1-Did you kiss anyone?
After November 3rd, 2007, every day... ;o)
2-Did you date anyone?
We didn't really "date"... that's hard to do in a long-distance relationship.
3-Are you going to have someone to kiss when the ball drops?
My kitty Peter. Bob's working. :o(
4-Did you lose any friends?
You could say that. I didn't ever want to lose him.
5-Did you gain any friends?
Well, I guess I can count Bob's sisters Jen and Kathy. ;o)
6-Did you do something new?
hmmm. Well, I guess it's new that someone I've only known a few months moved in with me. ;o)
7-Did anyone important to you die?
Sigh. Yes. :o(
8-Did you change?
I don't think so.
9-Are you happy with the year over all?
No. It seems like a waste except for Bob.
10-What's the best thing that happened to you?
Bob.
11-Did you fall in or out of love?
I do believe I've fallen and I can't get up.
12-Are you happy the years almost over?
Yes.
13-Are you going to change something about yourself next year?
I keep hoping things will change and I work hard so let's hope it does.
14-Do you think 2008 will be a better year then 2007?
I pray it will.
15-Did you lose your virginity in 2007?
LOL No.
16-How many things did you screw up in 2007?
Ha!
17-Did you go to an amusement park?
No. Don't like them.
18-Did you go to a concert?
No. That's so weird. I used to go to many shows.
19-Did you go to any parties?
Yes. If the one at my next door neighbor's counts.
20-Did you go on a summer vacation?
No.
22-Did you get into a fight?
No.
23-Did you leave the country?
No.
24-Did you have a good birthday?
Yes! I ate very well. What's better? ;o)
25-Did anyone in your family get married?
Three very good friends did.
26-Do you think you grew?
More bitter? Sure! LOL
27-Did you dye your hair?
About once every two months or so. ;o)
28-Who do you think you were on the phone with the most?
Up until November, Bob.
29-Did anyone sing to you?
Um, no. LOL
30-Did you sing to anyone?
No.
31-Did anyone tell you they loved you?
Yes. ;o)
32-Did you ever go to the hospital?
No, but I did go to the emergency clinic for that awful vertigo/labyrinthitis.
33-What did you drink and eat the most?
Probably chocolate and lemon-lime seltzer.
34-Did you change your top friends at least 8 times?
No
35-Did you change your profile over 10 times?
No
36-Did you change your default song at least 20 times?
No
37-Did you get a tattoo?
Nope, just a henna "tattoo" during the summer, as usual.
38-Did you get a piercing?
No
39-Are you going to make a new years resolution?
I don't believe in them.
40. What do you look forward to next year?
A fucking full-time job? Is it possible? I've only waited two years...
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Missed by a day but still missed
Drat, I meant to post this yesterday, but whatever... he's still on my mind.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono came out of 5 years' seclusion to promote their new album, "Double Fantasy," November 21, 1980. They walked around Central Park, posed in front of the Dakota apartment house, and worked in Studio One, Yoko's office.
http://insighteditions.com/product_info.php?cpath=upcoming&products_id=70&oscsid=6e6866869f70a42f8870489b2781c399
John Lennon and Yoko Ono came out of 5 years' seclusion to promote their new album, "Double Fantasy," November 21, 1980. They walked around Central Park, posed in front of the Dakota apartment house, and worked in Studio One, Yoko's office.
http://insighteditions.com/product_info.php?cpath=upcoming&products_id=70&oscsid=6e6866869f70a42f8870489b2781c399
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
You know it's Halloween in NYC when...
...the Madonnas come out.
I worked at ABC Sunday and Monday night, and I had my first Halloween Madonna sighting in Port Authority Bus Terminal on Monday morning, 3:20 a.m. "She" was dressed as equestrian Madonna (I'm impressed with myself that I pulled THAT word out of my ass) -- from the cover of "W" magazine in the spring of 2006:
And the bitch looked good, honey!
I look forward to seeing the rest of Madge's incarnations Wednesday night at the parade!
I worked at ABC Sunday and Monday night, and I had my first Halloween Madonna sighting in Port Authority Bus Terminal on Monday morning, 3:20 a.m. "She" was dressed as equestrian Madonna (I'm impressed with myself that I pulled THAT word out of my ass) -- from the cover of "W" magazine in the spring of 2006:
And the bitch looked good, honey!
I look forward to seeing the rest of Madge's incarnations Wednesday night at the parade!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
cuteness
Nothin' much to say, other than I think it's so cute lately that Peter's been a bit of a lap cat. Neither he nor his brother Elvis were ever lap cats, so this is a cute development. Before Elvis died, he used to spread himself out in my lap too. I loved it. I guess it's old age...
Peetie's so damn happy here, he's purring his face off. LOL I only had my cell phone within reach, and the flash made him close his eyes, but he's still freakin' adorable.
Peetie's so damn happy here, he's purring his face off. LOL I only had my cell phone within reach, and the flash made him close his eyes, but he's still freakin' adorable.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
How I like my Dave...
...longhaired and scream-y. LOL
As much as the new Foo Fighters album bores me, the single is good.
Yay for Pat Smear and Petra Hayden, who ROCK.
As much as the new Foo Fighters album bores me, the single is good.
Yay for Pat Smear and Petra Hayden, who ROCK.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Too cute
Golden retriever nurses stray kitten
Mon Oct 8, 10:52 PM ET
A stray kitten has found a new mother in a golden retriever, who began producing milk for the gray tabby after hearing its cries.
The hungry kitten, found in an old tire at a concrete plant, refused to drink from a bottle and her rescuers feared she would die. That's when Honey, the family dog who hadn't given birth in 18 months, stepped in with her motherly instincts.
"She started licking her and loving her. Within a couple of days, Honey started naturally lactating," said Kathy Martin, whose husband, Jimmy, brought the kitten home six weeks ago. "The kitten took right to her."
Initially, the family worried such a big dog would be too rough for the tiny feline named Precious. But Honey showed her elation at Precious' presence, wagging her tail and prancing all over the house.
Precious now sometimes plays with dog bones, and Honey lets the kitten gnaw on her like a puppy.
"She thinks she's a dog," Kathy Martin said. "She's really fit right in."
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
I loved this movie
Ever since I saw "Across the Universe" last week, I've struggled with a way to describe the experience.
I can equate it to the experience I had when first watching "Moulin Rouge!" -- I thought, "Oh no, this could take a quick dive into ridiculous!" But after I pushed myself (and I really had to push myself) to watch "Moulin Rouge!" I fell in love, and the same happened with "Across the Universe," though no force was required. This New York Times article sums things up quite well:
Lovers in the ’60s Take a Magical Mystery Tour
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
Published: September 14, 2007
From its first moments, when a solitary dreamer on a beach turns to the camera and sings, unaccompanied, the opening lines of the Beatles’ song “Girl,” Julie Taymor’s ’60s musical fantasia, “Across the Universe,” reveals its intention to use the Beatles’ catalog to tell two stories at once, one personal, the other generational. That young man, Jude (Jim Sturgess), is a cheeky Liverpool dockworker with a twinkle in his eye. He quickly emerges as a winsome vocal composite of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with a personality to match.
From here the movie only gets better. Somewhere around its midpoint, “Across the Universe” captured my heart, and I realized that falling in love with a movie is like falling in love with another person. Imperfections, however glaring, become endearing quirks once you’ve tumbled.
That surrender is the kind of commitment that Ms. Taymor, a true believer in the magic of art, asks of an audience. And as the movie intensifies, and she brings in a fantastic array of puppets, masks and synergistic effects, you may find yourself in a heightened emotional state, even as you realize that what you’re seeing is unadulterated white, middle-class baby boomer nostalgia.
This risky hybrid of long-form music video and movie musical with clearly drawn characters tells the story of Jude’s star-crossed love affair with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), a girl from upper-crust East Coast suburbia. It follows the couple as they are swept up and come apart in the evolving counterculture of left-wing politics, sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.
The story, briefly: Jude, visiting the United States in search of his long-lost father, meets Lucy through her brother, Max (Joe Anderson), a student at Princeton, where the father is discovered working as a janitor. Max takes Jude home to his stuffy family for Thanksgiving, during which Max shocks his parents by announcing that he is dropping out of college. He and Jude drive to New York and settle in a sprawling East Village tenement and are soon joined by Lucy.
Their landlady, Sadie (Dana Fuchs, who played Janis Joplin in the Off Broadway show “Love, Janis”), is the movie’s resident earth mother. An aspiring rock singer, she sounds like a warmer, more controlled Joplin. Her triumphal “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” announces Lucy’s arrival in New York, and later in the movie, her voice hoarsely shouting “Helter Skelter” rises above the mob during a Columbia University riot at which Jude is arrested.
Rounding out the bohemian household are Jo-Jo (Martin Luther McCoy), a guitarist who arrives from Detroit by Greyhound after his younger brother’s death in the Detroit riots, and Prudence (T.V. Carpio), an Asian-American lesbian cheerleader who hitchhikes to New York from Dayton, Ohio, and (in a joke on a Beatles song title) crashes into the house through the bathroom window.
Jo-Jo, who suggests a softened Jimi Hendrix, becomes Sadie’s on-again-off-again boyfriend and sometime lead guitarist. Prudence, who early in the film sings “I Want to Hold Your Hand” while gazing wistfully from afar at a blond cheerleader, develops a secret crush on Sadie. While Jude embraces art, Lucy, who lost her first boyfriend in Vietnam, gravitates toward antiwar activism after Max receives his draft notice and reluctantly leaves to fight in the war.
If the young lovers are familiar ’60s archetypes, the actors’ natural performances and the easy, colloquial dialogue by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (“The Commitments”) allow the characters to transcend the generic. When Lucy, gazing at Jude, sings “If I Fell” very slowly, in a sweet, trembling voice, she is one girl worriedly fantasizing about one boy.
Most of the historical events are lightly fictionalized in a movie that maintains only the fuzziest of timelines. Its 33 Beatles songs (two without words) have been re-recorded and sung by the actors. Yet “Across the Universe” feels emotionally true both to the Beatles, whose music today seems to exist outside of time, and to the decade it remembers. Smart, uncluttered musical arrangements help reposition the songs to address the situation at hand. As a result, music that has congealed in collective memory — especially the clever, breezy early Beatles songs — emerges refreshed.
A visceral peak arrives with “Strawberry Fields Forever.” In this gorgeous production number, an artwork by Jude in which rows of bleeding strawberries are pinned to a white surface transmutes into a hallucination of strawberry bombs raining over Southeast Asia. Then the artist, in an anguished frenzy, begins smashing strawberries on the walls and floors and destroys his work.
This happens around the time that Lucy, who works for a militant antiwar organization, angrily dismisses Jude’s art as “doodles and cartoons.” He charges into her office, snarls the song “Revolution” and instigates a brawl. It is one of several moments in which “Across the Universe” grasps a central emotional duality of a culture in which rage and ecstatic idealism clashed and played into each other at the same time.
Another extraordinary scene follows Joe to a United States Army induction center at which an Uncle Sam poster comes to animated life, leans down, points a giant finger and growls, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” Inside the center a choreographed sequence finds inductees in their underwear sliding involuntarily along the floor through lines of Army officers in grim Expressionistic masks, marching in robotic formation. The new recruits are next shown, still in their underwear, lugging a giant replica of the Statue of Liberty through the Vietnamese jungle.
The dreamiest reverie, set to “Because,” begins with a tableau of nine friends blissfully lying on their backs in the grass in a mandala pattern. The circle disperses as Jude and Lucy find themselves in a watery blue sky where clouds melt into liquid, and the entwined lovers are themselves floating underwater. Most fanciful of all is a largely animated sequence in which Eddie Izzard is Mr. Kite, the ringmaster of a psychedelic circus with a dancing chorus line of “the blue people.”
Amid the phantasmagoria are several star cameos. As Max recovers from war injuries in a veterans’ hospital, he has a morphine-induced fever dream in which the beds in his ward rear up from the floor to the song “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” and he is tended by five Salma Hayeks. Bono appears as the acid guru, Dr. Robert, a Ken Kesey-Neal Cassady fusion who sings “I Am the Walrus” at an acid-drenched party and conducts Jude, Lucy and a roiling band of Merry Pranksters on a delirious bus journey through a rainbow-colored countryside.
