Viime viikot ovat olleet Madonnalle stressaavia. Media on hyörinyt supertähden ympärillä spekuloiden hänen aviohuoliaan ja suhdetta baseball-tähti Alex Rodrigueziin. Lisänsä soppaan on tuonut veli Christopher Ciccone paljastuskirjoineen.

Lisäksi tähti on ajanut itsensä piippuun ankaralla treenillä. Lääkäreiden mukaan Madonnalla kärsii anemiasta ja hän on myös loukannut polvensa. Asiantuntijat ovat käskeneet häntä hidastamaan tahtiaan.

- Madonna ei todellakaan voi hyvin. Hän on harjoitellut kiertuetta varten ja on aivan puhki, The Sun -lehden lähde kertoo.

- Hän on sekä fyysisesti että henkisesti huonossa jamassa. Tilanne Guyn kanssa kotona on erittäin jännittynyt. Tapa, jolla lehdistö on riepotellut hänen suhdettaan Alexiin, veljen kirja ja fyysinen uupumus ovat vaatineet veronsa.

(http://mplimasol.wordpress.com)

it's not worth the $10 of your hard-earned cash that you'll spend at wal-mart. i mean, get yourself a pizza - for god's sake - buy yourself a new shade of mascara or a cheap tie. just don't buy "viva la vida."

i am old enough to remember when coldplay was actually good.

advocating how to spend your money is a bit of a socialist idea (because, i suppose, it promotes a regulation of sorts). rather, you should look at this as one to another, one informed citizen to the next, free advice on how to keep more of your money in your wallet and less of the things you really don't need in your home. i wouldn't be saying any of this if i didn't truly care.

i bought "a rush of blood to the head" when i was a freshman in high school. i'm sure that the album had been out for some time by the time i bought it. i really didn't know anything about coldplay at the time. i didn't own any "britpop" albums at the time. i perhaps only had about twenty music cds on my shelf, severely dwarfed by the number of computer software cds that i used to balance out the weight on my storage unit. the closest thing to coldplay that i owned was part of the tears for fears collection, and a cd by fatboy slim.

i still remember the day. it was a cold, rainy saturday of spring - march, perhaps - where the springs in this part of the country are typified by gray, death, and snow sludge. my dad was out of town on a meeting, so my mom took my sister and me out on a "girls' day out" type occasion. i was wearing a wine-colored blouse and stonewash jeans. we ate at applebees. we say up on the side section in a booth with one of those stained glass-looking shades hanging overhead. my sister and i had the philly cheesesteaks with a blondie. my mom had the fish and fries. our waiter flirted with us. there was a kid screaming its head off for the greater part of the lunch.

i'm not really sure who suggested that we go to best buy, but it's where we ended up after lunch. i remember walking up and down the aisles of the music section, undecided as to whether i was really tired of tears for fears or not, and nearly passed one of their promotional displays. normally, i don't think i would have paid any attention, but there was something about the arrangement of the cds on that display that made me say to myself, "yeah, i should pick one of these up and just see what it's like." i was caught between blur's best-of cd (which is still one of the best-looking cds in existence) and coldplay's "a rush of blood to the head." but - as i would come to find in the future - i always tend to be a sucker for a really good-looking cd, and my present preoccupations with rhinoceros modeling suggested to me that coldplay's album was a hell of a lot more interesting.

the first thing i noticed about the cd, when i brought it home to unwrap it alone in my room, was the smell of the paper leaflet inside - the unmistakable smell of carbon neutral printing would be one that i would become accustomed to with other subsequent cd purchases (itunes, eat your heart out). but i liked the smooth, clean, pristine look of the package - the simple colors, the unifying themes; really, "a rush of blood to the head" is just a nice cd to look at, even without listening to the music.

unafraid, i snapped the cd into my cd player and listened without ceasing.

what i heard blew my little fifteen year-old mind.

even, that summer, when i got "parachutes," nothing seemed to diminish from coldplay's prowess. although relentlessly criticized, "parachutes" is not a bad album - in my own way, i could see the progression, could see that an album like parachutes had to have been created before something so bold and strong as "a rush of blood to the head" could be conceived.

