3.31.2010

Video of the Day 3/31/10 - OMG It's The Hills Edition

Major shoutout to Carey for this video. The final season of The Hills premieres April 27 (subsequent blog post to follow) and it looks like they are going out with a bang. Enjoy.

3.23.2010

A Claim Against the Oscar Curse

So the latest news to rock the celeb gossip world is that Sandra Bullock's husband had an affair with a terrible-looking woman who is covered in tattoos. Bullock, who has been dubbed America's Sweetheart, has yet to speak on the subject and has withdrawn from several red carpet events, including premieres overseas for her movie "The Blind Side" which nabbed her the Best Actress Oscar just a few weeks ago. Her husband Jesse James, who fixes cars on some TV show or something, has made a statement that basically says yes, something happened with this other woman. He has been seen in public repeatedly with his children, or maybe there's just one child, I don't really know, but he's out and about like it's no thing while Bullock has yet to be seen. He does look somber though according to US Weekly so at least he has that going for him I guess.

First of all, this sucks. I like Sandra Bullock so much because she's normal. She's up there with Julia Roberts, Kate Beckinsale, and Kate Winslet (more on that later). They make great movies, they're beautiful, they're down-to-earth and they just go about their every day lives. You never hear about them involved in any type of scandal - until now. So I just feel bad for Sandra Bullock because I don't think she deserves something like this. She finally makes it big in her acting career and gets away from the whole Miss Congeniality typecasting and this is the thanks she gets?

Which leads me to my next point. Apparently, and I have never heard of this, there is something out there called The Oscar Curse. You've heard of the Madden Curse? On the video game Madden, there has always been some giant coincidence that the player featured on the cover of the game somehow always ends up with some debilitating injury that very same year. So players and the media have taken to calling it the Madden Curse. Similarly, this Oscar Curse states that women who win the Best Actress award subsequently end up splitting from their significant other shortly after winning the award.

So I'm here to say that I think that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

"Experts" basically have come up with two reasons for why these women can't make their relationship work after winning that little golden statue. Either these women let the fame get to their head and become giant divas that nobody can stand to be around or the men become so completely threatened by being in a relationship with somebody who is so much more powerful than them that they can't handle it and back out. Another point that people try to make is that these actresses are surrounded by beautiful people all the time and that temptation is too much for them to handle.

So let's break it down shall we?

Sandra Bullock received the Best Actress Award at this year's Oscars for her performance in "The Blind Side" which I still need to Netflix. Then a few weeks later, it comes out that her husband slept with another woman while she was filming her movie. First off, I obviously don't know Sandra Bullock at all but she does not strike me as the type to diva out on everyone. Like I said, she comes off as completely normal. Yes she makes movies, yes she's gotten a lot of press lately for her movie, but have you heard anything about her new "diva" antics on the red carpet? Not only that but she has thanked her husband profusely for stepping out of his comfort zone to attend these premieres and award shows with her. So could it be a case of her husband suddenly feeling threatened by her? Well if that's the case, then why do reports say that he started the affair with this woman while she was on location, not around the time she won the Oscar? If you ask me, this one can get pinned on the guy. His ex-wife is some kind of stripper or porn star or something so he doesn't strike me as the type to make great relationship decisions. So in the case of Bullock vs. James, classy Sandra Bullock 1, Jesse James 0.

It was also recently announced that Kate Winslet and her husband, director Sam Mendes, are divorcing after six years of marriage. Winslet won the Best Actress Oscar last year for "The Reader". As a matter of fact, he's directed a lot of movies that have gone on to win a lot of awards. "American Beauty" was his, "Revolutionary Road" (which starred Kate Winslet) was his, "Jarhead" was his, and "Road to Perdition" was his. You've heard of these movies. So isn't it safe to say that Mendes is JUST as famous as his wife? So how can someone argue that he suddenly felt threatened by her success after winning an Oscar? He has his own Oscar, his own Golden Globe and a slew of other awards for the work he's done. Furthermore, they're British. The English definitely give off a diva vibe sometimes (I think it's the accent), but if they're both British doesn't that cancel itself out?

These two situations are pretty different. Sandra Bullock's husband just made a really dumb mistake and I'd be reacting in exactly the same way if I were her. Cheating is not okay ever. I understand that there is probably a lot of extra work that has to go into a relationship when you're a big time actor or actress. You're away a lot on location filming or promoting the film or attending award shows and film festivals. But Sandra Bullock strikes me as the type to always come home to her husband and her family and to show them all her appreciation for standing by her. Plus, he's on TV isn't he? So doesn't he have long days of shooting his show and doesn't he have to do pressers for it too? So I do not sympathize with him at all. He gets no love from LTD. If it was too hard for him or too different of a lifestyle for him, then just walk away. But don't put up the front that you're a loving loyal husband and let your wife say all of these nice things about you to the media and her peers and then pull a stunt like this. You want to go be with THIS instead, then go. This is not a curse - this is just a guy being a jerk.

