because in the fall we'll have 90210. the main surgeon's ex wife's girlfriend's daughter(who has an affair with the main surgeon)-that was all informationally correct and not even done merely as a jest expression- in nip/tuck and aunt becky from fullhouse is in it. what was nip/tuck girl's name on that show...hold on while i open a new firefox tab and go to IMDB...ah yes it's EDEN -she is second from the left in the picture and she is very beautiful. click on the pic to see who they all play.

In college we were all in abject misery and unending unmitigated horror and apprehension of failure and doom(ok, not all of us, just me-i know for a fact that Jacob and Tom were of the Omg I Did So Bad as in I got an A- breeding and Kathy just hated school and Jesse just didn't care for it) and every week we'd just wait for it to be wednesday so dawson's creek would be on and felicity after that and Jacob would TAPE It for us, on VHS and we'd all borrow from his dawson's creek library and he would mark on his excels the borrowed/return status of each tape.

now we have SYTYCD and 90210 and Gossip Girl and The HIlls, AND we can watch them the day they're on- all we have to do is make it through that work day!

Heath Ledger and the Joker

Let me start with Heath Ledger as that seems to be all anyone can talk about. That's why I'll make it brief and get onto other things since you all already know how good he is. His performance is unrivaled. Simply unrivaled. What's more, I'm certainly not the first person to say that he deserves an Oscar. I could drone on, but it's really that simple when it comes to Ledger so I'm not going to dwell.

I will say that I love the way the concept of Joker was written, which really had very little to do with Ledger, I'd imagine. That is, Nolan's Joker truly embodied the chaos and anarchy that the character was meant to. Unlike Nicholson's Joker whose history we are given, this Joker knows no history and the twisted words out of his mouth about himself make that all the more apparent. This Joker, in spirit, is the ultimate opposite of what Batman is and by very virtue of that fact the character itself may render all future Batman villains in this series somewhat disappointing. How could any be as twisted, maniacal or disturbing. That, with Ledger conveying these elements: unbeatable.

The Cast

No actor fell short in this film. Christian Bale's character wasn't nearly as tormented as in Batman Begins and so in a certain sense we get less out of him than before. Nonetheless, his performance was nothing to scoff at. He still made a great Bruce Wayne and an excellent Batman - though sometimes the deep pitch of his voice while playing the Dark Knight made understanding him a little hard.

Maggie Gyllenhaal was, I dare say, better than Katie Holmes, who, already having taken the crazy-plunge by the start of Batman Begins, wasn't the wonderful girl I fantasized about during Dawson's Creek. This Rachel wasn't as hell-bent on saving Gotham, but she did have a spark - a life - that made her a great addition to the movie.

My feelings about Aaron Eckhart are mixed (potential spoiler alert - this paragraph only). I think he's a great actor and entertaining fella to watch on screen. As Harvey Dent trying to be Gotham's new hero D.A. he was compelling and believable - like the good guy many of us imagined him to be in Thank You For Smoking. I will say that by the end of the film, something about his performance was not adding up for me. Disappointing since as many people know by the previews, the third installment of this Batman series will most likely have Aaron Eckhart playing our villain (or at least one of them).

As a Film

The movie itself, actors aside - script, plot, themes, action - was sensational. Yes, the actors made it what it was, but Christopher Nolan deserves a hat off for this one. In true Batman spirit it was dark as could reasonably be done. Moreover, as absolutely twisted as it was and as much as we were visually privy to, Nolan never made us watch the few things that would have been unnecessary to show and only good for shock value (well, not only, but close). The discretion he exercised as a writer/director should be lauded. Finally, I was shocked by at least two facts that I didn't see coming at all, and was so caught up that the plot twists were surprises to me as well - I love that when I'm watching a movie.

And yet with all this the movie was not simply great acting amidst exciting action sequences. It was food for thought. Mostly thanks to the dialogue written for Joker, the film intimately explored ideas as simple as right and wrong while also probing our hearts about human nature. We are made to practically plead with the film to reaffirm or restore our sense of human decency and it reminds us, without making us feel as though it's trying to, that we are allowed to hope for better, brighter things. Concepts like the rule of law, anarchy, justice and more are also woven throughout the movie. Not once, though, are we made to sit through a director's attempt at jamming anything down our throats. All of this is skillfully and seamlessly interlaced through dialogue, action, and plot, leaving you at the end to digest a whole lot more than what you thought you were getting for the price of admission (in some sense the opposite of the feeling you had when The Happening ended).

The Audience

I have never in my life seen a crowd like this. Applause before previews, when it began, periodically throughout and of course at the end. There was a huge line waiting to get in before the movie, but thanks to my sick girlfriend, we were able to bypass the whole thing and be the first ones in the theater. This, naturally, resulted in a threat on my life by the man first in line who had probably been there two hours ahead of time (we arrived thirty minutes before the start of the movie), and though I understand his disposition, I have a tough time believing that, as the second person in the theater, I picked the precise seat before him that he had so desperately waited to get.

There was not an empty seat in the house - and this at a theater that had midnight, three a.m. and six a.m. showings, and then all day right until ours. Fortunately I had my favorite seat in the house - dead center in the middle of the theater, both up and down, left and right. It really couldn't have worked out better ... for me.

