Items eliminated the past couple of days: Tiger Woods and Russell Crowe (Cuba), and Josh Brolin, Daniel Craig, and Justin Timberlake (Chocolate). Only one on the table for me was Russell Crowe. Odd list, right?
Anyway, I love Christmas. I'm just celebrating it with everyone in the middle of January this year! My fiance, Steve, has a membership in a good vacation discount company (planwithtan), so we're headed to the Poconos for a week. I'm cooking enough food, including Christmas dinner, for the entire week, and my kitchen in the Poconos consists of a waist-high fridge, microwave (which we won't use), a toaster oven/crockpot (which we purchased today), a toaster, and a coffeemaker.
It's nuts. I had a gig earlier tonight and I have a gig tomorrow night. I have to do the laundry and pack the clothes, too. So I'll celebrate later! For now, I'm off. I'll practice the mandolin, and Steve will ski, and we'll heat reheated food out of a crockpot in front of a fire in a cabin in the woods. Yay! Happy holidays everyone! Please send me your thoughts about the Cuba/Chocolate blind item if you want to sort it out with me, too.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Favorite Movies
I used to be a snob. I would only watch a movie with subtitles, and I was an art-house movie freak when I lived in NYC. Then I went through a major romcom phase. Anything with JLo, Julia Roberts, or Sandra Bullock was my fave. So it's an immense dichotomy, which I'm still trying to resolve.
All time snob favorites: Wings of Desire, The Eighth Day, Blue, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Talk to her, There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, La Dolce Vita, Wild Strawberries, Children of Paradise, The Seventh Sign, Out of Africa, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Story of the Weeping Camel, Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, 7 Up, An Inconvenient Truth, North by Northwest, Walk the Line, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Being John Malkovich.
All time non-snob favorites: Wedding Planner, While You Were Sleeping, Pretty Woman, Just Like Heaven, 13 Going on 30, Twilight, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, What Women Want, Maid in Manhattan, Monster in Law, Kate & Leopold, Love Actually, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, Moonstruck, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Enchanted.
I check rotten tomatoes to see what critics say about movies before I go to them nowadays, so I see less trash and buy into less hype. Something about a $9 ticket does that to me. The only thing that created "want-see" for me lately was Twilight. I don't regret it. Strangely, even though my recent snob pick, "Burn Before Reading" was highly rated, I would only give it a 6. Okay plot, and cute, but not the Coen brothers' greatest, either. When you're a genius and you make a good movie, it's disappointing when it's not great. It's weird that I think this, especially with the amount of trash that I watch!
All time snob favorites: Wings of Desire, The Eighth Day, Blue, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Talk to her, There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, La Dolce Vita, Wild Strawberries, Children of Paradise, The Seventh Sign, Out of Africa, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Story of the Weeping Camel, Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, 7 Up, An Inconvenient Truth, North by Northwest, Walk the Line, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Being John Malkovich.
All time non-snob favorites: Wedding Planner, While You Were Sleeping, Pretty Woman, Just Like Heaven, 13 Going on 30, Twilight, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, What Women Want, Maid in Manhattan, Monster in Law, Kate & Leopold, Love Actually, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, Moonstruck, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Enchanted.
I check rotten tomatoes to see what critics say about movies before I go to them nowadays, so I see less trash and buy into less hype. Something about a $9 ticket does that to me. The only thing that created "want-see" for me lately was Twilight. I don't regret it. Strangely, even though my recent snob pick, "Burn Before Reading" was highly rated, I would only give it a 6. Okay plot, and cute, but not the Coen brothers' greatest, either. When you're a genius and you make a good movie, it's disappointing when it's not great. It's weird that I think this, especially with the amount of trash that I watch!
Child Stardom
Just follow my tangent for a minute; I'll get to the punchline soon. I've been playing the violin since I was 5. I've heard stories all my life about what classical musicians endure, and I've got personal stories as well. Some are good, some not so good.
If you're a lousy parent and don't want to interact with your child, you start them on a classical instrument, lock them in their room 4-5 hours a day to practice, and voila! Kid is as good as invisible. I heard of one violinist who slammed his hand in a door frame and broke his fingers at age 17 so he didn't have to prance around like a trained poodle at competitions anymore. Michael Rabin killed himself in his 30s because he's been pushed to hard with the practicing all his life. I've heard stories about high suicide rates in Juilliard also. Not confirmed. I was personally off at summer conservatory, practicing 4-5 hours a day for a month at a time. I'd watch ants on the ground and stare at the trees while I practiced outside, completely bored. At least with the classical music practicing or hard-core studying that parents prescribe to get free babysitting, the child develops useful skills. I'm glad I learned the violin and went to a decent college, but I was pimped out all the same.
The Lohan, Spears, Cyrus, and Simpson clans are a different story. It can be argued that Spears has some talent, but it's a horrifying machine for these children. Arguably worse than mine. At least I wasn't exposed to a huge world of paparazzi, screaming fans, zero privacy, Hollywood vultures, and kitschy artistic mediocrity. I would have more respect for the parents if they pushed their children into high level music/acting lessons, allowed them to dictate their own terms of involvement in the outside world, pushed them to get college educations to develop their minds, or protected them from substances/vultures better. Mediocrity kills, and abolute mediocrity kills absolutely. The Simpson girls know they're lousy, you know? Lousy stupid dad!
If you're a lousy parent and don't want to interact with your child, you start them on a classical instrument, lock them in their room 4-5 hours a day to practice, and voila! Kid is as good as invisible. I heard of one violinist who slammed his hand in a door frame and broke his fingers at age 17 so he didn't have to prance around like a trained poodle at competitions anymore. Michael Rabin killed himself in his 30s because he's been pushed to hard with the practicing all his life. I've heard stories about high suicide rates in Juilliard also. Not confirmed. I was personally off at summer conservatory, practicing 4-5 hours a day for a month at a time. I'd watch ants on the ground and stare at the trees while I practiced outside, completely bored. At least with the classical music practicing or hard-core studying that parents prescribe to get free babysitting, the child develops useful skills. I'm glad I learned the violin and went to a decent college, but I was pimped out all the same.
The Lohan, Spears, Cyrus, and Simpson clans are a different story. It can be argued that Spears has some talent, but it's a horrifying machine for these children. Arguably worse than mine. At least I wasn't exposed to a huge world of paparazzi, screaming fans, zero privacy, Hollywood vultures, and kitschy artistic mediocrity. I would have more respect for the parents if they pushed their children into high level music/acting lessons, allowed them to dictate their own terms of involvement in the outside world, pushed them to get college educations to develop their minds, or protected them from substances/vultures better. Mediocrity kills, and abolute mediocrity kills absolutely. The Simpson girls know they're lousy, you know? Lousy stupid dad!
