Thursday, March 26, 2009

Old chum

In looking at Natasha Richardson's work, I realized that I really only knew her from the remake of The Parent Trap and the Cabaret soundtrack, but those were enough to make me pretty upset when I heard about her death. I definitely recommend checking out this post, which not only goes into detail about why her performance of Sally Bowles was so awesome, but also includes clips of her doing "Maybe This Time" and "Cabaret."

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

So THAT'S what Alan Thicke has been up to

If you're not watching How I Met Your Mother, you're missing out. It's completely hilarious and more realistic than most shows about people my age. Plus, you're missing out on the awesome tie-ins. If they mention a website on the show, you can be pretty sure that they've actually made the website. And CanadianSexActs.org, featured last night, is no exception. I highly recommend checking out all of the descriptions. I particularly recommend Two Girls, One Stanley Cup and Sloppy Dog Sled. You'll have that site bookmarked in no time, just like Barney!

(Also, the Manitoba Mail Bag.)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Hidden potential of not-so-great chick lit

I like the chick lit. I admit it. And I'm not necessarily picky about it. So when I was meandering around the library the other day and saw a book called Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man, I picked it up. Set in Ireland. A woman goes through her ex-boyfriends to figure out what she's doing wrong. Sounds promising. Like a lot of others, the writing and story were entertaining enough to propel me quickly through the book. And, like a lot of others, after I finish it, I find myself thinking "Meh."

For one thing, the story is just insanely over-the-top. The main character, Amelia, is taking a class because she wants to get married, and each week she's supposed to contact a former boyfriend and find out why he thinks they broke up--get his perspective. Logical. However, two problems. One, there were a lot of flashbacks. A bunch of these flashed back to the 80s. And the author couldn't help but throw in things like people commenting about how perfect Charles and Diana are for each other, or how Elton John couldn't be gay--he's married! Oh, ha ha! It's funny because it's not true! *bangs head on desk*

The other main problem is the craziness of the ex-boyfriends. (SPOILERS AHEAD!) We meet 10 of them, and the most normal of them is the latest ex. He told her he couldn't commit, then turned up engaged to a woman 15 years younger to them, and the two of them moved in across the street. The others? Gay, insane asylum, monk, etc. I know, it's a delicate balance. They couldn't all be normal, because then the book would be boring. Or, you know, the author would have to work harder to make the book entertaining. So it's just the litany of crazy mishaps and crazy boyfriends.

Which, again, is pretty entertaining. The issue is that, as the teacher of the class points out, this only says that Amelia needs to pick less crazy men. She doesn't need to change. There were a couple points when I thought she would realize that maybe part of her problem was that she was career-oriented. This could lead to her being all, "Hey, I'm cool with that--I have an awesome career!" or maybe trying to figure out a better balance or realizing that she buried herself in her career so she wouldn't have to deal with her life. No. At other times, I thought it would be that she'd realize her group of friends was too insular; she has three friends (whom she calls "girlies," which just drove me up a wall) whom she's known she was a child and with whom she's insanely tight. And again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it would be nice if maybe she thought that the tightness of her group might be intimidating to men. This is pointed out by her teacher. I'm not saying that she has to change...it would just be nice if Amelia were the least bit introspective about any of this.

But no. In the end, she chooses herself. Which isn't bad. It just seemed incredibly abrupt, and reinforced that her career and friends were more important than a man. And I don't disagree--I don't mean to say that at all. It was just all very odd.

It reminds me a bit of Something Blue. Now, Emily Giffin is a better writer; her characters have depth and are incredibly relatable. Except for in Something Blue, in which the main character, who's been pretty unlikable for the past book and a quarter (the book is a sequel to Something Borrowed), basically says, "Hey, I should become a Good Person," then acts like one. And ta-da! Transformation! Incredibly superficial one, in my opinion. I guess I just need a bit more of the inner workings of the characters.