“Across the Universe,” in the spirit of the counterculture, goes with the flow. Its scenes, songs and witty roughhouse choreography, spun off from the Beatles’ movies “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!,” dissolve into a stream of consciousness with only occasional punctuation.
Because of its oh-wow aesthetic, its refusal to adopt a critical distance from the ’60s drug culture, its tacit approval of the characters’ antiwar activism and its token attention to the decade’s racial strife, “Across the Universe” leaves itself wide open to derision, complaints and endless nitpicking. But it couldn’t have succeeded any other way. The movie is completely devoid of the protective cynicism that is now a reflexive response to the term “the ’60s.”
“Across the Universe” believes wholeheartedly in the quaint, communitarian spirit it exalts. You share the joy of its blissed-out hippies in the grass. You feel the deepening friendship between Jude and Max that is sealed in Max’s incandescent performance of “Hey, Jude.” And during the time it lasts, the intoxicating passion of Jude and Lucy, both innocents by today’s standards, convinces, for a moment, that love is all you need.
“Across the Universe” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has nudity, sexual situations, drug use, mild violence and some strong language.
************************************************************
British actor Jim Sturgess (Jude) is adorable, and I'm not sure if he's from Liverpool or not, but if he isn't, I still loved the accent. ;o) Joe Anderson (Max -- as in "Maxwell's Silver Hammer... LOL) is a dead ringer for Kurt Cobain. I found it a tad distracting even.
Don't take my word on this movie, take Roger Ebert's:
Here is a bold, beautiful, visually enchanting musical where we walk into the theater humming the songs. Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe" is an audacious marriage of cutting-edge visual techniques, heart-warming performances, 1960s history and the Beatles songbook. Sounds like a concept that might be behind its time, but I believe in yesterday.
This isn't one of those druggy 1960s movies, although it has what the MPAA shyly calls "some" drug content. It's not grungy, although it has Joe Cocker in it. It's not political, which means it's political to its core. Most miraculous of all, it's not dated; the stories could be happening now, and in fact, they are.
For a film that is almost wall to wall with music, it has a full-bodied plot. The characters, mostly named after Beatles songs, include Lucy (the angelic Evan Rachel Wood), who moves from middle America to New York; Jude (Jim Sturgess), a Liverpool ship welder who works his way to New York on a ship, and Lucy's brother, Max (Joe Anderson), a college student who has dropped out (I guess). They now all share a pad in Greenwich Village with their musician friends, the Hendrixian Jo-Jo (Martin Luther McCoy), the Joplinesque Sadie (Dana Fuchs) and the lovelorn Prudence (T.V. Carpio), who loves women but doesn’t feel free to express her true feelings.
Jude and Lucy fall in love, and they all go through a hippie period on Dr. Robert's Magic Bus, where the doctor (Bono) and his bus bear a striking resemblance to Ken Kesey's magical mystery tour. They also get guidance from Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard), having been some days in preparation. But then things turn serious as Max goes off to Vietnam and the story gets swept up in the anti-war movement.
Yet when I say "story," don't start thinking about a lot of dialogue and plotting. Almost everything happens as an illustration to a Beatles song. The arrangements are sometimes familiar, sometimes radically altered, and the voices are all new; the actors either sing or sync, and often they find a mood in a song that we never knew was there before. When Prudence sings "I Want to Hold Your Hand," for example, I realized how wrong I was to ever think that was a happy song. It's not happy if it's a hand you are never, never, never going to hold. The love that dare not express its name turns in sadness to song.
Julie Taymor, famous as the director of "The Lion King" on Broadway, is a generously inventive choreographer, such as in a basic-training scene where all the drill sergeants look like G.I. Joe; a sequence where inductees in Jockey shorts carry the Statue of Liberty through a Vietnam field, and cross-cutting between dancing to Beatles clone bands at an American high school prom and in a Liverpool dive bar. There are underwater sequences which approach ballet, a stage performance that turns into musical warfare, strawberries that bleed, rooftop concerts and a montage combining crashing waves with the Detroit riots.
But all I'm doing here is list-making. The beauty is in the execution. The experience of the movie is joyous. I don't even want to know about anybody who complains they aren't hearing "the real Beatles." Fred Astaire wasn't Cole Porter, either. These songs are now more than 40 years old, some of them, and are timeless, and hearing these unexpected talents singing them (yes, and Bono, Izzard and Cocker, too) only underlines their astonishing quality.
You weren't alive in the 1960s? Or the '70s or '80s? You're like the guy on the IMDb message board who thought the band was named the "Beetles," and didn't even get it when people made Volkswagen jokes because he hadn't heard of VW Beetles, either. All is forgiven. Jay Leno has a Jaywalking spot for you. Just about anybody else is likely to enjoy "Across the Universe."
I'm sure there were executives who thought it was suicidal to set a "Beatles musical" in the "Vietnam era." But this is a movie that fires its songs like flowers at the way we live now. It's the kind of movie you watch again, like listening to a favorite album. It was scheduled for the Toronto Film Festival but was previewed (as several Toronto films were) for critics in major cities. I was drowning in movies and deadlines, and this was the only one I went to see twice. Now do your homework and rent the DVD of "A Hard Day's Night" if you've never seen it. The thought that there are readers who would get this far in this review of this film and never have seen that film is unbearably sad. Cheer me up. Don't let me down (repeat three times).
I can equate it to the experience I had when first watching "Moulin Rouge!" -- I thought, "Oh no, this could take a quick dive into ridiculous!" But after I pushed myself (and I really had to push myself) to watch "Moulin Rouge!" I fell in love, and the same happened with "Across the Universe," though no force was required. This New York Times article sums things up quite well:
Lovers in the ’60s Take a Magical Mystery Tour
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
Published: September 14, 2007
From its first moments, when a solitary dreamer on a beach turns to the camera and sings, unaccompanied, the opening lines of the Beatles’ song “Girl,” Julie Taymor’s ’60s musical fantasia, “Across the Universe,” reveals its intention to use the Beatles’ catalog to tell two stories at once, one personal, the other generational. That young man, Jude (Jim Sturgess), is a cheeky Liverpool dockworker with a twinkle in his eye. He quickly emerges as a winsome vocal composite of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with a personality to match.
From here the movie only gets better. Somewhere around its midpoint, “Across the Universe” captured my heart, and I realized that falling in love with a movie is like falling in love with another person. Imperfections, however glaring, become endearing quirks once you’ve tumbled.
That surrender is the kind of commitment that Ms. Taymor, a true believer in the magic of art, asks of an audience. And as the movie intensifies, and she brings in a fantastic array of puppets, masks and synergistic effects, you may find yourself in a heightened emotional state, even as you realize that what you’re seeing is unadulterated white, middle-class baby boomer nostalgia.
This risky hybrid of long-form music video and movie musical with clearly drawn characters tells the story of Jude’s star-crossed love affair with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), a girl from upper-crust East Coast suburbia. It follows the couple as they are swept up and come apart in the evolving counterculture of left-wing politics, sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.
The story, briefly: Jude, visiting the United States in search of his long-lost father, meets Lucy through her brother, Max (Joe Anderson), a student at Princeton, where the father is discovered working as a janitor. Max takes Jude home to his stuffy family for Thanksgiving, during which Max shocks his parents by announcing that he is dropping out of college. He and Jude drive to New York and settle in a sprawling East Village tenement and are soon joined by Lucy.
Their landlady, Sadie (Dana Fuchs, who played Janis Joplin in the Off Broadway show “Love, Janis”), is the movie’s resident earth mother. An aspiring rock singer, she sounds like a warmer, more controlled Joplin. Her triumphal “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” announces Lucy’s arrival in New York, and later in the movie, her voice hoarsely shouting “Helter Skelter” rises above the mob during a Columbia University riot at which Jude is arrested.
Rounding out the bohemian household are Jo-Jo (Martin Luther McCoy), a guitarist who arrives from Detroit by Greyhound after his younger brother’s death in the Detroit riots, and Prudence (T.V. Carpio), an Asian-American lesbian cheerleader who hitchhikes to New York from Dayton, Ohio, and (in a joke on a Beatles song title) crashes into the house through the bathroom window.
Jo-Jo, who suggests a softened Jimi Hendrix, becomes Sadie’s on-again-off-again boyfriend and sometime lead guitarist. Prudence, who early in the film sings “I Want to Hold Your Hand” while gazing wistfully from afar at a blond cheerleader, develops a secret crush on Sadie. While Jude embraces art, Lucy, who lost her first boyfriend in Vietnam, gravitates toward antiwar activism after Max receives his draft notice and reluctantly leaves to fight in the war.
If the young lovers are familiar ’60s archetypes, the actors’ natural performances and the easy, colloquial dialogue by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (“The Commitments”) allow the characters to transcend the generic. When Lucy, gazing at Jude, sings “If I Fell” very slowly, in a sweet, trembling voice, she is one girl worriedly fantasizing about one boy.
Most of the historical events are lightly fictionalized in a movie that maintains only the fuzziest of timelines. Its 33 Beatles songs (two without words) have been re-recorded and sung by the actors. Yet “Across the Universe” feels emotionally true both to the Beatles, whose music today seems to exist outside of time, and to the decade it remembers. Smart, uncluttered musical arrangements help reposition the songs to address the situation at hand. As a result, music that has congealed in collective memory — especially the clever, breezy early Beatles songs — emerges refreshed.
A visceral peak arrives with “Strawberry Fields Forever.” In this gorgeous production number, an artwork by Jude in which rows of bleeding strawberries are pinned to a white surface transmutes into a hallucination of strawberry bombs raining over Southeast Asia. Then the artist, in an anguished frenzy, begins smashing strawberries on the walls and floors and destroys his work.
This happens around the time that Lucy, who works for a militant antiwar organization, angrily dismisses Jude’s art as “doodles and cartoons.” He charges into her office, snarls the song “Revolution” and instigates a brawl. It is one of several moments in which “Across the Universe” grasps a central emotional duality of a culture in which rage and ecstatic idealism clashed and played into each other at the same time.
Another extraordinary scene follows Joe to a United States Army induction center at which an Uncle Sam poster comes to animated life, leans down, points a giant finger and growls, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” Inside the center a choreographed sequence finds inductees in their underwear sliding involuntarily along the floor through lines of Army officers in grim Expressionistic masks, marching in robotic formation. The new recruits are next shown, still in their underwear, lugging a giant replica of the Statue of Liberty through the Vietnamese jungle.
The dreamiest reverie, set to “Because,” begins with a tableau of nine friends blissfully lying on their backs in the grass in a mandala pattern. The circle disperses as Jude and Lucy find themselves in a watery blue sky where clouds melt into liquid, and the entwined lovers are themselves floating underwater. Most fanciful of all is a largely animated sequence in which Eddie Izzard is Mr. Kite, the ringmaster of a psychedelic circus with a dancing chorus line of “the blue people.”
Amid the phantasmagoria are several star cameos. As Max recovers from war injuries in a veterans’ hospital, he has a morphine-induced fever dream in which the beds in his ward rear up from the floor to the song “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” and he is tended by five Salma Hayeks. Bono appears as the acid guru, Dr. Robert, a Ken Kesey-Neal Cassady fusion who sings “I Am the Walrus” at an acid-drenched party and conducts Jude, Lucy and a roiling band of Merry Pranksters on a delirious bus journey through a rainbow-colored countryside.
“Across the Universe,” in the spirit of the counterculture, goes with the flow. Its scenes, songs and witty roughhouse choreography, spun off from the Beatles’ movies “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!,” dissolve into a stream of consciousness with only occasional punctuation.
Because of its oh-wow aesthetic, its refusal to adopt a critical distance from the ’60s drug culture, its tacit approval of the characters’ antiwar activism and its token attention to the decade’s racial strife, “Across the Universe” leaves itself wide open to derision, complaints and endless nitpicking. But it couldn’t have succeeded any other way. The movie is completely devoid of the protective cynicism that is now a reflexive response to the term “the ’60s.”
“Across the Universe” believes wholeheartedly in the quaint, communitarian spirit it exalts. You share the joy of its blissed-out hippies in the grass. You feel the deepening friendship between Jude and Max that is sealed in Max’s incandescent performance of “Hey, Jude.” And during the time it lasts, the intoxicating passion of Jude and Lucy, both innocents by today’s standards, convinces, for a moment, that love is all you need.
