash, The Fly). For some reason I had this movie totally wrong. I guess the trailer misled me because the film was totally different than I thought it would be. And I can honestly say that I really enjoyed it. Viggo Mortensen is amazing as usual and I was surprised at how good co-star Vincent Cassel was. Glad I was sitting at home this rainy afternoon. :)

2008-10-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

brief movie reviews

But before I get to an Italian story, two brief reviews of movies I've seen in the past week...

Rachel Getting Married
I was excited to see this because I like Anne Hathaway (I know, I know) and it seemed to have emotions, weddings, sister relationships, etc. which seemed good. But it was fairly disappointing. First of all, Hathaway's character was so so damn unlikable that it was a major problem since she's the main character. I never felt empathy for her but rather liked her sister's character. The second problem was just the style of the film. Sure, it was different than most...a lot of handheld camera work, all the music included was actual musician characters in the movie, long lingering scenes at dinner tables, etc. But it felt indulgent and like I was watching a home movie. And, guess what folks? There's a reason people don't watch home movies of strangers. Not that fun.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Cute movie. Very very simple as there's not much to it. But it was nice, made me smile for 90 minutes, and the music was awesome. Songs from Band of Horses, The National, Tapes n' Tapes, Modest Mouse, etc. Good times.

2008-10-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Knock, knock

Who's there?
No one.
Seriously, no one.

I have not checked this blog since I wrote my last post on September 11th. And I'm sure no one else has. And I'm 99% sure no one will see this post as I've completely abandoned this blog. But I don't want to abandon it and I'm not working so I'm going to try my hardest to post often. But where to start? In the past 7 weeks I've come back from Colorado and gone to Italy, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Texas, Monterey, San Diego (x4), and the Cuyamaca mountains. I've sipped prosecco in the shadow of the Pantheon in Roma...I've lost my favorite black sweater that I've had for 8 years on some street in Firenze around 3am...I've picked apples in the Czech countryside...I've stayed up until 6am every night drinking the local Croatian specialty of red wine and coke...I've watched Claire Danes two-step in the most famous country bar in Austin...and I've watched the sun set over the Pacific from Highway 1.

I won't bore you with pictures of the Colosseum and Roman ruins. But I do have some stories. Man, do I have stories. And just general observations about how amazing Italy is. So maybe I'll share some of those.... tomorrow.

2008-09-11T12:39:00.001-07:00

and i'm off

Leaving in an hour for the airport to remember 9-11 and to catch my flight to Rome. My friend just texted me that she will NOT be picking me up at the airport which leaves me on my own to find my way to the apartment we rented. She suggested the metro but, guess what? That doesn't sound that awesome after a 14 hour flight in a middle seat and carrying my suitcase. (though i did manage to fit everything in a carry-on size bag!) So I will be forking over some of my Euros for a taxi and a cab driver who will make fun of me in a foreign language and charge me double what the ride should be. Looking forward to it. :-)

Will post photos and lovely stories when I get back in October!

2008-09-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

goings on....

Lots of things have happened since I last blogged a month ago. I finished up my masterpiece of a movie. I watched my baby brother get married. I read that Lindsay Lohan is now a lesbian. The Republicans nominated a female VP who may make a nice next door neighbor but who scares the bejesus out of me. Turns out that my father-in-law is friends with her father so I'm not sure how to tell him that she's a terrible choice. Maybe get drunk first? My sister got engaged to a really awesome guy. I got a tan.

And I booked some serious travel to Europe.

How serious? 22 days serious. I can't wait. First I fly into Rome and spend about four days there in what seems to be a crazy chaotic city. Next up is Florence and trips to Tuscany for 8 or 9 days. There's a cooking class in the country, a trip to the coastal Cinque Terra, eating, drinking, hiking, and walking. "Vorrei un bicchiere di vino rosso per favore?" (My Rosetta Stone is slowly working.) It's apartments all the time (no hotels for us) so we can live like locals. (Ha!) After a quick day in Milan, it's off to Prague to see some of my friends, revisit some of my favorite haunts, and hopefully see some changing leaves in the Bohemian countryside. After a few (or 30) cuba libres, next up is Istria, Croatia (some pics if you're curious.) As most Americans don't know about Croatia, I can tell you that it seems awesome. I was told about it in the Spring because the coolest person I met in Prague was Croatian. He's there now and offered to host a visit so how can you pass that up? After learning about Croatia, I know that it's a narrow country, so mostly seaside (across from Italy), but it's also got this gorgeous green inland part with some of the best vineyards and olive oil makers in the world. So I expect a lot of seafood and wine tastings.

So, it's not a bad life. I can't complain. First up, in one day I'm off to Colorado and Estes Park so pictures and a blog to follow that trip.

2008-08-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

facebook...or how i spent my last few weeks at work

It's common knowledge that the last few weeks/months on a movie are pretty banal. Shooting has finished and the office staff is left to "wrap". Which means that we box up all the paperwork, make pretty binders, return all the furniture, etc. What that really means is that you do nothing all day for 4 weeks and then work the last week. Not doing anything may sound pretty sweet but it's actually damn excrutiating. When we were busy we were working 7A to 9P and the day would go by in the blink of an eye. Now I come in at 9A and I'm dying by 1:30. Luckily I've discovered Facebook which has helped me get through the days. I resisted for so long but damn if it isn't the devil's website. There's so much going on and so many different ways to waste time. I still don't understand why you'd be "friends" with someone you don't know, but maybe that's why I don't have 550 friends. I need to try harder. Friends, where are you?

