Livin' the Dream

Dear Amanda,

2011-10-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Amanda,
Was that book and movie review blog post really from you? I don't believe it.
Sincerely,
It's About Damn Time

Dear Time,
Yes it was really me! I know it's been forever but hopefully you can forgive me. Work has been incredibly stressful and busy and I just needed to step away for a bit. This blog stopped being important. If I'm being completely honest, I thought about walking away. I felt like it didn't have a purpose or a coherent meaning or direction. Also I didn't have Internet in my apartment. But I do now! And I feel better about coming back to writing a little something every once in a while. So here I am.

Dear Amanda,
I thought I saw something about you getting a new TV. Does this mean you're going to have a grownup apartment now?
Sincerely,
Get It Together

Dear GIT,
That's true too! For my birthday earlier this month, my parents chipped in some money for me to put towards a TV even though my dad thinks it should go towards new tires. Yeah right dad. So yes I am on the quest for a new TV! All suggestions on brands, sizes, and best places to buy are welcomed and encouraged.

And yes, the TV is going to be a first step towards what I hope will be a new and improved apartment. I'm in makeover mode and I've been able to find some cheap, hopefully easy do-it-yourself projects that can help spruce things up a bit.

Dear Amanda,
Have you been looking at cooking websites too? I'm loving this new you!
From,
Work It Girl

Well thanks Work It! Yes I'm going to be trying to learn how to cook too. I'm recently obsessed with the crock pot/slow cooker and not gonna lie, I may ask for a newer one for Christmas. I've found some great websites with some really easy recipes that I feel like I can't even screw up. This is part of the whole makeover thing I'm going for. It's time people.

Dear Amanda,
So which direction is the blog going to be taking? Does this mean no more celeb gossip updates or rants about the bikers in Davis?
Sincerely,
Confused

Honestly Confused, I don't really know. I don't know how frequently I'll write or if there will be any kind of cohesive direction. I might give it a theme, I might keep doing what I'm doing. Maybe in a week or a month or six months from now I'm just over it. I honestly don't know. But I think that's what makes this blog my own. It'll be there for me to go back to when I need to and if it's time to move on, I'm sure it will understand. There's probably some big metaphor here for how the blog doesn't have a direction and neither do I in life or something. Well if that's the case, I'm doing just fine and so I bet this blog will do fine too.

Reviews, Glorious Reviews

2011-10-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

Let's ease back into things with some book and movie reviews shall we?

I read Loving Frank by Nancy Horan back in August and I loved it. The story is about the architect Frank Lloyd Wright - married with children - who takes on a job for the Cheney family, only to fall in love with Mamah Cheney - also married with children - and the two run off together. Despite the incredible scandal and headlines this created, the two remain together. The ending nearly brought me to tears.

There were two things I loved about this book (from what I remember). First, how the time period (the early 20th century) was all about thought, philosophy, art, painting... all of these beautiful intellectual things that I wish still existed today. And second is the independence Mamah showed throughout the entire book. She was on a path to find herself - sometimes that was with Frank, sometimes that wasn't. But she needed to travel, to write, to study, to do whatever it is she felt in her heart would help her discover who she really was. I truly admired her passion for life and for the world around her and found myself wondering if I could be like that someday.

I highly recommend this book which is based loosely on Frank and Mamah's real life affair and ensuing relationship.

Otherwise, I've filled my time with other books that haven't required much thinking, namely by the author Nora Roberts. She is a pretty standard romance novelist and her books Blue Dahlia, Black Rose, and Red Lily did the trick. A little romance, a little mystery, a ghost - they're not anything I'd recommend (and frankly I'm slightly embarrassed to admit I spent like three hours one Saturday completely engrossed in one of them) but, like I said, fit the "I really need something mindless that isn't TV right now" bill.

Nora Roberts also writes a series of mysteries under the pen name J.D. Robb and I read the first one of these and it was pretty good. My best friend has read pretty much all of them and swears by them so I'll keep going to see what keeps happening to Lieutenant Eve Dallas. The books are set in the future, but you can't really tell that right off the bat. This was the only gripe I had. I wish there had been more of a description of what had happened and how this futuristic world functioned, but instead it was just fragmented pieces here and there. Apparently though you get more of an idea of what happened (there was some kind of human uprising) and why as well as background of Dallas as the books continue.

Right now I'm starting The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and this book is fantastic so far. It's a young adult book which kind of surprises me because the premise is that each year the Capitol randomly selects teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 to compete literally to the death in a live televised match. But I'm really hooked in to this one and will most likely finish it tonight.

I have internet again in my apartment - hooray! - so I've been streaming on Netflix a lot more and am working my way through 30 Rock which is hysterical. I've also been working through Gossip Girl and that show is pretty good too. I've had the DVD of The King's Speech for close to two months, but need to just return it. I can't bring myself to watch it on my terrible TV. Good thing my parents are kicking in some cash so I can go out and buy a new one! More on that later.

I swear I've been doing more than just reading and watching movies. But we'll hear all about that in my next post...

Double Video of the Day 9/2/11 - These are Awesome Edition

2011-09-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

TWO videos for today friends!To promote the opening of a new mall in London, the mall people put together this video of 100 years of East London fashion in 100 seconds. It is super cute.And now Tom Hanks in one of his most hilarious roles to date: a pageant dad on Toddlers and Tiaras:

Video of the Day 8/30/11 - OMGlee Edition

2011-08-30T17:49:00.001-07:00

Blaine at the 2:22 mark. That is all.

Kindle Review: Bossypants by Tina Fey

2011-08-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey

In her autobiography, Tina Fey outlines her humble beginnings in Pennsylvania, her improv days in Chicago, moving up the ranks of SNL and the creation of 30 Rock.

I have no concept of page numbers when reading books on my Kindle but I definitely flew through this one and I think that's more due to the fact that this book is so witty, clever and genuine than the fact that it's short and sweet.

I had no idea just how amazingly talented and successful Tina Fey is and the part that impresses me the most is that she is so matter-of-fact about everything. There isn't some big bad secret to being a good boss or even to being a boss at all. Respect people, do good work and be a team player - that's kind of it. Her workplace life lessons also translate into life life lessons. It's all really very simple and her attitude towards everything is pretty refreshing.

The behind the scenes stories of people she worked with at SNL and 30 Rock are really neat as well. As someone who's an avid celeb gossip follower, reading about Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler's everyday antics on the set was really fun to read.

This book made me literally laugh out loud but it also made me think a lot and I very highly recommend this book.

Overall Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Coming Up Next: I'm not really sure.
Here's what I have on my Kindle:
- The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (my attempt to see if some of these classics are better now than they were in high school)
- World Without End by Ken Follett
- A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Video of the Day 8/10/11 - Fattest Dog Ever Edition

2011-08-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

Seriously this is the fattest dog I've ever seen. How does he not tip backwards on the rocking horse simply because he is so giant? Enjoy anyways.

Video of the Day 8/3/11 - Oh Em Gee Edition

2011-08-03T12:14:00.001-07:00

The high school me and the mid-20s me are in heaven right now. JC sounds EXACTLY like he did during his *NSYNC days. Hey *NSYNC - he's ready for a reunion tour. Get it together.

Kindle Review: Dragonfly in Amber

2011-08-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Dragonfly in Amber
Author: Diana Gabaldon

So first and foremost, I've ditched the final Harry Potter book. I know, I know but hear me out. My intention was to read the whole thing before going to see the final movie. Well I didn't do that so now I've seen both 7.1 and 7.2 and I have zero interest in picking HP back up to finish reading it because I figure I already know how it all turns out. Maybe some day I'll finally do it, but I just have other books I'd rather read.

Like this one...

So this is book two in the Outlander series which outlines Claire Beauchamp, an army nurse who is transported back in time through a rock formation in Scotland and winds up in Scotland in the 1700s. While there she meets and falls in love with Jamie Fraser and in this book the two of them are trying to thwart a possible war against the Scottish Highlanders.

There's more to the story than that, but I don't feel like I can give much more away without revealing a lot of details and maybe someone actually wants to read this series.

Here's the thing. I'm pretty much reading this because I just need to know what's going to happen to Claire and Jamie. It's like The Bachelorette. I'm kind of underwhelmed by it all, but I still want to tune in.

A lot of this book revolves around this war that Claire and Jamie are trying to prevent - a war they know is going to happen because Claire is from the future. So a lot of it is strategy, inner monologue, Jamie and Claire plotting together and inferring. Sometimes things weren't exactly super clear. And there were a lot of characters so I had a hard time keeping track of certain people.

But I will say this. Ladies, Jamie Fraser is our Edward. Forget Twilight - Jamie Fraser makes Edward and Jacob look like even bigger tools than they already are. He's like the Scottish version of Ryan Gosling in The Notebook. I know.

The ending to this book was pretty incredible. And by ending I mean from 93% remaining on since it's on Kindle. I stayed up til 1 last night finishing this and I couldn't "next page" fast enough. I almost teared up at one part. Almost.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars but I'm determined to finish this series out just to see what happens with Claire and hot Jamie.

Coming Up Next: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
The story of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his illicit affair with Mamah Borthwick, the wife of one of his clients told from the point of view of Mamah.

Not sure where I heard about this one, but it sounded pretty interesting and I've been looking forward to it for a while.

Video of the Day 7/27/11 - Coming to a Theatre Near You Edition

2011-07-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Lea Michele aka Rachel from Glee said on her Twitter this morning that the trailer for the movie New Year's Eve, which she is on, is out now. So of course I went to watch it:

A few observations about this upcoming feature film:

1. I saw "Valentine's Day" and hated it. This is pretty much the same movie, except on a different holiday.

2. Ashton Kutcher and Lea Michele appear to fall in love in this movie. That in and of itself is a horrible storyline.

3. Lea Michele appears to sing at some point in this movie. That alone could salvage this film.

4. Of course Ryan Seacrest has a cameo.

It's Worse on a Bike

2011-07-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

Think of all of the annoying things that people do while driving. I can think of a lot. Then again I think I have road rage so a lot of the time I'm angry when I drive. Now what do all of those things have in common besides the fact that people are idiots?

These things are worse when you're on a bike.

Yesterday while biking home (which I'm officially doing 5 days a week now... go me), I encountered probably three things that made me think "God this is just as bad as driving." Now I live at the most 1.8 miles from work. I just Google mapped it. So I don't have that far to go. But man was I ticked off by the end of that 1.8 miles.

(Disclaimer: I was really irritated in general all day yesterday. I dropped my iPhone and shattered the glass, work is challenging right now, it's hot - you get the idea.)

Tailgating Guy
There's nothing worse than when you feel you're driving at an adequate, sometimes even faster than usual, speed and yet there's still a guy that is just right on top of you. That won't go around, that won't slow down, that pretty much just sits in your mirror until you get out of his way. That guy sucks.

When that guy's on a bike, he sucks even more. This is because on a bike there is no rearview mirror. There is no way for you to know that he is RIGHT THERE. You don't have a single clue that somebody is three inches from your rear wheel because you can't see him. But he doesn't care. He's in straight Tour de France mode on the UC Davis bikepaths and is going to draft you like Tony Stewart trying to pass you on his way to the checkered flag. And yes that is a NASCAR reference that none of you will understand.

This guy then becomes...

Guy Who Passes You Going 80
So now the guy decides that he needs to get around you so here he comes, flying past you going 80 miles an hour. You know how Ricky Bobby and Cal do their patented slingshot move on the racecourse in Talladega Nights? This is like that except you have no choice but to be a participant. This is annoying on the highway mainly because it makes you roll your eyes and say "Ok dude, we get it." But on a bike? You instantly fear for your life. As I referenced in the point above, you can't see bikers behind you. You don't know that they're about to book it past you until they are 3 inches next to you flying by. What if I was about to move over so I could turn or something?

Cell Phone Guy
First although it can be done with only one hand (and sometimes no hands which I can't even believe people can do), bikes are made to be steered with two hands. When you're talking on the phone while riding your bike you don't steer correctly hence you don't ride in a straight line thereby turning me into either Tailgating Guy or Guy Who Passes You Going 80. And when it's just you two riding through a neighborhood in Davis, that's just awkward. Secondly, how are you pedaling your cruiser and having a coherent phone conversation? Aren't you huffing and puffing into the phone? Oh no? That's just me. Moving on then...

Sunday Driver Guy
The exact opposite of Tailgating Guy. No clue that anyone else exist out on the road, they're out for a lovely bike ride in the afternoon. Except it's Tuesday at lunch time, they're taking up the entire bike path, and they're riding at half the speed of a normal biker. I'm not saying you need to be sprinting down the path but come on. Just be aware of who's around you.

Is It My Turn? Guy
You approach a stop sign at the same time as another person. You stop, waiting for them to go. They wait for you to go. Now you're just staring at each other trying to telepathically get each other to make the first move. So you inch forward... but so does the other guy. Two minutes later, you floor it in the hopes that the guy won't floor it too and pass through the intersection. Infuriating? Yes. When you're on a bike? Confusing, slightly terrifying, and awkward. See, on a bike, you're not insulated in your automobile. So if you take the right of way away from someone, you then have to look at them and sometimes talk to them as you ride past. Also unlike cars, coming to a full and complete stop is a little more difficult when you're in full riding mode. So you're trying to roll through and balance but you can't figure out if the other person is going to go or not. The "approaching a stop sign at the same time as another bike" situation is now the most confusing thing to me.

Slowly but surely, though, I think I'm getting the hang of this whole bike riding thing. It's a little warm out right now but overall it's a good workout, gets me outside and is saving me a ton in gas money. I'll deal with what I have to to keep that streak going.

Video of the Day 7/22/11 - JT Edition

2011-07-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

Not sure how much this has circulated but here's a second edition of Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake's "History of Rap". Enjoy.

Can JT please drop a new album now?

Video of the Day 7/21/11 - Rainbow Sponge Edition

2011-07-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

This may or may not be what happens when someone puts a cheeseburger in front of me.

Video of the Day 7/19/11 - This is Amazing Edition

2011-07-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

Shoutout to my buddy Chris who had this posted on his Facebook page today.

This is amazing. That is all.

BREAKING News: J Lo and Marc Anthony Split Up

2011-07-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

It's Friday afternoon, all I can think about is the weekend, I've got a comedy station on Pandora going to keep me entertained while I write men's soccer bios and so I decide I'm going to check in on Facebook for a quick second.

And then I see this:

Of course, this confuses me. So I keep scrolling and I see THIS:

And I literally yell out to my coworkers "Oh my God, J Lo and Marc Anthony split up."

I mean, what was I expecting? For an actual Hollywood marriage to last? That two people who got married within months of starting up their romance would love, honor and cherish each other til death did them part? That Sean Combs'/Puff Daddy's/P. Diddy's/Diddy Dirty Money's ex and someone who was married to a former Miss Universe would be in it for the long haul?

Guys, I did. I really did. Because for the last seven years (and most specifically in the last few months while watching Judge J Lo on American Idol), all you saw and read about was how blissfully happy they were and how, despite them being all fabulous, they just had a real normal, down-to-earth family life. Interview after interview, magazine spread after magazine spread - he even made like 3 guest appearances on Idol - they gushed over how awesomely amazing their perfect little life was. I really believed this stuff.

And now it's over.

I'm sure we'll never ever know the real reasons behind the split. Sometimes things just kind of come to an end. It's no one's fault; it just happens and so far that's the statement they've given. It's amicable, it's a mutual decision, it is what it is.

But secretly? You know it's because J Lo is en fuego right now.

Think about it. Or rather, let me tell you what Wikipedia just told me:

Seven years ago, she releases an album that goes nowhere, then puts out a Spanish-language album which did well on the Latin Pop charts but until I looked it up on Wikipedia, I had no idea she had done this and you probably didn't either. From there her music just kind of stops happening. Movie-wise, box office gems such as Monster-in-Law, Gigli, and El Cantante had, well, bombed. So she basically stops making movies too.

Now she's a family woman. She gets married, she has her twins, she occasionally dabbles here or there in fashion, etc. But otherwise, she's started to settle down and fade into a relative obscurity, wouldn't you say?

Then things start ramping up a little. In September 2010, it's announced that she is going to replace Ellen as the new judge on American Idol. Rumors start going around that she was going to have a cameo appearance on Glee, which, like it or not, is now one of the biggest shows on TV. She signs a new record deal with Def Jam and conveniently puts out a new single that coincides with the season premier of American Idol. I can't get away from this stupid song and it becomes her first top ten since 2003. Oh and People Magazine names her the Most Beautiful Woman in the World.

So on the finale of American Idol, Marc Anthony performs some song. Great. It's a pretty standard performance until about the 2 minute mark of this performance:

(Sorry I couldn't find any clips of just her that were any shorter.)

Now to those of you who watched the American Idol finale, I pose a question:

The next day, as you were recapping the results and how Scotty is the worst Idol winner ever except maybe for the gray haired guy, did you a) mention what a powerful vocal performance Marc Anthony gave or b) comment on how you can't believe Jennifer Lopez can still shake that thang?

My answer is B. Once she came out, pretty sure Marc Anthony faded back into the "oh that's J Lo's husband right?" category that he had come to know and tolerate. It took me like three rewinds before I was finally convinced that it was her moving like that on the stage. She stole the show completely.

So guys, I think it's safe to say that J Lo is back - in really every way. She probably has a very long career ahead of her as an Idol judge, her music is relevant again, and she got to meet Prince William and Kate Middleton. She means something again and that could be the catalyst for these marriage woes.

Sidenote: Idol's finale aired at the end of May. TWO MONTHS LATER they are announcing their split. This is weird isn't it? Just sayin.

So while I'm still shocked that it actually happen, I can't help but think that it really does make a lot of sense. Jenny's spotlight is starting to shine a little brighter and she's ready to relive her glory days. I mean she was Selena for Pete's sake.

A Case for Country Music

2011-07-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

I probably just steered away 3 of my 4 readers with that title, so to those of you who are left, thanks for sticking around.

First and foremost, Blogger has completely changed its interface. Completely. I have no idea where anything is right now so bear with me. Is this because of Google+?

Now onto the matter at hand. I listen to some pretty terrible music. I'm the first to admit it. My iTunes library revolves around the Glee soundtrack (yes as in songs that they sing on the show), top 40, and yes country music.

I've heard everything under the sun when it comes to people hating country music, namely things they'd rather do instead of listening to country music and several redneck/Nascar analogies. And for the record, I do occasionally watch Nascar.

So today, ladies and gentlemen of LTD, I present to you my case for why country music deserves a chance.

I write for a living so words are a pretty big deal to me. When someone puts together a string of words that so perfectly depicts feelings, emotions, or the world around us - well it just doesn't get much better than that. Words can lift you up, tear you down, get you ready to party, or mellow you out after a long day at the office. Words are extremely powerful and, in my opinion, country music, for the most part, uses words very, very well.

There are of course instances where the words to a country song are horrible. "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"? Um no. No I do not. That is terrible. Sweaty, possibly shirtless cowboy sitting on top of the tractor? Yes. Actual John Deere green-colored machine? Nope. I get the idea behind it - I'm sure the girl doesn't literally think his tractor is sexy but come on.

But when country music gets its words right, oh it's gold. Observe the following two examples from one of country's greatest Tim McGraw who I was lucky enough to see live a few weeks ago with some of my best friends.

The first from his song "Just to See You Smile":

When you said time was all you really needed
I walked away and let you have your space
Cuz leavin' didn't hurt me near as badly
As the tears I saw rollin' down your face
And yesterday I knew just what you wanted
When you came walkin' up to me with him
So I told you that I was happy for you
And given the chance I'd lie again

Come on! That is brilliant. "And given the chance I'd lie again"? That is a fantastic lyric. Absolutely nails the way the guy feels about this girl just perfectly. It's simple, it makes its point. Genius.

And now, one of my all-time favorite country lines from my all-time favorite country song, also from Tim McGraw. I give you "Something Like That":

It was five years later on a south-bound plan
I was headed down to New Orleans
To meet some friends of mine for the Mardi Gras
When I heard a voice from the past
Coming from a few rows back
When I looked I couldn't believe just what I saw

She said I bet you don't remember me
And I said only every other memory

Come on again! Here comes this girl that he had a summer romance with years ago on the same plane he's on. She asks if he remembers her. He could say so many things in this instance. "Of course I do!" "I can't believe it's you!" "Oh my gosh. How have you been?" Boring. Hands down one of the greatest lines of a song. Brilliant again.