“Across the Universe” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has nudity, sexual situations, drug use, mild violence and some strong language.
************************************************************
British actor Jim Sturgess (Jude) is adorable, and I'm not sure if he's from Liverpool or not, but if he isn't, I still loved the accent. ;o) Joe Anderson (Max -- as in "Maxwell's Silver Hammer... LOL) is a dead ringer for Kurt Cobain. I found it a tad distracting even.
Don't take my word on this movie, take Roger Ebert's:
Here is a bold, beautiful, visually enchanting musical where we walk into the theater humming the songs. Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe" is an audacious marriage of cutting-edge visual techniques, heart-warming performances, 1960s history and the Beatles songbook. Sounds like a concept that might be behind its time, but I believe in yesterday.
This isn't one of those druggy 1960s movies, although it has what the MPAA shyly calls "some" drug content. It's not grungy, although it has Joe Cocker in it. It's not political, which means it's political to its core. Most miraculous of all, it's not dated; the stories could be happening now, and in fact, they are.
For a film that is almost wall to wall with music, it has a full-bodied plot. The characters, mostly named after Beatles songs, include Lucy (the angelic Evan Rachel Wood), who moves from middle America to New York; Jude (Jim Sturgess), a Liverpool ship welder who works his way to New York on a ship, and Lucy's brother, Max (Joe Anderson), a college student who has dropped out (I guess). They now all share a pad in Greenwich Village with their musician friends, the Hendrixian Jo-Jo (Martin Luther McCoy), the Joplinesque Sadie (Dana Fuchs) and the lovelorn Prudence (T.V. Carpio), who loves women but doesn’t feel free to express her true feelings.
Jude and Lucy fall in love, and they all go through a hippie period on Dr. Robert's Magic Bus, where the doctor (Bono) and his bus bear a striking resemblance to Ken Kesey's magical mystery tour. They also get guidance from Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard), having been some days in preparation. But then things turn serious as Max goes off to Vietnam and the story gets swept up in the anti-war movement.
Yet when I say "story," don't start thinking about a lot of dialogue and plotting. Almost everything happens as an illustration to a Beatles song. The arrangements are sometimes familiar, sometimes radically altered, and the voices are all new; the actors either sing or sync, and often they find a mood in a song that we never knew was there before. When Prudence sings "I Want to Hold Your Hand," for example, I realized how wrong I was to ever think that was a happy song. It's not happy if it's a hand you are never, never, never going to hold. The love that dare not express its name turns in sadness to song.
Julie Taymor, famous as the director of "The Lion King" on Broadway, is a generously inventive choreographer, such as in a basic-training scene where all the drill sergeants look like G.I. Joe; a sequence where inductees in Jockey shorts carry the Statue of Liberty through a Vietnam field, and cross-cutting between dancing to Beatles clone bands at an American high school prom and in a Liverpool dive bar. There are underwater sequences which approach ballet, a stage performance that turns into musical warfare, strawberries that bleed, rooftop concerts and a montage combining crashing waves with the Detroit riots.
But all I'm doing here is list-making. The beauty is in the execution. The experience of the movie is joyous. I don't even want to know about anybody who complains they aren't hearing "the real Beatles." Fred Astaire wasn't Cole Porter, either. These songs are now more than 40 years old, some of them, and are timeless, and hearing these unexpected talents singing them (yes, and Bono, Izzard and Cocker, too) only underlines their astonishing quality.
You weren't alive in the 1960s? Or the '70s or '80s? You're like the guy on the IMDb message board who thought the band was named the "Beetles," and didn't even get it when people made Volkswagen jokes because he hadn't heard of VW Beetles, either. All is forgiven. Jay Leno has a Jaywalking spot for you. Just about anybody else is likely to enjoy "Across the Universe."
I'm sure there were executives who thought it was suicidal to set a "Beatles musical" in the "Vietnam era." But this is a movie that fires its songs like flowers at the way we live now. It's the kind of movie you watch again, like listening to a favorite album. It was scheduled for the Toronto Film Festival but was previewed (as several Toronto films were) for critics in major cities. I was drowning in movies and deadlines, and this was the only one I went to see twice. Now do your homework and rent the DVD of "A Hard Day's Night" if you've never seen it. The thought that there are readers who would get this far in this review of this film and never have seen that film is unbearably sad. Cheer me up. Don't let me down (repeat three times).
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Another reason to miss Freddie Mercury terribly...
He was a crazy cat lover! And I do mean crazy!
This is from the latest issue of Blender (with Kanye West on the cover):
"According to a 2003 article in Cat Fancy magazine, Mercury adopted lots of cats throughout his life, at one point owning as many as 10. He dedicated his first solo album, 'Mr. Bad Guy,' to four of them, as well as to 'all of the cat lovers across the universe -- screw everyone else.' In one of Queen's videos he wore a vest adorned with portraits of several of his cats, painted by Mercury himself. Sometimes while on tour, he'd even call home to chat with his cats, often at exorbitant international rates.
We know a few of the cats' names: Oscar, Tiffany, Goliath, Miko, Romeo, Lily, Tom, Jerry. But his favorite by far was Delilah, a chubby, tri-colored tabby. Mercury dedicated a song on Queen's 'Innuendo' to the plump puss ('I love you, Delilah/Oh, you make me so very happy/You give me kisses and I go out of my mind/Meow, meow, meow, meow'), and she stayed with him literally until the end, curled up beside Mercury when he died of complications from AIDS in 1991."
I love the bubble from the cat's mouth:
This is from the latest issue of Blender (with Kanye West on the cover):
"According to a 2003 article in Cat Fancy magazine, Mercury adopted lots of cats throughout his life, at one point owning as many as 10. He dedicated his first solo album, 'Mr. Bad Guy,' to four of them, as well as to 'all of the cat lovers across the universe -- screw everyone else.' In one of Queen's videos he wore a vest adorned with portraits of several of his cats, painted by Mercury himself. Sometimes while on tour, he'd even call home to chat with his cats, often at exorbitant international rates.
We know a few of the cats' names: Oscar, Tiffany, Goliath, Miko, Romeo, Lily, Tom, Jerry. But his favorite by far was Delilah, a chubby, tri-colored tabby. Mercury dedicated a song on Queen's 'Innuendo' to the plump puss ('I love you, Delilah/Oh, you make me so very happy/You give me kisses and I go out of my mind/Meow, meow, meow, meow'), and she stayed with him literally until the end, curled up beside Mercury when he died of complications from AIDS in 1991."
I love the bubble from the cat's mouth:
Friday, September 21, 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
A Little Chat
I can't say I've been that interested in Tori Amos for the past few years, as her weirdness has worn off with me, I think. LOL I like earlier Tori. But anyway, I heard this and had a good laugh, 'cause this is aimed directly at Lindsay Lohan, the stupid twit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm3HAfHukEM
Just a little chat
I need to have
When I was 21 do you think I had a bag of cocaine
in my car?
If I did - if I did
You’d never know it because it would have been hidden
I’m not stupid.
But why are so many 21-year old millionaires so stupid?
Stupid and cute.
But stupid - I don't know.
Let's just say
When I was 26 (or seven - or eight)
And I was a billionairess
What would I have done?
Many naughty things.
Many, many, many naughty things.
But I would have had a DRIVER!
'Cuz I’m not stupid, no.
I'm not stupid, no.
Not THAT stupid anyway
'Cuz if I had been naughty
(I like being naughty)
But I haven't been caught so far
and I am almost 44
44
And I've done many, many, many, many, many bad things.
They are hidden inside my *mmm - mmm*
Inside my *mmm - mmm*
So there's no record or no fingerprints on it
'Cuz I'm not stupid
'Cuz I'm not stupid
No, not stupid!
She goes right into "Winter" after... ;o)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm3HAfHukEM
Just a little chat
I need to have
When I was 21 do you think I had a bag of cocaine
in my car?
If I did - if I did
You’d never know it because it would have been hidden
I’m not stupid.
But why are so many 21-year old millionaires so stupid?
Stupid and cute.
But stupid - I don't know.
Let's just say
When I was 26 (or seven - or eight)
And I was a billionairess
What would I have done?
Many naughty things.
Many, many, many naughty things.
But I would have had a DRIVER!
'Cuz I’m not stupid, no.
I'm not stupid, no.
Not THAT stupid anyway
'Cuz if I had been naughty
(I like being naughty)
But I haven't been caught so far
and I am almost 44
44
And I've done many, many, many, many, many bad things.
They are hidden inside my *mmm - mmm*
Inside my *mmm - mmm*
So there's no record or no fingerprints on it
'Cuz I'm not stupid
'Cuz I'm not stupid
No, not stupid!
She goes right into "Winter" after... ;o)
Friday, August 24, 2007
"How... can I tell... you about... my loved one..."
Ah, bear with me as I feel a bit nostalgic.
One of the mixed tapes that plays at The Body Shop has a song on it that samples a bit of "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney and Wings. I had been racking my brains for the last few weeks to remember what Wings song was being sampled, since it was the horn "interlude" in the middle of the track. I finally searched it and found out. I love the Internet, for it allows me to Get. The. Answer. to anything I want to know. ;o)
Which brings me to Wings. You couldn't have been alive during the '70s and not heard Wings songs. I just don't think it's possible. And there were so many hits. My damn CD collection is so big, I didn't remember whether I had any Wings CDs, but a quick search on iTunes brought up the greatest hits, and I was quickly singing along to snippets as Bob listened on the phone, and sometimes chimed in. ;o) And yeah, I realized I do own "Wingspan," the greatest hits... LOL And into my iPod it went. :o) Some of the lyrics are so simplistic ("...someone's knockin' at the door, somebody's ringin' the bell...") but yet enjoyable.
I'm old. LOL
One of the mixed tapes that plays at The Body Shop has a song on it that samples a bit of "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney and Wings. I had been racking my brains for the last few weeks to remember what Wings song was being sampled, since it was the horn "interlude" in the middle of the track. I finally searched it and found out. I love the Internet, for it allows me to Get. The. Answer. to anything I want to know. ;o)
Which brings me to Wings. You couldn't have been alive during the '70s and not heard Wings songs. I just don't think it's possible. And there were so many hits. My damn CD collection is so big, I didn't remember whether I had any Wings CDs, but a quick search on iTunes brought up the greatest hits, and I was quickly singing along to snippets as Bob listened on the phone, and sometimes chimed in. ;o) And yeah, I realized I do own "Wingspan," the greatest hits... LOL And into my iPod it went. :o) Some of the lyrics are so simplistic ("...someone's knockin' at the door, somebody's ringin' the bell...") but yet enjoyable.
I'm old. LOL
Thursday, July 26, 2007
I'll test that recipe again
My dad and I are on the list to receive recipes to test for Cook's Illustrated magazine. We both subscribe to the magazine and love page after page of cooking and recipes, with no advertising. Being recipe testers allows us to try things we probably wouldn't have tried in our kitchens, like the Thai Beef recipe my dad recently made, as well as this so-called heavenly spice cake he baked that I apparently really missed out on. ;o)
I've only cooked one of the many recipes I've been sent, due to lack of time, a lack of funds and lack of mouths to feed it to, as most of them serve 4-6 people, sometimes more. So when a recipe came to my e-mail inbox this month for French Onion Soup, I decided to give it a whirl, since I LOVE French Onion Soup and it is relatively inexpensive to prepare. But it requires using a broiler and mine doesn't work on my old-fashioned stove (and cannot be repaired on said antique). My dad always lets me use his kitchen whenever I want to, and gleefully anticipates his daughter cooking for him. So we made plans for me to come to his place Wednesday, since I had the day off from work.
