Good News, Bad News

Which do you want first?

Here's the good news: Kim Cattrall has confirmed that a Sex and the City movie sequel is going to happen. As you may remember, I may or may not have seen Sex and the City three times in the theater and rushed out to buy it the day it came out on DVD. Even though it wasn't quite as fabulous as the actual show, I love love loved it! I looooved it! So while they seemed to have neatly tied up the story at the end of the first movie, there is always enough Carrie-Samantha-Miranda-Charlotte drama to go around.

And now for the bad news: Pushing Daisies is reportedly "on the bubble." Are you freaking kidding me? This is one of the most unique, entertaining, perfect shows on television and I cannot imagine life without Ned the piemaker and his slew of over-the-top murder "mysteries." There is nothing else like this show and people need to start watching it ASAP! How can this show be on the bubble and the crapfest that is Private Practice gets an entire season? Turn on the TV an hour earlier and enjoy Pushing Daisies before it's too late!

Sunday Night TV Recap

Just finished Sunday Night TV on ABC... here are super sentence recaps:

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

An indoor jungle gym? A zoo room? A lifesize dollhouse? This show may have to go off the air--it's making people like me wish there was something wrong in our lives so we could get a cool new house for free. Not good.

Desperate Housewives

Just... ew. Porter and his best friend's mom? Ew. Katherine and Mike doing the dirty in the kitchen? Ew. The old lady from Six Feet Under moving in on the Solises? Ew. And dumb. I suddenly like this show again, though. Great.

Brothers and Sisters

A lot of inexplicable actions in this episode--not the least of which was Kitty totally sabotaging her adoption and Nora bringing George Laffterty to the party. PS Justin + Rebecca = booooooring. 

See you next week!

I's snitting by Orpoh

Alright so last week I was pumped for the return of 30 Rock, but sort of underwhelmed by the first episode of the season. 

Any underwhelmment (is that even a word?) went out the window with this week's episode featuring guest star Oprah. I was wondering how they were going to work Oprah as herself into the script--I should've known it would be genius. It's Tina Fey and crew, after all. 

I loved every aspect of the plot of this episode--Tracy vs. Jenna making themselves up to role play the other's life, Kenneth's tetherball Olympic champion idol proving to be a fake (and him stealing cable in the end!) and Liz Lemon flying to Chicago to get out of jury duty by pretending to think she was Princess Leia. Lemon running her mouth to the woman she thought was Oprah was totally priceless. And the surprise ending was the perfect cherry on top of this fantastic episode. 

If you haven't already watched it, get on NBC.com and watch it. Right now. Then come back and tell me how much you loved it, cause I know you will. Don't tell Michael Scott, but I laughed harder at 30 Rock this week than I did at The Office. 

Two More Quickie Reviews

Changeling
This movie moved me to tears and made me writhe in my seat, beyond uncomfortable thinking what I would do if I was in Angelina Jolie's terrible situation. You'd think after Pride and Glory, I'd have enough of bad cops, but this movie took police corruption to a whole new level--especially since this was a true story! Jolie shines as the main character, and the guy who plays the crazy man on the ranch is perfect for his part (as is the Police Captain). Overall I liked this movie a lot more than other critics and highly recommend giving it a chance. ****

High School Musical 3

I may have been the oldest person there without a child, but it was worth the potential embarrassment to enjoy Zac Efron and friends in their Senior Year at East High. While the costumes and sets were much more high quality, what with a feature film budget and all, I wasn't as impressed with the songs as I was with the made-for-TV HSM 1 and 2. Make fun all you want, but had Zac Efron not been in this movie for some big screen eye candy, it wouldn't have come close to rivaling the original or first sequel. That said, it was fun and peppy and is sure to please its actual target audience--kids and tweens. ***

LOST is Found

ABC has announced a premiere date for Lost Season 5! Get ready for the probably-shouldn't to happen--they apparently return to the island... after spending four seasons trying to get off of it. Only on Lost would that be exciting!

On January 21, we find out why Locke was in a coffin, why Ben wants them back on the island, why Jack has such a crazy beard, and where Claire went! Although, knowing Lost, we won't get any of those answers and instead be presented with 1000 new questions.

But that's what makes us love it! Check out the season promo:

INSERT VIDEO TEASER HERE

History! Victory!

After what seemed like a hundred thousand years, but only a few hours into actual Election Night, the television networks projected Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States and our first African-American president. History was made last night and I couldn't be more excited.

Maybe he won't be able to do everything he has promised, but change is already here--there is no way around that. I wasn't screaming in the streets or bawling my eyes out, but I may have gotten a little misty eyed listening to his speech and watching the new First Family onstage in Grant Park.

INSERT VIDEO OF SPEECH HERE

As much as I'd have liked to see a woman get it first, I am thrilled that history was made in the form of Barack Obama. Now only 90 more days and we'll see what he's gonna do with it.

The Immaculate Election

(A little Arrested Development throwback for you)

So here I sit, stomach in knots, yelling at the TV and cursing Kansas and its lousy conservatives.


I can only imagine McCain, sitting in one of his many (did his staff ever get back to us with how many?) homes in Arizona with Botox Barbie on one arm and Caribou Barbie on the other. Across the country, Joe Biden polishes his teeth and Obama marvels at the crazy college kids sprinting across Grant Park to get a spot as close to the stage as possible... even though nobody will speak there for many hours.