Yes sometimes the lyrics are corny and sappy and you can interchange most of the lyrics about a woman to say that it's about the guy's dog ("You're my best friend"? Come on. It's a little obvious isn't it?) But I'd rather listen to corny and sappy than hear bitches and hoes (hos?) 48 times in a song... when I can actually catch the words.

So not only are the words awesome, but country music evokes a lot of memories of some really great times in the lives of its fans. James made a video of a camping trip we went on with some friends back in the day in SD and set it to Rodney Atkins' "These are My People" and to this day, whenever I hear that song, I think of that trip and trying to light a fire with no wood and me being super paranoid that the rangers were going to get angry because you weren't really allowed to light camp fires. My friend Tyler wrote a really awesome piece about his high school football days - inspired by the music video for "Boys of Fall" by Kenny Chesney.

Country music talks about life and the simplicity of it: family, friends, great loves found and great loves lost, going to the bar, growing up, looking back on the good ole days. It's good ole fashioned fun wrapped up in three and a half minutes for you.

Are there some really awful country songs out there? Yes. But in general, it's kinda fun. It puts a smile on my face and is pretty easy to sing along to. So give it a chance is all I'm saying. Then again, what do I know? I do watch Glee after all.

Video of the Day 7/14/11 - NBA Lockout Edition

2011-07-14T12:57:00.001-07:00

If videos like this are what's going to come out of the NBA Lockout, then I am all about it:

Book Review: The Help

2011-06-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 464
Where I Got It: A friend got it for me

First line: "Mae Mobley was born on a early Sunday morning in August, 1960."

Told from the point of view of three different women, Kathryn Stockett's NY Times bestseller is an absolutely captivating story.

Set during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Minny and Aibileen are two African-American women who work as maids in the homes for two wealthy white families for women who have no problem letting them raise their children, yet can't fathom the idea of sharing even a bathroom with them. Meanwhile, Skeeter (real name Eugenia and shoot I'd go by Skeeter too if that was my name) is recently graduated from college and is ready to do some really big things, which is tough to do when you're stuck in a town where all the women are in a hurry to just settle down and start having kids.

I know I just did this with my review of Columbine (which got a comment from the actual author!!), so here we go again. Go out and buy and read this book immediately if you haven't yet.

I couldn't get through this one fast enough and will be adding this to both my list of all-time faves and my list of books I will most likely re-read sometime in the future.

The narration shifts throughout the story between Minny's voice, Aibileen's voice and Skeeter's voice and it worked perfectly. Speaking through their different voices, Stockett really captured the fear, pride, love, frustration and every other feeling these women experienced throughout the story. I found myself smiling, close to tears, and with a racing heart at all of the appropriate times which I think speaks highly to how well-written this book is.

I really loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough.

Apparently they are turning it into a movie with Emma Stone (Superbad, Easy A) starring as Skeeter. I am not happy with that decision mainly because in the book, Skeeter is described as being super tall and gangly with unruly frizzy hair - overall she's awkward. Emma Stone is not. I'm very hesitant to see this movie after how much I loved/gushed over this book.

Carry on.

Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars (duh)

Coming Up Next: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (aka HP7)
Do I really need to put a synopsis here? It's the last book of the Harry Potter series.

Five years after it was originally published, I am finally reading the last HP book. NOTE TO READERS: Do not get cute and tell me what happens in the book. I have gone five years without any idea as to how it all ends and if you ruin this for me, I will probably end our friendship. Real talk. I have to read this now because the movie comes out on the 16th and all of my best friends in Sac are having a movie marathon leading up to going to see the last movie.

Some Very Blah Movies to Review

2011-06-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

I'm back from an awesome, relaxing week off in So Cal. My mom kept asking why I would use vacation days to just come home. My answer is threefold really: 1. homecooked, sometimes Cuban, meals; 2. the beach is three miles away; 3. my grandma takes me shopping. It's like a four-star vacation but I don't have to pay for anything.

Let's ease back into things with some movie reviews shall we?

The Hangover 2 - It had its moments but overall, I wasn't that impressed. It's just too hard to follow up the first one with anything as funny or creative. You could trace everything back to the first movie. For example (minor spoiler alert), they find a baby in the first movie that they carry around but in the second one it's a monkey. It had some laugh-out-loud moments, but overall it was just okay. One thumb down, one thumb sideways

Super 8 - A group of kids in a small town in Ohio in the 1970s witness an insane train crash which releases an alien into their town. Yeah. I summed this up to my dad in three words: E.T. on steroids. This one also was not that good, despite any rave reviews you may have seen. You can't just park an alien in the middle of 70s suburbia Ohio and expect things to work. The kids that star in this movie, however, were awesome and were the only thing that kept it all together. One thumb down, one thumb sideways

Due Date - A series of unfortunate events land Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifinakis on the no-fly list and they end up driving cross country together so RDJ can get home to his super-preggo wife. Zach G. was hysterical in this movie but RDJ was just okay as he went back and forth from crazy angry to super nice way too much for me. Two thumbs sideways

And finally a movie that didn't suck...

Despicable Me - I am probably the last person on the planet to see this movie but oh em gee this was the cutest movie everrrrr and will very soon become a permanent addition to Amanda's Collection of Super Girly Movies. Seriously I have the worst DVD collection ever if you're a dude. I LOVED this movie from start to finish. I even cried. Oh it was so so cute so if you haven't seen it yet, well you're worse than I am when it comes to watching movies. Go now!

And now, a random TV plug...

A new TV show was brought to my attention on Friday night and oh boy this is a good one. Brought to you by Ricky Gervais, I present "An Idiot Abroad".

Basically Ricky Gervais and his friend send their other friend to go see the 7 Wonders of the World and this guy's observations about what he sees are priceless. Apparently it airs on the Science channel so hopefully you get that.

New Amazing Link

2011-06-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

I just happened to stumble upon this new blog and it's taking me all the self-control I possess not to burst out in a guffaw at my desk.

This one is mainly for the ladies, but guys the writing's funny enough to probably get a laugh out of you as well.

I present Go Fug Yourself.

For everything you've always thought about the terrible outfits celebrities come up with, yet couldn't really find the words for.

Enjoy!

Video of the Day 6/13/11 - I Understand Edition

2011-06-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Now this is cheeseburger dedication.

Video of the Day 6/9/11 - Thumbs Up for Rock and Roll Edition

2011-06-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

This is pretty priceless.

Book Review: Columbine

2011-06-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

Columbine
Author: Dave Cullen
Genre: Nonfiction
Number of Pages: 464
Where I Got It: Library

First line: "He told them he loved them."

Journalist Dave Cullen spent 10 years collecting as much information as he could to piece together what really happened on that fateful day at Columbine High School.

If you think you're just getting another account of the shootings that happened at Columbine High School in April 1999, think again. Cullen has researched every main character, personality trait, supporting cast, event, and detail of the months leading up to and after the shootings that this book casts a whole new light on what happened, who was involved, and most importantly, why it all went down.

The most fascinating part of this book for me was how Cullen, a journalist who's written for the NY Times, the Washington Post and the Guardian, dispelled all the rumors that the media latched on to and ran with. And let me tell you, there were a lot of them. With virtually no facts to back themselves up, reporters cast Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris as members of a Gothic cult called the Trenchcoat Mafia who targeted jocks and had been picked on and bullied throughout all of high school. It was amazing how their rumors and misinformation led everyone astray, even the detectives of the case. They relied heavily on the reports of the confused and shocked teenagers which made for missing facts and unreliable information.

As someone who works with the media almost daily, I've seen firsthand how one tiny piece of misinformation can snowball so to get inside the head of a journalist as he picked apart his own kind was captivating.

This book is just fantastic. It's raw and emotional and Cullen leaves literally no stone unturned nor does he leave any detail out in this NY Times Bestseller.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Coming Up Next: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Amazon's summary: Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it.

My friend Hailey bought this book for me for my birthday or Christmas or something and swore it was one of the best she's ever read. Hailey has never steered me wrong and has recommended some of my new all-time faves so I finally decided to pick it up and dust it off. I'm about 150 pages into it and I can already tell I'll be adding it to the list of books I will love forever.

Geeeeeez, Take it Easy Kim Kardashian

2011-06-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

Take a deep breath before you read this next sentence because it might overwhelm you a little:

Kim Kardashian, who met and started dating NBA player Kris Humphries in December, became engaged to Humphries at the end of May and is now saying that she plans to be married and pregnant by the end of this year.

Girl. What is the rush? First your sister, now you?

An engagement after five months and now in seven months you plan on being married AND preggers?

I mean I guess when you know, you know. And when your mind, heart and body all agree that you're ready for this stuff, then go for it.

But I still don't get what the rush is.

Her sister Khloe met and married Lamar Odom after a MONTH. Granted, they are coming up on their two-year anniversary so maybe there was a method to their madness after all, but I still don't understand what the need is to speed things up so much. If you know, you know, so why not take the time to just enjoy each other?

Isn't that what is ultimately missing in these "courtships"? After five months, how can you possibly know what makes the person you want to spend the rest of your life with really tick? And how do you know that that's not going to conflict with how you really tick?

I get it. Kim K. is 30 and that is a stressful time in a woman's life. Shoot I'm about to be 27 and I'm semi-losing it. There's always been a certain pressure that is put on a woman to be married and have children by the time you reach that magical age.

But in the year 2011, is there really that same pressure anymore? If she was 40 I could understand her concern, but this isn't 1946 or even 1986 when not being married with kids by the time you're 30 was frowned upon.

She just seems like a very nice girl who does want to settle down, so at the end of the day I think it would suck if things didn't work out for her. Can't say I don't have doubts that this will all work out - he's a 26 year old forward for the Nets. I mean at least Lamar is a Laker. Also Kim, have you heard that the Nets are moving to Brooklyn? Yes that Brooklyn. I don't know if she can handle Brooklyn.

But, as always, best of luck to you Kimmy K. Maybe this one will work out, just like Khloe's. He does have the same name as your mom...

Video of the Day 6/6/11 - Raising 'Em Right Edition

2011-06-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

This will so be my kid one day...

Huh? Them?

2011-06-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

So I've been following this storyline for some time now because, well, frankly I can't believe it could have actually been true.

Did you guys know Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson were dating?

Yes that would be this Sean Penn and this Scarlett Johnansson (you're welcome dude readers).

Apparently they've split up after four months of quietly dating and taking a trip to Mexico together.

He is 50 and she is 26. She was just married to Ryan Reynolds. Yes, this Ryan Reynolds (you're welcome ladies).

Here's the thing. Girl you are Scarlett Johansson. Do you understand what happens to guys when they see you? Probably the same thing that happens to girls when they see your ex-husband. And you pick Sean Penn as your rebound?

I don't know, I just don't get it. She can have literally any guys she wants and she picks him? It just bugs me. Oh but he's so mature and wise and philosophical and blah blah blah. You are Scarlett Johansson. Act accordingly and pick a hottie like you're supposed to do.

New Link

2011-06-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

My friend Ashley has started her very own blog:

http://thisputsasmileon.tumblr.com/

A collection of photos and videos of random things that make her smile - plus her cat Lila aka The Biscuit - she's not quite sure of the direction she's headed, but hopes you'll be along for the ride.

Yes Hello?

2011-06-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

Note from the author: The title refers to how my dad and I answer the phone when we call each other.

Readers of Living the Dream, I have not forgotten you. I am in fact alive. Alive and well. Alive and very, very well. Life is awesome, not gonna lie. But I am very aware of how little blogging I've done in the last few weeks. And by little, I mean none.

The four of you who still check in with me deserve an explanation as to my recent whereabouts. So here it is.

1. I've been working. As most of you know my job isn't exactly your standard 9-5. Most days it's a 9ish to 5:30, oops I mean 6, shoot when did it get to be 6:30? Then there's the weekends. So I work a lot, we get it. But this time it isn't necessarily that I've been working a bunch of crazy hours or a million days in a row. This time I'm just doing more and have taken on more responsibilities. So I get tired and blogging is the last thing that I want to do.

2. I play a lot of soccer. I played in a weekend tournament in Sacramento in May and joined a new Sunday co-ed outdoor team. This same team wants me to play in a more advanced league in the middle of the week too. Then there's regular Thursday night indoor with my best friends. Another girl I know wants me to play Friday night but I'm on the fence about that one. It's pretty much all I do to work out and relieve the massive stress that I pile on myself during the week. Also it's bathing suit season. So I play a lot of soccer.

3. I am dating a very nice boy and I'd rather eat cheeseburgers with him than blog.

4. Because of the aforementioned very nice boy, Chloe has been receiving less attention so sometimes I need to snuggle with her. I mean look at this face:

5. Happy hours, Glee nights, and other random get togethers with my ladies also takes precedence over blogging.

So to sum up, I am busy. But I love my life right now. Davis is awesome, it's summer... or at least it's supposed to be considering we had hail in Davis today...

But I will be back. Kardashians can't keep getting engaged without any word from LTD!

Video of the Day 5/16/11 - He's Still Got It Edition

2011-05-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Posting videos is about all I have time or energy to do anymore but man is this a good one:

Video of the Day 4/27/11 - What The!? Edition

2011-04-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

I can't embed the video today so you have to trust me when I say this video is hysterical and click through.

This is a contestant on Britain's Got Talent and his performance is not only fabulous, but also not quite what anyone was expecting. Work it girl.

Enjoy!

Netflix Reviews

2011-04-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

The new laptop work gave me now has the ability to stream stuff from Netflix. You have no idea how happy this makes me considering... well... have you seen my TV?

It's been pretty nice to just randomly decide to watch a TV show or stand-up comedian on my laptop. So here are a few things I've been watching lately... and also not so lately because I haven't done movie reviews in a while:

Slumdog Millionaire: A standard mid-20-year-old guy is on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and as he navigates through the questions, he knows the answers based on real-life events that happened to him throughout his pretty horrific life. And horrific might be an understatement. Poor, homeless, starving, sold into some kind of child slavery camp, almost killed a bunch of times, separated from his brother... I mean a LOT happened to this guy. After a while it got hard to watch so much depressing stuff over and over but the movie was very well done despite all of that. Two thumbs sideways.

WALL-E: This movie about a robot abandoned on Earth was so cute. Pixar really doesn't ever go wrong with the movies they come up with. Not much to say about this one - just good ole fashioned family fun. Two thumbs up.

The Time Traveler's Wife: So here's the thing. Rachel McAdams is a fantastic actress - one of my faves - and I have wanted to read this book foreverrrrrrrrr. Then I watched the movie and I absolutely 100 percent did not get it. The general premise I got: this guy has a genetic code in his DNA that causes him to spontaneously time travel. Beyond that I was so confused, especially about how he and Rachel McAdams came to meet. You guys are probably smarter than me so you'll probably have no problem but I was left with sooooo many questions at the end. I did cry a little though. Two thumbs sideways.

The Office (UK Version): Hysterical. I had a feeling going into this one that there would be some similarities, but holy cow I was so shocked at how the American version literally took complete episodes and exact plotlines from this British version. Still I loved both seasons of this one and highly recommend checking it out if you haven't. Two thumbs up.

Party Down: A Starz original series, Party Down chronicles a group of struggling actors who work part time at a catering company to supplement their income. Each episode is a different event they are catering. Although a bit irreverant at times, this show is hilarious and very well done. Two thumbs up.

30 Rock: OMG why didn't I start watching this show on NBC from the beginning? I LOVE this show. The writing is so witty and clever, the cast is perfect - I cannot get enough of this show. I think I watched the first season in like 3 days or something. Do yourself a favor and check this show out if you haven't yet. You will not be disappointed. Two thumbs up.

Video of the Day 4/22/11 - I Can Do That Edition

2011-04-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Showoff.

Sidenote, LTD has officially reached 200 posts. Hey oooooo.

Book Review: The 19th Wife

2011-04-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

The 19th Wife
Author: David Ebershoff
Genre: Fiction/Mystery + Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 544
Where I Got It: Library

First Line: "In the one year since I renounced my Mormon faith and set out to tell the nation the truth about American polygamy, many people have wondered why I ever agreed to become a plural wife."

David Ebershoff juxtaposes two stories in his third novel: that of Ann Eliza Young, who became Brigham Young's 19th wife in 1875 then set about trying to bring down the institution of polygamy and that of a modern murder mystery set in a polygamous compound in Utah.

I read "Under the Banner of Heaven" last year which prompted a curiosity in polygamy and Mormon fundamentalists. This book was just okay for me though. The story of Ann Eliza was told really well and really differently as Ebershoff used all different formats to tell her story: Wikipedia pages, academic research papers, newspaper opinion pieces from the years when she was traveling the country telling her story. It was a very interesting look into how she broke away from the church and fought for the rights of the wives and children in these plural marriages when it was all so new and so strictly controlled by Brigham Young.

But the second part of the story, the fictional mystery part, left much to be desired. The story wasn't very developed and a good 3/4 of the book was dedicated to Ann Eliza's story anyway, so suddenly you're back into this murder mystery for just a few pages before being taken back to 1875. The book would have been so much better for me if it was just about Ann Eliza told via all the different formats.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Coming Up Next: "Dragonfly in Amber" by Diana Gabaldon (on Kindle)
The second book in Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series, "Dragonfly in Amber" continues with the story of Claire Beauchamp and Jamie Fraser who met in the first novel when Claire traveled back in time to 18th century Scotland. The year is now 1968 and Claire is trying to learn what happened to Jamie since returning to the present day and leaving him behind.

Video of the Day 4/21/11 - Whoops! Edition

2011-04-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

In an amazing, dramatic finish, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 1-0 in overtime off a SICK Christiano Ronaldo header to claim the Copa del Rey yesterday.

Real Madrid went back home to celebrate. As a double decker bus overflowing with the Galacticos wound its way through Madrid, defender Sergio Ramos raised the first trophy Real Madrid has brought home in three years to the cheers of the thousands of fans in the plaza.

And then...

Oopsies. Insert joke about soccer players not being able to use their hands.

Video of the Day 4/13/11 - Blake Griffin Can Be Funny Edition

2011-04-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

I got a good laugh out of this video from Norm MacDonald's new sports show that premiered on Comedy Central last night. Blake Griffin is kinda funny actually.

The Great Davis Biking Experiment

2011-04-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

If you hadn't heard, I moved to Davis a few weekends ago. The chance to have slightly cheaper rent combined with not having to commute when gas is like 4 bucks a gallon right now and I drive a Jeep was too good to pass up. So far I am loving Davis. My apartment is super cute and in a great location and the town itself is really fun. I've been able to just jump on my bike and meet friends at the park or at someone else's place before walking downtown and I'm loving that.

Yes I went and got myself a bike. My boss has one that he uses to ride around campus and so I asked him if I could ride it to and from work and he agreed. So for now it's a loaner and I plan on getting one at some point. Probably this summer and probably one that involves pink.

So far, so good. However there are a few things that I'm still trying to figure out.

1. By the time I get to work in the morning, not gonna lie, I'm sweating from my bike ride. That is gross. So I guess that means I have to carry around a bike riding outfit at all times?

2. That leads me to my next point: carrying things. I have a lot of stuff. I like my stuff and I want it around me and sometimes a backpack won't cut it. Sometimes I have to take two laptops home to cover baseball. Also, I like to make coffee in the morning and bring it to work. How do I do that on a bike?

3. Am I supposed to wear a helmet? Can I ride on the sidewalk sometimes? If I need to turn left at an intersection do I just go in the left turn lane?

So many questions!

Grey's Anatomy: The Musical

2011-04-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

After a year or two off from watching the show religiously, I decided to get back into Grey's Anatomy. Not gonna lie, I pretty much picked up right where I left off and figured out the whole storyline in about two episodes. A few minor backstory things escaped me, but otherwise I could tell I hadn't missed a whole lot.

I moved recently so I had to reset my DVR up and picked Grey's as a series to record. The first episode it records? Thursday's showing of Grey's Anatomy: The Musical.

Not sure if luck is the first word I'd use to describe this, but the fact that I got to witness this... well I honestly don't know what to call it.

It was terrible is what it was.

Listen up Grey's Anatomy writers/producers/directors. Yes Glee is awesome. Yes I wish my life was an episode of Glee. But guess what. They are high school students in a glee club. Not doctors performing surgery to save lives in a hospital every day.

No, no. You're exactly right, reader. All of the cast members sang at some point during the show, even Meredith. Guess who did not sing? Derek and Christina. Shocking. But yeah right in the middle of performing surgery, they started singing. And expected me, the viewer, to take it seriously.

