The Glass House

Trying out a new home

2010-05-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

I am kind of giving up on this..... look for me on tumblr......

XO

Guess Who's Back?

2010-04-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

So yea, it has been almost 2 months. I promised myself this wouldn't happen. But it is super easy to break a promise to yourself. I have a number of explanations as to why I stopped for a bit, but considering there are only about 3 people that check this out regularly.... I figure no-one is really that fussed about my explanations (and by explanations, I guess I mean excuses, I just do not like the word excuses....)

First off was the Olympics. Pesky little world event on in my city. Kind of infringes on my personal blogging time...... I was blogging for work, and did put a few of them up on this blog as well. But I clearly can't be completely myself and full of snark on a work blog can I? So I stopped that. But suffice it to say, during the Games, if it wasn't Olympic related, it really wasn't on my radar. I don't really know what went on in Hollyweird during those 2 weeks. I was more interested in Hockey and curling and skating........ so sad really.

After the games I headed to the land of Kangaroos, convicts and vegemite to take care of my momma who had what is technically called a radical nephrectomy. The less terrifying version of that is a kidney removed. Yes, Cancer. Scary as F*ck if I am being honest. Already lost one parent to Cancer when I was a kid. The thought of it happening again terrifies me. But apparently with the Kidney Cancer - assuming it stays in the Kidney - no chemo, no radiation. They just cut the bugger out and send you on your way. Weird right? But unless everyone is a big liar, that is the case with my momma.

The surgery was smack dab in the middle of the Games and went well. I missed the worst of the recovery as I wasn't there until almost a month post-op (ha, I have never had reason to say or write that before...). My brothers were there before. And they didn't kill each other, which is good. I am not being glib. I was actually worried there would be a knock down drag out brawl on the suburban streets of Kingston Tasmania. Thankfully they checked themselves and hid their mutual dislike for each other from our mother.

It was a very low key trip to Australia. Watched a lot of British Procedural Drama on DVD, went through the jewellery (hate doing that), laid claim to a few things I want (or were promised to me by dead relatives), had afternoon tea with my mommas friends, ate a lot of delicious Lamb, met my niece and sister in law who live in Japan with one of my brothers (who I hadn't seen in about 7 years)........

And now I am back. Work is insane at the moment. Technology is not our friend at the moment and is making me contemplate a job at Chapters where I would hopefully not have to deal with the ineptitude of others..... but would have to deal with annoying customers so mebbe I should think of something else to do with my life. Why is there not a well paying job where I get to sit at home and not deal with people? Sigh.

Anyways... these are my explanations. And to be honest, I thought about totally abandoning this altogether. Although only a small number of people that read this, there are apparently a few people who know me in real life who check it out. Which is fine.

Hi if you are out there reading this. How's it going? What's new?

But 99.9% of these people don't know the truth of my life and I had thought this would be a place where I could be me a little more. Completely my own fault as I put this out on Facebook. I know. What am I whining about? I should just say f*ck it and not care right? Maybe.

Anyways, that is me done blathering on like a crazy (crazier) person for now. It is Easter Sunday. If you celebrate it, good for you! I am one of those very very very lapsed Catholics who is now pretty much agnostic (which is very cowardly I know, I should just pick a team and go with it). I am choosing to celebrate by going to the movies. Chloe and maybe Ghost Writer.

Have a great Sunday gentle readers.

XO

Confessions of a Music Lover's I-pod

2010-04-04T09:37:00.001-07:00

No, I did not abandon this permanently. Another post will offer the half assed explanation ;). Starting off with an old reliable that this also a favourite.....

This should be interesting as I am listening to tons of new to me tunage. Heading to the Coachella Music Festival (California) in a few weeks so lots of new peeps to listen to. All the tunes below are at the festival. Not that I hadn't heard of most of them. They just weren't on my current rotation, ya know.

Here's how you do it: I-Pod. MP3. Other listening device. Shuffle all songs. Write down first 15. Only skip if an artist is repeated. No cheating!

1. Yeasayer - Final Path
2.Grizzly Bear - Fix It
3. Mew - Apocalypse
4. Vampire Weekend - Taxi Cab
5. LCD Soundsystem - Movement
6. As Tall As Lions - Be Here Now
7. The Gossip - Got Body If You Want It
8. She & Him - Ridin' In My Car
9. David Guetta - This is Not a Love Song
10. Gorillaz - White Flag
11. The Middle East - Lonely
12. Beach House - Norway
13. Corrine Bailey Rae - Till It Happens to you
14. Miike Snow - Faker
15. MUTEMATH - Valium

Super crazy beyond stoked about Coachella. As always seems to happen, it is ending up costing double what it was originally intended to. Boo f*cking hiss to that. What was planned as a fun 9 day road trip for 4 is now a very quick 3 day trip for 2. Oh well. That is the way it goes. Still should be amazing.

Just waiting for the schedule to be released so I can start to plan the days...... There are a number of bands that I am (not) literally dying to see. Florence and the Machine, She & Him, Sleigh Bells, Phoenix, Muse, Matt & Kim, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Band of Skulls, Frightened Rabbit, The Gossip, The xx, Vampire Weekend, The Avett Brothers, Imogen Heap, Thom Yorke..... the list goes on. Gonna be epic and fantastic. If they would release the fricking schedule. I know what days people are playing, but not times or stages. Argh.

Anyone else going? Anyone I should not miss?

XX

RIP Alexander McQueen

2010-02-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

Sad news from the Fashion World this morning. Alexander McQueen passed away - he reportedly took his own life. While I am not a hardcore fashionista, I have been known to pass judgement on some of his red carpet looks. Below are some of his most memorable looks (for me, I am sure far more clever people than I will have a differing opinion)

Love --> but would love a lot nore if it was slipless.

Controversial --> Yes. But Love anyway

McQueen on the left with SJP at the MET's Costume Institute Gala --> Um yea.

Gwyneth Paltrow's breasts --> hated it.

I think this Twitpic courtesy of Sam Sparro says it all.

Opening Ceremony Secrets.... Not Likely!!!

2010-02-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

Last night I was very very lucky to be able to attend a Dress Rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony of the Games. While I will not spill any of the secrets regarding the show itself….. Let me just say…. Wowsers! This was a “full” dress rehearsal. All the musical acts were in attendance, the parade of athletes was conducted (with stand-ins) & even the speeches were simulated for timing purposes.

I was super impressed with the entire show. From start to finish I think they did a phenomenal job. The music was fantastic (one act in particular had me smacking my friend on the arm at the amazingness, tearing up and screaming like a crazy person all at the same time). The dancing was equally impressive. At times, the acrobatics were jaw dropping.

Being in an enclosed venue such as BC Place creates some unique challenges as the Opening Ceremony at the Olympic Games traditionally involves a massive spectacle of Fireworks and “things” shooting into the sky. Honestly though, I didn’t feel short changed about any of it.
Watching parts of it on the screens inside the venue - trust me when I say the whole event will look spectacular on screen. Particularly if you are able to watch it in High Definition! The colours, the movement, all of it –fantastic.

Now onto the all important questions about getting in and out of the venue. Getting in was a breeze – they had express lanes for those without bags which was very handy. On the way out, patience will be your friend. Thankfully VANOC had people stationed with megaphones directing the crowds. One final side note: All the staff/volunteers/security: AMAZING.

I suspect that the organisers have a few more surprises up their sleeves and I will most definitely be glued to my seat tomorrow night. I can’t wait to see the whole thing “again”

PS: No cameras allowed in for obvious reasons.... hence the not so visual photos ;) I did sneak a few from my phone, but in the interests of not spoiling the surprise I am not posting them until after the ceremony! I have some morals. Well, I have at least one :)

2010 Photo Ops

2010-02-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hello reader(s): just a heads up that over the next few weeks the posts in this wee blog will have a decidedly Vancouver Winter Olympics Focus. the reason for this is that I am writing full time for another blog during the Games and may not have time to update both. Also, as the other blog is a little more professional than this one, there will probably be a lot less cursing! I will try and post other things as well... but don't hold your breath! XO

Vancouver has always been a picturesque city. That much I know. Add to that the Olympic Games and this city has become a photographers dream. But will there be key spots where everyone wants their photo taken? Along with the Massive Canadian Flag on the Corner of Hornby and Howe streets, I suspect that this shot will be another favourite among those flocking to Vancouver. How could it not be? A conveniently erected Inukshuk, the banks of False Creek and Russian Sochi 2014 House in the background. A perfectly perfect photo opportunity. Do you think mebbe a Russian snuck out and put this up? Mayhaps......

Another popular photo op will likely be the entire 700 block of Granville Street - between Georgia and Robson Streets . This is bound to be one of the busiest pedestrian corridor during the Games and is home to a ton of interesting and different works of art. I love the Lantern Forest that is part of LunarFest: Soul, Art, Life (part of the Cultural Olympiad) - made up of thousands of submissions from children from both Tawain and Canada, this beautiful display is sure to be a hit. The lanterns represent each child's commitment to a greener earth, while also representing their cultural heritage.

I have also witnessed countless people contorting their bodies to fit into these stylized images of the some of the Winter Olympic Sports. These definitely have a very retro feel to them. There is nothing like seeing grown adults laughing hysterically while trying to assume the shape of a snowboarder. Love it.

This is just the smallest of tastes of some of the places and images that I suspect will be extremely popular for camera buff's during the Games. Where else do you think visitors should be heading to capture that quintessential Vancouver image during the Games?

Happy 9.02.10 Day

2010-02-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

Today, take a moment to remember the original Beverly Hills 90210. It will be many a long year until the dates align again! Or October if you go with the whole day-month-year system. I can never remember which way it goes.

Season 3 was my favourite of 90210. Primarily because Brenda's hair was it it's most awesome - I actually took a picture of her into a punk themed salon to show the super hawt stylist how I wanted my hair - 2 years ago. He mocked me the entire time I was there. Sigh.

Brenda and Dylan 4 eva!

PS: who woulda thunk that dorky David Silver would not only impregnate the stunning Vanessa Marcell (from General Hospital, Vegas), but that he would currently be shacking up with Megan Fox? Not me.

Satyana's not playing along.....

2010-02-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

I feel totally skeevy posting candid shots of celebrities and their kids while they are trying to live their lives. I know that photogs and paparazzi come with the territory, but when there are kids involved it is different. The complete and total adorableness of these shots overruled my sense of decency. That and the fact that I am pretty sure these were taken from a long lens as opposed to the pap frenzy that surrounds some celebrities.

These shots of the Denisof family were taken on 2 separate days, but on both occasions the adorable munchkin that is Satyana Denisof seems to love popping her head up to see what is going on. I am sure that the reason Aly and Alexis have her in a stroller like this is to avoid too many photos of her being taken. But Satyana doesn't seem to be on board with the whole protecting her adorable mug from the masses.

This is one family that seems genuinely happy and not yet completely screwed up by Hollyweird living. I really really hope it stays that way.

XO

2010 Scandal #1?

2010-02-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

For me, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games coming to my city is not so much about the sports. I have no tickets to any actual events - so if you have any Gold Medal Hockey tickets you would like to donate to me... that would be awesome. Ha! That is not quite true. I am going to the Dress Rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday. Which is pretty cool. And no, I will not be sneaking in a camera or spilling any secrets, so don't ask :)

I know it sounds trite and cliched and tacky, but this is honestly a once in a life time opportunity. In spite of all the other crap going on in my life.... this is it. In just over 2 weeks, this will be over. And how much would it suck to let it pass me by? I live so close to all the action, I would be a fool to sit at home and bitch and moan about a few disruptions to my life.

And my fellow Australians are definitely embracing the mantra of once in a lifetime opportunity. I am sure you have all seen this big ass boxing kangaroo flag that they hung in the Aussie quarters at the Athletes Village. It has made headlines around the world as one of the first bona fide scandals of these Games. They are not the only country to have flags hanging. They are not the only country to have massive flags hanging. The IOC (not Canada, Vancouver or VANOC) kinda sorta wanted it taken down. Something to do with it being a trademarked product and not an actual country flag. The whole thing was blown totally way out of proportion but praise Jeebus the IOC "backed down" and the Aussies can keep their Boxing Kangaroo flying high. Hello Mountain....meet the Molehill. People were freaking over nothing.

To that I say.... Aussie Aussie Aussie Oy Oy Oy!!!

Confessions of a Music Lovers Ipod

2010-02-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

Lazy post to start the day (although if I am being honest, it is more like late afternoon here in Vancity).....

Easy game for everyone!! Shuffle all your I-Pod or MP3. No cheating. Only skip if there is a duplicate artist. The goal is to have 15 different artists in the list below. This is a safe place. There is no judgement of the unmitigated cr*p that is hiding on you I-Pod.

1. Blindness - Metric
2. Cold Shoulder - Adele
3. Can't Take that Away - Paddy Casey
4. Breathe - Alexi Murdoch
5. Say it Ain't So - MoZella
6. Apparitions - Matthew Good Band
7. My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson
8. Like A Prayer - Madonna (Hope for Haiti version)
9. Souled Out - Conor Oberst
10. Lump Sum - Bon Iver
11. Loving You - Paolo Nutini
12. Fans - Kings of Leon
13. Cold Hands Warm Heart - Brendan Benson
14. The Professor - Damien Rice
15. Secret - Missy Higgins

Nothing I am ashamed of. I love Kelly Clarkson. She is awesome.

Settle the f*ck down Twihards

2010-01-30T20:31:00.000-08:00

I find this story equal parts annoying and amusing. Normally I would call bullsh*t on a story like this, but it comes from Deadline Hollywood - a source that is generally pretty spot on. Nikki Finke - love her or hate her - normally gets her stuff right.

According to a report on her site, fans of Kristen Stewart have been bombarding potential buyers of Welcome To The Rileys, pleading with them to purchase the rights to release the film. In an effort to ensure that they are able to see Kristen on screen as a teenage stripper, apparently these fans have gotten a hold of said executives emails and are using twitter, text and email to beg for a distribution deal for this movie. No word yet on whether their efforts have been successful.

Holy mother of crazy. Assuming this is true, and I am going with it being true simply because it is hysterical and disturbing, What the f*ck?? Badgering movie executives to buy a movie because you are a fan of one of the actors in it is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. But I am not surprised. These are the same fans that have been known to write petitions because they don't like the proposed director of Eclipse. The same fans that wrote and delivered a letter to Summit when the very small role of Victoria was recast. Fans that will inundate message boards to defend Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and the Twilight series if someone deigns to say something even remotely disparaging. Some of them are just a little crazy.

Now, don't mistake me. I am a fan of Kristen Stewart. Look back through previous posts. I think she is a little bit of awesome and have even been known to write a few comments on message boards in defensive of the Stew. I really want to see Welcome to the Rileys. I read the script and think it has potential. What I take issue with is the fact that although the intentions are from a good place, treating the makers, cast and crew of this movie with such disrespect irritates me. WTF were they thinking? That this would make the buyers want to purchase the film? They are turning what is a complicated high level decision into the equivalent of a high school petition to get a new brand of pop in the cafeteria.

XO

First Song from Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland.

2010-01-30T11:57:00.000-08:00

One of my dirty little secrets is a fondness for the music of Avril Lavigne. I know. I am deeply ashamed of this. But musically, she is a'right with me. As a person, I find her pretty much irritating as hell. She is in her mid 20's and still dresses like the punk poser she was as a teenager. And acts like she is five. But whatever, she is not the first singer I have listened too that I wouldn't want to associate with in real life. She is just the one I am probably most ashamed to admit to liking....

Avril Lavigne is contributing to the soundtrack for Tim Burton's ridiculously anticipated Alice in Wonderland. In fact, she is not only contributing to the soundtrack, she has the lead track on said soundtrack. The song "Alice" will be released along with the Soundtrack on March 4th. Other contributors include Franz Ferdinand and All American Rejects.

Thoughts? Obviously this is not the video for the song. It is not bad. It is not great - Avril often yells a little when singing. I am pretty sure it will grow on me....

What do you think? Did Tim Burton completely miss the mark having Avril Lavigne contribute the lead single off this soundtrack? Is he hurting the film? Or to answer a bigger question.... do Soundtrack's even matter anymore? I can't recall the last time a song from a movie has been so huge that everytime you hear it your mind automatically goes to the film??

For me, I gotta say the Aerosmith song from Armaggedon. That was huge. Oh, and I am also sorry for admitting that I liked that song and that movie :( Sh*t, I am totally blowing any musical credibility I ever had with you aren't I? Heh!