I count down the minutes between poll closings along with Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper on CNN, David Gregory on MSNBC, Charles Gibson on ABC and Brian Williams on NBC. I am undoubtedly a major channel flipper. I am also a multi-tasker--posting here, watching the minute-by-minute electoral map updates on MSNBC.com and checking Bloglines for other updates. Oh and I'm also texting friends and playing Quadrum on my phone.

Obama's electoral count is rising, but will it be enough to put him over the 270 mark?

Honestly? I wish it would just go ahead and happen cause I'm already yawning. Uh oh.

Election Bash: I'm Getting Nauseous

It's T-Minus 24 hours until we (might) know the results of the 2008 Presidential Election.

Finally.

Despite looking forward to the relief of the race actually being finished, I can't help but feel a little sick to my stomach thinking about what might happen--either way.

Rather than watch the CBS Election Special on tonight, I'm tuning in to SNL's Presidential Bash to revisit all the great sketches from this election season as well as years past. I'm sure to get my fill of Brian Williams, CNN Newsroom, George Stephanopolous and everyone else (and their brothers) covering Election Night 2008 tomorrow night, so I'm sticking with Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, Amy Poehler and other historic political impressionists.

That is, if I can keep my dinner down.

TOMORROW NIGHT: I'll join in the millions of blog reporters and live update during Election coverage. Let's hope I get any sleep tomorrow night!

The Return of Quickie Movie Reviews

Even though I may not have been blogging a lot lately, but I definitely have not been slacking in the movie-going department. Here are three quickie reviews from recent weekends:

The Duchess
Gorgeous costumes, gorgeous scenery, gorgeous sets, gorgeous Keira Knightley. Not so great? The way men treated women back then. We may not be equal yet, but my God at least we've made a few advances. It may have yet-another-Keira-Knightley-period-film, but at least it was well done! ****



W.
Josh Brolin's Bush chuckle was spot on. Dick Cheney looked like a total D-Bag. Elizabeth Banks' Laura Bush never aged a day. Condoleezza Rice managed to annoy me more than ever before. But it was actually quite interesting. It definitely wasn't the Bush bash I expected from Oliver Stone... at least until the last 10 minutes. Unfortunately it may have been the most entertaining 10 minutes of the film. ***

Pride and Glory
Could've just been another good cop-bad cop movie but this movie was a little more complex than its police drama counterparts. Several big twists kept my interest for the entire 2+ hours--although I'm sure super talented Edward Norton helped, too. And who would've guessed? Colin Farrell was great as a cussing, corrupt cop. ****


I know what you're thinking: only three? Don't worry, three (plus) more reviews to come in the near future...

It's Unfair and It's Wrong

I may not live in California, but I still feel passionate about the issue at hand.

Samuel L. Jackson narrates this video, urging voters to defeat Proposition 8 which would ban gay marriage in the state. It is so relevant and effective to compare this issue to a history of discrimination:



If you live in California, vote No on Prop 8. Defeat discrimination and injustice.

Oh, Halloween!

I know it's like sacrilegious to some people, but I pretty much hate Halloween.

Costumes, ghosts, witches, trick or treating--it makes my skin crawl. Ugh.

That said, I will use today to make a pledge. I may have only made it through 210+ days of Blog 365, but I will challenge myself again to complete NaBloPoMo.

After all, it's what inspired the creation of this blog one year ago.

One year! Who would've thought I would keep it going? Let's call this happy blogiversary rather than Happy Halloween. Makes it a much more enjoyable day for me, at least.

So, here goes NaBloPoMo 2008... let the blogging begin (tomorrow, that is)!

Yeah, It's Been a While

That's the understatement of the year! It's been more than 2 months since my last post and I can't believe it. I was doing so well with Blog 365! That is, until I started teaching, of course.

I guess I made it 200+ days... that's somewhat of an accomplishment.

I thought about posting many times, but then felt like I had so much to catch up on. Now it's been so long, I guess I can basically start over.

So, loyal readers (of which there are none), I'm back. I will post when I have time and no, it won't be every day, but I promise not to disappear for 2 months again. I'm not sure I can handle the separation again.

RIP Bernie Mac

CNN is reporting that Bernie Mac died today, at the age of 50, from complications due to pneumonia.


Pneumonia? How strange and tragic! He was a very funny man and brought a great comedic presence to so many movies and television shows. Definitely a sudden and sad loss for the entertainment industry.

Read more about Bernie's life at CNN.com

8.8.08

8.8.08

Pretty cool, huh? Apparently they are supposed to have a record number of marriages today (just like last year on 7.7.07 and probably just like next year on 9.9.09)...

But what makes today wayyyyy better than all those other #-#-# dates?

The 2008 Summer Olympics start today! Finally!


And, in perfect fashion, the opening ceremonies are tonight at 8:08pm. Should be exciting!

Give Me a Little Paul Rudd and I'm Happy

I came across this trailer over at Buzz Sugar for the movie Role Models. Sean William Scott sort of annoys me, and the plot seems kind of overdone, but honestly? Give me a little Paul Rudd and I'm happy. I really can't stop staring--he is just so darn cute. Look at how normal he is--buying AMC concession stand treats before seeing Pineapple Express:



Oh yeah, here's a trailer for that movie:


Role Models - Theatrical Trailer

Vinne Chase and Crew are Back in Sept.

After a super long time between seasons (thanks, of course, to the writer's strike), Entourage finally returns at the beginning of September. I can't wait to see what happens in the aftermath of Medillin's bomb at Cannes.