Not only do Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes make me a lot less angry than Sandra Bullock's situation, but I understand how their separation might have come about. Again, this isn't a curse - this is two people simply growing apart. When you're a big time director and your wife is a big time actress, there's going to be a lot of time spent apart. There really isn't that much to say. It just kind of is what it is.

So no, I do not for a second believe in the Oscar curse. I think life happens, sometimes it sucks, but sometimes terrible things need to happen in order for people to learn about themselves and the person they want to be. It's all really very simple, Hollywood.

3.18.2010

Video of the Day 3/18/10 - Another Good Cover Edition

This guy's name is Jamie Cullum and he is a jazz singer from England. Here he is performing Rihanna's "Please Don't Stop the Music" and I think it's a pretty cool version. Enjoy!

3.17.2010

Time for Some Awards

We're back with awards! Sidenote, I just started to manually code the HTML for the link to the first award. Can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing...

The Good Luck with that Award
And the winner is: Amy Winehouse's new clothing line
Accepting this award is a representative from Fred Perry:
"Now I know that when you think of Amy Winehouse, the words 'good taste' don't really come to mind but I'm here to tell you that we at Fred Perry think that we are really on to something. Sure her signature look can probably best be described as white trash meets drug addict but we at Fred Perry think that edgy with lots of attitude and yes maybe even sexy is a much more accurate description. I mean think about it. From her hair to her cutoff jean shorts to walking around with her bra hanging out, she's what we like to call an up and comer in the fashion industry. Who wouldn't want to have one of these signature Amy Winehouse looks as you're very own? Get on board the Amy Winehouse train America because it stops for no one!"

The Let's Calm Down Award
And the winner is: Jessica Simpson
Accepting this award is Jessica Simpson:
"I will not calm down. I mean I'm 29 people. I might as well be one foot in the grave when it comes to settling down. I really could die alone any day now. I just don't understand why this is so hard for me. I mean it's not like I'm picking dbag guys to date and fall in love with. Nick Lachey and I had a really happy marriage and putting it all on a reality show on MTV should have strengthened our marriage bond so I don't understand what went wrong there still. John Mayer and Tony Romo both seemed like really standup guys who wouldn't ever hurt me or ever be attracted to other women so I'm still so confused as to why I'm alone! No I take that back. You know what? It is hard to be a superstar like me and to try and have a normal life. I just have no idea how people like Carrie Underwood and Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry, just to name a few, manage to find happiness and a really good relationship while being so successful. It's just so hard being me."

The It's Already Starting Award
And the winner is: Kate Gosselin's "Dancing with the Stars" drama
Accepting this award is Kate Gosselin:
"First of all, everyone should vote for me on Dancing with the Stars which starts Monday. You know, it's like I said on my People magazine cover - why can't moms have fun too? My eight children who just saw me go through a really bad public divorce between me and my dbag husband that was barely finalized three months ago will totally understand that it was worth me leaving them in the care of five nannies three days a week for three months when they see me lift that mirror ball trophy. Their teachers who they are lashing out at will understand and so will their therapists in about 15 years. I have awesome new hair now and it deserves to be seen all over the country. Plus, how am I supposed to keep paying for my tanning sessions and 1.2 million dollar house without a little extra income? So see, you could even say I'm doing this FOR my kids."

The Everyone Saw This Coming Award
And the winner is: Jennifer Love Hewitt's break up from Jamie Kennedy
Neither Jamie Kennedy nor Jennifer Love Hewitt were able to be here to accept this award tonight. Jamie Kennedy is at home lamenting the loss of the only thing to get him back in the public eye in the last five years while Jennifer Love Hewitt is back on the market and couldn't attend. We at Livin the Dream gladly accept this award on their behalf.

The Spencer's Back! Award
And the winner is: Spencer Pratt
Accepting this award is Spencer Pratt:
"You didn't seriously think I would just go away did you? Hell no. I let Heidi have her moment and she did pretty well. It was the least I could do for my wife you know? But it's time to reclaim my throne as the prince of Hollywood gossip so I figured what better way than to spin a story about my rage issues than to say that I'm joining the cyber security division at American Defense Enterprise? Not a single one of you even blinked an eye at that article either which is the best part. I knew it'd be believable considering all you see me do on the show is sit on my ass and surf the Internet and you all played right into my hands with that one. And don't you worry. Sure I'll be MIA for a little bit but trust me I will be back. And you'll know it."

