One More Day

The house guest is here for only one more day...SO excited. I'm also dealing with some personal and personnel issues so I have to remind myself of the decisions I made earlier in the year. I need to trust myself more than I doubt myself.

I must say I am proud of myself. Last night was a bad one, but instead of moping in my sweats, I dressed up and went to my school's semi-formal dance. It ended up being a really good time and it meant a lot to the organizers that I was there, since I worked with them during the academic conference I helped organize. I think it made all the difference in my mood for the rest of the weekend.

Right now, I'm watching Key Largo (1948) on TV. I want to be better than it is...there's just a lot of speechifying going on. I'm not complaining however; there is no one in the apartment right now except for Ella and me. Wheuheu!

One of The Most Important Plays Ever Written

The Women is being remade. I saw the first commercial for it tonight. It took me a minute to recognize it, but it is indeed a remake of the 1936 play, which was first turned into a movie in 1939. The playwright was Clare Booth Luce, a fascinating woman. She was a New York society woman who also happened to be a successful writer and serve in Congress. You should read Rage for Fame.

Why is this play important? Because, when done correctly...don't see "The Opposite Sex", its cast is made up entirely of women. Sure, the majority of the plot revolves around men, but you never see or hear one man in the entire play/movie. For any Broadway show or Hollywood flick, that is incredible. And now, just as in 1939, the movie stars some top notch talent...except Eva Mendes. How the hell did she get this part? For this most recent iteration, every actor that gets billing in this movie is a woman. That's so cool to me.

This is not the most PC movie in the world, and I'm sure Diane English...the creator of "Murphy Brown"...will modernize it a lot, but when done correctly, it is witty and smart. I can't wait to see it.

Things Are Happening

I didn't realized how long it's been since I've posted anything at all on the site. Plenty of stuff has been happening to me, but I've been busy deciding if I wanted to blog about it. I've decided some things I will talk about, one thing I won't.

First off, I've lost 4 pounds in the last three weeks with Weight Watchers. I wasn't overweight by any stretch of the imagination, but my body mass index was at the maximum for my height. Obesity runs in my family and I didn't want to rest on my laurels, so to speak. Just because I'm not obese doesn't mean that I'm fine. So I decided to get help getting disciplined about what I eat. It's amazing how hard it is to stay conscious about food...it's very, very hard. Half the time I want to eat something really bad out of defiance. Until I realize I'd only be cutting off my nose to spite my face. I wish I was losing more faster, but four pounds is nothing to sneeze at. One pound is the weight of four sticks of butter! So I've shed 16 sticks of butter in three weeks.

Secondly, I just finished watching the entire first season of "Mad Men" on On Demand. Damn, that show is good. I watched it marathon-style in the day before July 4th and today. Every time I see Jon Hamm, I melt a little inside. That man is fine inside and out. I can't wait for the Season 2 opener at the end of July.

Thirdly, I hosted a great July 4th BBQ at the place where I'm house sitting this summer. It was an intimate gathering and it was great. Lots of good food, good drinking, and good conversation.

Fourth, I actually have a lot of work to do. I wanted to take it easy on with regards to "resume-building" work, but alas, I've gotten some great gigs. It requires a great deal of discipline, but it's good practice for me.

Fifth, I ran a race a couple of weeks ago. It felt good. I've been running more often anyway in pursuit of my weight loss goal. The race reminded me of the best part of running. They served us beers at 10am!

And finally, I'm embarking on a new adventure. It's a bit of a surprise that I'm here, but it feels good. We'll see...

A Missed Opportunity

J.K. Rowling (pronounced rolling) was the commencement speaker for Harvard this year.

Can I say here how confusing Harvard's graduation exercises are? There is the main ceremony with everyone, then the separate school diploma ceremonies, then everyone gets back together for the Commencement speaker. Not to mention that it's a month after the last day of classes. So weird!

Anyway, I had no urge to hear her speech. I thought she would not be interesting at all. I mean, I loved the books, but they weren't high literature or anything!

Boy was I wrong! Everyone who went said the speech was amazing. She was funny, smart, moving, and inspirational. I had to see it. So of course I went straight to YouTube...and they were right. One of her best lines: while talking about the value of failure she made it clear that she was not advocating being poor.

"Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts, that is something on which to pride yourself. But poverty itself is romanticized only by fools."

That idea was one of the biggest problems I had with TM. As a person who never had to deal with it, he seemed to look down on people who actively tried to avoid it.

Anyway, I know the speech is in three parts, but please check it out. Especially if you hated your graduation speaker. You can listen to this one and claim it as your own...it's that good. 2008 was a great year for commencement speakers.

The Messiness of 70s Movies

On the whole, I don't like American movies made in the late 60s and 70s, the ones created by the new wave of filmmakers that portrayed the grittiness of life. I've seen the classics: Taxi Driver, Midnight Cowboy, etc., and I watched them more because they were classics than because I dug them.

But I just saw The Great White Hope. It's a movie based on a play (often the best movies). It's a riveting story loosely based on Jack Johnson. The first black heavyweight contender (played by James Earl Jones) at the beginning of the 20th century and a white woman (played by Jane Alexander) fall in love. America responds by basically running them out of town and destroying their lives.

Surprise, surprise. That's not what's brilliant about this movie. What is so great is how it portrays the blatant racism of American society. It was(is) ugly, and the movie showed it totally bare bones. There was this one great scene that personified my theory of how the powerful stay powerful in this society. Jack is down and out in Mexico; he's a fugitive, no one will box him, he and Eleanor are living in the slums. A federal marshal shows up with the jefe of the Mexican village. The marshal barely says a word in the scene, but his presence pits the Mexican sheriff and the black man against each other. The brown men are ready to kill each other to protect their interests threatened by the white man barely saying a word.

This movie so couldn't be made today. White people are saying lines like a great white hope needs to win a fight with a horizontal n****r at his feet...it seems like only black people can say the n-word in movies today. Jack beats Eleanor with a shirt to avoid punching her. At the end of Jack's last fight, his bloody mouth guard falls out. It was a deep flick. Make sure you see it.

This Made the Football Game Worth It

The fact that this commercial was posted back in September proves that I have not watched TV in a while.

This commercial just makes me laugh, even if it's for McEvil.

I Don't Get Videos

I'm up early this Friday. I don't have classes today, but I'm not upset. I'm just glad that I can enjoy this Friday off and not rush off to a group meeting or site visit or something.

So I'm watching videos. Things I haven't seen in a very long time. And I realize that I don't get them. How does a woman stop Freddy Rodriguez from killing himself by dancing in the Santana video? And how did she get a waitress job where she can take over the restaurant with her sexy dancing? All that hair flying around the food must be a health hazard.

And there's this video with the girl who plays Vanessa on "Gossip Girl" where I'm supposed to believe that even though she has the alcohol problem and is sitting in the passenger seat, the driver gets killed in an accident. I don't buy it. But I do think she looks better with straight hair...she has curly hair in the show...to make her more ethnic, I think.

And there was no way I was going to watch a video hoochie be all lovey-dovey to Sean Kingston, even if he's talking about how rough his life is. He's not attractive and not talented.

And is it just me, but does Natasha Bettingfield looks like she's 37? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she looks bad. I'm saying she looks too old to be referencing high school feelings in her songs. And she's definitely too old to have Sean Kingston featured in her multi-culti video.

In other news, my good friend, Angela came to visit me last weekend. We had a mellow weekend, but I really enjoyed seeing her face. I missed her so much! I wish I would have scheduled in more time with just her and I, but I'll visit NYC in January. P.S. If you haven't seen Gone Baby Gone, don't. It sucked.

In other other news, my semester is over in less than two weeks! Well, it's not over because I have finals due at the end of January...but I don't have anymore classes in about a week and a half. I know I sound all dramatic, but I really can't believe I finished and that I accomplished all that I did. I now know what a standard deviation is and how to get it. I know a basic overview of the history of urban education and how its history shapes its function today. I know that US colleges have a 50% graduation rate and that rate is continuing to decrease. I know how to write a reference list in APA format. None of these things I knew just four months ago. Crazy!

You should do that sometime...pick a time in the recent past and come up with all the stuff that you know now that you absolutely didn't know then. If you've got nothing...go start learning!

All The Posts I Would Have Written...

So I've actually wanted to post in the past weeks several times. Alas, I still don't feel like I can spare the time. I'm getting better though.