2008-07-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

80s girls

Lately there are been a rash of announcements about remakes that Hollywood is planning on tackling. "90210", "Footloose", "Rocky Horror Picture Show", "Top Gun", "Adventures in Babysitting", "Robocop", etc. It frightens me and makes me incredibly sad. I'll save my rant on Hollywood's lack of creativity and original ideas for another post. But right now I want to talk about 80s heroines. I was flipping the other day and caught some of "Karate Kid" and "Crocodile Dundee" and the original "90210". What do all of these things have in common? Real looking girls. I was struck that Elisabeth Shue might be considered "fat" by today's standards. The woman in "Crocodile Dundee" looks old. And Shannon Doherty has f-ed up teeth and a bad haircut. This certainly does not fly today. Teens and 20-somethings in mainstream movies and TV shows are so boring nowadays. They're all as skinny as sticks, they've all had their teeth whitened, have spray-on tans, and they've all got $500 haircuts. Molly Ringwald would never survive now. Nor would Ally Sheedy or Kelly McGillis or Justine Bateman or Lea Thompson. Which would be a bummer because those girls all rule. Long live the Shue!!

2008-07-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

The Dark Knight

Wow. That was quite a movie. I'm definitely not going to give anything away for those of you who haven't seen it, but it was an experience. Quite unusually, I didn't see "The Dark Knight" until Monday night so I heard four days worth of comments and reviews from co-workers and friends. This may have helped because my expectations weren't over the moon. I'd say they were realistic...I thought it would be good but not great. I still don't know how I feel about it. It was better than I thought it would be. I guess it was definitely a great movie but it's so hard because it was certainly not fun nor full of any sort of joy. In fact, it may be one of the bleakest movies I've seen in a long time. But, yes, it's really fantastic and probably deserves a Best Picture nod in what will probably be a weak year. That being said, there were some good things about the movie as well as some flaws. Some thoughts....

The Good

- Heath Ledger is awesome. I had heard the rumors about a Best Actor nomination and was fairly skeptical. I, like many others, assumed this was because he is no longer. That's actually not true though. He is damn good in this and deserves all the attention. Wow. He certainly disappears into the role. No hint of the guy that's in "10 Things I Hate About You".

- The action sequences. I won't name them but there are some set pieces and explosions and chases that are just really badass and well done.

- Gary Oldman. I mean, most of the supporting cast is fantastic (Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart) but Oldman is so understated that it's kind of cool to watch.

- The writing by director Christopher Nolan. Not many action franchise directors could write their own movie. In fact, that would be fairly frightening. But Nolan is so damn talented and this screenplay holds it's own. Really well written.

- Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne. I love Christian Bale. Look no further than 1992's gem "Newsies" when I fell hard for him in a cowboy hat and getting on his song and dance. And I love it when Bale is just Bruce Wayne and gets to put on this rich boy bravado and offer the tiniest bit of humor in this otherwise dark movie. Of course, that leads me to the bad...

The Flaws

- Christian Bale as Batman. Sure, that sounds huge but really it's just his goddamn voice. And it pains me to say this (see aforementioned love of Bale.) I don't know why no one has the balls to ask anyone in an interview why in the hell Bale is choosing to bark his Batman lines in a gruff voice. In this sequel it's even more exaggerated than the first movie. I just don't get it. Seems ridiculous.

- Eric Roberts miscast as an Italian mobster. Ouch that hurt.

- It's long...but not too long like most most movies where it ends up being painful and making the movie bad. No, this is just long like "why in the hell isn't this two movies?" There's certainly enough plot to go around. So no, it never dragged but there was just a lot stuff in there.

- The damn out of focus shots. I won't go too into this but Nolan always uses the same DP and every one of his goddamn movies has a lot of shots that are out of focus. I don't see how this is acceptable at this level. It is not on purpose and is distracting. It's actually slightly less distracting in a crazy movie like this but it also happened in "The Prestige" and "Insomnia". Sure, the guy can light which is maybe why he keeps getting work. But he should fire his focus puller because it's lame to have so many shots out of focus in a $200 million dollar movie.

The Unexplicable or why I hate this goddamn country

After almost 3 hours of really tense action and horror, I emerged from the theater with two thoughts. One, man that was great. And, two, how in the f*&$ was that rated PG-13?! I don't think I've ever seen a more egregiously rated film. PG-13?! This movie was scarier and more violent than most rated R movies. Sure, there's no blood because they always cut away but that doesn't mean the audience doesn't know what in the hell just happened. And so many scenes with terrorism and hostages and psychopaths that revel in violence. An American movie has tits in it and it's slapped with an R rating and yet this is okay for kids? My cousin is 13 and I wouldn't let her watch this movie. Way too disturbing. Very very frustrating.... argh.....

In short, a fantastic movie that is no fun at all. :-)

2008-07-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

watching, playing, going, doing

Things I've been doing lately...

Watching a new show (new to me...it's in its 2nd season) - "Burn Notice" on USA. The billboards are all over town so I thought I'd check it out. Not bad actually.

Going to a (Hawaiian-themed) bridal shower for my soon to be new sister-in-law.

Booking tickets. Lots of tickets. Tickets to Colorado. Tickets to Austin, TX. Tickets to Italy. Tickets to Prague. I will take more flights in September and October than I usually take in two years. Racking up those frequent flier miles.

Visiting my parents' new vacation house on Lake Cuyamaca. PQ Posse, we have a new vacation destination!

Tuning in to David Simon's new project "Generation Kill" on HBO. Clearly I will watch anything from the team that brought me "The Wire". This miniseries did not disappoint though. Very well done as expected with moments of comedy and obvious drama.

Playing with the new iPhone software. More importantly, playing with the new iPhone application "Shazam". This shit has changed my life. No kidding. The iPhone changed my life and now this application has blown my mind. It's an app for identifying music. When you press a button on your phone, the application "listens" to the song playing and tells you the artist, song and album name. And I'm not just talking about the fact that it recognized the new Coldplay song. That's too easy. It also recognized covers of songs as well as random songs by French people that I have. !!?*&!! The future is now people.