The Interesting Career Move Award
And the winner is: Mike Tyson's new gig as a pigeon racing trainer
Mike Tyson also could not be here to accept this award but he's sent a video promotion for his upcoming TV show that will document his work as a pigeon racing trainer. (Joke courtesy of Phil)

Video of the Day 3/17/10 - St. Patrick's Day Edition

Shoutout to Ashley for resurrecting this incredible video.



Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone!

3.11.2010

Video of the Day 3/11/10 - Awesome Cover Edition

If you haven't heard of Tyrone Wells before, do yourself a favor and check out his new album "Metal and Wood" or listen to one of my all-time favorite songs by him, "Seabreeze".

This is Tyrone Wells performing a cover of Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody". Just love it for some reason. Enjoy.

3.10.2010

Heidi Needs a Hug

It's officially time to blog about Heidi.

First let's start off by asking a very simple question: When is the last time you heard any news about Spencer? Things are not looking good for Mrs. Pratt when I actually want a story about her rih-tard of a husband. God remember the days of Spencer wanting to change his name to King and Spencer telling America that Heidi as a pop star was going to be bigger than Michael Jackson because she had the Holy Spirit in her? I mean that was some great stuff.

These stories coming out about Heidi are just sad. And I think it's time for either an adult to get involved or for someone to give her a hug. Even if it might pop her new boobs. Oh snap. Yes I went there.

I mean let's start with that. So okay she spoke out about getting a nose job and a breast augmentation (I love how after making what is a semi-crass joke for me, I come back with "breast augmentation". I am classy all the time.) in US Magazine and how she got picked on hardcore because she was so flat and how it messed with her head. I have no problem with this. Well then she embarks on this whole pop star thing so obviously she needs to have boobs that are juuuust a little bit bigger and she needs to pose for Playboy. Still in the realm of normal. Out of my comfort zone but still not unheard of.

Then we see her on The Hills and she suddenly has baby fever. So she starts doing all of these crazy secretive things to try and get pregnant without Spencer finding out because he doesn't want kids. Is this where the wheels started to fall off?

Answer me this: How do you go from dying to have a baby to getting 10 surgical procedures in one day and hiring a psychic to manage your career?

Don't you dare tell me it's because The Hills is not really reality either and so they just write in the baby stuff into the script. Yes I'm sure that's the case but there's something much bigger going on here.



I understand that she lives in a world where she's surrounded by beautiful people and so there are added pressures to look a certain way. Okay so a couple things here and there never hurt anybody and if it makes you feel good about yourself why not? But apparently there's such a thing as plastic surgery addiction.

I just get upset because she was way cute when she first was on the show and she's really young and she could have a lot going for her but she's getting wrapped up in this whole reality TV business and completely losing sight of who she is. I obviously have no idea who she is as a person but I can tell she's losing sight of it. She's 23 for Pete's sake.

On that note, where are her parents? Where is any sort of adult guidance in this situation? I thought that finally someone was going to step in and say enough is enough when her plastic surgeon said he wouldn't do anymore surgeries on her...then said it was because there's nothing left to do. Why doesn't any sort of authority figure, namely her parents, step in and say you're done?

Now she's decided she's going to have a psychic run her "career". First of all, I didn't know that devout Christians, as she claims to be, believed in psychics or indulged in anything like that. Secondly, once again, where is some kind of adult figure to step in and say hey maybe you should play with kids your own age and not psychics. I'm sure he's very nice and mystical and all that, but to put your entire future into the hands of a psychic just doesn't strike me as the best business decision. So I ask again, where are the parents or some sort of authority figure to step in and say hey, if you need help, you should try this, not a psychic. For Pete's sake where is her so-called husband? He might not be much of an adult himself but at the very least as her partner he should have some part in these decisions wouldn't you think?

So is this what it takes to be famous these days? Making crazy headlines and even crazier personal choices just to stay current and in the game? I just can't wrap my head around the fact that she really thinks she's doing herself favors and that she's really making some great decisions for herself.

Okay I know, lots of unanswered questions and I feel like this post was kind of all over the place but my two points are this: 1. I feel sad for Heidi because of the lack of guidance or real support she seems to have. And 2. As much as I might rant and rave about all this, it still won't stop me from watching The Hills.

3.08.2010

DWTS 2010 Preview

I started this about a week ago but I've had a busy couple of days...what else is new? But here it is at last. My oh-so-professional Dancing with the Stars analysis.

