Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
FAME! (the music video)
In EW.com's informal poll, 68 percent of PopWatch readers voted that the film should be no more than 30 percent actual dialogue. Thank you, informal poll, for restoring some of my faith in the movie-going public and/or those that read EW.com.
Mandi Bierly at EW.com (yes, I still know my favorite critics/columnist by name - it's lame, I know) has been blogging about her waning desire to see Fame. Basically, the more they release trailers and music videos without showing anything new, the less excited Mandi and I are about Fame's impending release. Don't get me wrong -- I'll be there opening weekend with bells on. But I am more trepidatious than I was two months ago about this particular remake.
That being said, a small part of me did squeee when a dancer jumped up onto one of the cars in the street (check out the trailer).
Mandi Bierly at EW.com (yes, I still know my favorite critics/columnist by name - it's lame, I know) has been blogging about her waning desire to see Fame. Basically, the more they release trailers and music videos without showing anything new, the less excited Mandi and I are about Fame's impending release. Don't get me wrong -- I'll be there opening weekend with bells on. But I am more trepidatious than I was two months ago about this particular remake.
That being said, a small part of me did squeee when a dancer jumped up onto one of the cars in the street (check out the trailer).
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Margaret and Helen
My boss MK introduced my office to Margaret and Helen a few weeks ago. I subscribed to them on my Google reader and read through a great deal of their blog and laughed and laughed and laughed.
Politics aside, the fiestiness of these women is endearing and hysterical. Margaret doesn't like Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Bachmann, but most of all she doesn't like stupid (her definition, of course) and she's willing to call out almost anyone she thinks is acting stupid.
Margaret, who writes less often than Helen, posted this in July after Walter Cronkite died: "Helen, dear, we can certainly agree on one thing for sure. Walter Cronkite was a very sexy man. I tell you, he was the Anderson Cooper of his day. He could melt my butter each and every evening. He could toast my bread on both sides. He could float my boat, row it out to sea, and wait for it to return with the tide any day of the week. Although, I’m not quite sure what that means, I do know that Walter Cronkite was a real man. And, my dear Helen, that’s the way it is…"
My co-workers and I were almost literally on the floor laughing about that one. I thought one of us might literally bust a gut.
But then Margaret and Helen were silent for 3 weeks.
And then they posted again and I was again reminded of their brilliant humor when I saw this picture again after an absence of almost a month.
When I am 80 years old, I hope that I can still get in my hoveround and take a cruise with my best girlfriends. "I mean it. Really."
Politics aside, the fiestiness of these women is endearing and hysterical. Margaret doesn't like Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Bachmann, but most of all she doesn't like stupid (her definition, of course) and she's willing to call out almost anyone she thinks is acting stupid.
Margaret, who writes less often than Helen, posted this in July after Walter Cronkite died: "Helen, dear, we can certainly agree on one thing for sure. Walter Cronkite was a very sexy man. I tell you, he was the Anderson Cooper of his day. He could melt my butter each and every evening. He could toast my bread on both sides. He could float my boat, row it out to sea, and wait for it to return with the tide any day of the week. Although, I’m not quite sure what that means, I do know that Walter Cronkite was a real man. And, my dear Helen, that’s the way it is…"
My co-workers and I were almost literally on the floor laughing about that one. I thought one of us might literally bust a gut.
But then Margaret and Helen were silent for 3 weeks.
And then they posted again and I was again reminded of their brilliant humor when I saw this picture again after an absence of almost a month.
When I am 80 years old, I hope that I can still get in my hoveround and take a cruise with my best girlfriends. "I mean it. Really."
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Why I love Congressman Anthony Weiner aka A Public Option
Finally someone who doesn't mince words and speaks to the heart of the matter. I love this man:
Rep. Anthony Weiner on MSNBC's Morning Joe
listening to Joe Scarborough talk makes my ears bleed, but that's beside the point because he barely speaks in this interview. Either because he A) is just "so dumbfounded by [his] question" or B) he doesn't have a (expletive deleted) answer because private healthcare companies provide absolutely nothing to our society.
and then there was that time that Rep. Weiner took on Ms. Bartiromo on MSNBC
Rep. Anthony Weiner on MSNBC's Morning Joe
listening to Joe Scarborough talk makes my ears bleed, but that's beside the point because he barely speaks in this interview. Either because he A) is just "so dumbfounded by [his] question" or B) he doesn't have a (expletive deleted) answer because private healthcare companies provide absolutely nothing to our society.
and then there was that time that Rep. Weiner took on Ms. Bartiromo on MSNBC
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Movie Review Compilation
In a surprising feat of filmgoing dexterity, I have seen 4 movies in the theaters in the past 10 days. The Hangover. The Ugly Truth. Julie & Julia. (500) Days of Summer. Four movies that couldn't be more different if they tried. Four movies that were all pretty good (well, except for The Ugly Truth which wasn't good but was much better than expected).
Arriving a little late to the party, my friends and I finally saw The Hangover in theatres. I had resigned myself to not seeing it until it made its way to the top of my Netflix queue. But lo! a visit from a college friend and the desire to drink in a movie theatre (thank you, MovieTavern) precipitated our seeing it on Friday night. The casting director deserves major kudos. This movie certainly launched the three male leads into another stratosphere of their carer. I have never really had the desire to go to Vegas before and now I do (that probably wasn't the message of the movie).
As I said The Ugly Truth wasn't good, but it didn't deserve the 0 stars it received in its review from Rolling Stone Magazine. It was your standard romantic comedy and it followed your standard romantic comedy trajectory. No surprises. Nothing unexpected. But for what it was (and for the record, it was an excuse for a bunch of girlfriends to get together and watch a movie), it did a good job.
