Spanish 3-way? Yeah sure, why not...

I didn't know what to expect going into the Spanish film Mediterranean Food, my 6th movie outing for the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival. I only had the festival guide description to go by; there weren't any reviews to give me a clue, nor was I familar with any of the actors or the director.

All I knew was that it was an "erotic comedy" about a menage a trois that occurs between a female chef and her two lovers. Hey, sounds like a great way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy Sunday.

The three leads, Olivia Molina, Alfonso Bassave, and Paco Leon are very engaging and their love story in the film is surprising believable. Three-ways are difficult to make compelling; in films most end up either coming off as really cheesy or so rooted in fantasy that you can't imagine the scenario happening in real life. Mediterranean Food managed to make the idea of a menage a trois between these characters very natural. And I won't lie, the "realness" of the relationship made it that much sexier. I definitely wouldn't mind being in her position.

I mean what woman (or gay man) wouldn't want the gorgeous green eyed Leon gazing at them tenderly while hot, sex-on-legs Alsonso Bassave kisses your neck (and other areas)?

I would have liked for the story of Molina's character Sofia and her love of food and the progression she takes to becoming a top chef, to have been fleshed out a little more. I wanted the food scenes to be more Like Water For Chocolate and less like some episode of a bad soap opera about a chef. That and the horrible 90s smooth jazz score were the only small complaints I had for an overall really enjoyable film.

But let's get back to the good parts of the movie -

Did I mention that there's full frontal nudity from both Paco Leon and Alfonso Bassave in the movie? Yeah, I know, take a minute to gather yourself.

Linky link - 2010 Summer TV edition

God, I love tv. I know that's probably horrible, and I totally agree that I should spend at least half the time I "waste" watching television on healthier activities like exercising, cleaning, and sleeping. But I don't really care; it's my main vice - judge me all you want.

So once again we're entering the summer months where all of our regular season shows are ending their seasons (or ending altogether - so long 24, Law & Order, and Lost). And now from June through September we get a bunch of new reality and scripted shows to tempt us (me) to stay inside on the couch instead of enjoying the sunshine and good company of friends and family.

To that end I'm linking the excellent lists compiled by the staff of Television Without Pity of the upcoming:
New shows for summer 2010
and
Summer 2010 returning shows

For the returning shows I'm the most excited about Drop Dead Diva, True Blood, So You Think You Can Dance, and Beautiful People and I'll probably devote whole posts just to them in the coming weeks.

The new shows that look intriguing are Hot In Cleveland (even I can't resist the lure of Betty White fever - plus hello, it's got Valerie Bertinelli, I'm there); The Choir (because it's a trifecta of things I love - reality show, British, show choirs); Memphis Beat (my boyfriend Jason Lee! and it's another TNT cop show that I can enjoy watching with my dad when I visit him); and Persons Unknown (a mini-series murder mystery by the dude who won the screenwriting Oscar for The Usual Suspects? Yes please. Plus it's got Jason Wiles who I love). 

I hope my DVRs are ready for the onslaught.

Maybe I'll buy an exercise bike and kill a few birds with one stone. And maybe I should hook it up Ed Begley style to the tv and dvr so that I have to bike in order for the electronics to even work? Anything to fuel my tv addiction!

Whatchu talkin' bout'?

I'm kind of devastated to hear about Gary Coleman dying of a brain hemorrhage this morning. The guy just could NOT. Catch. A break. I hope he and Dana Plato are hanging out in the afterlife shaking their heads in disbelief that Conrad Bain (Mr. Drummond) outlived them both.

And so I ask myself - has Michael Patrick King lost his damn mind?

Probably the greatest movie review ever from The Stranger's Lindy West about the horrid Sex & The City 2 that opens today.

I loved the tv show, and it pains me how crappy the films are. And yet. I find myself drawn to this shite like a moth to a flame. I most likely won't see this sequel in the theater - I was burned with the first movie and this new one is supposed to be 10x worse - but then again, if I'm in the right mood and I've had enough liquor in me, maybe I'll find myself shelling out the 10 bucks to see it.

But only after SIFF ends and all of the quality movies have left the theater.

And only to see Liza!

Confuddled but contented

So, uh, yeah. I'm not going to take up a lot of space pondering and analyzing last night's Lost series finale. There are thousands of people on hundreds of blogs more clever than mine doing that today. I will say that ultimately I was satisfied with the ending.

As some folks know, I was woefully behind on Lost. I have been behind since basically the middle of season 4. Through a couple of those damn interminable recap/explanation/catch-up shows, I was able to clear several season 4 and early season 5 episodes out of my Tivo to clear up space on both the dvr and my life. And beyond that I was watching like one or two episodes a month to gradually bring me current. As the May 23 series end loomed however, I felt a ton of pressure to catch-up for real and actually watch the finale in real time and not dvr time.