XO

Sundance Portraits Make Me Smile and/or Quiver

2010-01-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

At the start of this years Sundance Film Festival founder Robert Redford pronounced that this year would see a return to it's roots and that it would again enable unknown filmmakers to find an audience. That declaration remains to be seen and will be debated by much cleverer people than me in the weeks and months to come. I am pretty much here to post pictures of people I like and ridicule posted images of those I don't like. This specific post is more on the love side....

Let's begin with 2 of my absolute fave indie queens. On the left we have the amazing Catherine Keener - a staple at film festivals. One of the most respected working actors around, she never seems allows herself to be sucked in by the Hollyweird bullsh*t. She is with Oliver Platt - her costar in the upcoming film Cyrus. On the right is one hi-larious lady - Parker Posey. She has been in a ton of films, I especially loved her the Christopher Guest movies - Best In Show, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind. She was also too funny in Scream 3....do not judge my love of the Scream Trilogy. I will fight you on this. Parker was not promoting anything at Sundance this year - she was one of the judges.

Next up is my girl crush Kristen Stewart who is the indisputable Princess of the festival with 2 films showing. The top right picture is with her director Jake Scott and co-star Melissa Leo from Welcome to the Riley's. The other pictures, of course, are with her costar Dakota Fanning as well the totally bad ass Joan Jet and Cherie Currie who Kristen and Dakota are playing in The Runaways. I have already written a ton of stuff about both these films, so won't say anthing further.

I have already posted candid pictures of my new favourite imaginary couple Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. I love these pictures, although they do make me rather distracted. And I have already had to wipe the drool off of my keyboard once this week... I don;t want to do it again. Their film Blue Valentine is getting good reviews and looks like it will get picked up. Yay!

Cute boys in flannel, dirty jeans and boots are always a good thing in my mind..... Oh James Franco, another many who makes me quiver in my nether regions. Howl was one of the first films screened at the Festival this year and seems to have gotten decent (but not fantastic) reviews. It has a great cast (including the dreamy Jon Hamm, Bob Balaban, Mary Louise Parker & David Strathairn) and a very interesting premise. On the right is the Orlando Bloom - who still makes me quiver - and Juliette Lewis who are costarring in Mark Rufallo's film Sympathy for Delicious about a newly paralysed DJ who seeks out a world of faith healing. Hmmm. Interesting!!

Sarah Polley is the Queen of Canada's indy film scene and an Oscar nominee. She is pictures here with her director for the thriller Splice. No specific reason why she is included in this set of pics. I just admire her a lot. Such a young and talented young lady! I adore Naomi Watts. Ever since Brides of Christ and Hey Dad! - which unless you are an Aussie you will have no idea what I am talking about. She is very very very talented. Her movie Mother and Child looks very interesting. Watts plays the daughter of Anette Benning who was given up for adoption by Benning when she was born. It also costars Kerry Washington, Samuel L Jackson, David Morse and Jimmy Smitts. The few reviews I have read are all positive, which is a good! I also just saw on IMDb that Watts is signed on for a remake of The Birds - inspired casting if you ask me!

Last up is a group of Aussie actors who were in town for their crime drama film Animal Kingdom. Guy Pearce is probably the best known of the cast, but was not in Sundance sadly. But Ben Mendelsohn was. I heart him. Very well known and respected in my home and native Australia. Not so much elsewhere. He has had a number of smallish roles in some films, but nothing substantial. He did costar in one of my favourite movies from Australia - The Year My Voice Broke - such a good movie!!! The chick - Jackie Weaver - at the front is best known to me for being married to a very well known personality in Australia (Bert Newton). But she has also done a ton of TV and Film work in Oz. She was actually the one I initially recognised in this picture for some bizarre reason!

All of these shots are from the EW Photo Studio - an annual tradition at Sundance. I am such a fan of these shots and the photographer - Ture Lillegraven. Sundance wraps up over the weekend and then the focus will be on Tuesday's Oscar nominations. I am finally going to see Crazy Heart over the weekend. I may actually write a quick review - it has been a while!

Denise Richards hit the Mother Load

2010-01-26T17:33:00.001-08:00

Remember when Charlie Sheen was arrested on Christmas Day for allegedly threatening his wife of 20 months? Yea that was pretty bad. And remember at the tail end of that post I mused to the interwebs how long it would take for Denise Richards to run to the tabloids and spill her guts to the world about her relationship with Charlie? I am honestly surprised it took her this long. I know that within days of the arrest she was conveniently spot ed out and about at the park with her daughters. I won't go so far as to accuse her of calling the pap's to come and take some candid shots of her and her girls. I will just say again that it was very convenient.

Now, Denise could have called Star Magazine or In Touch or even the more reputable People. But no, Denise Richards went straight to the top and parked her smug ass on the hallowed couch of the mighty mighty Oprah. Ugh. Am I the only one who finds this woman completely unsympathetic? It can't just be me. I also find myself feeling guilty about how much I truly dislike her. I know she was married to an asshole, I suspect that their relationship was even more abusive than she said on Oprah today. But in spite of it all - she drives me up the wall. In spite of the fact that as a woman I should be on "Team Denise", I can't bring myself to like her even the tiniest bit.

I have given this a bit of thought. I feel like I should be completely supportive of Denise and marvel at her ability to rise above her abusive marriage and even praise her strength at coming forward and sharing her story for other women out there. I should, right? As a woman, f*ck - as a human being. And please, do not mistake me. I in no way shape or form condone Charlie Sheen's behaviour. He is seriously f*cked up. He has issues far beyond this insignificant blog. What I am taking issue with is Denise Richards capitalising on this situation. It is the timing that makes me nauseous. The father of her children, who she claims to be in a "great" place with is arrested for domestic violence. And in one measly month she is talking about it with Oprah? How is that being a good mother? How is rehashing the most damaging parts of your life benefiting anyone? It doesn't. The only person gaining anything from this whole depressing situation is Denise Richards.

Yo Denise: those same kids at your daughter's school that you talked about with the mighty mighty Oprah? The ones that spilled the beans to your eldest about Charlie being in jail over Christmas? Do you think they or someone else is not gonna hear about this and feel the need to tell your young daughters about what an abusive sh*t their father is? So Denise. Talk all you want. Say what you gotta say. Get it all off your (fake) chest. But perhaps it would be prudent to wait until your girls are old enough to understand the details of your relationship with their father.

XO

Where's Dawson?

2010-01-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I spent much of my Sunday catching up on Season 5 of Dawson's Creek. Primarily because I have always had a crush on Joshua Jackson and was reminded of this after watching him cheer on his love when the cast of Inglorious Basterds won best Ensemble. Watching Pacey Whitter be Pacey Whitter got me thinking about the rest of the crew from that show. We all know that Katie Holmes is busy being brainwashed by Tom Cruise and raising the most adorable robot baby ever. Michelle Williams has an extremely successful screen career on the go, an Oscar nomination (for Brokeback Mountain), and a toddler to raise on her own. But Dawson? Where the f*ck is Dawson? He was ostensibly the star of the show - it was named after his character after all. Dawson was played by James van der Beek? Where in the world is James van der Beek? If you have seen him, let me know. You know I once wondered on the Twitter where Frankie Muniz (Malcom in the Middle) was, and I actually found out. He is in Arizona or Texas or somewhere hot. Racing cars and still being really really short.

On a happier and much more panty-dropping note, here is the ah-mazingly hawt and phenomenally talented Ryan Gosling at the Sundance premier of his movie with Michelle Williams. The movie is called Blue Valentine and it spans the rise and fall of a marriage by cross cutting across time periods. It looks kind of like a downer. But I will still see it. How could I not. Amazing and talented actors. And besides, nothing could be as bleak of The Road? Seriously, did you see that movie? Most depressing and bleak movie I have seen in a good long while. I hope that Blue Valentine opens in Vancity. Talent like this needs to be seen on a big screen.

Look at him. Look at her. Look at them. Why have I not thought of this before? This not a coupling I have ever considered. Primarily as I have always secretly hoped against hope that he would get back together with Rachel McAdams. They were the perfect Canadian couple. The were low key when they were together. They are low key while they are apart. And it may still happen. One day. Until then, I would be completely satisfied with a Gosling-Williams pairing. I give them my blessing.

And on a unrelated but even more important note... holy f*ck Mr Gosling. Why do you do this to us? Any picture of you sends my hormones and libido into overdrive. And then you had to go and do this. It's okay girls, I'll give you a minute. No, don't apologise. Go ahead, wipe the drool off the keyboard. Go on, I won't judge you. I am right there with you.

And the one of him with costar Faith Wladyka. Please. Even my cold black heart is melting. I think I may have even felt my ovaries skip a beat. And as anyone who knows me in real life or is a regular reader of this blog is very well aware ---> my womb is permanently closed for business. Oh Ryan Gosling, why you gotta give my momma a wee glimmer of hope that her baby may some day have a baby. Yikes!

Kristen Stewart - The Princess of Sundance?

2010-01-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

I find it a little odd to think that a 19 year old girl will likely be the most photographed and talked about star at this year's Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah. There are Academy award winners, fame whores, Industry heavy hitters galore. But all the photogs, all the reporters... they are all hoping for one thing. Kristen Stewart. Granted, Kristen is in 2 films at Sundance this year. But it is not like that has ever happened before. What is bizarre to me is that from the second she landed by private jet on Friday until she leaves, all eyes will be on her. And considering that Kristen Stewart is as fond of attention as women are of Brazilian's, I am sure this experience will be interesting!

Welcome the the Riley's is in competition at Sundance. This is the much anticipated K-Stew as a stripper role that was filmed before, during and after the press junket for Twilight back in late 2008. Lurking on some of the boards apparently there are a large number of fans who simply want to see their K-Stew naked. Sorry to disappoint all you skeevy pervs, but from what I have read, it isn't gonna happen. The film premiered yesterday and Kristen and co-star Melissa Leo were on hand to promote promote promote. I have not seen any inkling of James Gandolfini in Park City, so I am assuming that he has opted out of the press duties for this one

The reviews have been mixed. While most have consistently praised the performances, a number of reviewers have found the story to be cliched and lacking in originality. There has also been quite a bit of criticism heaped on Jake Scott's directorial efforts. I have read the script. And I agree that the story of a little girl lost who is saved by a couple who in turn are saved by the little girl lost is a little cliched. But, I am looking forward to seeing Kristen as something other than Bella Swan and for her to show to the world that she is capable of so much more than Twilight. One teeny beef I have with the reviews I have heard is that they are saying that Kristen is trying to "break free" from Bella Swan. Ummm.... no. She made this movie when Twilight was on the cusp of becoming the worldwide crazy insane phenomenon that it is now. I am pretty sure that Welcome to The Riley's does not have a distributor yet. So I don't know when we will get to see it.

Kristen's other movie at Sundance has distribution (yay!) and will be released in North America in March. It is also not part of the competition for Sundance. This is The Runaways - the Rock biopic about the Joan Jett, Cherie Currie band - The Runaways. This film is also very "buzzy" as it features fishnets, drugs, same-sex kissing, booze, rock and roll.... all those fun things that make a film buzz-worthy. Especially when they involve a kiss between Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.

Although this was touted as a K-Stew film - early reports say that the standout in this is most definitely 15 year old Dakota Fanning. Dakota and Michael Shannon as sleazy manager Kim Fowley are apparently the stand outs in this movie. And before you lynch me, I am not saying that Kristen sucks in any way shape or form. Or that reviewers are saying she sucks. What reviewers are saying is that this is such a departure for Dakota - who has been America's sweetheart for how may years now? - that she becomes so immersed in her role that she is barely recognisable in parts. Even looking at these pictures, she is so grown up! And so pretty! Can't wait to see her strung out, in a fishnet stockings behaving in a decidedly non-Dakota way.

But really, I am sad to say that much of the focus on Kristen at Sundance will not be about the work that she has poured her heart and soul into. I think that most of the bloggers and detractors will be focusing on the number of times that Kristen smiles during interviews, how she doesn't look as polished as the Disney starlets she is constantly compared to, how she doesn't answer interviewers questions with that perfect sound byte. You know, the really important stuff. Gah. To dispel at least one of these things: I have purposefully included as many pics of Kristen looking at least half-way happy. Some are from The Runaways shoot and for those of you not as obsessed as I am: the top left photo is with director Floria Sigismondi

I wonder if Phillip Seymour Hoffman is ever talked about for his Sundance ensembles? Prolly not.

SAG Awards = Golden Globes

2010-01-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

The 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out in Hollyweird last night. If you missed it, don't worry yourself. Simply rewatch the Golden Globe Awards and you pretty much have the same awards show. Different outfits, different seating configurations, but everything else was pretty much the same. Yawn. I am getting worried that the Oscars will be a three-peat and I will be bored silly. Ugh. That is not to say the winners did not please me. Some were very well deserved (Mad Men, Glee!, Michael C Hall, Alec Baldwin, Jeff Bridges etc), but some were disheartening. It is as if the member of SAG are recognising and rewarding a body of work as opposed to an actual performance. And some pretty much just pissed me off (see my earlier post regarding Drew Barrymore). For a full list of winners click here.

Starting off with the TV winners, I am perfectly happy with both Glee and Mad Men winning for best comedy and drama ensemble respectively. What I really about the SAG awards is that even the "bit" characters get recognised. Each show typically has a handful of stars, but they all get a statuette and all get to soak it in. Some of the best lines from Glee have come from the blonde cheerleader who is not Quinn. The one in the yellow in the top left picture below. Sorry, haven't learnt her name yet. Soon I will. As for their outfits..... Loved loved loved Diana Aragon in that white number. A little edgier and way less prom like than her previous offerings. Her hair, make-up. All of it. Love. People will be all over Lea Michele's teal number. She will be on best dressed lists. But for me, kinda meh. Not bad, but not great. These are young, hot girls. Hot in the sense that designers are clamouring to dress them. I just wish they would take some risks and veer away from what middle America is comfortable with. And Jane Lynch. Well the woman is a glamazon. She is spectacular.

I cannot say enough good things about Michael C Hall winning Best Actor for Dexter. Love him and love that he is finally getting some recognition for his work on this show. This season, trying to juggle being a husband, father, serial killer and blood spatter analyst. All while playing the most amazing game of cat and mouse ever with John Lithgow's Trinity Killer. Gah. Amazing. And for all the cynics out there, I am fairly certain that voting closed before the announcement of his battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. And although they did not win any awards, it is nice to see Anna Paquin and her fiance with the crappy hair - Stephen Moyer - out looking good. Love Anna's outfit - everything is good. Even the shoes (unlike last week) were acceptable. And Jon Hamm... well, because he can wear a beard better than most. Sigh.

I know I am not alone in saying that it would be amazing to see Meryl and Tina Fey in something together. A guest role on 30 Rock perhaps? Oh the amazingness. The amazingness know no bounds. If that were to happen, I think there would be peeing involved. Me peeing, not them. Peeing myself with the utter excitement and joy at this collaboration. You know you want it. And I wonder if that is how it is done. Tina and Meryl chat at an awards show and...bam..... 30 Rock. The women of Nine made an impressive showing last night. I am undecided about Nicole Kidman's dress, but I loved her hair. The loose, perfectly unstyled curls = fantastic. And I think it is darker, right? She has a great film coming out soon - Rabbit Hole. Well, I don't actually know if the film is great, but I saw the play and it gutted me. So f*cking devastating. I hope the movie is good. And apparently white is the new Little Black Dress. Marion Colltiard looked flawless no?

For the first and probably last time, Kate Hudson is getting 3 pictures in a post on my wee blog. She looked flipping amazing. White Pucci gown, fantastic hair, make-up, styling. This look was popular last night, but no-one did it as well as Kate. High neckline, backless. Amazingness. And in white. No words. I threw in a pic of JT and her because I had a thought. Have they ever dated? That would be a fun couple right? But do you think she is a little too Cammie D. for him? Hmph.

I am spending this Sunday holed up in my apartment watching Season 5 of Dawson's Creek. Not for Dawson. Never for Dawson. It is all about Pacey. Has always been and will always be about Pacey. Joshua Jackson is so good in this role. and I like to think that is how he is in real life to a certain extent. Check him out last night supporting his girlfriend (fiance?) Diane Krueger who won for best ensemble as one of the Inglorious Basterds. I read somewhere that she does her own make up for Award Shows. I kinda hate her as a result of that. Not really. I do absolutely love the dress. The colour is bold and unusual, but she can pull it off. Loved it. Love them. Remember when I saw him at the Skytrain station? If I am ever having a bad day, I think of that and it makes it just a little less crappy to be me....