Unfortunately, I misjudged how long the recipe would take to cook, and got a late start -- I showed up late in the day and we had to shop for supplies. So dad and I didn't end up eating French Onion Soup till about 1 a.m. Didn't matter. It came out FANTASTIC, and I didn't have to be at work until 1 on Thursday anyway. You wouldn't think it would be a long process, but some recipes require patience and a few long steps to acquire a depth of flavor. And that's exactly what this soup had: depth and complexity of flavor. Those of you who've had French Onion Soup in a diner: this is NOTHING like that tasteless swill. LOL I have leftovers, and I hope they reheat well. ;o)
I've only cooked one of the many recipes I've been sent, due to lack of time, a lack of funds and lack of mouths to feed it to, as most of them serve 4-6 people, sometimes more. So when a recipe came to my e-mail inbox this month for French Onion Soup, I decided to give it a whirl, since I LOVE French Onion Soup and it is relatively inexpensive to prepare. But it requires using a broiler and mine doesn't work on my old-fashioned stove (and cannot be repaired on said antique). My dad always lets me use his kitchen whenever I want to, and gleefully anticipates his daughter cooking for him. So we made plans for me to come to his place Wednesday, since I had the day off from work.
Unfortunately, I misjudged how long the recipe would take to cook, and got a late start -- I showed up late in the day and we had to shop for supplies. So dad and I didn't end up eating French Onion Soup till about 1 a.m. Didn't matter. It came out FANTASTIC, and I didn't have to be at work until 1 on Thursday anyway. You wouldn't think it would be a long process, but some recipes require patience and a few long steps to acquire a depth of flavor. And that's exactly what this soup had: depth and complexity of flavor. Those of you who've had French Onion Soup in a diner: this is NOTHING like that tasteless swill. LOL I have leftovers, and I hope they reheat well. ;o)
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
New Order: 1980-2007
It's taken me a while to process the demise of one of my favorite bands, New Order.
Formed in 1980 in the shadow of Joy Division after singer Ian Curtis' suicide, New Order -- Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris... later joined by Gillian Gilbert -- went on to make what would shape dance and "alternative" music for 25 years.
Their minimalist, non-image intrigued me for years, and the fact that Bernard Sumner COULD NOT SING amused me to no end. But the layers of electronics and Peter Hook's bass line-as-melody had emotion (at least to me), which captured and held me. I'm not the only one... Gwen Stefani did whatever she could to get Bernard Sumner and peter Hook to appear on her first solo album "Love.Angel.Music.Baby.", in the form of the track "The Real Thing," which subsequently sounds very New Order-esque. And lonely Smashing Pumpkin leader Billy Corgan appeared on "Turn My Way" (guitar & vocals) from "Get Ready," and even toured with the band in 2001 when Gillian Gilbert took leave.
I started with "Brotherhood" in 1986 and when the band released Technique in '89, I went to Tower Records at midnight to be among the first to get it. I got all the side projects, too: Electronic, with Bernard Sumner, The Smiths' Johnny Marr and some help from the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, as well as Peter Hook's side band, Revenge.
My New Order devotion slipped slightly when they recorded the official song for the England national football team (er... soccer to us Yanks) in 1990 for their World Cup campaign, released an "eh" album in 1993 ("Republic"), and then went on a hiatus. But I got to meet and interview that motherfuckin' PIMP Peter Hook for his latest endeavor, the band Monaco and its one album, and I was giddy. He's a sweetheart, and kind to his fans. Gillian Gilbert and Stephen Morris got married and released a side project too, aptly called The Other Two. Then came a "best of" CD, but then a good album called "Get Ready," which I happily spun endlessly.
But then another "eh" album and another compilation... and the only person seemingly wanting New Order to continue was Peter Hook. It took a while for them to finally admit officially that it was over, and they did, in June.
I came across this video, for "The Perfect Kiss" -- directed by Jonathan Demme -- which, to me is the essence of New Order. Four painfully shy people making "cold" electronic music in a small room. Bernard Sumner can't sing (LOL), Gillian Gilbert looks like she wants to cower in the corner, Stephen Morris does his best to ignore the camera, and Peter Hook is the MAN with his low-slung bass and electronic drumming. Barney is even hitting that cowbell OFF (more cowbell!! LOL), but it's all so charming.
"Tonight I should have stayed at home/playing with my pleasure zone..."
I came across this clip too, for perhaps my favorite New Order song, "Temptation." It's from 1984, and Barney looks "happy" in those white shorts. Peter Hook is still the motherfuckin' MAN:
Sigh. New Order, you will be missed.
Formed in 1980 in the shadow of Joy Division after singer Ian Curtis' suicide, New Order -- Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris... later joined by Gillian Gilbert -- went on to make what would shape dance and "alternative" music for 25 years.
Their minimalist, non-image intrigued me for years, and the fact that Bernard Sumner COULD NOT SING amused me to no end. But the layers of electronics and Peter Hook's bass line-as-melody had emotion (at least to me), which captured and held me. I'm not the only one... Gwen Stefani did whatever she could to get Bernard Sumner and peter Hook to appear on her first solo album "Love.Angel.Music.Baby.", in the form of the track "The Real Thing," which subsequently sounds very New Order-esque. And lonely Smashing Pumpkin leader Billy Corgan appeared on "Turn My Way" (guitar & vocals) from "Get Ready," and even toured with the band in 2001 when Gillian Gilbert took leave.
I started with "Brotherhood" in 1986 and when the band released Technique in '89, I went to Tower Records at midnight to be among the first to get it. I got all the side projects, too: Electronic, with Bernard Sumner, The Smiths' Johnny Marr and some help from the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, as well as Peter Hook's side band, Revenge.
My New Order devotion slipped slightly when they recorded the official song for the England national football team (er... soccer to us Yanks) in 1990 for their World Cup campaign, released an "eh" album in 1993 ("Republic"), and then went on a hiatus. But I got to meet and interview that motherfuckin' PIMP Peter Hook for his latest endeavor, the band Monaco and its one album, and I was giddy. He's a sweetheart, and kind to his fans. Gillian Gilbert and Stephen Morris got married and released a side project too, aptly called The Other Two. Then came a "best of" CD, but then a good album called "Get Ready," which I happily spun endlessly.
But then another "eh" album and another compilation... and the only person seemingly wanting New Order to continue was Peter Hook. It took a while for them to finally admit officially that it was over, and they did, in June.
I came across this video, for "The Perfect Kiss" -- directed by Jonathan Demme -- which, to me is the essence of New Order. Four painfully shy people making "cold" electronic music in a small room. Bernard Sumner can't sing (LOL), Gillian Gilbert looks like she wants to cower in the corner, Stephen Morris does his best to ignore the camera, and Peter Hook is the MAN with his low-slung bass and electronic drumming. Barney is even hitting that cowbell OFF (more cowbell!! LOL), but it's all so charming.
"Tonight I should have stayed at home/playing with my pleasure zone..."
I came across this clip too, for perhaps my favorite New Order song, "Temptation." It's from 1984, and Barney looks "happy" in those white shorts. Peter Hook is still the motherfuckin' MAN:
Sigh. New Order, you will be missed.
Friday, June 8, 2007
"Knocked Up"
I can't believe that I've let so much time go by before writing about the movie "Knocked Up." I saw it opening weekend, after reading very favorable reviews.
I remember when I first saw the trailer I thought it was going to be a stupid, cliche comedy. But it's very surprising in how well done it is. It was written and directed by Judd Apatow, of "The 40 Year Old Virgin" fame, and he does a great job of teetering on the edge of crudeness, cheesiness and sappiness, but it never goes there. It stays very funny from the first scene to the last. Yet it's entertaining and touching. Oh, and I just adore Paul Rudd, who's in it too.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knocked_up/
Go see it! You won't be sorry...
I remember when I first saw the trailer I thought it was going to be a stupid, cliche comedy. But it's very surprising in how well done it is. It was written and directed by Judd Apatow, of "The 40 Year Old Virgin" fame, and he does a great job of teetering on the edge of crudeness, cheesiness and sappiness, but it never goes there. It stays very funny from the first scene to the last. Yet it's entertaining and touching. Oh, and I just adore Paul Rudd, who's in it too.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knocked_up/
Go see it! You won't be sorry...
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Brooklyn, be sad
Those who read this blog should remember me going on a bit about Di Fara Pizza in Midwood, Brooklyn. I was there with Jonathan about a month ago when he visited, and I was there on May 28th with my brother, as we celebrated our birthday with a tour of the old neighborhoods we lived in.
Dan snapped pictures of the experience, he and I waiting for what seemed like an eternity for our slices in the sauna of the dumpy place Di Fara's is:
Thanks, Dan, for capturing me in mid-chew:
ANYWAY, I heard today on the radio that Di Fara has been closed for health violations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/nyregion/07pizza.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
And he's been closed before... something like 6 times because of health code violations. Fuck it. The pizza is still phenomenal, and one of the violations is that Domenic refuses to wear gloves and a hat when he prepares his creations. Everyone would stand there, patiently waiting for their slices, watching Dom's bare hands cut fresh basil and shave fresh mozzarella onto pie after pie. No one who eats there cares.
Other violations include rodents. Such is life in New York City. We have rodents. Ya gotta make peace with 'em. LOL
My brother and I walked through Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Midwood. I bought some of the best bagels I've ever had, and yeah, Midwood is still very much a Jewish neighborhood:
Some things never change.
Dan snapped pictures of the experience, he and I waiting for what seemed like an eternity for our slices in the sauna of the dumpy place Di Fara's is:
Thanks, Dan, for capturing me in mid-chew:
ANYWAY, I heard today on the radio that Di Fara has been closed for health violations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/nyregion/07pizza.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
And he's been closed before... something like 6 times because of health code violations. Fuck it. The pizza is still phenomenal, and one of the violations is that Domenic refuses to wear gloves and a hat when he prepares his creations. Everyone would stand there, patiently waiting for their slices, watching Dom's bare hands cut fresh basil and shave fresh mozzarella onto pie after pie. No one who eats there cares.
Other violations include rodents. Such is life in New York City. We have rodents. Ya gotta make peace with 'em. LOL
My brother and I walked through Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Midwood. I bought some of the best bagels I've ever had, and yeah, Midwood is still very much a Jewish neighborhood:
Some things never change.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
I have my dad's eyes for sure
After Jannette took this pic of me at Maroons Thursday night, I looked at it and thought it reminded me of another one:
As I get older I think I look more like my mother... Argh. LOL
As I get older I think I look more like my mother... Argh. LOL
Friday, May 25, 2007
Oooooooooooooh, Maroons
Last night, Jannette and Joe took me to a Jamaican/southern restaurant I'd heard about, Maroons (no apostrophe), for my birthday dinner. I first heard about Maroons from Curtis, who had been there a few times and raved. This is what Zagat has to say:
Hyperbolic habitues of this "lively" Chelsea Jamaican-Southern declare its "flavorful", "rib-sticking", low-budget fare the best this side of the "mighty Mississippi" and "north of the Mason-Dixon line"; no wonder they take the "Caribbean-speed" service and "cramped" setup in stride.
http://maroonsnyc.com
Hey, I was there to have some real food, dammit, and I did. :o) We started things off with some Fried Green Tomatoes. The slightly spicy dipping sauce made them very yummy. I had the Louisiana's Grilled Garlic Shrimp with rice and peas and collard greens (excellent), while Jannette had Grandma's Crispy Fried Chicken with mac and cheese and collard greens, and Joe had Herb Marinade Grilled Salmon with rice and peas and mashed potatoes (it comes with spinach, but Joe swapped it out for the rice). He also had the soup of the day, crab corn chowder, and Jannette and I split a side of grits, which were amazing... cheesy. Whew! Jannette and I also had the cocktail of the day, some sort of spiced rum pina colada. It was excellent... so tropical and fresh, we felt like we were at the beach. ;o)
The cornbread they give ya is to DIE FOR. I've never had cornbread like that. It literally melts in your mouth.
I ended things with a Chocolate Cup Cake, which was literally molten, melty chocolate cake served in a cup. It was orgasmic, and they served it with a lit candle and sang to me. :o)
Fat n' happy at Maroons:
Hyperbolic habitues of this "lively" Chelsea Jamaican-Southern declare its "flavorful", "rib-sticking", low-budget fare the best this side of the "mighty Mississippi" and "north of the Mason-Dixon line"; no wonder they take the "Caribbean-speed" service and "cramped" setup in stride.
http://maroonsnyc.com
Hey, I was there to have some real food, dammit, and I did. :o) We started things off with some Fried Green Tomatoes. The slightly spicy dipping sauce made them very yummy. I had the Louisiana's Grilled Garlic Shrimp with rice and peas and collard greens (excellent), while Jannette had Grandma's Crispy Fried Chicken with mac and cheese and collard greens, and Joe had Herb Marinade Grilled Salmon with rice and peas and mashed potatoes (it comes with spinach, but Joe swapped it out for the rice). He also had the soup of the day, crab corn chowder, and Jannette and I split a side of grits, which were amazing... cheesy. Whew! Jannette and I also had the cocktail of the day, some sort of spiced rum pina colada. It was excellent... so tropical and fresh, we felt like we were at the beach. ;o)
The cornbread they give ya is to DIE FOR. I've never had cornbread like that. It literally melts in your mouth.