Anyway, here are the abstracts to the posts I would have written.

I Thought We Lived in a Good Neighborhood. TM and I were so excited to be able to give out candy this year after years of living in apartment buildings in NYC, where you don't ever buzz someone in that you don't know. Our neighborhood is filled with houses that are filled with kids. We went to Costco and got a big bag of candy and 100 Blow-Pops...just in case we ran out. Apparently, we live on a crappy street because only one group of kids came by all night! And of those five kids, only two of them were in a costume. TM gave them each a huge handful of candy and I've been bringing the rest to school. So sad...

Happy Anniversary? TM and I celebrated our first anniversary the beginning of October. It isn't technically a year since we became boyfriend/girlfriend (that's in December), but it's been a year since we've basically been together...he didn't date anyone else once we had our first date and I went on one lame ass date before I realized that I was comparing the dude to TM. It was a great anniversary: dinner in the North End, gelato in a cute dessert shop. The rest of the month did not go so well. We had a very hard month discussing our "next step." It was really difficult, where a lot was revealed and a lot of tears were shed. Ultimately, it was one of the best things that has happened to us. We are closer and know so much more about each other than we did...even after a year. Now we're having a blast!

Duh! I want to be engaged. TM knows this and we are "in talks"...I don't think anyone is going on strike or anything. It's just funny because as soon as I said it out loud to TM, it felt like this huge revelation and the most obvious thing to me simultaneously. I think being married to TM would be the coolest thing ever.

Movies I've Seen. So part of my adjustment period at Harvard is trying to find balance between getting my work done and taking care of my family and me. It's still a struggle, but I'm getting better. So good, in fact that for three weekends in a row, I've seen a movie in the movie theatre! Can I say again how much I love having a $7 movie theatre walking distance from my house? So I've seen Eastern Promises, American Gangster, and Lars and the Real Girl.

I officially don't get David Cronenberg films. I mean I don't get what the hubbub is about. This movie is well-scripted and directed in a pretty straight-forward way. There is one pretty amazing scene in the film that I have never seen before...I imagine that must have taken some skill to execute. Besides that, it was pretty good, but not great.

American Gangster, on the other hand, was so kick-ass! Denzel was better than he was in Training Day. In Training Day, I could feel him actively trying to get the audience to forget his usual acting type. Like he was screaming: "I'm not always a nice guy, you know!" Granted, he was screaming in an excellent voice. With this film, he wore his character like a perfectly tailored suit. You didn't see the work behind the character...he just was. And Russel Crowe's character was made for him: earthy and awkward and sexy and tough. He was a meaty actor in a meaty role. It was a fascinating story as well, all the more interesting because it's true.

I loved Lars and the Real Girl so much. I understood that character so much. I don't know if it's due to the writing or due to my own mental health struggles, but I totally got why Lars did everything he did and it all made complete sense to me. There were several moments where I was laughing and sad crying at the exact same time. Anyone who has dealt with loss, with loneliness, with family issues should see this film. I'm not saying you'll relate to it the way I did, but you'll definitely recognize something in the film. So Good!

It's Coming Together. The cool thing that happens in a strong academic setting is happening for me right about now. I'm making brand new connections in my brain. What I'm learning about in my Econ class is tying into my core doctoral seminar about the role of education in perpetuating or dismantling class. When I learn about adult development, I can apply to how workers in an organization deal with change. I'm going to use the skills I developed in my qualitative interviewing class on a class project in another one. I love that feeling of connecting.

They Are Dropping Like Flies. Perhaps I had Harvard on too high a pedestal, but I thought that the Admissions Committee did all the weeding out before we got here. I know I was struggling with feeling stupid, but it didn't seriously occur to me that I would quit the program. I thought I might fail out, but I'm not worried about that anymore. However, there is serious self-doubt creeping into the ranks...people who I thought had this whole grad school thing down are catching the "I wanna quit" cold. It's kinda scary. No one beside the woman I spoke about before has actually done it, but there is more talk than makes me comfortable. I just have to keep my eyes on the prize: Dr. L. Britt!

Shout-out. A friend of mine...who hasn't posted on her blog in quite a while :)...is making a huge life change soon. It's something that she's wanted to do for a long time and now she's making it happen. I just want to say that I'm very proud of her and happy for her. Yeah!