Words to Leave You With

To conclude succinctly, this movie exceeded my expectations, and considering that they were so high, this was nearly impossible to do. When I expect great things from a movie, I rarely get them, a sad fact which resulted in my movie philosophy of no expectations but a hope for entertainment. This film, however, shattered the highest expectations I may ever have had for a movie. I thought it was over twice - and would have been wholly satisfied had it been - and was twice given another slew of great action, dialogue and entertainment. And so much more.

For a truly spectacular film, I award my first full 10 Chocolate Salty Balls. Someone tell Nolan - he'll be thrilled.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this film in a comment below.

Spulciando fra le discussioni del Forum fiction Mediaset mi son trovato davanti un'interessante topic, postato da uno dei membri della redazione (di solito sempre informatissima), in cui si va a parlare di quello che potrebbe essere in agosto il preserale di Canale 5 sostitutivo a Jackpot, probabilmente stoppato per una pausa o perchè no del tutto soppresso. Per ora niente di sicuro, ma andiamo ugualmente a vedere quelle che potrebbero essere le alternative.

Al lunedì potrebbero essere riproposte Il bello delle donne o La figlia di Elisa (con un episodio a settimana), sino alle 20, mentre dal martedì al venerdì potrebbero rispolverare Dawson's Creek, seguito alle 19.40 da sit com o da Supershow, che potrebbe traslocare dall'access domenicale, ove la sua presenza è prevista sino al 7 di settembre.

Un'estate all'insegna delle repliche, quindi, quella di Mediaset, che sino a fine settembre prevede fra l'altro di riproporre al suo pubblico fiction quali Donne sbagliato, Io ti assolvo, Dalidà, Incompreso, Con le unghie e con i denti, Piper, Maigret, mentre in arrivo al sabato pomeriggio E poi c'è Filippo, in sei puntate, già riproposta lo scorso anno nel preserale domenicale.

Ai fan dei Cesaroni, ricordo che infine, questa domenica, la serie partirà già dalle 20.30 e non dalle 21, causa MotoGP alle 22.45.

"L'ho pregata di apparire nel telefilm", ha detto Berlanti . "E lei ha detto, 'Mi piacerebbe'. Volevamo portare un po' di attenzione verso lo show". Il presidente di ABC Entertainment, Stephen McPherson, ha confermato: "Ero al tavolo di prova. E' stata favolosa, è un grande ruolo per lei". McPherson ha anche aggiunto: "In effetti farà anche un bel po' di ballo e canto, ed è squisita. E' una grande riunione per Katie e Greg Berlanti, da tempo volevano tornare a lavorare insieme". La star del telefilm, Johnny Lee Miller, ha rivelato: "Abbiamo lavorato per 17 ore ieri, la maggior parte delle quali passate a ballare. E' stata fantastica. Una persona davvero, davvero, grande".

www.tvguide.com

]]> http://bradandsara.wordpress.com/?p=271 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:27:19 +0000 bradandsara http://bradandsara.wordpress.com/?p=271 in keeping with the tone of the blog...lets chat about our girl joey potter...katieholmeskatecruise in real life. she was the "it" girl of the late 90s/early 00s. boys wanted to date, girls wanted to be her bff. or maybe we all wanted to date pacey. regardless! she was a great icon of american pop culture. our girl joey disappeared for a few years, probably trying to figure out how to get past the typecasting of being joey...the girl that crawls up ladders, into bedroom windows. who can blame her? well, then, suddenly....she was back. with a very short man. and the rest, we all know...she because a scientolgist robot. which...fine, make your own choices joeykatiekateholmespottercruise. whatever you think is best. i will pray for the day you come to senses.

and then i saw this on perez today...

if you want to become a weird religious robot...fine. but please please please...lets not commit crimes against looking cute. this hairstyle was cute when we were all like 4. katie too...we are the same age. this is not a look for 2008. you have a lot of money. you need to use some of it to invest in a great haircut. asap. this ranks right up there with when felcity chopped her curls off....wow.

A true confession - after graduating from college I discovered the syndicated version of Dawson's Creek on TBS in the weekday mornings.

I helplessly got sucked into the teenage drama and ended up watching every single episode (some more than once). I am neither ashamed nor proud of this fact, it is what it is, but as Sara alluded to in the bio of this blog, this single show prompted a conversation that solidified our friendship.

It went something like this..

Brad - "So what kind of music do you like?"

Sara - "Pretty much anything, I am kind of into Dashboard Confessional..."

Brad - What kind of music is that? (Having spent 3 years in Laramie, WY I was uninformed of this musical genre.

Our conversation continued down the lines of what exactly 'Emo' means and where it originated. To my knowledge, neither Sara or I hold a subscription to Rolling Stone Magazine, so we are somewhat unread, yet still very passionate about music and culture.

Ultimately we landed on the theory that while Emo music has probably been around in different labels, in different decades and even in different genres of music, it was not until the pervasive use of 'emotional' music to set the tone/feel of of an episode in Dawson's Creek that emo music as is known today became mainstream. Many will disagree but I do not remember any one show that utilized the power of music throughout the entire series that the music became tied to certain events of the show.

