Today's mood...

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Yep. This is just about how my day is going today. I'm sort of on top of things? But also really not? And just making the most of the crap situation I've gotten myself into without knowing it.

Random thoughts - One Direction LIVE - On The Road Again tour - Seattle, July 15, 2015

A collection of 41 observations and thoughts that I had during the One Direction concert (in chronological order):

1. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many teenage girls gathered in one place in my life. It's sort of a nightmare. CenturyLink stadium is sold out. How many people does that hold? Anyway, the atmosphere has the strangest energy; it's hormones, and lip gloss and braces, and ponytails and the amalgamation of thousands of different perfumes. And screaming. So much screaming.
2. Most of the moms/chaperones that have been dragged to this event are acting appropriately. But there is a large contigent of "cool moms" - you know Amy Poehler's character from Mean Girls? Yeah, that kind of horror. It's all too tight and too blushed. And lots of glitter.
3. There are way more straight dudes (not dads) here than I expected. Dragged along by their girlfriends I suspect. And in fact seem to be making out with said girlfriends way more than is necessary - to prove something? Later during the concert, Harry Styles actually calls out a couple for making out the entire show. Guys, if a pop star from 30 feet away notices you're kissing, maybe tone it down a bit?
4. There are 4 gay men in their 50s (2 couples?) sitting in the 4th row sans children. They're worse than me, right?
5. Something called an "Icona Pop" is opening up for 1D. They are a duo. From the UK? Australia maybe? These two women seriously look like they are doing bad Spice Girls cosplay. One is like Scary Spice, and the other is like a Ginger/Sporty Spice combo. They are actually singing and not lyp-syncing so that's something in their favor. But as with a lot of EDM stuff, they're singing to music tracks. They keep slipping behind a weird DJ booth to change outfits?
6. This is how you can tell the parents/chaperones in the audience - they're all sitting. Hee! You guys, we're old okay? The show is just starting and we have 3 1/2 more hours ahead of us to get through.
7. I lucked out with the perfect seat. Far right section on the floor; Row 15, which is just far enough back that I can see everything; and on the aisle so no one's blocking me. This sweet tween girl behind me whispered to her sister/friend that she wouldn't be able to see over me and wondered if she should ask me to switch seats - her friend wisely responded that she didn't think I would do it. Ha! My resting-bitch-face works in my favor again!
8. Oh! Icona Pop are the ones that sing that "I Don't Care. I Love It!" song. They saved the best for last.
9. In the interim before 1D comes out, they're showing music videos and movie trailers. And Honda ads, because I guess they're a big sponsor of this tour.
10. A lot of the videos are for that other boy band from the UK (?), 500 Summers or something? (That's not the name. But I'm too lazy to look it up and I DON'T CARE.) Are these guys also on Simon Cowell's label or something? Otherwise it seems weird to promote another boy band at a One Direction concert. 
11. In true Seattle fashion, I've noticed an inordinate amount of Birkenstocks and Tevas on these otherwise tarted up teen girls.
12. Girls are retouching their makeup before 1D comes out. Why? It's not like Niall is going to see you, much less give a thought to how much lip gloss or mascara you're wearing.
13. I am truly impressed with the amount of signage here! It's nice to know that teen girls still make signs to take to concerts of their favorite bands. Gotta keep those poster board companies in business somehow!
14. So far I've seen only one "congrats on the baby" poster for Louis.
15. Boy, "Uptown Funk" is still an undeniable hit. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was up out of their seats and dancing around when the song was played over the loud speakers. Infectious indeed.
16. As we get closer to the main event, the audience is getting hyper and ratcheting up the screaming. The screaming over NOTHING. 10 minutes before show time and the girls are screaming for anything at this point - roadies/crew coming out on stage to set things up; 1D ads for perfume; some of the backing band members walking through the tunnels on the side to get to the understage area.