I ended things with a Chocolate Cup Cake, which was literally molten, melty chocolate cake served in a cup. It was orgasmic, and they served it with a lit candle and sang to me. :o)
Fat n' happy at Maroons:
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Damn that J-Ho!
I don't want to give my money to Jennifer Lopez, but somehow it happens. LOL
I bought a bottle of the bitch's Miami Glow perfume for Jannette a while back, since it seems to be a limited thing, and Jannette loves it. It really does smell delicious on her.
And admittedly I like the smell of Glow (just plain "Glow"), because it reminds me of a scent I already own called China Rain from a place called Common Scents in Port Jefferson, NY. I bought an adorable hat a few years ago in Macy's which had the JLo brand. Sigh. It was too cute to pass up.
I was browsing in a beauty store called Ulta yesterday out of boredom, and smelled Glow After Dark by JLo, and dammit...
I fucking like it.
The small bottle is 45 bucks though, and it pains me to think about giving her any of my money! LOL I put it on my birthday registry list just in case... ;o)
I bought a bottle of the bitch's Miami Glow perfume for Jannette a while back, since it seems to be a limited thing, and Jannette loves it. It really does smell delicious on her.
And admittedly I like the smell of Glow (just plain "Glow"), because it reminds me of a scent I already own called China Rain from a place called Common Scents in Port Jefferson, NY. I bought an adorable hat a few years ago in Macy's which had the JLo brand. Sigh. It was too cute to pass up.
I was browsing in a beauty store called Ulta yesterday out of boredom, and smelled Glow After Dark by JLo, and dammit...
I fucking like it.
The small bottle is 45 bucks though, and it pains me to think about giving her any of my money! LOL I put it on my birthday registry list just in case... ;o)
Saturday, May 12, 2007
She wore an itsy bitsy, teeny weenie... blue striped bikini
I am so thankful for Weight Watchers, and even more thankful that I have been able to maintain my "ideal" weight for 8 months now.
I have done something I never thought I'd do and it's the first time too: I bought a bikini. In size XS... I almost fainted. And it looks good! Never, never, never thought that would happen. What could be better? The bikini was only $30. Thank you, Old Navy! :o)
Hopefully this summer I'll have an opportunity to wear it...
I have done something I never thought I'd do and it's the first time too: I bought a bikini. In size XS... I almost fainted. And it looks good! Never, never, never thought that would happen. What could be better? The bikini was only $30. Thank you, Old Navy! :o)
Hopefully this summer I'll have an opportunity to wear it...
Tourguide and Nursemaid... and pizza love
Friday night into Saturday, Jonathan's sniffly-sore throat thing turned into a full-on cold, so it was a bit of a downer all around. I had hugged him at the airport, and realized that I probably already had the bug. But I tried to think positively as I inflated the Aero mattress for him in my living room (soooo glad I bought that thing a few years ago!). If a woman's going to get sick, it's most likely just before her period. Guess where I am in my cycle. Sigh. Jonathan was VERY down about it. I blame a lot of that on the fact that he has a Cancer Moon, honestly. Cancers are mopes. LOL And they don't "let go" of things very well.
Saturday was a bust. Jonathan was sick, and didn't have the energy to go sightseeing. I was bummed too. It was a gorgeous day, and we had made a lot of plans regarding what we were gonna see in NYC. My motherly instincts kicked in and I spent the afternoon tending to him and making chicken noodle soup (yep, from scratch). At least when I cook, I focus my mind on it fully, and this intensive recipe kept me busy all afternoon. And it was gooooooood. If I say so myself.
Sunday, he was feeling a little more up for sightseeing, so we headed to the Cloisters museum in Ft. Tryon Park in uptown Manhattan, where I've never been. Yeah, I've lived in NY/NYC area my whole life, but there are things I still haven't seen. People Jonathan spoke to back home told him to see the Cloisters. Some of it was very nice, but since it's all Medieval art, by the time I had see my tenth "Madonna and Child" interpretation, I was bored. LOL This part of Manhattan is very lovely, near the Inwood section. It's green and hilly, if you can believe... and there was a gorgeous Hudson River/Jersey view from the Cloisters.
When we got back to midtown Manhattan, we took a chance on a pizza place, but it was atrocious. I was trying to get Jonathan some real pizza (not the slop he's accustomed to), and instead we got some kinda gross stuff with a doughy crust, too saucy and tasteless. It's insane that there are more crappy rather than good pizza places in Manhattan. I knew we'd have to go to Brooklyn for the real stuff. I showed Jonathan Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral and of course Times Square.
Monday I took him to South Street Seaport, and we had lunch/dinner at Heartland Brewery, where he was able to get some local beer. Jonathan likes to sample local beer when he travels. From there we visited the World Trade Center site, and neighboring St. Paul's church, which has become a bit of a museum/memorial even though it's still a functioning church with services. It's very moving to be there, no matter what faith you practice, or even if you don't practice anything at all. From there, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, which I haven't done since I was a child, so I enjoyed it.
As you can see, we had some fabulous weather. :o)
We walked across the bridge twice, and got some Mister Softee ice cream near City Hall.
On Tuesday, we rode the Staten Island Ferry, another thing I haven't done since I was a very small child, so it was a bit of a treat for me too.
I chatted with one of the crew men on the ferry while Jonathan snapped those pictures. The crew guy (from the Bronx) and I (from Brooklyn) had a chuckle about me doing all these touristy things. But it was nice. I won't say I take these sights for granted, but it's good to show them to someone who's never seen them.
Jonathan and I rode the ferry back to Manhattan from Staten Island (nothing to see there LOL) and hopped on the subway headed to Brooklyn. My dad's been enjoying pizza at DiFara on Avenue J and 15th Street in Midwood, Brooklyn since before I was born. When my family and I lived in Midwood for a time, we were all spoiled to have DiFara in our backyard. I was a kid then, so admittedly I didn't really appreciate the work of art that is a pie from Dominic De Marco, who's been crafting pizza for more than 40 years. But I sure do now. I haven't been there since I was about 16, so it was an event. DiFara has gotten "best pizza in the city" awards for several years now, and more recently, Time Out New York and Zagat have deemed it the BEST in NYC, period.
Here's Zagat's 2007 review:
"Maestro" Dominic De Marco "works magic" at this circa-1963 Midwood pizzeria offering "handcrafted", "epiphany"-producing pies made with "totally fresh ingredients"; despite "seedy" decor, "painfully long" waits and a "middle-of-nowhere" address, it's got "da best pizza in Noo Yawk."
Oh yeah, Zagat rates the food 26 out of 30.
Zagat prints the DiFara name in all caps, which is a prestigious distinction they give restaurants. They aren't kidding about "painfully long" waits at DiFara. Dominic makes every pie himself, no matter how busy the place gets. And he's an old man now, so he may be moving slower... who knows. But every pie is "crafted" with love, that's for sure. Dominic makes his own sauce on premises, and all of his ingredients are fresh. he stands over the pie, hand-shaving slices of fresh Mozzarella onto the thin crust, stained with just the perfect amount of sauce. The pie also gets a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Once it comes out of the oven, it gets another dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh snipped basil leaves, which Dominic cuts with a scissor over the pizza.
You stand there (with a crowd, since the place is always packed now) staring at Dominic as he works, 'cause it takes about a half hour (or longer, if you're behind a lot of people) from start to finish, but when it's all done... boy, oh boy. If you're very hungry, this can be such torture! I had the sense to quickly ask for two slices as a pie came out of the oven, while Jonathan had gotten a single pepperoni slice. But he realized after he took his first bite that he'd be waiting another half hour to get a second slice. ;o) He waited, and he was blessed with a sicilian (square) slice the second time.
My dad tells me that Totonno's in Coney Island is great too. I'll have to get over there one of these days...
After that extraordinary experience, I picked up some bagels (I HAD to... Jersey is a sorry place for bagels too), and we headed back to Manhattan for a quick stroll into Central Park.
It was a short walk into the park, since we were tired, and didn't want to be there once the sun set. ;o) Jonathan got the gist of this spectacular place in the center of Manhattan. We got back to Jersey and decided to have a drink at the Italian restaurant by my house, GP's (I love that place). The place was of course a bit dead -- it was Tuesday night after all, but we chatted with Charlie the bartender (from the Bronx!) and two of my neighbors. Steven is a Frenchman now living in Guttenberg, and he had brought a jar of pate to share with the bartender, but Charlie declined. I tasted it, and it was odd. It was pork pate. Jonathan and Steven happily slathered it onto pieces of bread and gobbled it down, while I got quite the buzz off my Ketel One and cranberry beverages. ;o) I knocked one of my drinks all over the bar... I'm such a damn lightweight idiot! LOL Charlie graciously kept our drinks flowing (at least one or two were on the house), while I nibbled on the meatball appetizer special of the night. It was a good time. I chatted with another one of my neighbors, Camilo, who gave me the name of a temp agency in case I needed it.
I dropped Jonathan off at LaGuardia on Wednesday afternoon, and I visited my brother for a little bit (he lives right near the airport... just a short bus ride away).
I slept late today... and now I feel that familiar tickle in my throat... I'm getting sick. Sigh. I will fight it hard.
Saturday was a bust. Jonathan was sick, and didn't have the energy to go sightseeing. I was bummed too. It was a gorgeous day, and we had made a lot of plans regarding what we were gonna see in NYC. My motherly instincts kicked in and I spent the afternoon tending to him and making chicken noodle soup (yep, from scratch). At least when I cook, I focus my mind on it fully, and this intensive recipe kept me busy all afternoon. And it was gooooooood. If I say so myself.
Sunday, he was feeling a little more up for sightseeing, so we headed to the Cloisters museum in Ft. Tryon Park in uptown Manhattan, where I've never been. Yeah, I've lived in NY/NYC area my whole life, but there are things I still haven't seen. People Jonathan spoke to back home told him to see the Cloisters. Some of it was very nice, but since it's all Medieval art, by the time I had see my tenth "Madonna and Child" interpretation, I was bored. LOL This part of Manhattan is very lovely, near the Inwood section. It's green and hilly, if you can believe... and there was a gorgeous Hudson River/Jersey view from the Cloisters.
When we got back to midtown Manhattan, we took a chance on a pizza place, but it was atrocious. I was trying to get Jonathan some real pizza (not the slop he's accustomed to), and instead we got some kinda gross stuff with a doughy crust, too saucy and tasteless. It's insane that there are more crappy rather than good pizza places in Manhattan. I knew we'd have to go to Brooklyn for the real stuff. I showed Jonathan Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral and of course Times Square.
Monday I took him to South Street Seaport, and we had lunch/dinner at Heartland Brewery, where he was able to get some local beer. Jonathan likes to sample local beer when he travels. From there we visited the World Trade Center site, and neighboring St. Paul's church, which has become a bit of a museum/memorial even though it's still a functioning church with services. It's very moving to be there, no matter what faith you practice, or even if you don't practice anything at all. From there, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, which I haven't done since I was a child, so I enjoyed it.
As you can see, we had some fabulous weather. :o)
We walked across the bridge twice, and got some Mister Softee ice cream near City Hall.
On Tuesday, we rode the Staten Island Ferry, another thing I haven't done since I was a very small child, so it was a bit of a treat for me too.
I chatted with one of the crew men on the ferry while Jonathan snapped those pictures. The crew guy (from the Bronx) and I (from Brooklyn) had a chuckle about me doing all these touristy things. But it was nice. I won't say I take these sights for granted, but it's good to show them to someone who's never seen them.