The only other tv show episode that I can remember with ties to music is way back with Family Ties. While I don't remember the song, I will forever remember when Alex P. Keaton breaks up with his college girlfriend, because the song that was played is forever burned in my brain, I just don't know the name.

So there is our theory, 'Emo' music and that label became what it is today because of Dawson, Joey, Pacey, Jen and Jack.

here is a conversation that proves that fact: i'm sitting on the couch watchin tv, when a movie preview comes on and i notice one of the characters in the movie is the the same girl that played joey's roommate in college. (if you are lost, wow, i'm so sorry, that makes me sad for you). i cannot for the life of me remember what her character's name is! ugh! i know in real life her name is busy phillips but i cannot remember the rest. who do i call on in such a time of need? BRAD. I get out my phone and text "hey. who was joey's roommate in college?" immediately, i get a text back from brad, "audrey" WA BAM people. thats right. no background or anything...you say the name joey, and brad just KNOWS that i'm talking about joey potter. hells yes people. brad is awesome.

well, while i just love singing the praise's of brad, i have something else to say. dawson's creek was more than just a groundbreaking tv show. it was the meter by which you could judge the cool music scene. like felicity before it, and greys after, it was like hitting the winning lotto numbers to have even just 15 seconds of your song played during an episode. immediately, your itunes sales would be off the chart. lets give some examples from each of the shows listed above....

save tonight by eagle eye cherry quickly became the hottest song on the radio, the day after felicity chose to stay with ben over the safe bet noel.
i am ready for love by india arie was the single girl's anthem on every college campus that fateful thursday morning after joey and charlie kissed on the pool chair. (also my most favorite episode)
chasing cars and the entire hands open album flew off store shelves after the season 2 finale of greys. hello, can anyone hear that song and not be reminded of denny in a hosptial gown and izzy in her pink prom dress?

so, if you want to be cool (like me and brad), watch tv shows that are not only quality in their acting and plot lines, but also in their music choices. i've always thought lost could really jump on this bandwagon, since its the most popular tv show right now...but i guess it truly is all about the island. i know brad has some suggestions on song choices on lost episodes.....

boo ya.

This Britney Spears/How I Met Your Mother strategy may provide a ratings boost to the show, and it will mark a reunion between Katie and her former Dawson's boss and Eli Stone executive producer, Greg Berlanti.

Is Popsquire the only one who doesn't want to wait?!

He didn't have the gun or the mustache at the time, but Josh Brolin obviously had the ass-kicking swagger when he got into a bar brawl this weekend in Shreveport, LA. The "No Country for Old Men" actor, in Shreveport filming the Oliver Stone-helmed George W. Bush biopic, "W," was arrested, along with co-star Jeffrey Wright and members of the film's crew, after a fight broke out at the Stray Cat bar.

Photo by Splash News Online.

In the film, Brolin plays Bush and Wright plays former Secretary of State, Colin Powell. Brolin was booked and released after posting a $334 cash bond, according to the Times of Shreveport.

No word yet on who fought who or what caused the skirmish, but it made me chuckle, as most celebrity bar fights do. These drunken scraps remind us that even though they star on the big screen, walk the red carpet and exist in a realm that seems removed from us common folk, they're just as capable of getting shit-faced and thrown in the clink as the rest of us.

Here are a few more drunken brawlers for your viewing pleasure:

Image courtesy of The Smoking Gun.

Here's my boy Vince Vaughn after getting into a fight outside a bar in Wilmington, NC. While in town shooting the film "Domestic Disturbance" in 2001, he and another fave of mine, Steve Buscemi, got into a scrap that sent Vaughn to jail and Buscemi to the hospital with stab wounds. Charges against Vaughn were later dropped and both guys seemed to rebound nicely.

Image courtesy of The Smoking Gun.

Here's former "Dawson's Creek" star Josh Jackson in 2002, after getting into a drunken brawl at a hockey game in Raleigh, NC. What's up with these guys getting into it in my home state?

Apparently, Jackson got a little pickled at the Carolina Hurricanes game and tussled with a security guard.

What about you? Ever been in a really good, drunken fight? Or is there an awesome celebrity brawl I've missed? Tell it in the comments!

Diablo Cody asks the the question that has been on every one's mind since 1997.

What would have happened if Dawson knocked up Joey in the first season?

Pacey & Joey - Ela estudiosa, certinha, alma gêmea do seu melhor amigo. Ele rebelde sem causa(ou com causa), sarcástico, mulherengo, melhor amigo da alma gêmea de Joey. E aquela velha frase que ouvimos muito quando criança se torna verdade com eles dois, "os opostos se atraem".  E estes 2 são talvez o casal mais amado e odiado ao mesmo tempo, não lembro de outro casal ter uma opinião tão dividida, e não porque eles são ruins juntos, mas porque no mundo perfeito, a série terminaria com Dawson & Joey. Por isso acho a série Dawson's Creek como a primeira série teen com uma temática mais realista. Alguns vão dizer, "como pode ser realista com diálogos como aqueles?" mas os diálogos serviam para mostrar quem somos por dentro, ou melhor, para mostrar quem desejamos ser. E Pacey & Joey não ficaram juntos apenas porque tinham química, mas sim porque se completavam. Ele se tornou um homem melhor por causa dela, ela pôde se aceitar e superou com ele o medo que tinha de se relacionar com alguém. Dawson a conhecia melhor, mas Pacey fazia dela uma pessoa melhor. Até os mais frios acabam acreditando no amor verdadeiro ao ver Pacey & Joey juntos.