2008-07-07T13:54:00.001-07:00

back in the ussa

So I'm back. Back in the States, back in LA, back in a house with a backyard and pool. I've been back for about a week and a half now but just getting around to blogging. The last week in Prague was absolutely fantastic. Shooting was done, almost all of the Americans were gone, so that just left partying and saying goodbye to the Czechs with one event after another. There was a big dinner party at someone's house, there was paddle-boating, there was the Prague food festival, there was a music festival in town, there was a wrap party, a Narnia premiere party, and a Lisa going away night. It was all very alcohol-filled and sentimental. My last night there was probably my favorite night out of all three months. Just perfect with my closest friends. We had a great time and we bid each other a fond farewell. As I walked away there may have been a few tears (though that may have been the 10 rum and cokes). Either way, it was lovely and the perfect last night.

Turns out I wasn't meant to go out like that though. After getting home at 2am, I woke up at 4am for my airport pickup. Decided to fish out my passport before I lugged two giant suitcases down to the car. Oh, wait, where's my passport? No, seriously, where is it? Yup, turns out I couldn't find it. I had packed the afternoon before in a haze of...wait for it...alcohol induced tipsiness and I apparently hadn't done the greatest job. I looked everywhere and kept the driver there for 20 minutes until I finally decided I had to miss my flight. I was so pissed. And possibly still drunk. So I went back to sleep. When I woke up at 10 I had a driver waiting downstairs to take me to the US embassy to get another passport. Stepped out the door, realized I was cold and went back in to get a sweater. Digging deep in my suitcase I fished out a sweater and, "bam", my passport flies out. Literally. Flies out into my face. I had rolled it up in a sweater and buried it in my suitcase. Obviously a good place for it. So I spent the last day just buying more souvenirs and taking more pictures. Refused to see my friends again because it just seemed lame to have another goodnight dinner after we had such a good time. Ahhh, what a cuba libre mess I was.

So I'm back.... It's weird. But getting used to it. :-)

2008-06-17T02:05:00.000-07:00

pork cracklings

Prague has been a blur of fantastic dinners and drinks. Because there are so so many tourists in this town, there are a plethora of really good restaurants. From Italian, to steak, to seafood, to international fine dining. I've had some amazing dinners. The one kind of restaurant that I do not frequent is Czech cuisine. There is just nothing good on the menu usually. Some of the goulash I've had is fine because it's basically a beef stew. But, other than that, everything just scares me. The few times I've gone late at night, the favorite dish of the locals is fried cheese. Basically mozzarella sticks but in "steak" form. But last night we hit a Czech pub and some of the boys got what the menu called "pork cracklings". See below...

Do you know what pork cracklings are? It's fat from pork that has been fried. Yes, it's just as it sounds. I did try one to be a good sport and do you know what it tasted like? Tasted like fried meat fat. Pretty much a waste of calories (and good health) as that is not tasty to me. But these guys thought it was the best thing ever. I did admire the price at only 4 dollars. It's the cheapest thing I've seen in Prague. But, then again, why should you charge a lot for deep frying pork scraps?

2008-06-09T05:42:00.000-07:00

Flickr Game

Because everyone else is doing it....The Flickr Game. Create a photo mosaic with pictures you find after searching Flickr with the answers to these questions. Here's what I came up with.

1. What is your first name? Lisa
Photo - "Lisa"
2. What is your favorite food? Homemade Ravioli
Photo - "Wild Mushroom and Bacon Ravioli"
3. What high school did you go to? Mt. Carmel
Photo - "Sundevil Stadium in San Diego, CA"
4. What's you favorite color? Burgundy
Photo - "Chocolate and Cherries"
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Ryan Gosling
Photo - "Rachel Adams and Ryan Gosling at MTV Awards"
6. What is your favorite drink? Rum and coke aka Cuba Libre
Photo - "Viva Cuba Libre #2"
7. Dream Vacation? Peaceful mountains
Photo - "View from Val Sessera (Italy)"
8. Favorite dessert? Thrify Ice Cream
Photo - "Img_6047"
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Happy
Photo - "don't worry be happy new year"
10. What do you love most in life? Friendship
Photo - "Happy Girls Funny Color Art"
11. One word to describe you? Laid back (yes, it's two words)
Photo - "Very laid back Aruba beach bar"
12. Name of your flickr account/blog? L.A. Girl
Photo - "Nothing to Say"

2008-06-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

SATC

That's "Sex and the City" for all of you...well, Men. I wasn't the biggest fan of the tv show but I would say that I would watch it when it was on and enjoy it for what it was - pure fluff. But the girls here love the show so we organized an outing for opening night. The best was that we were going to a special cinema called "gold class". The entire theater was only about 36 seats but that was because the seats were arranged in groups of two and they were huge laz-e-boy recliners with little tables in between them. Before the movie, you sit and look through a menu. Then you tell the waiter what you want to eat and how many cocktails you'll want throughout the whole movie. And that's it. You get your first drink before the movie and then I got my next two cuba libres as the movie went on. At one point some popcorn magically appeared. I opted out of the sandwiches and sushi, but I hear that was good as well. What a fantastic idea.

The bigger surprise was that the movie was actually pretty good! I was shocked. Sure, it was too long at 2hr and 20min, but I enjoyed it. Definitely a movie for women because half of it was a fashion show. But I was most shocked at the fact that there was some ACTING! and MOVING SCENES! What the hell? This wasn't the "Sex and the City" that I know. How dare they make me almost cry? Maybe I was just missing my friends. Anyways, it was enjoyable and I recommend it to all of my favorite females who I miss very very much. I can't believe how lucky I am to actual have a group of friends that are as close and ideal as the fantasy friendships found in the movies. So many years...so many stories.... I can't wait for some serious nights out with many coffees, ice creams, then cocktails.

*some VIPs not pictured :-)*

2008-05-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

7 things i learned in the last 7 days

1. The latest "Indiana Jones" really wasn't good....even with Czech subtitles.

2. There is a drink (translated as 'the mushroom') which is red wine mixed with Coke.

3. There is another drink that is white wine cut with water..."because in the summer we drink all day and we can't get drunk half way through the day".

4. It is extremely rude if a girl pays for a guy. Like, extremely rude. I fought to do it and succeeded but I could tell I had deeply offended him.