Owen Wilson
Man, I love Owen and Luke Wilson. Luke is very ill and on the D list from booze, and Owen lost Kate Hudson and is going downhill fast from drugs. Plus, Owen's face looks like Fergie's now; completely bloated, busted up, and sad. Ugh. Fine looking men, not treating work like work, getting caught up in the celebrity machine and substances. What is up with Hollywood? When you go to parties, do you have someone there telling you to take substances or you won't get a job? Well?
I dated a man once who was well-off, articulate, handsome, and good-looking. He took me out for a show and dinner in NYC, then wanted to show me his penthouse. He was most proud of his expensive car, fine wine, thin speakers, and of the view of NY from the window. I felt so hollow looking out those windows with him standing next to me. It felt like the devil tempting Jesus, standing on a mountain top with him and telling him he could have the whole world. I felt sick and had to get out of there. Similarly, a smarmy (and, scary but true, legit) modeling agent in NYC told me he would make me a supermodel as long as I never told him the word NO. Meaning, I had to sleep with clients, whatever he/they said. I stood up for my virtue and was told that I was the outcast, that I couldn't live in the apartment with the other girls, and I would have to get a job as a waitress while he sent me off for one test shoot. A 16 year old Asian girl walked in the office then, and he told me that SHE was completely obedient to him, so she got to live in the big apartment and he trusted her completely. The girls had nursed him back to health from a bad cocaine addiction and he owed them his life. The girl could not look me in the eye. I never went back. Some things just aren't worth your soul.
I think Owen and Luke suffered from the temptation somewhere and got caught. 6 months to a year in rehab would be the solution to keep from dying at this point. Has anyone seen Luke lately? He was in a movie with Jessica Simpson, and that was the last I heard of him. Get well, people! Don't listen to the Hollywood devils anymore! Get into rehab, OK? Thank you!
I dated a man once who was well-off, articulate, handsome, and good-looking. He took me out for a show and dinner in NYC, then wanted to show me his penthouse. He was most proud of his expensive car, fine wine, thin speakers, and of the view of NY from the window. I felt so hollow looking out those windows with him standing next to me. It felt like the devil tempting Jesus, standing on a mountain top with him and telling him he could have the whole world. I felt sick and had to get out of there. Similarly, a smarmy (and, scary but true, legit) modeling agent in NYC told me he would make me a supermodel as long as I never told him the word NO. Meaning, I had to sleep with clients, whatever he/they said. I stood up for my virtue and was told that I was the outcast, that I couldn't live in the apartment with the other girls, and I would have to get a job as a waitress while he sent me off for one test shoot. A 16 year old Asian girl walked in the office then, and he told me that SHE was completely obedient to him, so she got to live in the big apartment and he trusted her completely. The girls had nursed him back to health from a bad cocaine addiction and he owed them his life. The girl could not look me in the eye. I never went back. Some things just aren't worth your soul.
I think Owen and Luke suffered from the temptation somewhere and got caught. 6 months to a year in rehab would be the solution to keep from dying at this point. Has anyone seen Luke lately? He was in a movie with Jessica Simpson, and that was the last I heard of him. Get well, people! Don't listen to the Hollywood devils anymore! Get into rehab, OK? Thank you!
Twilight Sequel: WTF?
What is the matter with Summit Pictures? They had a perfectly fine golden egg and just killed their golden goose. Firing Catherine Hardwicke was a dumb thing to do.
OK, from their perspective, right, they can make the movie for the same amount of money, and the teenagers will still come. I see this same nonsense everywhere. Trust me. I'm a musician. People are always selling me out for a cheaper wedding musician or a band with less talent. Sometimes they hire a violinist at a high school level to do the job, then realize their mistake too late. Might as well put a karaoke machine on stage. But it's not art.
I guess Summit figures that Stephanie Meyer is a lousy enough writer that they can skimp on the budget. One argument: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is one of my favorite movies of all time, and it had a budget under $100K. New topic: does Stephanie Meyer's work deserve to be treated as art, or is it OK that Summit Entertainment chooses to use her work as a cash cow, all business?
OK, from their perspective, right, they can make the movie for the same amount of money, and the teenagers will still come. I see this same nonsense everywhere. Trust me. I'm a musician. People are always selling me out for a cheaper wedding musician or a band with less talent. Sometimes they hire a violinist at a high school level to do the job, then realize their mistake too late. Might as well put a karaoke machine on stage. But it's not art.
I guess Summit figures that Stephanie Meyer is a lousy enough writer that they can skimp on the budget. One argument: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is one of my favorite movies of all time, and it had a budget under $100K. New topic: does Stephanie Meyer's work deserve to be treated as art, or is it OK that Summit Entertainment chooses to use her work as a cash cow, all business?
My newest topics in celebrity gossip
It's funny how a birthday, when you're a girl in your late thirties, shifts your perceptions of things. Almost like having a kid, not that I've even done that yet. There's another problem. So I've gone mentally goth all of a sudden. Some of this gothness comes from a close friend of mine suddenly dying in his 50s, leaving behind a wife and teenage son. God bless Bill Trout.
Watching old episodes of "What's My Line" on youtube, I see all the stars in the 50s. Liz Taylor (again with that, I know), Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton. When 30+ years of your own life pass by, you see people who were young when you were a child, and you see how they age. All the stars who were in their peak when I was young are now have 30 years added on them, too. They're all 60-80 years old, when you add the 30 years. And it freaks me out to look at facebook, because all my classmates are also my age. They look good, mind you, but it still freaks me out to be middle aged.
Anyway, I find it hard to be interested in airheads, druggies, losers, fameseekers, and bimbos right now. That pretty much crosses off most of the A and B list of celebrities, right? So who's left? The actors who let the job just be a job, and the actors who were once the shining stars who fell out of grace because of OLD AGE. Native people would never abandon their elders this way. We're all getting older. Some are too young or vain to think this. In this respect, my list of IN and OUT (thank you Heidi Klum):
IN: Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Sissy Spacek, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Stewart, Britney Spears/Anne Hathaway (unfortunately, heartbreak brings maturity to a woman).
OUT: Tom Cruise, Hiltons, Lohans, Pam Anderson, Aniston, Simpsons (Bronx Mowgli, table of zero), the Wilson brothers (sorry, love them, but they need rehab STAT), Joaquin Phoenix, Olsen twins (coffee table book called INFLUENCE? Please!), Sienna Miller, Victoria Beckham.
There is a third category. There are people who are talented enough that they can pull off being brats: Jack Nicholson, the Brange, Billy Bob Thornton, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Kathy Griffin, Oprah, KANYE WEST (long live the SQUID BRAIN! Who writes in ALL CAPS! But I really love the song Gold Digger, OK? And I blew off a chance to play violin in his band because I had an iron-clad prior gig, which I will always regret!), Sean Penn.