I think this season is one of the best casts we've had in a long time, even though I know some people out there will disagree with me. But here's why: an overwhelming majority of the new cast is very current. And that is going to make for a great show.

So first, let's go through each contestant one by one, then we'll talk about the pairings, then make some predictions.

THE STARS


Aiden Turner, actor
Okay well so much for my "everyone is way current" comment because I don't have one single clue who this guy is. According to abc.com, he is on "All My Children" and plays a character named Aidan. Woah that must really mess with his process to go from Aiden with an E in real life to Aidan with an A. This is pretty standard for DWTS - a random good-looking guy that nobody has ever really heard of. Last year they had that Ashley guy, Gilles was that guy two seasons ago, even Kim Kardashian was this person when she was on the show. They usually don't last long (except for Gilles) but sometimes they can surprise you (like Gilles). He's kind of a wildcard but I'm leaning towards not good.


Buzz Aldrin, um he walked on the moon. What have you done with your life lately?
DWTS is really messing with my theory right now. When's the last time you heard any news about Buzz Aldrin? When he actually walked on the moon? Probably. He's unfortunately our token old guy. Jerry Springer, Steve Wozniak, TomDeLay, now Buzz Aldrin. Not much to say except that he's not expected to do that well. Just comes with the territory Buzz. No offense.


Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and master of touchdown ceremonies
Okay here we go. Now we're back on track. Let me tell you something. What Ochocinco might lack on the dance floor, he will make up in style. Have you SEEN a touchdown celebration by this guy? Fine or no fine, this guy's creativity is through the roof and I'd like to see somebody challenge me on that. Shoot with moves like this, he could end up being a front runner. I think a lot of people are going to expect a lot from him considering how he was always constantly trying to top himself. I don't think it will translate well on the dance floor though. At the end, the judges want their ballroom.


Erin Andrews, ESPN darling and vicious sex scandal survivor
Let me start off by saying I am NOT an Erin Andrews fan. Jealousy? Probably. I just honestly don't see what the big deal is with her. Yes she's pretty. And then? She knows sports. Okay so do I. I'm just saying that I don't get it. But you have to believe that my prior feelings towards her have nothing to do with my opinion that she won't do well on this show. Maybe she's a closet dancer and we just never see it when she's sideline reporting but I just don't see it. But congratulations ladies. Your boyfriends are now officially watching Dancing with the Stars with you.


Evan Lysacek, gold medal-winning figure skater
Sooooo he's the male Kristi Yamaguchi from two seasons ago? Obviously this guy will have dance experience and he's good-looking. Don't know if he likes boys or girls as I didn't watch a single second of male figure skating when the Olympics were on. Just not my style. But he'll get some votes because people will be all "Go USA" because of the Olympics. Good timing ABC. Well played.


Jake Pavelka, The Bachelor
What the hell ABC? I mean seriously? Look I get the whole Melissa thing from two seasons ago, but is this going to become a yearly thing now? We just had to watch like eight straight weeks of this guy. I can't take it. I think this backfires because people don't really like him right now since he picked the girl no one likes. Furthermore, don't these people have real jobs? I thought he was a commercial pilot, not ABC's newest promotional tool. Emphasis on tool. I hope he gets voted off in the first week so that this completely explodes in ABC's face.


Kate Gosselin, the most famous mother in the world
This is awesome. Clearly Kate Gosselin is trying to use Dancing with the Stars is a way to get back on the public's good side because I hate to break it to her but she's come off as a lot of not very nice things. But I doubt this works for her. Why? Because my mom made a great point the other night. I believe her exact words were "Who's watching her eight freakin kids while she's on this show?" Touche Digna, touche. That's why I think people won't vote for her. In the middle of what is still a fairly public divorce, you're going to go on ANOTHER reality show? I heard that she and her partner Tony will fly back and forth from LA to Pennsylvania where she lives with the kids. Also doesn't seem like a great solution. At any rate, at least Tony will be a great male role model in their lives because he is awesome. Still, just go be a mom. You don't need to be doing this show right now.


Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls, pop star and DWTS ringer
Ladies and gentlemen, the ringer. Last year was Mya, Toni Braxton, Lance Bass to some degree. The pop stars who claim there's no possible way they could ever know how to ballroom dance always sail through. I expect nothing less from Nicole. But I will say, I kind of want to be her. I love her singing voice and she's gorgeous. She could be my celeb girl crush.


Niecy Nash, comedian...or actress...or something?
Yeah I have no clue who this is. According to her bio on abc. com, she hosts a show on the Style channel called Clean House. I still don't know who she is. But good luck!