NB: Flo Rida's "Right Round" played during the credits of both The Hangover and The Ugly Truth. I found that particularly strange and still do. I don't have anything particularly profound to say about it, but I felt it was worth pointing out.
Julie & Julia was fantastic! I tend to be ahead of the curve in hearing about films in production starring Amy Adams. So I have been waiting for this film to hit theaters for a long time. Thankfully, Jay was as excited to see it as I was (although honestly can't think of anyone to whom this film wouldn't appeal). This is not a chick flick. It is a bona fide foodie flick. This is a flick for anyone who knows deep down in their heart that butter makes any food better. I could ramble on and on about how impressive Meryl Streeps performance was and how, unfortunately, Julie's (Amy Adam's) story paled in comparison to that of Julia Child. I think, however, the experience of watching this movie is best summed up by my best friend Amy who turned to me during the credits and said "She, [Meryl], deserves an award. She should win The Julia Child Award for ... being Julia Child!" And she does.
Last, but not least, (500) Days of Summer. The trailer and reviews looked good enough to warrant a trip to Hampton to see it. I love my home, but I do not love that we rarely get independent films at our local theater. This movie was well worth the trip. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were wonderful together. It was a wonderful deconstruction of the romantic comedy genre. The constant shifts in time (always within the 500 days allotted to the timeline of this film) were somewhat confusing. It was frustrating not to remember the different days on which different events happened. However, I would posture that it was ultimately unimportant. I love romantic comedies at the same time that I hate them. They perpetuate stereotypes and cliches that drive me nuts, while also spoon-feeding us all warm, fuzzy feelings. In my opinion (500) Days of Summer did for romantic comedies what Scream did for horror movies - use the genre to tell a legitimate story in its own right, while also turning the genre on its head. To be sure, Scream was far less subtle and significantly more brilliant, but (500) Days of Summer receives credit where credit is due.
Unless I see the 6th Harry Potter movie in the coming weeks, I don't expect to have more movies to write about. However, the one-two punch of figs given to me by my boss Tim and a pie cookbook loaned to me by my boss MK warrants an attempt at a fig and marscapone cream pie. More to come on that soon ...
Arriving a little late to the party, my friends and I finally saw The Hangover in theatres. I had resigned myself to not seeing it until it made its way to the top of my Netflix queue. But lo! a visit from a college friend and the desire to drink in a movie theatre (thank you, MovieTavern) precipitated our seeing it on Friday night. The casting director deserves major kudos. This movie certainly launched the three male leads into another stratosphere of their carer. I have never really had the desire to go to Vegas before and now I do (that probably wasn't the message of the movie).
As I said The Ugly Truth wasn't good, but it didn't deserve the 0 stars it received in its review from Rolling Stone Magazine. It was your standard romantic comedy and it followed your standard romantic comedy trajectory. No surprises. Nothing unexpected. But for what it was (and for the record, it was an excuse for a bunch of girlfriends to get together and watch a movie), it did a good job.
NB: Flo Rida's "Right Round" played during the credits of both The Hangover and The Ugly Truth. I found that particularly strange and still do. I don't have anything particularly profound to say about it, but I felt it was worth pointing out.
Julie & Julia was fantastic! I tend to be ahead of the curve in hearing about films in production starring Amy Adams. So I have been waiting for this film to hit theaters for a long time. Thankfully, Jay was as excited to see it as I was (although honestly can't think of anyone to whom this film wouldn't appeal). This is not a chick flick. It is a bona fide foodie flick. This is a flick for anyone who knows deep down in their heart that butter makes any food better. I could ramble on and on about how impressive Meryl Streeps performance was and how, unfortunately, Julie's (Amy Adam's) story paled in comparison to that of Julia Child. I think, however, the experience of watching this movie is best summed up by my best friend Amy who turned to me during the credits and said "She, [Meryl], deserves an award. She should win The Julia Child Award for ... being Julia Child!" And she does.
Last, but not least, (500) Days of Summer. The trailer and reviews looked good enough to warrant a trip to Hampton to see it. I love my home, but I do not love that we rarely get independent films at our local theater. This movie was well worth the trip. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were wonderful together. It was a wonderful deconstruction of the romantic comedy genre. The constant shifts in time (always within the 500 days allotted to the timeline of this film) were somewhat confusing. It was frustrating not to remember the different days on which different events happened. However, I would posture that it was ultimately unimportant. I love romantic comedies at the same time that I hate them. They perpetuate stereotypes and cliches that drive me nuts, while also spoon-feeding us all warm, fuzzy feelings. In my opinion (500) Days of Summer did for romantic comedies what Scream did for horror movies - use the genre to tell a legitimate story in its own right, while also turning the genre on its head. To be sure, Scream was far less subtle and significantly more brilliant, but (500) Days of Summer receives credit where credit is due.
Unless I see the 6th Harry Potter movie in the coming weeks, I don't expect to have more movies to write about. However, the one-two punch of figs given to me by my boss Tim and a pie cookbook loaned to me by my boss MK warrants an attempt at a fig and marscapone cream pie. More to come on that soon ...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Curtains!
MK and I made curtains for the new townhouse. Thank goodness for MK, without whom this project would not have been possible (or nearly so successful). They turned out exactly as I had imagined! I love the sheer fabric - with a slightly puckered texture - and the way it looks in the space (the rabbit likes it too). The fabric was v. slippery to work with when sewing, so I consider it quite a feat that I didn't butcher the final product. It was extremely helpful for me to have a second pair of hands. MK made the curtain on the right and I made the curtain on the left (with some help). We don't have curtains in any of the other rooms, so another sewing project is around the bend.
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