Guess what again Grey's Anatomy? I still cried. And when did that happen? During a part when people were NOT singing. The cast of this show is pretty dang good and they can elicit emotion like that from viewers without any added gimmicks. It was just so unnecessary to add something that drastic to the formula of the show that the singing actually took away from what could have been an incredibly powerful episode.

Why? Because the singing was awful. Callie sang decently well (further research shows she has won a Tony Award after a lead role in Spamalot) and so did Hunt and that was it. Everyone else was terrible. Singing along to the radio in their car? Good idea. Singing on a nationally syndicated evening drama on the biggest TV network in the country? Bad idea.

Nice try Grey's. I get what you were trying to do here but now can we go back to the Grey's we know and love? Thanks.

Video of the Day 4/5/11 - This is Sick Edition

2011-04-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

This goal is sick. That is all.

Book Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

2011-04-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Author: Betty Smith
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 528 pages
Where I Got It: Library

First line: "Serene was a word you could put to Brooklyn, New York."

Francie Nolan is growing up in bright, vibrant, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn alongside her strong, hardworking mother, her sweet yet tragic father who she completely idolizes, her precocious younger brother who she can't ever seem to compare to and a cast of characters.

I. LOVED. This. Book.

Loved it.

I haven't read a lot of "classics" to be honest as I think I got completely turned off by having to read and analyze all of the feminism at my all girls high school in LA. But man am I glad I decided to give this one a try.

The best part of this book is that it's just so simple. Francie is about 11 when the book starts and simply talks to us about her life, her family, the city she lives in, the people she knows and the daily interactions that ultimately shape her life. As she grows up, the tone changes from that of an innocent, inquisitive child to one of a matured adult who has experienced some of life's greatest trials and tribulations. Yet at the end of the book, Francie is only 16 years old.

Francie and her family go through a LOT of challenges - hunger, poverty, an alcoholic father just to name a few - and yet instead of being and angry over her situation, Francie takes great joy in life's simple pleasures and has an overall optimistic outlook that is so refreshing and engaging.

The characters are very real and I immediately connected with Francie and felt all of her emotions because they were all situations that I could completely identify with.

I highly recommend this book.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Coming Up Next: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
So I'm pretty much over halfway through this book because I fell behind in my posting, but so far it's just okay. The author juxtaposes two stories of polygamy. The first is the expulsion of Brigham Young's 19th wife, Ann Eliza, from the Mormon Church and the second is a modern-day murder mystery set in a polygamous compound in Utah. Last year I read "Under the Banner of Heaven" which prompted an interest in this subject, but so far this book isn't doing that much for me.

Video of the Day 3/29/11 - Not Shocking Edition

2011-03-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

Chad Ochocinco/Johnson/the wide receiver from the Cincinnati Bengals has decided that in the event of the NFL lockout he needs a new career to fall back on. And since he played soccer in high school, well why not just join the MLS?

Um because you haven't played soccer since high school?

Sporting KC played a scrimmage basically against the equivalent of an MLS D-League team and Ochocinco got in for the last 30 minutes and was... well... let's just go to the video:

I'm not saying the MLS is on the level of the EPL or La Liga, but frankly, he's not going to hack it. The only thing I can picture him being is like a third or fourth string forward who goes in late in the game just so that balls can be served over the top to him and he can try and outsprint defenders. He is fast, I'll give him that, but he lacks... well... everything else.

At least the coach was easy on him. Not. (about 35 seconds in to the video)

I will say, this would be a phenomenal marketing tool for Sporting KC because honestly, this is the first time I've ever even heard of them. Are they just the renamed Kansas City Wiz? I'm so confused.

Video of the Day 3/23/11 - Awesome Fail Edition

2011-03-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Coming from someone who struggled with the warmup bib for a good 10 years, I can't help but empathize with Manchester City's Mario Balotelli:

His teammate Edin Dzeko? Not so empathetic...

Video of the Day 3/22/11 - Chris Brown is Over It Edition

2011-03-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

This morning Chris Brown was on Good Morning America to take about the release of his new album F.A.M.E. which drops today. Robin Roberts, however, seemed to have a different agenda and wanted to only talk - still - about everything that went down between him and Rihanna two years ago. Chris Brown gets a little bit irritated, especially at the 1:50 mark.

Apparently afterward, he sang a song, went to his dressing room, threw himself a little temper tantrum, ripped his shirt off Hulk style, left and of course wrote something on Twitter.

I've always been pretty conflicted about Chris Brown because while I absolutely do not condone what he did in any way, at the same time, I can't help but turn his songs up just a little bit louder in the car. He makes good music. And I think he's served his time and took responsibility for his actions and all that. So yeah, I do think he's justified in being irritated when he comes on a show to promote his new album which is his pride and joy and yet all Robin Roberts can talk about is all the bad shit that's gone down in his life for the past two years.

Why bring it up at all? Yes, okay so you lead in with "hey last time we talked you weren't doing so hot..." but then why keep bringing it all up? I feel that's what Robin Roberts did here... she's talking about it just for the sake of talking about it. Let the poor guy move on with his music and his life. He knows this is something that is going to hang over him for a looooooong time. He certainly doesn't need Good Morning America reminding him of that.

Oh and CB? The platinum blonde dye job? Not a good look...

Video of the Day 3/17/11 - Ballet is Hard Edition

2011-03-17T10:08:00.001-07:00

This has nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day but it's way too cute not to post on LTD.

Video of the Day 3/16/11 - Cabbage Patch Edition

2011-03-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Let me get something straight right now. I don't like the Miami Heat. But I do like Dwyane Wade even though I can't spell his name. Always have, probably always will. But I still don't like the Heat.

This video is sick. Spin move, two-handed throw down, and then... the Cabbage Patch.

Video of the Day 3/11/11 - Blake Who? Edition

2011-03-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

By now everyone's seen Blake Griffin's final dunk from the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest. If you haven't, basically he jumps over the hood of a Kia Optima as an alley oop pass is thrown to him and slams a two-handed jam down.

Well Blake. That was awesome and you are definitely awesome. But the fine people over at And1 have done you one better... much, much better.

Sorry Blake. Convertible trumps Kia Optima. Through the legs trumps two-handed slamma jamma. And1 trumps Kenny Smith as your coach and a gospel choir singing "I Believe I Can Fly".

Your move, Griffin.

And1 Live Guy Dupuy's Car Dunk @ Yahoo! Video

Can We Get Some Music In Here Please?

2011-03-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have a decent 20-minute commute back and forth to work every day, which means lots of radio time. Which also means that I have discovered just how awful the music out there is today. And I'm into some pretty bad music. I mean, have you seen how many Glee songs I have in my iTunes playlist?

All I'm saying is I'm getting tired of hearing Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Rihanna on repeat on the 10 or so presets I have on my radio. Bruno Mars' newest song is about how he wants to be lazy and do nothing all day long. It has the word "Snuggie" in it. I can't even make this up.

So the following list has been compiled of artists that need to come out with new music so that I don't get carpal tunnel in my pointer finger from pressing the radio preset buttons 108 times during my 20 minute drive:

1. Kelly Clarkson - The last album from the original American Idol was "All I Ever Wanted" which came out in March of 2009. It was a fantastic album and I miss me some Kelly Clarkson. Most recently, she's done a few duets, namely with country stars Reba McIntire and Jason Aldean and the songs she's been on have also been pretty fantastic. Not that I want her to go to a pure country route anytime soon, but hearing her back on the radio made me pretty nostalgic. Well imagine my surprise when I saw on her Twitter (yes I follow her) that she is completing her final song on the new album which will be released within the next month! Super pumped to hear what she comes out with next.

2. Justin Timberlake - Everything JT touches turns to gold, but it's time for him to stop acting and dueting and get back to the studio to put out his own album. Futuresex/Lovesounds came out when I was living in PULLMAN for crying out loud. Stop voicing the animated booger on The Cleveland Show and start bringing sexy back because if anybody can bring sexy back twice in less than 5 years, it's Justin Timberlake. Not sure how valid these rumors are, but apparently he is dropping a new album this year. Don't mess with my emotions JT. Also you should tweet more.

3. Josh Kelley - SO excited that Josh Kelley's newest CD is coming out March 22. Even though he's married to Katherine Heigl and I think she's awful, he is a fantastic singer and his lyrics are always amazing. He recently came out with Georgia Clay, which has been getting some play on the country charts and it's been a really easy transition for him. Although his stuff doesn't get played on mainstream radio that often, it will be nice to have a new album from him to listen to at work.

4. David Cook - This isn't going to be a very popular choice, mainly because most of you readers out there have no clue who this is. David Cook won American Idol in season seven and his debut album is still a fave of mine. He's got a great voice and puts a lot of emotion into everything he sings. Apparently he's working on his second album now and it should also becoming out this year. In the meantime, he did a cover song of "Don't You Forget About Me" aka The Breakfast Club song and apparently this is going to be the send off song every time an American Idol contestant gets eliminated this year. I guess we'll find out tonight if that's true. Not gonna lie, I didn't like the preview I heard on iTunes but I still think his next album will be legit.

5. John Mayer - So John Mayer's last album came out in 2009 so I guess it's too soon for another one. Maybe that means the radio can just start playing more of him and less of everyone else?

Good news: most of my list should have new stuff coming out this year. Bad news: I still have to hear about Bruno Mars wanting to catch a grenade for me.

Unbelieberable... Or Something

2011-03-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

Sounds like the Biebs is having a rough Thursday.

Right now, yes, at this very moment, the good people at US Weekly have revealed BREAKING news that Justin Bieber and his recently shorn locks are trapped... TRAPPED I say... inside a London hotel room as a mob of preteens has gathered outside the hotel and a riot of epic proportions could break out at any second. Any. Second.

Apparently London police are saying that JB could get arrested for inciting a riot. That sucks. He can't control the teenyboppers. I was one once. When you have the chance to catch a glimpse of the person you've been semi-stalking for the last year or however long Bieber Fever has been around, you'll do anything and you don't care what legal system might stand in your way.

Here are the most important things to take away from today's incident:

1. CNN's Breaking News Twitter - which I follow because I'm trying to know more about the actual world and less about things like Nicole Richie and Joel Madden fighting over her buying $3,000 pillows (I side with Joel Madden in this one by the way) - posted a tweet about this incident.

2. Justin Bieber has a swagger coach. That is all.

Video of the Day: That's Only in the Morning Edition

2011-03-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

Shoutout to Tyler for this gem. Please do yourself a favor and watch until the 1:30 mark.

Woo-wooooooo!

Sports + Hilarity = Go Read This

2011-03-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

My brother has started a new sports blog and it's amazing. Do yourself a favor and go check this out.

http://makingplays.tumblr.com/

Liiiiive! This. Is the New Cast of Dancing with the Stars!

2011-02-28T22:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight during The Bachelor, ABC revealed who will be on the newest cast of Dancing with the Stars which premieres this month sometime. Not gonna lie, I have no idea when it starts.

So without further ado, here are the 11 has beens, I mean celebrities, who will shake and shimmy their way towards the mirror ball trophy.

Sugar Ray Leonard
Champion boxer and... that's all I got. But I think that's all there really is to say. He should be thrilled to put on sequins and spandex every week.

Chelsea Kane
Here's what Wikipedia told me: She is on a show on the Disney Channel with the Jo Bros. Blah. For some reason she has a second name and also goes by Chelsea Staub. Intriguing.

Romeo aka Lil Romeo
You know how I know who he is? He's Master P's kid. You know how I know who that is? Because when I was a junior in college Percy Miller came to register his two kids for the summer camp I directed. I didn't have a clue who I was dealing with until my boss came in and the following exchange happened:

Boss: You're somebody aren't you?
Master P: Haha. Nah.
Boss: Yes you are. You're somebody.
Master P: I could be.
Boss: Are you... ?
Master P: I don't know what you're talking about.
Boss: You are aren't you?
Master P: Haha. Nah.
Boss: You are! Oh my gosh please sir it's my birthday can I get an autograph please?
Master P: (to me) Is it really her birthday?
Me: Yes it is.
Master P: Alright but only cuz it's your birthday.
Boss: (screams) Thank you thank you thank you oh my goodness thank you.

Boom. I said yes it is to Master P and collected his check for summer camp.

Ralph Macchio
Best. Contestant. Ever. The original Karate Kid? My vote all the way. The only thing more epic than Ralph Macchio on Dancing with the Stars are the team names that the fantasy league is going to come up with.

Petra Nemcova
Here's what I know about her: She's a model. She dated James Blunt aka "You're Beautiful" guy. She survived the tsunami in Thailand by hanging onto a palm tree for eight hours. She couldn't be at the live reveal tonight because she was speaking to the UN. None of those things is a joke. Not even the last one.

Kendra Wilkinson
Kendra is the most relevant and legit celebrity on the show this year. That does not bode well for Dancing with the Stars. If Ralph Macchio loses (but honestly how could he?) I vote for her.

Hines Ward
Wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steeler. I guess losing the Super Bowl has left him either in an extreme state of depression or so desperate to win SOMEthing that he will even take a mirror ball trophy. Either way, his face basically said "What the HELL did I just get myself into?" when he walked out onto the stage.

Mike Catherwood
Co-hosts "Love Line". Never listened to it, vaguely know what it even is, not a single clue. But he's hot.

Wendy Williams
I know Wendy Williams because Joel McHale makes fun of her all the time on The Soup. Observe:

That is going to get really old really fast.

Chris Jericho
Former WWE wrestler who is pretty hot now that he cut his super long blonde hair. Observe the BEFORE and AFTER.

Kirstie Alley
In the "press conference" following the announcement (I can't even make that up), somebody asked Kirstie Alley why she's on the show. She passed. Here's what she wanted to say: Jenny Craig fired me for gaining like 300 pounds so this is my last ditch effort to try and lose weight. Mean? Maybe. True? Probably. Entertaining? Not in the least.

And just when you think it couldn't get any more boring...

Brooke Burke is back.

Good luck Tom Bergeron. You're gonna need it.

Live Bloggin the Grammys!

2011-02-13T22:27:00.000-08:00

Even thought it's 8 p.m. and everyone on the East Coast has already seen the Grammies and has blown up Twitter with the results so I pretty much know everything, it's time for another live blog! My golf recap is written, the wine is poured, spaghetti is boiling... let's go!

First a text exchange between me and my sister:
My sister: If Katy Perry wins a Grammy tonight I'm boycotting radio.
Me: If Justin Bieber fever wins, me too.

So right out of the gate you know where my sister and I stand on who should not win tonight.

8:01 - We are opening with a tribute to Aretha Franklin and the first person out onto the stage is... LL Cool J? He and his Kangol hat are yelling about how awesome Aretha Franklin is. Wow, Mr. Cool J please stop yelling at me.

8:03 - Maybe if the National Anthem was an Aretha Franklin jam Christina Aguilera would have sang it better and not forget the words. Hey ooooo

8:04 - Why is Christina Aguilera leading this tribute when JENNIFER HUDSON is standing right next to her? I would rather see her and her bangin Jenny Craig body sing these songs 100 times over.

8:05 - Oh good they're all taking turns. J Hud was just clapping for Christina Aguilera's performance but she totally had a look in her eye like "Ha! Just wait til I get the mic."

8:06 - Ok so Yolanda Adams (gospel singer), Martina McBride (country diva with a giant voice), Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and... Florence from Florence and the Machine?

8:15 - Jennifer Hudson wins the diva off.

8:25 - Oh my God Ricky Martin is wearing jeggings. Oh and he's introducing Gaga so that's fitting. Very, very tight fitting.

8:26 - Alright, here she comes to perform her brand new song. Which isn't exactly a surprise anymore because she released it Friday and it got slammed for sounding like Madonna's "Express Yourself".

8:31 - Wow. I couldn't even type anything. I was pretty transfixed by that. Here are my thoughts:
- GREAT performance. Her voice is super legit and she just sang and didn't do anything weird and I liked that.
- Did you see this egg on the red carpet thing? Yes THIS is how she entered. I also discussed this with my sister. She is fascinated but thinks that people are getting tired of her and frankly I could take it or leave it. One of these days she should just wear a dress and walk like a normal person on the red carpet and then people would really flip out.
- I feel bad that she is very very proud of this song and it has such a great message and yet people are more concerned about the fact that ::gasp:: it sounds like this other one from 25 years ago.
- I still can't believe she wore a dress made out of meat.

8:37 - How CUTE is Blake Shelton introducing Miranda Lambert? She looks amazing while she performs this song.

8:42 - Lenny Kravitz is still relevant enough to present at the Grammys? I think he and Ricky Martin went shopping for Grammy jeggings together...

8:43 - Another performance. I made this same complaint last year I think but I'm 40 minutes into my DVR recording and there's only been one actual award given out.

8:45 - My boy Seacrest is introducing Bruno Mars, B-O-B and a girl I've never heard of. B-O-B is wearing a freakin monocle you guys. Like the monopoly man. That's how you know you've made it. Also, I thought Bruno Mars got busted for cocaine possession? Meh, come perform at the Grammys anyway bro. That too is a sign that you've made it.

8:48 - Either my TV is really really that old and terrible or they just switched to a black and white telecast. There really is a 50-50 chance that it's my TV...

Yep. This is my TV. Contain your jealousy.

8:49 - I like the idea of a Motowny rendition of the "I'll catch a grenade for you" song but wow his voice is really bad and that song is terrible to begin with.

8:50 - Oh what? An actual award? Oh that is why we're here isn't it. Best Country Female Vocal is up now. Miranda Lambert wins.

8:57 - Uh ooooooh. Bieber Fever is about to hit the Grammys! Somehow Justin Bieber got to perform for Usher in 2007 and now he's international. And now they're singing a duet on the Grammys.

9:01 - Usher. What are you doing man? Performing with the Biebs and Will Smith's kid? But thank you for actually singing which is something your boy Bieber didn't feel he needed to do on the Grammys.

9:05 - Here's the thing about Justin Bieber. I saw him on Ellen and I was starting to buy into it a little. I had like a Bieber stuffed up nose if you will. Not quite the fever is what I'm getting at. Anyway, he's very humble, very well composed, very well spoken and very gracious for a 16 year old in the business. Miley Cyrus I'm looking at you. He plays the drums really well and also plays guitar and keyboard - he's legit talented. And then he lip synched on the Grammy awards. So close JB. We were so close.

9:09 - Donny Wahlberg is presenting with Selena Gomez. I guarantee you Selena Gomez has no idea she's standing next to a member of the greatest band of all time NKOTB.

9:10 - Lady Gaga wins Best Pop Vocal Album over Bieber, Katy Perry and - ouch - John Mayer. She seems legitimately shocked and thankful so good for her. Also she thanked Whitney Houston and I'm fine with that because no matter what you say about Whitney, she was a diva and I wanted to be her when I was in the fifth grade.

9:14 - Didn't need the Letterman Top 10. That could have cut out like 5 minutes of this THREE AND A HALF HOUR SHOW.

9:14 - Bob Dylan is performing with two groups I've never heard of. This first group is Mumford and Sons and they are like angry bluegrass rock or something. There's a banjo and a cello but they're talking about a noose around their neck and their growing fears and headbanging. The moral of the story: the lead singer is smoking hot.

9:22 - Lady Antebellum is performing now. Apparently they've already won two awards tonight. Why didn't we see any of that? I'm annoyed.

9:26 - Oooh an award finally. Best Country Album goes to Lady Antebellum. They are pretty awesome.

9:29 - Cee-Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow are performing together. Wow. Get Gwyneth Paltrow on one episode of Glee and next thing you know...

9:29 - I can't even explain Cee Lo Green's outfit right now. Gaga has some competition.

9:32 - Gwyneth Paltrow is in a SERIOUS outfit right now. Basically a black unitard cut super low in front with some 8-inch stilletos. How do these women pull off these heels!?

9:35 - NPH introduces Katy Perry. I follow him on Twitter and would rather listen to him talk for 3 minutes and make jokes than hear Katy Perry sing.

9:37 - Are those her wedding pictures? Lord.

9:39 - I want a sparkly microphone for when I sing the anthem at the UC Davis women's hoops game in a few weeks.

9:43 - Song of the Year is up next and Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" wins again!

9:46 - Seth Rogen just introduced Eminem. There's some kind of irony or something in there somewhere.

9:52 - Wow THAT was sick. Performance of the night for sure. Go Youtube that if you didn't watch it: Eminem, Rihanna, Dr. Dre. That was amazing.

9:54 - Best New Artist is up next aaaand someone I've never heard of just won it. Esperanza Spalding? Not a clue but her speech was good.

9:56 - Mick Jagger has never performed at the Grammys? He's like 103.