I'll add more when I've taken more meds for my mid-life depression and eaten some more bon bons. Oh, and please feel free to comment on this, or submit your own IN/OUT lists. I know: what, we're accountants now? But it's amusing, and a good memento mori, and helps pass the time.
Watching old episodes of "What's My Line" on youtube, I see all the stars in the 50s. Liz Taylor (again with that, I know), Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton. When 30+ years of your own life pass by, you see people who were young when you were a child, and you see how they age. All the stars who were in their peak when I was young are now have 30 years added on them, too. They're all 60-80 years old, when you add the 30 years. And it freaks me out to look at facebook, because all my classmates are also my age. They look good, mind you, but it still freaks me out to be middle aged.
Anyway, I find it hard to be interested in airheads, druggies, losers, fameseekers, and bimbos right now. That pretty much crosses off most of the A and B list of celebrities, right? So who's left? The actors who let the job just be a job, and the actors who were once the shining stars who fell out of grace because of OLD AGE. Native people would never abandon their elders this way. We're all getting older. Some are too young or vain to think this. In this respect, my list of IN and OUT (thank you Heidi Klum):
IN: Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Sissy Spacek, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Stewart, Britney Spears/Anne Hathaway (unfortunately, heartbreak brings maturity to a woman).
OUT: Tom Cruise, Hiltons, Lohans, Pam Anderson, Aniston, Simpsons (Bronx Mowgli, table of zero), the Wilson brothers (sorry, love them, but they need rehab STAT), Joaquin Phoenix, Olsen twins (coffee table book called INFLUENCE? Please!), Sienna Miller, Victoria Beckham.
There is a third category. There are people who are talented enough that they can pull off being brats: Jack Nicholson, the Brange, Billy Bob Thornton, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Kathy Griffin, Oprah, KANYE WEST (long live the SQUID BRAIN! Who writes in ALL CAPS! But I really love the song Gold Digger, OK? And I blew off a chance to play violin in his band because I had an iron-clad prior gig, which I will always regret!), Sean Penn.
I'll add more when I've taken more meds for my mid-life depression and eaten some more bon bons. Oh, and please feel free to comment on this, or submit your own IN/OUT lists. I know: what, we're accountants now? But it's amusing, and a good memento mori, and helps pass the time.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Celebrity Culture
Well, the absolute freedom of having my own blog means I can write about anything I want. I don't have the ENORMOUS pressure that Lainey and Michael K and the rest do to entertain through observation. I'm hoping that, when future blind items come up, I can muse and puzzle them out with everyone, sherlock-holmes style. But in the meanwhile, it's a slow season, right?
I was reading an poorly written text on celebrity culture a few years ago. I keep thinking about the nature of tabloid journalism. What are the sociological forces driving this phenomenon? My grandfather recalls newspapers and magazines in the 40s; you could buy "real news" for half the price of the hollywood gossip sheets. And what did they discuss? I'm actually very interested in Hedda Hopper, and the evolution through Cindy Adams to our dear internet bloggers. Evening TV news has never been highbrow, but more often now, the news resembles a gossip rag.
At first, I'm sure the Hollywood studios had to create press for their charges in order to sell movie tickets. I have heard of people hired to scream as a new celeb arrived somewhere, then some clued-in photographers caught the scene, and -viola!- a star was born. I heard a rumor that some of the Beatles screamers were planted; am I right? I am really curious about what things were like for Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Liz Taylor, and all the rest. The standards were similar to Disney standards, in terms of rigid sexual purity.
Why does our culture embrace celebrity so strongly? Why are so many shows dedicated to a tiny roster of A and B list people? Lainey's assertion that Jen Aniston and Angelina Jolie's likeness and false stories about them may decide a magainze's profitability really chills me. We've come full circle. The celebs themselves are keeping tabloid journalism afloat! It used to be a sideline column in the regular news.
These poor actors entertain us, but there's something about the mentality of wanting fame for its own sake that doesn't attract balanced people. The paparazzi culture is full of such vicious vultures now, scrapping for whatever embarrassing picture they can wrangle out of these entertainers. Wouldn't it be frightening to go outside, go to dinner, go to the movies? Ugh.
In Chaucer's book "House of Fame," there is an enormous house made out of ice in the middle of the desert. Names of famous people are in danger of melting, or are half-melted already. Every so often, Aeolus's horn blows to announce a new person made famous (beautiful sound, smells like roses) or infamous (nasty sound, smells like farts) . In a fickle world, in a youth culture, with all the impossible standards in place, every single celeb runs out of time and faces a melting ice house in a desert. Liz Taylor, the most beautiful woman in the world, now faces her mortality. It's rough, this memento mori, but it helps me get past the brutal, shallow, grasping nature of the bite of fame.
I was reading an poorly written text on celebrity culture a few years ago. I keep thinking about the nature of tabloid journalism. What are the sociological forces driving this phenomenon? My grandfather recalls newspapers and magazines in the 40s; you could buy "real news" for half the price of the hollywood gossip sheets. And what did they discuss? I'm actually very interested in Hedda Hopper, and the evolution through Cindy Adams to our dear internet bloggers. Evening TV news has never been highbrow, but more often now, the news resembles a gossip rag.
At first, I'm sure the Hollywood studios had to create press for their charges in order to sell movie tickets. I have heard of people hired to scream as a new celeb arrived somewhere, then some clued-in photographers caught the scene, and -viola!- a star was born. I heard a rumor that some of the Beatles screamers were planted; am I right? I am really curious about what things were like for Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Liz Taylor, and all the rest. The standards were similar to Disney standards, in terms of rigid sexual purity.
Why does our culture embrace celebrity so strongly? Why are so many shows dedicated to a tiny roster of A and B list people? Lainey's assertion that Jen Aniston and Angelina Jolie's likeness and false stories about them may decide a magainze's profitability really chills me. We've come full circle. The celebs themselves are keeping tabloid journalism afloat! It used to be a sideline column in the regular news.
These poor actors entertain us, but there's something about the mentality of wanting fame for its own sake that doesn't attract balanced people. The paparazzi culture is full of such vicious vultures now, scrapping for whatever embarrassing picture they can wrangle out of these entertainers. Wouldn't it be frightening to go outside, go to dinner, go to the movies? Ugh.