5. It is possible for it to be 90 degrees and then an hour later have the biggest hail storm I have ever seen in my life. Hailstones the size of a dime! Insane.

6. The movie I'm working on will not be good. (only suspected before...confirmed recently.)

7. There is nothing better than blasting Kanye West's "Stronger" on your headphones as you walk/bounce through the stupid American tourist crowds in the middle of a 14th century town square.

2008-05-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

Still living the cuba libre life in Praha....

My god, it's been a month since my last post. All that means is that i am having a very good time in Prague. Granted, it's a lifestyle I couldn't really keep up...or could I? There has been much talk about why our crew goes out every night. There are three reasons as far as I can tell. 1) This town (especially the center where we are staying) is all bars and restaurants. That's all there are. And they are very good. 2) Everyone gets along for the most part so people want to socialize. And, most importantly, 3) there is nothing to do if you go home after work. No curling up on the couch because there is no TV. No take-out food so you have to go out to eat. These three things have lead to a very active social calendar. :)

Surprisingly, I have mainly been hanging out with Czechs. I think because I am pretty much the only person from my department (production) and I am younger than most of the American crew. But the Czechs are my age and fun and damn funny. Because I like these people so much, I get a little sad because, at this point after 2 months of hanging out, I really really wish I spoke Czech. Most of them speak perfect English but there are a few that struggle with it, and I see them get frustrated that they can't say more than really simple sentences to me. Of course, it's not their fault as I'm in their country and should be able to speak their language. But besides stringing together 'hello', 'thank you', 'goodbye', 'bill', 'tits', and 'fuck this', I can't communicate much. Though that sentence has gotten me far.....

Photos of my new Cesky friends (because it's fun to look to look at photos of drunk strangers):

2008-04-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

Photos, as requested

Texaken gave a half-hearted call for photos so here they are...

View down the Vltava River and all the bridges..

Prague Castle...

At a Cuban Restaurant/Bar... These manly man (seemingly straight) enjoying a giant pitcher of mojitos with 7 looonnngg droopy straws and a sparkler. Weird.

Some of my Czech pals at said restaurant after about 6 Cuba Libres (aka Rum and Cokes). If you're keeping score, that's about 3 more than I needed to get drunk...

2008-04-17T04:10:00.000-07:00

How do you say "bowling" in Czech?

Turns out the Czech word for "bowling" is "bowling". Awesome.
So last night the Czechs took me out for an evening of cuba libres (my rum and cokes) and bowling. Five Czechs and me. A few things... One, bowling in Prague is just like bowling in the States. In fact, I believe they were American machines because the electronic keypad was all in English and the screen lit up with "Strike!" and "Spare!" exclamations when something good happened. But whereas American alleys have about 40 lanes, this place had 6. And it was in the back of a restaurant. Oh, the major downside was the cigarette smoke. Haven't been in an indoor confined space with this smokers since...well, never. I hate that it makes me feel pretty sick and nauseous. I don't even mind smokers. I just wish it all had to be done outside.

It was my first outing to a very "Czech" place and purely local neighborhood. Zero tourists and zero English spoken. It was quite an ordeal to get shoes in my size. Apparently I have huge feet (which I know) but I was trying to tell the guy that I could just wear the men's shoes and that seemed to shock him out of his mind. Unacceptable. But I bowled a pretty sweet game. And it turns out it is easier to understand Czech when people are drinking because they get wayyy more gregarious and body language is always easier to read. I made them remember to speak English so I could interject my witty sayings that you've all grown accustomed to. All in all, an awesome evening.

2008-04-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

cooking in a foreign language

Well, I'm here in Prague and it's a gorgeous city. Very pretty, very easy to get around. Lots of English signs everywhere which is nice of course. The best part is my apartment which I love. It's in a cool old building, all the way up this winding wooden staircase, and it is huge. Way too big for me. It feels empty so I try to always have the TV or music on. Bad habit I carried from home. There are two showers in the bathroom for some reason. One in a bathtub and one normal one. Neither one is quite hot enough but that's okay. My bedroom (which is so huge that they put a twin bed in one corner) is pretty with posts and beams. I've found that Europeans are big on huge puffy mattresses so, sadly, I'm having a mattress topper shipped from LA so I can try to get some sleep.

The first day I went grocery shopping which was difficult because my Czech knowledge is fairly nonexistent. From my last Prague visit, I remembered that milk was in a box and not in the refrigeration section. If you buy something you think is milk in the cold section, you end up getting sour, chunky stuff. Not good. Then I grabbed a few other things thinking that I could translate the directions on back. Wrong. I thought I was buying pasta sauce but it was really this gross powdery stuff that tasted like crap. Threw that away last night. So, because I knew what corn flakes were, that's mainly what I've been subsisting on. Morning and night. But cornflakes are good. :)

2008-03-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

st. patty's day...the 50 year old version

Yesterday was St. Patty's day but when I made my plans a month ago, I had no idea. I went to a champagne tasting/class at the local fancy Wine House with my friend. I love champagne and bubbles so I thought it sounded like a good time. The kids in my office thought I sounded like a 50 year old. Either way.

The first five minutes scared the hell out of me because it did skew a little older (though not senior citizen) and we did certainly start by smelling the glasses and people throwing out the usual "nose" descriptions - "peachy", "apricot", "caramel", etc. In that first few minutes I really had to hold back the laughter because I thought I was going to insult all of these people. But after two glasses, I was into it (no surprise). Had some delicious champagnes and sparkling wines, all of which I can't afford. Even started volunteering my own answers... "it smells like sour patch kids!" (it did!!!)

Anyways, I left drunk and happy and what more can you ask for on St. Patty's day?

2008-03-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

previously unreported sighting

Thursday night, sitting two tables away from me... William Shatner having dinner with ice skating extraordinaire, Scott Hamilton. An odd pairing to be sure.