Pam Anderson, needs no explanation
Looks like Pam Anderson is still looking for a way to climb out of bankruptcy. I can't picture her doing well but you never know. She could turn out to be this year's Kelly Osbourne. Not really much to say here except that it could be really entertaining or really painful. But I'm betting on the latter. Sorry Pam.


Shannon Doherty, 90210 bad girl
I think this is another case of someone trying to shed their bad image, but people are actually intrigued by Shannon Doherty. I can picture her being pretty good at this, especially if she has a good partner. But it would have been nice for her to dress up for her headshot. At any rate, I know James will vote for her so at least she has that going for her.

THE PROS
We have some returning faves as well as some new faces, but most of all there will be some very familiar faces not in the cast come March 22. Derek, Mark, Louis, Tony, Edyta, Maks, Chelsie and Cheryl are back for more and they'll be fun to watch. Missing from this year will be Julianne who's still out trying to make it as a country singer but is really just making Proactiv commercials as well as Lacey and Kym who are two of my favorite female pros. You know who I'm not going to miss? Karina. Good riddance. ABC must have told her she could only come back if she agreed to not starting up rumors that she was also sleeping with her celeb partner.

THE PAIRINGS

Aidan and Edyta: I'm getting to a point with this show where I'm starting to like the pro dancers more than the celebs and I actually find myself rooting for the pros sometimes. Edyta is one of those pros. She's been with some terrible partners (Jeffrey Ross anyone?) so I'm a little sad that she's with another unknown guy who might not get very far. Hopefully this guy turns out to be more like Gilles and less like LT. It's time for Edyta to lift that trophy!

Buzz and Ashly: Ashly was last on the show during season three so she has her work cut out for her coming back to a partner like Buzz Aldrin. He's no Joey McIntyre (according to Wikipedia, she was Joey McIntyre's pro partner on season one. Lucky.) She's going to need a lot of patience and creativity to make Buzz look good so hopefully she's up for the challenge.

Chad and Cheryl: If Chad Ochocinco puts his ego aside and listens to Cheryl, I think they could go far. But he needs to defer to her. I don't feel like this will be difficult even for him as Cheryl is a freakin drill sergeant and puts the fear of the Lord into her celebs. The big key, as I've said before, is to be creative but to also show off actual ballroom skills. If he gets too into his touchdown antics, he won't win big points with the judges. Then again, it's a voter's show so if he plays to the crowd enough he could still bring in the votes.

Erin and Maks: You have got to be kidding. I not only have to watch terrible Erin Andrews but now I have to watch her dance with Maks? This is not fair. I am never voting for her. And neither is Julie. Maybe.

Evan and Anna: This could be the couple to beat. Anna is a really pretty dancer and Evan is going to go far because of his figure skating experience. Oh. Shoot. abc.com just told me that this is the redheaded Anna who was with Chuck Liddell, not the tall blonde Anna who was with Michael Irvin. Man I like her more! Okay well now I have no analysis because this whole time I was thinking of the wrong Anna. Evan was a figure skater though. I could be his pro partner and he'd win this competition.

Jake and Chelsie: These two will do okay. I like Chelsie a lot. In fact, forget the analysis, let's watch Chelsie's "Bleeding Love" routine from So You Think You Can Dance, shall we?



Amazing. Now where were we?

Kate and Tony: This is a great pairing believe it or not. Tony is a perfect partner for Kate because he's not going to stand for her so-called diva antics. They're similar in age (I think) so he's going to know how to speak to her and coach her and how to get her to dance like he needs her to. If she listens and doesn't whine/complain, which I think she'll do a lot, she actually has a chance to do pretty well in the competition.

Nicole and Derek: No wonder Derek keeps coming back to the show. Let's take a look at his past celeb partners shall we: Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls, Joanna Krupa, Brooke Burke, Shannon Elizabeth. Yeah he's basically hit the jackpot. He and Nicole could win it all.

Niecy and Louis: First prediction, I will misspell Neicy's name all season. Louis is a great teacher. Shoot look at what he did with Kelly Osbourne. He is also a great choreographer as seen by what he's created for So You Think You Can Dance. What's that you say? You want to see one of the dances he made for that show? Well who am I to deny my clamoring fans:



Neecy (ha now I'm just doing it on purpose) will be a challenge for Louis though. This is another case of if she listens to him, she could go decently far but I can't picture her making it past the midway point.

Pam and Damian: Well rookie, welcome to the show. Your celeb partner is Pam Anderson. Think you can handle it? I know nothing about this Damian character except that according to Wikipedia he is Australian. Nice.