In Chaucer's book "House of Fame," there is an enormous house made out of ice in the middle of the desert. Names of famous people are in danger of melting, or are half-melted already. Every so often, Aeolus's horn blows to announce a new person made famous (beautiful sound, smells like roses) or infamous (nasty sound, smells like farts) . In a fickle world, in a youth culture, with all the impossible standards in place, every single celeb runs out of time and faces a melting ice house in a desert. Liz Taylor, the most beautiful woman in the world, now faces her mortality. It's rough, this memento mori, but it helps me get past the brutal, shallow, grasping nature of the bite of fame.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Violin, personal and professional notes
Just joined a wedding band, which is cutting edge enough to play AC/DC, Rihanna, James Brown, etc. I love being in a wedding band. I love playing AD/DC and Metallica on the violin in a wedding band. I also play solo weddings, and go to great lengths sometimes for them. On Halloween, I played "Thriller" and "Monster Mash" solo for a cocktail hour. In August, I played 4 hours of Irish and Scottish music for a reception. I learn stuff by ear. My colleagues in the area, specifically my mandolin and flute playing friends, are awesome, too. I have a lot of fun.
This is all nothing compared to my South Indian violin teacher, Adrian L'Armand. He's getting older and I'm his last Indian violin student. I get up at 5 in the morning every week, travel by train to Swarthmore PA for a lesson, then take the train back home. Adrian gives me everything he has. And I mean: everything. Every rhythm trick, every song, every discussion is from his whole heart. I have never had a teacher like him. In India, they call your teacher your guru. Adrian is that for me.
This is all nothing compared to my South Indian violin teacher, Adrian L'Armand. He's getting older and I'm his last Indian violin student. I get up at 5 in the morning every week, travel by train to Swarthmore PA for a lesson, then take the train back home. Adrian gives me everything he has. And I mean: everything. Every rhythm trick, every song, every discussion is from his whole heart. I have never had a teacher like him. In India, they call your teacher your guru. Adrian is that for me.
Why Do I Like Twilight? Part 3 (movie)
The movie was shot in an unusually dark range of tones. Over saturated color, like the photos from the mid 90s. Overdone look, and we've been done with the goth thing since 1997. I know it's a teenage vampire movie, and there's little sunshine in Forks, but come on! Try to use some artistry in the cinematography, OK? Yuck. Like staring at a Joel Peter Witkin picture, or old Trent Reznor video. OVERDONE, people!
That said, I loved the stupid movie. I got caught up in the "romance" aspect again. Thank god for Kristen Stewart. She didn't say all the maudlin crap, which spared me from the worst dialogue. I was amazed at how fresh the plot felt. They tightened it up a bit, made some plot points different for the sake of tying all the strands together (which Meyer didn't really do, OK?), which made the movie flow better. I was also amazed at how I wanted to watch the love story unfold. I'd read the thing, so I knew what was going on in everyone's heads, so maybe Pattinson's constipated angry face didn't register as being stupid because I knew what was happening. I was like a little kid who can't read yet who is happy to go to a movie to see how Curious George plays out, something like that. Like I was just happy to see the thing brought to life.
I loved the scenes where Edward ran/flew with Bella on his back, and where he repelled the van. The audience gasped along with me. I laughed a LOT at some of the dialogue. Couldn't help it. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Would I naturally pick Pattinson as a romantic partner? Definitely not. He's not my type. But I can see why the 16 year olds are into him. I get it. Because he's not my type, though, the kiss didn't do so much for me. But please, not Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a ghost! God, I hate Grey's Anatomy SO MUCH now.
OK, enough of this! On to other things.
That said, I loved the stupid movie. I got caught up in the "romance" aspect again. Thank god for Kristen Stewart. She didn't say all the maudlin crap, which spared me from the worst dialogue. I was amazed at how fresh the plot felt. They tightened it up a bit, made some plot points different for the sake of tying all the strands together (which Meyer didn't really do, OK?), which made the movie flow better. I was also amazed at how I wanted to watch the love story unfold. I'd read the thing, so I knew what was going on in everyone's heads, so maybe Pattinson's constipated angry face didn't register as being stupid because I knew what was happening. I was like a little kid who can't read yet who is happy to go to a movie to see how Curious George plays out, something like that. Like I was just happy to see the thing brought to life.
I loved the scenes where Edward ran/flew with Bella on his back, and where he repelled the van. The audience gasped along with me. I laughed a LOT at some of the dialogue. Couldn't help it. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Would I naturally pick Pattinson as a romantic partner? Definitely not. He's not my type. But I can see why the 16 year olds are into him. I get it. Because he's not my type, though, the kiss didn't do so much for me. But please, not Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a ghost! God, I hate Grey's Anatomy SO MUCH now.
OK, enough of this! On to other things.
Why Do I Like Twilight? Part 2 (book)
The whole "Bella is so beautiful and dazzling" thing is annoying, and IMO, Meyer's Brigham Young training seeps into the non-premarital-sex thing, and the whole "girl is beautiful and everyone is throwing themselves at her" mantra. I scared some Mormon boys off once, telling them that I was so feminist that their brains would bleed around me. But sometimes the devotion is worth it, I guess? Tradeoffs of security in life? I see too many tradeoffs in the world. On the flip side, I guess it could be argued that it's OK for teenagers to have an example finally of teen characters who don't jump in the sack like animals. There's that, too.
Do I really like the Bella/Edward romance? Yes and no. I'm tired of it by the end of the second book. I mean, really weary. You cry through one whole book for some monster, then try to kill yourself? Run off with Jacob, for God's sake! He's hot! God, I'm middle aged, and it's pervy to say this, but Taylor Lautner in the movie is the best-looking part of the whole thing. I digress. I feel tired for Bella, like she must herself be jaded by all the adoration. Really obnoxious and overstated after a while. I wouldn't want it for myself, so obvious and in-your-face all the time. People that have to say it constantly are usually the biggest con artists of all, you know? What is said is itself and its opposite, yadda yadda.
I was annoyed by the plot outline of the books. Like it was plotted out over a 4 book story arc, just to string me along so I would buy 4 books. Not organic at all. Yes, Meyer loves Bella like a daughter, I get it. But I feel like the kid marketed to for a Happy Meal. I'm vegetarian anyway, but you know? It's not art. It's commerce, cold commerce, cold cash. Kitsch, greasy like French fries, maudlin, sentimental, and laborious. I love it, but there it is.
Do I really like the Bella/Edward romance? Yes and no. I'm tired of it by the end of the second book. I mean, really weary. You cry through one whole book for some monster, then try to kill yourself? Run off with Jacob, for God's sake! He's hot! God, I'm middle aged, and it's pervy to say this, but Taylor Lautner in the movie is the best-looking part of the whole thing. I digress. I feel tired for Bella, like she must herself be jaded by all the adoration. Really obnoxious and overstated after a while. I wouldn't want it for myself, so obvious and in-your-face all the time. People that have to say it constantly are usually the biggest con artists of all, you know? What is said is itself and its opposite, yadda yadda.