And then at the table next to me, an annoying "LA" girl. Seemed silly, talking too loud, and my biggest pet peeve, wearing sunglasses on top of her head even though it was an extremely dark restaurant and it was 11pm. After I made fun of her, she stood up to go to the bathroom and I thought to myself, 'huh, that looks like Kelly Kapowski from "Saved by the Bell". Turns out, it was Ms. Thiessen and I was more than thrilled that she definitely had a "curvy" body. Yay! Someone who isn't anoxeric-thin. Good times. Then I went back to eating.

2008-03-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

end of an era

The era in question being the renaissance of television that was "The Wire". Its last episode ever aired last night and it was bittersweet. With the end of the Sopranos and now The Wire, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to look forward to on Sunday nights. While the last season was the weakest of the five, it was still damn good TV. Oh well, back to "The Gauntlet" on MTV and "Top Chef" on Bravo.

In other news, the hubby and I went to a UCLA event on Sunday. It was a viewing of the Harold Lloyd silent film classic "Safety Last", accompanied by a live organist. Actually a lot more fun that it sounds. Go figure.

2008-03-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

neglect

This blog has been neglected, big time. I even skipped the post Oscars round-up which was sad but I had to do it. No time to comb through thousands of party photos though I usually love to do so. Maybe I would have posted if I had had anything to say besides, "oh, doesn't keri russell look pretty?" and "i think anne hathaway beat katherine heigl in the battle of the one shoulder red dresses" and "damn james mcavoy is hot for a midget" and "cameron diaz is a hot mess who i want to hang out with." But, sadly, this job got in the way of blogging.

January until now has been a blur of getting up early, getting dressed, going to work, getting put through the wringer, driving home, maybe watching 30 mins of television, and falling asleep. But my job is mostly fun and challenging so I'm not complaining. I'm merely making excuses.

As you may or may not know, I leave for Prague soon and I'll be there for about 10 weeks. I'm hoping to use this site to update friends with photos and hysterical stories about Czech life. This may or may not happen. But at least I plan on trying to do so. And isn't planning half the battle? Or something?

p.s. Don't go see "The Other Boleyn Girl". Unless you want further proof that ScarJo has an ugly face and nothing more to offer than a large pair of breasts.

2008-02-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

Top/Bottom 10 of 2007

God this has taken awhile....I was hoping to see a few more movies but who am I kidding. Without further ado....

10 Worst Movies of 2007

(I'm only doing 8 because while I disliked "Atonement" and saw 15 other movies, I wouldn't say any of them were terrible.)

8. Pirates of the Caribbean 3 - Expensive crap. Longest acid trip scene ever in a kids movie with Johnny and the crabs on the ship. Not good people.

7. Michael Clayton - I know it's "good" but nothing happened and George Clooney acting like a smug George Clooney is not acting at all.

6. Gone Baby Gone - I wanted to like this movie because I want Ben Affleck to find a career that doesn't involve acting. It was actually fairly well-directed but, with the exception of the amazing Casey Affleck, everyone over-acted and it was poorly paced and put together.

5. Simpsons Movie - God, who was I kidding? That I could sit through 90 minutes of this unfunny stuff? I was wrong.

4. Dan in Real Life - Oh yeah, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, and Steve Carrell would make an amazing love triangle.

3. Spider-Man 3 - I'm tired of these movies so I hope they stop making them. More specifically, I'm tired of Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.

2. Sweeney Todd - So perhaps my problem is that I dislike the musical. But I didn't know the musical going in so I didn't know that the music sucked and was depressing. Then add Tim Burton and his all grey sets and his dark lighting and poor Johnny Depp doing a one-note performance and you've got just a depressing muck of a movie.

1. Blades of Glory - Tired. Of. Will. Ferrell.

10 Best Movies of 2007

10. Into the Wild - It made it on to my top ten only because the locations were absolutely f-ing gorgeous.

9. Charlie Wilson's War - Actually, not that great of a story/movie as a whole, but the performances were so great and so entertaining to watch. And no one writes witty dialogue like Aaron Sorkin.

8. Waitress - A small little movie that made me smile.

7. 3:10 to Yuma - Solid picture. Solid performances. Solid pacing, solid score, solid everything. Mature, professional, lovely. Quite enjoyable.

6. Bourne Ultimatum - I'm a bit biased but I still thought the editing was kickass and the train station scene was brilliant.

5. Juno - Not nearly as good as "Little Miss Sunshine" (not sure why I'm comparing them), but it was funny and touching. I laughed, I cried....good times.

4. Knocked Up - I will see anything in the whole world that Paul Rudd is in. This is no exception.

3. Lars and the Real Girl - I know I liked this more than a lot of other people but damn if it wasn't charming. Granted, Ryan Gosling can do no wrong in my mind, but if you can get a sex doll to move me more than any other movie, you've done something right.

2. There Will Be Blood - Tough...I almost put this as number one but I decided it didn't quite make it. Daniel Day Lewis is awesome of course...and I think the scenes in the church with him and Paul Dano are some of the best things I've seen in years. PT Anderson is amazing and clearly has more range than I ever gave him credit for.

1. No Country for Old Men - Josh Brolin makes a comeback! Brand from Goonies has grown up and he's pretty great in this. Obviously Javier Bardem is scary as hell. Everyone is good. Go Coen Brothers!

2008-01-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

mish mosh

Too busy to post...I've used that excuse before but it's true. This film is kicking my ass and with only two weeks to go before shooting, it's crunch time. My plants are all dead, my house is dusty, the laundry is piled up, my pool is overflowing from the rain, and I've barely managed to pay the bills.

About three weeks ago I started a list about 2007 and then never posted it because it "wasn't finished". Well, I'll never work on it so here it is below...

Best of 2007

best cheese – brie (with pumpkin butter on a baguette)

best drunk meal – breakfast burrito at swingers

best meal – 4 course brunch at the twin peaks hotel in Washington

best concert – polyphonic spree at the el rey

best “bad” pop song – "before he cheats" by carrie underwood and "what goes around" by JT

best book I read – Middlesex

best wedding dancefloor song – "livin’ on a prayer"

best purchase – house

best Valley find – Menchie’s self-serve frozen yogurt

2008-01-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

where are the residuals?