Scared to Hope. So I just saw the latest "Grey's Anatomy" episode online. That one was good! It was really good. It wasn't precocious and annoying they way it's been all season. It was simple and well-written and it let the good actors be good actors. It was interesting to see Christina not be top dawg. It was comforting to have Bailey back in charge. And I'm SO happy they are sabotaging the whole George/Izzie thing, because that relationship reeked of a Sweeps Week ploy. It was like the writers tried to have a one-night stand with a lame plot choice and the choice ended up pregnant, so they were stuck with it. So now I'm happy with the show, but I still have to take it one episode at a time, because who knows if it will get annoying again.

Michael Moore's Best Film

TM and I saw Sicko today. I was expecting to leave the theater upset, angry and hopeless. Instead, I was moved beyond words. After the movie was over, TM and I just hugged each other and cried.

I'm still processing what about the film was so moving. For one thing, it was a well-constructed story with a beginning, middle, and end. Moore interspersed his facts and figures with really compelling human stories. They were real people with average lives. They didn't have some crazy diseases; people with health insurance went bankrupt from having heart attacks and diabetes.

As usual, Moore made the complex world of American politics and business highly accessible and extremely eye-opening.

But I think the best parts of the movie surround Moore himself. Unlike his previous films, he didn't insert himself as much into this one. Don't worry, he's still up to his usual shenanigans...his arrival at Gitmo was hilarious. But for the most part, he just let the people tell their stories. It was those stories that made me laugh and cry, sometimes simultaneously.

Moore also really loves America. I know there's been a lot of hoopla about him going to Cuba...those scenes, by the way, were wonderful...but he really does believe that America can be so much better than it is. During the part where he highlights the LA hospitals dropping off homeless patients on Skid Row, he asks the audience "Who are we?" And there is so much pain in his voice. I guess I always thought that he was just an angry guy who had at his disposal the means to shame America. But I learned that he loves his country.

I'm not nearly as articulate about this movie as I mean to be. But everyone should see this movie. Everyone should see this movie like they saw An Inconvenient Truth. You should see this movie, because Moore shouldn't be criticized for doing what every single filmmaker does: tells a story with a specific point of view. His point of view is pretty damn riveting.

The 5 Question Interview, Part 2

You can find out why I'm writing this post here. These questions were asked of me by tuckergurl. This is a very scary exercise, but you just can't turn away.

1. Have you and The Rover talked about what raising multi-racial kids will be like? She meant TM...she'd had some red wine as she wrote these.
Surprisingly no. We've talked about the values we want to impart to them and who will be the disciplinarian, but we haven't talked about the racial/cultural component. I think - without knowing it - that my dad and stepmom...who's white...are my guides. As far as I see, they don't "prep" my brother to be biracial. They face problems from without as they come up with no shame, and they have taught him about his family his entire life. Of course, they are very fortunate to live in a tolerant community, but race has never been a "thing."

So I'm hoping to adopt that philosophy. I am not so naive to think that race won't be an issue by the time my child comes into the world. As I write this, I'm realizing I believe that biracial people...of any combination...are more accepted by society that straight black people. Huh. I have to think about this.

2. If you could have any occupation in the world (other than the one you have), what would it be?
I have two answers. I would either:

• run a small theatre company of quality in a community that really values theatre, or
• be a camp counselor in Maine.

3. If you could spend a night with one celebrity, who would it be?
So many are coming to mind! Wait a minute! I'm ashamed it took me this long...Channing Tatum, of course! God, that would be good stuff!

4. What is your biggest regret?
I had one answer for this for years, but writing it doesn't seem right. Huh...again. I think I may have forgiven myself for that one. I think my biggest regret is not going through with breaking up with Ex during our trip to Miami 7 months into our relationship. I actually told him that I wanted to break up because he didn't seem to accept me as I was. But then we made up...sort of. I should have kept walking.

5. What's your favorite movie?
There are SO many. But I guess I would have to say Dirty Dancing. That one has the strongest emotional tie for me. I can remember that film in a way I remember no other.