17. 4 min before show time: A PSA comes on with One Direction talking about their charity. I guess you buy gold stars at the show that raises money. Girls screamed throughout the entire PSA; the screams amping up each time a different one of the 4 guys did their part of the speel. I guess if this gets teens to give a shit about poverty and the environment I'm all for it. I just would rather also have my eardrums.
18. The long runway that they have coming out into the audience from the mainstage is fairly low to the ground. Lower than I expected. (It would be at boob-level if I was standing next to it). I don't trust any of these chicks not to clock a security guard to get to Harry Styles. They are taking a risk.
19. Honda is giving away a custom 1D Civic, complete with wacky paint job and the 4 lads' signatures on the hood. I'm not saying I didn't enter the contest to win it...umm
20. Yikes. There are seriously A LOT of freaking people here! They don't have that much of the stadium blocked off. I think there must be 30,000 folks here. Does the "Clink" even have that many seats. I'm bad at math.
21. Oh! Here they come! Oh no, the screaming has increased to a face melting squeal pitch. A deafening wall of screaming as each of the guys comes out in the following order: Niall, Liam, Harry, Louis.
22. SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
23. Liam took over the Zayn Malik vocals in the first couple of songs, but surprisingly Niall is the one that steps up and does the Zayn parts of the majority of their set. And Niall is killing it vocally!
24. They have a toilet on stage!! Behind this elaborate curtain. Louis used it between songs and kept his mic on! I mean, we couldn't hear him peeing or anything, but Liam had to work the crowd to cover the time and asked if Louis was done yet. All of a sudden we heard Louis over the loud speakers - "I had to use the loo. Sorry - too much tea before the show. Went right through." Louis can even make taking a piss adorable.
25. Eleven songs into the set the guys sang "Little Things". The girls around me lost their ever-loving minds! They were floored that they were performing the song without Zayn, because he has such a major solo in it. Harry took over the Zayn parts on this one. These girls were so excited. Something so unexpected made them so happy. It was a nice moment, even for this hard-hearted old woman. 
26. Oh, and the harmonies on "Little Things" were out of this world. These guys can really sing.
27. I had studied the set lists for San Diego and San Francisco and I was hoping for something new, but they are following the established set to a tee. That's okay. I guess.
28. Louis acknowledged one of the "Congrats on baby" signs that was held up, with a sweet smile and a thank you. Aww
29. Naill is raunchier/sexier on stage than I expected. I've always imagined him as the sweet, virginal one.
30. Harry is way goofier. And sexy AF. I get it now. 
31. Harry is wearing very cool brown suede boots that I covet.
32. During the performance of "Night Changes", all of the teens in the audience whipped out their old charity stars and held them over their heads, swaying back and forth. It was all very choreographed and well done. I don't know guys, this audience is operating on a different level from me.
33. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
34. The guys' voices blend really well together. Louis is definitely the weakest link vocally, but he writes most of their songs, so I forgive him. Also that face!
35. Liam keeps taking phones from the audience and taking selfies with them. It's sweet. 
36. In fact, the entire evening One Direction has been incredibly gracious and thankful for their fans. Well done, lads.
37. Girls are throwing the most random things onto the stage - sunglasses; plastic leis; toe shoes?; and a lot of bras. C'mon young ladies, keep it classy.
38. 4 encores! FOUR.
39. When all was said and done, the guys performed for 3 hours straight! Do you think they're able to do that because they're so young? That kind of stamina is beyond me. The stage loo probably helps too.
40. They played only one of my favorite songs of theirs. But that's okay. If they had sung "Fool's Gold" or "Same Mistakes" I may have burst into tears and embarrassed myself in front of hundreds of 15 yr olds.
41. Thank god for earplugs. I wore them all the way back to my car that I had parked about 20 blocks away. And when I removed them, my ears felt great.