Everyone I know has already seen (and enjoyed) The Bourne Ultimatum. But here, again, for your viewing pleasure, is my lovely husband's voice-over...just because I think it's so damn funny. (Fast forward to 2:30)

My question is, when do we see a residual check for the massive DVD sales?

2007-12-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

happy holidays

Greetings from the cold right coast. It's always nice to cozy up in front of a fire and glowing lights over the holidays, rather than see the L.A. sun beat through our windows, slowly drying up our Christmas tree. Christmas was lovely this year and I was spoiled as usual. We got a gorgeous homemade rocking chair (not sure how to get it back to California), a couple of books, a custom G.I. Joe Baroness shirt, and an iPhone for my husband so we can be a pair of nerds.
Pennsylvania has provided me with the usual quality sightings. Signs for "Armed Guard Dogs" (are the guns mounted on their collars?), girls in tank tops, mini-skirts, and scarves waiting in line outside the downtown club, elk meatballs and deer bologna, and no salads in sight. The more things are different though, the more they are the same. The new strip mall with a Target, Best Buy, Panera Bread, and Bed Bath and Beyond (I felt like I was in Burbank), the crowded movie theater, and the ol' stand-by, Bacardi and Diet Coke with two straws. Ah, heaven. I have seen some movies (Sweeney Todd, Juno, Charlie Wilson's War) but I think I'll save those reviews for my year-end lists.

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

the globes

These nominations are so goddamn terrible that I can't bring myself to comment right now. Need a few hours to calm down.

2007-12-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

Best. Gift. EVER.

I was lucky enough to recently get this awesome gift from the blogger formerly known as speakmemory. I think it's pretty sweet. I'm going to use it as a litmus test for people to see if I should be friends with them.

2007-12-05T16:03:00.001-08:00

my commute

I spend a good amount of time on the road and I thoroughly enjoyed following this car home last night.

2007-11-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

Which TV Girl are you?

Turns out I'm a girl on a show I've never seen, "30 Rock"...

Liz Lemon ("30 Rock")

You are smart. You wear glasses. You are sassy. You are funny. You have a tiny New York apartment. You do not have a boyfriend, you are married to your job. You like writing and television and writing television. You have $12,000 in your checking account and no investments. You dress off the rack at The Gap or Macy's. You hoard wedding dresses and fear pop tarts. You love "Star Wars" (not "Star Trek" or at least you know the difference). You don't mind hanging out with fanboys. You are a fangirl. You sometimes eat from hot dog vendors.

Take the quiz and see who you are.

2007-11-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

strike

I haven't blogged about the writer's strike yet...probably because it's a complicated issue with two different sides. Both sides have a point but my main problem with all the coverage is that the reporters have almost ignored all of the below-the-line employees. I know production assistants and coordinators who have been laid off. These are not people choosing to strike from their $10,000 a week job. These are 22 year olds who get paid $650 a week to pick up lunch and deliver scripts and sit in traffic all day. So I don't really appreciate it when picketers yell at my poor PAs as they drive on and off the lot every day. The LA Times published an
interview with a grip from "The Office" who has been laid off and I think he says it all very well.

2007-11-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

pen pal

Okay, well, not really a pen pal but I have been talking to and emailing this person. Well, that's what she used to look like. Then she looked like this and now she looks like this courtesy of gofugyourself. She actually fairly delightful and signs all of her emails "xoxo" which I can appreciate. I also called her one day while she was on tour in Europe. She answered and all I could hear was noise and yelling. She politely explained that she was about to run on-stage and could she call me back. Um, yes, I think you can.

2007-10-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

pumpkins

Happy Halloween friends.

2007-10-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

clearly she doesn't know me

The other day I was meeting a friend and I got to the movie theater a little early. I had to kill some time so what else could I do but head to Nordstrom's next door for a little shopping. I ended up finding this sweet coat (which I don't need) and I headed to the nearest register to check out. This register of course happened to be in the Junior Brass Plum section. And I enjoy Brass Plum but I do fear that I am a little older than their target audience. As the hipster teen totaled up my purchases she said, "Are you sure you don't need some extra leggings?" Excuse me? Do I look like I wear leggings? Or that I would need extra pairs that I would throw onto my purchase like a pack of gum? NO. "No leggings for me, thanks."

2007-10-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

further film opinions that no one cares about

Saw two movies this past weekend - Gone Baby Gone and Lars and the Real Girl.

Gone Baby Gone...I wanted to love this movie. I've always had a soft spot for Ben Affleck even though he went through a huge douchey phase. But now he's got Jennifer Garner who seems so nice and down to earth and he's trying to lay low and do good work. And he collected so much talent for this movie that I thought he could pull it off. And he certainly does pull off an average movie. Casey Affleck is great and I might even say that it's well-directed. The problem, for me, was the writing (which was also Affleck). Granted, it's adapted from a Lehane book but still. I had serious issues with the act structure and, all in all, I couldn't shake the feeling that most scenes felt forced. It's totally snobby and ridiculous to use this word, but it just didn't feel "organic". To be fair, everyone in our group who saw it seemed to like it more than me so maybe I'm off base. But I just wasn't moved. Or maybe the problem was that I saw it a day after this next movie....

Lars and the Real Girl...Great. Just great. Fantastically simple and terrific. Made me think I should just avoid huge studio features all together. If you know the premise about Ryan Gosling in love with a sex doll, you may think it sounds too weird. But if you know me, you know I don't like too weird. This movie is purely a love story and a really moving one at that. Gosling is amazing as usual and the film just really captures this small snow-covered town really well. Whereas Gone Baby Gone felt forced, this film felt completely natural. It looked like they really shot in a small snow-covered town, and the actors were really wearing three layers because it was cold, and not everyone was glamorous and attractive. If it comes to your city, go see it.