Jonathan and I rode the ferry back to Manhattan from Staten Island (nothing to see there LOL) and hopped on the subway headed to Brooklyn. My dad's been enjoying pizza at DiFara on Avenue J and 15th Street in Midwood, Brooklyn since before I was born. When my family and I lived in Midwood for a time, we were all spoiled to have DiFara in our backyard. I was a kid then, so admittedly I didn't really appreciate the work of art that is a pie from Dominic De Marco, who's been crafting pizza for more than 40 years. But I sure do now. I haven't been there since I was about 16, so it was an event. DiFara has gotten "best pizza in the city" awards for several years now, and more recently, Time Out New York and Zagat have deemed it the BEST in NYC, period.
Here's Zagat's 2007 review:
"Maestro" Dominic De Marco "works magic" at this circa-1963 Midwood pizzeria offering "handcrafted", "epiphany"-producing pies made with "totally fresh ingredients"; despite "seedy" decor, "painfully long" waits and a "middle-of-nowhere" address, it's got "da best pizza in Noo Yawk."
Oh yeah, Zagat rates the food 26 out of 30.
Zagat prints the DiFara name in all caps, which is a prestigious distinction they give restaurants. They aren't kidding about "painfully long" waits at DiFara. Dominic makes every pie himself, no matter how busy the place gets. And he's an old man now, so he may be moving slower... who knows. But every pie is "crafted" with love, that's for sure. Dominic makes his own sauce on premises, and all of his ingredients are fresh. he stands over the pie, hand-shaving slices of fresh Mozzarella onto the thin crust, stained with just the perfect amount of sauce. The pie also gets a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Once it comes out of the oven, it gets another dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh snipped basil leaves, which Dominic cuts with a scissor over the pizza.
You stand there (with a crowd, since the place is always packed now) staring at Dominic as he works, 'cause it takes about a half hour (or longer, if you're behind a lot of people) from start to finish, but when it's all done... boy, oh boy. If you're very hungry, this can be such torture! I had the sense to quickly ask for two slices as a pie came out of the oven, while Jonathan had gotten a single pepperoni slice. But he realized after he took his first bite that he'd be waiting another half hour to get a second slice. ;o) He waited, and he was blessed with a sicilian (square) slice the second time.
My dad tells me that Totonno's in Coney Island is great too. I'll have to get over there one of these days...
After that extraordinary experience, I picked up some bagels (I HAD to... Jersey is a sorry place for bagels too), and we headed back to Manhattan for a quick stroll into Central Park.
It was a short walk into the park, since we were tired, and didn't want to be there once the sun set. ;o) Jonathan got the gist of this spectacular place in the center of Manhattan. We got back to Jersey and decided to have a drink at the Italian restaurant by my house, GP's (I love that place). The place was of course a bit dead -- it was Tuesday night after all, but we chatted with Charlie the bartender (from the Bronx!) and two of my neighbors. Steven is a Frenchman now living in Guttenberg, and he had brought a jar of pate to share with the bartender, but Charlie declined. I tasted it, and it was odd. It was pork pate. Jonathan and Steven happily slathered it onto pieces of bread and gobbled it down, while I got quite the buzz off my Ketel One and cranberry beverages. ;o) I knocked one of my drinks all over the bar... I'm such a damn lightweight idiot! LOL Charlie graciously kept our drinks flowing (at least one or two were on the house), while I nibbled on the meatball appetizer special of the night. It was a good time. I chatted with another one of my neighbors, Camilo, who gave me the name of a temp agency in case I needed it.
I dropped Jonathan off at LaGuardia on Wednesday afternoon, and I visited my brother for a little bit (he lives right near the airport... just a short bus ride away).
I slept late today... and now I feel that familiar tickle in my throat... I'm getting sick. Sigh. I will fight it hard.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Mmmmm... Dave... Larger Than Life
Yesterday Ozzie and I were walking through Times Square, when I saw my beloved Foo Fighters, larger than life, on the front window of the Billabong store. Looks like they've licensed the Foo name for merchandise. Sigh. Just the sight of Dave makes my heart skip a beat... still.
I asked Ozzie to snap a picture of me in front of the window with my camera phone.
"Don't you have enough pictures WITH Dave?" he asked. Maybe. But the odds of me ever being in his presence again are slim... LOL I take what I can get.
I asked Ozzie to snap a picture of me in front of the window with my camera phone.
"Don't you have enough pictures WITH Dave?" he asked. Maybe. But the odds of me ever being in his presence again are slim... LOL I take what I can get.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Odds n' Ends
Things I'm loving lately:
Kashi Organic Promise Strawberry Fields cereal: Just can't get enough of this lately. I eat it for breakfast and I eat it as a snack in front of the TV. It's only 2 points for a cup of it. I love the simple ingredient list: rice, cane juice, whole wheat, freeze-dried strawberries, sea salt, brown rice syrup, freeze-dried raspberries. All organic. It's expensive everywhere except Whole Foods, where it's $2.99 for the box. Bless them for feeding my addiction.
Nice n' Easy Root Touch-Up: Lengthens the time between salon color visits by about 3 weeks, it's less than 10 bucks for the box, and takes less than 10 minutes to use. Oh, and the Clairol helpline is DA BOMB. They are SO helpful! And nice too.
The Body Shop's Pink Grapefruit Soap: They had this back when I worked there in the early '90s, and now it's back. I still adore it. They brought back the shower gel too. My former co-workers have been nice enough to give me lots of samples of the Pink Grapefruit Body Butter to tide me over until I can actually buy it.
M.A.C.'s Viva Glam VI Lipstick: I bought this a while ago, at the suggestion of one of the artists there, and I love it to pieces and wear it every day, pretty much. I fully support M.A.C.'s Viva Glam line because they give every cent from it to the M.A.C. AIDS Fund.
Kashi Organic Promise Strawberry Fields cereal: Just can't get enough of this lately. I eat it for breakfast and I eat it as a snack in front of the TV. It's only 2 points for a cup of it. I love the simple ingredient list: rice, cane juice, whole wheat, freeze-dried strawberries, sea salt, brown rice syrup, freeze-dried raspberries. All organic. It's expensive everywhere except Whole Foods, where it's $2.99 for the box. Bless them for feeding my addiction.
Nice n' Easy Root Touch-Up: Lengthens the time between salon color visits by about 3 weeks, it's less than 10 bucks for the box, and takes less than 10 minutes to use. Oh, and the Clairol helpline is DA BOMB. They are SO helpful! And nice too.
The Body Shop's Pink Grapefruit Soap: They had this back when I worked there in the early '90s, and now it's back. I still adore it. They brought back the shower gel too. My former co-workers have been nice enough to give me lots of samples of the Pink Grapefruit Body Butter to tide me over until I can actually buy it.
M.A.C.'s Viva Glam VI Lipstick: I bought this a while ago, at the suggestion of one of the artists there, and I love it to pieces and wear it every day, pretty much. I fully support M.A.C.'s Viva Glam line because they give every cent from it to the M.A.C. AIDS Fund.
Friday, April 6, 2007
A Good Friday
My brother Dan and I walked all around the city as we usually do, and ended up in the village, so we had walked a roundabout 3 miles. Walking is good. I get exercise without really feeling like I'm getting exercise. And maybe I worked off the Lindt Lindor truffles Dan was nice enough to spring for at the Lindt store on 5th Avenue. Place was packed for Easter candy shopping. I hate holidays. LOL They get in my friggin' way. :o)
This morning I was a good little girl and did the routine on a beginner's Pilates DVD I bought a long time ago. I suck and have no strength or real flexibility yet, but it will come. Damn, I lost everything I was able to do when I did the Pilates moves with Amber a year ago, when I paid for those personal training sessions at New York Sports Club. What a difference a year makes, in more ways than one. I love the mind-body connection with yoga and Pilates. I like Pilates even more because besides strength and flexibility, the moves lengthen the body and strengthen the "core" -- the midsection -- which affects everything else. It's also nice that 30 minutes of Pilates makes a difference in how I feel immediately. I figure if I can get myself to do Pilates three times a week, and do a good about of walking in between those times, or maybe even on the same days, since the weather should be getting better any day now, I'll be getting a decent workout.
This morning I was a good little girl and did the routine on a beginner's Pilates DVD I bought a long time ago. I suck and have no strength or real flexibility yet, but it will come. Damn, I lost everything I was able to do when I did the Pilates moves with Amber a year ago, when I paid for those personal training sessions at New York Sports Club. What a difference a year makes, in more ways than one. I love the mind-body connection with yoga and Pilates. I like Pilates even more because besides strength and flexibility, the moves lengthen the body and strengthen the "core" -- the midsection -- which affects everything else. It's also nice that 30 minutes of Pilates makes a difference in how I feel immediately. I figure if I can get myself to do Pilates three times a week, and do a good about of walking in between those times, or maybe even on the same days, since the weather should be getting better any day now, I'll be getting a decent workout.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Has it been a year already? Sheesh!
As I look out the window at the pouring rain, I think about what a good indication it is of my mood exactly one year ago today.
On April 4, 2006, I said goodbye to my feline son Elvis... kissed his face and held him. Although he no longer shares life with me in a physical form, I think he sends his love through his brother Peter, who now sleeps with me every night. Elvis was the one who hung out with me all the time, no matter which room I was in or what I was doing. I see him in other cats, like my brother's, who - even though she's a girl - looks a bit like him and makes some of his movements from time to time. It's enough to have me staring at her with my mouth open.
I miss my boy every day. And I hope that no matter where he is right now, he's happy.
Until we meet again, my baby.
On April 4, 2006, I said goodbye to my feline son Elvis... kissed his face and held him. Although he no longer shares life with me in a physical form, I think he sends his love through his brother Peter, who now sleeps with me every night. Elvis was the one who hung out with me all the time, no matter which room I was in or what I was doing. I see him in other cats, like my brother's, who - even though she's a girl - looks a bit like him and makes some of his movements from time to time. It's enough to have me staring at her with my mouth open.
I miss my boy every day. And I hope that no matter where he is right now, he's happy.
Until we meet again, my baby.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Use it or lose it
I spent today filling in for someone at a radio network, writing music news for the AC, Hot AC and CHR (Pop) formats. She's a friggin' machine. She cranks out so much on a daily basis. It was tedious, and I took such effort to do the job well, that I am completely exhausted and my body aches. I get myself so worked up. I'm not in bed yet because when I have things in my mind I want to spill out, I can't sleep until I empty my head. This is what blogging has done to me! LOL
As much as I had forgotten what it was like to crank out a prep service (Um, TWO in this case, three formats!), it was nice to have my brain engaged in something. It felt good to use it. LOL Doesn't that sound funny? I have been here, in my lonely world, for too long, recycling the same thoughts. It was kind of nice to go to an office, with people in it, during daytime hours and use my fucking brain. I know this sounds insane.
I just hope I did a good job. I have been out of the loop, and it's odd to jump back into music-news-writing mode. I am continually impressed with the system they have there. It's so... efficient. I know those guys don't think it's that great, but it works. They get the job done. I spent so much time spinning my wheels at my last job and sitting in meetings about meetings, because things were done in the stupidest manner. I sure hope things have gotten better for my friends who still work there.
As much as I had forgotten what it was like to crank out a prep service (Um, TWO in this case, three formats!), it was nice to have my brain engaged in something. It felt good to use it. LOL Doesn't that sound funny? I have been here, in my lonely world, for too long, recycling the same thoughts. It was kind of nice to go to an office, with people in it, during daytime hours and use my fucking brain. I know this sounds insane.
I just hope I did a good job. I have been out of the loop, and it's odd to jump back into music-news-writing mode. I am continually impressed with the system they have there. It's so... efficient. I know those guys don't think it's that great, but it works. They get the job done. I spent so much time spinning my wheels at my last job and sitting in meetings about meetings, because things were done in the stupidest manner. I sure hope things have gotten better for my friends who still work there.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Gratitude 3/29/07
1. Thai food
2. Dinner with dad
3. JellyBabies
4. my beloved cowboy boots from Austin, Texas
5. my brother fixing my watch for free
2. Dinner with dad
3. JellyBabies
4. my beloved cowboy boots from Austin, Texas
5. my brother fixing my watch for free
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Gratitude 3/28/07
1. Central Park (I am bad for forgetting how wonderful it is)
2. Ducks in the pond in Central Park
3. the ability to walk miles and miles in Manhattan
4. McDonald's strawberry sundae (just today it hit the spot)
5. Chantel
2. Ducks in the pond in Central Park
3. the ability to walk miles and miles in Manhattan
4. McDonald's strawberry sundae (just today it hit the spot)
5. Chantel
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Gratitude 3/27/07
Whew! I never imagined this lil' list would be difficult, but lately it really is.