I was annoyed by the plot outline of the books. Like it was plotted out over a 4 book story arc, just to string me along so I would buy 4 books. Not organic at all. Yes, Meyer loves Bella like a daughter, I get it. But I feel like the kid marketed to for a Happy Meal. I'm vegetarian anyway, but you know? It's not art. It's commerce, cold commerce, cold cash. Kitsch, greasy like French fries, maudlin, sentimental, and laborious. I love it, but there it is.
Why Do I Like Twilight? Part 1 (franchise, book)
Hey, movie making America! I'm going to pick my fevered female brain for 5 minutes to find out why it ticks! Fun for you, maybe fun for me!
Why do I like Twilight, the book(s!), the movie. OK, where's all the darned merch for the ladies, people? Bath salts, dresses, vampire makeup, colored contacts, Quileute jewelry, books on vampire lore, framed prints of the characters? I know they're on it, OK? I feel like a 6 year old, with new Happy Meal toys targeted relentlessly to them, helpless to the tractor beam. Scares me, actually. Already spent, what? 50 bucks total on the stupid franchise, and I want it to stop!
Anyway, Meyer got something with Bella's clumsiness/shyness. The girl every single teenage girl can relate to, especially if the growth plates in the bones aren't finished with their job yet or the hormones haven't calmed down. First love, do I even remember anymore? I had my heart broken by a bassoon player, people. Do I want to remember this? But it's nice that it works out for Bella. Edward, well, he's stuck in 1918 mentally, morally, which is also interesting.
It's good in a work of literature, when a topic is fresh and ripe for invention. The vampire thing is wacky already, and then Meyer made up her own rules on top. Endless. The mind reading, skin glittering, the superhuman movement, the interactions between 4 groups (human, werewolf, good vampires, bad vampires). And let's not forget the vampires that are neither good nor bad! Then there's the moral world the vampires are trying to dissect. Are they part of heaven anymore?
Why do I like Twilight, the book(s!), the movie. OK, where's all the darned merch for the ladies, people? Bath salts, dresses, vampire makeup, colored contacts, Quileute jewelry, books on vampire lore, framed prints of the characters? I know they're on it, OK? I feel like a 6 year old, with new Happy Meal toys targeted relentlessly to them, helpless to the tractor beam. Scares me, actually. Already spent, what? 50 bucks total on the stupid franchise, and I want it to stop!
Anyway, Meyer got something with Bella's clumsiness/shyness. The girl every single teenage girl can relate to, especially if the growth plates in the bones aren't finished with their job yet or the hormones haven't calmed down. First love, do I even remember anymore? I had my heart broken by a bassoon player, people. Do I want to remember this? But it's nice that it works out for Bella. Edward, well, he's stuck in 1918 mentally, morally, which is also interesting.
It's good in a work of literature, when a topic is fresh and ripe for invention. The vampire thing is wacky already, and then Meyer made up her own rules on top. Endless. The mind reading, skin glittering, the superhuman movement, the interactions between 4 groups (human, werewolf, good vampires, bad vampires). And let's not forget the vampires that are neither good nor bad! Then there's the moral world the vampires are trying to dissect. Are they part of heaven anymore?
Why I'm Obsessed, Part 2
What BIs am I obsessing over now? I love the blog community. The BIs are all getting answered over time. And Lainey keeps dropping hints. So I am content for the moment, or I just forgot.
I like the BIs because you get to see the real person behind that US/Star/In Touch lie. I am grateful for this. Plus it gives me something to do besides obsessing about my problems. Plus, I think observing how others succeed or fail based on their merits, and what they are, is an innately prehistoric feminine skill. You don't want to get banished like Tara Reid or Luke Wilson, so please show up for work sober and try to have some respect for yourself and not sleep with anything that walks. Hilton, anyone? It's good advice, really. The breathless way this crazy culture praises fame and material success makes everyone crazy for fame. You have to be really super careful. So it's good to see how those people eventually fall on their rears, and keep yourself humble.
I like the BIs because you get to see the real person behind that US/Star/In Touch lie. I am grateful for this. Plus it gives me something to do besides obsessing about my problems. Plus, I think observing how others succeed or fail based on their merits, and what they are, is an innately prehistoric feminine skill. You don't want to get banished like Tara Reid or Luke Wilson, so please show up for work sober and try to have some respect for yourself and not sleep with anything that walks. Hilton, anyone? It's good advice, really. The breathless way this crazy culture praises fame and material success makes everyone crazy for fame. You have to be really super careful. So it's good to see how those people eventually fall on their rears, and keep yourself humble.
Why I'm Obsessed
Why do I get so obsessed? I hate the polished patina that celebs present the world. I hate the way their agents lie to the press about their relationships. I mean, cmon. How long was Beyonce NOT officially in a relationship? And why not? Jay Z is a catch, OK? Weird. And Rihanna? Cmon! And I HATE that Aniston's rep lied so many times. I hate that Jessica Simpson's dad is such a tool and has so much power over her, which is destroying her life. I know the celeb thing is hard, OK? But it's like knowing your eye color, knowing if you're in a relationship. Right? I hate PR machines that string me along. I hate that Lohan's PR said she was drinking "kombucha" a year or so ago. I am addicted to Kombucha. Lohan is NOT a kombucha drinker, OK? Just not! I hate that Lohan is lying to the press now, claiming that she's clean, and that the press can enable her to stay sick. Once upon a time, back in the Bennifer #1 days, I read US Weekly religiously, and I got sick of reading what Benny Medina wanted me to know about her. Her weekly schedule! How early she gets up in the morning! What she cooks for Ben, and how normal she is! Puleeze. JLo was entirely PR manufactured, but in the process, she became oversaturated everywhere and it pissed me off. Don't get me wrong, there's the "glow" and she's charming and she has some innate rhythm/singing thing. But now she's a clotheshorse married to a spider monkey, OK? Boring! And I was bored in 2002, reading about every freaking bowel movement she made. Ugh!
Blind Items, Musings
Not surprised by the Body or Baby BI. Lainey's always ripped Messing's red carpet work to shreds. Thought it was the girl from Felicity. Lainey keeps mentioning her skeletal figure.
SHOCKED to hear about the IV diet. Lohan, Duff, Ashlee, and some others have done this? Nasty.
I don't mind Kidman's botox. Look, it's a competitive business, OK? She's aging and scared. Hell, I'm aging and scared, too. She's worried she won't work again. Freaking out over it. OK, so she lies about her life some. And Urban was tight with Kid Rock before, which is never a good sign. So she went from Cruise to Booze? Sorry, couldn't resist. But I don't mind Nicky's face. It's fake, yes, but it is beautiful. Why doesn't anyone say this? Shame about the nannies, though. Why doesn't she take some time off and relax? Can't rest on the laurels of her oscar? Worried about getting old and never working again if she falls out of the spotlight? Still, it's a shame.