2007-10-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

a year late

A year late on this but finally saw "Borat". What a f-$%ing unfunny movie. Overrated doesn't begin to describe it. Unbelievable that this made so much money. I didn't laugh once.

2007-10-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

new television...part 2 of 2

Well, new and old television. Okay fine. One new and many old.

I watched the premiere of "Pushing Daisies" and I was excited because so many people said it was the best new show of the season. I don't know if that's true but I do know that it didn't wow me enough to keep watching the 2nd or 3rd weeks. I just thought it was a little too cutesy for television and I didn't know where the show would go after a couple of episodes. So, with that new show out and the shows I discussed last week on my blog, I have a grand total of ZERO new shows that made it to my Tivo season pass. Very very sad. What is not sad? Most of the returning shows.

"Brothers and Sisters" is back and I am thrilled because this show really entertains me for an hour. It's not breaking new ground or saving the world, but it does make me laugh and cry on a consistent basis and I love some of the characters. Season 2 has been just as solid as season 1 so I'm excited.

"Desperate Housewives" isn't a show I adore but I do tune in every week and it is generally pretty good. The addition of Dana Delany this year has been great because she certainly knows how to play a cold bitch. Bravo Dana.

Then there's my third soap, "Grey's Anatomy"... Time has not been kind to "Grey's". A great first half season, an amazing second season, a horrendous third season and now we're on the fourth. I guess the episodes thus far can be characterized as okay. Not fantastic appointment viewing, but better than terrible. Still, I'd like to aim a little higher. Sadly, I think this is as high as this show is going to go though. The actors are too famous, the behind the scenes drama is too in your face, and the creator is too full of herself at this point to really get back to excellent. Oh well.

Switching to comedy, "The Office" has been interesting this season. Every episode has been an hour which goes to show you that more isn't always better. There have been hysterical bits in each episode, but an hour is just too long for comedy...they need a shorter punch. What they should have done is put two half hours on in a row. Still, I look forward to it every week. Not as much as....

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Goddamn this show is funny. If you're not watching it, DO. It's on FX and it is fall-out-of-your-chair funny. In fact, I've almost rolled off the couch twice this season already. Night man anyone?

2007-10-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

a non recommendation

I saw Michael Clayton this past weekend. It's getting good reviews but, guess what? Those people are wrong. Tom Wilkinson is good but the movie as a whole is boring and let me with a general "who cares" attitude. I can only describe it like "Erin Brockovich" without any life, color, wit, or humor.

2007-10-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Great Films Too Painful To Watch Twice

I was recently reading the Onion's AV Club and was inspired by this article about movies that, while amazing, are so painful and/or tortured, that you never want to see them again. Their list is probably good but because I am lame and only watch recent movies, I hadn't seen 90% of them. Lots of movies make me cry (The Notebook, Steel Magnolias, Beaches), but those don't count because I watch those often...and mainly on TBS. Anyways, I present to you...

TOP TEN GREAT FILMS TOO PAINFUL TO WATCH TWICE

10. BRAVEHEART - Sort of a weak choice because I find I can watch the first half but then have to turn it off before the whole drawn and quartering thing.

9. IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER - I remember loving this movie when I saw it, I've just never seen it again.

8. REQUIEM FOR A DREAM - Yowzah. The drug-induced orgy rape scene? Good times.

7. MYSTIC RIVER - The scene that stands out is when Sean Penn finds out that his daughter has been murdered and he unleashes this raw anguish. Really hard to watch.

6. AMERICAN HISTORY X - I've only seen it once but I remember that curb scene like it was yesterday.

5. DEAD MAN WALKING - Probably unfair to include this since I have, for some reason, seen it twice. But I remember being fascinated by the fact that I held it together for the first viewing and then sobbed uncontrollably the second time.

4. MILLION DOLLAR BABY - The end destroyed me. But, rightly so, since it was manipulative.

3. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL - Okay, a little hokey but it still made me cry and I still don't want to see it again.

2. SCHINDLER'S LIST - An absolutely gorgeous film, maybe one of the best scores ever, amazing acting, and I've only seen it once.

1. DANCER IN THE DARK - Holy jesus. This takes the cake as the all time biggest sob fest. Some of you know that this was the first movie date for me and my husband. Hmm...interesting choice. At the end I believe I had snot coming out of my nose and my eyes were all puffy.

2007-10-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

uniform

Every time my alarm goes off at o'dark thirty and I have to get a shower, blow dry my hair, and pick out clothes, I really wish that I had short hair and a uniform to wear every day. So much time would be saved. I bring this up only because our producer does, in fact, have a uniform. He wears the same thing EVERY DAY. This may seem like an exaggeration but, no. Literally the same thing every day. Black t-shirt, jeans, and white Chucks. That is it. I heard him say that he owns 25 black Banana Republic t-shirts, 10 pairs of Lucky jeans, and 4 pairs of Converse. Never seen him in anything else. This makes sense because he is all over the place and says that he doesn't have time to think about such a little thing like wardrobe. Oh, to be a man.

2007-10-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

go sox!

Just got back from a 48 hour whirlwind trip to Boston this past weekend. I gotta say, though I don't think I could move to the east coast, I really love the people and the towns and the general east-coast flavor. We happened to be there during post-season Red Sox fever so it was fun to hang out in the bars and experience the madness. We were there for a wedding though... a wedding with controversy swirling around it but I won't go into that. Sadly, 99.9% of the readers of this blog do not know this group of friends so I won't post too many pictures. BUT, you do know ME and I have to admit that this wedding destroyed me. Destroyed me in so many ways. First, I was completely drunk. (But in a fun way of course.) The initial long line at the bar caused me to double fist (don't judge...there were people triple fisting) and the 3-hour cocktail "hour" really flew by. Then, even through my drunken numbness, my awesome $20 red Target heels started to kill so I had to discard them about 4 hours in. Sadly though, being barefoot and dancing and wandering the streets of Boston to get to the after-party apparently injured me. I woke up the next morning with huge bruises on the soles of my feet, sore calves, blisters for days, scraped up elbows and black and blue arms. Of course, no memory of how I got them. I believe I danced on chairs, had phone conversations I can't recall, and made a lot of new "best friends".