10:01 - Mick Jagger's performance came immediately after the In Memoriam tribute slideshow. Interesting juxtaposition there CBS.

10:03 - I'm losing interest and fast forwarding and there is still like 45 minutes left. Longest awards show ever.

10:07 - The incomparable Barbra Streisand just wowed the crowd with an amazing performance and next up is Nikki Minaj and Will I Am. Nikki Minaj is dressed like this:

I am ashamed of my generation.

10:11 - Why is Rihanna performing AGAIN? Honestly did we need all of these performances? Drake is super hot though so I'll watch.

10:16 - Record of the Year is up now. J Lo and Marc Anthony just bickered their way through presenting and the Grammy goes to Lady Antebellum AGAIN! Wow this is quite the surprise.

10:18 - Okay I am giving up. I already know who one Album of the Year thanks to Twitter. This post is getting boring, the cat is getting to be a maniac. It's time to wrap things up. Hope you all enjoyed the live blog.

The Oscars are coming!

Movie Reviews

2011-02-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

Time for some LTD movie reviews...

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
I don't care what anybody says, I love the X-Men series of movies. In X-Men 2, when Jean dies (oops, sorry if that's a spoiler for anyone), they show Scott crying and Wolverine so upset because he secretly loved her and I get emotional too. I can't handle it when guys cry. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is an amazing character and I think he plays the role so perfectly. This movie was full of action and the awesome mutant special effects typical of the other X-Men movies that have been made. You also see previews of other X-Men characters which James helped to explain to me so shoutout to him. Overall, love all of these movies and this one was great too. Two thumbs up.

Up in the Air
This movie was fantastic. George Clooney plays a guy who works for a company that gets hired to fire people and he spends the majority of his year flying to different locations doing his work. I don't want to say too much else and give anything away, but if you haven't seen this one yet do yourself a favor. It's humorous and sweet in some places and serious and emotional in others and the relationships. Great casting, great story, pick this one up right away. Two thumbs up.

Away We Go
Another rave review from LTD, this movie, though probably not very well known, was awesome. Jim from The Office and Maya Rudolph from SNL play a couple who get pregnant unexpectedly and go on a search to find the perfect place to live and raise their child. Along the way they meet an incredibly hilarious cast of characters, including Maggie Gyllenhaal as an over the top hippie who refuses to buy strollers for her kids. Jim from The Office and Maya Rudolph have great chemistry together and it was great to see Maya Rudolph in a more serious role than what we're used to seeing. The script is witty and clever, yet also emotionally engaging throughout. Love, love, love this movie! Two thumbs up.

Gossip Girl, Seasons 1 and 2
I'm through two seasons of Gossip Girl and this show is pretty good, not gonna lie. I'm not really going to go on and on about it but I'm entertained and I even find myself pulling for a few characters. Blake Lively is too pretty though. I mean honestly, share the wealth girl. Excited to see what season 3 has in store for me.

Book Review: Alice I Have Been

2011-02-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

Alice I Have Been
Author: Melanie Benjamin
Genre: Historical fiction
Number of Pages: 400
Where I Got It: Library

First line: "Off with their - legs."

You've read the story (or seen the Disney movie) millions of times, but have you ever wondered who exactly is Alice in Wonderland? Melanie Benjamin tackles that very question, mixing historical facts with fiction to create the character of Alice. As Alice grows from a young girl to a wife and mother and then to an elderly lady, she is constantly haunted by her second identity as Alice in Wonderland and it's an identity she'd rather not be associated with. As she constantly tries to denounce her association with the book and with Charles Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll, she finally realizes that perhaps as much as she tries to fight it, she really is Alice after all.

I can't quite figure out why I liked this book so much, but it was fantastic. Great character development, great storyline, with just a bit of mystery and honestly a creepy undertone throughout the story. Throughout the entire book, you have a feeling that there's something that's just not right when it comes to the relationship Mr. Dodgson has with Alice and her sisters, but Benjamin never outright lays out anything specific that occurs between Mr. Dodgson and Alice. Instead, she depicts their "friendship" through the innocent eyes of Alice whose childhood affection for Mr. Dodgson overshadows any disturbing and inappropriate relationship that might be implied. Yet, you're still left with uncomfortable feelings that something isn't quite right. It's pretty brilliant.

Secondly, Benjamin stays really close to try facts and historical events and that makes the story even more fascinating. There is a long note at the end of the book that discusses what is fact and what is fiction and that alone made me want to research who Alice was and the life she lived.

Overall, a very creative and well-written story that had me drawn in from start to finish. Highly recommended.

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Coming Up Next: A Tree Grow in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The book follows Francie Nolan and her family in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. At the start of the book, Francie is 11 in 1912 and the story continues through her 16th year. Francie's family is poor - her mother is a maid and her father is a singing waiter who works when he is sober enough to get a night's pay. So Francie and her younger brother Neely learn the hard way about just how tough the world is. But they also learn about life's simple pleasures and what beauty lies in the small things.

Book Review: Admission

2011-01-30T22:22:00.000-08:00

Admission
Author: Jean Hanff Korelitz
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 464
Where I Got It: Own it

First line: "The flight from Newark to Hartford took no more than fifty-eight minutes, but she still managed to get her heart broken three times."

Portia Nathan is an admissions officer at Princeton who lives a quiet, ordinary life with her partner of 16 years Mark. She travels to different schools on the East coast, pitching Princeton to students and then sorting through thousands of applications to choose the best of the best. Then she runs into John, a man who remembers her from when they both attended Dartmouth, and their meeting forces Portia to revisit a part of her past that she has buried deeply.

I kind of hated this book.

The parts where the admissions process is described was really fascinating. To get an inside look at this exclusive process and the thoughts that go through someone in Portia's position was really interesting and even motivates me to read more about that.

Then there was the rest of the book. Just when I thought we were getting into something good, it fizzled out. There was too much self-reflection and inner monologue. Too much of Portia analyzing the system of admissions, the system of admissions at Princeton, the meeting with John, the repercussions of that meeting... the overanalysis just seemed to make the story drag so much.

The final big reveal was a letdown as well - a bit too unbelievable for my taste. Overall, I just didn't enjoy this book.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

Coming Up Next: Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
Blending fact with fiction, Melanie Benjamin weaves together the story of who is Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Born into a Victorian family of privilege, free-spirited Alice catches the attention of family friend Dodgson and serves as the muse for both his photography and writing. Their bond, however, is misunderstood by Alice's family, and though she is forced to sever their friendship, she is forever haunted by their connection as her life becomes something of a chain of heartbreaks. As an adult, Alice tries to escape her past, but it is only when she finally embraces it that she truly finds the happiness that eluded her. Focusing on three eras in Alice's life, Benjamin offers a finely wrought portrait of Alice that seamlessly blends fact with fiction.

Replacing Reeg

2011-01-27T11:10:00.000-08:00

That would be Regis Philbin, the host of Live with Regis and Kelly who announced he will be retiring at the end of this season after 28 years with the show. This is pretty epic. This is up there with Bob Barker leaving Price is Right, Larry King leaving his show and Simon Cowell leaving American Idol.

So now the search is on for someone to replace him and our good friends at People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly have released a list of 10 names, plus a secondary "silly" list, of potentials.

Of course, I hate pretty much all of these names. So let's break them down, shall we?

Ryan Seacrest: NO. Heeeeeeell no. Ryan Seacrest is already involved in way too many projects. Does he really need a morning TV show to go along with a morning radio show, American Idol, and executive producing and hosting on E? How will he ever have time then to be in another Kardashian Christmas card? Seacrest overload. No thank you.

Jeff Probst, host of Survivor: I've never really watched Survivor so I don't know how mad crazy his hosting skills might be, but I'm not sure if he would be able to be a celebrity interviewer after being the Survivor host. Telling contestants that they will be standing on a wooden plank in the ocean for as long as they can to receive a quarter ounce of peanut butter as a reward isn't the same as asking Robert Pattinson just how he gets his locks to look so luscious. I'd still rather see him than Seacrest.

Mario Lopez: Another resounding heeeeeell no from LTD. Kelly Ripa is already the pretty and buff host of the show. Seriously, have you seen her arms? Mario Lopez is slowly ruining his awesome rep as the one and only AC Slater. Being on Dancing with the Stars was fine but now he's all over Extra and hosting the Miss America pageants and I don't like it one bit.

Chris Harrison, host of The Bachelor: Now here's a pick I can get on board with. Chris Harrison is the man. The Bachelor/Bachelorette is like a car accident for me - I can't look but I can't look away - and I have the ultimate love-hate relationship with that show. But my absolute favorite moment of every show is when he comes out right before the final rose is going to be given and says "Ladies. Brad. The final rose." and then walks back offset. On second thought, I don't even want him as a cohost anymore. Can he just be waiting in the wings to come out and say "Kelly. New Regis. Justin Bieber." and then walk away? Still if it's between him, Slater or Seacrest, my vote is with Chris Harrison right now.

Chris Cuomo from 20/20: So I don't watch 20/20 so I don't know who this is. But isn't this kind of a career downgrade to go from 20/20 to Live with (insert name here) and Kelly? He just did a yearlong investigation on troubled teens and getting homeless youth off the street. You know what they do on Live with Regis and Kelly? This:

Don't do it Chris Cuomo. You've worked with Barbara Walters.

Anderson Cooper: The Silver Fox himself. This could be an okay choice. Like Chris Cuomo, he's a pretty legit investigative journalist, but I think he'd have a good rapport with celebs and be able to ask really good questions. Plus he's just serious enough to counter when Kelly Ripa turns into a huge ditz on the show - which is all the time. He has my vote too, although the EW article says he's trying to start his own daytime talk show. On second thought he does strike me as the type to fly solo. He is probably a bigger diva than Kelly.

Billy Bush: This guy is like Seacrest Jr. but not as good as the original (as much as it pains me to say it, Seacrest is good at what he does). He's from Access Hollywood I think and he's just a tool and a much less talented one at that.

Neil Patrick Harris: The one. The only. NPH. My vote all the way. NPH would be perfect for this gig. He's witty, he's well-known, he's not obnoxious. He would make me want to watch this show. Do it ABC. Pick NPH. I'm totally drinking the Kool Aid on this one.

Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs and also Ford and possibly jean commercials: This guy is pretty funny but he's the Dirty Jobs guy! He can't be sitting next to Kelly Ripa in a chair in a suit asking Kate Gosselin about her new hairdo. He needs to be out shoveling fish guts from the bottom of a boat or something. He's too manly for this show.

So those are the main contenders according to EW. Additionally there is a secondary list with names that are too "silly" to place next to the top 10 up there. And by silly I think they'd rather be saying "the worst ideas ever, yes even worse than Seacrest."

Nick Jonas: This has to be a joke. He is the youngest of the Jo Bros. He's like 17. I'm not even going to comment further on this.

Bryant Gumbel, Glenn Beck: These two get lumped in together because to me they are both old guys who seem like they're just fine doing what they do currently. If either of these made any kind of cut, I would be stunned.

Tom Bergeron: Bergeron is hysterical. His one liners on Dancing with the Stars are about the only thing that show has going for it anymore to be honest. He should actually be up with the top 10 because I wouldn't mind seeing him get this gig.

Larry King: I'm sorry. Didn't Larry King just retire? Isn't he also just as old and senile if not oldER and MORE senile than Regis Philbin? Why would we swap out one for the other? This is a terrible idea.

My top choices are NPH, Chris Harrison and Tom Bergeron. Fun fact though, when they picked Kelly Ripa rumors like this started floating around too and her name wasn't mentioned ever. Not one single time. So going off of that, I bet they pick someone like Matt Lauer just to keep us all guessing.

Video of the Day 1/24/11 - Double Dream Hands Edition

2011-01-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

Ellen has been showing this on her talk show all week long and so far, it hasn't gotten old yet. It really gets going at around 50 seconds. Double dream hands baby.

KINDLE Review: Outlander

2011-01-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon

In the first book of a seven-book series, Claire Beauchamp is vacationing in 1940s Scotland with her husband when a mysterious chasm in a rock whisks her back in time to Scotland in the 1700s. Once Claire realizes what has happened, she desperately tries to keep her origins a secret all while trying to find a way back to her husband and modern times. That is, until she meets Jamie Fraser.

I had heard a lot of hype surrounding this book and series so imagine my surprise and delight when it was offered for free for the Kindle. I downloaded it to see what the fuss was all about and although I don't really see what there is to rave about, I will say that I greatly enjoyed this book and want to see what's up next for Claire and Jamie.

These two made the book fly by for me. I really admired Claire's character as she is a super strong, opinionated woman who has no problem standing up for what she believes in. Jamie complemented her well throughout the book as he has just as much passion and emotion as she does. He's also been through a lot of really horrible situations throughout his life and Diana Gabaldon does an excellent job of turning him into a character that you could really connect with.

On the other hand, some parts of the book were a little chick lit-ish and unbelievable for me. The whole concept of time travel and (spoiler alert here) Claire's decision to just never return to her husband and the 1940s was really hard for me to get. So she just falls off the face of the earth essentially and just decides "meh, I'm gonna take my chances here in 1700s Scotland"? I just felt that her struggle with whether or not to stay or try to get back to her husband could have been more of a prominent theme. Maybe that inner struggle could have been explored more in place of all the sex scenes...

Because there were a lot of them. It got a little repetitive and made the book drag on a bit. Reading this on my Kindle I didn't realize how many pages it was, but according to reviews and Amazon it tops out at about 800 pages. Yikes.

Like I said though, I am interested to find out where this series go and I have the next one, Dragonfly in Amber, on my Kindle now thanks to a gift card from my boss for Christmas. Overall I was entertained and the book was an easy read with a good mix of action, adventure, and romance. Well maybe a little too much romance.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (I get it, they're sooooo in love)

Coming Up Next: World Without End by Ken Follett
I'm taking a break from Jamie and Claire (after one book, I know) and venturing into England in the 1300s. This is the follow up to "Pillars of the Earth" which stands as one of my all-time favorites and I can't wait to see what this has in store. Set in the same city of Kingsbridge but two centuries later, this book follows four children who meet in a forest and see two men killed. As adults, their lives will become intertwined yet again. They will follow very different paths but will always live under the shadow of the unexplained killing they witnessed as kids.

Video of the Day 1/18/11 - I Love College Sports Edition

2011-01-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'm biased, but this video is the reason that I love college sports. Shoutout to my friend Chris who posted this on his Facebook but I didn't watch it until today...

Golden Globes Live Blog

2011-01-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

The 68th Annual Golden Globes are about to get underway so it's time for another live blog. The show is 3 hours long so I will try not to comment on every single thing but well if you know me or have ever heard me tell a story... yeah... we'll see. Ricky Gervais is hosting, Glee is nominated a bunch, I think it's going to be a fantastic night.

I was just watching some sort of red carpet special that involved Carson Daly, Natalie Morales who I think is from the Today show and a British woman interviewing the stars about what they were wearing. Here are some parting thoughts from that:
- Carrie Underwood's dress is amazing and I want to be her.
- Natalie Portman's dress was cute and pink
- Ummm did anybody else know that Christian Bale is British? How did I not get this memo?
- Somehow Carson Daly has made himself relevant again. Not talented. Just relevant.

Here we go!

5:03 - Ricky Gervais' opening monologue was fantastic.

5:04 - Christian Bale wins Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. I seriously had no clue that he was British. This is really messing with me.

5:07 - LL Cool J is wearing a tux and a Kangol hat. Isn't it time for him to no longer be called LL Cool J? He's not rapping anymore is he? He's on some CSI-ish type show. He is presenting Best Actress in a TV Series - Drama. I have never heard of any of these shows except The Closer.

5:09 - Okay so the woman who just won has been nominated before... for her role as Peggy Bundy on Married with Children. What a career move huh? The cameras showing Ed O'Neil aka Al Bundy while she was getting her award now makes a lot more sense.

5:15 - How do I become this Miss Golden Globe? I would be amazing at it. Smile a lot. Ask nicely that someone stand here and not there. Smile more and follow people offstage. Wear an incredible dress. Seriously where do I sign up? All bets are off that I'll behave myself if Matt Damon or any member of Glee end up onstage though.

5:21 - Yay the first Glee nomination! Chris Colfer for his role as Kurt is up for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series...

5:22 - AAAAAAAH!!! He wins!!! I just yelled and clapped a bunch of times. Oh man this is seriously such a great moment to watch! They are all so so so thrilled for him. Lea Michele is crying for him, Jane Lynch is beaming, his speech is absolutely fantastic. That was super fun.

5:28 - I just tweeted Chris Colfer to congratulate him on his win. Is this super nerdy of me?

5:29 - Eva Longoria almost just slipped and fell coming out on stage. Her dress is awesome though.

5:32 - Something's got the cat all fired up and she's making me nuts.

5:36 - Boardwalk Empire just won for Best TV Series - Drama. I've never seen it but apparently Mark Wahlberg is involved so it must be good.

5:41 - I can't believe that movie Social Network is nominated. Apparently I missed the boat on this one. I'll add it to Netflix.

5:44 - Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Lopez are presenting now and JLo just reminded the crowd that she is a judge on American Idol by way of the most awkward segue ever. Let me remind Jenny from the Block that we're not as excited about it as she is.

5:49 - US Weekly's Twitter just let me know that ::gasp:: Sandra Bullock and Scarlett Johanson came to the Golden Globes in similar dresses and that Bullock is 46. I would love to look like Sandra Bullock when I'm 46. Shoot I'd like to look like Sandra Bullock now...

5:55 - Toy Story 3 wins Best Animated Motion Picture. I thought Despicable Me would definitely take it. Apparently that movie has changed people's lives because my friends can't stop talking about it.

5:59 - Emma Stone (from Easy A and Superbad) dyed her hair blonde and has a terrible fake tan. Didn't even recognize her. She is nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical for Easy A. Seriously? First The Social Network and now Easy A? What is wrong with you Hollywood Foreign Press?

6:01 - Emma Stone does not win. She's super cute and talented but a Golden Globe for that role would have been too much.

6:10 - More boring awards, no fabulous dresses...

6:14 - Claire Danes just won an award and she is really gorgeous. Her dress is pretty awesome. Hot pink, halter, backless. She's working it out.

6:21 - Zac Efron needs to get rid of the barely-there mustache and loosen up while presenting this movie and then I'll take him seriously again.

6:23 - Tina Fey and Steve Carrell win my award for Best Presenters of the Night. Hilarious. Also Tina Fey's dress was really pretty. Top five of the night for me.

6:24 - What the heck? The Social Network just won Best Screenplay - Motion Picture. Seriously, was this movie THAT good?

6:27 - Oh man here we go, another Glee nomination. Jane Lynch is up for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series but it's a super tough category. She's up against Boardwalk Empire and Sophia Vergara from Modern Family...

6:29 - AAAAAAAHHHHHH SHE WINS!!!! Wow I seriously didn't even see that coming. Another fantastic speech, this time with some humor thrown in. What a great night for Glee fans!

6:35 - Wooooooah Olivia Wilde's dress is very big and ball gowny. It's really pretty but it's gigantic!

6:38 - Glee nomination #3 of the night! Lea Michele is up for Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical. It's a tough group and Laura Linney (who isn't even there) wins in a very anticlimactic announcement by Vanessa Williams.

6:45 - Matthew Morrison is now nominated for Best Actor in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical. Now I thought that he'd have to be worried about Steve Carrell and Alec Baldwin but apparently this show the Big Bang Theory is good enough that their guy won it. Alec Baldwin looks a little irritated but Matthew Morrison is laughing and stuff.

6:51 - OMG Matt Damon is going to present next.

7:01 - Stone. Fox.

7:02 - What is Diddy doing at the Golden Globes? Probably the same thing Ryan Seacrest is doing except without being a dbag.

7:03 - Angelina Jolie looks very uncomfortable whenever the camera pans to her and Brad Pitt in the audience.

7:13 - I'm surprised Black Swan hasn't won more awards tonight. Meanwhile The Social Network wins ANOTHER award, this time for Best Director - Motion Picture.

7:16 - Can Glee win Best TV Series - Comedy or Musical??

7:17 - AAAAAAHHHHHHHH Glee wiiiiiiinnnnnnnssssssss!!!!!!!!!

7:19 - Dang they fit the ENTIRE cast on that stage - even Korofsky and that kid that stalks Lea Michele and stone fox Blaine are up there.

7:23 - I also want to look like Halle Berry at any part of my life, especially in my 40s.