Brandon & Kelly - Foi a primeira série que fiquei viciado, e atrás de toda imperfeição de Barrados no Baile, uma coisa se salvava na série, Brandon & Kelly.  Barrados foi uma série cheia de erros, e o maior deles foi terminar um relacionamento que se tornou épico porque ele(o ator) queria sair da série, e eles(produtores) queriam manter a série. Depois de anos terminando e voltando, superando traições, ex-relacionamentos, seitas malucas, atropelamento, incêndio, eles da noite pro dia percebem que são apenas melhores amigos.  Infelizmente só mostra que nem um casal épico a série conseguiu salvar. Para os que não desistem nunca, a série está voltando esse ano, mas na CW. Alguém arrisca assistir?

Kevin & Winnie - Esqueçam o que eu disse acima, Anos incríveis foi a primeira série mais realista sobre a adolescência, mesmo retratando a vida de uma familia nos anos 60(e 70), e foi a primeira(acho que vi juntos com Barrados no Baile) que acompanhei a sério. e levanta a mão quem nunca teve uma Winnie na vida(ok, as mulheres devem ter tido um kevin, ou não). e a série é sobre as primeiras sensações e entre elas, o primeiro amor, e o que tudo isso faz conosco. E esses 2 retrataram isso com perfeição, e quer mais realidade que isso, no ultimo episódio cada um vai seguir a sua vida. "ah vida real"

Logan & Veronica - A primeira vez que vi Veronica Mars, na verdade foram 2 minutos da série que assisti quando tava zapeando a tv a cabo e parei no TNT, um episódio que ela vai na casa de um carinha, mas ninguém pode saber que eles estão namorando, não me interessei pela série e mudei de canal. Depois os Deuses de Kobol exigiram que eu assistisse a série, e la vai eu baixar o piloto, pra ser sincero nem me empolguei, mas aí uma coisa chamou minha atenção. Aquele carinha que só falta agredi-la fisicamente é o mesmo que namora com ela escondida, como isso pode ter acontecido? E graças aos 2 minutos da TNT, eu resolvi dar uma chance a série, porque aquilo me intrigava, e se não fosse isso talvez eu não tivesse assistido uma das melhores séries de todos os tempos. E esse carinha era Logan Echols, playboyzinho mimado, que como disse numa das minhas reviews do teleséries(é o tipo de cara que você não quer ter como amigo), e prova disso que Veronica é (ex)namorada do melhor amigo dele na série. Mas lembro que li uma entrevista de Rob Thomas dizendo que os 2 tinham muita química juntos, e até por isso ele não podia deixar os 2 namorando por muito tempo, porque todo esse amor e ódio que eles viviam se tornou o coração da série(ok! essa ultima parte sou eu que estou dizendo, mas enfim, concordo com Thomas).  E assim era Veronica e Logan, amor e ódio, lembro que comentei em outra review da série que o que fazia ela amar tanto Logan era porque ele era o único que não fazia o que ela queria. Ele era o único que sabia dizer não pra ela, enfim, eles são o "Eduardo e Monica"  que tanto ouvimos Renato Russo cantar. E muitos ficaram chateados com o fim que os dois tiveram, mas realmente, vocês acham que aqueles olhares foram em vão?

Nathan & Haley - Gisele Ramos escreveu esse excelente texto no blog dela(Blog na TV) que você pode ler clicando aqui

Ephran & Amy - Everwood foi uma série (quase)perfeita, infelizmente o quarto ano da série foi prejudicado com o injusto cancelamento, e tudo que a série sempre lutou contra acabou ocorrendo, historias corridas para ter um final. A cena da roda gigante pode ser bela, sensível, até marcante para alguns, mas não era o que a série se propunha a fazer ao longo dos anos. e não, não pense que não tivemos belas cenas, porque ocorreram, e foram muitas, mas a série era muito mais do que isso, as cenas eram belas porque tinham conteúdos, porque tinham diálogos, porque tinham sentimentos. E isso resume Ephran & Amy, eu não vou lembrar dos dois porque ela colocou uma roda gigante em frente a casa dele, lembrarei dos diálogos entre os dois, como um que nunca esqueço quando ele diz "enquanto eu sou a sua segunda ou terceira opção, você é sempre a minha primeira", ou quando ela diz "você pensa no melhor pra mim, eu penso no melhor para nós dois". Eu lembrarei de tudo que um representou para o outro. Assistir everwood era como se pudesse acreditar que existe um mundo perfeito com pessoas imperfeitas.  

Jim & Pam - Outro dia disse que The Office é a melhor comédia de todos os tempos, ok! posso ter pego pesado com essa declaração, não vi as tão elogiadas Seinfield e Arrested Development. Sou fanático por Friends, e corro risco de está diminuindo a série por tanto assistir as reprises. Vários motivos me levaram a idolatrar The Office, e Jim & Pam é um dos principais motivos. Porque não é qualquer série que trabalha por 3 temporadas um dos casais mais fofos  fodas que eu já vi, e eles nem namoram nessas 3 temporadas. Mas era algo do tipo "hey, alguém avisa pra eles que eles são feito um para o outro", alias, várias vezes isso ficou claro na série, alguém do escritório achava que eles tinham algo, mas ela se enganando com o noivo, ele depois se enganando com a colega de trabalho, e precisou da super tímida Pam na frente de todos dizer umas verdades pro descolado Jim, e ele precisou abrir mão do seu futuro para dar uma chance a mulher que ele sempre amou desde que a série começou.