So to that end, this past Saturday and Sunday I spent several quality hours watching the last 6 hours of this season 6. I finished the "What They Died For" episode at literally 6:52 PM last night, a mere 8 minutes before the finale extravanganza began in earnest. And I'm really glad I did. Watching the last show in basic real-time, being totally unspoiled was the right choice; the finale was much more powerful and poignant than it would have been otherwise.

How did I feel about the episode itself? Again, I'll leave the lamenting, praising, and hair-pulling to others; in a lot of ways the purgatory/heaven angle was very obvious, which can come off as lazy writing. But I would be lying if I didn't say that seeing everyone end up with their loved one or constant wasn't gratifying; it felt like the best way to end the show. And I was never enough of a Lost fan to get caught up in all of the "but what about ____?" and  "but they didn't answer this!"  nonsense. Ultimately I don't care. It will be nice to have the precious DVR space back and delete the Tivo season pass.

It will be sad to have the gorgeous Matthew Fox and Henry Ian Cusick off my tv screen though. Sigh...Desmond and Jack were made of win.

10 Things I LOVED about the Glee "Dream On" episode

1. The episode was a reunion of Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris. They make magic together!

2. That in an episode where the centered on 3 plots, the B plot (well technically the "C" plot) was all about Artie and his dream of dancing.

3. Artie's dream sequence at the mall where he performs "Safety Dance" and the whole thing was filmed and done flash-mob style to brilliant effect!

4. Idina Menzel is Rachel's mom!! Fans wanted it from the beginning but Ryan Murphy had said it wasn't happening. Tricky tricky man.

5. But oh, how sweet it was to hear Idina and Lea's duet of "I Dreamed A Dream". Seriously, SUCK IT Susan Boyle!

6.Wet Jonathan Groff. That scene between Jesse and Shelby in the car probably had some great dialogue that was important to the story but I was totally distracted by the HOTNESS that is Groff in a wet t-shirt.

7. "Dream On" duet between Schue and Bryan Ryan. Awesome, over-the-top, amazing falsettos, all while running around a half-finished Les Miz set. Genius.

8. The chemistry, both comic and sexual, between Neil Patrick Harris and Jane Lynch.

9. The "Dream A Little Dream" performance by Artie, with Tina and Mike (!) tap dancing.

10. The small touch that Quinn gives Artie's shoulder during the performance. Totally heartbreaking.

Also, check out Tom and Lorenzo's thoughts on the episode. They've captured exactly how I was feeling as I was watching the episode; absolutely my favorite of the season.

The power of Journey can make ANYTHING happen

When I first saw this picture this morning, my eyes bulged right out of my head.










What ON EARTH was going on that created a situation where Lady Gaga, dressed as Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, was happily smiling with, and in the arms of one Bruce Springsteen?!

Evidently this picture was snapped after they'd just finished a star-studded rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing".

Proof once again that no matter how played-out, and karaoked (I know that's not a word) to death a song is, it's still a f*cking Journey song, and Journey songs RULE THE EFFIN' EARTH, and make you insanely happy when you sing them, because Steve Perry and Neal Schon were AWESOME, so even "edgy" performance artist dance divas like Lady Gaga and jaded old "rockers" like Springsteen and Elton John will gladly get together and belt out a tune that's been covered ONE MILLION TIMES by everybody from 5th grade classrooms to Glee cast members to Sting at a benefit for the rainforests.

Seriously, I think Journey songs could bring world peace.

I seriously think I just found my damn hero...

and she's only 19.

If I had saved a little over $40K when I was a freshman in college I don't know what I would have done with it. But I can tell you one thing - buying a house would've been the LAST thing on my mind.
Good for her!

Man, is this the kind of shit I missed out on growing up in a big city? Getting $15,000 for raising an exemplar pig seems kind of awesome.

Things and more things - Parent and Child edition

I watched the interview that Larry Birkhead did with Meredith Viera on the Today show yesterday morning. I didn't pay a lot of attention a couple of years ago when Anna Nicole Smith died and her then boyfriend Birkhead fought for custody of their child Dannielynn with Anna Nicole's attorney/friend/lover/lackey Howard K. Stern. Birkhead ultimately won custody and Stern remained the executor of Smith's estate. I didn't have any opinion about either men, beyond the fact that they both seemed pretty douchey.
Seeing Birkhead on the Today show was sort of enlightening. He seems like he has a really good head on his shoulder and is actually a decent parent. I like that he and Dannielynn are living a quiet life in Kentucky, and apart from this Anna Nicole Smith auction that he's doing in Vegas, for the most part he's staying out of the limelight.