HBO is showing little tiny teasers to get people (like me) pumped. Here's one (though it isn't much):

Detour

Tonight I planned on being productive.
Tonight I planned on doing a real post, since quality has been lacking lately.

Instead...
Tonight I spent the night playing around on VistaPrint.com.
You can make all this cool stuff--like business cards, post-its, stickers, notepads, etc.-- for free.

FREE.

All you do is pay shipping and handling.

Too amazing.

One-Line Recaps

1. Mad Men
Your dad died in a plane crash? My baby will cry for you.

2. High School Musical: Get in the Picture
Are these kids supposed to be able to sing? Act? At least they can clap, I guess.

3. Weeds
Holy naked-Nancy, Batman!

4. Secret Diary
Just hook up already, Ben and Hannah. You know you want it.

Yeah, I'm too busy/tired/bored to actually be clever. Sorry.
Maybe tomorrow night.

Random Movie Trailer

Still reading (I know I should be done by now but I did have to be a little productive and it is 750+ pages long) so here's a trailer for a movie I had never heard of but looks like it might be fun:

Sex Drive (looks better than the title sounds AND James Marsden is in it!):

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Too Busy Reading to Post

I am not being productive, working on anything for school, cleaning my house or hanging out with friends.

I am reading Breaking Dawn like the cool kid I am.

So don't bother me.

But feel free to read about how it's breaking sales records...

Do You Realize What Today Is?

Today is August 1.

It is not just the first day of the second half of the year. It's not just the first day I get my health insurance back. It is not just another Friday.

Today (or rather, tonight), Breaking Dawn is released in bookstores everywhere.


If I can stay awake long enough, I will stand in line at Border's until 12:00AM when I get my hands on a copy and probably start reading immediately.

Call me a teenage-wanna-be but I'm pumped.

TEAM EDWARD!

Happy Birthday to Me

I am officially the most boring 24-year-old ever!

Today is not only my birthday, but in a cruel twist of fate, it is also my first day of new teacher orientation. Don't get me wrong, I am pumped for teaching but not HR sessions ALL.DAY.LONG.

Plus, I can't even go out for a birthday dinner because I have to head straight to yearbook distribution. I'm excited to see my yearbook editors but not for the 14+ hour day.

So happy birthday to me! What a birthday it will be.

Ohhhh Michael Cera!

Now you may not remember this, but I love me some Michael Cera. I even put up with the mildly offensive plot and annoying Jonah what's-his-name in Superbad just to catch a little bit of the sorta awkwardness that Michael Cera brings to whatever he is in. Arrested Development, Juno, Superbad, etc.

Now they've released a longer trailer for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist--it's Michael Cera and the principal's daughter from Charlie Bartlett. The movie itself looks kinda cute but you know I'll be there with my I <3 Michael Cera shirt on!***

***No, I do not actually own such a shirt. I'm not that much of a creeper.

Watch the trailer:

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Pumped about Pushing Daisies

October 1--New Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and (not as exciting) Private Practice!

Wonderful Wednesday on ABC will be back and I can't wait--Daisies and Money have been gone since before the writers strike... at least October will be here before I know it.

Check out the teaser:

Dubya Trailer

Here's a trailer for Oliver Stone's biopic about the current pres, W. (Only 175 days left until the "end of an error!") Looks interesting-- have they ever done a presidential movie while the president was still in office? Seems strange...

W. Teaser Trailer
by iliketolookatmyranch

Spell Check

Nice work, NBC Action News. Or was it AP? "Who's" fault was it?:

Woman who's car went into river dies

Last Update: 11:56 am

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A woman's whose vehicle went into the Meramec River has died, a day after her grandson also died.

Sandra Branham, 63, of Crestwood, died Saturday at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on its Web site.

And so on...

Who's vs. Whose
Don't we learn the different in elementary school?

You'd think the headline writer could get it right since it's correct in the first sentence of the article. Guess NOT!

Media Addiction Wordle

Make your own at wordle.net

I Noticed That, Too!

I totally saw THIS when watching Project Runway. Bravo should maybe focus less on making as many shows as possible from the Real Housewives of the OC and more on math skills.

TV Catch Up

I was at yearbook camp this week, so I missed a bunch of shows. Thanks to my beloved DVR, I'm catching up tonight as I unwind and relax after camp.

Here's what I've been watching:

1. Project Runway, episode 2
I actually liked the first episode better than this one--but there were definitely some great twists that made it an exciting challenge. The green thing was kind of downplayed which was weird to me, but I loved that the dumb models went shopping and--hello!--Natalie Portman as the surprise guests judge? So perfect! She is totally adorable and I want to be her friend. Ha. I liked Suede's winning dress (but NOT Suede's third person rants) and I loved Blayne's mockery of Stella's leather obsession. "My husband is leather..." Hilarious. I'm just not convinced this cast is all that talented.

2. Baby Borrowers, teen invasion episode
OMG Daton left! He was totally stupid anyway, running off to the skate park and leaving Morgan to do the work. Not that she is a complete prize, but he is crap. The teens weren't nearly as crazy as the teaser and commercials made it look like they would be, and the parents handled them fairly well. I just felt horrible for the kids whose real-life parents were going through divorces having to sit through a teenage break-up and fighting. Ugh. Next week--the elderly!