1. Sunshine and 75+ degrees
2. The kindness of strangers
3. Jackie
4. The ability to give myself a manicure others think is a professional job
5. All My Children and One Life to Live and its silly escapism
1. Sunshine and 75+ degrees
2. The kindness of strangers
3. Jackie
4. The ability to give myself a manicure others think is a professional job
5. All My Children and One Life to Live and its silly escapism
Monday, March 26, 2007
Gratitude 3/26/07
1. God's Love We Deliver, and the volunteers there who give me support
2. Peter
3. my brother Dan
4. the friends I seem to be making on the 'net
5. My view of Manhattan
2. Peter
3. my brother Dan
4. the friends I seem to be making on the 'net
5. My view of Manhattan
Sunday, March 25, 2007
My results kitchen
Love, love, love having DVR. I don't watch a heck of a lot of television, but the stuff I do watch, I am devoted to, and thanks to the DVR, I always have a bunch of my shows at the ready.
Only this dork has a usual roster of cooking shows on the ol' DVR. My favorite is America's Test Kitchen on PBS (http://www.americastestkitchen.com/corp/about-americastestkitchen.asp). It's a real test kitchen, located just outside of Boston, in an area called Brookline. I think my dream would be to work there and live in Brookline. I thought the area was lovely when Jenne lived right near there and we would stroll through it. There is a companion magazine to the test kitchen, called Cook's Illustrated, which I subscribe to and also love very much. I also get another mag they offer, called Cook's Country. Both magazines accept no advertising, so it's all about cooking from cover to cover, written by people who are damn serious about it, but the articles are also written with a little bit of playfulness.
I was watching today's episode of America's Test Kitchen, which was about making excellent fish n' chips, and I thought about just what kind of cook I am. Many people have suggested or told me to go to culinary school, but I'm not sure I'd want to cook for a living. It's far too much fun to have the freedom to make what you want, when you want to. No pressure. And the restaurant business is all about pressure. And awful lot of work, with little payoff, from what I can see. For those that love it, great. You have to love it, because you work harder than you ever have in your life.
I'm also not the kind of person to invent her own dishes. I realized that I get enough of a kick from merely following recipes and discovering the results for herself. And in the case of America's Test Kitchen and their magazines Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country, they've done all the testing until a recipe is perfect, and then they publish them. If I follow these recipes to the letter, I'm guaranteed quality. This perfectionist appreciates that very much. :o)
I've finally realized that even a cook that relies on someone else's recipes all the time is still a great cook if they get great results. It's a good thing to be able to follow instructions correctly. (Can I get a job with that skill? LOL) There are many people that don't, and then wonder why they don't get good results. I do add touches of my own, once I have made a recipe correctly, because only when it's done correctly can I actually make a real judgment on improving it, or tweaking it to suit my tastes.
America's Test Kitchen gives its readers the opportunity to help them test recipes, and I've signed up for it. I like the idea that I'm now part of the process. I will make the recipe they sent me for Rosemary-Scented Salt-Roasted Potatoes with Roast Garlic Butter before the week is over to participate. :o)
I keep hoping that if I watch enough cooking shows, I'll learn enough to replace a very expensive culinary education...
Haha... yeah, right. ;o)
Only this dork has a usual roster of cooking shows on the ol' DVR. My favorite is America's Test Kitchen on PBS (http://www.americastestkitchen.com/corp/about-americastestkitchen.asp). It's a real test kitchen, located just outside of Boston, in an area called Brookline. I think my dream would be to work there and live in Brookline. I thought the area was lovely when Jenne lived right near there and we would stroll through it. There is a companion magazine to the test kitchen, called Cook's Illustrated, which I subscribe to and also love very much. I also get another mag they offer, called Cook's Country. Both magazines accept no advertising, so it's all about cooking from cover to cover, written by people who are damn serious about it, but the articles are also written with a little bit of playfulness.
I was watching today's episode of America's Test Kitchen, which was about making excellent fish n' chips, and I thought about just what kind of cook I am. Many people have suggested or told me to go to culinary school, but I'm not sure I'd want to cook for a living. It's far too much fun to have the freedom to make what you want, when you want to. No pressure. And the restaurant business is all about pressure. And awful lot of work, with little payoff, from what I can see. For those that love it, great. You have to love it, because you work harder than you ever have in your life.
I'm also not the kind of person to invent her own dishes. I realized that I get enough of a kick from merely following recipes and discovering the results for herself. And in the case of America's Test Kitchen and their magazines Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country, they've done all the testing until a recipe is perfect, and then they publish them. If I follow these recipes to the letter, I'm guaranteed quality. This perfectionist appreciates that very much. :o)
I've finally realized that even a cook that relies on someone else's recipes all the time is still a great cook if they get great results. It's a good thing to be able to follow instructions correctly. (Can I get a job with that skill? LOL) There are many people that don't, and then wonder why they don't get good results. I do add touches of my own, once I have made a recipe correctly, because only when it's done correctly can I actually make a real judgment on improving it, or tweaking it to suit my tastes.
America's Test Kitchen gives its readers the opportunity to help them test recipes, and I've signed up for it. I like the idea that I'm now part of the process. I will make the recipe they sent me for Rosemary-Scented Salt-Roasted Potatoes with Roast Garlic Butter before the week is over to participate. :o)
I keep hoping that if I watch enough cooking shows, I'll learn enough to replace a very expensive culinary education...
Haha... yeah, right. ;o)
Gratitude 3/25/07
1. My two legs, and the ability to take a walk on a sunny day.
2. 50 degree weather, with sun
3. coffee ice cream (still my favorite!)
4. my LL Bean zip-up fleece (one of the best things I ever bought)
5. Peter's meows and purring
2. 50 degree weather, with sun
3. coffee ice cream (still my favorite!)
4. my LL Bean zip-up fleece (one of the best things I ever bought)
5. Peter's meows and purring
Friday, March 23, 2007
Gratitude
Got away from my daily gratitude, and now it's back:
1. Serene. She just rocks, and she's awesome with hair!
2. Spring. Need I say more? ;o)
3. Karaoke. I had loads of fun singing for Courtney's birthday on the 13th. I needed the release.
4. My Mac. Two years now, and the love affair is going strong.
5. Bananas and peanut butter.
1. Serene. She just rocks, and she's awesome with hair!
2. Spring. Need I say more? ;o)
3. Karaoke. I had loads of fun singing for Courtney's birthday on the 13th. I needed the release.
4. My Mac. Two years now, and the love affair is going strong.
5. Bananas and peanut butter.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Pay it forward
Sigh. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow. I feel like I'm not gonna get any real answers, so I suppose I'm just calling because I don't know what else to do with Peter. We have changed his food a few times now, and things haven't gotten better. He just had a bout of diarrhea and puking, poor kitty. This has nothing to do with the recall, by the way... He's been on dry food pretty much for the last couple of months, and he's eating prescription food, which is unaffected. The last time I went to the vet to buy him more dry food, I picked up 6 cans of the Science Diet prescription w/d wet food. Peter LOVES wet food and really misses not having it, but I swear, it goes right through him!
He looks so skinny it makes me sad. I leave him dry food 24/7, and he eats just enough to sustain himself. My friend Alex stopped by the other day, and agreed that he looks pretty skinny. It breaks my heart. He and Elvis were always a bit on the "round" side, so seeing Peter not look the same kills me.
I met my hairdresser's cat today, 'cause I went to her house for a trim. More on that in a minute. Her cat is a gorgeous black and white boy... named "Boy"... LOL He's very affectionate and talkative. I just loved him. And I could tell he liked me too, since he showed me by head-butting my face and caressing me with his tail. :o) But I was truly stunned when I learned his age: 14! This cat does not look 14! He was the picture of health! Super-soft coat, bright eyes, healthy weight. I became a little sad that Peter isn't that weight anymore, and it frustrates me that my vet hasn't found an answer as to why he's having issues with food and his insides. When he uses his litter box, I swear it smells like he's decaying on the inside! I would love to get another opinion and maybe find out once and for all what's going on with him, but there's no money to do that.
Back to my hairdresser. The last time I went to the salon for a trim (January), she and I were chatting, and I mentioned that I still hadn't gotten a job. She whispered to me that she could cut my hair in her house for a flat $60, no tip, and that she was only extending that offer to me, since we know each other so long. My hair has gotten mighty out of shape, and I really feel that I need to look my best when I'm trying to get a job, so I'm trying to keep these things up. So she and I arranged for me to go to her house in Brooklyn today, and I silently figured $60 was worth spending, since a trim from her usually lasts me two months, maybe a little more.
She moved to the Park Slope area of Brooklyn in the fall, and I can see why she's happy where she is now. She's a half a block away from the subway, and it's about 25 minutes to Soho, to the salon where she works. She's got everything she needs within footsteps of her apartment, and I began to miss "borough living." :o) But I still don't miss the rents. She pays a lot more than I do a month. You pay for conveniences. But her apartment is lovely, and perfect for one person. It gets a lot of light and has nice things like an exposed brick wall (in the bedroom) and hardwood floors.
We chatted about things as she worked her magic, and although we both shared astonishment that I can't seem to get hired anywhere, we agreed that things must (and will) turn around. I told her about my blessed friends and family and how much they've helped, and that's when she told me she was trimming my hair for free (!!!)... She believes in "paying it forward," where you repay the good deeds you have received by doing good things for other, unrelated people.
Sigh. I hope to be able to "pay it forward" too... soon.
He looks so skinny it makes me sad. I leave him dry food 24/7, and he eats just enough to sustain himself. My friend Alex stopped by the other day, and agreed that he looks pretty skinny. It breaks my heart. He and Elvis were always a bit on the "round" side, so seeing Peter not look the same kills me.
I met my hairdresser's cat today, 'cause I went to her house for a trim. More on that in a minute. Her cat is a gorgeous black and white boy... named "Boy"... LOL He's very affectionate and talkative. I just loved him. And I could tell he liked me too, since he showed me by head-butting my face and caressing me with his tail. :o) But I was truly stunned when I learned his age: 14! This cat does not look 14! He was the picture of health! Super-soft coat, bright eyes, healthy weight. I became a little sad that Peter isn't that weight anymore, and it frustrates me that my vet hasn't found an answer as to why he's having issues with food and his insides. When he uses his litter box, I swear it smells like he's decaying on the inside! I would love to get another opinion and maybe find out once and for all what's going on with him, but there's no money to do that.
Back to my hairdresser. The last time I went to the salon for a trim (January), she and I were chatting, and I mentioned that I still hadn't gotten a job. She whispered to me that she could cut my hair in her house for a flat $60, no tip, and that she was only extending that offer to me, since we know each other so long. My hair has gotten mighty out of shape, and I really feel that I need to look my best when I'm trying to get a job, so I'm trying to keep these things up. So she and I arranged for me to go to her house in Brooklyn today, and I silently figured $60 was worth spending, since a trim from her usually lasts me two months, maybe a little more.
She moved to the Park Slope area of Brooklyn in the fall, and I can see why she's happy where she is now. She's a half a block away from the subway, and it's about 25 minutes to Soho, to the salon where she works. She's got everything she needs within footsteps of her apartment, and I began to miss "borough living." :o) But I still don't miss the rents. She pays a lot more than I do a month. You pay for conveniences. But her apartment is lovely, and perfect for one person. It gets a lot of light and has nice things like an exposed brick wall (in the bedroom) and hardwood floors.
We chatted about things as she worked her magic, and although we both shared astonishment that I can't seem to get hired anywhere, we agreed that things must (and will) turn around. I told her about my blessed friends and family and how much they've helped, and that's when she told me she was trimming my hair for free (!!!)... She believes in "paying it forward," where you repay the good deeds you have received by doing good things for other, unrelated people.
Sigh. I hope to be able to "pay it forward" too... soon.
NJ drivers suck
Okay, I've really had enough of New Jersey drivers. What's the deal? Why can't they drive? Insurance is so high in this state, and it's because we have really bad drivers. This happened in the next town... it makes me mad, 'cause one of those passengers coulda been me. Well, if I was working in NJ...