Maybe I'm just ticked off at the lost potential. I see a better story there, just wanting to get out. But it doesn't.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

OK, so he's kind of a Baldwin

Admittedly, it really only takes "Paul Rudd's in it" to get me to see a movie. I love him. I have, since Clueless. Every time he goes on The Daily Show, I only love him more (go here and search for him). And in Knocked Up, he wore Orioles gear. Awesome! (And seriously, Role Models was underrated. You should totally rent it.)

So, combine him with Jason Segal, whom I love from Freaks & Geeks and How I Met Your Mother, in I Love You, Man, and yeah, I'm thinking I'm there. Plus, I love the one trailer where Paul is trying to figure out how to meet guys to be friends with. It's so true; how do you make friends? And I can relate to those "needs to loosen up" characters.

Also, Paul Rudd has the best eyes. Dreamy.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Celebrities and those crazy Internet people

When I got to the Y today, my iPod decided to break and the elliptical I was on didn't have a tv, so I found myself reading a copy of Marie Claire that had been left in the machine's cupholder. There was an article that interviewed Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, and Ginnifer Goodwin, who were promoting He's Just Not That Into You. The section that really grabbed my attention was their discussion of online dating:

MC [Marie Claire]: You all have, um, colorful dating pasts. If you weren't celebrities, how would you choose to meet men?
DB: Drunk in a bar. No, wait — kidding!
JA: I'd have to be dragged out to places. Well, like I am now.
MC: No Match.com? No Facebook?
JA: No, no, no. The Internet freaks me out.
GG: I think it's the devil. We're pack animals! We're supposed to be connecting face-to-face.
JA: The Internet warps reality. If you're an Internet person, real life will fall short of what you have been privy to online — sexually, emotionally. It's so unreal and gives you this sense of order where there isn't any. You can't drag and paste life!
MC: You don't feel you can get to know someone online?
DB: You think people tell the truth about themselves? Every guy is 6'4" with a huge schlong. That's why people love it so much. Internet does not equal sodium pentothal. [Holds up an old Polaroid camera that she carries with her everywhere] This is not for the person who surfs the Web. I love this thing. I want to meet someone who's into all the old-school stuff. I remember when I first started dating, the big thing was RadioShack answering machines. It was such a huge deal to run home and check your messages. And when you could actually check from another phone? That was, like, the craziest thing ever!

And it goes on from there. I mean, obviously Jennifer Aniston checking out Match or eHarmony for a date. It is interesting, though, how their celebrity colors their view of the entire Internet. It's a shame, really, though it's an understandable one. Goodwin admits that she has googled herself and that it led to tears. Which is kind of weird; I don't think I've ever read anything negative about her...but then, I've also never done a search for her. And it must be weird to be a celebrity and to see all this discussion of your life out there.

But at the same time, it's sad that they don't realize that people on the Internet aren't inherently bizarre freaks. It's annoying, too, but mostly I think it's sad. Again, I understand why they think so; both Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston got really popular before the Internet became used in such a widespread way. I would hope that, like, Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers don't have a similar attitude.

Though it does make me wonder what these people do with their time. If they find the Internet so scary...what do they do with their time? Work out, I guess. Watch tv? Obviously they can't watch certain channels. Read, maybe? Play video games? I have no idea.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

BOBSLED!


I've enjoyed The Amazing Race since its early season. I even went to a few TARCons in New York (I want to say for Seasons 3 and 4, maybe). It's such a great show; you get to see fabulous places, and the placement of the teams is largely in their own hands.
Tonight's leg was one of my favorites ever, based entirely on where they went and what they did. They went to Siberia. How awesome is that? I want to go to Russia and think it would be so cool to get to Siberia; or, at least, get as far east as where the Romanovs were killed. (Because yes, I find that intriguing.) You know what would rock? Going on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Um. Anyway. Cool!
And then, as if going to Sibera wasn't enough, they had BOBSLED! It was very similar to the bobsled I did in Jamaica last December, and seriously, every time they showed it, I got all happy. And then annoyed that most of the teams hadn't heard of Chekhov. It's not like he isn't famous, people. I shudder to think of what the Russian judge there thought of us. I'm sure she's heard of Mark Twain, you know?
So thanks, Amazing Race. You totally made my night.