Shannen and Mark: Mark is a great dancer and a great partner, however he's had some pretty cake celebs to work with. Shawn Johnson was not a challenge to teach, Kristi Yamaguchi was not a challenge to teach, Sabrina Bryan was not a challenge to teach. Shannen Doherty could be a challenge. And when Mark did have a real challenge in Kim Kardashian in season seven, they were the third couple eliminated. So unless Shannen has some hidden ballroom dancing talent, I don't think Mark is going to be able to get them past the midway point of the competition. Man that was some professional analysis.

PREDICTIONS
Top three: Nicole and Derek, Evan and Anna, Chad and Cheryl
Dark Horse: Jake and Chelsie
Most Likely to be Voted Off First: Buzz and Ashly
Most Likely to be Discussed by Me and Julie Every Single Week: Why the heck isn't Dmitry on the show?
Most Likely to Win the 2010 DWTS Fantasy League: Team Rumba

Which brings me to my next point...
Julie and I co-created a Dancing with the Stars Fantasy League two season ago and it's a pretty big hit if I do say so myself. We are currently accepting entries for any newcomers and I will be sending out the league email to all returners (in case any who read the blog are wondering). We only play for pride. One disclaimer: We take only serious Dancing with the Stars fans. If you don't contribute, you will be let go from the league. I don't mess around. So if you or anyone you know might be interested, let me know.

Can't wait for March 22!

3.07.2010

Review: Handle With Care



Handle With Care
Author: Jodi Picoult
Number of pages: 477
Genre: Fiction

Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead their lives are consumed by sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health. Everything changes though after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte had known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life? - from the back book cover

This was the most depressing book I've ever read. It took me like a month to read this because it was so incredibly sad all the time that I couldn't read it for very long periods of time.

The back book cover doesn't really do the summary much justice so here it is: Willow is born with a disease that causes her to have extremely fragile bones that can break at any second. A sneeze can cause her to break an arm. The family takes a trip to Disney World where Willow ends up breaking her leg when she slips on a napkin in a restaurant and falls. After experiencing rude treatment at the hospital where they take her, Willow's father, who is a police officer, tries to sue but the lawyers tell him that there's nothing valid for him to sue over. He can, however, sue for something called wrongful birth which basically states if Willow's parents had known that she would be born with this disease, they could have made the choice to get an abortion. The dad gets all offended and says heck no I'm not doing that but the mom, who spends 24-7 taking care of Willow, decides she wants to go through with it. The twist? Her OB is also her best friend of nine years and the woman who introduced her to her husband.

To make a long story short, there's all kinds of other underlying drama - the lawyer that Willow's mom hires is trying to find her own birth mother who ultimately rejects her; the dad files for divorce because he can't believe the mom is going through this; Willow's older sister develops an eating disorder.

I know, I know! Why the heck did I stick with this book for so long? I read "The Other Sister", the only other Jodi Picoult book I've read, and it was LE. GIT. It was fascinating and really kept my interest and there was a twist at the end that brought me to tears. It was an incredible book.

So needless to say I have no idea why this book was so disappointing. It dragged on for so long and I think it had too much medical talk when discussing Willow's disease not to mention the trial chapters also went on for forever. And NOTHING remotely happy happened in the book. It was just a lot of the same thing over and over again: too many trips with Willow to the hospital after she suffered a break, too many arguments between the parents over whether or not to carry out the lawsuit, too much of them trying to hide it from Willow. It just kept going back and forth. And like I said, nothing happy. It was brutal.

So I'm sorry, I can't recommend this one. I am not quite ready to give up on Jodi Picoult yet but it's going to be a little while before I pick up another one of her books.

Final Rating: 1/5

Coming Up Next: "Love the One You're With" by Emily Giffin (I need something chick-litty after this one)

Oscars Live Blog!

It's the Academy Awards! I started a little late as I was writing a baseball recap but made a few notes so we're almost right on time. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are co-hosting. Neil Patrick Harris introduced them by doing some kind of singing Vegas cabaret act. It was kind of weird and unnecessary but NPH is hilarious so it still worked. And now, let's get to the live stuff...

5:37 - Matt Damon sighting! Way to start the live blog off right ABC.

5:41 - Wow George Clooney. Don't look so thrilled to be there. We're all so sorry that you have to be at the fabulous Oscars wearing a fabulous tuxedo with your gorgeous Italian date.

5:42 - ANOTHER Matt Damon sighting. This is shaping up to be a fantastic Oscars night already.

5:43 - Is George Clooney trying to look funny? Because right now he just looks kind of irritated with them. Overall though, awesome opening.