I am christening these lovely ladies the "maybe next time trio." Although all three of them gave amazing performances this year in An Education, Up in The Air and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire respectively. And this Award Season all three have been completely overshadowed by other performances. It is kind of sad really. Anna Kendrick was phenomenal in Up in The Air and Carey Mulligan in An Education was revelatory, as was Gabourey Sidibe in Precious. Damn you Mo'Nique! Damn you Sandra Bullock. As to how they looked....cause that is really what this is all about right? Carey looked fantastic, Anna looked good, and Gaby looked great. Carey is in my top five for the night. Most definitely. I can't wait to see what she will wear to the Oscars. She is not afraid to take a risk.

The best part of Sandra Bullock last night was her speech for Betty White. And the best part of that speech was Betty White coming up on stage and groping Sandy. Actually, the best part was Betty talking about all the men in the room she has f*cked. Followed closely by George Clooney calling Betty a bobcat in the sack at the end of the night. Love George. Always love George.

I know I am going to burn in Hell even harder for saying that Sandra Bullock winning again irritated the heck out of me. Don't hate me. I like Sandy. She is perfectly sweet and actually kinda funny. She is a competent actress. For that role? Against that competition? Srsly? What the? No no no! And she is probably going to win the Oscar. Ugh. I thought these awards were about one role, not recognising a body of work. This is what they are doing with Sandy, much like they did with Julia Roberts in Erin Brokovitch. And it sucks for those who are nominated against her? How can they compete with the Sandra Bullock machine? They can't. And this, my friends, is why these award shows are bullsh*t.

Sigh. This will not stop me from watching though. And even yelling at the TV a few times. It makes me happy.

What Were You Thinking Drew?

2010-01-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

I will likely do a full wrap up of the tonight's Screen Actor Guild Awards tomorrow, but this could not wait. What in the name of all that is sacred is up with Drew Barrymore? Nothing in the styling of this look is okay. I am actually okay with the dress. The colour looks good and the cut fits her well. Although it does look a little heavy, as if it may fall down at the slightest movement. The problem with this whole look is the make-up and the hair. The make up is atrocious. If you can pull it off, I am all for a pale lip - but not when it makes you look like you do not have any lips. And as Drew is someone who can afford to get her eyebrows groomed to perfection, I am also going to call her out on that. Uneven and has she never heard of a brush to clear away the strays? Geez. And speaking of brushes......I think she let a 12 year old do her hair. It looks like ass. There really aren't any words for it. F*ck me. You are coming off one of the best years of your life professionally and this is how you chose to leave the house for a major Award Ceremony - for which you are nominated. Sigh.

And of course she won..... Of course she stumbled up on stage working the ditzy, cutesy I am so sweet act for all she could. I am not saying that she is not sweet. In real life, outside of all the Hollyweird bulls*it, she is prolly a really nice girl. But the way she is in public - all smiley and "aw shucks".... it drives me up the f*cking wall and makes me dislike her. And I don't want to dislike Drew. She is Gertie from ET for f*cks sake. But her continued annoying and grating performances at Awards Ceremonies is not making this easy for me.

XO

The return of Joaquin Phoenix

2010-01-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

Do y'all recall when Joaquin Phoenix had what appeared to be a very public meltdown on Letterman? At the time I was *this* close to calling bullsh*t on the whole thing. I expected him to reemerge in a few months, promoting the crap out of something. But no, he has been pretty much in hiding since the start of last year.

For some strange reason, Joaquin Phoenix chose to make his return to the public arena with Miley F*cking Cyrus. Trying to get people to vote for something to do with a Suicide Prevention website. I don't know. I stopped paying attention when Miley jumped onto the screen. She really is one of the most conceited individuals on the planet isn't she? I am all for self confidence, but come on. Ugh. She just bugs me more than words can say. The only redeeming thing in this entire video is the reunion of Joaquin and Liv Tyler. Apparently they were very very hot and heavy back in the day. It did not end well. They seem to be doing okay being in the same room. Maybe they could bond even further by getting rid of Miley.... They say that nothing brings a couple together like offing a teenage superstar.

To rid your mind of thoughts of the image of Ms Miley, check out these punk kids totally and completely rocking out to Party in the USA. I am sorry that you have to suffer through the song to get the full effect. I highly recommend only watching it once. That f*cking song gets stuck in your head.... trust me. I am sure every person in this clip is now in hiding. Any street cred they may have had is completely gone now that the world has seen them dancing and singing to Miley Cyrus. Ha!

PS: apparently Joaquin Phoenix has been working on his music in the time he has been away. Someone I can't be bothered to google said it is Ah-mazing. Too good to even be released. Cause Joaquin can't handle to inevitable fame and money and award shows and concerts that would result from said an-mazingness. Please.

This Explains So Much....

2010-01-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

Taylor Momsen has been copping a lot of flack this week from pretty much anyone who can read. The 16 year old Gossip Girl actress and aspiring singer was asked earlier this week by Ok Magazine if she planned on doing anything to assist the relief efforts in Haiti and girlfriend was quoted as saying " "Um, right now I'm trying to just finish my record and getting through the last season of Gossip Girl for right now. So not so much thinking about that." Oh this is the future of the world people! So full of care for the hundred's of thousands of dead and displaced individuals. Yay to teenagers!

Momsen immediately received a lot of backlash for this insensitive, inane and downright stupid comment. She then tried to cover her arse by tweeting the above. Sigh. Any of the good in that sentiment was completely negated by the grammatical errors and calling people "stupid". Sigh again. Oh to be 16 and completely ignorant of what is going on in the world. Not only completely ignorant, but also so self absorbed in your own life to even care!

This is Taylor walking the streets of New York last week. No, not that kind of Walking the Streets... but looking at this photo, I would not be surprised if you had jumped to that conclusion. The photo on the right however, may assist in explaining why Taylor Momsen is coming across as a self centred, narcissistic brat who has no thought for the suffering of others. That is her mother. I am confident in stating that their dinner conversation does not involve world issues. In fact, I am fairly certain that Momma-Momsen has not cooked a meal since her daughter/meal ticket got her gig on Gossip Girl.

I am not the only one seeing shades of Dina Lohan in this woman? Yay to being a child star!!!

XO

Confessions of a Music Lovers I-pod

2010-01-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

I have put tons of new tunes on my I-pod over the last few weeks. Thank you Pitchfork Media, New Moon Soundtrack and Pink is the New Blog for the advice and suggestions! Here we go:

1. Sam Sparro - Waiting for Time
2. Hunters & Collectors: Throw Your Arms Around Me
3. Alicia Keys - If I Ain't Got You
4. Laura Marling - Anywhere with Meaning
5. Regina Spektor - Wallet
6. Bright Eyes - Ship In A Bottle
7. Alexi Murdoch - Crinian Wood
8. Brendan Benson - Don't Wanna Talk
9. Missy Higgins - Secret
10. Pete Yorn - Four Years
11. Dixie Chicks - I Hope
12. Adele - Right As Rain
13. Damien Rice - Rootless Tree
14. Miike Snow - A Horse is Not A Home
15. Jack Penate - Torn on the Platform

Ha ha ha ha. Snort even. Only ONE new artist on this list. Brendan Benson. The rest are existing faves. Okay, as I am all about spreading the musical love around.... here are six random songs from my New Jams playlist

1. Grizzly Bear - Slow Life
2. White Lies - Nothing to Lose
3. The Editors - You Don't Know Love
4. MoZella - Going Home
5. Bear In Heaven - Fake Out
6. Florence & The Machine - Girl With One Eye

Much Better. Florence & The Machine are phenomenal. Check them out please.

Below is a quick video of St Vincent who is my very first concert for the year in a few weeks at The Venue (lamest name ever).

Grammy Preview.

2010-01-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

You all know I am a big big fan of the music. I am fairly vocal about it. I have even bought my first concert ticket of the year - St Vincent - early February - at the worst name concert venue in the stratosphere - "The Venue". Gah.... Excited for the concert though! Anyways... music's biggest night in music is next week - The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards are next Sunday and I can't fricking wait. Tons of music, great performances, many outfits for me to mock :)

A lot of big names have been nominated for Grammy's this year. Everyone's favourite country sweetheart Taylor Swift has a ton, as does the wacky yet amazingly talented Lady Gaga. Beyonce, Greenday, The Black Eyed Peas, even my eternal beloved Dave Matthews Band. DMB has been nominated for album of the year and according to EW's insider, they are the front runners at this point. While I don't know if I agree with that .....it would be a nice screw you to the Grammy idiots who left LeRoi off of their "In remembrance" scroll last year. It is not that I don't think they deserve it. I am just not sure if anyone can derail the Taylor Swift juggernaut. And the rationale that the only reason they will win is because the Academy voter traditionally like "rock fare" is a little insulting.

The advertising campaign for the Grammy's has been decent this year. Capitalising on the social media frenzy going on all over the world, they launched the We are all Fans campaign. This is pretty cool. According to the Grammy website: this is " a first-of-its-kind interactive fan experience — featuring portraits of GRAMMY-nominated artists composed entirely of real-time, fan-generated YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook postings. This user-submitted content is continuously gathered from these social media platforms and refreshed on the campaign site to form a constantly evolving, "living" portrait of each artist. TV, print, out-of-home, and interactive all support and will drive traffic to the site."

Super cool right? The still images above do not give the campaign justice at all. Check out this You-Tube video for Gaga. Ah-mazing right. Can't wait for the Awards. Will you be watching? Who do you want to win? How wrong is it for me to say I kinda want Taylor Swift to be completely shut out. I don't know if I can take any more of her "aw shucks....me?" schtick. I know I know. I am burning in Hell. Should I save you a seat?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Cherry Bomb!

2010-01-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

I am not really a "I must do XYZ before I die" kind of person. I do not have one of those Bucket Lists that Jack and Morgan made a movie about a few years ago. I think it was even called The Bucket List. Anyways, although I am not a Bucket List maker, there are some things I really want to do at some point in my life. Comic-con is one. The South By South West Music Fest is another. TIFF - most definitely up there. Sundance. Oh Sundance. Especially this year.

The Sundance Film Festival is taking place in Park City Utah from now until the end of the month and I so wish I could be there. In spite of the invasion of Sundance by such dubious celebrities as Paris Hilton and Jon Gossellin (WTF?), and the over abundance of gifting lounges, I would still love to go one day. To be around so many small little films that are fighting for an audience. To witness the discovery of a film such as sex lies and videotape or Precious…. Anyways, 2 of the most anticipated films of Sundance star my girl crush Kristen Stewart. While only one of them is in the competition portion of the Festival – Welcome to the Rileys – the other movie – The Runaways – looks pretty damned awesome.

The Runaways makes its big Sundance debut this Sunday in Park City, and we have something that will keep your rocker hearts beating until then: an exclusive first look at the movie's teaser poster. We know, we know: now that you've gotten to see plenty more stills and a clip from the Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning-headlined flick, a "teaser" isn't exactly the sort of juice you're looking for. But…..Behold the full teaser poster above. In case you're scratching your head in wonderment: the fruity explosive device is a nod to The Runaways' famous hit song, "Cherry Bomb," which we saw Kristen rock out to in the teaser trailer

Source

And these stills released a few days ago! Oh la! This movie looks pretty fricking cool. They seem to have the look down perfectly. I can’t wait t see Dakota Fanning as a bad ass sexually adventurous rocker chick. I forget that she is not a baby anymore (well, she is, but she is not 10 years old anymore). I am also thoroughly impressed with Michael Shannon as the smarmy smarmy manager Kim Fowley. Doesn’t he make your skin crawl? Each time I see him in character I feel an overwhelming need to take a shower. *Shudder*

The Runaways premiers over the weekend in Park City, but the rest of us have to wait until March 19th or so to see this movie. Sadly I will be in a place where films do not premier on their opening weekend. :( Not sure when I will get a chance to see it. Hopefully it will still be on in Vancity when I get back from visiting my momma in Tasmania.

Golden Globes disappoint.

2010-01-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

This is a long post. Consider this your warning :)

The first really really big awards show of the season were handed out yesterday - the Golden Globes were handed out last night in Hollyweird. I generally very much enjoy these awards as they are a little more wacky and off the cuff than the Oscars. Last night the whole thing was frankly a little meh. This Award Ceremony is fairly unique as it honours both TV and Movie - and it separates the acting and best movie awards into drama and comedy/musical - which I like. A comedic role/movie typically gets drowned out by amazing dramatic performances.

While host Ricky Gervais did the best with the time he was given, that was the problem. He was barely on stage. Lame chicken sh*t NBC - too scared of the unpredictable Brit. He personally came out and introduced both Colin Farrell and Mel Gibson - and they were hysterical. Love him. He should host everything. And not be shackled by those whiny baby asses at NBC.

For a complete list of winners click here. Basically I am perfectly happy with the TV winners - particularly Dexter finally getting some love. John Lithgow and Michael C Hall were amazing this season and their awards were totally and completely spot on. I am calling bullsh*t on many of the Movie Awards. Really? The Hangover as best comedy? Really? And don't even get me started on Avatar. I thought it was a cool movie. I did like it a lot. But best Dramatic Movie of the year? I don't think so. And James Cameron's ego does not need any more stroking. If he wins an Oscar and starts speaking Na'vi in his acceptance speech..... please no. Anything but that.

After flicking through the photos of the dresses - cause it is really all about the dresses - I think these are my favourites. Zoe Saldana needs to eat about 600 Quarter Pounders with EXTRA cheese and bacon, but she looks very pretty. I have nothing but love for Joshua Jackson and even though he is blatantly cheating on me with Diane Kruger, I have to forgive him. He is so rakish and sexy. I am also crushing on Emily Blunt. So beautiful. I wanted to include a picture of her with her fiance (and another of my boyfriends) - the adorable John Krasinski - but none were full length.

I know that Taylor Lautner is only 18 years old - yes all you perves out there, Tay Tay is FINALLY legal, but even an 18 year old should know better than to wear that fricking shiny ugly suit. I think he may be a robot. Perfect teeth, perfect hair, perfect suit, perfect sound bites. And the consistent over pronunciation of ever word that comes out of his mouth. I have been saying this for months, and am glad that others have finally picked up on his incessant and never ending over pronunciation. I am a fan of good diction. I like to think I speak well - if you ignore the cursing. But he honestly sounds like a fricking robot. Robot Taylor. I wonder if I could order one for a friend? My favourite acceptance speech was definitely RDJ. He is not my boyfriend. He is my one true love - so back the f*ck off. And no discussion of the Golden Globes would be complete without mention of George and his woman. Sigh. George is so totally the man.

A quick mention of some of the couples who came out for the Party. Mimi was joined by her Umbrella carrier - Nick Cannon. That is all to be said about them really. Mickey Rourke brought his daughter... sorry, fiance who is actually 5 years younger than his daughter - heh! This picture doesn't show it, but they were both so leathery brown. A world of no. Their relationship just gives me the "no" feeling. I wanna rescue her and tell her that she does not have to marry him. She has options. Finally, Jennifer Aniston and the Scottish douche. I honesty forgot his name for a second. Gerald Butler. Thats it. But still. Ugh. They have what looks like a crappy movie coming out soon, so of course Jen has to show us her snatch in the press room. Sigh. Did you not love when Ricky Gervais introduced her as Rachel from Friends? Made my night.

Hollywood Superstars Sandra Bullock (hate the dress), Julia Roberts (made everything about her) and Halle Berry (very low key and amazing) were also in attendance. Sandy won for The Blind Side. I like her and found her acceptance speech very sincere and endearing. I do like her. She is a competent actress. But was that the dramatic role of the year? Not for me. Carey Mulligan was fricking amazing in An Education. An astonishing performance. Oh well. Sandy has worked hard. I am looking at this as her Erin Brockovitch year. Just as when Julia Roberts won in 2000 perhaps this role in The Blind Side was not the best performance of the year... but Sandy has worked hard, paid her dues, is well liked in the industry..... it is her time. Speaking of Julia, you do know she was offered both The Proposal and The Blind Side? Turned them both down. Regardless, I love how Julia makes everything about her. Red Carpet interview, the award she gave out, you could even her her guffaw when someone made a joke on stage. Cause Julia does not laugh. She guffaws. Trust. And Halle. Gorgeous, amazing Halle. No words.