Another Straw

There are a million examples out there of how wonderful America is. Unfortunately, these days, there seem to be two million that make us wonder if life as a Canadian is doable. This article is yet another one. It is biased...I saw that and didn't care...but it is also well-written and touching. It made me so angry, so ashamed that it took me weeks to finish it. There would be 45-minute subway rides that I spent staring at the ads rather than read more of it. I'm glad I finally did, even if the Iraqis profiled in the article love this country more than I do right now.

Where Was I?

So I get home late from seeing a great show at Joe's Pub. I dejectedly turn on the TV, knowing I've got...maybe...15 channels to choose from. I flipped through them and came across this movie. I have no recollection of this film and apparently everyone is in it: Dermot Mulroney, Rick Schroder, Noah Wyle, Kelli Williams. It's cheesy and melodramatic and packs every possible 60s reference into it to add authenticity.

Does anyone remember this flick?

Why I'm Glad I Don't Have Kids Yet

No, no...some rambunctious brat didn't annoy me on the subway. The reason I'm glad is because I was able to read this article about the dangers of overpraising your children in New York magazine and actually listen to what it had to say. It was an article that both TM...shorthand for The Mormon until I come up with a new name...and I had wanted to read, but I just got around to it today. The information presented was so startling, I felt my heart race. The results of the studies cited blew my mind! Bronson did a brilliant job at getting to the roots of why parents overpraise, or even falsely praise:

Truth be told, while my son was getting along fine under the new praise regime, it was I who was suffering. It turns out that I was the real praise junkie in the family. Praising him for just a particular skill or task felt like I left other parts of him ignored and unappreciated. I recognized that praising him with the universal “You’re great—I’m proud of you” was a way I expressed unconditional love.

Offering praise has become a sort of panacea for the anxieties of modern parenting. Out of our children’s lives from breakfast to dinner, we turn it up a notch when we get home. In those few hours together, we want them to hear the things we can’t say during the day—We are in your corner, we are here for you, we believe in you.

In a similar way, we put our children in high-pressure environments, seeking out the best schools we can find, then we use the constant praise to soften the intensity of those environments. We expect so much of them, but we hide our expectations behind constant glowing praise. The duplicity became glaring to me.

This idea is my favorite part of the article: praise is just as much, if not more, about the parent as it is about the kid.

I never thought about it before...and I won't think too much on it now...but I wonder if I suffered from what the article suggests. I grew up being told I was very smart. To this day, my sisters and I are differentiated by how good grades come to us. For me, they just seem to happen; for my sister, she studied extremely hard.

But I remember freaking OUT when I got anything below an "A-"...on anything. In my "advanced" fifth grade class, I cheated repeatedly. I remember not wanting to cheat, but feeling like I had no choice. In fifth grade, come on! I actually got caught once and ended up getting a "D" in science. The only reason I didn't fail was because I had been getting "A" in all my assignments up until that point.

I wonder if the notion of being afraid of failure has affected the choices I've made in my life. I always wanted to run a theatre company...am I not doing it because I failed at my first attempts?

Huh...

Anyway...I am really glad I don't have kids because I can read this article with an impartial eye. The writer interviewed a parent who instantly rejected scientific studies because her version of praise was working for her. I'm glad I'm not in a situation where I instantly discount the article because it rattles my cages. In fact, I am paying the article more attention because it rattles my cages. It's going into my mental parenting file cabinet.

Riveting!

So I just finished watching the conclusion of the three-part "Grey's Anatomy." It wasn't one of the best episodes I've seen...but I was still stuck to my seat. I didn't get up to take off my shoes or to change into my PJ's. I didn't surf the Internet during the commercials. I made The Mormon get off the phone with me.

I think part of the reason why I didn't think this was the best episode EVER was that I never once believed that Meredith was going to die. Because I wasn't able to suspend my disbelief on that major plot point, the rest was pretty tame. When Ellis went into distress, I knew she wasn't going to make it.

However, Sandra Oh did so much with so little...per usual; she was amazing. And it's official: Sara Ramirez is so beautiful. That scene with Izzy in the clinic...Sara looked gorgeous. I would love to hear her sing on this show. Maybe a duet with Bailey?