3. Mad Men (multiple episodes)
I taped all 13 episodes from last Sunday's season one marathon and am making my way through them before Sunday's season two premiere. This show is just as good as the critics say--I love it. The costumes and settings are a-may-zing and I love the music they throw in, too... everything seems super authentic. Plus I love all the tongue-in-cheek remarks and the whole advertising premise. If you haven't yet, go watch this show! I still have five more episodes to watch this weekend!

Still to catch up on: America's Got Talent and the season premiere of How to Look Good Naked with Carson Kressley.

Vampires Rule Comic-Con

Apparently fans of the book series waiting in anticipation for the movie have whipped Comic-Con into a Twilight frenzy.

Read VH1's report on the cast's Comic-Con panel

I can't even imagine 6,000 teenagers (and probably a bunch of weird adults like me who like the books) screaming and/or declaring allegiance to Team Edward or Team Jacob.***

Author Stephenie Meyer also sat down for an exclusive video interview at Comic-Con with Entertainment Weekly. Here's a link to the first clip--click here for the other 3 parts of the interview, including information about Breaking Dawn--out one week from Saturday!

Stephenie Meyer EW.Com interview

***I, by the way, am totally on Team Edward. A beautiful vampire or a hairy werewolf? No contest.

It's About Damn Time

CNN and many others are reporting that the price of gas is finally coming down (at least a little bit).

It's nice to see a gallon under $4 again.***

What took so long? Let's hope those prices keep going down and stay down.

***What a depressing statement. I remember being totally appalled when it went over $2!

Comic Sans to the Rescue!

This video* made me laugh out loud. Maybe just because I am a font geek.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

*I have no idea why it is so wide/big. Deal with it.

Figures

Just as everyone predicted, Batman kicked Spidey's ass at the box office. The Dark Knight beat Spiderman 3's opening weekend record, bringing in more than $155 million.

WHOA. That's a whole lotta Batman.

Read all about the weekend box office results here

UPDATE:
The records keep on breaking-- the movie made $25.4 million TODAY. That's a Monday. Yeah.

I am The Batman

It took me until Sunday night, but I finally saw The Dark Knight this weekend.

Really, there's not much to say other than WOW.

It was an excellent movie--great storyline, great action, great visuals, great stunts, great cast.

As everyone and their brother has reported, Heath Ledger was pretty darn amazing as The Joker. I may have nightmares about that makeup tonight.

And OH. MY. GOD. Christian Bale is SO ATTRACTIVE. We're talking beautiful, gorgeous, flawless in those super expensive suits and hot cars. Siiiiigh.

If you haven't seen it yet (although I'm thinking with what they are predicting to be record-setting box office sales, everyone must have already seen it), run and do so NOW. I guarantee it's playing about every 45 seconds at your local theater.

Feel The Beat from the Tambourine

I may or may not have seen Mamma Mia two times this weekend. No joke.

It was THAT GOOD.

I saw the musical at Mandalay Bay in Vegas years ago and while it was fun, I don't remember enjoying it that much. Totally not the case for this movie.

Meryl Streep is beyond awesome. She really can do no wrong in my book and this is no exception. Amanda Seyfried has a great voice and is super cute as Sophie and OH. MY. GOD. Colin Firth is adorable. When he sings "Our Last Summer" I couldn't stop smiling and again, OH. MY. GOD. Him in the stretchy disco outfit at the end was hysterical.

Love Love LOVED it.

...Even if Pierce Brosnan can't sing to save his life.

Read some other reviews if that was too gushy:
Salon
VH1 (Kurt Loder)
BuzzSugar

Twilight Trailer

Okay I'm not sure what I think about this but here it is, a longer trailer for Twilight:



I have a feeling this movie will not be what I imagined--from the trailer it looks awfully action vampire-y rather than the love story I enjoyed so much.

Either way, like I've said before, I'll be there on 12.12.08 to see it. I should probably stop trying to pretend I'll be anything but ridiculously excited alongside all those teenyboppers.

Only two more weeks until Breaking Dawn!

Here I Go Again...

DID I MENTION TOMORROW IS AN AMAZING DAY?

Mamma Mia and The Dark Knight are finally here.

Being a total musical geek I will be seeing Mamma Mia tomorrow afternoon and Batman sometime later this weekend. I'm sure most people would do the opposite, but guess what? I'm not normal.

I. Love. Musicals.

Back on the Runway

Project Runway Season 5 debuted on Bravo last night. I feel like the last season just ended, but all the same, I am excited for another season of crazy challenges, bizarre drama and making it work.

God I love Tim Gunn. He totally blew one of the guys a kiss when they got up to the rooftop! Adorable. And is it just me or is he getting a little more brutally honest? I love it.

The season premiere went back to basics--the very first Project Runway challenge: a grocery store--complete with the glamorous and hilarious Austin Scarlett himself. No, there wasn't an amazing corn husk dress, but Daniel did make a very cool blue plastic dress out of Solo cups and Kelly took vacuum cleaner bags to a whole new dimension. I also loved how Korto (I had to look up her name... oops) actually used produce--that collar made of kale and tomatoes was gorgeous. I honestly thought that the girl with the trash bag dress was way worse than the guy with the raincoat deal. At least he made a whole raincoat--she gave up before the day was halfway over and just threw that stupid drapey stuff together at the last minute. Lame.

My favorite look (second place--he was robbed)

Anyway overall it was a fun premiere with a major lack of drama. I'm sure it will surface very quickly--there seems to be a lot of personality in the workroom just waiting to come out.

Plus who can argue with actual quality summer TV?