I liked Anna Kendrick's dress. There I said it. I liked it and I liked Diana Aragon's. Both are a major improvement from what I have seen them in recently. Especially Diana's peach chantilly lace thing she wore a few days ago. Google it. It will make you throw up in your mouth just a little. I was sad that Anna did not win. Although I agree that Mo'Nique was phenomenal in Precious - a devastating, powerful performance. It is her attitude that I do not like. The way she carries herself. But I think someone has had a few words with her, and she is now playing the game. Her speech seemed sincere and heartfelt and inspiring. But I am sorry, she wants an Oscar. She is gonna do what she has to do to get it Which is not necessarily a bad thing. Lea Michele went all out for her first nomination for Glee. It was a'right. Not bad. Just a'right. But she looked a little like a black feather duster.

More couples. Heidi - one half of Heidi and Seal - normally does so much better than that. I guess the fact that she had a baby recently may explain this unfortunate fashion choice. I think she is up to baby number 5 or so. I will forgive her this once. But I do ask - why was she there? Why do they get invited to everything? It is odd. Courtney Cox and David Arquette were there as Courtney was nominated for her great role in the funny funny Cougartown. She did not win and I am sure that David paid the price for the loss when they got home. I am super happy that Toni Collette won for The United States of Tara. If you have not watched this fantastic show - get the to the DVD store and pick up Season One. It is so fricking good. And then there is Cher and Xtina. Who looks good. Gone are the red lips and to that I say a resounding - Yay! Cher and Christina are making a film together and I suppose someone thought that the notion of Cher being back on the big screen wasn't enough to get people into the theatre. That is definitely enough for me! Love Cher.

A lot of people are upset that Jane Lynch did not win for Glee. Granted, she is ah-mazing as Sue Sylvester - and I am personally counting down the seconds until she sings a Madonna song - but Chloe Sevigny last season on Big Love....Holy mother. She was phe-nom-inal. Seriously. So good. This was a well deserved win for Chloe. Many disliked her dress. I like it. Chloe is known for going for the wacky - and this is leaning a little that way.. But I like it. Few could wear it well. Chloe is one of them. I loved her sister-wives dresses as well. Ginnifer Goodwin in the blue is stunning. Just cause I needed another photo to complete the trio - here is Jennifer Garner. I like her. I like that she lives her life and has adorable kids and has some semblance of a normal life with Ben. This was another a'right for me. Not a complete miss. But not a win. And she is to f*cking thin. Eat woman. Please eat.

Apparently these two are in a fight. When Drew went up on stage for her award, she walked right by Cammie D - who was seated at the grown up's table with Leo, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas (why was he there?) and Scorsese's eyebrows - there was nothing. No indication that she even saw her. I wonder what happened. I know that everyone is talking about how adorable and flustered Drew was......ugh. I am over her cutesy act. She is a smart smart woman and she is in no way as ditzy as she pretends to be. I was also over her dress 2 seconds after I saw it. The sea urchins on her hip and shoulder? What was that? Still better than the green nipple dress from a few years ago. I wonder if she had a breast reduction? Cause, the girls are a lot smaller than they were......

On a final note, proof that it can take one small thing to ruin an entire look. As proof of this, look at the picture on the left. Stars of True Blood and recently engaged real life couple - Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. Love it. Then - the photo on the right. Those hideous shoes - oy! Anna. Disappointing.

Okay, I could go on and on. but this took hours. And I had to forgoe the second half of the season Premier of 24 as that takes concentration! I may make a few random posts about it, but I think I am done. The Golden Globes were lame. Stupid Hollywood Foreign Press. Giving in to middle America. Ugh. Hopefully the Oscars will not piss me off.

Aussie Aussie Aussie Oy Oy Oy

2010-01-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

And just to clarify for any non-Aussies reading this, it is pronounced "Ozzie"... as opposed to "Aussssssie". There are only so many times I can hear Mary Hart or Nancy O'Dell mangle the mangling of my homeland's name. :)

Nearly every Australian who is prominent in the Entertainment Industry was on hand last night for the Black Tie Dinner that serves as the primary publicity vehicle for G'day USA: Australia Week 2010. This always sold out event honours individuals for their significant contribution to their industry (primarily sports and entertainment) and for their excellence in promoting Australia in the US. Australia Day is January 26th - they really should move this event a little later in the month doncha think?

Last night, Simon Baker was honored by super star couple Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman who sang a Simon Baker themed version of the iconic Australian Crawl song - Down Under. Loved it. More importantly I loved seeing Nicole be so free and loose. She really seemed to be having fun with her hubby, honoring her friend Simon. The amazing Toni Collette was also honoured, but I don't believe she was serenaded by the hawtness that is Keith Urban.

The Australian contingent in Hollyweird is a close knit one. Apparently they are all friends. I wonder if they all get together weekly and watch Neighbours? Or maybe Home and Away as both Simon and good friend Naomi Watts were in that. With Fosters and Vegemite sandwiches of course.

XO

J-Love knows how to get over a broken heart

2010-01-13T19:47:00.001-08:00

Has Jennifer Love Hewitt never heard of Wine, Chocolate and or drunken sexcapades with completely inappropriate people? That is the therapeutic way to deal with a break up. Who in their right mind would conceive of BEDAZZLING HER VAGINA with Swarovski crystals when they are broken up with? Granted, this chick is a little kooky - how could we forget her playing tennis in a bikini and wedge heels? But this is beyond redikulous!!!

What's the craziest thing you ever did to get over a break up? I take break up's very maturely. All I did was move to another country. Heh!

PS: I didn't even mention that J-Love has written a book! Bwahhhhhhh.

Late Nite Shenanigans

2010-01-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

All I currently have to say about all the crap going on at NBC at the moment is this:

Lost > Obama?

2010-01-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

The final season of one of the most mind bendy shows I have ever watched is this year. Tear. February 2nd. Season premiere of Lost. Do not call, text or even tweet me. Lost has the talking stick. There was a horrible rumour that Obama was going to do his State of the Union address that night - potentially preempting one of the most highly anticipated season premier's ever. I am in Canada. I get to watch Lost on either Canadian or US channels. So this would not really affect me. Sorry any US readers, that is not a "suck it USA" statement. It is just a true fact ;)

Anyways, word from the White House press secretary - who was questioned by an ABC reporter during one of the White House Daily Press Briefings is that this is not gonna happen. When asked point blank by a reporter from ABC News, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs response was, "I don't foresee a scenario in which millions people who hope to finally get some conclusion with Lost are preempted by the president."

Is this just a case of Obama being a secret fan of the show and not wanting to miss out on finding out WTF is up with John Locke being both dead and alive - which spun me right round baby.... right round.... like a record baby? He's the President of the Free World. Couldn't he call up Executive Producers Carlton Cuse or Damon Lindeloff and "ask" for a screener? More importantly, wouldn't the White House be equipped with at least one Tivo? You would think.

Regardless, I am glad that all is right with the world and we can all go through the looking glass to the Island of Lost together. For the last season. Boo. I am both happy and sad. We better get some answers boys. Or there will be a problem.

For those of you who have not watched Lost, above is a handy dandy 8.15 minute recap of the first five seasons. Or call me and I can lend you all five seasons on DVD. Cause it is that awesome.

XO.

Channing Tatum Has an Owie on his Package.

2010-01-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

Sadly, Channing Tatum does not have fond memories of his time filming his latest soldiering movie The Eagle of the Ninth in Scotland recently. It was cold, wet, physically demanding, he was away from his wife.....oh and a crew member poured boiling water on his penis. Yes you read that correctly. Scalding hot water was poured on his penis, and Channing not only filled Details magazine in on the particulars of what happened, he also showed the lucky reporter photos of said burnt penis.

According to the magazine, "Tatum was pretend-soldiering one raw, wet October day in the Scottish Highlands. The action required him to wade in ice-cold water, which, despite a high-tech wetsuit, could be withstood for only a few minutes. "The only way to keep warm was by pouring a mix of boiling water and river water down your suit. We were finally done shooting for the day, and one of the crew guys asks if I want to warm up before I go. I'm like, Nah, I'm good. And then I thought, Why not? Thing is, he'd forgotten to dilute the kettle water. So he poured scalding water down my suit. And I was trying to pull the suit away from my body to somehow get away from the boiling water, and the more I pulled the suit away, the lower the water went. It just went straight down and pretty much burned the skin off the head of my dick."

Tatum was rushed to the nearest hospital—an hour away. Before long, the ice pack he was applying to the burn lost its chill. "I said to the driver, who was ex-special-forces Marines, 'You might have to knock me out, because I don't know if I can take the pain. Just grab something and hit me on the back of my head.'" Morphine finally KO'd the agony, and a team of doctors salved and bandaged his wound. "I had five guys looking at my shriveled, burned penis," he says proudly."

I am trying not to laugh about this one. I can imagine that having scalding hot water poured onto a penis would hurt like a son of a bitch. But come. Can you imagine that crew member, going home to his/her wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend and when being asked "How was work dear?" having to confess to that. "It was great, until I poured a kettle of boiling water down the star of the movie's wetsuit, burning the skin off his penis". Come on. It is a little funny. Really really really funny.

Many many people in the world find this man very very attractive. I personally do not. He just doesn't do it for me. And now he has a burnt penis. And he drinks Coors Lite. Case closed.

PS: Penis penis penis. I think I hadn't said the word penis enough in this wee post. PENIS.

David Bekham has found God? Or is a God?

2010-01-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

So apparently David Bekham showed off a new tattoo of Jesus at a soccer game yesterday. I can't confirm or deny this.... I was pretty much totally distracted by his shirtlessness. Again I say... Hello Salty Goodness.....This man deserves awards for the Salty Goodness he exudes. As long as Becks doesn't speak (his girly voice pretty much kills the quiver) I am good. What I have planned for him doesn't really require words.....

On and for some unknown reason he also found it necessary to change his pants on the field. Don't question why. Just enjoy it. I know I am...... Sigh.

XO

KFC Ad = Misguided not Racist

2010-01-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

The furor surrounding a 20 second ad about Cricket and KFC is just a little ridiculous doncha think? Apparently this ad was considered racist when it was uploaded to YouTube and was seen by American audiences. While I do acknowledge that at first glance this little ad may be seen to be promoting racial stereotypes that rowdy black people will calm down if you give them some fried chicken, a few contextual points should be noted.

First up these supporters are not African American. They are from the West Indies. That being said, there doesn't seem to be any negative stereotypes associated with people from the West Indies and Fried Chicken. One could make the argument that those who are condemning this ad are making offensive stereotypes themselves for assuming that the people in this ad are African American.

Secondly, when the white dude says he is in an "awkward" situation, it is because he is the lone Aussie supporter amongst a whole schwack of rowdy West Indies Supporters, not because he is surrounded by black people. I think it would have been prudent for the ad team to consider including one white supporter apart from the white dude.

Finally, I would hazard a guess that the majority of Australians are not aware of any stereotype regarding African Americans and Fried Chicken. Geez, outside of the US, there are probably not many who aware of this stereotype.

KFC quickly caved to the outcry and have removed the ad from the air. But the debate rages on. My opinion - for what it is worth. Racist - no. I do not think that the Ad men/women who came up with the concept for the ad made a conscious decision to make an ad that would be construed as racist. Oh and did I mention that the ad was never intended to air in the only segment of the population that would find it racist or offensive.

I completely understand that this ad viewed in a vaccuum may be considered racist. I understand why so many people are up in arms and offended by it's content. But I do not think it was intentionally racist. Misguided most definitely. I am pretty sure that a few of the marketing team at KFC Australia may be looking for new jobs right about now.

Theatre Geeks from Yale are blowing up the Interwebs

2010-01-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

I know I am very very late to the bandwagon about these dudes. You have prolly seen the last 2. But whatevs. These are new to me and they are fricking awesome. And they are posted in order of amazingness.

This is two kids from Yale - singer Sam Tsui and guitar playing/beat boxing/ producer Kurt Hugo Schneider who are in the unique and enviable position of having gone viral on YouTube multiple times. People post covers of them singing their favourite songs on YouTube all the time. That is not in any way unusual. But to have millions of people view said covers - and not because they are funny, cute or down right adorable - but because they are fantastically good - that is incredibly impressive.

Their latest is up first and features one Sam doing an awesome medley of Lady Gaga tunes. The arrangement is perfect and this has already had more than 1.2 million views. Great voice right?

The duo has also produced an outstanding version of Journey's Don't Stop Believing a la Glee. With Sam doing both the Lea Michelle and Cory Monteith parts. As well as all the back up and harmonies. Amazingness. The video - which has been viewed about 3.5 million times - is also super simple, but features Sam on stage with himself and himself and himself... you get the picture. If you scroll through the comments, there are people who are confused thinking this is the most amazing group of identical Quintuplet's ever.

Finally, is the - there are no words for how good it is - medley of Jackson songs. Holy F*ck. No words - right? The arrangement is mind blowing. The video is simple. But it gives you chills. Coming up on 4.5 million views. Chills I say.

Sadly, I suspect that these very talented dudes will not parlay this success into anything more than a trip to The Bonnie Hunt Show. As 99.9% of these Internet sensations are forgotten about in 6 months. Whatever, I will happily wait to see what they come up with next.

Where have you been Cher?

2010-01-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

Browsing through the celebrity blogosphere over the last week or so, my interest was piqued just a little when pictures of Cher were showing up. She hasn't been on the scene recently, so I got to thinking..... What is she up to? Then they announced that she is a presenting with Christina Aguilera at next week's Golden Globe Awards. Interest level rising, so I poked around and have figured it out. Cher is making a new movie ya'll!

Photo Credit: Splash News Online/Pacific Coast News Online

The Movie is a musical called Burlesque and according to Collider.com: Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a small-town girl with a big voice who escapes hardship and an uncertain future to follow her dreams to LA. After stumbling upon The Burlesque Lounge, a majestic but ailing theater that is home to an inspired musical revue, Ali lands a job as a cocktail waitress from Tess (Cher), the club’s proprietor and headliner. Burlesque’s outrageous costumes and bold choreography enrapture the young ingenue, who vows to perform there one day.

Soon enough, Ali builds a friendship with a featured dancer (Julianne Hough), finds an enemy in a troubled, jealous performer (Kristen Bell), and garners the affection of Jack (Cam Gigandet), a bartender and fellow musician. With the help of a sharp-witted stage manager (Stanley Tucci) and gender-bending host (Alan Cumming), Ali makes her way from the bar to the stage. Her spectacular voice restores The Burlesque Lounge to its former glory, though not before a charismatic entrepreneur (Eric Dane) arrives with an enticing proposal…

Cher. Singing. Cute boys. Stanley Tucci. Veronica Mars. I am there.

I loved Veronica Mars. Over the Christmas Break I bought and pretty much watched all three seasons of Veronica Mars. Because I have no life. I very much enjoyed this show. It was very witty and well written. And again was a show that was cancelled before it should have been. Stupid TV executives. Or perhaps, it was the stupid viewing public. Kristen Bell is adorable. And I loved Logan Echolls... bad boy to the bone. Sigh. Jason Dohring? Where are you now? What have you been up to? Call me. The theme song is awesome. Even when they changed it for season 3 - made it more noirish - still loved it. Dandy Warholls - A long time age..... we used to be friends... but I haven't thought of you lately at all. I would very much like the Season 4 rumour to become a reality.

I also bought seasons 5 and 6 of Dawson's Creek. Primarily so I could watch the Series finale. Cause it makes me cry like a little baby every time I watch it. Like a baby.

XO

Confessions of a Music Lovers I-Pod

2010-01-09T15:52:00.001-08:00

It is that time again people and I know that you have all been waiting with baited breath to see what has been playing on my I-pod recently. I made some changes to my music last week, so hopefully some new tunage will show up for you...

The songs change, but the game remains the same..... All songs, shuffle, only skip an artist if it shows up twice. No cheating. The music gods will know. And they are the vengeful type....

1. Owl City - Swimming in Miami
2. Terry Reid - Gimme Some Lovin'
3. Crowded House - That's what I call Love
4. Alicia Keys - The Life
5. Bat for Lashes - Glass
6. Bell X1 - Rocky Took A Lover
7. Meiko - Sleep
8. Animal Collective - Guys Eyes
9. Duffy - Syrup & Honey
10. Dave Matthew Band - Squirm
11. Missy Higgins - Scar
12. The xx - Night Time
13. Lily Allen - Nan, You're a Window Shopper
14. Leona Naess - All the Stars
15. Joshua Radin - Do you Wanna

Yay to my Dave coming up.... Happy Birthday to my secret husband. It actually is today. PS: Congrats on the Grammy nominations. Well deserved, espacially in light of their douchebaggery last year when they left LeRoi off the Remembrance roll call. F*ckers.