Still can't get over Chase Crawford. Faith, too! Also mulling the Coke for the pain. Look, I'm confused by a woman with such a fine rear end, who's so into her body in all these other ways, taking hormones and cocaine! Just a weird thing to accept. Also trailer visits! But I must say, I wasn't convinced by Jada's kissing photos. It's like watching pandas in a zoo, right? Raising the bar was a shock riddle reveal, too. Was NOT expecting gilbert grape #2. But I saw him in Titanic and elsewhere. I always imagined the smell of sweaty gym socks, and something too fleshy and down-haired in the face. Like, also, some immaturity that can never grow up. Expecting others to do all the work. Just show up and act, kid, and you'll pay our bills. As an adult, it goes sour!
SHOCKED to hear about the IV diet. Lohan, Duff, Ashlee, and some others have done this? Nasty.
I don't mind Kidman's botox. Look, it's a competitive business, OK? She's aging and scared. Hell, I'm aging and scared, too. She's worried she won't work again. Freaking out over it. OK, so she lies about her life some. And Urban was tight with Kid Rock before, which is never a good sign. So she went from Cruise to Booze? Sorry, couldn't resist. But I don't mind Nicky's face. It's fake, yes, but it is beautiful. Why doesn't anyone say this? Shame about the nannies, though. Why doesn't she take some time off and relax? Can't rest on the laurels of her oscar? Worried about getting old and never working again if she falls out of the spotlight? Still, it's a shame.
Still can't get over Chase Crawford. Faith, too! Also mulling the Coke for the pain. Look, I'm confused by a woman with such a fine rear end, who's so into her body in all these other ways, taking hormones and cocaine! Just a weird thing to accept. Also trailer visits! But I must say, I wasn't convinced by Jada's kissing photos. It's like watching pandas in a zoo, right? Raising the bar was a shock riddle reveal, too. Was NOT expecting gilbert grape #2. But I saw him in Titanic and elsewhere. I always imagined the smell of sweaty gym socks, and something too fleshy and down-haired in the face. Like, also, some immaturity that can never grow up. Expecting others to do all the work. Just show up and act, kid, and you'll pay our bills. As an adult, it goes sour!
Hugh Laurie!
OK, I loved Hugh Laurie as Jeeves. I loved him in Blackadder. I caught some episodes of Fry and Laurie on Youtube.
House, the character and the show, is the most beautiful thing ever. It's like a present every day, thinking of this. There are blogs which pick the diagnoses apart, which I wouldn't know squat about. I'm a little sad, really, hearing that the medicine is flawed sometimes. But I love the way House talks to his patients in that crabby way, but really gets to the heart of the matter and gets them on track again. It's like having a very surly jockey whipping the poor horse, but somehow they win the race.
I have a major crush on Robert Sean Leonard. Too good-looking, really. Is he involved with anyone?
I absolutely love the way House looks at Cuddy. When he's sure no one's looking, he ravishes her with his eyes. I don't even care if this affair happens right away, you know? I'm hoping Mira Sorvino comes back from the South Pole and shakes things up, too! Or the brainless CIA lady. Oh ladies, everyone knows House is a jerk, but someone please make the first move on this show and ask him out this season! Hahahaha I love this show! I even glanced at Ausiello's preview files to make sure the characters all lived through the hostage crisis! LOL x 100!
House, the character and the show, is the most beautiful thing ever. It's like a present every day, thinking of this. There are blogs which pick the diagnoses apart, which I wouldn't know squat about. I'm a little sad, really, hearing that the medicine is flawed sometimes. But I love the way House talks to his patients in that crabby way, but really gets to the heart of the matter and gets them on track again. It's like having a very surly jockey whipping the poor horse, but somehow they win the race.
I have a major crush on Robert Sean Leonard. Too good-looking, really. Is he involved with anyone?
I absolutely love the way House looks at Cuddy. When he's sure no one's looking, he ravishes her with his eyes. I don't even care if this affair happens right away, you know? I'm hoping Mira Sorvino comes back from the South Pole and shakes things up, too! Or the brainless CIA lady. Oh ladies, everyone knows House is a jerk, but someone please make the first move on this show and ask him out this season! Hahahaha I love this show! I even glanced at Ausiello's preview files to make sure the characters all lived through the hostage crisis! LOL x 100!
Because you will ask!
When you're a girl in your thirties, birthdays cease to be fun. 2:01 am, a LONG time ago, I came screaming into this world. It's 3:19 am already and I'm still going. I'm typing through the whole thing, and it feels good because I'm not thinking about it! Plus I don't write enough. But that's an excuse. So happy birthday to me! Yuck!
Rambling seems to be my style, too. Forgive me, please?
Rambling seems to be my style, too. Forgive me, please?
Real Issues?
I have enough food to eat and my only real concerns are those of self-actualization. Or not, with me obsessing about gossip and all. I look at movies like Jackass, which is a clear case of sheltered children crying out for meaning and help. (OK, also very funny!) My country is propped up on oil money, and looks on the verge of economic collapse. Meanwhile, how many people are hungry and diseased in this world? I think of how sheltered I am, with clean water and food and a warm house, and feel off-balance, sad, guilty, ashamed, and bothered by it all. This could be solved, yes? I could drive a car which emits water vapor, and have a solar powered house, and live a simple life so others did not have to die to maintain ecological balance with my evil habits.
I guess my blog is one huge ramble, but it's not just gossip anymore. It can't be. I'm too worried about the future, and I worry all the time. Please no one say the Americans are a bunch of clueless dolts. It's not true. It's just that there's not much any of us have felt we can do about things for a long time. How do you convert the automobile market into a non-emission source? You don't. That's the sad thing right now. Everyone I know wants a zero emission car, or a Prius, and solar power. We either can't afford it, or it doesn't exist yet. Does the market correct itself? How many polar bears will die for my cars? When will Antarctica collapse into the sea (today's news is predicting the split), and how much precious coastal real estate will remain? Will "they" listen then?
I guess my blog is one huge ramble, but it's not just gossip anymore. It can't be. I'm too worried about the future, and I worry all the time. Please no one say the Americans are a bunch of clueless dolts. It's not true. It's just that there's not much any of us have felt we can do about things for a long time. How do you convert the automobile market into a non-emission source? You don't. That's the sad thing right now. Everyone I know wants a zero emission car, or a Prius, and solar power. We either can't afford it, or it doesn't exist yet. Does the market correct itself? How many polar bears will die for my cars? When will Antarctica collapse into the sea (today's news is predicting the split), and how much precious coastal real estate will remain? Will "they" listen then?
Blind Items, Personal Experience
I love that P Didsquaddle is on Lainey's dirt list. Love it! Love it because he stood me and my pals up; we waited for him in a recording studio all darned day once and he stood us up. No one stands me up, OK? Forget it! Once that happened, he was on my personal dirt list. P Didsquaddle made my year. I laughed very hard at "I Am King"! I tell ya, I KNOW Obama would show up somewhere if he said he would, and P Diddlysquat is a stupid NUTBAG! No, I don't hold a grudge, sure!