POST 300: 3 Fun Things

1. Weeds
This week's episode was pretty great, actually. Back to the old quick-witted humor, bizarre antics and hysterical family interactions. I thought Celia returning was going to be stupid, but she totally fits into the motley Botwin crew. I love that Nancy has to work retail at an outlet mall on the border and that she finally apologized to and/or thanked everyone in her family--AND that she actually admitted she was a terrible drug dealer. I hope this seasons continues to get better and better!

2. Wanted
I went to see this movie with my sister and her friend over the weekend--mainly because I had already seen every other movie I was remotely interested in seeing and because Wanted featured Chicago. I was in Chicago, so it made sense even though honestly I had no idea what the movie was about. Turns out, it was super violent, pretty insane plot-wise, kinda goofy at times... but also very entertaining and full of fantastic special effects. Things I didn't like: The stupid train wreck part and Morgan Freeman dropping an F bomb not once but twice! That is Samuel L Jackson crap. Things I loved: James McEvoy dripping wet and the part where he flipped his car over a gangster guy's limo and shot him through the sunroof.

3. Swapping Lives by Jane Green
So I thought I was way beyond chick lit but I am having fun reading this book! It was a little hard to start but now I am hooked and it is very cute. Jane Green is a great story teller and really makes you like and identify with her characters. Nothing intellectual or ground-breaking here but a fun "beach read" amidst all of the education stuff I'm reading right now.

THAT WAS MY 300th POST! CRAZY!

The Best News I've Heard In Weeks

David sent me this link today and I nearly squealed with happiness:

WICKED THE MOVIE
It's really going to happen! Obviously it is still in planning stages and they say they have to wait for the show to reach its "pinnacle" but seeing as it's closing in Chicago at the end of the year, maybe the pinnacle has been reached and they can get to work on the movie version!

No word on casting yet--could they really have anyone but Idina and Kristin?

Now or Never! HSM3

The trailer for High School Musical 3 is finally released!

Click here to watch it on Disney.com

I know I'm lame but it actually looks like a lot of fun.

And I already like the "Now or Never" song featured in the trailer.

Click here to listen to pretty Zac Efron and the whole cast

Get excited for October 24!

iWant

Godddddd I want an iPhone.
But should I get one?

I've been reading everything I can find online about them including THIS and THIS.

I don't need one for any reason. But I want one! I can afford it. I have AT&T. I am a Mac geek.

Should I get an iPhone?

HATE

Sorry if you like it, but this song annoys the crap out of me:



They need to quit playing it on the radio, no matter how summer fun-y it is. Ugh.

Fang You Very Much

Thank you, Entertainment Weekly for this:


I know I haven't blogged about it yet, but I am kind of obsessed with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. I read all three books in under 2 weeks--just totally ate them up. Aaaaand I may or may not have fallen in love with a fictional vampire. Ha! The movie may not come out until December, but EW already has it on the cover of this week's issue.

I'm still not sold on the casting (Edward is soooo not pretty enough!) but I will totally be at the movie on opening day, pretty or not. 12.12.08-- such a long time to wait! However, coming up much sooner is the release of the fourth book in the series-- Breaking Dawn, out August 1!

Summer TV Update

There is not much on TV lately, it being summer and all. I've been surviving by watching The Sopranos on Netflix, catching up on Lost Season 4 on abc.com and catching a few summer shows.

Two of those shows are America's Got Talent and Baby Borrowers. I know, I know. I can't believe I'm watching NBC again for something other than The Office, but here I am.

America's Got Talent is actually very enjoyable when they have little kid acts and/or people who have super sad sob stories and amazing talents. The people who suck are not so enjoyable--this is why I DVR this show and fast forward through the boring stuff. I'm looking forward to the contestants being whittled down to the actually talented finalists. And David Hasselhoff is crazy!

Baby Borrowers started off AWESOME. I was totally sucked in by the premise of the show--crazy teenagers who think they're ready to have kids ASAP are put in "real life situations" (i.e. a nanny in the house and parents watching at all times via camera) where they get to care for babies, then toddlers, then preteens, then teens, then--get this--the elderly! Wow. The first episode was hysterical and unbelievable. Last week was pretty good with the conclusion of the babies but this week was not as good with toddlers. Obviously the couple with the older kid is going to do better--he's potty-trained and beyond the terrible twos. Everyone else did not deal well with bodily fluids... gross. I don't know why I like this show so much, but I do.

I must be pretty desperate for TV to enjoy shows like this! Is it fall yet?

Quickie Review: Hancock

Today I went to see Hancock on the spur of the moment with my dad. We were by the theater and didn't have anything else to do, so we wandered over to see what was playing around 1pm. I've never done that before I don't think--funny. Lucky for us, Hancock was starting right when we arrived.

Background: When I first heard Will Smith as as superhero, I was pretty much like "pass." Then I saw a whole trailer and realized it was Will Smith as a drunk, not-so-perfect superhero and I decided I might want to see it after all. It opened to not-so-perfect reviews, but I was still interested--despite those reviews it was #1 at the box office for 4th of July weekend.

And you know what? It was a fun movie! Lots of cool special effects, Will Smith was pretty good in it, I can't get enough Jason Bateman, and there was even a surprise twist that I totally didn't see coming and wasn't spoiled by any trailers! No, it wasn't deep or meaningful but it was fun and sometimes you just need to watch a fun movie, especially during the summer. ****

Books a Million

The Big Read 100

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.