I
Animal Collective. One of the hottest bands out there. Everyone loves them. I am trying again to give them a shot..... I saw them at Bumbershoot and it was pretty heinous. And not in a good way. I do like a few of their remixes....so am giving them a second go around. Still not totally in love, but I do like them a lot more than I did.

Happy Saturday. It is miserable here in Vancity, so I am happily ensconced in my apartment sorting out my tunes, contemplating starting to continue writing again and procrastinating about cleaning.... which is what I really should be doing. Oh well.

XO

Celebrity Babies are sooooo 2009

2010-01-07T17:35:00.000-08:00

The late 2000's were most definitely the year of the celebrity baby. Suri, Shiloh, Violet, Harlow, Bronx, Apple........ the list is long and varied. The names ranged from the traditional - Grace Charlotte Prinz (daughter of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr) to the different - Satyana Denisof (daughter of Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof) to the downright wacky - Sparrow (son of Nicole Ritchie and Joel Madden). I am not judging the names - simply pointing out that they are not the names that regular folks like you and I would give our children.

But that is so completely passe. Did you notice, that even this early in 2010, celebrity engagements seem to be the the new celebrity babies.

According to US Weekly Russel Brand and Katy Perry got engaged while on a romantical vacation in India. While no official confirmation has come from either of the 2 stars, the magazine claims that multiple sources have confirmed to them that they are betrothed. The two have had a quick courtship if it is true! They only started dating a few months ago but seem pretty happy.

Just before Christmas, country superstar Carrie Underwood got engaged to Mike Fisher from the Ottawa Senators. The notoriously press shy couple's engagement was inadvertently announced by one of Mikes friends to the Twitter world. Carrie's publicist has since confirmed the engagement. This couple is so low key, that there are only a handful of pics of them together. Underwood is quite a traditional small town girl. I suspect her wedding will be big big big... just like the massive rock she is sporting!

Finally, People.com is reporting that shock rocker Marilyn Manson popped the question to girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood. Though the two have a tumultuous on again off again relationship and have only been back together for a shot while Manson supposedly proposed while performing on stage in Paris. While I personally don't get the attraction to Manson, Wood is not a silly girl. I like to think the True Blood star would not be hoodwinked by a slick line. Sigh. I was happy when I thought she was dating her co-star Alexander Skarsgard. They fight and break up every few months so we shall see what happens.

And don't even get me started on Miley Cyrus blabbing off how she can't wait to get married and have babies (her christian code for the sex). Does she think she is fooling anyone? Any teenage who knows how to work a pole like she did at the VMA's last year, certainly knows how to work poles of a different kind as well.

Statistically if all four of these couples tie the knot, half of them will end in divorce. But given they are all under the Hollyweird spotlight - I would up that to three out of four! At least. No matter how golden and perfectly suited they may seem. Remember Brad and Jen? THE Perfect couple. Yea, it was five years ago today they announced their split. Brad moved on to start a small country with Angie, while Jen is still trying to find a role that is not Rachel Greene.

Trifecta of Movie Reviews

2010-01-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

In November I mentioned that I would be spending the tail end of 2009 at the movies. Tons of purportedly great flicks coming out in time for Awards Season. Eek! And out of all the movies that are on that list from November, I have seen all that have been released here in Vancity, except for one - Nine. I just ran out of days! 2 others – The Messengers and The Lovely Bones have yet to open here. Not sure if The Messengers will and the buzz about The Lovely Bones is not good, with many saying that Jackson completely f*cked up the book - which worries me. No time to review them all extensively….. so here is the last three in mini-review.

Sherlock Holmes

I am not privy to the background or history of Sherlock Holmes. What I know is this: there is a pipe and a sidekick called Dr. Watson and a villain called Moriarity and solving of the crimes. I concur with most of the reviews of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. This film is pretty much about the bromance between Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

The plot was silly and pretty much irrelevant. Something about an evil Lord who practices black magic and is part of some evil society that wants to take over the world….. insert image of nefarious villain twirling his black moustache at any point …….. kinda lame and as I said…. Irrelevant.

It is the banter. The relationship between these two is what makes this film enjoyable. And the marvelous Irish music for each of the fight scenes. I also liked Rachel McAdams in her role. She did a great job as Holmes’ conniving former girlfriend who has a checkered past and questionable motives. Much like the entire plot, she seemed a little irrelevant to the story, which some have noted, but I am a huge fan of McAdams, so I didn’t really mind.

Overall, Sherlock Holmes was fun. Silly fun, with very very cute boys fighting and solving crimes. And, to quote the great Kevin Smith, Homes and Watson and their enduring relationship as heterosexual life partners.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Heath Ledgers last film. His second collaboration with friend Terry Gilliam. Ledger tragically passed away during filming. 3 of his friends – Johnny Depp, Jude Law & Colin Farrell – stepped in to complete the movie. It is not your typical movie. It is a visual feast for the senses and Ledger was impressive.

So Dr Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) made a deal with the Devil (the perfectly cast Tom Waits) to ensure his immortality – his daughter (model Lily Cole) on her 16th birthday. Along the way they encounter a mysterious stranger (Heath Ledger) who may or may not be able to help Parnassus outwit the Devil. The “Imaginarium” is a world full of wonderful colours, lush landscapes and bizarre visions – all of which are personal to each person who enters through the mirror in Parnassus’ traveling sideshow.

Yes, the story was a little out there. Definitely a case of suspending your belief in what is real and what is not. Which I enjoyed immensely. It was wild and wacky and the inclusion of Depp, Law and Farrell honestly seemed as if that is how the film was supposed to be. Casting Tom Wait’s as the Devil was a piece of inspired casting. He was creepy and smarmy and fantastic.

Filmed in Vancouver, I loved recognizing some of the sites of the city I love so much – the stunning Orpheum Theatre, the spectacular Marine Building and the gorgeous Vancouver Public Library (superlative overload anyone??). I liked this movie a lot. It probably won’t be seen by that many people, but it should be. Go see it! Great film.

The Young Victoria

Oh Michael Buble…. You silly silly boy. Did you see her light up the screen? Have you witnessed the accolades that have been heaped on this performance? Did you see what you completely f*cked up? I know that she is better off with her fiancé – the charming and adorable John Krasinski. I said as much a few days ago on the Twitter that scientists should be working to clone Krasinski, cause right now he is pretty much my ideal man. Funny, cute, and not a cheating douchebag.

The point of this little tirade against the Canadian Crooner Michael Buble is that I saw The Young Victoria starring the luminous Emily Blunt. A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert. I don’t know much - or anything - about Queen Victoria or her life. I am pretty sure that they took considerable artistic licence when they were developing this story for the screen. But no matter.

I liked this film. Blunt was stunning, albeit a little hard to swallow as a 17 year old. She is a great actress and a pleasure to watch on the screen. The costumes and set design were magnificent. A tiny little bit of me wishes I had been born back then. Then I remember the whole right to vote, have an opinion, earn as much as men thing. Ha! The Young Victoria is a good film about a Queen I knew very little about. I am expecting Blunt’s name to be called when they announce the Oscar Nominations soon.

I will get around to seeing Nine. I hope. Believe it or not, I am a little movied out! But the Golden Globes are in a few weeks, so I gotta see what I can now right?

XO

What have you been hiding from us Matthew Morrison!!

2010-01-02T23:25:00.000-08:00

Who knew that under Mr Shue's kicky sweater vests and lesbian hair was this. I certainly did not. I think next season on Glee, there should be shirtless hawt offs between Mark Salling (Puck) and Mr Shue (Matthew Morrison). Nothing against Canadian boy Cory Monteith, but he is literally a friend of a friend of mine and I just can't bring myself to think of him that way. He is cute, and I am sure that he looks perfectly perfect shirtless. But I would just rather have dirty fantasies about Puck and Mr Shue......

This is the ever so dreamy Matthew Morrison in Florida over the New Year. Dutifully posing for fan after fan after fan. What a nice guy! Sigh. As we get no new episodes of Glee until April..... sad face..... we will just have to settle for what we can get right? Regardless, Matthew Morrison gets a definite "Hello Salty Goodness" from me....

Photo Credit: INF Daily

Below is a clip from the Kennedy Center Honors that aired on TV a few weeks ago. Amongst the honorees was the hi-larious Mel Brooks. Matthew was one of the performers. Springtime for Hitler. Good times. He needs to sing more on Glee. Srsly. More singing for Matthew please. And dancing. I would like him to dance and sing more. Cause he can do both without the insane autotune and awkward dancing.

One more time. Hello Salty Goodness. Oh Matthew... who woulda thunk it? Sigh.

XO

2009 - My Musical Discoveries

2010-01-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

As someone who rarely, if ever, listens to the radio expanding my musical horizons to new bands and acts can sometimes be a little tricky. I rely on friends, TV shows that thankfully actively promote their tunage, Soundtracks and word of mouth. Such as discovering Laura Marling late in 2008 when an actor I liked mentioned them.

While I couldn't even conceive of listing my favourite songs or even artists of 2009.... I will leave that to many many others who I am sure are doing an admirable job. My favourite songs of 2009 include songs that have been around for many many years. While I love discovering new musical loves, I tend to go back to what I have known and loved. It's the reliability, you see. However, that is not to say that i have not become enamoured of a few new artists this year. Instead, to keep things interesting (for me as well as you fair reader), I am mixing it up a little.

Below are 5 artists that I discovered this year. To be clear - they are generally not new artists in 2009. Some have been around for years and years. And I am shocked, amazed and frankly a little embarrassed that I was not a fan before now. These are simply acts that came onto my musical radar during the course of the year.

1. Metric Metric Metric.

Okay, so it is just Metric. Hands down my favourite new discovery of the year. I ended up seeing them three times this year. Loved each and every show. Metric is a Canadian indie rock band that have been around since the early-nineties. They have an eclectic sound that for me is firmly anchored by the talent and charisma of their front woman - the amazing Emily Haines. I have already admitted to having quite the girl crush on this chick. Her dance moves kill me. Her clothes, her vibe. I hate using words others use regularly but it is her steeze that gets me. She is beyond cool without trying and an amazingly talented performer. An awesome mix of rock, pop, synthesised Beats - Metric has it all. They totally remind me of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (who I also saw this year a couple of times). Their latest album - Fantasies - is amazing and fantastic on so many levels. I am trying to think of one song that encapsulates their amazingness and can't.

2. Cold War Kids.

This indie rock band from California has been around since 2004. I distinctly recall when I first heard of Cold War Kids. I have a friend who has pretty awesome taste in music and he posted something about them on Facebook. He once told me to buy Dashboard Confessional's - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most - with a guarantee that if I did not like them he would give me my money back. I think he was also the one that started my DMB love. So I have trust for his musical recommendations.

While they have in no way reinvented the wheel when it comes to a musical style or sound, I love Nathan Willett's voice. They are another band I got to see live this year - Bumbershoot, in Seattle - fantastic. I could and have listened to Hang Me Out To Dry on repeat for hours. So good.

3. Alexi Murdoch

An admission before I go on. I saw Alexi Murdoch in concert late last year. He was opening for Alanis Morrissette and was actually the person that informed me that Obama had won the presidency. While I really enjoyed his set, I didn't know his name and promptly forgot about him. Until I saw the movie - Away We Go. Murdoch was the soundtrack to that film. After I got out of seeing it I immediately went and bought the soundtrack.

His voice is haunting, deep, soulful and amazing. Simple songs, simple tunes. Exactly how I like my musicians - full of angst and talent. Just beautiful.

4. Lady Gaga

Oh Lady Gaga. What a long strange journey we have had this year. At the start of the year, I found you pretty much annoying. Then I came to appreciate the substance, but hate the show. All the crap - the costumes and antics - that is what I disliked. Thankfully - happily - I was able to look past this by the time I saw her in early December. Ninth Row Centre Bitches. And holy mother of Xenu - was it an amazing show. Best show of the Year? I don't know. But it was pretty fricking phenomenal.

Gaga - she of the unfortunate stage name and wacky persona - is undeniably talented. She can sing. And not just sing, she can sing well. She can play the piano. She writes her own music. Yea, it's pop music, but so what? Talent is talent. Although I would still prefer the substance over the styling, I am a convert and am proud to call myself a monster.

5. Miike Snow

This electropop outfit from Swedon were co headlining with Jack Penate at a show at the most ill named venue in Vancity - The Venue. Lame name for a .... um.... venue, right? Gah. Anyways, I have been a fan of Jack Penate for a few years - he toured with the magnificent Adele so I checked him out and.....love. Anways, teeny little show. 2 acts. Convinced someone to come with me. Fricking awesome.

Different from what I typically listen to. I am more of a boy/girl with a guitar/piano kind of music lover. But this was cool and has now opened me up to a whole new type of music.... which I guess is a good thing right? Live they were a trip, coming out in masks that they kept on for half the show. They are coming back in April - bigger venue. I will be there!

Okay, so that is five acts that I am happy to have discovered in 2009. As I just subscribed to Rolling Stone - Happy early Birthday to me! - I am sure my catalogue of muscial boy/girlfriends will increase even more in 2010. I know I know. I am quite the musical slut. I am fine with that. Who did you discover musically in 2009? Who made your panties drop?

XO

See you on the flip side - 2009

2010-01-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

I am not one for creating end of year lists. Top 10 Movies, songs, TV shows, Bands, CD's, Books. Any of that stuff. I have nothing against it per se. But I just don't typically do it. No time, no inclination. One exception to this is my top 10 Buffy Episodes which is causing me a lot of anxiety as I am having a lot of trouble limiting it to 10. I am also thinking of starting on my favourite movies of all time, but that too is proving a little difficult to limit.

One list I am comfortable with is the Celebrity Death List. Go figure. Because, was it just me, or did a lot of famous people die this year? I mean come on, it seemed like nearly every day there was a either a celebrity or a celebrity adjacent death. This is by absolutely no means an exhaustive list of those famous people who have passed away this year. It is simply those that have impacted me in some way.

Ricardo Montalban - January 14th

Natasha Richardson - March 18th

Andy Hallett - March 29th

Bea Arthur - April 25th

Charles "Bud" Tingwell - May 15

Ed MacMahon - June 23rd

Farah Fawcett - June 25th

Michael Jackson - June 25th

Walter Kronkite - July 17th

John Hughes - August 6th

Senator Edward Kennedy - August 25th

Dominick Dunne - August 26th

DJ AM - August 28th

Patrick Swayze - September 14th

Brittany Murphy - December 20th

The pictures are in the order of their death. There are a ton of reasons why these people impacted me life in come way. And you likley haven't heard of a few of them. But these are the famous or at least famous to me people who died in 2009.

Andy Hallett passed away at the age of 33 from heart failure. Outside of the world of Whedon, most people likley had no idea who he was. But to me, he was Lorne from Angel. Charles "Bud" Tingwell was in at least one episode of every television program I watched growing up as a child in Australia. He was a veteran of the Australian acting community and was given a state funeral when he passed away from complications due to Prostate Cancer.

Some of these deaths were shocking - MJ, Brittany Murphy, Natasha Richardson and DJ AM were definitely huge surprises of the sad variety. Others such as Farrah Fawcett and Patrick Swayze were the result of very valiantly fought public battles with Cancer. Others still bring back memories of my childhood - watching Fantasy Island & The Golden Girls.

But the death that impacted me the most this year was hands down John Hughes. His films defined my teenage years. The Breakfast Club will most definitely be on my top 10 movie list (when I get around to writing it). As a filmaker John Hughes was able to speak to a teen audience in a way I have rarely seen since. Teen movies these day are typically wild and wacky sex romps where the dorky guy/girl struggles to overcome their dorkiness, but ultimately triumphs over said dorkiness and ends with the girl/boy of his/her dreams. And there is normally a mean girl/boy who gets their comeuppance in some hilarious manner. It is the same formula for every movie that is made. And I find it pretty insulting. Granted, some of them are entertaining. But they condescend to the audience and tell the same sad tired jokes and delliver the same tired message.

I feel honoured to have been a part of the John Hughes generation of movies. I know that it was unlikley that he would have made another movie. But now, with his tragic death at the age of 59, that will never happen. And that makes me so very sad. Before Hughes died, 4 young filmakers set out to find the notoriously reclusive Hughes. Their film, Don't You Forget About Me is a final love letter to John Hughes. I just wish that we could write more.