7:30 - I might add Joseph Gordon-Levitt to my list of normal-acting famous guys that I would love to date. The list is now him and Josh Groban.

7:32 - Natalie Portman is so cute and pregnant in her pink dress. Black Swan finally gets some love as she wins Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama.

7:35 - Ricky Gervais is on point tonight.

7:44 - If this kid wins Best Actor for The Social Network, I'm going to be super irritated. Mark Wahlberg (who has looked really annoyed all night tonight) or Colin Firth HAVE to win this.

7:45 - Hooray for Colin Firth! The movie he won the award for, The King's Speech, looks really good.

7:51 - Cuuuuuute Michael Douglas gets a standing ovation when he comes out to present.

7:53 - You have GOT to be kidding me! The Social Network just won Best Motion Picture - Drama. Honestly can somebody please tell me if this movie, a movie about FACEBOOK, was that good? I love me some Justin Timberlake, but I cannot believe a movie he was in just won a Golden Globe for Best Picture.

That's all folks! Great show, a few surprises, Ricky Gervais killed, but most importantly GLEE WOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNN! Piechowski... out.

Diet Wars

2011-01-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

I've always been one of those "lucky" girls with a fast metabolism and an inability to gain weight despite being able to eat cheeseburgers and Taco Bell (not combined... ew) at least once a week. I never had the Freshman 15 and I only played sports or exercised because I wanted to. I know. I'm THAT girl.

Well now I'm in my mid-20s and although still blessed with a lanky figure (they don't call me Gangles for nothing), I've started to notice some... well... problem areas. Probably due to the aforementioned cheeseburgers and Taco Bell. Actually, change probably to yeah it is very much so due to that.

Exercise-wise, I think I'm good, considering I play soccer up to three times a week, but I could stand to eat a little healthier. Frozen foods and pasta make up the majority of my meals - although I do take pride in the fact that I eat those Steamfresh vegetables almost every night for dinner... I don't care if they're frozen, there's still green on my plate dangit. With the crazy hours I work I've been known to go through a drive thru a couple times a week. Hey, you let me know how motivated you are to cook anything, even spaghetti, after a 4-hour baseball game followed by a solid two hours of postgame recap writing and stat updating. Oh and sidenote: I like beer.

So every once in a while one of those "Top 10 Snacks to Fight Fat" articles will catch my eye and I'll click the link thinking, "Yes. Here is my chance. This is going to really help me out." Yet, more often than not, I'm left afterwards thinking "Ok welp I have no idea how to cook 75 percent of this stuff and even if I could, I can't afford to buy the ingredients so so much for that."

Case in point (case and point?): Women's Health Magazine had a link on their Twitter (yes I caved and joined) that had a 4-week meal plan guide that can apparently help you lose weight in a month. This intrigues me... until I look at the first week of meals.

First of all, way too many measurements. This of course is probably for portion control, but it's a bit overwhelming. 4 oz. chicken breast? 1/4 cup sliced avocado? How do you fit slices of avocado into a 1/4 cup measuring cup? These are the things I think about which is probably why I get so overwhelmed.

Which leads me to my next point. I like to eat. My friends like to eat. My family likes to eat. I have a healthy appetite and I'm not afraid to use it. I guess if I really stuck to this plan and ate all the meals at the portions they designate, I would feel full and satisfied, but just by looking at this plan, I feel like I'd still be hungry all the time. A 4 oz. chicken breast is roughly the size of a deck of cards. Is that really going to cut it?

Finally, there's the overarching issue of how much this will all cost. The healthy food is also the fancy, more expensive food. Kashi cereal and Laughing Cow cheese is better for me, but it's also going to be a good deal more than I can afford to pay right now. For dinner, entrees include salmon, sirloin steak and yes even 3 or 4 pieces of tuna sashimi.

Maybe it's my own ultimate lack of motivation (another post on that to come) or something, but I just feel this kind of a plan is really hard for a normal mid-20 year old working girl living on a budget to stick to. So I get intimidated and I ultimately just stick with my own ways which are fine for now but I certainly can't keep eating like this for the rest of my life. At some point a husband and kids will enter the picture too. At some point I won't be so lucky when it comes to my body type.

A long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away it feels like), I wrote on a different blog about how all of the trashy magazines have these foolproof diets that the celebs swear you can do too and how big of a myth I thought it all was. Celebs make a lot of money, have a lot of free time on their hands and have a lot of helpers to get them to look the way they do. Personal chefs and trainers are their reality, but it certainly isn't mine. So where are the tips for, like I said above, the normal 26-year old who works crazy hours and is living on a budget? What is a girl who admittedly has made Starbucks a food group and doesn't consider tofu a meal at all supposed to do?

I'm sure if I really cared that much about it, I would figure out a way to do it. I'm sure that if I was really serious about changing my eating habits, I would. So maybe this whole post is me making one giant excuse for not buckling down and making some changes and an attempt at finding the easy way out. But for now I'm standing by it.

Plus, do you know how nutty the cat would get if I brought salmon and sashimi in the house? For crying out loud, look at what catnip does to her:

Weekend Movie Reviews

2011-01-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a brief look at two movies I watched over the weekend:

The Soloist - Based on a true story, Robert Downey Jr. plays LA Times columnist Steve Lopez and Jamie Foxx stars as Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless man living on the streets of downtown LA. Ayers is a musical prodigy who attended Juliard before being overcome by a mental illness and ultimately dropping out. He plays his cello where ever he can and Lopez stumbles upon him one day and writes a story about him. Along the way, Lopez and Ayers form a very unlikely yet unbreakable bond as Lopez tries to get Ayers off the streets.

This movie was pretty awesome. Emotional and gripping at times, it also gave a pretty hardcore look at how the homeless in the worst parts of downtown LA live which is a real eye opener. I listened to this book on CD and loved it, so I was a little disappointed at how quickly the film version moved. RDJ does a really great job and his chemistry with Foxx makes their onscreen relationship really engaging. Two thumbs up.

Paper Heart - Charlyne Yi (you'll recognize her from a brief cameo in "Knocked Up") doesn't believe in love and doesn't think she'll ever find it. So she sets out to film a documentary about love: what is it, why do people believe in it, how do you know if you're in it or not? Along the way she meets Michael Cera who she begins a relationship with, thus questioning everything she thought about love.

This movie was just so-so for me, mainly because I had no idea that this was literally real life going into it. Did anybody else know this? The parts following her make the documentary are really interesting and the people she interviews are awesome. So then apparently the cameras are on hand as she meets Michael Cera for the first time and so the story shifts to include her entering this relationship with him.

I felt uncomfortable watching Yi and Cera navigate through the awkwardness that is the first stages of dating. I felt like I was eavesdropping on something I shouldn't be watching. It doesn't help that the two of them are pretty awkward as it is, thus making for several uncomfortable laughs and silences. Also, because I really thought that this was a fictional movie, I kept asking myself "Is this real life?" and I struggled with understanding what was happening every time they showed the Yi-Cera portions of the movie. Two thumbs sideways.

P.S. I downgraded my cable to super basic to save some money for the next few months so I will be doing a much better job of actually watching the Netflix movies I get in a timely fashion.

Video of the Day 1/7/11 - Everything is Funnier with a British Accent Edition

2011-01-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

Shoutout to my boss for this video. He bet his wife he would clean the bathroom for 2 weeks if she didn't laugh at this. Guess who's NOT cleaning the bathroom? P.S. Alan!

I Cannot Handle This Show

2011-01-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

Every season The Bachelor starts and I sit down to watch it. And every season without a doubt this show infuriates me. Except for Chris Harrison the host, every single person on this show annoys me to no end. But do I stop watching it? Nope. It's like a car accident - I can't look, but I can't look away.

Confession time: For about 6 minutes at work today, I explored what it would take to become a contestant on The Bachelor. And for a few minutes I thought to myself "I would make a pretty good contestant."

Calm down everyone. I am not going to apply to be a contestant on The Bachelor. First, you have to send in a 10-15 minute video. Do you know how long it takes to put together 3 minutes of "How Well Do You Know Your UC Davis Goalkeeper?" taken on the FlipCam? Like almost an entire day. Second, you have to send a full body shot. Ew.

You know why else I wouldn't be on this show? Because these chicks are nuts. Let me break it down.

First they roll montages of most of the girls and give background on who they are, where they're from, what they do for a living, and sometimes a weird/interesting/sad thing about them. The weird things are really weird (one girl is a manscaper for a living, another one is into vampires, has actual fangs and "ran into the leader of the secret underground vampire world"), the sad stories are pretty sad, that's how it goes.

So far so good though. These girls (barring the super weird vampire wannabe one) still seem very standard, normal girls. Granted they are all completely beautiful and dress perfectly, but they appear normal.

Then they meet the bachelor.

This season the bachelor is this guy Brad who was on the show three years ago and ditched both of the final two girls and ended up picking nobody. Now he's back for his second chance at love.

So I don't know if this is standard for The Bachelor or not, but the women don't know that this guy Brad is who they're meeting. So it makes them act extra annoying when they meet him.

Here is an in-depth look at what went down during each of the 30 introductions:
- 11 girls knew exactly who he was and had seen him on the show. I wouldn't be able to pick this guy out of a lineup.

- First girl out of the limo slaps him because apparently what he did three years ago was THAT much of a personal blow to her and "all of the women of America."

- 4 girls tell him they have a lot of questions/doubts/uncertainties about him

- One girl straight pinches his ass

- One girl is a "sports publicist" and drops the line that her entire life revolves around sports. WHAT. THE. HELL. THIS WAS MY ONLY IN.

- One girl tells him "You happen to be the perfect guy for me." This is creepy.

- The vampire. Need I say more. She tells him he looks delicious. He tells her she has a nice fang- I mean name.

- One girl straight sprints out of the limo, yells Catch me! and luckily he does because she just jumps in his arms

- She also mentions that she knows nothing about him because she never watched his season. This is a good strategy. 4 other girls do this.

- Another girl makes him pinky swear that he won't break her heart

- Next girl makes him get down on one knee and repeat the words "Will you marry me?", says yes and then says "See that wasn't so bad."

- One girl lowers the window down, sticks her hand out and beckons him over. He opens the door of the limo and she tells him I like a chivalrous man. He apparently takes this to mean she is high-maintenance and votes her off on the first night. Bahahaha.

- One girl straight up says "I'm ready to get married, so we'll have to talk inside."

- One girl is wearing ruby slippers. She is from Kansas, she says it's because there's no place like home and she can't wait to take him home to her family.

- One girl tells him "My grandma always says you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your Prince Charming." Then she straight plants on one him. She got voted off too.

- The girl after her is named J. That is it. Just the letter J. Not one word. One letter bitches. Take that Madonna. Also, it is her birthday.

- Next girl is a Radio City Rockette. No that is not a typo. She is an honest to God Rockette. Then she asks him if he knows what that is. Can you call yourself an American if you don't know what the Radio City Rockettes are?

- Next girl gets all super serious and says "I have to get something off my chest. I have to tell you something about me. I can't snap my fingers." Woah girl.

- Two girls say something along the lines of "I'm so glad it's you standing there as the Bachelor." One even goes so far as to say he was her first pick. What? There is no way you ever in a million years thought that the dbag from three seasons ago would be back. No way.

- The next-to-last girl is a chef and food writer and brings him a brownie. Guess who ends up getting a rose at the end of the night? This is a GREAT strategy and I will keep that in my back pocket so thanks for the idea girl.

So now that we've met all of the ladies, then they get into the house and this is when the fun really starts. Because now all 30 all want to talk to him - all at the same time. And as the night winds down, they will literally do anything to get to talk to him. Including the "steal". This is where girls straight walk up to him while he's talking to another girl and literally ask if they can steal him away. Obnoxious. Also desperate.

As we observe them vying for the fair Brad's attention, one girl tells him a guy broke up with her because he wanted someone with a smaller butt so she straight sticks her ass in his face and asks if he can handle all of this. Weird. Another girl sings to him. Let me repeat that. Sings to him. Then there is the vampire girl.

Then they pass out the roses and the five girls that don't get one literally start crying. You have spent one evening with this guy and you didn't even know it was him when you started the night.

That's the thing with this show. These girls come in with a mission: to get a husband. And the husband will be this guy. Somehow, through watching him on a TV show a season before, they've deemed him to be perfect husband material - THEIR perfect husband material - and that is that.

Oh and the final note for the evening. The Bachelor is 38 years old. One of the girls is 32, three are 30 and the rest - the remaining 26 ladies - are 29 and under. Three girls are 24. Let's hope the whole "Age ain't nothin' but a number thing" is true.

The thing is though, I'm sucked in. I can't stand these girls, I can't stand this Brad guy, but I still have to see what is going to happen to all of them.

But most importantly, why does that girl have fangs?

Video of the Day 1/4/11 - Josh Groban is the MAN Edition

2011-01-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

Shoutout to my friend Lizzie for having this posted on her Facebook:

Why Hello There 2011

2011-01-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year faithful readers!

Yes, a brand new year is upon us and is it just me or does 2011 sound very futuristic? At any rate, it's here and I'm pretty excited.

As I'm sure most, if not all, of you will agree, a new year means a new start. A new chance at, well, whatever you want. There's a renewed sense of hope and the promise of opportunity. Anything is possible with the start of the new year and there's a feeling that you can conquer the world.

So here's a little insight on what I hope to accomplish with the start of a new year.

2010 was... well... one hell of a rollercoaster ride. I hit some really low lows, but I also experienced some pretty high highs, and in the closing days of 2010 I realized that I didn't want to start all over, but simply wanted to continue on the path that I'm on right now. Are there some areas of improvement? Of course. But I came to the somewhat strange yet liberating conclusion that I, ladies and gentlemen, am happy.

Trust me, there are moments when I think "The other shoe is about to drop at any moment and that's going to be it" and by no means am I saying I've found all the answers or that I don't have bad days. The search for happiness, contentment, satisfaction, whatever you want to call doesn't ever really end, but I've reached a place where I wake up and say to myself "Life is good." And that's a great, great feeling.

What a difference a year makes.

Personally, resolutions stress me out. I get overly anxious over the minutia of daily life enough as it is, so I don't need the added stress that failing at a resolution would put on me. There are a few goals I have set for myself, namely fixing my damn finances (Shoutout to James for the budget help), but that's about the only thing I've set in stone as something I truly need to fix and improve on.

Instead, when it comes down to it, I just want to keep on keeping on. I don't want to dwell on the past and I don't really want to play the "What If?" game and look toward the future too much. I want to live in the now. I want to take every day as one single day in which I can keep striving towards figuring out what makes me tick. I want to own every decision I make. Maybe this is a resolution in and of itself, but I think I can handle "Do me" as my resolution a lot easier. Because I've realized when you start to concentrate on just living as yourself, there isn't any real way to fail.

For once, I'm looking at this year and I don't have one single clue as to what it's going to bring me. And I love that. It's a little scary and a lot intimidating, but it's also very exciting and refreshing that the opportunity to make the most out of every single day is right at my fingertips. And I plan to take full advantage of that.

I am ready for you 2011. I've got old and new friendships, I've got Chloe, I've got my amazing family. Let's do this thing.

Walmart Ridiculousness

2011-01-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

It's an age-old debate: Target vs. Walmart. One has better prices, one has classier clientele, both are a one stop shop for basically anything.

What's my stance? Meh, I'll take either one. Usually Walmart for groceries and Target for clothes/shoes (Target shoes are fricken amazing)/anything else.

I do agree that the staff and shoppers at Walmart are, well, a bit on the non-classy side. I mean, not that it couldn't happen but I've never had an exchange like this happen to me at Target:

Random guy: Hey have you seen where the Gatorade is?
Me: Oh I don't work here.
Random guy: I know. I was just wondering if you had seen it while you were shopping?
Me: Oh. Um, no. No I haven't. Sorry.

This is either a) weird, b) standard for Walmart, c) an awesome pick up line or d) all of the above.

Anyway, I really don't have a problem going to Walmart... except for when I get to the checkout line.

Hey Walmart. All of the old people you employ are super cute and very friendly. But please don't let them work the registers. Please.

Without fail, I can get through my actual shopping in under 30 minutes. Then without fail, the checkout line takes me twice as long to get through.

Here are some of the awesome encounters I've had in the checkout line at Walmart recently:

1. I am in line for two things. TWO things. I go to the express lane. My checker is handling her business. However, the checker at the register behind me is having serious issues activating a gift card. So not only is she holding up her own line, but she then holds up my line because she is yelling at my cashier about how she can't figure it out and just wants to go back to the dairy department where she belongs. So right before it's my turn, my cashier leaves and goes to help her. What am I about to purchase? A poster frame and... a gift card. So now I'm nervous because I do not want to be that guy that holds up the entire line. I make a plan that if the woman starts to have trouble activating mine, I'll bail on the gift card. TEN minutes later my cashier comes back and apologizes for the wait. But my gift card gets activated with no problems at all and I'm on my way. But still... 10 minutes to shop, at least 20 at the register.

2. Last night I'm in line with a decently full cart of items. The woman in front of me has decided she wants to use cloth tote bags to put her groceries in. Sidenote: two of them are Target cloth bags. Is this allowed? I felt like some kind of alarm would sound and the Walmart police were going to show up and escort her out, saying "Ma'am. This is Walmart. Target items are not allowed within 50 feet of the premises." So good for her for saving the environment, but this now means that the cashier guy is completely thrown off. Instead of just scanning the items through and putting them in normal bags, he is now hand picking which items should go into which bag. The conveyor belt is not moving forward, ere go there is no room for me to put any of my stuff on the belt. He continues to take his time picking and choosing which item he wants to scan and bag next. I continue to get more and more agitated.

Finally this woman leaves and it's my turn. Now what does the guy do? Place two items in each bag. I know my guns are deceiving, but trust me, I can handle something heaver than two boxes of spaghetti in one bag.

Then he wants to make small talk. Maybe this is something I need to work on in 2011, but I am not a fan of the cash register small talk. Don't know why, just don't like to chit chat. So he sees that I'm buying six eggs instead of a dozen and asks why. What do you mean why? Because I only want six, how's that for why? Then he shares with me how many eggs he eats in a week and how the last time he ate eggs he had them in an omelette with ham. Sir, I don't like ham and I don't like that you're taking up bagging time by talking to me about my eggs.

35 MINUTES LATER I'm on my way.

None of this will deter me from continuing to shop at Walmart though. I hate the grocery story by my apartment, and I pretty much go there once a month, get 100 bucks worth of stuff and I'm good for the month. But I'm going to need the cashiers to get it together. Please.

Video of the Day 12/28/10 - Japanese Game Show Edition

2010-12-28T16:16:00.000-08:00

These Japanese game shows never fail to amuse me...

Book Review: Under the Dome

2010-12-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

Under the Dome
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Fiction, science fiction, mystery
Number of Pages: 1,074
Where I Got It: Library

First line: "From two thousand feet up, where Claudette Sanders was taking a flying lesson, the town of Chester's Mill gleamed in the morning light like something freshly made and just set down."

It's a typical day in Chester's Mill, Maine until suddenly and without warning an invisible force field surrounds the town, effectively sealing it off from the rest of the world. The race is on - not only to free Chester's Mill from The Dome and rescue its inhabitants from deteriorating environmental and ecological conditions, but to also stop religious fanatic Big Jim Rennie who likes the idea of an isolated community all for his domination a little too much. As Rennie continues to exert his power, Iraq veteran Dale "Barbie" Barbara and his allies start on a nonstop thrill ride to figure out the riddle of The Dome.

There are two things that will immediately scare you about this book. One is the fact that it comes in at a whopping 1,000-plus pages. The second is the lengthy list of characters, including Dogs of Note, that King maps out before the story begins. It's a lot to take in all at once and even made me think twice about picking this one up.

Wow am I glad that I did.

This book is genius. This is my first try with anything by Stephen King (I know, a book-a-holic like myself never having read Stephen King is pretty blasphemous) and I am kicking myself over and over and over for not having tried something of his before.

Here's the thing. I'm not a fan of science fiction and I'm not a horror fan - both genres I immediately associate with Stephen King. This book though suspended all of that for me. It was so well-crafted and developed so perfectly that I was engaged the entire time. For all 1,074 pages. In fact, I was so into this book and the "will they/won't they get out of this Dome" concept that I found myself breathless and not able to read fast enough to get to the next part.

You guys. I cried.

I can't rave about this book enough. It took me on a literal thrill ride - I found myself holding my breath at some points - and I haven't felt this strongly about a book in a long time.

Go. Read. This. Now.

Overall Rating: What do you think?