My go-to drunk photo face seems to be mouth wide open, screaming at the camera.

Exhibit A...

Exhibit B...

Exhibit C...

I'll spare you Exhibits D-Z.

In case you forgot how sweet my dance moves are when alcohol is involved...

(Notice that drinks must never be put down...even when busting a move.)

But no one had sweeter moves than one of my new best friends JC.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. He is, in fact, doing a pole stand. Amazing.

2007-10-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

the kingdom

Saw "The Kingdom" the other day. It's directed by Peter Berg who also directed "Friday Night Lights" which I really enjoyed. I like Peter Berg the actor and I now think I like Peter Berg the director. FNL kind of blew me away because it was so well shot and well directed. "The Kingdom" ends up being a merely okay movie, but the filmmaking is still great. What holds it back is the script and subject matter. It's like they were trying to walk a fine line between shoot 'em up action movie and important Iraq message movie. It ends up falling flat on both accounts. Not "total failure" flat, but just "eh" flat. I will say that somehow Berg manages to start the action-packed finale 30 minutes before the movie ends and maintain tension and intensity over that long period of time. Pretty impressive.

On a side note, "Friday Night Lights" standout Tim McGraw makes another appearance and, damn, I've got to say, he may be a country singer but this guy is an amazing actor. I wish he'd do it more.

2007-09-27T09:11:00.001-07:00

new television this week...part 1 of whatever

It's my favorite time of year because new shows are premiering and there is a hopefulness...a hope that maybe I'll like a new show as much as "The Shield" or "Brothers and Sisters" or the first season of "Grey's Anatomy". So far nothing has wowed me but here's what I've seen thus far.

Private Practice - Garbage. I thought the backdoor pilot last spring was bad and they took all that criticism and grumbling and...did nothing. Oh wait, recast the black actress and then did nothing. In fact, I think the overall look of it got even worse. I could only watch 25 minutes but in those minutes I thought the lighting and look of the whole thing was terrible, the characters were still bland, and the situations were, at the same time, boring and ridiculous. They took one of the most charismatic likable characters I've seen in a few years and completely ruined her.

Dirty Sexy Money - I actually had fairly high hopes for this show. I was intrigued by the flashy cast and the soap aspect to it. And I admit that I was excited because they shoot next to our office and I'm jealous of all the golf carts that read "Dirty Sexy Wardrobe" and "Dirty Sexy Transpo". I want one of those. But this show was hugely disappointing. I didn't think it'd be so...cartoon-y. The characters were ridiculously one-dimensional with the exception of Sutherland and Krause. And the girl doing the Paris Hilton imitation is annoying as hell.

Gossip Girl - A total guilty pleasure show on the CW. It's trashy, people are hot, and I would probably watch if I had more time.

Chuck and Reaper - I grouped this together because everyone is comparing these two shows. Don't know if you know much about them but they both star geeky yet lovable 20 somethings who are working at pretty much exactly the same Best Buy clone. Then something extraordinary happens to them and they have to live this secret life while maintaining their geeky existence. These shows were called the best new shows of the year so I was curious. "Chuck" is the glossier show on NBC and it was directed by McG - the genius who brought you the Charlie's Angels movies. While I did love all the talk of Stanford (the main character went there), I thought the tone was totally uneven...half "Alias" and half sitcom...and everything was a bit off. The premise that he has seen the government's secrets on his computer and it's burned into his brain isn't the most interesting. The main guy really reminds me of Jim from "The Office" which is great but I can't say I'll keep watching this show.
Now "Reaper" is a different story. I really liked this one. It's an edgier, funnier version and the pilot was directed by Kevin Smith. The main guy is geeky and funny and adorable and his Kevin Smith/Jack Black-esque sidekick was entertaining as well. But this one has Ray Wise as the Devil which also adds something. And this likable guy hunting down people who have escaped from hell is pretty fun. Reminds me of Buffy a bit but funnier. Don't know...just like the even tone of this one more. (And there was a mention of Stanford in this one too.) :)

2007-09-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

change of scene

The past few weeks I've been working in temporary offices on the Paramount lot and we're moving to our permanent home tomorrow. While I'll certainly miss seeing Donald Sutherland and Peter Krause talking outside my window, I think I'll be more upset to leave the fine interior decorating in my current office. I believe I'm occupying an office that used to be part of the television department because the walls are lined with sweet photos of old shows. "Taxi", "Mork and Mindy", "Happy Days", "Wings", "Becker" (?!), etc. The two sweetest though?

Please excuse the fluorescent light reflections...just wanted you to get a real feel for how amazing this office is....

2007-09-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

bumper sticker

This one made me chuckle this morning...

Please Don't Make Me Vote for Hillary

2007-09-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

a FABULOUS time was had by all

Last night I went to the Hollywood Bowl to see this. Basically Rufus Wainwright recreated a 1961 Judy Garland performance song for song. Now, a few notes. One, I sort of vaguely knew that Rufus was gay but I don't know that much about him so I had never thought about it. Two, Rufus is not just homosexual, he is a flaming fabulous gay. Maybe it was because he was with his people (I'd say 90% of the audience was gay men) but he was on fire. It was fantastic. His banter was bitchy and catty and funny as hell. And man, that guy's voice is just so...interesting. I don't know how to describe it but the tone is really unique I think. Perhaps the highlight (aside from him kissing Debbie Reynolds and then having Lorna Luft join him on stage), was the two songs that his sister sang. Apparently Martha Wainwright is also a singer and goddamn was she good. Absolutely blew me away when she sang "Stormy Weather" and "Someone to Watch Over Me". Rufus better watch his ass.

For the encore he come out in Liza's definitive outfit of only heels, nylons, a black dinner jacket and a black hat and he sang "Come On Get Happy". We were happy indeed.