I could swear that the private plane hopping, little people abusing guy was going to be Tom Cruise, or someone like that. Seriously, too. What would it be like to live with Tom Cruise? I actually know a couple of fine former Scientologists, but I dated an active one for 2 weeks and he was a horrorshow. Wouldn't discuss his religion with me, threw me out of the house for meditating (?), and cut me off in that cold way they're taught to do. Also hated my gossip habit and yelled at me for it. Anti-IRS and anti-psychiatry. He needs a shrink, though. Abandoned early by dad. Ripe for exploitation. Nasty! I bet Cruise is constantly getting auditing, and using ALL scientology-speak in the house. Every other phrase is an acronym, right? And he's all about auditing, the bridge, "purif", LRH, etc. Poor man. He really thinks he's saving the planet. He needs to let his demons out, and this is making him a walking Rain Man. Hypermasculine, driven, top-heavy, frightened of the "other", loud, pushy, repetitive, inauthentic, overreaching. What a mess! Wouldn't want him in my house.
I could swear that the private plane hopping, little people abusing guy was going to be Tom Cruise, or someone like that. Seriously, too. What would it be like to live with Tom Cruise? I actually know a couple of fine former Scientologists, but I dated an active one for 2 weeks and he was a horrorshow. Wouldn't discuss his religion with me, threw me out of the house for meditating (?), and cut me off in that cold way they're taught to do. Also hated my gossip habit and yelled at me for it. Anti-IRS and anti-psychiatry. He needs a shrink, though. Abandoned early by dad. Ripe for exploitation. Nasty! I bet Cruise is constantly getting auditing, and using ALL scientology-speak in the house. Every other phrase is an acronym, right? And he's all about auditing, the bridge, "purif", LRH, etc. Poor man. He really thinks he's saving the planet. He needs to let his demons out, and this is making him a walking Rain Man. Hypermasculine, driven, top-heavy, frightened of the "other", loud, pushy, repetitive, inauthentic, overreaching. What a mess! Wouldn't want him in my house.
More of my celebrity obsessions
I actually love the entries on the Lainey Lurv facebook account, in which the members recall meeting celebrities, and what they were like.
It's even more interesting in some ways than the straight gossip, because it's from the gut and real. I met Willie Nelson, who really is THAT nice. He kindly brought me in to play fiddle with his band, and he was generous with me and pushed me take the entire stage. Made him sing anyway! Haha! Best time of my life. I met Matt Damon, and although he's good and all, he WILL be unhappy when I am awarded the Nobel Prize for literature and he remembers turning me down for a role in my student-written play. And then I give the movie options to someone else. Dream on, you say! Ha!
I think it must be wicked hard to be a celebrity and to be under all these pressures. Just discussing Stevie Ray Vaughn the other day, how it's so easy to slip into addictions when you live in a fishbowl. Can't even IMAGINE Linsay Lohan/Miley Cyrus/Britney Spears/Jonas Bros. Good lord. To be young and wanted everywhere. Robert Pattinson, will he ever have a normal brain again? They say you can hear the thoughts of all the people across the world who are thinking of you. Yeesh. That must be a mess for Tara Reid and Misha Barton!
On a lighter note, I am absolutely OBSESSED with Hugh Laurie as House. I was nuts over Russell Brand until he made fun of the Jonas purity rings. Yikes. So now it's the Englishman with the perfect Yank accent, fake limp, and endless bile with a human heart underneath. I'm dying to know if he ends up with Cuddy soon! The kiss, the suspense is killing me! Aggggghhhh! They have a word for it behind the scenes, "URST," unresolved sexual tension. Used it throughout Friends' run. Keeps the show going, I guess. Maybe that's why Grey's Anatomy fell down dead? I don't care what the ratings say, how can their writers look at themselves in their mirrors every morning? Kill off the gorgeous gay character, make a domestic scene with Meredith, and have sex with ghosts? WT-?
On an even sillier note, I read a Twilight book to see what the fuss was about. Horrible writing, and the worst plot outlines I have ever seen. Sooooo formulaic, and designed exactly to fit into 4 ginormous novels. Ack! I blasted through all 4 of them in 2 months...I have to admit, I was infected with the vampire virus! I thought I could resist. I even read "Midnight Sun" online to see inside Edward's head, and sat there entranced for an entire afternoon. Stephenie Meyer! You have some evil talent there, lady! Yeesh. What's worse: I went to the stupid movie and really loved the whole thing. I got caught up like some teenybopper. I even investigated the requirements to become a Twilight Mom and I qualify with my middle age. What has my life come to, that I would get this obsessed over Young Adult fare? Good lord. I was even completely entranced and happy at the final book's ending in "Breaking Dawn." LOVE how things work out for Jacob, LOVED Bella's honeymoon, LOVED how noone vital died, LOVED how the battle worked out at the end. And I consider myself a serious author! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
It's even more interesting in some ways than the straight gossip, because it's from the gut and real. I met Willie Nelson, who really is THAT nice. He kindly brought me in to play fiddle with his band, and he was generous with me and pushed me take the entire stage. Made him sing anyway! Haha! Best time of my life. I met Matt Damon, and although he's good and all, he WILL be unhappy when I am awarded the Nobel Prize for literature and he remembers turning me down for a role in my student-written play. And then I give the movie options to someone else. Dream on, you say! Ha!
I think it must be wicked hard to be a celebrity and to be under all these pressures. Just discussing Stevie Ray Vaughn the other day, how it's so easy to slip into addictions when you live in a fishbowl. Can't even IMAGINE Linsay Lohan/Miley Cyrus/Britney Spears/Jonas Bros. Good lord. To be young and wanted everywhere. Robert Pattinson, will he ever have a normal brain again? They say you can hear the thoughts of all the people across the world who are thinking of you. Yeesh. That must be a mess for Tara Reid and Misha Barton!
On a lighter note, I am absolutely OBSESSED with Hugh Laurie as House. I was nuts over Russell Brand until he made fun of the Jonas purity rings. Yikes. So now it's the Englishman with the perfect Yank accent, fake limp, and endless bile with a human heart underneath. I'm dying to know if he ends up with Cuddy soon! The kiss, the suspense is killing me! Aggggghhhh! They have a word for it behind the scenes, "URST," unresolved sexual tension. Used it throughout Friends' run. Keeps the show going, I guess. Maybe that's why Grey's Anatomy fell down dead? I don't care what the ratings say, how can their writers look at themselves in their mirrors every morning? Kill off the gorgeous gay character, make a domestic scene with Meredith, and have sex with ghosts? WT-?