It was good to see Denny again, though I'm not as in love with him as others seem to be. Of all the people who died on that show...except for bomb guy and Denny...it seemed kind of random the people that got brought back for this episode. Did anyone notice that the blond woman who was on "Dawson's Creek" seems to have had work done?

I'm sick with a cold...again! So I'm off to bed.

"A Case of the Mondays"

I watched a little bit of Office Space yesterday. That is one funny flick.

So, I'm not really in the mood to start really working, but I have to look like I am, so I will write a post about what's going on in my head right about now.

1. I saw Children of Men Saturday night. What a film! It was crazy intense and very depressing. Uncomfortable to watch because of how timely many of its images are and how many questions are left unanswered. Oddly, I didn't feel frustrated by that. The hardest thing about that film is that you are left with a bit of hope that's not cheesy, deus ex machina hope. Cuaron made it organic to the story, so you can't write it off as a lame plot device. On "All Things Considered," Cuaron said that he did that to ask the audience what we are going to do with that hope. What to do indeed. Clive Owen is still hot in this flick...even in flip-flops.

2. Love is boring. Yup, I said it. Real, lasting love is peaceful and simple. It's not roller coaster-esque, or euphorically high all the time. It definitely isn't nerve-wracking. For me, love just feels comfortable. Not lazy, like the old, paint-splattered pants you wear around the house. More like your favorite dress pants: the ones that you don't have to suck in your stomach for and hang just right over your bum. The ones you can wear with heels or flats and any top. The ones that make you feel confident and sexy. That kind of comfortable.

This is definitely new information for me. I used to think that love was all walking on Cloud 9 and feeling sick to my stomach in a good way. Or all about creating and passing tests to prove the love. But if someone from the outside were to look at The Mormon and I, you would think we were mad boring. And that's just fine by me 'cuz I am happy.

3. I am pissed off at our government! I can't believe they are even attempting to lay the groundwork to screw with any other country in the Middle East. Part of me doesn't even care what Iran has done...how dare they present "evidence" that may justify another invasion! What a wuss George W. is! He just lets Cheney lead him around like a freakin' puppet! Jeez, this President needs therapy.

4. I think it's stupid for Obama to attempt to quit smoking as he runs for President. However, he's totally screwed no matter how you look at it. If he keeps smoking, issues like teen smoking and health care are going to be sticky wickets for him because he'll look like a hypocrite. If he quits, he's going to be cranky and irritable and may make a gaff. If he gets caught cheating while he says he's quitting, it will become a major character flaw that his opponents will exploit all out of proportion.

5. Being a Maid of Honor is SO not what it's cracked up to be. I think when I get married, I will have a committee. I will have some friends help me pick the dress, other people plan the parties, and still others help me the day of. Spread out the labor, you know? Wedding planning always seems to get more complicated than the bride expects, which means it gets more complicated for her bridal party. Just imagine if her bridal party is one person!

6. I know that "This American Life" is all busy with their new Showtime series, but I have to say, I'm quite annoyed with the amount of repeats it's been broadcasting.

7. Did I tell you guys that Ex now has a son? I found out about it a couple of weeks ago, though the baby was born last summer. I was surprisingly zen about it. I thought it would hit me hard, like when I found out he was engaged. But it didn't hurt at all. Trust me, I checked in with myself a few times. I feel crazy sorry for that kid and I am thrilled I am not that baby's momma, and I'm also happy for Ex. I know that he was keen on being a dad, so I'm glad he got his wish.

8. Oh! I am so happy that a woman is going to be the president of Harvard. I've read one article about her and she sounds really interesting. I think I'll do some more research on her...maybe read one of her books.

9. I am very proud of P.D. James. She is the author of the book that the movie I mentioned above is based on. Vaslav and I are big fans of her detective fiction. I had heard that she was the author of the book, but it didn't click that it was the P.D. James until I saw her name in print. Yea, P.D.!

I think that's it. I've actually been doing work while I've created this post...so much for putting things off.

Blow by Blow

I'm watching the Golden Globes by myself and I have so much I want to say, so I'm going to try to do a play by play of the show.

8:57: Elizabeth I just won Best Mini-Series. But earlier Ben Stiller presented Borat because it's nominated as a Best Film and the audience was so not settled from the commercial break. His first joke fell completely flat because no one was listening.