Apolo & Starbuck - Todos esses casais que citei realmente mexeram comigo e acredito que seja alguns dos casais mais importantes do mundo dos seriados. Mas esse casal é o best of the best pra mim, e algumas coisas precisam ser ditas sobre os dois: Talvez,  juntando todas as cenas dos dois juntos em quatro temporadas, eles não completam nem 5 episódios de 40 minutos juntos. Achou ruim? pior, que nessas quatros temporadas eles não ficaram "juntos" uma vez sequer(e por "juntos" quero dizer tendo uma relação séria como namoro, noivado, casamento). Achou péssimo?  As poucas vezes que eles ficaram juntos(tendo um caso) foi quando os dois estavam casados(com outras pessoas) e eles finalmente se entregaram pelo q sentiam um pelo outro, mas mesmo assim terminaram em seguida por não querer machucar seus parceiros(conversa, eles fizeram o que faz de melhor, fugir do que sentem um pelo outro). Starbuck & Apolo são o meu casal preferido porque eles sintetizam toda a complexidade do amor. Eles tem tudo que os outros casais que citei acima têm. são diferentes demais um do outro, se amam desde antes a série começar(a série dá a entender isso no início), alguns dos melhores diálogos que já vi entre um casal são deles, como quando ele diz "eu não consigo dizer não quando quero alguma coisa" ela responde "exceto pra mim". Além disso, o melhor episodio centrado em um casal e com isso a melhor cena com um casal é deles(por isso que digo, esqueça roda gigante, e veja a luta(sim, luta no ringue, luta de boxe) entre os dois). E há grande probabilidade dos dois não terminarem juntos, podendo até um dos dois(ou os dois) morrerem. E tudo que falei acima poderia ser péssimo, mas na verdade é uma parte da série mais completa que já vi, e o casal que mais marcou nesse universo dos seriesmaniacos.

*os dialogos que coloquei nos textos podem não ser exatamente iguais ao que foram ditos na série, mas tem o mesmo significado. 

Pois é, pessoal.

Ci sono voluti mesi di dedizione e lunghe notti insonni, ma ora l'opera è completa. Stasera si è conclusa la mia maratona di Dawson's Creek.

Ho conservato per oggi la puntata doppia di chiusura del telefilm, perchè so che mi commuove.
Ricordo ancora con quanta ansia ho atteso questa puntata: era il 2003 e io e Manu ci siamo attrezzate alla comune Bonetti con un paio di birre e sicuramente qualche schifezza da cinema. Fedeli al mio fianco centinaia di Kleenex prima di andare alla festa unversitaria. Erano ancora tempi in cui si socializzava in facoltà e si partecipava agli eventi, periodo durato pochissimo.

Ora che mi sono rivista tutte le sei serie e mi sono trascritta la grande saggezza degli sceneggiatori di questo telefilm sono pronta anche a lasciarlo archiviato nel mio hard disk per almeno qualche millennio.

Dawson's Creek è favoloso, è adolescienziale e paranoico nei linguaggi e nei comportamenti. I protagonisti sono veri, sono persone vere e le situazioni in cui si trovano decisamente realistiche. Tutta una serie di eventi e traumi da teenager che accadono, o per lo meno che nella mia piccola esistenza sono successi magari non negli stessi modi o negli stessi tempi o con gli stessi risvolti.
L'anima gemella con cui si sta bene e poi non ci si sta più e ci si rincorre in un infinito labirinto di liti e baci. Il trauma del primo bacio. I tradimenti d'amore e d'amicizia, di fiducia e dei sogni. La prima volta e tutte le ansie relative. La rivalità e le amicizie vere. Un amico che si scopre gay. Eterni triangoli amorosi da cui non si esce. Qualcuno che muore e si deve colmare il vuoto. Qualche sbronza con conseguenze idiote. I problemi con lo studio e con il lavoro. Amiche che prendono il prozac. L'alcolismo come via di fuga. Cantare su un palcoscenico per mostrare l'altro lato di sè. Amicizie che si distruggono per una notte di sesso. E il finale di strade divise, ma i legami veri non si rompono mai.

A seguire le frasi degne di nota...

Come puoi rimanere amico di una persona se ogni volta che la guardi pensi a quanto bella è e a quanto la vuoi?

E' un folle, ottuso e paranoico, ma è il mio folle, ottuso e paranoico.

Fa che le cose che ami siano il tuo rifugio.

Flaubert credeva che la forma di piacere più puro fosse l'aspettativa e anche la più attendibile e che mentre tutto quello che ti succede finisce immancabilmente per deluderti, invece ciò che non ti è mai successo non muore mai, non scompare rimane sempre inciso nel tuo cuore come una dolce malinconia.

I sogni sono imperfetti, diventano veri, perdono libertà.