On an even sillier note, I read a Twilight book to see what the fuss was about. Horrible writing, and the worst plot outlines I have ever seen. Sooooo formulaic, and designed exactly to fit into 4 ginormous novels. Ack! I blasted through all 4 of them in 2 months...I have to admit, I was infected with the vampire virus! I thought I could resist. I even read "Midnight Sun" online to see inside Edward's head, and sat there entranced for an entire afternoon. Stephenie Meyer! You have some evil talent there, lady! Yeesh. What's worse: I went to the stupid movie and really loved the whole thing. I got caught up like some teenybopper. I even investigated the requirements to become a Twilight Mom and I qualify with my middle age. What has my life come to, that I would get this obsessed over Young Adult fare? Good lord. I was even completely entranced and happy at the final book's ending in "Breaking Dawn." LOVE how things work out for Jacob, LOVED Bella's honeymoon, LOVED how noone vital died, LOVED how the battle worked out at the end. And I consider myself a serious author! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Blind Item Obsession Defined!
So I'll start with my own goofy story.
To distract myself from my own life last year, I went crazy looking for the answers to 2 Lainey Gossip blind items: Cheap and Crafty; and Mute Stones. Since both appeared to relate to the Oscars, I looked up all the female Oscar winners, and then with mates who also won Oscars, cross-tabulating with the full list of actresses that Lainey eliminated.
So for Cheap and Crafty, since Lainey said the woman in question was married, this is what I came up with:
To distract myself from my own life last year, I went crazy looking for the answers to 2 Lainey Gossip blind items: Cheap and Crafty; and Mute Stones. Since both appeared to relate to the Oscars, I looked up all the female Oscar winners, and then with mates who also won Oscars, cross-tabulating with the full list of actresses that Lainey eliminated.
So for Cheap and Crafty, since Lainey said the woman in question was married, this is what I came up with:
Probably: (maybe too old for stroller/car seat? 5 yrs and 3 yrs) Geena Davis (On September 1, 2001,
Daughter too old. Emma Thompson (In 2003, Thompson married actor Greg Wise (who starred with her in Sense and Sensibility) with whom she has a daughter, Gaia Romilly, born in 1999.)
No kids no man. Marisa Tomei
3 yrs one year. Mira Sorvino (She met actor Christopher Backus—fourteen years her junior—at a friend's charades party in August 2003: "He walked into the kitchen looking for silverware. We saw each other and something made us want to talk to each other more". She told People. They were engaged within a month. On June 11, 2004, they married in a private civil ceremony at a
Not married. Helen Hunt (Hunt was married to actor Hank Azaria from 1999 until 2000. She has been in a relationship with Matthew Carnahan since 2001 and they have a daughter, Makena'lei Gordon Carnahan, born in 2004.)
4 years. Jennifer Connelly (Connelly is a vegan. She is married to well-known English actor Paul Bettany (born 1971), whom she met while working on A Beautiful Mind. The couple's son, Stellan (named after actor Stellan Skarsgård), was born on August 5, 2003. She also has a son, Kai (born 1997), from her relationship with photographer David Dugan.)
Not married. Rachel Weisz (Weisz is engaged to American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. They have been dating since 2004. They have a son, Henry Chance, born on May 31, 2006 in
11 yrs 6 yrs. Diane Keaton (Diane Keaton is mother of two children: a girl named Dexter (adopted 1996) and a boy named Duke (adopted 2001).
9 years and 3 years. Marcia Gay Harden (Harden is married to Thaddaeus Scheel, with whom she worked on The Spitfire Grill (1996), and the couple have three children: a daughter, Eulala Grace Scheel, and twins Julitta Dee Scheel and Hudson Harden Scheel. She and her husband, Thaddaeus Scheel, have three children: a daughter, Eulala Scheel, born in September 1998, and twins, a boy named Hudson Harden Scheel and a girl named Julitta Dee Harden Scheel, born on 22 April 2004 in
Son adopted in 1994; 13 yrs old. Frances McDormand (McDormand has been in a relationship with director Joel Coen since 1984, and the two married in 1994, as well as adopted a son from Paraguay, Pedro McDormand Coen.)
Not married. Juliette Binoche (Binoche has two children: Raphaël (born on September 2, 1993), whose father is Andre Halle, a professional scuba diver, and Hana (December 16, 1999), whose father is French actor Benoît Magimel, with whom Binoche starred in the 1999 film Children of the Century. Binoche is currently romantically involved with Argentine writer/director Santiago Amigorena.)
No mention of kids. Linda Hunt
Seriously! I actually did this. I know, I know. But if this is my worst habit, I think I'm doing OK. I went on a wild goose chase, though, because Rachel Weisz is engaged, not married! Yeesh.
And Mute Stones was funny; I guessed at Phoebe Cates/Kevin Kline and Rachel Miller/Daniel Day Lewis. Can you imagine? Really it was the race car world for the awards. The Judds don't look the same anymore. I've heard that they treated the youngest like Cinderella, literally. What a shame!
If any of you would like to see the original blind items, they're easy to find on Lainey on a quick search, but I will repost them if you're desperately curious. I'm figuring that, if you're here, you're looking for the answers like I am and know the blind items already! LOL is overused, but what else can I say? LOL! I am so obsessed with gossip that I started my own blog? Craaaazy AND lol!
(P.S. - All info from this posting comes from wikipedia, from separate entries on each actress. Thank you, wikipedia! 97% of what I see makes sense, which is a miracle in a user-written encyclopedia. Also, all Lainey references are from www.laineygossip.com. Thank you for a wild new hobby, Lainey! -n)
Wow! I love the celebrity bloggers!
I am laughing, because I added 4 celebrity blogs to my automatic reader service, and they are ALL top-notch! And I think to myself, I really don't have ad revenue, or insider hints, or any of THAT in my back pocket. So the best I can do is try to solve blind items that are still out in the ether. Or maybe start working on the great American novel, and stop procrastinating.
So, gentle readers, what are you still trying to figure out? Let's have some fun here!
So, gentle readers, what are you still trying to figure out? Let's have some fun here!
Welcome all celebrity gossip lovers!
Do you spend wayyy to much time following the lives of people you not only don't know, but probably would not want in your house! Ha! I know I'm in this category.
I am a fanatical follower of Lainey Gossip, dlisted, and the Lainey Lurv facebook account.
There's a troll on facebook, and some gracious blogger on blogspot just made their account private, so I say: I'll do my own blog, and you guys can join my party!
Let's have some silly gossiping fun, people!
I am a fanatical follower of Lainey Gossip, dlisted, and the Lainey Lurv facebook account.
There's a troll on facebook, and some gracious blogger on blogspot just made their account private, so I say: I'll do my own blog, and you guys can join my party!
Let's have some silly gossiping fun, people!
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