A few other states have it bad too. Florida goes without saying. Then there's Massachusetts...
NJ Transit Bus Crashes in North Bergen
NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- An NJ Transit bus driver was hospitalized, and at least seven passengers were injured after a bus rear-ended a dump truck on Thursday morning.
The crash took place at about 6:50 a.m. at the corner of Westside Avenue and 69th Street, according to NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett.
The bus driver was pinned to the side of the cab and suffered serious leg injuries. He was taken to Jersey City Medical Center, police Lt. Mark Cerbo said.
The bus driver, pinned inside of the vehicle, was extricated after 25 to 30 minutes, North Hudson Regional Department acting deputy fire chief Robert Duane said.
While he did not know the condition of the driver or passengers, he told NorthJersey.com there was a "considerable amount of blood on the bus."
About seven other passengers reported injuries, with some taken to area hospitals, Cerbo said.
The bus was on the 83 line, and was heading north on Westside Avenue, on its way from Jersey City to Hackensack, Hackett said.
Westside Avenue was closed in both directions from 68th to 89th streets and delays were expected on route 83.
A few other states have it bad too. Florida goes without saying. Then there's Massachusetts...
NJ Transit Bus Crashes in North Bergen
NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- An NJ Transit bus driver was hospitalized, and at least seven passengers were injured after a bus rear-ended a dump truck on Thursday morning.
The crash took place at about 6:50 a.m. at the corner of Westside Avenue and 69th Street, according to NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett.
The bus driver was pinned to the side of the cab and suffered serious leg injuries. He was taken to Jersey City Medical Center, police Lt. Mark Cerbo said.
The bus driver, pinned inside of the vehicle, was extricated after 25 to 30 minutes, North Hudson Regional Department acting deputy fire chief Robert Duane said.
While he did not know the condition of the driver or passengers, he told NorthJersey.com there was a "considerable amount of blood on the bus."
About seven other passengers reported injuries, with some taken to area hospitals, Cerbo said.
The bus was on the 83 line, and was heading north on Westside Avenue, on its way from Jersey City to Hackensack, Hackett said.
Westside Avenue was closed in both directions from 68th to 89th streets and delays were expected on route 83.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Back to the Brooklyn Museum
On this frigid cold day, I returned to the Brooklyn Museum to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibit, titled "A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005." Tomorrow's the last day of the exhibit. Museum opens at 11 on Saturdays, I got there at 11:30, and it was already a zoo. Note to self: Going to museums on weekends always sucks. At least during special exhibits.
I don't think you could be a music lover in the last 20 years and not know Leibovitz's work. Although she had many subjects, she became known as a "rock" photographer, for the iconic shots she captured as chief photographer for Rolling Stone in the '70s. Later she worked for Vanity Fair and Vogue. Who could forget a naked, pregnant (and beautiful, I might add) Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991, which caused a bit of hoopla? And then they did it again, when Demi posed nude for the mag a year later, with a "suit" painted on... Annie snapped that one too.
What's apparent looking at more than 200 photos in this collection is the apparent relationship Annie has with her subjects. Oh, and the exhibit really is "A Photographer's Life," because there are plenty of pictures of the artist's children, parents, and her longtime partner Susan. She chronicled her father's illness and death, and Susan's subsequent illness and death.
All of this would have been much more moving to me, had I been able to breathe... the exhibit was packed wall-to-wall with people, and they all just stood in front of the photos like cows in a pasture, not looking and moving along, so other people could maybe fuckin' get a look! (I was in Brooklyn, the ol' Brooklynite in me emerged there for a second...) Sigh. I love and hate New York at the same time. Everything's a battle... But then we have these wonderful cultural things to take in. This exhibit began in New York; now it'll make the rounds.
There's a book to accompany the exhibit, which bears the same title.
This is one of my favorite photos of hers, but this isn't in the exhibit:
This one is, though:
I was looking for a photo I saw today on the web, but had no luck. It was the Cash's at home on their porch: Johnny, his grandson, Rosanne, and June Carter. Excellent shot. I got to see the photo of the White Stripes that I love too:
I wish I had been able to really look at the photos. Ah well. I did go back and look at the Ron Mueck stuff again, just because it's so incredible. When Alex and I went, it was already dark outside the museum, and the inside of the museum seemed dark too. I remembered thinking that the Mueck exhibit should have been lit better. But upon returning to it today, it was a MUCH better experience. I had forgotten that the museum has a lot of skylights... now I see that natural light really makes a difference. It was absolutely frigid today, but the sky was a bright blue and it was very sunny. The Mueck sculptures looked even more incredible and lifelike than before. I really urge anyone and everyone to see his work up close if you can.
I don't think you could be a music lover in the last 20 years and not know Leibovitz's work. Although she had many subjects, she became known as a "rock" photographer, for the iconic shots she captured as chief photographer for Rolling Stone in the '70s. Later she worked for Vanity Fair and Vogue. Who could forget a naked, pregnant (and beautiful, I might add) Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991, which caused a bit of hoopla? And then they did it again, when Demi posed nude for the mag a year later, with a "suit" painted on... Annie snapped that one too.
What's apparent looking at more than 200 photos in this collection is the apparent relationship Annie has with her subjects. Oh, and the exhibit really is "A Photographer's Life," because there are plenty of pictures of the artist's children, parents, and her longtime partner Susan. She chronicled her father's illness and death, and Susan's subsequent illness and death.
All of this would have been much more moving to me, had I been able to breathe... the exhibit was packed wall-to-wall with people, and they all just stood in front of the photos like cows in a pasture, not looking and moving along, so other people could maybe fuckin' get a look! (I was in Brooklyn, the ol' Brooklynite in me emerged there for a second...) Sigh. I love and hate New York at the same time. Everything's a battle... But then we have these wonderful cultural things to take in. This exhibit began in New York; now it'll make the rounds.
There's a book to accompany the exhibit, which bears the same title.
This is one of my favorite photos of hers, but this isn't in the exhibit:
This one is, though:
I was looking for a photo I saw today on the web, but had no luck. It was the Cash's at home on their porch: Johnny, his grandson, Rosanne, and June Carter. Excellent shot. I got to see the photo of the White Stripes that I love too:
I wish I had been able to really look at the photos. Ah well. I did go back and look at the Ron Mueck stuff again, just because it's so incredible. When Alex and I went, it was already dark outside the museum, and the inside of the museum seemed dark too. I remembered thinking that the Mueck exhibit should have been lit better. But upon returning to it today, it was a MUCH better experience. I had forgotten that the museum has a lot of skylights... now I see that natural light really makes a difference. It was absolutely frigid today, but the sky was a bright blue and it was very sunny. The Mueck sculptures looked even more incredible and lifelike than before. I really urge anyone and everyone to see his work up close if you can.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Ron Mueck
Alex and I went to the Brooklyn Museum this afternoon to see the Ron Mueck exhibit. Mueck (who's Australian but lives and works in England) is what they call a "hyperrealist" sculptor. His subjects are humans, but the scale of these lifelike works, done in fiberglass and silicone, gives a different feel -- either they're gigantic or very small. His work is absolutely incredible. These sculptures look very much alive! Every sculpture is painstakingly detailed, down to the veins in the skin to the fingernails and fine lines on the forehead, and body hair (eyelashes, eyebrows, etc.). It's eerie to look into the eyes of a fiberglass "human" and see "life"! There are a couple of themes in his work. He seems to be a bit consumed with life and death... many of his subjects are very old or very young (as in newborn babies), and every subject looks troubled. The gargantuan woman "In Bed" looks as if she has the weight of the world on her shoulders... and it's all in those (fake) eyes. Unbelievable.
Mueck started out making puppets for the Muppet Show and Sesame Street, and went on to do work in movies.
His work must be seen to be appreciated.
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/ron_mueck/
Be sure to watch the video in the multimedia section of that page.
Alex and I were a bit disappointed that the exhibition was rather small, but we were grateful to see Mueck's work up close. We chose to go to the Brooklyn Museum today because on the first Saturday of every month the museum is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and admission is free. But it was very crowded, and after a short while, Alex and I were weary and irritated. So we cut out, went back into the city and had a sushi dinner. :o)
I have to go back to the museum to see the Annie Liebovitz exhibit (A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005). The line for it was extraordinarily long! I have until January 21st to go before it's gone...
Mueck started out making puppets for the Muppet Show and Sesame Street, and went on to do work in movies.
His work must be seen to be appreciated.
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitio
Be sure to watch the video in the multimedia section of that page.
Alex and I were a bit disappointed that the exhibition was rather small, but we were grateful to see Mueck's work up close. We chose to go to the Brooklyn Museum today because on the first Saturday of every month the museum is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and admission is free. But it was very crowded, and after a short while, Alex and I were weary and irritated. So we cut out, went back into the city and had a sushi dinner. :o)
I have to go back to the museum to see the Annie Liebovitz exhibit (A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005). The line for it was extraordinarily long! I have until January 21st to go before it's gone...
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Dreamgirls
My reasons for wanting to see Dreamgirls were part hype, part curiosity. A lot of fuss has been made over former American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson’s performance in the movie, and it’s justified, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
Dreamgirls, the big-screen adaptation of the ‘80s Broadway show, is the story of a ‘60s Supremes-like girl group working for their big break. And a shady producer/manager - well-played by Jamie Foxx - gets it for them.
Dreamgirls is Beyoncé’s first “big” role, and I imagined she’d be perfect for it, playing gorgeous singer Deena Jones (loosely based on Diana Ross) thrust in the spotlight in her group (loosely based on The Supremes), pretty much because of her looks. Beyoncé has firsthand experience with this; she became the “lead singer” of her former group Destiny’s Child because the camera loved her then and loves her now, not because she was necessarily a better singer or performer than her group mates.
Director Bill Condon (who wrote the screenplay for the movie adaptation of Chicago) does a fine job of bringing Broadway to the silver screen here. The musical numbers, quick editing, glitz and costume changes keep things moving, but I must admit, musicals make me cringe. I can’t get past the unnatural act of characters bursting into song suddenly. The only exception in Dreamgirls is when Effie White (Hudson) sings “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” – a showstopper that not only shows Jennifer Hudson’s vocal range, but her acting talent as well. I cringed for a different reason here: the pure, raw emotion of the painful scene.
Beyoncé, on the other hand, is NOT an actress. Why she got a Golden Globe nomination for best actress is beyond me. Hudson blows her clear out of the water. And Hudson is up for a Globe for best supporting actress. It really should be the other way around.
Dreamgirls is an entertaining bit of fun. Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy are great to watch, and it’s worth seeing, if just for Jennifer Hudson’s amazing talent and Beyoncé’s stunning looks.
Dreamgirls, the big-screen adaptation of the ‘80s Broadway show, is the story of a ‘60s Supremes-like girl group working for their big break. And a shady producer/manager - well-played by Jamie Foxx - gets it for them.
Dreamgirls is Beyoncé’s first “big” role, and I imagined she’d be perfect for it, playing gorgeous singer Deena Jones (loosely based on Diana Ross) thrust in the spotlight in her group (loosely based on The Supremes), pretty much because of her looks. Beyoncé has firsthand experience with this; she became the “lead singer” of her former group Destiny’s Child because the camera loved her then and loves her now, not because she was necessarily a better singer or performer than her group mates.
Director Bill Condon (who wrote the screenplay for the movie adaptation of Chicago) does a fine job of bringing Broadway to the silver screen here. The musical numbers, quick editing, glitz and costume changes keep things moving, but I must admit, musicals make me cringe. I can’t get past the unnatural act of characters bursting into song suddenly. The only exception in Dreamgirls is when Effie White (Hudson) sings “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” – a showstopper that not only shows Jennifer Hudson’s vocal range, but her acting talent as well. I cringed for a different reason here: the pure, raw emotion of the painful scene.
Beyoncé, on the other hand, is NOT an actress. Why she got a Golden Globe nomination for best actress is beyond me. Hudson blows her clear out of the water. And Hudson is up for a Globe for best supporting actress. It really should be the other way around.
Dreamgirls is an entertaining bit of fun. Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy are great to watch, and it’s worth seeing, if just for Jennifer Hudson’s amazing talent and Beyoncé’s stunning looks.
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