Things I'm looking forward to in March

March is a tricky month for me. On the one hand, the anniversary of my mother's death is March 1 and for the past 8 years that date has just laid waiting to ambush and depress me at the beginning of the month.  But March is also my birth month (seriously the BEST month to have been born), and it was my mother's favorite time of the year, what with the change in weather and the cherry blossoms etc. so I also can find room for happy memories. And this year especially, I've got a bunch of things to look forward to.

First off, I'm not the only person I care about having a birthday this month. Several close friends and family also share March as the best birth month. So I have a bunch of great parties and celebrations to look forward to in March.

• I'm proud to be a part of the fun choral group - the Northwest Firelight Chorale - and we have our annual, mucial theater fundraiser dinner theater/silent auction evening on March 21, 2015. It promises to be an amazing and fantastic night!

• Kyle Chandler finally back on my television? And with Ben Mendelsohn? YES, PLEASE.

 

Is it March 20th yet?

• I've quit caffeine and I'm really making a commitment to start swimming on a regular basis in an effort to cure the insomnia that's been plagueing me for months. It's been really bad lately, and so I'm making March the month that I conquer this! Or at least get at least 6 hours of sleep a night. Yeah, that's right, I don't even get SIX hours of sleep on a typical night. It's pathetic.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Me at work today...

Presented without comment...

Okay, I lied. ONE comment -

Why the fuck does Phil Collins have a tambourine shoved into his sweatpants in this photo?!

Presented without comment...

I Have A Dream...

NPR is doing a series commemerating the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
NPR's "Tell Me More" staff have asked readers/listeners to share their personal versions of the "dream" speech.

Here's mine -

I have a dream,


That when people meet me in person for the first time, after previously only hearing my voice, they won’t look so shocked that my skin color is so dark. And won’t immediately try to hide their shock by saying something ingenuous like “You’re older than I expected.” Really? That’s what's surprising to you? That I sound younger on the phone?

I have a dream,

That people will stop assuming that because of the color of my skin I have rhythm and can dance. While I am musical, and a very good singer, my sense of rhythm and movement is quite tragic.

I have a dream,

That when I speak fondly of my maternal grandfather, whose mother was a blue-eyed German immigrant who taught him all of the old German cooking secrets, and who inherited his height and stoicism from his Choctaw Indian father, people won't treat my memories like "stories"; fictional and fanciful tales that I've made up because there's no way in hell this dark-skinned woman before you could possibly have had a "white" grandfather who grew up next to an Amish farm in Pennsylvania. 
Or when I show people photos of my mother’s parents, grandparents, great aunts and uncles, and cousins, that for once I won’t see disbelief on these people’s faces or hear it in their voice as they say “THAT’S your great grandmother?”


I have a dream,

That even though I have learned to embrace an identity of a “black woman” because the color of my skin brands me so, I have not forgotten, nor do I deny the Native American, and European roots that represent actually the largest percentage of my DNA make-up.

I have a dream, a dream that I hope will come true in the future where the children I won’t have given birth to will know a world where a woman is just a woman. Or just an American. Or can be truly defined as what they are; someone like me – An African-American, Micosookee, Choctaw, Cherokee, German, Scottish hodgepodge.

NYC Marathon - Conflicted, and feeling awful about it

I am so torn over this argument about whether the NYC Marathon should be run on Sunday or not. I'm WAY more grossed out by the hundreds of people that waited in line outside the Apple store for the new iPad mini. Ugh.

On the one hand, the New York City Marathon is one of the largest money-making annual events that brings in millions of dollars into NY; dollars that go to small businesses and dollars that can be used for repairs and rehabilitation of the city.

Supposedly all of the peripheral Marathon events have been cancelled, so that it’s just the race happening; a race that thousands of people, including my friends Kathy and Nick, have worked their ASSES off to qualify for and deserve a chance to run.

If it’s just a few thousand dedicated people running down some streets, what’s the harm?

And maybe all of the visitors that are coming into the city for the race can bring needed resources and exposure to the plight of those still devastated by Sandy.

But on the other hand, since Tuesday I’ve been glued to the news and can’t stop looking at the pictures of the three hardest hit boroughs – Staten Island, Queens, and Brooklyn – and the destruction is depressing as hell. I have a lot of friends and family in New York that are still without power, or if they have power are still having to do 3 hour commutes on foot to get into Manhattan for work because the subways are still closed in many areas. And the death and destruction in Staten Island and Rockaway Beach cannot and should not be ignored. And there’s something gross about holding the marathon when there are still this many people suffering. Especially given the fact that the marathon begins in Staten Island; I just don't know if I could do it.