Il dolore di capire che anche se due persone sono fatte l'una per l'altra non necessariamente significa che siano fatte l'una per l'altra adesso.

Il sesso è intenso, è appassionato e a volte riesce a cambiarti la vita, ma il sesso non è mai una cosa innocente.

Io ti ascolto, non importa quanto io urli o quanto tu stia in silenzio, io ti ascolto.

Mi dispiace che ti manchino i miei sguardi, ma a me non mancano perchè io non li ho mai ricevuti.

Mi piace che divaghi quando sei nervosa. Mi piace sapere che divaghi quando sei nervosa. Mi piace essere ancora in grado di renderti nervosa.

Qualche volta è giusto fare le cose sbagliate.

Stavo solo pensando fra me e me che quando perdi il controllo non sei per niente male piccola, diventi perfino bella.

1. What is your favorite thing to do alone? Hmmm that's a tough call - I love to go grocery shopping alone - so much so that I did it twice this weekend - it was so good, all the cashiers thought I was some awesome single woman, and all the kids crying and whining in the aisles were so not my own children. I was loving it like crazy. I don't know if it's my favorite thing to do alone, but it is pretty freaking incredible.

2. What is your favorite thing to do with your best friend? Get drunk Have a root beer or cherry coke and talk in a Russian accent while playing fun games like "Wise or Otherwise" (which I call "Wise or NotsoWise" always except for ten words ago) or Apples to Apples.

3. What is your favorite band? Man I'm just not much of a "band" person - I really do prefer solo artists, I guess I'll have to say the Barenaked Ladies or else the Beatles, because I honestly can't think of many other bands that I listen to very often these days. I can tell you that about 10 years ago I would have said The Backstreet Boys (noticing a B trend... hmmm...) without so much as flinching. Those were the days...

4. What is your favorite song? That's like asking me my favorite color - I'm not big on decision making - lately I've been digging this song Jason Castro sang in Idol that I later learned was in the movie Shrek (and I'm wondering if Jason knows this and / or if that's where he first heard it) anyway it's that song that goes, "Love is not a victory march ; It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah ; Hallelujah; Hallelujah ; Hallelujah; Hallelujah..." and yeah I totally looked up the lyrics online to write this, so I know now that the song is called 'Hallelujah' and it's by Jeff Buckley and I'm pretty sure he probably said so on Idol but you never know. Anyway, it's beautiful - even listening to it on Shrek made me almost cry, and Jason Castro did a way way way way way better job. Hallalujah.

5. What is your favorite part of your job? My job title - Stay at Home Mother - it pretty much rocks - I mean sure, there's no 401K or vacation time, but I set my own hours (sort of) and spend my days playing with mega bloks and making peanut butter and jelly. I can't really complain (much).

6. What is your favorite TV show, on now? Total toss up between Grey's Anatomy and Bones - but if you read this blog at all regularly, you probably knew that.

7. What is your favorite TV show all time? Oh so hard to say - it's more like an on going list, add to the two shows from question 6: Gilmore Girls, Dawsons Creek, Alias and Buffy the Vampire Slayer - and maybe the Dick Van Dyke Show and Veronica Mars

8. Who is your favorite actor? What is it with you surveys and making me choose things... ummm... well, Johnny Depp - seriously, he's amazing. There are other dreamy actors that come and go but I don't think many are half as talented as J. Depp - and he's dreamy to boot - total package.

9. What is your favorite film? Gone With the Wind - finally a question I didn't even flinch answering. I could go on and swoon about how amazing the movie and book are, and how they are like the story of my life but not even close and on and on and yammering and so forth, but I won't. Because I've answered your nine questions and I'm done. I'm going to bed. Thank you and good night.

If you want to join in on the Saturday 9 fun and haven't figured out already to just click one of the links or buttons that say "Saturday 9" on them - then you are in luck! Because I am now going to tell you to click on a link or button that says "Saturday 9" on it. Ready? Click on a link or button that says "Saturday 9" and you can join in on the Saturday 9 fun today! Be sure to add your Saturday 9 blog address link to the Mr. Linkies at the Saturday 9 blog, and you know, have fun. And all that. Bye!

ps: Saturday 9 - muahahahahahahahah - I crack myself up - okay, I'm really going now. Bye.