2) Italicize those you intend to read.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (One of my favorites)
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (How is it possible I never read these?)
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling (It's both because I've read two of them. Yeah, I know.)
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible (Not the whole thing but parts. Does that count?)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (senior year of HS)
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (also in school)
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (Summer reading for AP English)
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (Again both because I've read some but not all.)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (SO much fun reading this sophomore year with Mrs. Wilcox)
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (on my shelf waiting to be read)
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (the movie was enough for me...)
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (AP English with Prib--not my favorite)
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (but I have read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, does that count?)
25. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (DON'T PANIC.)
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh (I want to read this before I see the movie!)
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (oops there it is!)
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (Read it five or more times. My favorite!)
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (Jabberwocky was enough for me)
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy (It was on Oprah's Book Club list, after all)
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (Only The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen (Want to read for sure after seeing Jane Austen Book Club)
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (mmmm Peter)
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (LOVE this book and especially love his second book)
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne (Never a huge Pooh fan)
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (Wayyyyy overhyped but interesting)
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (Love these books)
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood (school again)
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding (We not only had to read this horrible book in school but also saw a horrible play)
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan (Sooooo good)
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen ((I'm reading it again right now in 144 installations from dailylit.com)
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (yeah another one read in high school)
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon (Such fun!)
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (better than 100 Year of Solitude for sure)
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (Lenny and that mouse! Oh my gosh)
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (An excellent book but a little disturbing at times--I wish her follow-up would have been as good)
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding (Love the books, love the movies, LOVE Colin Firth)
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker (I love epistolary/journal novels!!!)
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath (Eh)
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (waiting on my bookshelf)
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (Not a huge Dickens fan but I can tolerate this one)
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker (Goooooooood that book is depressing)
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry .
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White (EB White was a childhood favorite)
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (Eh. Frankly, I thought it was a tad trite.)
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (I HATED reading this book in high school.)
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare (not my favorite Shakespeare but better after re-reading it last summer for a class)
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (Roald Dahl is awesome--the Twits, James and the Giant Peach--awesome)
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (I love this story!)

Read count: 43--thanks mostly in part to my high school honors and AP English classes and also thanks to my book nerdiness

To be read: (only) 10-- sighhhhh... just add em to the list. I have about 100 waiting in my big cabinet.

Overwhelming Coverage

So... a few weeks ago I was all upset because China was reportedly going to screw with and potentially limit TV coverage of the summer Olympics.

Welllllll now it seems they must have changed their tune because NBC Universal apparently has HUGE plans for unprecedented coverage--some 3600 hours of it.

Good lord! 3600 hours? Is that even possible? Are there 3600 hours in the two-plus weeks of the Olympics? Let's see-- 24 hours X 17 days = 408 hours. Huh?!

Don't worry, the math isn't wrong--it appears that the coverage will be simultaneous on all of NBC Universal's television network, plus 2000+ hours of streaming live sports coverage online. Pretty cool (especially for fans of polo/archery/synchronized swimming) but maybe a little overkill, even for an Olympics nut like me. Taking a look at the schedule, though, everything I'm interested in watching is during primetime on NBC. Nothing new there.

I guess China's letting everybody in after all... or if not everybody, at least NBC. 30 Days!

Blahhhhh

This pretty much sums up how I feel today:


I spent like 2 1/2 hours trying to transfer something over from my (newer) laptop to my (older) desktop and it was ridiculously slow and frustrating. I ended up having to copy over the newer version of the applications to get anything to work at all! Good thing I am well-versed in file sharing via Ethernet cables. Otherwise I have no idea what I would have done. My 1GB flash drive would only have helped so much with those giant files.

Anyway I wanted to be way productive and instead nothing went my way. Maybe tomorrow!

Who Wants Clean House?

I just spent the last hour of my life watching the fantastic crew of Style Network's Clean House tackle the most disgusting house I've ever seen in my life. This house was the "winner" of the Messiest Home in America #2 (not the second messiest home but the second time they've held the competition).

Winner #1 a few months ago was bad. There was stuff everywhere.

But this house was vomit-inducing. It wasn't just messy, it was absolutely nasty disgusting gross dirty. Click to watch footage and see for yourself

However, even with such a giant challenge, the Clean House team prevailed as usual! The end product was like a totally different house--that is, a totally different house with at least 50 bins of stuff the family wanted to keep in the attic. After a huge yard sale that netted $2500 for charity.

50 BINS! I can't even imagine. We spent Friday cleaning out bins from our storage room and I think we now have about 10. And even those could probably be consolidated if we could have a yard sale. Good lord. Thank goodness for Clean House! I love this show!*

*Even if I do really, really miss Linda Koopersmith

Quickie Review: WALL-E

Warning: If you want to read a really good review, head over to Gretch-a-Sketch and read hers. I liked it a lot. If you're okay with mediocre, proceed...

I loved this WALL-E! How can I love a movie where there was no real dialogue (other than [adorable!] bzzzzing and bleeping) until nearly halfway through the show? How can I love little animated robots and find them totally endearing and cheer for their love story? How can I hear laughter from the kids behind me yet receive quite a number of political messages all in the same show?

It's the magic of Pixar, I tell you. This is a movie that kids and adults can both enjoy and really benefit from--it makes you think for sure! Messages sent: 1) Protect the environment--wow. 2) Don't let technology get out of control or the robots will take over! 3) Maintain real personal communication [not fake, virtual communication] and 4) Get active and get out of the recliner!