I keep comparing this to Katrina, which was much worse in regards to lives lost and disaster response time. If the Mardi Gras parade was scheduled to happen a few days after Katrina would I have been mad? The answer is yes. And yeah, I get that Mardi Gras, with its drunken debauchery and ridiculous is not at all the same thing as an athletic race; maybe I should’ve used the Superbowl as a better analogy.

Regardless, I’m left with this icky conflicted feeling about the whole thing. Whatever happens, marathon or no marathon, I really hope that the runners that worked so hard to get to participate in this event aren’t criticized, chastised, or left to bear the brunt of people’s anger.

In my fantasies I like to think that American decathletes, Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee are congratulating each other on their medals and saying - "Hey, you know who should really be in the middle of this hug? Our girl Kat!"

Yes, I know I'm deranged.

Random Thoughts - 2012 Summer Olympics Edition: Part 1

Let's first talk about Olympic swimming. I won't rehash all of the drama and talk about the "rivalry" between Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps. I will say that there was some serious AWKWARDNESS between the two after Lochte got outswam in the last leg of the 4X100 meter relay, losing them the gold. Yes, the US team was in first place in the first 3 legs of the relay, but I don't think Ryan "lost" the gold for the Americans; the French anchor swimmer was just faster. It was a very close race, and people seem to be forgetting that the US wasn't favored to win ANY medal in this relay - so we should be really happy with our Silver.

Ryan Lochte is such a bad-ass. I refuse to acknowledge the fact that he like to wear a diamond grille in his mouth like a dumb wannabe pimp. This fact diminishes his hotness factor, and I just can't let that happen.

Michael Phelps has freakish arms. FREAKISH!

I'm sort of in love with a French male swimmer named CAMILLE. C'mon French people, WTF!? How is Camille a name that you use for both girls and boys? But anyway...HELLO BOYFRIEND!

Re: Women's Gymnastics

Watching Jordyn Weiber not be happy for Aly Raisman was one of the most poignant moments of any Summer Olympics. It's completely ridiculous that the IOC's rule says that only 2 all-around competitors from each country can compete. What bullshit! It should be the top 24 girls - PERIOD. If that means that most of that 24 is made up from athletes from just 2 or 3 teams, then so be it. It should be about who the best competitors are, not making it "balanced" or whatever other crap explanation the officials are using.

YES

Is it weird that I'd like to trade places with a 9-month old cat named Choupette?

Anatomy of a Music Video - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's "Lost in Emotion"

Let's analyze this gem, shall we?

1. A few words about the clothes just to get them out of the way. There are TWO people wearing Hammer-style harem pants with reeeeeeally long zippers sewn into them. One is a man and the other is Lisa Lisa herself. The purpose of these 14 inch zippers is lost to time.
2. Speaking of zippers...wow, I forgot how popular it was in the mid 1980s to have multiple zippers (that again, served no purpose) on everything! Pants, jackets, shirts, SOCKS. This video has them all.
3. It also has men wearing multilple, colored skinny leather belts wrapped around the legs of their pants. Was this a style?
4. One of the main guys in the video is sporting a Civil War era inspired Confederacy hat. Charming. Maybe that's why Lisa Lisa gives him the stink eye.
5. I hated this shit back then when I was living it - Shoulder Pads in every single blouse, jacket, and T-shirt. Both men and women; young and old.
6. And so many headbands.
7. One of the dudes working at the carnival is wearing what can only be called a "tropical shant suit". "Shant", for the uninitiated, stands for "Short Pant". Take a gander around minute 2:00.

• One of the plot points at the beginning of this video, which is set at some kind of carnival or as the sign says - "New Street Fair", involves one of Lisa's homegirls not being able to get ketchup to come out of the bottle onto her burger.
• I guess Lisa Lisa is looking for love, but isn't interested in any of the guys who are trying to pick up on her and her friends?
• And then there's a bit about Lisa climbing on stage because there's a carnival sign that says "COME - Sing with the Street Fair Band". WTF? Weak plot.
• Finally everyone does a synchronized dance to the last verse of the song, that Lisa Lisa has been singing by herself for over 3 minutes.
• Did she actually go by Lisa Lisa in real life?

Que sera, que sera.