9:00: Prince won Best Song, but Justin Timberlake accepted for him because he didn't get on stage....WAIT A MINUTE!!! Eddie Murphy just won Best Supporting Actor in a Movie! What a surprise! I totally thought that was going to Jack Nicholson! What a shock! You can tell Eddie's shocked, too.

Anyway, I was saying I thought that Prince wasn't there because he didn't accept his award, but I saw him behind Eddie Murphy when they were showing the nominees. So why couldn't he get on stage?

9:06: I feel so sorry for those presenting right after commercial breaks...no one is listening! Sarah Jessica Parker was talking to no one!

9:09: Bill Nighy won. I dig him.

9:11: Gillian Andersen got nominated for "Bleek House." I'm happy for her. She has a life after "The X-Files."

9:14: Have you noticed how amazing the commercials are for this award show? This might be turning into the SuperBowl for ads...except for this Applebee's commercial.

9:17: Cameron looks horrible...her dress, her hair, her bright red lips. None of it is working. Which is a shame because Justin Timberlake is there.

9:19: Do you all believe the rumors that Jake is gay? I knew the writer of The Queen would win. Oh God! Peter Marber is trying to wax political...it didn't work.

9:21: Who thought of putting Tim Allen and Vanessa Williams together? Alec Baldwin won for Best Actor in a Comedy. He deserves it, but I didn't think he would win. I'm glad for him.

9:31: I get the sense "Weeds" the best show in this category (Best TV Comedy), but as I predicted on NBC's online game, "Ugly Betty" won. But you can tell that the show didn't expect it because they are genuinely happy. I'm offended that they showed J. Lo and her man when they won.

9:36: When Sharon Stone mentioned Mel Gibson, no one clapped. I can't believe his film is nominated under Best Foreign Language Film. It makes sense, but it's weird. Letters from Iwo Jima won. Eh.

9:43: The Lexus commercials are awesome!

9:46: So Prince was stuck in traffic, which is why he was late and couldn't accept his award. Yeah, Hugh for giving him a shout-out.

9:47: I can't believe The Da Vinci Code was nominated for anything! Even Best Score.

9:48: What is Jennifer Love Hewitt wearing? It looks like bronze aluminum foil.

9:49: I'm really happy America won. And Salma Hayek is crying! America's speech is pretty kick-ass. She is amazingly self-composed and she thanked everyone.

9:53: The Hollywood Insider woman who interviewed America after her acceptance totally put her foot in her mouth. What a stupid question to ask: "What do you say to those people who didn't want you to play this part?" I'm glad America made that woman feel as stupid as she should have felt.

10:00: Tom Hanks just said "balls." Tee hee. He makes drunk look so fun! Warren Beatty has really done some amazing work. He is a good actor, isn't he? Bulworth was a great film, I don't care what anyone says. And Reds, though long, was also a great flick.

10:10: I can't believe they are playing a Madonna song over a montage of Warren's movie clips. That's just tacky.

10:12: I think Warren is drunk. His shtick is funny in concept, just not in execution.

10:15: Warren's speech needs to end now. It's officially boring. His ode to Annette was touching, but it didn't make any sense. How can his wife make him feel like a newcomer?

10:20: FINALLY! Martin won...something! Anything! The Departed was a fun flick! I don't think it will win Best Picture, but I'm glad he won Best Director.

10:28: I can't believe Sasha Baron Cohen won! I'm proud of the Hollywood Foreign Press. I can't type right now...I just have to listen to that fine ass man talk. Goddamn he's fine, especially when he talks with that fantastic accent! I don't care if he's talking about balls in his face. He is SO fine! JKR, baby! He's so funny...and FINE! That tarty redhead doesn't deserve him!

10:37: Of course Dreamgirls won. That is tacky that they cut off the producer with music. They can't enforce the time limit now, when they SO didn't enforce it at the beginning! Maybe because the producer was so flaming...I think someone should call a discrimination lawyer.

10:43: Shonda Rhimes gets to talk! Go Black Woman leading everybody! I don't like her dress, but her speech was cute.

10:45: Of course Helen Mirren won. Phillip Seymour Hoffman looked so bored presenting the award.

10:53: Forest Whitaker won Best Actor in a Film - Drama. He doesn't really have time to be so speechless...and he probably doesn't even drink.