Coming Up Next: Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Portia Nathan is an admissions officer at Princeton University who scours the country looking for the absolute best of the best, and those that are even better than the best, and lives a pretty standard domestic life. But a life-altering decision from her past sneaks up on her and just as thousands of students wait to hear about their own admission, so too must Portia make the decision to make an admission of her own.

And now a movie review...
Role Models - Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott are sentenced to community service at the Sturdy Wings mentoring program and are paired up with two kids who couldn't be more different. McLovin from Superbad is in this and is hysterical as a teenager who is obsessed with a fantasy world where everyone role plays characters from medieval times. Paul Rudd is one of my favorite actors and his one-liners are always hilarious. Overall this was a pretty good and funny movie and I recommend it. One thumb up, one thumb sideways.

Video of the Day 12/12/10 - Super Cute Edition

2010-12-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

Shoutout to Phil for this super cute video I found on his Google Reader thing.

Video of the Day 12/9/10 - Glee Edition

2010-12-09T11:54:00.001-08:00

Whatever Happened To...

2010-12-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

Ace of Base?

I've discovered 90s radio on iTunes which means two things: I have a LOT more material for "Whatever Happened To..." and it is making the work day go by so much faster. And which recurring gem of an artist keeps popping up? The one and only Ace of Base. Although I am only familiar with "The Sign" as well as "Don't Turn Around" and "All That She Wants", Ace of Base had a lot of hits which they are still cranking out.

First, did you know they're from Sweden and three of the four members of the group are siblings? Fun facts. Second, the three songs I mentioned above all come from the same album making it the first debut album to produce three number 1 singles on the Billboard Top 40 chart. Sounds like Ace of Base was a lot more legit than I give them credit for.

The name Ace of Base comes from the fact that they rehearsed in the basement of a car repair shop and apparently considered themselves to be "masters of their studio" - thus aces of the basement and ere go Ace of Base. The more I learn, the more amazing they become.

Their first, and arguably their most popular, album Happy Signs came out in 1993 and was followed by The Bridge in 1995 and Flowers in 1998. A greatest hits CD came in 1999 and the group's fourth album Da Capo came out in 2002. The group took a hiatus for a few years starting in 2003 but came together for a reunion concert four years later, but slowly things started to fall apart.

It was revealed that one of the female leads hadn't been part of the group for a while (scandal) and nobody wanted to sign the group now that there were only three members. An album they put together in 2009 never got released, but they kept insisting that new music is coming out. Also, one of the guys is a judge on Sweden's version of American Idol.

Well lo and behold, the new and improved Ace of Base, complete with two new lady members, released a single called "All for You" in September. Magic.

So have no fear LTD and Ace of Base fans, it looks like the quartet, albeit a brand spanking new version, is still going strong. I know I can rest a lot easier now.

And Now... Sports

2010-12-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

It's amazing. Until very recently, I used to be "sports girl". I could talk pretty intelligently about how different teams were doing, especially college teams, and who players to watch were. I watched a lot of ESPN and Lately? Don't care. And I'm 100 percent fine with that.

Last night though I was definitely interested in the story of LeBron's great return to Cleveland... the city he so unceremoniously broke up with on national television out of nowhere over the summer. A week before this game, there were already reports coming out of extra security and police being called in for this one game. I knew it was going to be nuts. And I knew I had to tune in.

I know this has all been covered back when "The Choice" or "The Decision" or whatever the hour long special ESPN made about whether or not King James would be going to Miami was called came out. Was this the right move? And I give a resounding no to that. LeBron is very good at basketball, but this still does not warrant an all-out lovefest about yourself before you crush the hopes and dreams of millions of your fellow Ohioans... Ohians... Ohians?

The problem does not lie in the fact that he chose to leave the Cavs for what is just now starting to look like greener pastures. He was a free agent. He saw the chance for a championship and better pieces all around him and he took it. Let's not pretend that this is the first time in the history of sports that someone has done this to a team they were on. Chris Bosh just did it too. How about when Garnett left Minnesota for Boston? Fill in any other names you can think of. I also guarantee that he won't be the last.

For the fans last night, this was now their chance to say back to LeBron "Oh yeah? Well screw you too" because let's face it - that's pretty much what he said to them when he chose to air that TV special. LBJ went to work, dropping 38 on the Cavs in the rout, but did that stop the fans from voicing their concerns at any point during the night? Nope. I just don't think that for the fans it was about who would win or lose this game. I, for one, did not think Cleveland would get the win. This was about them telling him this is where you grew up, where you played high school ball, where you played professionally and where you were absolutely worshipped. And that's the thanks we get? You did us wrong man and now you're going to hear about it - over and over and over again. Because they will never stop booing and waving signs and coming up with ways to antagonize him on the court at every chance they get.

Let's say he had gone the traditional route of a press release and press conference announcing his move. Sure the fans would still have been worked up about him leaving but that's a lot less of a blow than that TV show.

I still can't really speak as an expert in this area though considering I've never had anything like this happen to me. So I thought, what if it did happen to me? How would I feel? So then I remembered about that time Kobe straight out said he wanted to be traded and that's pretty much as close as you can get to the LeBron debacle.

I remember thinking to myself "What? No. Kobe... leaving? He couldn't. He wouldn't! He IS Laker basketball. Would he? Is this real?" I kind of felt like this - like I was very out of touch with reality. The idea was absolutely just too big for me to even fathom. Life without Kobe? Impossible. I told people there was no way it was happening, but there was still always a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach yelling "But what if he does?"

What would LA do? Ha probably riot. How would fans react when he came back with Random Team X to face the Lake Show? Boo? Cheer? Riot again? I honestly do not have an answer to these questions. I still cannot imagine Kobe playing in any other uniform except the purple and gold.

But it happened to Cleveland.

I do know one actual diehard Cleveland fan and so one day I hope to ask him all about his thoughts and feelings on this whole situation and ultimately answer the one question on everyone's mind: is it the fact that he left? Or the fact that he did so in such an egotistical way? I really think it's the second one. And I hope Cleveland fans keep on booing LBJ every time he comes through Quicken Loans Arena. Make those signs, get as loud as you can, know that LeBron will always respond by dropping 40 on you, but never stop showing him that he's no longer boys with Ohio.

Will this create a rivalry between the Cavs and the Heat? I wouldn't go that far. There has to be some level of excitement basketball-wise in order for that to happen I think. The Cavs aren't that good right now so maybe in time, but for now it's The People vs. LeBron James. And you can bet that the people will not let this go lightly.

Movie Marathon Weekend

2010-11-28T23:17:00.000-08:00

So the cable provider I can no longer afford, better known as AT&T UVerse, offered a free preview of all the movie channels and I think some sports channels that I don't currently have. Somehow though the Laker game tonight was still blacked out on FSW so thanks for that UVerse.

Basically I went through all the channels and DVRed a bunch of movies that I've been wanting to see. Will they still be on my DVR when this preview thing is over? No idea.

So without further ado, here are some reviews of the movies I watched this weekend:

Valentine's Day - This is the movie that has literally every popular celebrity today in it: Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Ashton Kutcher, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts... and that's not even half the cast. It was teeeeeerrible. Seriously don't bother with this one. Two thumbs down.

Postgrad - Rory from Gilmore Girls plays a girl who graduates from college and is denied a position at her dream job and so has to move back in with her parents while she tries to find work. She's a good actress, but it was too much like Gilmore Girls: The Sequel to be honest. The supporting cast however was pretty fantastic. Jane Lynch and Michael Keaton are hysterical as her wacky parents and the guy who plays Matt Sarasen on Friday Night Lights is in the role of her best friend slash boy she realizes she (of course) loves. He is smoking hot. The end. One thumb up, one thumb sideways.

Whip It - This was a lot better than I thought it was going to be and I actually pretty highly recommend it. Ellen Page is turning out to be a really good actress, although do you think she gets annoyed with the fact that she's like 26 but plays 16 year olds in all of her movies? She is really good in this movie as a girl who lives in the middle of nowhere Texas and is forced to suffer through beauty pageants and a part-time job at the local burger stand... until she discovers an all-girls roller derby league. The supporting cast was great in this one too with Drew Barrymore and Kristen Wiig from Saturday Night Live as her teammates. The action was good as was the plotline. Highly recommended. Two thumbs up.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Scarlet Johansson plays a girl who travels to Barcelona for the summer after college with her friend and ends up meeting Javier Bardem's character. Before you know it, she's caught up in a very different kind of romance with him and his ex-wife who's juuuuust a little bit on the crazy side. The synopsis of this one is kind of hard to explain as there are a few subplots mixed in. It was weird though. Penelope Cruz definitely steals the show and her performance is worth picking this one up. Guys will also like it because of Scarlet Johansson who annoys me to no end, but ladies don't worry. Javier Bardem is plenty of eye candy on his own. Two thumbs sideways.

I have a few more that I have yet to watch so stay tuned for more reviews:
The Fall
Role Models
The Time Traveler's Wife
Revolutionary Road
Paper Heart
Up in the Air
The Blind Side
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Video of the Day 11/18/10: Campeones del Mundo Edition

2010-11-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

That means World Champions and no I'm not talking about the San Francisco Giants.

Spain revealed their new national team jerseys via a... well... interesting commercial from Adidas. Check it out:

Can You Blame Him Though?

2010-11-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

Before I get into this post I have one request of all four of you that actually still read this: I have not read the last Harry Potter book. I know nothing about what happens. Seriously nothing. I'd like to keep it that way. Thanks.

On Saturday, part one of the final Harry Potter book/movie will hit big screens. Part two comes out in June or July of next year I believe and then that's that. The end of a true era when you think about it. It's been 10 years, seven books, eight movies, and a whoooooole lotta dollars.

But is this it?

Apparently J.K. Rowling, author of the HP books, is now saying she's not ruling out the possibility that she will write more books about the young wizard with the weird scar.

So how does Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in all of the movies, feel about this? Well... it sounds like he's kind of pissed.

Seriously though, can you blame him? This kid has played Harry Potter - and only Harry Potter - for 10 years. He's said his goodbyes to the character and has prepared himself for the next chapter in his career. And now he's hearing through the grapevine that Ms. Rowling might not be done with him yet?

He says he wouldn't come back if she started writing more books that they turned into movies and frankly I say good for him. You know how hard it's going to be for him to play a role where people don't look at him and think "That's Harry Potter"? He tried doing a live play where he had to come out onstage naked and people lost it because ::gasp:: that's Harry Potter. He's been hardcore typecast and it isn't going to be easy to break that.

And it's not just him. I'm sure all of these kids want to move on with their lives, especially since they have already gone ahead and wrapped up this chapter. They've said their goodbyes and I'm sure they just want to enjoy these last few months and then look to other projects.

So I'm with Harry... er Daniel Radcliffe. Let's all say our goodbyes to Harry Potter next summer and move on with our lives. This means you too J.K. Rowling.

Book Review: American Wife

2010-11-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

American Wife
Author: Curtis Sittenfeld (who is a woman)
Genre: Fiction but apparently based on some real events
Number of Pages: 555
Where I Got It: Own it.

First line: "Have I made terrible mistakes?"

Alice Lindgren is a normal girl who grows up in normal suburbia Wisconsin when a terrible tragedy turns her life upside down. As she moves past it and begins to establish her adult life, she meets Charlie. They fall in love, marry and Alice finds herself the doting wife of a man who eventually becomes President of the United States. She discovers that she is married to a man she both loves and fundamentally disagrees with - and that her private beliefs increasingly run against her public persona. As her husband's presidency enters its second term, Alice must confront contradictions years in the making and face questions nearly impossible to answer.

So it's been said that this book mirrors the life of Laura Bush and it's pretty apparent, especially when "Charlie" finally does become President and Alice is talking about life in the White House. September 11th, the decision to go to war, and the ensuing criticisms are all discussed in detail so it becomes pretty easy to figure out who the author is really painting a picture of.

This book did make me want to learn more about the life of Laura Bush because if the events in the book really are that similar to her real life, she lived a pretty interesting pre-First Lady life. Will we ever get the real answers for how she felt about the decisions her husband made as President? Probably not. But if the parallels this book draws between Alice and the real Laura Bush are that similar, then I'm really fascinated by Mrs. Bush's story.

Otherwise, the book was up and down for me. Some parts were great and really emotional and I got really drawn in to the characters and what Alice went through. Then some parts made me feel like I was reading straight chick lit and I didn't like that at all. Then I'd be back in Alice's head following right along as she watched Charlie make decisions that affected the whole country that she didn't necessarily agree with and I was sucked in again.

Don't rush out to pick this one up but it's decently interesting and a quick read for a plane ride or something like that.

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Coming Up Next: Under the Dome by Stephen King
On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when — or if — it will go away.

Live Blog: Dancing with the Stars 200th Episode

2010-11-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Dancing with the Stars will air its 200th episode. As the opening number and credits rolled, I said to Chloe "Man lovebug, I should be live blogging this." So I am.

As always with a LTD live blog, the time stamp is not accurate because I DVR like crazy.

Let's go!

9:00 - The opening number with all of the pros from the past 11 season was SICK. Man those dancers can move. Then they go through each season and show the celebrities from that season who are in the audience tonight. This is not sick. Not very well rehearsed, I couldn't tell who half the people were, and nobody was there from season 6. Oops. Of course when they show season 10's contestants, it's Erin Andrews, Jake the Bachelor and Evan Lysacek the figure skater. Shocking. Erin Andrews is owned by ABC, Jake technically is too, and I heard a rumor that tonight they will be previewing "Skating with the Stars" which sounds absolutely terrible but I guess that's why Evan is here.

9:03 - Tonight they are going to do team dances BUT, says Brooke Burke, there's a twist. Each team will have a former champ as their captain. I guess they're more legit, but a pro can teach me a dance any day over the so-called captains.

9:04 - The captains are Kristi Yamaguchi and Apolo Anton Ohno. Um Team Apolo all the way thanks. Apolo, Derek Hough AND Maks on the same team? Yes please.

9:07 - So I guess Team Kristi is first because they are showing their practice. At first I thought they were just recreating the freestyle dance that Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark did, but now apparently they are cha-cha-ing. I am so confused.

9:10 - Ok so yes here goes Team Kristi. Rick Fox is a giant but he moves really well. Bristol Palin wasn't so bad and Kyle and Lacey are really fun to watch. This isn't bad at all.

9:14 - Wow Brooke Burke. Please let them finish speaking before you cut them off. Ugh she is terrible. How do I audition for this job? Team Kristi gets a 24 out of 30.

9:18 - Back from commercial and I'm pretty sure Derek currently has on a fake soul patch like Apolo has. This could be epic.

9:20 - So let me get this straight. Apolo and Kristi are captains, but they don't do the choreography, they don't watch practices and they don't offer any kind of criticism. So what would you say you do?

9:24 - Loved it. Plus all three guys all had fake soul patches on. Chloe gives it 4 paws. Bruno can't stand it. He has to stand up and do the cabbage patch or the butterfly or something.

9:26 - 27 points for Team Apolo. Their captain has just said unbelievable 7 times in 30 seconds. Team high fives! Cuuuuute.

9:28 - So now it's time for round two. And apparently each couple is going to recreate an iconic dance from someone from a past season. AND that person is going to be... wait for it... a guest judge for that dance. It is getting CRAZY around here.

9:29 - First up is Mel B aka Scary Spice. Fun fact: Maks spends Thanksgiving with Mel B and her family sometimes. Buuuuut neither of them were born in America...

9:31 - Kyle and Lacey will be dancing the Maks and Mel B paso. Which means Kyle is playing the part of Maks. This is Kyle. This is Maks. K good luck Kyle.

9:34 - Len says it was his best dance. Mel B was blown away. Bruno calls him an untamed young bull and says "testosterone" (awkward) but then critiques his shoulders. Carrie Ann liked it. Chloe can hardly contain her excitement:

9:37 - 35 out of 40 for Kyle and Lacey for 59 on the night. Mel B gave him a 10. I'm not a psychic or anything but I feel like that could be a trend tonight...

9:38 - Our next guest judge is season 3 champ Emmitt Smith.

9:38 - Okay I have to just say that this season of Dancing with the Stars has more light effects, more smoke, more lasers and explosions and set changes and props than ever before. Every single time someone comes out I feel like I'm watching the ESPYs or the VMAs or some other low budget awards show.

9:40 - So of all the couples to dance Emmitt's tango, it's Kurt Warner and his partner. This strikes me as hilarious. A Super Bowl MVP QB vs. a Super Bowl MVP RB? I can't back up that Emmitt Smith was in the Super Bowl, an MVP of the Super Bowl, or even a running back.

9:44 - The judges critique such weird things. Kurt sticks his next out too much according to Bruno. Carrie Ann just criticized the tango Emmitt did EIGHT seasons ago. Awesome.

9:45 - Oh there is so a vibe between Kurt and Emmitt and it's not a good one.

9:46 - Rick Fox is in a completely green suit. Like completely green. With green shoes and a green fedora with a green feather in it. He looks like the Jolly Green Giant.

9:47 - Ooooh so weird. Emmitt gave Kurt a 10. Everyone else gave him 8s. They get 34 out of 40 for 61 on the night.

9:49 - Kelly Osbourne is next. She's lost like 100 pounds or something. Seriously her body is insane now. Bristol and Mark are reinterpreting Kelly's Viennese Waltz from season 9.

9:52 - Bristol lets us know that her family and Kelly Osbourne's family are very different. Insert your own jokes here...

9:55 - Kelly Osbourne just told Bristol she had some big shoes to fill. Wow. Listen Kelly, I know you're looking all fabulous these days but let's tone down the arrogance a bit shall we?

9:56 - They just showed Kristi Yamaguchi and Apolo Anton Ohno sitting next to each other in the audience. Do you think that secretly they can't stand each other because Apolo is the new Winter Olympics darling? These are the things I think about.

9:59 - OMG Kelly didn't give them a 10! How PISSED are you if you're Bristol and Mark. That celeb paddle is like a free 10! They get 33 out of 40 and 57 on the night. Brooke asks how that feels and Mark goes "That feels great!" and Bristol goes "Oooh yeah."

10:01 - My lover and favorite tax evader Helio Castroneves is up next. Rick and Cheryl will dance his quickstep where he wore the bright yellow suit. This is probably why Rick is dressed in a giant green suit.

10:04 - Eliza Dushku with a special guest appearance. The only thing I've ever seen her in is Bring It On. Apparently she is dating Rick Fox. With a partner like Cheryl, I'm sure this is not the first time she's just popped up at the studio.

10:06 - He seriously looks like a giant piece of broccoli. Plus he has a zebra print tie on. This is the worst costume ever.

10:07 - Oh no you did not Tom Bergeron. How are you going to make a joke about him looking like the Boston Celtics when he is a Laker? Not cool.

10:08 - They all decide his nickname is the Jolly Green Giant. Um I made that joke 20 minutes ago. Carrie Ann then yells, yes literally yells, the word giant 3 times. Then they show Rick and he is totally courtesy laughing.

10:09 - Helio gets us back on the homer train with a 10 for Cheryl and Rick. They get 9s from everyone else for 37 out of 40 and a total of 61 on the night. The judges all thought that was their best dance to date and I thought it was awful. Goes to show what I know.

10:13 - Yeah I want to be Carrie Ann now. First she gets to sit next to Helio and now Gilles? Not fair. Brandy and Maks are dancing Gilles' foxtrot.

10:14 - Brandy talks about how she's faced a lot of adversity throughout her career. I can't even make a joke here...

10:15 - HOW are you uncomfortable with getting rub up on Maks? Move over and allow me to show you how it's done.

10:18 - That was a good one. Chloe loved it too.

10:21 - Woah LEN gave out a 10 but Gilles with the 9? That's quite the twist. They get a 37 out of 40 for a total of 64 on the night.

10:23 - This is the longest show ever. Here's the gist of what I'm fast forwarding through. Jennifer and Derek are dancing something Drew Lachey danced. Jennifer Grey is 50 and cries a lot. That just took up 2 minutes on my DVR.

10:27 - Yep, she's back. Carrie Ann is crying. And I don't know what any of the other judges said because I was looking up my polling place. I think my apartment complex is a polling place...

10:29 - It's a 10 from Drew and 9s from everyone else. 64 out of 70 total. Ugh Brooke Burke. Blah blah blah.

10:31 - That's all folks! Tomorrow is the 200th results show with Taylor Swift, Rod Stewart and the cast of Mary Poppins which is actually playing up here in Sacramento and I'm thinking about going to check it out. Thanks for tuning in. My foot and my cat are asleep. Livin' the Dream. Out.