10 Random Thoughts - "Streets of Fire" edition

1. The first 10 minutes of Streets of Fire, the infamous "rock and roll fable" from 1984, are some of my favorite minutes on film. Diane Lane as Ellen Aim and her band The Attackers singing "Nowhere Fast" are so damn hot. 
2. I love everything about Diane Lane's Ellen Aim. I love the weird 80s/50s leather/spandex hybrid clothing she wears, I love her mullet, her lipstick. I even love that atrocious Golden Girls-style sequin box dress she wears at the end of the movie. Hard to believe she was only 19 when the film was made.
3. The music in this movie KICKS ALL KINDS OF ASS. I've owned the soundtrack in 5 different mediums: 8-track, album, cassette, cd, and mp3. That's love, people.
4. This film was my first exposure to Willem Dafoe. He is terrifyingly creepy (and secretly sexy? eww) as Raven Shaddock the evil leader of the motorcycle gang The Bombers. I didn't realize for a long time that he was the same actor in Platoon. Raven's white skin, weird possum mouth, and his hair gave me nightmares as a teen.
5. Michael Pare is really not a good actor. I take that back. He has Keanu Reeves syndrome; where his voice is so monotone that he sounds really dumb, and you don't even realize how great a job he's doing until it's too late. He was easy on the eyes back then though. Not aging well however.
6. What is Deborah Van Valkenburgh  doing these days?
7. The 4 actors that play the doo-wop group The Sorels are a who's who of 1980s "Black Acting School" alums. If you don't understand that reference, stop, and immediately go watch Robert Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle.
8. Bill Paxton's Clyde is like if Chet was a bartender in the 1950s.
9. Not to gush more about the music, but the two main songs by Jim Steinman that bracket the movie are seriously in my top 500 songs of all time. I have a secret desire to sing them on stage somewhere with a full band and back-up singers behind me.
10. If I was unlimitedly wealthy I would finance a full-musical remake of Streets of Fire. In fact, I've always thought it would make an excellent stage musical. Don't steal my idea! Patent pending!!!

Streets of Fire is currently on Netflix instant streaming. So what are you waiting for?! The soundtrack is in my car if you want to borrow that too.

Things I'm Thankful For - 2011 edition

The holiday season is officially upon us, and as we sit down to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal with friends and family, I am going to take some time out to share what I'm thankful for this year.

1. My health/my life. I went through some scary times earlier this year. There were several months when all of my doctors thought I had some form of cancer and wouldn't live to see my 45th birthday. And even after the true nature of my condition was confirmed and surgery was planned, there was still a big possibility that I wouldn't make it. But I did. And I've healed very well. And I have a different outlook on things. And for that I'm grateful.
2. My friends. YOU are the family that I've chosen, and I really couldn't have done a better job. 2011 has been the year that I truly found out how special the people that I've surrounded myself with are, and how important they are to me. My friends are the best.
3. NaNoWriMo. Sure, I'm woefully behind and probably won't meet the 50K word deadline on November 30, but each time that I've attempted (and failed) to complete a novel within 30 days it has inspired me creatively, and that's a great feeling.
4. Nolan Ross. Thank you Gabriel Mann for reminding me how much I love you, and for bringing this character to life in the most wonderful ways. And for being an undercover hard body; your abs were the best thing on my TV this fall! Thank you ABC for not only not cancelling Revenge, but for also giving it a full season order.

A few things that I'm obessed with this week...

Police have reopened the investigation of the mysterious death of actress Natalie Wood. I was OBSESSED with this case as a pre-teen kid. First of all, I thought that Natalie Wood was so beautiful. She was my first girl-crush. I was into a lot of true crime stuff at the time, and this also had the added attraction of involving 3 actors that I knew and liked. And I don't know, somehow it was oddly romantic?
Natalie Wood's body was found floating in a cove off the coast of Catalina Island, Thanksgiving weekend 1981. Her death was ruled as an accidental drowning but suspicion has always been thrown on her husband Robert Wagner, who along with actor Christopher Walken were with Wood on her and Wagner's yacht in Catalina.
The three had been drinking when an argument erupted; supposedly over the reveal that Wood and Walken had been carrying on a secret affair. According to both Wagner and Walken, Natalie had stomped away angrily and that was last they saw of her until her body was recovered. They did find that one of their small inflatable boats was missing and it was assumed that Wood took this and subsequently drowned.
However, suspicion was thrown on Wagner when the captain of the boat said that he'd seen Wagner and Wood arguing shortly after she had stormed off the top deck where the initial argument had occurred. But police had never been able to prove anything against Wagner, and generally it has always been believed that he had nothing to do with her death; beyond being involved in the verbal fight that was the catalyst for her to leave the boat.