Speaking of assholes who love the limelight - in the wake of Heidi Montag Pratt filing a restraining order against her mother, there are reports that Spencer Pratt's parents have totally "given up on him" and have removed all traces of him from their home.
Wow. You guys, how awful would it be to be Spencer Pratt's mom or dad? I'd totally disavow any connection to King Douche as well. It's actually nice to hear that they aren't supporting Pratt's actions which are kind of gross.

Sex & The City 2 - Worst movie ever made?

Quite possibly.

I hated almost every aspect of the first Sex & The City movie; but ultimately enjoyed it enough because some of the story arcs were engaging and more importantly, I still felt a deep connection to the characters. And seriously, who didn't want Carrie and Big to have their happy ending.

Last night on The Daily Show, producer/writer/director Michael Patrick King was on, and it's a testament to the talent of Jon Stewart that he was able to show the clip from the Sex & The City 2 movie and not guffaw, do a spit take, or generally not say "What the f*ck was that?" afterwards. Instead Stewart wisely said nothing and brought King out where they promptly avoided talking about the movie altogether except to mention that it wasn't filmed in NY/LA and instead focused the entire interview on a road trip the two of them once took from LA to Marin County back in the early 90s(?!!).

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Michael Patrick King
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

You guys? This movie is going to SUCK ASS. And yet, I think two friends and I are going to see it in the theater on opening day. Sigh...
I need professional help don't I?

Lena Horne, and other beautiful women

My grandmother Kay Jackson knew Lena Horne back in the 1940s and 50s, and was actually often mistaken for her. They did look incredibly alike. My grandmother would tell me stories about the few times that she got to hang out with Ms. Horne and about how they would laugh over the doppellganger effect. My mother looked a little like Lena as well (see below); and what my family and Lena Horne had the most in common were their beautiful singing voices. Losing Lena Horne this week almost feels like I'm losing my mom and grandmother all over again. I only hope that these three wonderful, amazing and gorgeous women are up in heaven right now; singing show tunes and laughing. And maybe watching over me.

Things and more things - cute boys edition

I love Heather and Jessica over at Go Fug Yourself - seriously two of the funniest ladies around, dishing about celebrities and their bad fashion choices. I laughed out loud for a good 10 minutes after reading their blurb about Penn Badgley and Matthew Morrison at the Met Ball. Enjoy!

Someone I've been obsessed with this week (and last week, and the week before that, truth be told) is actor, singer, musician, teen heartthrob Asher Book.

Seriously this kid! He first came to my attention in the horrid Fame remake that came out in 2009. The kid has a BEAUTIFUL voice, but his acting skills left a lot to be desired in that dreck of a film. But that must have been the result of the bad writing for that movie because now Asher's on NBC's Parenthood, as recurring character Steve and over the past few weeks he's been kind of a revelation on that show for me. Book manages to make the 17 yr old Steve smarmy, charming, smart-alecky, intelligent, geeky, cool, vulnerable - all at the same time.  And I really love where they're going with his storyline, setting up a love triangle between Steve, Haddie, and Amber - I can't wait to see more.
I've been listening to a bunch of Asher Book's tracks from the "Fame 2009" soundtrack this week and I'm again reminded how incredible this kid's voice is. I kind of love the fact that so far the producers of Parenthood have chosen not to capitalize or showcase his musical talent on the show at all. It lets him show his range.
But heads up Ryan Murphy! I implore you to hire Asher Book IMMEDIATELY as a guest star on Glee for the upcoming season. Book already has an "in" with the show because one of his best friends is Kevin Mchale (Artie). Maybe Asher can be brought on as a new love interest for Quinn or Ttttina or as the heir apparent for the lead in rival club Vocal Adrenaline's troupe after Jonathan Groff's Jesse St. James graduates. I'm just saying. You're missing out on a great opportunity here.

Gay Heaven - Example #1

This pic was taken at this year's Vanity Fair Oscar party. I've had it taped to the wall of my office for almost two months now and I can't stop wondering - what do you think was going through Bradley Cooper's head when this shot was taken?

Was he wondering how Ryan could manage to look so debonair and suave?

Was he thinking about the fact that he shared a bunch of on-screen kisses and hot sex scenes with Ryan's wife in that horrible He's Just Not That Into You movie?

Was he wondering why the hell he was drinking water and not a nice scotch?

God love him...

Okay I love Timothy Olyphant, but was he drunk on Bonnie Hunt today? Lord, he was strange. But so charming and awesome at the same time, so it was wildly entertaining.