That's a lot from a little Disney show. I really enjoyed it and everyone needs to see it to understand all the very important messages it sends. *****

Happy 4th!

"To live in a country where you can take an ugly old mountain and put faces on it--faces of great Americans who did so much to make our country super great--well, that makes me proud to be an American." - Drop Dead Gorgeous

Happy Fourth of July!

Won't Be Bitten Again

According to MarketWatch.com, cheap but chic clothing supplier Steve and Barry's is facing bankruptcy.
This is terrible news! I love Sarah Jessica Parker's Bitten clothing line. They had the cutest stuff for so cheap. Especially work clothes! They may not have been the highest quality but they lasted a season at least. Sad!

However, this does explain why they haven't really had any new clothes in the Bitten line in several months.

Just a few months back there was a big story in the NY Times about the success of Steve and Barry's. Must have been the kiss of death!

Friends: The Movie?

British newsource Daily Mail is reporting that Jennifer Aniston is all on board for a Friends movie thanks to the success of the Sex and the City movie.

Friends: The Movie? For real?


Now, I am, as you may or may not know, a HUGE Friends fan. I have all 10 seasons on DVD and have the vast majority of the episodes completely memorized (if not all of them). I cried when this show ended.

But a movie? From a sit-com? Where would they go? The show took place in very few locations--it was no Sex and the City, traveling all over New York City. I guess it worked when they all went to London and actually went out in the city, but it would be very different than the show.

That said, I would totally see a Friends movie.

Things that would have to be in the movie:
- Marcel
- The chick and the duck
- Gunther and Central Perk
- Janice and "Oh My Goooood"
- Another foosball table perhaps?
- Unagi
- Emma with a real personality! How fun!
- Emma singing "baby got back"
- Paul Rudd!!! YES!
- and so much more.

Would you see a Friends movie? If so, what would you want to see in it?

Fewer Lattes in the World

Starbucks announced it will close 600 of its stores, eliminating 12,000 jobs across the country. The stores they are closing are what they label as "underperformers"--almost 70% of those stores are less than three years old.

I watched The Big Idea on MSNBC last night and they had the Starbucks CEO on who was, unsurprisingly, totally positive about this move. He was also fairly creepy about the Starbucks "experice" and used the word ubiquitous way, way too many times.

Let's hope the two Starbucks by me don't close--they are both fairly new!

AD Movie In the Works! FOR REAL!

Jason Bateman has been shooting off his mouth for quite a while getting everyone (ridiculously) excited about the real possibility of an Arrested Development movie.

Now Jeffrey Tambor (i.e. George Bluth himself) has confirmed reports that the movie is really and truly on! Get Franklin and Buster's hook ready! Read the details here at EW.com

UPDATE:
Even though Tambor said it was true, the movie has not been officially greenlit--they are still looking for money. Always-funny Bateman blamed Michael Cera's superstar salary and attitude for it. :) Hint, movie execs: There's Always Money in the Banana Stand.

HR Hooray

Over at comingsoon.net, they're reporting that Amy Ryan is returning to The Office next season!

According to Variety:
"The Wire" star Amy Ryan has joined "The Office" for multiple episodes next season, reports Variety.

Ryan is set to appear in at least five episodes in the fall, reprising her role as human resources rep Holly Flax.

How exciting! I loved her as Toby's HR replacement and Michael's possible love interest in last season's finale. That was such a great episode and I'm glad to see she wasn't just a temporary fixture in the office.

Indiana Jones and the Aliens

Okay if you haven't seen the new Indiana Jones movie, stop reading right now cause I'm going to give away the ending big time.

I went with my mom, sister and uncle to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull today to liven up the trip to Minnesota (not exactly thrilling so far...). I haven't really ever watched the Indiana Jones movies before (gasp! crazy I know) but my uncle was dying to see it so I figured why not?

The movie started off a bit slow but then got gooooood. The action scenes were fun, there was no false effort to make it something that it wasn't (i.e. a love story or family drama) and Harrison Ford looked good! I didn't mind the crazy impossible stunts or bizarre impossible story line.

UNTIL THE END
(this is where you stop reading if you haven't seen it and don't want me to spoil the ending)

In the end, it was a kingdom of aliens. ALIENS.

Are you kidding?

My sister told me I would hate the end and I did. I just hate when movies resolve insane plots with aliens. Of course you can make up whatever you want and blame it on aliens! I want a real answer or at least real in the realm of Indiana Jones. When did these movies become SciFi? I guess I shouldn't be surprised with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg at the helm but COME. ON. And the space ship? Terrible. Just awful.

So overall I liked the movie until the last few minutes. Just as my sister predicted. If you're okay with stupid alien endings in otherwise alien-free movies, you'll love it.

Make Out Session

Have you seen the Converse "ad" online featuring a video entitled "Kissing with Ross"???

If you haven't, click here

Ick. Does it really help sell shoes to have some guy's lips and tongue mashed up against a plexiglass wall? I don't get it.

Always the clever ones, BestWeekEver posted their own interpretation but with no shoes attached...

These guys look like they've had a little too much practice making out with themselves.

Best Thing I've Read All Week

David has been in Chicago only a month and is already a celebrity!

Read the article in the Sun-Times about his use of the awesome budget website Mint.com

I love it! Even the picture of him mid-sentence...

Quickie Review: Get Smart

Let me preface this by saying that in my opinion at least, Steve Carell can do no wrong. I love him as Michael Scott, a forty-year-old virgin, a guy who loves Lamp and now as Agent 86.