So why have the police decided to reopen this case after 30 years? Well, that old captain has come forward this week and said that he lied to police about seeing Wagner and Wood argue on the lower deck. Why did he do it? Who knows, but since that couldn't possibly be enough to reopen a cold case like this, I have to wonder what other new evidence the police have that they can't reveal yet.

But I sure am waiting with baited breath to see what happens next.

Wasn't Natalie Wood just gorgeous?




Another thing that I've been bummed about is the split between Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. I've had a weird love of this couple ever since they got together in 2005. I found their relationship to be charming. I genuinely like Ashton Kutcher as an actor and a person, and it's annoying to think that all of those rumors about him fooling around are actually true. Especially with the women that he supposedly had the affairs with - those 2 ladies are fugly and stupid looking! So disappointed.

Finally, it was Regis' last day today on Live! with Regis and Kelly. I actually kind of hate Regis Philbin, but I loved his dynamic with Kelly Ripa (who can do no wrong in my book) and have always enjoyed Live!, even in the Kathie Lee Gifford days.
I'll definitely be recording the shows all next week as they start their official process for selecting his replacement. My #1 vote? Mark Consuelos!!! Kelly Ripa's hubby is awesome and has done a great job filling in for Regis over the past decade. He and Kelly are the greatest. But maybe their marriage would suffer working together every day? If that's the case, then don't do it Mark! I can't deal with another beloved celebrity couple splitting up.

Harummphhh!

This is the look I've been giving everyone today:

Just so you're forewarned.

I like to imagine that these two Serbian princes weren't just congratulating each other after a tough quaterfinal tennis match yesterday.

I like to imagine that they're planning a holiday together; somewhere magical that has nice warm, sandy beaches. A quiet place that they can relax and share some sweet alone time together.

SHUT UP! This is my fantasy world! You go and create your own fantasy if this one isn't working for you.

Greatest Things I Saw on TV this week: May 16 - 21

1. The Other Woman - First, you should know that this past weekend Lifetime Movie Network did some awesome programming by having the "The Stars of Spelling Weekend Movie Marathon". 48 hours of made-for-tv-movies featuring the stars of the plethora of Aaron Spelling television shows spanning almost four decades. So many gems, but the movie that Tivo Suggestions decided to record for me was this 2008 spectacular movie starring the awesome Josie Bissett (Melrose Place) and Jason Priestly (BH 90210).

Where do I start? It's a story about a lady (Bissett) who traded a successful career as a tv journalist to teach at a college part time and marry David, a successful defense attorney with a 16yr old daughter from a previous marriage. One night at a company party, a sexy young legal aide named Nicole, boldly tells Jill that she's going to steal her husband. Jill is of course shocked by the weirdo, but kind of blows it off. The psycho stalking, manipulation, and crazy pranks that Nicole pulls off escalate until Jill can no longer ignore the problem and she decides to fight.
When David's boss is murdered in his sleep,and his wife confesses to the murder claiming self defense, Jill turns to old friend and fellow journalist Pete (Priestley) to figure out if Nicole didn't have something to do with it. As soon as Priestly's character is introduced in the first 30 minutes it's telegraphed that he and Jill are going to get together in the end, but you don't really know how it's going to play out because in the beginning Jill's husband is a decent, if COMPLETELY IDIOTIC, guy who clearly loves his 2nd wife. But guess what? Jill and Pete don't hook up! They just renew their friendship and help solve a crime together. Sure, you can surmise that they might get together somewhere down the road, but the ending of this movie was really satisfying because it had such a realistic ending. Also by the end, Jill's hubby is revealed to be a total tool who has in fact been cheating on her. Turns out there isn't really anything sinister about the crazy Nicole chick; she didn't kill the boss guy. She's not a murderer, she's a delusional psycho! The movie ends with Jill wishing David and Nicole the best - she realizes that they're both getting what/who they deserve.
Considering how melodramatic and cheesy this movie could've been I was pleasantly surprised; damn Lifetime, you got me again!