A Note to Boys Who Play Sports with Girls

2010-11-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

I'm angry so here comes an angry post...

I recently joined a new co-ed soccer league with some people I know from work and some other randoms. We've played one game, we tied, I scored the tying goal. Everyone on the team is very nice and seem happy to have me. Then again, when a girl agrees to play on a co-ed team, usually they will be nice to you because they need you more than you need them.

So while I'm pretty happy with my own team, the team I played against was full of the whiniest, bitch ass guys I have ever met. So pay attention boys who play sports with girls - this one's for you.

First and foremost, at all times you should remember that YOU are a guy and I am a girl. I might shove you into a wall, I might shimmy-shake past you, and I might really get you fired up. But remember. I am a girl and you are a guy. Control yourself. Take the shove, take the juke out and man up. Your precious male ego will live to see another day. I promise. Calling a girl half your size a "fat ass" and claiming that she almost broke your clavicle is not only super dramatic, but makes you look like a huge tool. Sidenote: both of these things actually happened at our game last week. By the same guy.

I know that there's a major problem with girls who play co-ed anything acting like... well like bitches frankly. Trust me, the girls on this team last week were just as whiny as the guys, if not worse. The girls in a co-ed league always think they have something to prove and this is definitely annoying.

But guys you don't have anything to prove. This isn't your World Cup tryout and I'm sorry if you got rejected from that DI program six years ago. But just calm down. Play the game, score a few goals and just go about your day.

Thanks for listening.

Book Review: Shanghai Girls

2010-10-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Girls
Author: Lisa See
Genre: Fiction with some history thrown in
Number of Pages: 336
Where I Got It: Library
First Line: "Our Daughter looks like a South China peasant with those red cheeks," my father complains, pointedly ignoring the soup before him.

In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, and thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides. As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules.

So remember the last episode of "Friends" when Ross is listening to his answering machine to Rachel arguing with the flight attendant about getting off the plane? And for a little bit we don't know if she made it off? Then she announces that she did and he turns around and she's there and everyone cheers?

Now imagine that same scene, except this time we never find out if Rachel got off the plane. Ross is still staring at his answering machine, asking himself if she did and then the show just ends.

That was the ending to this book.

Let me start from the beginning. This book is A-MA-ZING. Seriously it just became one of my faves. Pearl and May are amazing characters and author Lisa See is a pretty brilliant writer. I was completely engrossed from start to finish and felt so connected to all of the characters. I couldn't get through some of the pages fast enough!

Which is why I was SO frustrated by the ending. Literally I was like oh man here we go, Pearl is going to find Joy and something with Z.G. is about to go down. I turn the page and...

Acknowledgments?!

I literally yelled "You have got to be kidding me" in my bed then immediately BBMed the following to James: "The book I just finished has the shittiest cliff hanger ending. Wtf I am super pissed."

Then I calmed down and I thought about it and realized it was actually a really really good ending. The book was about May and Pearl - sisters who had been through some of the most difficult episodes anyone could ever go through. It wasn't about anybody else's relationship in the book. At the end of the day, May and Pearl had a bond that would get them through anything and that was the message, essentially, of this book. No matter what they had been through and what fights and jealousies and resentments they may have harbored, at the end of the day they were sisters and that was it.

I can't recommend this book highly enough and I can't wait to read more of Lisa See's novels. Please do yourself a favor with this one.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Coming Up Next: American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
American Wife is the story of Alice Lindgren, a middle-class woman (and registered Democrat) from a small town in Wisconsin who grows up to become a children’s librarian but then falls in love with an impish young dilettante from a famously rich and political family and eventually finds herself the unlikely First Lady of the United States. The story is apparently loosely-based on the life of Laura Bush.

Video of the Day 10/27/10 - Humans Are Awesome Edition

2010-10-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Or incredibly stupid. You decide. Shoutout to Ashley.

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

You Should Get That Looked At...

2010-10-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

If I'm Charlie Sheen, it's time to find an allergist who can take care of my severe allergic reactions that cause me to be naked and intoxicated in a trashed hotel room.

Charlie Sheen was hospitalized Tuesday morning for what his rep is calling "an adverse allergic reaction to some medication."

This is after:
1. He is found naked and intoxicated in his room at The Plaza.
2. Tables and chairs were thrown around.
3. A chandelier was damaged.
4. He was "emotionally disturbed" when he got to the hospital (according to TMZ).

Like I said, Charlie Sheen needs an allergist ASAP.

Also, while I want to say that this is terrible media relations work on the part of his rep - I mean does anybody believe an allergic reaction caused him to flip out that much? - I have no idea what I would do in this situation. Actually, after a misdemeanor assault charge, two instances of driving his SUV over a cliff, and now this, I'd probably just quit.

"GleeQ" - The Cover Heard 'Round the World

2010-10-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

Gleeks gone wild? If you hadn't heard, GQ's newest issue has a story and pictorial dedicated to the all-time greatest TV show ever, Glee. But hold on to your show tunes, everyone. We're not in a high school glee club anymore.

The Parents Television Council is up in arms over the sexy display, saying that the cover borders on pedophilia considering the three featured (Quinn, Rachel and Finn) play high school students on the show and GQ is a magazine geared towards grown men. The GQ editor-in-chief responds by saying that in real life, these three are in their mid-20s and are old enough to make their own decisions.

I was kind of surprised at first to see these pictures and I can see how the Parents Television Council would take offense considering how popular the show is with kids these days. But then I think about it and I just don't see that big of an issue with this cover or any of the pictures inside.

This isn't Highlights for Kids or even Teen People or YM (do those still even exist for teenage girls to read like I did?) we're talking about. This is GQ magazine. And the PTC contradicts their own case in a way by saying a magazine geared towards grown men shouldn't objectify girls who play high school aged characters. The magazine is for grown men. That's the audience and thus the market that you're catering to. Lea Michele (Rachel) and Diana Agron (Quinn) are beautiful and frankly I think it was only a matter of time before we were going to see it. We kind of already did with the Rolling Stones issue that came out a few months ago.

If your kids are getting a hold of a GQ magazine, it might be time to re-examine yourself as a parent. And if they see it in the market and ask why their favorite Glee characters are in their underwear on a magazine... Well I'm not a parent so I don't know what you would respond with but I'm sure you'll think of something.

This begs the question of just how young is too young to be watching Glee? I've had this debate with my friend and her mom before as we watch the show together sometimes and I'm not gonna lie, some of the stuff that's been on the show isn't always suitable for kids younger than high school age. Sure the singing is fun, but there's also a good amount of adult content that isn't appropriate for elementary or even middle school-aged kids. I honestly don't think I would let my child watch Glee if they were younger than high school. How are you supposed to explain to a second grader why Finn is praying to Grilled Cheesus for the chance to touch Rachel's boobs and why this is something so important he wants to pray about it and why he's so glad when his prayers are answered? I just get it. A high schooler probably just gets it. A sixth grader? Hopefully doesn't.

Yes there's the whole "they're role models now" aspect of it, but their fanbase isn't just screaming preteens. Do you know how many Wednesday morning IM conversations take place between me and Julie about how hot Finn and Puck are? Not gonna lie, I wouldn't mind a Finn and Puck shirtless spread in Cosmo or something. But just them. I'm good without Artie and Kurt. They have adult fans too. They have plenty of guys in their 20s and 30s who think the girls are hot. You have to meet both markets.

At the end of the day, why is it okay for kids (and I mean younger than high school age) to watch a show that shows high schoolers engaging in bullying and taunting and sex and dealing with very real and heavy life issues, but it's not okay for these same kids to see the same characters in their real life roles promoting themselves and their show? Am I contradicting myself? Because I don't see much of a difference. You can't condone one then lash out at the other.

This has opened my eyes as to just how tough it is to be a parent these days and actually have to explain stuff like this to your kids. So I give the PTC props for recognizing that we have some impressionable youth out there that will see that magazine cover. But maybe drawing that line between fantasy and reality isn't the worst thing you can teach your kids how to do either.

The moral of the story: I still love me some Glee.

KINDLE Review: The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

2010-10-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Author: Stieg Larsson

This is officially the second book I've finished on the Kindle. I promise the novelty will wear off soon, but I love this thing a lot so bear with me.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the final book in the Millenium trilogy by Stieg Larsson. This book picks up right where the second one leaves off and concludes with Lisbeth Salander finally getting her life and freedom back. The book resolves the whole trilogy perfectly and the ending closes the door on the whole saga really well, allowing Lisbeth to finally be at peace with herself and her new life.

Not much of a synopsis I know, but these books are hard to write any plot details about without giving away major spoilers.

The third book is a little less action-packed and we see a lot more plotting, scheming and actual criminal investigation work than we have before. But Larsson still has a way to keep you fully engaged throughout. The back-and-forth between what the bad guys are trying to do and how the good guys are catching on and figuring out how to stop them is really interesting. There's high-powered corrupt government officials, the FBI, regular blue-collar cops, and investigative journalists all asking questions, following leads, and putting the pieces together.

Which leads me to the same gripe you've heard before from me about these books: the entirely too large cast of characters. There are 13 "main" characters, most of which are investigators working for completely different police organizations, plus supporting characters everywhere. There are two magazine/newspaper staffs, officers of the Stockholm police force, officers in the Swedish version of the FBI, members of the secret police group that exists within the Swedish version of the FBI. I mean it's at least 20 other names to remember and sometimes they're referred to once, then not mentioned again for another few chapters.

Another issue I had with this book was that the author mixed in random subplots that I felt didn't need to be there. They took away from the overall storyline and, again, I never understood the purpose of them or what they were supposed to bring to the big picture.

The trilogy as a whole starts out pretty explosively with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and the second book holds its own as well but now that I've had time to think about the books, there's definitely a steady decline in plot, character development and overall draw.

I'd still take the time to read these and enjoyed my overall experience.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (too many characters again and the unnecessary subplots)

Coming Up Next: For now, I'm sticking with a regular book but have the following downloaded onto the Kindle for whenever I need it next:
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
World Without End by Ken Follett
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

A LTD Look at the World Series

2010-10-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Okay so it's not the World Series yet, but that title sounds better than "A LTD Look at the NL and AL Divisional Championship Series" or whatever the heck it's really called.

And why don't I know what it's called? Because friends, I have zero interest in following the MLB Playoffs. I've tuned in here and there and have seen some decently exciting plays and finishes. That Phillies pitcher had the complete game and almost had a no-hitter on the very first day of the playoffs which was cool. The Giants have had some nailbiting finishes. Apparently the fighting Evan Longorias were terrible this year. So I know a little about what's been going.

So I'm here to announce that I am officially rooting for the Phillies in the World Series.

Here's why...

I know nothing about the Texas Rangers. I don't recognize that many names on their roster. The Josh Hamilton story does tug at the heartstrings, so maybe that will be my backup choice if they can beat the stupid Yankees.

Which brings me to my next point. The Yankees are stupid. Their fans are annoying, their players are annoying, their players celebrity wives and girlfriends are annoying. They make way too much money for a mediocre baseball team.

And then there's the San Francisco Giants. Listen Sacramento friends, you guys are great. But I cannot root for the Giants as it goes against everything I believe in having grown up going to Dodger games my whole life. Tim Lincecum is a beast, Buster Posey is a beast and also very cute, Brian Wilson's beard is terrible but he is also a beast. But I just can't do it. Would you be rooting for the Dodgers right now if they were in the postseason? Nope. Every single Giants fan that I've posed this question to has stopped, thought about it, and replied with "Ooooh, yeah you are so right."

But don't worry, I'm a great anti-Giants fan. I don't follow them enough to trash talk and I have enough respect for fans of the other teams to not show up at a Giants game decked out in Dodger gear. First, I don't own any Dodger gear. Second, I don't want to get my ass kicked by some girl fan of the Gigantes. So carry on friends, but don't expect me to jump on the bandwagon ever.

So that leaves me with the Phillies. The Phillies fans I know are awesome people, I've never been to Philadelphia but I'm sure it's lovely, and I know a lot of names on their roster so at least I'm able to say "Oh yeah I've heard of that guy."

There you have it. Go Phillies and if they don't win go Texas. And let's hurry all these series up so we can move on to NBA season. Kobe's got a look in his eye that says three-peat.

Things I Think Are Stupid

2010-10-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to the days where you went to a mall or other shopping establishment and the parking spaces in the front were reserved for handicapped or disabled customers. And that was it.

Yesterday I went to Target in Davis and literally 10 spaces in every single aisle were reserved spots. And what were they reserved for? Hybrid cars, electric cars and carpools. This is what I think is stupid.

My San Diego friends will be the first to agree that this is stupid, considering this exact case runs rampant down there. Exhibit A: The Mission Valley Mall. A quick trip to that mall will have you circling the lot for hours because of all the reserved spaces with signs reading "Expectant Mother Parking Only".

Pregnant women, more power to you and all of your raging hormones but this is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. My argument is this: how do you know I'm not pregnant?

Seriously, what's going to happen if I do park there? Is a nurse going to jump out from behind a tree with a pregnancy test and a pee cup and tell me to prove myself? San Diego ladies, somebody try this please and tell me what happens.

So the same holds true for these reserved spots in Davis. Carpools only? What the heck constitutes a carpool? Do people have special passes designating their car as an official carpool vehicle? That is stupid.

Next is the electric and hybrid cars. These signs also claim that those spots are charging stations for the cars. Well guess what people. No outlets anywhere near the spots. Furthermore if electric/hybrid cars are so popular that they demand literally 10 spaces all to themselves, why was there officially one car parked in any of the spots last night when I was there? Just because I choose not to drive a terrible Prius doesn't mean I should get penalized and relegated to the back of the parking lot.

Plus, again, how do you know my car's not energy efficient? Maybe I converted my Jeep to run on vegetable oil with these step-by-step instructions?

In conclusion, I hate parking lots as it is (talk to my brother about this) so this just adds to the rage that is already building inside of me. Get it together parking lots.

New Very Funny Link

2010-10-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

One of the students who works in my office shared this with me and it definitely does not disappoint.

This is "Dear Girls Above Me,".

The premise: Two girls move into an apartment upstairs from this guy who is forced to listen to their inane conversations. So how does he deal? He writes letters to them on this blog.

This is fantastic. My favorite line so far is from Oct. 13:

Dear Girls Above Me,
“I watched a special on conjoined twins and all I could think about was karate chopping them to freedom.” You should be a doctor.

Enjoy.

Video of the Day 10/15/10 - Steve Nash is the Man Edition

2010-10-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Yes you read that correctly. I have an entire new respect for Steve Nash after the new ad campaign for Fifa '11. In the commercials, Nash wants to become part of EA Sports' Pro Player Challenge, a gaming tournament where soccer stars from around the world play to promote the game. He harasses Landon Donovan about it and I think it's hysterical.

Video of the Day 10/14/10 - Cat in a Box Edition

2010-10-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

Shoutout to Sarah, a new fan of Livin' the Dream, who sent this to me earlier in the week and which I am just now watching because yes it's been one of those weeks.

First of all, how giant is this cat? Secondly, I have personally witnessed how much cats love boxes and let me tell you, I don't get it, but that sure doesn't mean it's any less hysterical to watch.

Enjoy.

Book Review: Gilead... Plus Some Movies

2010-10-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Gilead
Author: Marilynne Robinson
No. of Pages: 245
Where I Got It: Library

First line: I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, Because I'm old, and you said, I don't think you're old.

As soon as I read that first line, I knew I was doomed. I have no idea why I chose to read this book. Maybe because it's a Pulitzer Prize winner. Maybe because I didn't read enough reviews before taking it off the shelf at the library. Either way, I messed up big time with this one. It was awful.

The premise is that a 76-year-old preacher is writing a collection of letters to his son who is 7. Yes he is 76 and his son is 7. His wife is like 30 years younger than he is as well. So he's writing these letters to his son because, well, he's pretty much going to be dead soon. And that's pretty much it.

I didn't even finish this one. In fact, I made it to page 40 or something and I just couldn't even keep going. I had every intention of finishing it. I even went to renew it from the library online but somebody else had placed a hold on it so I wasn't able to. Yeah good luck with that buddy. You can have this one.

There was no dialogue, no other characters, it was just this guy talking about where he had grown up and giving anecdotes that were sprinkled with Bible verses. I couldn't stay focused and had to keep rereading pages over and over. No bueno.

Go ahead and skip this one.

Rating: 1 of 5 stars (1 star for the pretty cover)

Coming Up Next: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
In 1937, Pearl and May live a fabulous life as "Beautiful Girls" in Shanghai. Their faces are used to sell everything from soap to cigarettes and their world is full of glamorous parties, clothes, etc. They live a carefree life until their father loses literally everything he has through gambling. To recoup his debts, he sells the girls to a man who lives in Los Angeles as wives to his two sons. They struggle and face many hardships as they adjust to their new way of life.

And now for some movie reviews:
Up: This movie was really cute, but it made me kind of emotional! This should surprise no one honestly. But I did find myself tearing up at the end. The relationship that grows between the grumpy old man and the little boy is so fun to watch develop. Another Pixar classic! Two thumbs up.

I Love You, Man: Paul Rudd is about to get married and, after overhearing his future wife's friends talking about him, sets out to find himself a guy friend. He meets Sydney (Jason Segel) and they hit it off instantly. The relationship has its ups and downs throughout the movie, but of course everything is solved at the end. Although the storyline of this one was pretty predictable, Rudd and Segel are hysterical. The one-liners and comedic timing are pretty perfect and I found myself laughing out loud a bunch of times. One thumb up, one thumb sideways.

Gossip Girl - Season 1: Everyone was talking about this show and I never got into it so I decided to try it out for myself. I'm pretty pleasantly surprised. The cast and acting is really good and although the plot line is sometimes too hard to believe, I can definitely overlook that to see what happens on the next episode. I've worked through them pretty quickly and am halfway through season two which is also really good. One thumb up, one thumb sideways.

As always, feel free to recommend any movies, TV series, documentaries, etc. that you think I'd like!

Come On Celebs!

2010-10-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while. I have been sick and I have been out of town a lot. But honestly, the reason I haven't written about anything is that there isn't really anything to write about.

I've had little nuggets pop up where I've thought to myself "I should blog about that" but then I think about what I would say and not much material comes to mind. Here are some examples:

1. I hear on the radio on my morning drive yesterday that MTV is going to resurrect the show "Punk'd" but instead of Ashton Kutcher it will be Justin Bieber hosting. When I first heard this I actually, out loud, to myself, said "Terrible." And I stand by that. Then I thought to myself "I have to blog about this." Then when I thought about what I would say, nothing really came to mind, because there's honestly not a whole lot to say about this.

The idea of bringing Punk'd back isn't a bad one at all. There's a whole new slew of celebs that could be pranked that would make for entertaining TV as a lot of the most popular singers, actors, etc. weren't around when Ashton Kutcher was jumping out from behind a doorway to yell "You've been Punk'd!" Justin Bieber as the host though? Meh. He's annoying and I don't get the infatuation with him but that's who's super popular these days. And it could have been worse. So that was pretty much the extent of my thoughts on that. Not blogworthy.

2. Miley Cyrus gets caught at a 21-and-over club and she's... well... not 21. I'm going to go out on a limb here and let everyone know that this is not the first time Miley Cyrus has gone to a club or bar while underage. I guarantee Miley Cyrus has done plenty of "adult" things while being underage. This time, she just got caught. Not blogworthy.

3. Ashley Olsen might be getting engaged. Why are the Olsen twins still relevant? They don't do anything. Not blogworthy.

So celebs I implore you. Do SOMEthing. Help LTD out. I need a celeb scandal!

Video of the Day 9/30/10 - Bringing Sexy Back Edition

2010-09-30T12:32:00.001-07:00

I'm sure most of you have already seen this, but anything involving Justin Timberlake automatically makes the blog.

Video of the Day 9/28/10 - Seacrest's Worst Nightmare Edition

2010-09-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

For as much as I can't stand Ryan Seacrest, he would never do this.

It's a Spears-tacular

2010-09-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

If you hadn't heard, mainly from me (and honestly I don't know how that's possible), tonight was the Britney episode of Glee. Hence the title of this post.

All Britney songs, redone by the amazing members of the cast of Glee. Not just any Britney songs though. Songs from Britney in her prime. The songs I straight blasted on the radio of the '89 Mitsubishi Montero and danced to at all the high school dances.

But the best part of it all was that Ms. Spears herself would be making cameo appearances on the show.