That said, Get Smart was a funny movie! I don't know why the critics have panned it as much as they have. No, it's nothing deep and meaningful but it's full of hilarious moments, good action/stunts, a twist in the plot and--funniest of all--the guy from Heroes and his techie-geek partner (Bruce and Lloyd), who apparently have their own movie coming out straight to DVD (wow?). Their fake fight with Steve Carell was priceless.

So if you're in the mood for a lot of laughs, plenty of outrageousness, some awkwardness and a whole lot of things blowing up, then you'll enjoy Get Smart. I definitely did! ****

Read MamaPop's review

Monday Night on Showtime: Take Two

Last night I gave Weeds and Secret Diary of a Call Girl another chance. After all, I love Weeds and wasn't going to give up on it after one mediocre season premiere (in which seriously? nothing happened). Secret Diary wasn't bad last week but wasn't anything great, either.


This week, the shows somewhat redeemed themselves.

Weeds had some funny parts (hello! Celia's hair and makeup in prison? Priceless!) and some things actually happened. Apart from a few bad moments (why did Nancy have to pee in her latte cup?) it was a little more like the old Weeds, especially the little cliffhanger at the end of the episode. Let's hope the season is now moving in the right direction.

PLUS: Silas's haircut? H-o-t HOT!

And as for Secret Diary, I actually enjoyed this episode. It was far less about what it seems to be obviously about and more about a real girl and her job--plus there were more than couple of very clever one-liners. I can't help but be jealous when I watch this show though... man, I wish I had a British accent!

The final verdict: much improved from last week and yes, I will continue to tune into Showtime on Monday nights for some quality summer TV.

Don't Hold Him To It...

How to Get the Arrested Development movie made, according to Will Arnett (aka the amazing GOB) and courtesy of EW.com:

Click here to watch the video

Another Quickie Book Review

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
I literally read this book in one day. I couldn't get enough of it and ended up suffering through a pretty terrible sunburn thanks to sitting in the sun for about 5 hours and reading it. But guess what? It was worth it.

I loved this book. It's the story of a man who leaves veterinary school after a personal tragedy and hops on a train... a train that ends up being a circus train and a new, crazy, mysterious, dangerous, magical chapter in this man's life begins. Gruen did a TON of research about circus trains to get every detail as authentic as possible and it shows--I was not only entertained by the love story and thrilled by the murder plot but also learned a lot about the fascinating world of a depression-era train circus.

If you haven't read this book, go get it and read it now. You'll thank me later. Just make sure you have a whole day to read it cause if you're anything like me, you won't want to put it down. *****

HBO Has Their 'Cake' and Eats It, Too!

I just posted my review of it (even though I did finish reading it about a month ago) but now know I'm not the only one who enjoyed Sloane Crossley's I Was Told There'd Be Cake (apart from, of course, the thousands of readers who put it on the Bestseller list).

HBO has purchased the rights to Crossley's Cake and are planning to create a new series based on the book. How fun is that? Another great author getting her media reward for excellent writing.

Crossley says it's more Larry David than Sex and the City so we'll see how it turns out...but you can bet I'll be tuning in for it no matter what!

Young@Heart = :-)

I totally forgot to post about the movie we saw on Wednesday!

Having seen just about everything in theaters as of then, I turned to the trusty Glenwood Arts theater to check out the indie movies. Lucky for us, Young@Heart was still playing! I saw a trailer for it a while back, but had forgotten about it (thanks, I'm sure, to a lack of mainstream distribution). However, I had read a bunch of great reviews about it so we decided to forgo the sunshine and sit in the AC while we checked it out.

And boy am I glad that we did! This movie was so heartwarming. I loved seeing these senior citizens sing their hearts out--even those who couldn't actually sing a note and/or were totally tone deaf. The documentary was set up so that you fell in love with these people almost immediately and really grew attached to them and their songs. I totally teared up when not one but two chorus members died the week before the performance. And I couldn't help but smile when they belted out the correct words in their new songs! Definitely a feel-good show and one that everyone should see.

Check out the trailer below:

Three Quickie Book Reviews

Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
Another Jen Lancaster masterpiece! I laughed out loud on several occasions and she also inspired me at the same time. It was a very real look at losing weight with plenty of hysterical anecdotes thrown in for good measure. Quintessential Jen--I can't wait for her next book... but will it be young adult fiction or another memoir? Check out Jennsylvania.com for more about the book and Jen's amazingly clever (and only a tad cynical) take on life. A total must-read. *****


The Life Before Her Eyes by Laura Kasischke
This book was overall... confusing. It switched back and forth between the present and the past but without much notice. I felt like I knew early on that the girl and the woman were the same person, but they never actually really said that was the case for sure. I read it very quickly and it was filled with intricate description but I can't say that I enjoyed it much. However, I am excited to see the movie starring Evan Rachel Wood and Uma Thurman [click here to watch the trailer] because I think that the story will be easier to follow with visual representations rather than trying to dissect the vague characters of the book. **

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
I heard about this book of essays from Jen Lancaster's blog (see Such a Pretty Fat, above) and was excited to see it on the Buy One, Get One 1/2 Off table at Border's. I was slow to get into it but once I did, I found her writing to be just the right amount of snarky, and the essays were actually very entertaining. I especially loved the essay about her name. Sometimes I found myself thinking "did this really happen to her?" but you know what? I bet it did. ****