2. The two-part James Frey "apology" episodes on the Oprah Winfrey show - Oy. I've been a Frey defender from the beginning, so I was surprised at how annoyed I was with him during this 2-part reconnection with Oprah, where they rehashed his January 2006 Oprah-thrashing. In the end I was more impressed with Oprah because of her honesty about the criticism she took from close friends of hers about how inappropriately mean and condescending she was to Frey, and about how she lashed out from a place of ego. Oprah actually APOLOGIZED and cried! It was something to behold. But James Frey almost didn't deserve it. I don't know. He just bugged me for some reason. Still, the whole thing was certainly worth 2 hours of my television viewing this week.

3. America's Next Top Model cycle 16(?) finale - For the first time in years (maybe since cycle 5 or 6) my two favorite girls were the finalists. I loved Brittani and Molly from the very first episode of this cycle and my love for them never waned. I championed them through the good times when they both consistently rocked photo shoots and challenges, and I was still there with them when they each had their struggles like Molly having to live with a HORRIFIC weave, or when Brittani lost her shit in front of the client (Ford) and yelled at Alexandria for being such a tool. I told myself going into this week's finale that I loved Molly and Brittani equally and didn't care who won; that was true for the most part but damn if I didn't tear up a little for Molly when she ultimately lost out. I hope IMG is smart enough to give her a contract anyway. They would be fucking fools to lose her to another agency. Happy for Brittani though!

Random Thoughts About Things You Don't Care About - "Valentine's Day" edition

Last night I got home from a dinner party and although it was almost 11, I wasn't tired, so I decided to watch a movie. Instead of being smart and diligent and watching Animal Kingdom, thus crossing off another movie and category in the Oscar Death Race, I instead decided to watch the ridiculous movie Valentine's Day, which my Tivo for some reason decided I needed to see.

First thing you need to know about this movie is that it's a Garry Marshall film. Enough said right? The next thing you need to know is that it's done in that scattered, 25 different stories that all link up somehow, Pulp Fiction style that sometimes works in movies but more often does not. In Valentine's Day it just comes off as lazy; lazy directing, writing, and acting. The plot is basically about a bunch of different people in Los Angeles dealing with the joys and horror of February 14.

It wasn't awful. I mean, I watched the whole thing and only rolled my eyes like 7 times; usually during any scene with either/both Taylor Swift or Taylor Lautner. But there are a ton of things wrong with this movie.
First, it's too long. There's no reason this damn movie needed to be over 2 hours long. It's like 135 minutes! Also, there are too many characters/actors/stories in it. Do you recall hearing about the HUGE cast when this movie came out last year? The fact that Jamie Foxx, Shirley MacLaine, Anne Hathaway and Geore Lopez are all in a movie together is ridiculous, not to mention Ashton Kutcher, Taylor Lautner, Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts. Y'all, believe me when I tell you that I haven't even listed half of the cast; this thing is so bloated with stars it's ridiculous.
Which leads me to wonder - what was in it for them? I don't think the budget was big enough for everyone to get a huge paycheck, and except for maybe Kutcher, all of the actors had roughly the same amount of screen time - 8 minutes. Does Garry Marshall still have enough clout and power in Hollywood that people like Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah agree to appear for 15 collective minutes in one of his films? Also, what does Marshall have on Julia Roberts? Pretty Woman was over 20 years (!) ago; she can't possibly feel like she still owes him for something, can she? Did she lose a bet?
Roberts' character's story was probably the most touching. And I'll admit that the "twist" or reveal or whatever that her character and Bradley Cooper's had at the end of the movie actually surprised me. I know I know...it was 1 o'clock in the morning! I was tired. But damn was I annoyed that there wasn't more to the romantic reveal of Cooper and Eric Dane being gay lovers. You have these two hot men in your movie, as BOYFRIENDS and we don't even get to see them kiss? That's just cruel.