Did I leave anyone off? Is there a celebrity death that impacted you the way John Hughes impacted me? Sound out in the comments people! Lemme know you are out there.

Happy New Year Mother F*ckers

2009-12-31T22:53:00.000-08:00

I typically do not celebrate organised holidays. Christmas, Valentines Day, Canada Day, Australia Day, New Years Eve, Thanksgiving. Pick a holiday and I will not celebrate it with you. I have many pretentious reasons for not partying hard on these days - too commercial, why do you need one day to be thankful, tell someone you love them, celebrate the birth of someone you are pretty sure does not exist..... you get the point. Specifically for New Years, rarely does it live up to the hype.

This year specifically I had no interest in being out amongst the masses. The past few weeks have been pretty crappy in my real life, and although I am doing my best to stay positive, the dark and gloomy is where my mind goes 99.9% of the time. To "celebrate" the end of the decade, I chose instead to stay at home with my new monkey slippers, a bottle of Stump Jump and John McClane.

Die Hard, Die Harder and Die Hard: With a Vengeance. Nothing like ringing in the New Year with Bruce Willis blowing sh*t up. Yippe-kay-yay Mother F*ckers.

Here's hoping that the start of 2010 brings good news to my world. Next week we get news that will either be satisfactory or really really really bad. Send good thoughts! All snark and cynical bitchiness aside, I wish everyone all the best for 2010. May everything you wish for come true!

XO

One Tweet is worth $10,000???

2009-12-31T20:24:00.000-08:00

Up until now I had made a concerted and deliberate effort to keep this wee blog a Kardashian free zone. It is not that I have anything against them personally. I am sure they are all very nice people. But I just don't understand why they are famous? I don't get it. It bugs me a little. So why would I want to give them even more press. What with the sex tape (Kim), quickie marriage (Khloe ?) and the unplanned pregnancy (Kourtney ?), I figured they didn't need any more publicity. Sorry, the only one whose name I am sure of is Kim.

While I was aware that some celebrities were being paid to Tweet, I had no fricking clue that it was so widespread. Or so organised. That there was a company that would hook up celebrities with the products. I guess I shouldn't really be that surprised. It is just like any paid advertising right? I mean stars have been paid to carry specific brands of water (Jennifer Aniston) and even anti smoking aids (Lindsay Lohan - who still smokes so it clearly didn't work).

According to the Daily Mail out of the UK, Kim Kardashian is one of the highest paid to tweet celebs out there at the moment:

Some might question her apparent celebrity status, however Kim Kardashian certainly seems to have acquired some pulling power. According to a report out this week, the U.S. socialite allegedly commands up to $10,000 (£6,300) for every tweet she posts on her Twitter account as part of her contract with in-stream advertising company Ad.ly. Kim, 29, is the highest earner on the company's books and the most popular on their roster of celebrity tweeters.

The former best friend of Paris Hilton currently has over 2million followers on Twitter and Ad.ly have put her tweeting services up for hire alongside U.S. stars such as Lauren Conrad and Dr. Drew. It is thought some of Kardashian's advertisers include Reebok EasyTone and Carl's Jr, the fast food chain. The reality TV star often mentions using products from both companies, in fact out of 30 tweets on her page, five mention products from either company. Which means, if the reports of her earnings per post are to be believed, she was paid $50,000. Derek Rey, co-founder of Ad.ly, told U.S. website PRNewser that Kardashian can command $10,000 per tweet and that his company limits its publishers - as it calls Kardashian - to one paid tweet per day so as to not alienate her audience. 'We're not a polluter,' Rey said.

Source

Kardashian has taken to her blog to explicitly refute the claims that she is being paid to tweet about Carl's Jr. But strangely no mention is made of the shoes - Reebok EasyTone? Hmm.... It is the absence of the rebuttal that makes this so much more fun!

So I went to the site mentioned in the above article and I have to say, that in spite of it's douchebaggery, it is actually a pretty smart idea. According to the site: "The end of every Ad.ly tweet (except tweets for charity) is marked with "(Ad)" notifying your audience that this is an advertisement. In order to ensure authenticity, every Ad.ly Tweet has to be explicitly approved by the Twitter publisher and is disclosed as an ad."

I like that celebs can use it to raise cash for charity. That I am fine with. I still think they should let us know if it is a paid tweet. Big ups to Samantha Ronson, Greg Grunberg and the others who are doing it for charity. I am assuming that they are giving it ALL to charity, rather than just a little. But for the rest of them out there? Get a f*cking real celebrity endorsement. None of this paid to tweet crap.

Oh, and Kim honey, you ain't fooling no-one. You are a paid spokesperson for Carls Jr. Do you think anyone is gonna believe that anything you say about them is sincere? I don't care that it is insincere. I just wish you would own the insincerity. And speaking of insincerity, I am truly shocked that Spencer and Heidi have not jumped on this bandwagon. Srlsly. Wouldn't you think Speidi would be all over this?

A Single Man - A Review

2009-12-31T19:32:00.000-08:00

The latest edition of Entertainment Weekly arrived in my mail box today. It has 25 movies you must see before the Oscars on March 7th 2010. To date I have seen 18 of them. Not too shabby. Also note that 4 of the flicks I have yet to see have not been released in Vancity (or I missed them when they were here), 2 others I will be seeing over the weekend, and one – Julie & Julia – I am planning on renting shortly. Yesterday I saw Tom Ford’s stunning directorial debut – A Single Man. Yes, that Tom Ford. The fashion designer who single handedly brought Gucci back from the brink of bankruptcy during the 1990’s.

Stunning is most definitely the watchword for this film. Visually= stunning. Performances = stunning. Music = stunning. It was lush and beautiful and meticulous. Loved it.

A Single Man is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, it is the story of a British college professor (Colin Firth) who is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner (Matthew Goode). The story is a romantic tale of love interrupted, the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life. Produced by Tom Ford through his Los Angeles based production company, Fade to Black, in association with Chris Weitz and Andrew Miano of Depth of Field, and Robert Salerno of Artina Films. The screenplay is written by Tom Ford and David Scearce. --© Weinsteins

Colin Firth as George is truly magnificent as a man drowning in his grief. His long time partner – Jim – who we only see through flashbacks - was killed in a car crash less than a year ago. George had never been given an opportunity to grieve for his love of 16 years. In a sad example of how gay relationships were treated by many in the 1960’s, George was only informed of the accident when one of Jim’s relatives secretly called him. Not only was he not able to go to the funeral, as it was “family” only, Jim’s parents apparently decided to keep their dead son’s pets. Nice right.

8 months later, George has decided to put his affairs in order and take matters into his own hands. He has planned it all so perfectly, and is intending on leaving everything in meticulous order. But a number of chance meetings throughout the course of the day make him reconsider this decision.

First and foremost is his encounter with one of his young students – a blonde haired, blue eyed, perfectly sun kissed student – played with salty goodness by Nicholas Hoult. Sigh. Did George see pieces of himself in the young Jimmy? There were a number of similarities between these men who are at differing stages of their lives. But Jimmy was open with who he was whereas George’s life remained cloaked in secrecy.

Julianne Moore, as Charley – George’s sometime lover and best friend is luminous. As always she is spectacular. She is one of my favourite working actresses. She is always amazing in everything she does. Moore is willing to do whatever it takes to deliver an authentic, real performance. I love her so much. And her hair and make up in this film. Oh la. So fricking amazing. I did not particularly care for her dress, but I suppose that it suited the times.

Everything is beautiful in this film. There is none of the ugliness of LA. All the people are perfectly dressed, impeccably coiffed and beautifully manicured. I suspect that Tom Ford overlooked every frame of film. There was meticulous detail in every aspect of this movie, everything seemed perfectly calculated and considered.

I was intrigued by the use of light and colour. Firth seems to be lit in grey’s and ash tones, that wash him out completely. Other characters, particularly Jimmy, appear to be permanently lit by the sun’s warm glow. Every frame Hoult was in was golden and bright and beautiful. And in George’s last encounter with his new young friend, he too seems to be enveloped in a warm golden light. Yes, I may be over thinking, but that was how it came across to me.

I also absolutely loved the score by Abel Korzeniowski - flawless and haunting. A number of the scenes were without words – perhaps this is why the music resonated so strongly with me. In addition, the scenes where he is quietly observing his neighbours and their seemingly perfect life seem surreal. Slowed down and brightly lit with a distinct dream like quality. It is as if he is watching a movie.

Tom Ford’s A Single Man is a beautiful, stylized, carefully detailed and immaculately shot movie. Firth’s performance is phenomenal. The film is anchored magnificently by Firth’s masterful portrayal as a man who is lost in his grief. Firth will be nominated for an Oscar for this role. Not sure if he will win, but for me, at this stage in the game, from the roles I have seen, his is the performance to beat.

Invictus - A review

2009-12-27T21:37:00.000-08:00

Australians can typically be divided down party lines. Rugby or Aussie Rules. I am an Aussie Rules girl – go Blues! - which means that the Rugby World Cup has never even blipped on my radar. So the whole story surrounding the 1995 World Cup which is chronicled in the film Invictus, yea. I didn’t really follow that. To be honest, I had no clue that one silly game of rugby was capable of uniting a whole country that was on the brink of extreme civil unrest. Or do you think maybe the film exaggerated just a little? In Hollyweird? Never. Pfft.

Invictus tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match. --© Warner Bros.

In spite of the accents – shudder - I have this thing about Afrikaans accents. I pretty much cringe every time I hear an Afrikaans accent, it is not a racism thing. Blame that guy in Lethal Weapon 2.. “Diplomatic Immunity…..” Okay, in spite of that, I really enjoyed this film. And the fact that I enjoyed a movie that is about sports definitely says something. Sport movies typically don’t really do it for me.

Director Clint Eastwood was able to elicit outstanding performances from his cast. It pretty much revolved around Freeman and Damon and as always they both delivered. Morgan Freeman was quietly dignified in his portrayal of Nelson Mandela. His performance rings true and never feels forced. Damon delivered yet another solid performance and mastered the difficult accent so well that he seemed like a local. I enjoy Matt Damon more and more in each film I see him in. He is showing that he can do so much more than the Bourne movies. Not that I am not a fan of the Bourne Movies. I can’t wait for the rumoured 4th film in the franchise.

More interesting than the sports…cause …. Sports = yawn…..I found Eastwood’s demonstration of Mandela’s leadership of his fledgling administration fascinating. I had never really given much thought to how difficult the transition for both Mandela and his staff would have been. I especially liked how Eastwood used the security team to demonstrate the initial animosity and gradual thawing of the tension between the “pre” and “post” Mandela staff.

Invictus was a heart-felt and uplifting movie and was full of many many cliches. The rugby team sucks. But after a few inspirational speeches and some jogging as a team along the streets of South Africa, the players that everyone was convinced had no chance in heck…. Oh I don’t want to spoil it for you. And this is why I don’t enjoy Sports movies. Because nice guys rarely finish last.

Don’t get me wrong, the film had me on the verge of tears quite a few times. But I have a ton of real life crap going on, so at this stage in the game, pretty much anything will make me shed a few tears at the moment.

Some parts were cloying in their sweetness. Such as the team running through the streets together…. And the little black boy listening to the game alongside the gruff white men, edging closer and closer to their car’s radio…. I won’t say what happens by the end of the game. I will let you draw your own conclusions.

I did enjoy this movie. A lot. Worth seeing? Definitely. But, compared to some of the other films floating around at the moment, it is kind of getting lost in the shuffle for me. So many great movies, a good movie gets forgotten pretty quickly. I think this is what will happen with Invictus when this seasons Awards hardware is handed out.

XO

Trailer Trash - The Runaways

2009-12-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

Finally, a trailer has been released for The Runaways. And although it doesn't really tell you much, and there is no dialogue save a few snippets of songs and Michael Shannon as skeevy band manager Kim Fowley. If you were not aware, this film is a rock biopic about 1970's rock band The Runaways. Starring Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie - the movie will debut at Sundance in a few weeks. The girls will not only be playing their own instruments, they are also lending their own voices to such classic songs as Cherry Bomb, Queens of Noise, Born to be Bad and many others. I hope that it gets a theatrical release soon after.

I also managed to get my grubby little paws on a copy of the script. Wowsers. Lotsa sex, drugs and rock and roll. I think that Dakota's good girl image is gonna go up in flames after her first girl on girl kiss with Kristen Stewart. And as for the actress best known as Bella Swan, she already has a reputation as quite the bad ass. This film is definitely gonna foster that image.

Can't fricking wait

XO

Ivana Trump is my new Hero

2009-12-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

I am not a fan of bratty kids or Ivana Trump. Contrary to popular opinion from those in my life, it is not that I do not like children per se. I just like it more when kids that I do not know are far away from me. And it is not all kids, your children are probably fine. You know those kids who run around like crazy in restaurant, shops, movie theatres etc. they are the ones that bug me. The ones that have no manners. I am sure that your children are fine.

And Ivana Trump not only married Donald Trump, but called their daughter Ivanka. Enough said.

Never in my wildest dreams could I conceive of an instance where these two annoyances would collide. But yesterday, they did. In a way that I could never have imagined. Ivana Trump was physically escorted off of a plane in Florida because she yelled at some little brats who were running up and down the aisles of the first class cabin. This is the most fantastic news I have heard in a long while. Fantastic and amazing.

According to the Orlando Sentinel:

Ivana Trump, the first ex-wife of billionaire Donald Trump, was escorted by sheriff's deputies off a flight Saturday afternoon at Palm Beach International Airport after she screamed and cursed at children, authorities said.

Trump, 60, of Palm Beach, was seated in first class and apparently became irate because children were running up and down the aisle and screaming, Palm Beach County sheriff's officials said.

Trump, who last week filed for divorce from her third husband, has not been charged in the incident. The FBI declined to investigate, sheriff's officials said.

Flight attendants on the LaGuardia-bound Delta flight told deputies that they tried to calm Trump by offering her another seat and headphones. Trump instead became more belligerent.

The plane was just leaving gate C1 when the incident occurred, and the pilot decided to pull back to the gate and call for help, officials said.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Trump used the "f" word toward the crew and passengers, including children. Officials said she began screaming in vulgar terms for children to shut up.

Deputies asked Trump to voluntarily exit the plane, but they said she refused numerous times. Deputies then "physically escorted her off the aircraft," officials said.

Deputies said Trump repeatedly cursed at them as well. Trump's driver picked her up at the airport soon after.

Source

Okay, while I am not condoning Trump's behaviour - using curse words in front of and particularly to small children is never a good. But, WTF is up with anyone being allowed to roam the aisles of a plane during take off. Since when is that okay? Regardless of my whole bratty kids misbehaving rant and especially in light of the recent terrorist incident on that flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, again I say WTF? Flight attendants are like staff sergeants. Why would they allow the little pissers to run up and down the aisles of the plane once it has left the gate?

I really wish someone had this on You-tube. Would it not be amazing to see the refined, cultured, uber rich Ivana Trump cursing like a sailor and getting her designer clothed ass dragged off of a plane? Please let someone have it on tape. Please please please.

XO

Avatar did not Suck.

2009-12-26T20:36:00.000-08:00

I have a secret to confess. Actually I have two. I will start with the one you will likely find rather shocking. I have never seen the movie Titanic. This is a conscious decision on my part. I will admit - I have seen bits and pieces of it when it has been on TV, but I have never watched it from start to finish. My justification for this pretty ridiculous, but I am confident in my decision to never see this movie. You see, in case you have been living under a rock since 1997 and were not aware - James Cameron’s Titanic is the “highest grossing movie of all time.” This is what irritates me. Yes, Titanic has made more money than any other movie ever made. And for some reason I find this irritating. If you take into account the difference in price of films over the years, the highest grossing movie of all time is actually 1939’s Gone With The Wind. More people paid to see Gone With The Wind than Titanic. But people never ever mention that when discussing movies. And this is the petty, slightly insane and completely ridiculous reason why I will never sit down and watch Titanic from start to finish. Seriously. For reals.

But today, I ventured out and saw James Cameron’s latest movie Avatar – in 3D. And let me just say, that it was pretty fricking cool. This is a phenomenal movie – visually spectacular, with effects and technology that I really do not have words for. The story itself is a little ho-hum, but the ride is totally worth it. According to a number of professional reviewer type people, our movie going world will now be divided in two – “Before Avatar” and “After Avatar”. This film has apparently changed the way we will watch movies.