5:45 - Penelope Cruz's dress is beautiful! She is presenting the award for Best Supporting Actor: Matt Damon for "Invictus", Woody Harrelson for "The Messenger", Christopher Plummer for "The Last Patient", Stanley Tucci for "The Lovely Bones", some guy from "Inglorious Bastards" (sorry I couldn't understand Penelope Cruz's pronunciation of his name). Guess who I'm rooting for.

5:48 - Oh man! Matt Damon did not win. It goes to the guy from Inglorious Bastards. BUT they show Matt Damon in the audience smiling so I'll take that.

5:56 - Wow Cameron Diaz's dress is beautiful too. Very princess-like. She and Steve Carell are presenting Best Animated Movie and they show a video where all of the main characters of each animated movie talk about what it would mean to them to win an Academy Award. It's cute. "Up" wins. I have that movie on my Netflix.

6:00 - Why is Miley Cyrus at the Oscars? Why? Man and unfortunately she is wearing a really pretty dress....aaaaand she just acted like a terrible immature 16 year old. That's the Miley we all know and love. Is it that hard to read off a teleprompter?

6:04 - A song from the movie "Crazy Heart" (which I have never heard of) just won and one of the winners just said he loves his wife more than rainbows.

6:14 - Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr. do a pretty funny bit on how actors and writers "collaborate". Tina Fey's dress is really pretty but I don't like her hair. "The Hurt Locker" wins Best Original Screenplay.

6:17 - Molly Ringwald? When did she get famous again? Oooh she does not look good. She also appears to be a giant. Either that or Matthew Broderick is not very tall.

6:36 - So for literally this entire time Zoe Saldana and some other girl have been presenting Oscars for short films. Zoe Saldana's dress is awful. It starts out all beaded and sparkly at the top then shades from light purple to medium purple to dark purple and then has giant feathers all around the bottom. Not a fan.

6:38 - Aaaand Ben Stiller is presenting dressed as an Avatar character. James Cameron doesn't look too amused.

6:48 - Rachel McAdams is beautiful and her dress is amazing.

6:54 - I know I shouldn't say it, but I'm going to anyway. Another Matt Damon sighting.

6:55 - Okay and now we are finally getting to some awards I care about. Best Supporting Actress nominations are: Penelope Cruz for "Nine", the woman who plays opposite George Clooney in "Up in the Air", Maggie Gyllenhaal for "Crazy Heart" (her name might have more unnecessary vowels than mine), another actress from "Up in the Air" and Monique for "Precious".

6:59 - Monique wins. Let me tell you. She has classed herself up a lot. I'm really happy she won. Got a couple of goosebumps going. Good for her.

7:09 - Not a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker's outfit. Her hair is a little messy too. You'd think they would have fixed that before she went on to present.

7:18 - Oh good. People from Twilight. Taylor Lautner doesn't bother me so much because he acts like he actually cares. I just feel bad for him because he's 17 or something and all anyone does is talk about his bod.

7:22 - They are showing a horror movie montage and it is gross.

7:29 - John Travolta is nominated for an Academy Award? That has to just mean like in the past he was nominated a few times or something right because I'm pretty sure he wasn't even in a movie this year let alone one that would be up for an Oscar. So once you're nominated once, are you forever called an Academy Award nominee?

7:35 - Do you think it's weird that all the Harry Potter movies have been SO popular but haven't ever really won any Oscars? Let's Wikipedia that. Standby.

7:41 - Okay yes I am correct. Only three of the movies have even been nominated and it's just for artsy stuff, costume design, visual effects, stuff like that. But none have actually won an Oscar. Just struck me as weird.

7:45 - J. Lo looks like a giant Christmas present. And when did she get a semi-ghetto Jenny from the Block accent? She is helping to introduce some kind of dance troupe. This is a little odd but the dancing is very good so I don't mind.

7:55 - Avatar is starting to sneak up there and is winning some awards now as they just won for Best Visual Effects or something. I just don't feel like they're going to win Best Picture though. But I guess we'll see.

8:01 - OMG Matt Damon is presenting. Standby.

8:09 - Hey! Keanu Reeves! What has he been doing the last oh five years? Good to see you buddy!

8:15 - I'm getting bored. I thought these were supposed to be over in like 15 minutes? We still have to do best actor, best actress and best picture.

8:32 - Okay here we go. Best Actor goes to... Jeff Bridges. Not much to say here. He is a pretty classic old-time actor so I think everyone was expecting this to go to him. I'm kind of glad Clooney didn't win because he looked miserable the whole night.

Ha sooo I got on the phone so the live blog kind of came to a screeching halt. This should surprise no one. It was established this weekend that I have a slight tendency towards being a little ADD. But here's what happened:

Sandra Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress. I did not see that coming but I am really thrilled for her. That category was stacked with talent, but it's nice to see her break out from the typical roles she usually plays. She's a great actress and I think she's been typecast into playing only goofy chick-flick roles. I have yet to see The Blind Side but I will definitely be Netflixing it.