/digression

My friend Holly has been bugging me to post a new blog for a few days now, and while the initial idea that it would be about a specimen of the animal kingdom that we have dubbed Sleeve-Stalker, I watched a documentary tonight that got me a bit riled up and in the blogging mood (but I promise I will blog about the sleeve-stalker soon!).  The documentary was called 'The Life of Brian', which I thought was quite funny considering the subject matter: One Brian Tamaki, Bishop of the Destiny Church here in New Zealand.  The Destiny Church (for any readers not from New Zealand, or NZers who have been living under a rock for the last 5 years) is a fundamentalist Christian church, which is a far from common branch in New Zealand.  We're not a religious kinda place as a whole; according to the last census (in 2006), 32.2% of us ticked the 'no religion' box, and only 52.9% professed adherence to any branch of Christianity (the religion question is not compulsory in the NZ census, so I don't know if the 'no answer' people have automatically been thrown into the 'no religion' category, or been left out all together, but these are still fairly significant stats).  Compare this to say, the U.S., where according to a 2007 survey of over 35,000 Americans, only 16% did not consider themselves affiliated to any religion, and a huge 26% labeled themselves part of the Evangelical Protestant Church (like Destiny), the largest branch of Christianity there.
Brian Tamaki is one of the greasiest people I have ever seen. In the literal sense, there's the awful hairdo, and then there's the slimy, smug, 'I'm right and you're wrong, we have the TRUTH' aura he has. He has a church, with a nationwide congregation of 7,000, which, I will admit, has done some good work helping people to get off the booze, and get involved with their family, etc. What I object to, is the fact that, while he and his church are helping these people, they're also indoctrinating them with their own beliefs. They're catching people, many of whom are at an extremely low ebb in their lives, and basically telling them 'the only way you can be a truly good person is to follow our interpretation of the bible'. Several things about this annoy me. The main one is the perception that one can only be a good, moral person if they are a Christian. My own mother once told me I'd make a good Christian. Just because I'm a nice, helpful, thoughtful person, who cares about others and the community and the world as a whole. Because I don't drink a lot, or smoke, or do drugs. I have to say it made me a little angry! But that's another digression. Maybe it's not nice to suspect another agenda, but is helping people the ONLY reason religious aid organisations help them? There's not even the slightest intention of even casually dropping Jesus into the conversation? That's not even my biggest quarrel with the Destiny Church. The New Testament I can handle. The bit that tells you to be Jesus-like, and not judge, and to help people in need. Even though I don't believe in God, or that Jesus was a miracle-worker, let alone the son of God, I can deal with a book that teaches you how to treat people well. The Baby-Sitters' Club did a grand job of that for me growing up :P The Old Testament bothers me a LOT more. The fact that people truly believe some of that stuff makes me think that there's maybe something a little bit odd going on. That stuff was written down over 2000 years ago for a start, who's to say that somebody wasn't making it up to get their own agenda across? It's all about punishing sins and oppressing women and minorities. There are so many bits in it that are ignored these days, even by Bishop Tamaki and his ilk - I bet they don't keep slaves, or refrain from touching their female relatives while they're menstruating (the female relatives, not Brian Tamaki :P), but mention the GLBTs and it's Sodom this and Gomorrah that. Who decides what's still relevant? These delightful people marched on parliament 3 or 4 years ago to protest the Civil Union Bill (a Bill that gives gay people the right to the same privileges as a married couple does), claiming 'Enough is Enough', claiming that gay marriage would cause the downfall of society and threaten the sanctity of their straight (and obviously oh-so-strong) marriages. Personally I would rather grow up in a loving, accepting family unit (whether straight or gay) that an exclusively straight one that was going to force their fundamentalist, discriminatory beliefs on me. They also protested the passage of a bill that forbade parents to physically discipline their children (you know, coz hitting your kids teaches them respect. Why? Errr ....coz the bible says so - 'Spare the rod..' and all that). Regardless of the good work that they do helping people out of dire circumstances, their teachings are not great. They're teaching people that morality and irreligiouness are mutually exclusive, that a book written before a lot of things in today's world were known or even possible has the authority and relevance to instruct people how to live in the world today, and that their small minority of fundamentalists has the right to tell the rest of the country that the way we live and believe is absolutely wrong. Not that they just disagree with us, but that we're WRONG. That they have the right to tell us what should be allowed and what shouldn't, regardless of scientific knowledge and sociological, psychological, biological and physical fact. It makes me mad! Be bigoted on your own time, Bishop Tamaki!

OK it's over now! Incidentally, and totally unrelatedly, word of the day is 'natsukashii'. It's Japanese, and it means (roughly; evidently it's quite hard to explain in English coz there's no real equivalent) feeling happy because you're sad because you're feeling nostalgic. (If you have knowledge of Japanese, correct me if I'm wrong. I know 3 other Japanese words, and two of them are sushi and sashimi :P )

Famous People: Which famous person in each of the following categories would you like to meet?

Author: I've been thinking about this all day, because I love a lot of authors, but in the end, my answer is the first name that popped into my head - Janet Evanovich - I love her work, I admire her writing style and I am in awe of the name she's made for herself. She is my writing idol.

Movie Actor: Johnny Depp - he is just amazing - I don't know many actors who can so completely lose themselves to their characters and truly become someone else once on screen. He is incredible.

TV Actor: Katie Holmes - I of course loved her in Dawson's Creek but I've also loved all her movies, and since marrying Tom and becoming a mother she has grown to intrigue me even more - I have many things I'd love to talk to her about and would love an opportunity in general to see if the real Katie is the same person I see in my mind, if that makes sense.

Musician/Singer: John Mayer - I know, I know, he's so trendy and popular it almost feels like a cop out to type his name here, but I'd love to talk to him about politics, environmentalism and hell even his relationship with Jen Aniston (if he'd even talk about it - hehe). I love his blog, he is such a crazy, creative genius. He was the musician who first got me into my little trend of listening to music with a message, instead of just the typical love song. I also would like to meet Jack Johnson and David Archuleta.