And you know what? It wasn't half bad.

I honestly didn't know what to expect but of course the gossip columns set the bar pretty high with rumors and even Twitter photos of Britney on set. I read everything about it and couldn't figure out what the heck kind of role she would play. Well tonight I got my answer. She didn't really play any kind of specific role. She became part of each character's fantasy and made brief appearances just as a way for the kids in the glee club to get that extra push towards whatever they were trying to change in themselves. At first I was like "That's it?" but after processing a little bit I realized that's kind of all that was needed. She simply played herself and it worked.

It was an interesting dynamic within the show of the older crowd (mainly the glee club teacher) not seeing her as a role model or icon. And it's not hard to see how they could think that way. I mean she did go a little crazy for a good couple years. Okay a lot crazy. But the fact of the matter stands that she is a musical icon. She's the best-selling female artist of the 2000s and in June of this year Forbes Magazine named her as the No. 6 most influential and powerful celebrities in the world. Britney's legit whether you want to believe it or not.

She's definitely had her struggles but let me tell you, she's turned herself around. La Lohan could take a few lessons from Britney in how to take control of your life back. I think this appearance on Glee tonight showed that she's continuing to work on her image and is still a rock star. People will be talking about this episode for a while, you can guarantee it.

So props to Glee as usual and props to Britney for making a really good career move. She's on her way back I think.

Oh and p.s. next week's episode is going to be a sobfest.

KINDLE Review: The Girl Who Played with Fire

2010-09-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Author: Stieg Larrson

This is officially the first book I have finished on my Kindle, which I got earlier this summer as a super early birthday present from my parents. It could also have doubled as a "Here's a new toy because we think you're kind of depressed" present. Either way, they are the best.

I love this thing. It is so handy and convenient, especially since I've been doing a lot of traveling this summer and fall. I've used it at the pool and fitness center in my complex and, most recently, have taken it to go eat solo lunches by myself to clear my mind during the work day. My parents got me a little carrying case to go with it and it all fits right in my purse.

Next, the screen isn't like a computer screen at all which was my main hesitance in getting one anyway. I stare at a computer screen a lot during the day and I didn't want that same feeling when I tried to read a book. The Kindle isn't a computer screen, but rather it uses e-Ink and it's fantastic. It literally looks like you're reading a page in a book which I love. Plus when you're out in the sun, there's no glare so you can keep on reading. That commercial where the guy's trying to read his iPad by the pool and can't see anything but his own reflection while the girl is reading her Kindle perfectly fine is 100% true.

This is the Kindle I have.

It has wireless built in which means you can access the Kindle store directly from the device itself to buy a new book. I think the wireless can also do some other fancier things but I haven't learned how to do those yet.

A few drawbacks. For me personally, buying a new book is so easy that I tend to forget that this is actual money I'm spending and not just a free download. You link it up to an account you set up on Amazon and with one click, you have a new book in literally 3 seconds and it bills your credit card on file. Books can range from free (usually super classics) to as high as 15.99 for longer and newer books. I still think this is a great discount as compared to what you'd pay in stores. A great idea would be for them to somehow come up with Kindle coupons...

Next drawback is that it doesn't have a light but they have external ones that you can hook up to the device. Also for some reason you have to hold the on/off switch for a really long time for it to shut completely off otherwise it just goes into this sleep mode and then you don't realize it's in sleep mode so then you go to the gym or pool to use it and the battery is completely dead. The sleep mode is hysterical though because up comes a picture of some famous dead author or some other random literary image and it's always a new one every time.

But overall, I love the Kindle. Really love it. So now here's my review on the book I read.

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second book in Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy and is just as fast-paced and action-packed like the first. This time the story focuses more on Lisbeth Salander, a bad ass 4-foot-10 expert computer hacker with a photographic memory. I really liked the book a lot and even found myself gasping in surprise at a few twists and turns. The story gets a little graphic at times as it deals with illegal prostitution and the abused victims so heads up on that. Also there are a looooot of characters and all of their Swedish names tend to be really confusing. For example, there's a Neidermann and a Neierman. Thanks Mr. Larsson. Overall though it was a great read and I definitely recommend it.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (for too many confusing characters)

Coming Up Next: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
Considering I finished The Girl Who Played with Fire while on my flight to Colorado this weekend, I very conveniently turned on the wireless and downloaded the third and final book and dove right back in. Is this illegal on a plane? Possibly. Was it awesome? Definitely. I'm not putting a synopsis because all the ones that I usually jack from online give too much away.

Book Review: The Given Day

2010-09-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

The Given Day
Author: Dennis Lehane
Number of Pages: 720
Where I Got It: Library

First line: On a wet summer night, Danny Coughlin, a Boston police officer, fought a four-round bout against another cop, Johnny Green, at Mechanics Hall just outside Copley Square.

This epic historical novel is set in Boston at the end of World War I and follows several characters throughout some of the most pivotal moments in American history. From the police strike to the Boston Molasses Disaster, Lehane expertly intertwines the political and social unrest going on in one of the nation's biggest cities at the time with that of the lives of two families - the Coughlins and the Luthers. We also meet some of the most famous personalities of the time - Babe Ruth, Calvin Coolidge, Mitchell Palmer and more - as the two families fight to make it through the increasingly turbulent times.

By the way, wrote that myself. Pretty good synopsis.

This book was AMAZING. I really love Dennis Lehane's mysteries (namely Gone Baby Gone but he also wrote Shutter Island which I haven't read yet) and this book was so different, yet still so so good.

The characters were extraordinary. At times I will say that there were a few too many people to keep track of, but the main players in the book were so well-developed, I couldn't help but become completely engrossed in each of their stories. I wanted them to succeed, I was sad when they failed, I got angry when wrong was done to them. I nearly cried at some parts because of the emotional connection I made with these characters.

For someone who doesn't really know a lot of history, and a lot of American history at that, this book enlightened me to some otherwise unknown moments that happened during the early days of our country. I had no idea that gallons and gallons of molasses had once covered the entire city of Boston, creating absolute mayhem and chaos, nor did I know much about the police strike in 1919. Not only does Lehane do an incredible job of describing these events, but the suspense he creates leading up to the events (especially with the will they/won't they of the police strike) plus the description of the aftermath of these events is tense and action-packed. I felt my heart racing at times as I read about the rioting in Boston after the announcement of the police strike.

Seriously, do yourself a favor with this one. Although a daunting 720 pages, the book will fly by. Very highly recommended and a new favorite.

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Coming Up Next: Gilead by Marianne Robinson
The narrator, John Ames, is 76, a preacher who has lived almost all of his life in Gilead, Iowa. He is writing a letter to his almost seven-year-old son, the blessing of his second marriage. It is a summing-up, an apologia, a consideration of his life. Robinson takes the story away from being simply the reminiscences of one man and moves it into the realm of a meditation on fathers and children, particularly sons, on faith, and on the imperfectability of man.

Audio Review
Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson - I didn't even make it through disc two of this audiobook. Oh my goodness this was seriously terrible. The premise is that this woman Jennifer's grandmother who she calls Sam writes her a bunch of letters about her life and when Sam goes into a coma, Jennifer finds them and starts reading them. Cheesy background music, terrible narrators (Anne Heche's voice sounds even more like a 16-year old's than mine does) and a horrible plotline just made this too hard for me to get through. No bueno.

Hey! You Had Your Turn!

2010-09-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

So last night on Dancing with the Stars, Tom Bergeron of course plugged the new upcoming season of The Bachelor and the camera showed the new bachelor and the host, Chris Harrison, whose job is hysterical to me.

The new bachelor is a guy named Brad Womack. Now usually whoever got dumped on The Bachelorette usually becomes the next bachelor so I figured he was from last season of The Bachelorette which I didn't watch because that girl annoyed me to no end. However, after further research - and Tom Bergeron making a joke about him "actually picking someone this time" - I realized who he is.

This guy Brad already was The Bachelor! In 2007 he got down to the last two women and then didn't pick anybody. And now he's back for round two?

I understand that sometimes you want a second chance at things. Trust me, I understand. But buddy, you had your shot. What makes you think that things are going to be so different this next time around?

Apparently he was up against a guy who was on the show last season but I'm not sure if the other guy turned it down or ABC just decided that going with Brad was a better option because clearly it makes for better television. Shoot I'm about to watch just to see if the guy actually goes through with it at the end. But if I was the other guy and Brad was picked over me, I'd be pretty ticked off right now. Poor guy gets dumped on national TV then doesn't even get the chance to try things out for himself on the show.

This stands as yet another reason why I get annoyed with this show and it falls under the general umbrella of the fact that The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have lost a lot of touch with reality. From the exotic locations to the over the top dates themselves, this show is not how normal people meet each other and fall in love. Is the low success rate really a surprise? I feel like the couple gets back to their normal lives and things like going out for pizza isn't enough after they've been flown to Tuscany to make pizza themselves from a real Italian before riding a gondola into the sunset. How can normal life compare to the six weeks they've just experienced?

So this latest stunt falls under the same category for me. Again, this guy had 25-30 women there to win him over and he just walks away. Now he gets the chance to have another 25-30 women - beautiful, successful, pretty perfect women might I add - throwing themselves at him while he's traveling the world? This does not happen in real life. Sometimes you blow your chance and that's that and there's no ABC to ride in on their white horse and rescue it for you.

In a few articles, he's talked about how he's changed so much and how he knows now what he needs to do to really make it work with someone. Well congratulations but why can't you just make that work in your normal life in Texas? Why do you get hooked up like that? I just don't think it's fair.

Like I said before though, this is obviously going to make for great TV so I guess some credit has to be given to ABC for making this decision. But if it falls through again, they're going to have a lot of unhappy customers on their hands.

Video of the Day 9/21/10 - Why I Need a Cat Edition

2010-09-21T12:13:00.001-07:00

Submitted by Ashley who is laughing uncontrollably at her desk in Austin, Texas right now. Can you blame her though?

Live-ish Blog: Dancing with the Stars Season 11 Premiere

2010-09-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

The wait is over! Not only do we have the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars Season 11, but we also have the return of the live-ish blog here on Livin' the Dream. Dinner has been eaten, a glass of wine has been poured (which could make this even more entertaining) so now it's time to get down to business. As is customary, I DVR the first 30 minutes or so of the show so I can fast forward through commercials so my time stamps will be different.

Let's go!

8:25 - Tom Bergeron says we ain't seen nothing yet and that this is the wildest cast ever. Mrs. Brady and Michael Bolton scream wild and crazy to me, don't they?

8:26 - I am dying to meet the British guy who starts off the show.

8:26 - Music legend Michael Bolton? Wow that's laying it on a little thick, don't you think ABC?

8:27 - This is the absolute best set of introductions ever. Apparently Bristol Palin is a teen activist and yes, he is in fact going to be known as nothing but The Situation. Wow. I'm serious. His name is literally written as "The Situation and Karina" on the graphic.

8:28 - Brooke Burke is still a terrible announcer.

8:29 - Tony and Audrina are starting us off with the cha cha. But Tony just told Audrina that they are going to be the first couple up and she is freaking out. This is either because she's that dumb or because she's a total ringer and she's really good at dancing so they have to come up with something to make her "nervous". I guess we'll find out.

8:31 - Not bad for the very first couple up. She totally just went through the motions of the steps but it's to be expected for the first show I think. It's not going to get her through to the finals but she looked decently confident, just needs to be a little feistier.

8:32 - Bruno just called her a beautiful show pony that needs to be whipped into shape. Nice to see some things never change on this show.

8:33 - Aaaand not only did Carrie Ann just say that Len's butt is very tightly clenched, she just told Audrina that her solo at the start of the dance took "conyos". If you speak Spanish like I do, the word "conyo" is the equivalent of sh*t. So what I think she meant to say was "cojones" which means guts. Check yourself Carrie Ann.

8:34 - Wow a 7 from Len. 19 out of 30 for their total score. Heck yes you will take this Audrina. Last year on the first night, people got 4s. Take your sixes and be on your way.

8:37 - Next up is Kurt Warner and Anna. He has seven kids. Also he dances like the biggest whitest guy ever. This isn't going to be pretty.

8:41 - That wasn't as big of a train wreck as I thought it would be. Bruno thinks he's a natural. I wouldn't go that far. Carrie Ann just called him a legend on the football field. Again laying it on a little thick aren't we?

8:42 - Aaaaand time. Who had 8:42 as the time when all the judges would start screaming over each other?

8:45 - We're back with the scores. Wow 7s from Carrie Ann and Bruno and a 5 from Len. Kurt says "he'll take it". Again, that's a 19 out of 30 so yes Kurt you will take it.

8:46 - Honestly Brooke Burke is just the worst. I will comment on this frequently.

8:47 - Next up is this kid Kyle and Lacey who is blonde now. Not a good look for her. I have no idea who this Kyle kid is but literally he's like 15 and annoying me already. They are doing the cha cha too.

8:49 - Well what the kid lacks in technique, he certainly makes up for in showmanship. We might have an early favorite here. The crowd was going nuts, Carrie Ann is losing it and just said "fantastical".

8:51 - I think Bruno just called him a puffin. Isn't that an Arctic bird? Let's rewind.

8:51 - Still sounds like puffin but the fact that the entire phrase was "You are like an adorable naughty little puffin", I think he's really saying puppy. It is Bruno though so I wouldn't be surprised if he was actually saying puffin.

8:52 - Kyle loses a vote because of the ridiculous secret handshake he and Lacey just did. But they got a 23 out of 30.

8:54 - Next up is former LOS ANGELES LAKER Rick Fox and Cheryl. She's like 5-2 or something and he is a giant so this should be entertaining. It will also get old if they go on and on about how he's soooooo tall. Anyway, let's check out this Viennese waltz.

8:57 - Former Los Angeles Laker Rick Fox and his very white teeth are surprisingly graceful considering he's a giant. Len is all about it. Bruno is yelling again and thinks it's going to be a quarterback-power forward showdown. Carrie Ann is throwing herself all over him. Gross. But they all really like him. I will say he was a pretty decent surprise.

9:00 - They really know how to drag these shows out. One couple and then commercials. Thank goodness for DVR. Meanwhile absolutely none of the new shows on ABC's fall lineup look good.

9:02 - Rick Fox gets a 22 out of 30. This is a very high scoring first night.

9:03 - Next up is Margaret Cho and Louis. She has a LOT of tattoos and says she thought she'd be better than she actually is at ballroom dancing. No offense but I pretty much though you're as bad as you actually are.

9:04 - Apparently she was called the fat ballerina when she was five. Has this really haunted her her whole life? I'm going to say no.

9:06 - So she started out strong, then she turned into a payasa (as my dad would say) which means clown in Spanish. This was so weird. They were dancing the Viennese waltz and then they turned it into a comedy routine. The judges hated it and they get three 5s. I agree though. I get that she's a comic, that's her thing, whatever, but that's going to get old really fast.

9:10 - Time for Brandy and my lover Maks.

9:11 - Apparently Brandy did DWTS because she's been afraid to. Afraid of what? Being on TV? You were Moesha. Dancing in front of large crowds? You sold out concerts all over the country. I don't buy it Brandy. Ringer.

9:13 - Blah blah blah the judges love her and Bruno makes a play on words with her name and drinking. Sounds about right for Bruno. She gets a 23 out of 30 and she is crying. Oh wow, no she is seriously tearing up right now. Check yourself Brandy.

9:15 - And now the moment we've been waiting for: Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas. Mark is so cute but the shaved head is not a good look. Bristol Palin is already having issues doing shimmys and poppin that booty which I knew was going to be a problem for her.

9:16 - Aaaaaand the first dig at her ex Levi. Classy Bristol.

9:18 - Okay so here's the thing. I actually have to hand it to her for being on this show because honestly, she really is just a normal teenager. She isn't a celebrity (not like most of these people really are) but she hasn't grown up on TV or played a professional sport or sung in front of millions of people. She is like 17 and yes she's been on the tabloids and stuff but coming out and ballroom dancing on live TV when you literally have NO experience being any kind of an entertainer takes guts.

9:23 - And she's also not a good interview. Wow the combination of Bristol Palin and Brooke Burke is going to be really painful for me to watch. She gets an 18 out of 23. Sidenote, they cannot stand that Sarah Palin isn't in the audience.

9:24 - Oh good and now it's Florence Henderson's turn. Um when did she become a singer?

9:25 - Did you know Corky and Mark are father and son? Fun fact.

9:26 - Mrs. Brady just dropped an F bomb. That is awesome.

9:27 - I will say that was more tolerable to watch than when Chloris Leachman was on the show because there was SOME semblance of dance steps included. Bruno tells her that sometimes she seemed confused about the sequence of steps. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's because she couldn't remember. I mean come on people, she's 76.

9:32 - Florence gets an 18 out of 30.

9:33 - Man they sure do love to throw that word "legend" around on this show don't they. Next up is music "legend" Michael Bolton and Chelsie. I'm not surprised that he's not good at that. He isn't a dancer; he sits and sings terrible ballads.

9:37 - Yeah he was not good. Which is a bummer bc Chelsea is a really good dancer and I don't want her to get voted off soon. Sometimes I care more about the pros than the celebs. Sidenote, Michael Bolton still tours??? They get a 16 out of 30.

9:39 - Oh it is the man, the myth, the legend indeed - The Situation - whose dance background includes "many nights at the club with your girlfriend". He is so terribly awesome. They only have five days to train him while everyone else had three weeks because he was sequestered away by MTV filming Jersey Shore.

9:44 - Wow that was awful. Plus Len just made a pun involving the word "situation". Tally 1 for the season. I hope he gets voted off just so we don't have to hear that 4 times every week.

9:46 - So blah blah he had no time to rehearse blah blah. Also he has a shooting star shaved in the side of his head.

9:49 - 15 out of 30. Not a good situation. Bahaha I had to go there. I will say that he's a good interview in that he takes that part pretty seriously. And I think he is taking the dancing part seriously too but sadly the fist pump is not a part of many ballroom dances.

9:53 - Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough are up. She got emotional because her friend Patrick Swayze died so I hope she does well.

9:55 - OMG Carrie Ann is crying. That was a good dance though. They got a 24 out of 30 which is the highest score of the night. We might have our new early fave folks...

10:00 - And now. The Hoff.

10:02 - Oooooh. No bueno. Which is sad, again, because his partner Kym is awesome so I don't want her to get voted off right away either.

10:05 - Five across the board for the Hoff. Brooke Burke is SO BAD. Seriously she's the worst. Seriously this exchange just happened:
Brooke: Okay guys that's a 15 out of 30. How do you feel about that?
Hoff: Well 15 less than we wanted. Hahahaha.
Kym: (nervously laughs)
silence. literally nobody speaks.
Brooke: Oh. Okay. So if you want to vote...

And that's all folks! A surprisingly legit premiere show. On paper a lot of these celebs made it look like it would be a rough season to get through, but we have some early dark horses starting to emerge. Rick Fox, Kyle, Brandy and Jennifer Grey so far look like they could get really far in the competition. Audrina looked surprisingly good as well. I'll be anxious to see what the rest of the season brings!

Video of the Day 9/16/10 - Sports! Edition

2010-09-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

I don't normally post sports news on Livin' the Dream but this video is too cool to pass up. Shoutout to Ashley for the link. Ever wonder how when teams share a stadium or arena they can so quickly switch from one team to the other? Here's a look at Meadowlands Stadium going from a NY Giants home football game to a NY Jets home football game:

New Meadowlands Stadium Change Over Time-Lapse from Ken Friberg and Daniel Life on Vimeo.

Video of the Day 9/15/10 - Who Doesn't Love Pacman? Edition

2010-09-15T14:34:00.001-07:00

Shoutout to Phil's Google Reader thingy for this video...

Let the Countdown Begin

2010-09-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

There is officially one more week until the premiere of the second season of Glee.

So it's only fitting that as we count down the seven days until the greatest night of television ever, we look back at the top seven moments from the first season of Glee. These are in no particular order, but just the songs and performances that I think made season one so exceptional.

Trust me, this was not an easy task. Luckily Wikipedia has a list of every single song that was featured on the show so I could look back at what's been done but this made it even harder to choose. So hopefully this list serves as the best of the best for all of you Glee fans who read the blog.

Our first choice is the song that started at all. In the very first episode, Mr. Schuester nearly walks out on his new task as glee club director until the star quarterback takes hold of the group and injects some fresh new ideas into them. And when Mr. Schuester hears what they're capable of, he knows that some legit things can happen.

Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" became the iconic song of the first season of Glee:

Glee - Don't Stop Believe
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