“A paraplegic ex-marine finds a new life on the distant planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside the planet's indigenous Na'vi race in this ambitious digital 3D sci-fi epic from Academy Award-winning Titanic director James Cameron. The film, which marks Cameron's first dramatic feature since 1997's Titanic, follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a war veteran who gets called to the depths of space to pick up the job of his slain twin brother for the scientific arm of a megacorporation looking to mine the planet of Pandora for a valued ore. Unfortunately the biggest deposit of the prized substance lies underneath the home of the Na'vi, a ten-foot-tall, blue-skinned native tribe who have been at war with the security arm of the company, lead by Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). Because of the planet's hostile atmosphere, humans have genetically grown half-alien/half-human bodies which they can jack their consciousnesses into and explore the world in. Since Jake's brother already had an incredibly expensive Avatar grown for him, he's able to connect with it using the same DNA code and experience first-hand the joys of Pandora while giving the scientific team, led by Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore), some well-needed protection against the planet's more hostile forces.

On a chance meeting after getting separated from his team, Jake's Avatar is rescued by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a Na'vi princess, who brings him into her tribe in order to give the humans a second chance at relating to this new environment. When word gets out of his increasing time with the alien species, Quaritch enlists Jake to do some reconnaissance for the company, as they'd like to persuade the tribe to move their home before taking more drastic measures to harness the treasure hidden below. Yet as Jake becomes one with the tribe and begins to understand the secrets of Pandora, his conscience is torn between his new adopted world and the wheelchair-bound one awaiting him when the psychic connection to his Avatar is broken. Soon battle lines are drawn and Jake needs to decide which side he will fight on when the time comes. The film was shot on the proprietary FUSION digital 3D cameras developed by Cameron in collaboration with Vince Pace, and offers a groundbreaking mix of live-action dramatic performances and computer-generated effects. The revolutionary motion-capture system created for the film allows the facial expressions of actors to be captured as a virtual camera system enables them to see what their computer-generated counterparts will be seeing in the film, and Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning Weta Digital visual-effects house supervises Avatar's complex special effects. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

I don’t understand the whole technology side of things. I just know that the world that Cameron created for this movie is beyond words. It is full of bright vivid colours, fantastical foliage and terrifyingly real creatures. Spectacular mountains, stunning waterfalls, vast forests. You become totally and completely immersed in this world that Cameron created.

I was especially entranced by the night scenes. Every step taken by the characters lit up the ground. Even when they were running through the trees after dark, their steps would light up the ground beneath them. So pretty. There were crazy dog like creatures that scared the crap out of me, flying dragon like creatures that were a multitude of colours and trees that the Na’vi connected to and communicated with. Hell, Cameron even had someone create an entire language that was phonetically easy for the cast to learn, but was unlike any language that exists anywhere in the world.

The story itself is pretty pedestrian and if it weren’t for the amazing effects, the film would be pretty mundane. A few things that specifically irritated me about the plot: the first two thirds of the movie are spent basically explaining how the earth is an amazing creature and everything and everyone is connected to the earth. Then Cameron proceeds to blow the shit out of it. The land the Na’vi are so desperately trying to save – the reason they battle the human interlopers - is pretty much decimated by the end of the film. Yes, they prevailed over the evil humans, but what do they have left? And in 2154, you would think technology would have advanced enough that manual wheelchairs would be totally obsolete.

Thankfully however, this film is not really about the plot – or lack there of. It is about the experience. And the experience is mind blowing. Will it take over from Titanic as the highest grossing movie ever made? I don’t know. But if it does, maybe I will give up my insane vendetta and see Titanic. Maybe.

Oh, and my other secret of the day. One that I am planning on remedying sooner rather than later. I have never seen the Shawshank Redemption. I just never got around to it. I know. I know. It is amazing and fantastic and life changing. Which I why I keep the fact I have never seen it a secret. Don’t tell anyone. Okay.

XO

Charlie Sheen is spending Xmas in jail!

2009-12-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

One day I would like to spend Christmas in Aspen, Colorado. Lots of celebrities spend the Holiday season there, skiing and strutting their stuff on the streets. Particularly Mariah Carey. She is always there in some ridiculously inappropriate ensemble that is impossible to walk the icy streets in. Aspen looks real pretty and festive and a fun place to spot some celebs spending time with their families. Unfortunately, Charlie Sheen will not be sitting down to Christmas Dinner with his family this evening. Instead of spending the night with his wife and their infant sons, he is in the big house having been arrested early this morning for a number of offences with a domestic violence component.

According to People.com:

"Charlie Sheen was arrested Friday at 11:20 a.m. on domestic violence charges.

The Two and a Half Men star was booked for second-degree assault, menacing and criminal mischief, according to a spokesperson for the Pitkin County Sheriff's Department in Aspen, Colo.

"Carlos Irwin Estevez, also known as the actor Charles I. Sheen, was brought to the Pitkin County Colorado Jail for booking and incarceration following his arrest by the Aspen Police Department,” Pitkin County Sheriffs Office patrol director Jeff Lumsden said in a statement.

The actor's rep, Stan Rosenfield, tells PEOPLE, "Do not be mislead by appearance. Appearance and reality can be as different as night and day. It would benefit everyone not to jump to any conclusion."

Sheen, 44, spent Christmas in jail after an alleged scuffle with his wife, Brooke Mueller. He is being held with no bond, and he will remain in jail until his court appearance due to Colorado law which mandates a protection order between those arrested for domestic violence and their victims. "

Damn it Charlie. Why couldn't you keep your shit together. You had been doing so well married, 2 new babies, a popular show (that I do not watch cause - but apparently he is the highest paid man in comedy) and most importantly a talentless fame whore of an ex wife that I am happy to report had been out of the spotlight for the last few months.

Geesh. I had not seen hide nor hair of Denise Richards in quite a while. Now she is gonna have her face plastered all over the tabloids. Cause you know all the magazines will be clamouring for her take on the whole thing. Hopefully she will have the decency to not talk sh*t about the father of her children. Although she is one of the whoriest of the fame whores, I don't think she will take things that far. Do you?

XO

Christmas is cancelled!

2009-12-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

So further proof that the Santa Claus at the mall is really just some pervy old guy in a red suit, a padded stomach and scraggly white beard. Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins are dunzo. Sad face. Very sad face.

Robbins and Sarandon have been together over 20 years, after meeting on the set of 1988's Bull Durham. They have 2 children together - aged 17 and 19. Susan also has another daughter - actress Eva Amurri - from a previous relationship. The story was first reported on People.com yesterday afternoon. Sarandon's representative released the following statement: “Actress Susan Sarandon and her partner of 23 years, actor Tim Robbins have announced that they separated over the summer. No further comments will be made.”

Yes, I didn't know them. I realise that the break up of a couple I have never and will never met shouldn't upset me. But it does. They seemed like such an awesome couple. Smart and socially conscious, their age difference was irrelevant (Sarandon is 12 years older than Robbins). Low key, never seeming to relish in the Hollyweird lifestyle. Committed to their children. They have worked together on a number of occasions - most notably when he directed Susan's academy award winning performance in Dead Man Walking.

I personally loved them both in Bob Roberts - a little scene mockumentary written, directed and starring Robbins as a corrupt right wing folksinger on the political campaign. This is one of my favourite movies - definitely on my top ten list. Absolutely my favourite Tim Robbins movie. It is so very dark and twisty and funny and satirical. Love it.

Couples drift apart. I understand that. I just wish this one hadn't.

Confessions of a Music Lovers I-pod

2009-12-22T21:09:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am using this game when I am to lazy to write an actual post. That is only partly true. Granted, I am a little preoccupied right now, but according to my meticulous records, I should have written this on Saturday.

I-pod on shuffle. First 15 songs are written down. Skip only if their is a repeat of an artist. Don't cheat. This is a safe, non judgy place.

1. Elbow - The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver
2. Fiona Apple - Never is a Promise
3. No Doubt - New
4. Regina Spektor - Apres Moi
5. Adele - My Same
6. Eric Hutchinson - Jettison
7. Crowded House - Kill Eye
8. Bon Iver - For Emma
9. meiko - You & Onions
10. Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhattan
11. Damien Rice - Cold Water
12. Leona Naess - Earthquakes
13. Conor Oberst - NYC: Gone gone
14. Kings of Leon - Closer
15. The Replacements - Here Comes The Regular

Lazy or not. I like this game. meiko is awesome. She needs to tour here. Adele needs to come back so I can see her when I am not completely hammered.... Tee hee hee. One of the most fun days/nights ever.

I think I need some new tunes though. Who gets you off musically right now? What is your favourite band that I haven't heard of?

XO

Brittany Murphy Will Never Tell

2009-12-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the time away from this wee blog gentle reader (s?), but I have had some real life crap going on that has kept me preoccupied. Things are in no way resolved, but I am trying to keep positive and Soldier On as they say.....

So Brittany Murphy died on Sunday. Holy. Did not see that one coming. Cardiac Arrest. At 32. According to TMZ and other sources, Murphy had been sick for a number of days, with severe abdominal pain and shortness of breath. There are also reports that she had a history of hypoglycemia, and was hospitalised earlier in the year for low blood sugar. While a plethora of prescription meds were removed from her house, no alcohol or illegal drug paraphernalia was found on the scene. An autopsy is being performed and the results won't be known for up to 6 weeks.

This is very sad news. While I would probably not consider myself a fan of Brittany Murphy, I did like her in pretty much everything I ever saw her in. So maybe I am a fan. Hmm. I think I need to define what makes a fan. Later. Friends, former coworkers and Hollyweird sycophants have taken to the interwebs and of course the Twitter to express their shock and sadness at this tragic event. Many have commented on her brightness and her spark, her smile.

I loved her in Clueless and 8 Mile, but really, really liked her in Don't Say a Word with Michael Douglas. She played the damaged crazy very well. She also had a small role in the amazing Drop Dead Gorgeous. She made a ton of other films that I never saw, as well as her voice over work in King of the Hill (a show I really do not enjoy).

But did you also know about her music career. She recorded this fantastic dance pop song with the legendary Paul Oakenfold in 2006 - Faster Kill Pussycat. Love it. Super cool track.

So sad to think that she is gone. So many rumours swirling around about what happened. Some are claiming she was a junkie. Some are pointing at a possible eating disorder as a possible cause. Others still are saying that her husband of two years was somehow responsible. Whatever the reason, I hope that the vultures let her family grieve in peace. Prolly not. They will be circling for a while.

Fuckers. But then again, I am just contributing to this aren't I. Pfft. It is not as if I am not aware of my extreme hypocricy.

Golden Globe Godess

2009-12-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

So the Golden Globe nominations were announced this week. They air in about a month. January 17th. 5.00pm Pacific. Be there. Well, be in front of a TV. Award shows are like my crack. I need them. They make me feel better about life. As I have said before, I am contemplating a wee little partay in honour of the occasion. I kind of live in a shoe box so we shall see if it pans out at all.

The afternoon prior to the nomination announcements Carey Mulligan was spotted sitting at a Bus Stop in LA with boyfriend Shia La Beauf. Not only sitting at the Bus Stop. Waiting for the bus. Love it. Admittedly, Shia hasn't got this licence back since he did that thing a while ago (I can't recall - all I know is that it f*cked up his arm for a long time). Almost as adorable as Joshua Jackson who rides the Skytrain here in Vancity.

I wonder if she will ride the bus to the Golden Globes, as she is nominated for Best Actress - Drama - for her luminous performance in An Education. Prolly not. I can dream of a Prius at least though. She seems like the environmental type. Except for the smoking. I think she smokes. Boo Hiss to that.Wonder what she will wear? Hopefully nothing prom like. Or matronly. She can leave the cheap, tacky, bad prom look for the wanna be's - this girl is a true star. Love her. And her style.

Gawd, check out these pics from an upcoming spread in Vogue. Her skin is gorgeous. The minimal make up is flawless. That hat is fricking gold. Does this shoot remind anyone else of Cate Blanchett a la Elizabeth? Can't be just me. Love Carey Mulligan. Although I suspect she will be outshine awards season by Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) - she will be around for many many years and will have her time to shine and win and show all those little Hollyweird starlets exactly how it is done.

Photo Credit: INF

Up, Up In The Air

2009-12-15T21:35:00.000-08:00

Can I tell you just how completely and utterly over the moon I was that Up In The Air was showing here in Vancouver only a week after it’s official limited release opening last week. I thought I was going to have to wait until Christmas to see this movie. There is a strong chance I may see it again. It was that fricking good. Srsly. One of the best movies I have seen all year. Amazing on so many levels.

It tells the story of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make “a real connection.” Ryan has long been contented with his unencumbered lifestyle lived out across America in airports, hotels and rental cars. He can carry all he needs in one wheel-away case; he's a pampered, elite member of every travel loyalty program in existence; and he's close to attaining his lifetime goal of 10 million frequent flier miles - and yet . . . Ryan has nothing real to hold onto.

When he falls for a likeminded fellow traveler (Vera Farmiga), Ryan's boss (Jason Bateman), inspired by a young, upstart efficiency expert (Anna Kendrick), threatens to permanently call him in from the road. Faced with the prospect, at once terrifying and exhilarating, of being grounded, Ryan begins to contemplate what it might actually mean to have a home.

Jason Reitman has made 2 fantastic films over the last few years – Juno and Thank You For Smoking. Up in the Air is probably my favourite of the three. It is not as glib as Juno – while the dialogue is smart and well thought out – it is not littered with a myriad of pop culture references – likely due to the absence of the fantastic Diablo Cody. That is not to say the script isn’t fantastic. So much of Anna Kendrick’s dialogue was gold – her interactions with George Clooney will go down as some of my favourite scenes in a movie all year. Honest, smart witty dialogue is so rare in movies. And this was all that and so much more.

I am so impressed with the performance given by Anna Kendrick. While my friend Kent distracted me by pointing out her odd eyebrow shaping – I was able to look past that (he couldn’t) and appreciate that she held her own against Hollyweird superstar George Clooney – and did an amazing job. Her portrayal of the high strung, aptly named Natalie Keener was revelatory to me. And the fact that Reitman wrote the part with her in mind is a big deal. She ain’t in Forks, dealing with the Vampires of Twilight anymore. Anna Kendrick has surpassed all the other bit players in that franchise with one poorly packed suitcase. She was effing fantastic.

George Clooney has shown again why he is. He is George Clooney mother f*cker. 2 time People Magazine’s sexiest man alive, confident, charming, charismatic, relatable in spite of his jaw dropping good looks. Bingham is a flawed human being, but Clooney makes him likable and endearing. Vera Farmiga was also very good, but her role was not quite as meaty as either of the other 2 leads. She’s very very pretty as well – and does not have distracting eyebrows.

Jason Batemen – in spite of the horrible hair style that aged him about 15 years – was also solid, as were the other minor roles. I very much enjoyed Melanie Lynskey and Danny McBride as Clooney’s sister and her fiancé. I have a crush on Lynskey ever since I saw her in Away We Go…. She is an amazing actress. A special mention needs to go out to a number of the “fired employees” who were real life people who had lost their jobs. Reitman found people in St Louis and Detroit who were willing to recreate their dismissals on camera. I have read a few reports of cynics viewing this as Reitman capitalizing on the current economy in the US – I see it as putting a real face to what is going on in the world today. It wasn’t exploitative, it was humanizing.

Up In The Air is funny, poignant, and smart without being condescending to the audience. Without question, one of my top movies of the year. And it was nominated for a slew of Golden Globes this morning. The only question I have is why it was in the drama category? Yes it was dramatic in parts, but for the audience at the screening I saw it was most definitely more comedic than dramatic. I wonder if the production company gets to decide?

Golden Globes in about a month! Squeee. Contemplating a wee soiree. We shall see if it pans out. Especially as I have 2 chairs that people can actually sit in….Maybe.

In the meantime ---> see Up In the Air. It is Awesomeness wrapped up in amazingness, surrounded by a fluffy cloud of fabulosity.

XO

Music Monday: From my Keyboard to your I-Pod

2009-12-14T20:32:00.000-08:00

I have been so wrapped up in a Brett Dennen - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Lady Gaga haze for the last few weeks that I have been neglecting some of the others on my Playlists. I am such a bad girlfriend I know.

This weeks instalment is courtesy of a friend of mine who knows my deep and abiding love for music. I saw her briefly at a work function and she mentioned this amazing band to me. Told me I would love them. She then emailed me the entire CD to my work account, which was fine except it was about 80 MB! Eek.