Historical Figure: Queen Catherine of Aragon and Queen Elizabeth I

Fictional Book Character: It's a tie between Scarlett O'Hara which might prove disappointing but I'd still love it ... and Stephanie Plum which would likely prove awesome

Fictional Movie or TV Character: Loralie or Rory Gilmore - they are kind of a package pair - I don't think I could meet one without the other anyway. And I think hanging with the Gilmore Girls would be a lot of fun! Second choice would be Sydney Bristow from Alias.

Girl Talk  - Feed The Animals (Illegal Art)

In Feed the Animals, Greg Gillis’, the man of Girl Talk, greatest strength is soaking the popular top 40 tracks of today with the riffs, choruses and sounds of yesteryear in nostalgia. And that’s what he did in his latest album, Feed The Animals. If he did not depend so heavily on the classic rock connections (including some oldies, but goodies from the 90s), it would not be getting the acclaim it would be getting (including a whopping 8.0 on Pitchfork).

Now let’s put this album in context with today, outside of it just being noise and beats. Feed The Animals is successful the same reason why iTunes is the largest retailers of music, and why singles and “ringles” are the “current future”. People buy for the familiar. They buy what they hear constantly on the radio (the Top 40 playlists), they buy classic re-mastered albums, and they buy compilations of all their favorite songs from the 70s, 80s, and 90s for their familiarity. Girl Talk gives that to them in a catchy way. He combined Busta Rhymes with the Police, two artists that haven’t been heard from recently but are known, at least by name. He brings 2 (or 3 or 4) samples of singles together from different times and puts it into an ultimate party mix, a mix where all the sounds we hear are familiar enough to sing-a-long to.

However, will you hear any of that at a party? No, probably not. Here’s why – people get excited when they hear a long forgotten favorite. (As an example, at the parties I go to, when Styx or Hall & Oates comes on, people hit the roof.) And as soon as a “hey, I love this song” level has been reached, that sample has been laced into another and is transitioning out into another old favorite. The listener reminiscences and the rest of the track and its carefully sculpted samples are left by the way-side.

But I’m not really reviewing. It’s an incredible album – anyone who is addicted to pop music or even pop culture should definitely, at the very least, appreciate the craftsmanship and expertise that Girl Talk puts into this very congruent album.

I listened to this album a minimum of three times before even picking up a pencil. It’s really incredible. There are a few breaks where the samples are too short, too choppy or just too many and fall into his biggest weakness from Secret Diaries. However, he carries one of his largest strengths from Night Ripper, his previous release. When Night Ripper was first released I heard it called “Jock Jams for kids in hoodies”. Jock Jams were compilations made from slightly dated electro-inspired hits and I had about 3 volumes. Girl Talk infused Jock Jams with every musical influence from television, the largest source of pop culture in America, including infomercials selling “Now” compilations and Greatest Hits, to the theme songs, like Dawson’s Creek or MacBook’s Air. But, oh my god, does it work! And it’s hella hot. In this energetic, high-octane music fest, Girl Talk produces an album ready for summer.

Another favorite thing about this album is how it was released. Playing off Radiohead’s 2007 release of In Rainbows, Girl Talk also let his consumers name their own price. Only, when you enter in your own price, you find out you don’t have to pay anything and can just download it for free. Why the unnecessary hoops? Irony? Maybe a little, but he, or they (from Illegal Art, the label), use this technique to survey why the price listed were listed as such. That is brilliant for this particularly “underground” artist. This type of release is something really of the future. As I mentioned in a previous post, this release supports the theory of having two emerging economies, one based on reputation, which Gillis is building, and one based on attention, which this album is deserving. The style of this release is almost as brilliant as the album it's self.

The music snob and small connoisseur in me loves the album because it’s a pop music test. It’s like the speed round in name that tune. Let’s just say this, I’m good. (For a cheat sheet… check this out.)

Track list:

1. Play Your Part (pt. 1)
2. Shut The Club Down
3. Still Here
4. What It’s All About
5. Set It Off
6. No Pause
7. Like This
8. Give Me A Beat
9. Hands In The Air
10. In Step
11. Let Me See You
12. Here’s The Thing
13. Don’t Stop
14. Play Your Part (Pt.2)

Rating: A

anyway, I've been watching a lot of Dawson's Creek reruns lately - which is a habit I picked up from my friend Matt F...you see Dawson's Creek is one of my biggest guilty pleasures of all. I roll my eyes at Dawson through most of the episodes - I think he's super lame and that everything that comes out of his mouth is super lame. What's even more disappointing is the show is named DAWSON'S creek instead of Pacey's Creek. or Joey's Creek. or even Jen's creek. Because Dawson is the lamest character on the show.

Now Pacey on the other hand...if he existed in real life, I'd date him in a heartbeat. Minus when the beard (in I believe season 6) entered the picture. A) I find he's pretty to look at B) He's got enough of the bad boy thing going but not too much C) He has a good heart and seems to know exactly what to say to make a girl's heart melt. Will I admit that I'm jealous that him and Joey move in together in the series finale and end up presumptuously happily ever after? Hellz yeah I'll admit it! If I was a fictional character living in Capeside, that would've just never happened because I would've gone out of my way to see to it that he fell for me instead. Alright, that's all I really wanted to say. Pacey Witter is the shizz. If anyone knows how to extract a character from a tv show out into reality, you let me know.