"The Hurt Locker" won Best Director which is the first female Best Director win in Oscar history. Plus she is James Cameron's ex-wife so that's kind of awesome.

Then "The Hurt Locker" won Best Picture and I was thrilled. Avatar was lame. I'm glad it won all the visual effects awards and the sound awards and all that but it had no real plot and nothing going for it except for the switching from real life to computerized characters.

All in all, it was a good show. We can get rid of all the technical awards and foreign film awards and cut it down to about two hours and I'd be okay with that. Great dresses. Everyone had a very Disney princess at the ball theme going which I am obviously a fan of. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin did a great job. ABC didn't plug any of their crappy TV shows by using their own people as presenters. Nice work Oscars. See you next year.

3.03.2010

Guess Who's Back!

What!? Is that...? No. No it can't be.

Oh yes my friends. Your eyes and sidebar links do not deceive you. Livin' the Dream is back. After two straight 50 hour work weeks, one Pac-10 Wrestling Championship weekend, two baseball doubleheader days, and a swimming Big West Championship to report on, I think I am back to being a normal human. Still TBD though. With the rain in Sac-town/Davis, we might have another doubleheader on our hands so things might still be a little crazy.

At any rate, I'm back and what better way to kick off my grand return than with some awards. I am aware that most of this news is way old but deal with it.

The Celeb Baby News I Could Care Less About Award
And the winner is: US Magazine's picture and article of Shiloh Jolie Pitt's haircut
Accepting the award is the person who cut Shiloh's hair:
"I just got paaaaaaid. Thanks everyone. Deuces."

The WTF Award
And the winner is: these people
Accepting the award is Mark Weber, new father and husband all in the span of 3 hours
"Wow. This is so unexpected. I mean after 11 years I just thought it was maybe time for Erin and I to get married. It would have been nice to have a more traditional ceremony but after 11 years what's the difference? Sure I didn't have half the people I wanted there and most of our guests were complete strangers and I'm sure Erin probably never dreamed of a wedding like that but when it's right, it's just right you know? I mean when my new daughter asks me how me and her mommy got married, I'm going to love telling her all about how after dragging my feet for 11 years I finally married your mom while she was doubled over with debilitating labor pains all so that we could make sure grandma and grandpa were happy. Sure we could have gotten married when we first heard about the baby or you know like 9 years ago but better late than never right? Thanks again!"

Quote of the Week Award
And the winner is: Jessica Simpson
Accepting this award is Jessica Simpson
"Thank you so much for this! I swear that when I walk around in public people really do tell me straight to my face that I'm not fat! I mean they don't ask for my picture or my autograph or tell me they love my music or my movies. Nope. The immediate reaction from my fans is to tell me that I'm really not fat. And I swear I'm not even offended when they say that to me. I really do thank them. So thanks to my fans for not thinking I'm fat and thanks to Amanda for this award."

TMI Award
And the winner is: Khloe Kardashian
Accepting this award is the US Magazine writer who felt that yet another overshare by a Kardashian sister was worth making into breaking news.
"Wow I think this is the third or fourth award that Amanda has given us so we must be doing something right! Of course we had to share this story! She's a Kardashian and now she's married and she could be having a baby any day now. Editing? Not necessary. This is real news people. This is a real married couple trying to start a family together and don't you want to know every single detail?"

The ::Shudder:: Award
And the winner is: Gary Busey
Accepting this award is Gary Busey's other son, 38-year-old Jake
"Hey thanks a lot for this award. Um yeah it's a little weird that I have a newborn baby brother and I'm almost 40 but it's cool. I'll be able to teach him a ton of things like how to push my dad's wheelchair when he's 15 and my dad's 80. And the ins and outs of elder care facilities since he'll be like 21 when it's probably time to put my dad in a home. My dad probably won't be able to teach him how to drive because he'll be 80 and probably have his license revoked by then so that will fall to me too. But yeah I'm pretty excited about it all so thanks for this."

The Marketing Genius Award
And the winner is: The makers of The Sitch Cologne
Accepting this award is Mike "The Situation" himself.
"This award is real cool. I wanna thank all my friends from the shore: JWoww, Schnookers, Pauly D especially. Not Vinny because he's a hater and not Ronnie or Sammie because they're haters too. But I thank all the rest of them. I mean I'm just glad for this opportunity to really put my name out there you know? GTL baby. And that's the situation. Peace."

Aaaah that felt good....