I had to email each song to one of my personal accounts individually as I couldn't get more than one to go through at a time. So totally and completely worth it though. The band is The XX. From the UK, this is an uber cool group of kids who write about love and loss - all with a kicky synthesised beat. I heart them. A lot. They may be touring here next year. Sometime in April. Weeeeee!

They remind me a titch of Miike Snow, who I adore and saw a few months ago. They too are touring next year. In April. Sigh. I can already tell that 2010 is gonna be a hot and heavy year for me and my boyfriend - music. Do you know him? He is dreamy. And I am his eternal slave. Forever and always.

XO

Have you seen my Christmas tree?

2009-12-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

Yea. I said it. It's a Christmas tree Mother f*ckers. Not a Holiday Tree. A Christmas Tree. Deal with my truth. Not that I am even known as a Christmasy person. Most people who know me outside of this wee blog would even go so far as to say I am rather grinchy. I could argue the point that I am technically not anti-Christmas, instead I am just indifferent, but I just can't be bothered.

But is my Christmas tree not the most magnificent tree you have seen short of the one at Rockerfeller Centre in NYC? So pretty, so many LED lights, no presents yet, but I have my fingers crossed!! I have been a very good girl this year! Or at least have kept any of my own transgressions very much on the down low.

So maybe this tree isn't technically mine. But the good folks at Amacon, a Vancouver based realty company have said that this tree is for the city of Vancouver. I live in the city, I pay property taxes through rent, I am just as much entitled to claim this tree as mine as anyone else right? For the third year in a row, in lieu of a staff Holiday Party, Amacon has donated a massive Christmas tree that stands on the Georgia Street lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Amacon uses this as a fundraiser for a variety of Metro Vancouver charities. Elvis Costello and Diana Krall even came to light my tree last week! No singing, cause I wasn't there. I am sure if I had been able to go, they would have belted out a few tunes. I think this is so completely admirable for a company to do this. Our staff Christmas party involves 2 hours in our offices with a few bottles of wine... So I think the best we could do is maybe a fake tree from the Dollar Store.

Feel free to leave me a little something under the tree. I am on your nice list right?

"The Runaways" gets a Poster and a 1st Screening Date

2009-12-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

Kristen Stewart is gonna be one busy girl at The Sundance Film Festival in January 2010. Not only is Welcome to The Rileys part of the official program at the Festival in Park City, Utah but word has just come out that another film she completed in between filming New Moon and Eclipse here in Vancouver will be screened, likely looking for a distributor. I wasn't aware that they had a "non-competition" section to Sundance, but I am glad that they do.

The Runaways is the story of 1970's all-girl rock band of the same name. Starring Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie, the film chronicles the band from their formation in 1975 until 1977 when Currie left at the height of their success. Also starring Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon as their manipulative manager Kim Fowley, and Alia Shawkett, Scout Taylor-Compton & Stella Maeve, I really really hope that someone picks this film up. I would hate for it to languish on a shelf somewhere.

I think this story is so fascinating. They were a manufactured group, but they turned the music industry, particularly the hard-rock music industry, on it's head. A bunch of 15-16 chicks filling stadiums, taking on what had always been a male dominated world, living the rockstar lifestyle as teenage girls. Looks pretty f*cking rad if you ask me. The first poster and promotional pictures were released recently. The poster is all about the legs and the guitars - and the red. I like it! I absolutely love the picture of Kristen and Dakota - they look fricking amazing and bad ass in this shot. I can't wait to see this movie.

Gah! Why do I not have a life that affords me the ability to go to Sundance? Or TIFF? Or SXSW? Sigh.... Maybe one day I will....

XO

Until We Meet Again...

2009-12-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

In all my many years of watching the TV, I do not recall hearing the phrase "fall finale" as often as I have this year. Apparently it is the fault of the 2010 Olympics. Pfft. But so many of my shows do not have new episodes until "next year"...with some, such as the awesome Glee... not coming back until April.

April. That is 4 fricking months. And the Olympics don't even start until February and will be over by Mid March (assuming you include the Paralympics - which most people probably don't). Until that time I will have to be content rewatching the fall finale over and over again (yay for my PVR) and scouring the interwebs for clips from the shows.

Speaking of, did you watch the finale on Wednesday? A-mazing right? Lea Michelle doing Rain on My Parade was effing genius. Audio above. Phenomenal. Fantastic. Pick a superlative and throw it in there. And for some inspired casting, do you not think that Barbra Streisand, who immortalised the song in "Funny Girl" would be perfect as Rachel Barry's birth grandmother (or possibly her birth mother if they had really really good make up and/or lighting). Video below from the movie - leaves me speechless every time.

I had actually wanted the amazing Idina Menzel to be Rachel's birth mother (if you were not aware, Rachel has two adoptive daddies). But she is *this* close to signing on as the coach of New Direction's rival for Regionals (along with Lea's costar from Spring Awakenings - Jonathon Groff as the male Rachel in the rival glee club). Perhaps they could consider a shocking end of season twist where it is discovered that Rachel and the yet to be named coach of the rival club are actually mother and daughter? Oh happiness. Oh Glee. Here is Idina singing the same song - live - in 2008 at the Kennedy Centre Honors.

I am not making any comparsions. I will leave that to others. It is 3 amazingly, phenomenally talented singers. I wish I had one iota of their talent.

Until April, I will just have to console myself with these pictures of the boys of Glee, which will be featured in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair. These are not the actual pictures, obviously. Just pap shots of the shoot. I wonder if they are getting the Cover? That would be pretty cool. They would be like the Twilight cast of the small screen.

Is it April yet?

XO

Britney, Britney, Britney

2009-12-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

My first thought when I saw this photo was "Nice Poncho." Now, they tell me that sarcasm doesn't always translate from the written word... so perhaps I should rephrase this to "Please, never wear this out of the house again" It is most definitely a world of NO.

My second thought was "Mom hair" - cause in the pic on the left it is total mom hair. And, yes I know she is an actual mom. It is just not Britney Spears hair. I was also a little bit thrilled at the possibility that this shorter do meant that he crappy ass weave days we finally behind her. It was a Festivus Miracle! Praise Jeebus.

But no. The miracle of Festivus has yet to reveal itself. The weave is still beyond words. Now, I may be a little slow about some things. But I will never understand how Britney can leave the house looking like that. Knowing that she will be followed and photographed from every angle. How do you leave, knowing your hair looks like that. I am not even remotely famous and I would never leave my apartment with that ratty, stringy mess. Throw on a touque, grab a cute hat, or - a novel concept for Brit-Brit apparently - run a f*cking comb through your hair.

Note to Papa Spears: I know that the conservatorship is possibly coming to an end. But seriously? Is that a good idea? I know it is just a case of lack of hair brushing..... but it is a slippery slope from simply not brushing out a weave, to shaving your head and attacking photogs with an umbrella. Just saying.

XO

Photo Credit: Bauer Griffin / Splash

Pamela Anderson Has a Big Book

2009-12-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

All about Big Dicks. The expression a picture says a thousand words is perfectly demonstrated with the picture below. Pamela Anderson, star of sex tapes and Baywatch, at a book signing in Beverly Hills on Thursday. Now, in spite of her experience in the subject matter, she did not actually "write" this book. She just picked it up to reminisce about some of her past loves.

I am fairly confident in asserting that this is primarily a picture book. I don't think that Pammie is fond of.... I don't know.... words. And we all know she is fond of the penis. And this is the Big Penis Book. She is sure to recognise a few.

Now, why, in all the hoopla surrounding the Olympics, has Pammie's name not been mentioned as a contributor to anything to do with the Games. She is from BC, she was "discovered" at BC Place. Can I nominate her to light the cauldron or whatever it is that is lit at the start of the Games. This may not be such a good idea. I suspect she is about 65% flammable - what with the big fake boobs and crappy weave. Oh Canada, I stand on guard for thee.

XO

Photo Credit: SPH/Splash News

The Monster Ball - Show me your Teeth!!

2009-12-11T22:31:00.000-08:00

If you know me, you know my musical tastes. I am in musical heaven if there is a somewhat cute boy with a guitar. He writes his own material, and seeing him in concert involves him and his guitar. That is my musical orgasm. It has worked for me over the years and I am generally left satisfied. I have always been more interested in the substance of an artist, more than the show.

This is why Lady Gaga leaves me torn. While I have appreciation for her substance as an artist, the show and hype surrounding her has always kind of irritated me. The costumes, the hint of a penis (which I am pretty sure she encouraged), her close friendship with the douchy Perez Hilton… all of that has left me cold. Especially when I know she is talented – she writes her own songs, plays the piano and wonder of wonders, sings live. I have heard her sing acoustically – she has a great voice. But the package….. there was the rub.

Over the past few months however, I have found myself more and more intrigued by this New York pop phenom. To see her in concert, or not to see her in concert? I am more of a folk music kind of gal, but Gaga I was now wiling to make an exception for. When my friend Nicole left me a message telling me we had ninth row seats to her concert at the Queen Elizabeth theatre, I did a happy dance in the middle of Filene’s Basement on the Upper West Side of New York.

Last night, I experienced the Monster Ball. From start to finish, through about 6 costume changes, Lady Gaga kept us totally and completely energized and entertained. She was so captivating that it wasn’t until about half way through the show that I realized the amazing abs of her dancers. Holy abs and impressive packages in their tight spandex. Hello salty goodness. We danced our asses off.

Loved the whole thing. Especially when it was just her and the piano. Only a song and half. But that made it worth the $90. Ninth row center. Short chicks in front of me. The perfect setting on my crappy camera found very quickly. She didn’t play the one song I always skip (Brown Eyes – such cheese).

From the first song to the final encore she was fricking awesome. She danced, she sang live and it was good. All good. So fricking good. To see her in a relatively intimate venue was fantastic. Next time it will be GM place and it will not be the same. The staging was relatively simple, lots of screens to give coverage during costume changes. Mainly it was just Gaga and the dancers.

One of the best shows I have seen all year. And I have been to a ton. She definitely made me wanna Just Dance!

XO

Chris Brown is a whiny little bitch

2009-12-11T19:43:00.000-08:00

Poor Chris Brown. Apparently he thinks that a few half assed apologies and some carefully orchestrated puff piece interviews should be sufficient to make up for the FACT that he beat down his girlfriend. Chris is whining to anyone that knows how to search on Twitter that some retailers are refusing to stock his album. Awww. Boo f*cking hiss to him! Could it be because he was convicted of beating the crap out of his girlfriend less than a year ago? And that maybe some consumers don’t want to see his f*cking CD on the shelves? In the 10 months or so since Chris Brown viciously assaulted Rhianna he has done nothing beyond what was mandated by the courts. And do not even try and argue that a half assed insincere apology on you-tube, followed by a useless interview on Larry King equals redemption.

And don’t even get me started on that smarmy, conceited interview on ABC a few weeks ago, where he basically accused the girl he beat of lying on national Television. That smirk on his face when he told Robin Roberts that Rhianna had heard his stupid f*cking apology song. I wish she had had the guts to call him on it as opposed to pandering to this little sh*t. Sorry, he makes me so furious. His arrogance and sense of entitlement is ridiculous.

Image courtesy of eonline

So poor, picked on Chris Brown is mad as hell that some mean retailers have chosen not to stock this new CD and he doesn’t care who hears saying both “I ain’t retracting sh*t” and the “industry can kiss my ass” on Twitter. For anyone and everyone to see. Oh Chris Brown. You arrogant, whiny, ignorant little prick. Why won’t you just go the f*ck away?

And when I innocently pointed out to Chris (on the Twitter) that perhaps the fact that he has been convicted of assault may be the reason said retailers are hesitant to have his CD in stock (okay, so maybe I also called him a whiny little bitch), the response from one of his fans (@AnthonySereda) was…… “I hope Chris Brown beats another woman….and I hope that woman is you”. Ladies and Gentleman. I bring you fans of Chris Brown….. hoping he beats women. My response to this? I hope he fucking tries.

XO

Rock and Folk at the Commodore

2009-12-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

There is a scene in Season 3 of Buffy when Oz and Willow are at the Bronze, sitting on a couch, completely lost in each other. He caresses her face and kisses her gently when Buffy comes up an interrupts them. It is a simple little scene…signifying how Buffy is alone and always will be…..burden of being the Slayer blah blah blah……really isn’t super important. It is one of my favourite Willow-Oz scenes simply because they are so lost in each other and the rest of the world has fallen away. Sigh. The kind of love I was had before it got all f*cked up……anyways…moving on. The point to this was not to fall into a pit of despair about how love sucks balls. The point (and do you not love how I can relate anything and everything to Buffy?) was to illustrate appropriate forms of PDA.

On Monday night, at the Commodore Ballroom, there was this couple that had no concept of this. They spent the entire 30 minutes before the opening act and most of the actual opening act of the show sucking each other’s face off in a booth. And it was not in a Willow-Oz, I wish I were her; they are so clearly in love kind of way. It was just gross. It was as if they were thirteen years old, drunk for the first time, having no f*cking clue what they are doing. It was nauseating.

Then during the show they were right in my sight line, standing on the dance floor, arms wrapped around each other for the entire set. It was more than that. I can’t really describe it, but it seemed as if they believed their lives depended on their being no more than 2 inches apart, complete with 60% of their bodies touching. Ugh. Sickening and nauseating.

Now onto the important things. The show. I would like to say it was a sold out crowd, but in honesty, it was only about a third full. Very strange as I thought that the headliner was pretty well known. Brett Dennen with Grace Potter & the Nocturnals as the opener. F*cking wicked. A last minute addition to the fall concert series that is my life. I had seen Brett before, a few years ago with Missy Higgins and Mason Jennings. He was good. Very good. Never seen Grace Potter. Can’t recall when I first heard of them.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals are f*cking amazing. Seriously so good. 6 of them on stage, all in red and black, clearly loving what they do and totally vibing off of each other. In all honesty, this band from Vermont should more well known than they are. Grace’s voice is phenomenal, and she can wail. They reminded me of Janis Joplin with a side of Jefferson Airplane. And their cover of Somebody to Love/White Rabbit was fantastic. They played my favourite song – Apologies – which is slow and soulful. But it was their last song that solidified the amazingness. By the end of the song they were all surrounding the drum kit, playing a different part of the kit. So f*cking good.

Next up was Brett Dennen. Also great. But a completely different vibe from Grace Potter. Where GP were all wild and soulful and totally blew the roof off of the Commodore, Brett is a lot more mellow, cute and endearing to the crowd. He has a very unique look and sound. He looks kinda like Carrot Top, before all the unfortunate surgeries, or Chucky. And sounds somewhat similar to Tracy Chapman. He scats, he shakes his ass, his band is dope. He played all the songs I know and love. Super chill, strangely skinny, very entertaining. An odd duck. But his tunes are catchy and inoffensive, and he is another that should be better known than he currently is.

Short reviews of live shows now seem to be the norm for me. I rarely have the time to write masses on each and every song that is played. Eek! Hope no-one is too concerned about it. I was also camera shy so no pictures or video. Saving it up for Lady Gaga (review and twelve million pics coming later tonite hopefully)

Lemme know if you are heartbroken by this ;)

XO

PS: Screen cap of Buffy courtesy of the amazing peeps at Screencap Paradise

To Glee or not to Glee!!

2009-12-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

I came home from work both super excited and vaguely depressed at what would be on my PVR. Super excited because Glee! was going to be on there. Bummed because it was the mid-season finale. Boo f*cking hiss to that. We have to wait until what, April for new episodes. Further proof that the Powers that be at Fox are the devil. Not Devilish. The actual Devil. Mother f*ckers.

Then I realized that Glee is on tomorrow night. Balls. Not enough sleep last night and too much sugar while attempting to fake my way through the Christmas Decorating contest at work. Gingerbread House – this is ours – it is a “Vancouver Special” and it is pretty awesome. I don’t really understand the whole Vancouver Special thing – as I am an Aussie, but I think it has something to do with tacky Italian design. Whatevs. Ours rocked.

So tonight I am Gleeless. Sadness. But thankfully there is this to keep me amused until Glee returns tomorrow. I think there is almost as much autotune in this as in one scene with Cory Monteith (Finn). I hope they give it a rest in the back 9 episodes. I think this two and a half minutes is pretty amazing. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there was a kicky beat and autotune following you around your whole life. And writers. I would also like people to write the lines of my life for me. Preferably Joss Whedon.

If you could work on that for me, that would be awesome. Thanks.

Until then, I warn you: this is one of the catchiest songs I have heard in a while. Srsly. This sh*t gets stuck in your head.

XO