10:56: Aah-nold is going to present the award for Best Film. Why?

11:00: Babel won. Huh. Didn't really see that coming, especially since The Queen won almost every other award. I wonder what happened to Arnold's leg/foot. I'm sorry for him that he had to say "We'll be back."

Well, that's it. I sort of lost interest at the end, sorry. These awards are getting lamer every year. We need some sort of scandal to make the Oscars interesting. Not enough actors make interesting speeches. Goodnight.

I Have Figured Out "The L Word"

I just finished watching the Season 3 premiere and finale of "The L Word." They are both featured free On Demand so that you get all attached and order Showtime to watch Season 4. I watched both of these episodes on Angela's suggestion. They busted a CW all over the episodes, cutting out all the sex and swear words, but you could still get the gist of the action. And I've figured it out..."The L Word" is just a normal soap opera. Instead of portraying heterosexual relationships, they portray lesbian ones.

I know I am stating the obvious...but I really believed them when the show first started and they said it would "truly" portray the lives of lesbian women. Perhaps they are. Perhaps the point of the show is that lesbians on TV do the same insanely unrealistic things that straight people do.

I'm going to think on this some more...but not too much more. I'm not going to subscribe to Showtime, so what's the point?

Movies That Makes You Applaud

When is the last time you applauded at the end of a film? I don't mean self-consciously clap, but applaud as if you had just seen a great play or a cool jazz concert? Last night, I saw a movie that made me so happy that I applauded at the end.

Angela and I saw Dreamgirls last night. It was an okay movie filled with amazing performances, ala Ray. Some of the numbers were cheesy, but the movie did a great job of incorporating the music into the plot. The movie was not afraid of referencing the theatrical source - both consciously and subconsciously. Much of it took place on stage or in dressing rooms, so you never forgot that everyone was performing. The camera angles were created to connect the movie audience with the audience in the movie, so we were all watching The Dreams together. That was very cool.

Jennifer Hudson was fantastic! Granted, she didn't have to play Lady MacBeth or anything, but she worked it! Her showstopper, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" literally brought the house down...and I was in one of the largest movie houses in the city. She filled up the space with every facial expression, every hand on the hip, and especially every note she sang.

Another way the movie referenced the theatricality of the material was through the end credits. They were presented like a curtain call, with music and everything. There was a short montage of each actor's scenes in the movie, so you got to cheer for each of them individually. Jennifer Hudson's montage, however, began with a drum roll and the words "And Introducing..." When her name appeared, everyone stood up. Even though our brains knew she couldn't hear her standing ovation, our hearts didn't care. In such a cynical city, how fun it was just be unabashedly and openly happy.

A British Accent Makes Everything Better

I came home Friday evening exhausted! I was so happy to begin my 10 days of holidays and vacation. I turned on the TV and nothing was on. So I ordered Imagine Me & You from On Demand cable.

It's quite a sweet movie, and it's pretty predictable. The American version of this romantic comedy is made almost every other month. But there is something about British wit and British accents that made this movie so much sweeter and funnier.

You want proof that what I say is true? Piper Perabo was the lead. She had to feign a British accent for this film...she did a solid job. She's was also in Coyote Ugly and The Cave. Not masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination. Yet her mediocre acting abilities were totally masked by all the wit and the accents!

Random Trivia: It was made by Ol Parker, an ordinary-looking chap, who just happens to be married to Thandie Newton.

Happy Christmas Eve!

The Best "Grey's" Yet

Last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy was by far one of the best so far this year. There was crazy drama, great dialogue "I passed you the torch...and you BLEW IT OUT!", and the action moved forward at a nice clip. It was definitely one of the best-written episodes of this season. For the first time this fall, I liked the entire episode, not just parts of it. Those twins were quite brilliant.

However, the reason this episode was so amazing was because...drum roll, please...there was NO voice over in the beginning of the episode. It just began. Yup, just started right in on the action. The writer made a decision to show us, instead of tell us (which is Good Writing 101). I was thinking I may have lucked out so much that there was going to be no voice over at all, but they put it at the end. Ah well, let's hope that this is Shonda's way of phasing out the voice over. People who rely on it to tell them what to think about the show are just stupid! There, I said it!