indeed, it was a good time to be a coldplay fan. "in my place" had been a massive hit in the uk. "clocks" was getting a ton of radio play. the video for "the scientist" was being shown daily both on mtv and vh1. the nme had to run with its tail between its legs and admit to one and all that yes, perhaps coldplay was a viable band. coldplay even walked away with a few grammys, a mercury music prize, and a few moon men to accompany their performance on that year's mtv vma awards. it was down to the wire, but i honestly believed that the loyal coldplay following had suffered the band through the gauntlets of fame, and now they were making an unbridled run for the top.

then something happened.

miss paltrow - gwenny ono, as i so affectionately refer to her - marked the end of an era. no longer was chris martin concerned with such trivial topics as activism and politics, only HIS activism and politics. the driving force behind coldplay's creative flow had packed up its bags and stole away in the night, never to return. "x & y" was created and released in a hurry to fight back the criticism and incredulity that stood between coldplay and a third album, and the four boys from devon who had been so staunchly against any type of corporate conformity found themselves remolded in the shape of their enemies. they had jumped ship, traded camps, and left a loyal fanbase - the very fanbase that alone had helped them reach the very top! - disgruntled, dejected, and alienated.

don't think i'm making this shit up. talk to some coldplay fans, young and old. there is a great divide between "rush of blood" fans who won't lower themselves to listening to post-x-&-y rubbish, and post-x-&-y fans who aren't intelligent enough to fully grasp an album like "a rush of blood."

just as the q has bowed down before corporate giants like U2 and REM, so it bowed down for coldplay, with its fancy "5 stars! q recommends!" labels that don't mean shit anymore, and the rest of the market followed suit. thus, we truly entered an age where someone said it was okay to sell out, and that selling out would actually make you a bigger, more bloated star than you could have ever imagined if you'd've just stuck to your guns.

there was no hope left. i heard the abysmal sounds of "x & y" on the radio, and it barely moved me to listen to the album even once. to this day, i have not heard the album the entire way through (anyone who knows me would say that this is a highly unusual behavior). i just couldn't get through it. for a very long time, i fumed, infuriated that coldplay would completely destroy everything that "a rush of blood" had given to the world. it was as if they weren't trying anymore, as if they just didn't care. i guess being honest and making harsh political statements was just too hard of an act to follow.  the disappointment was one so bitter that i could still taste its aromas years later.  it was akin to a death in the family.

i was revived once more when, finally, muse released "black holes and revelations." devon natives, muse, i always saw them in direct competition with coldplay, and even more so when i heard "absolution" for the first time. many parallels can be drawn between "absolution" and "a rush of blood" - sure, each band has got its own unique style and sound, but the message was virtually the same. i can't tell you how overjoyed i was to hear that muse had not completely sold out with "black holes," and again the anger surged as i said to myself, "see, this is where coldplay could have and should have gone!"  some may accuse muse of adopting a cleaner sound for their most recent album, but behind it all i still see a band who remained true to their ambitions and loyal to their occupation - to make good music.

nevermore.

the abysmal whinings of "viva la vida" have been cluttering up the music channels for the past month or so, and i could not even bring myself to watch the video in its entirety. hearing such whale-moans on the at&t commercials the months before was enough to make my stomach churn. all i can hear is "remember when coldplay used to be good? remember when coldplay used to have a vision?" all is lost. all is the wasteland that you see when you pick up "viva la vida" from the cd shelves, and look on with disgust at the kitschy display of graffiti over classical art. you turn the cd over and read some of the song titles, and you think that it's time to curl up into the fetal position, suck your thumb, and cry. falsely, chris martin and company think that they can shove whatever useless shit they can throw together at the last minute on the public, but they have gravely miscalculated the ever-showing number of us who actually take music seriously, actually yearn for bands to show some talent, some intelligence, some ingenuity. we will not be fooled. and we will not line the pockets of chris martin's pants with our wages so that he might be able to hire a french nanny for dear apple (who the hell names their kid apple? or moses? who the hell does he think he is?).  not on my time, not on my dime.

i only wish that someday we might band together and have as much influence as the nme and the q did in their hey-day.  nothing gold can stay.

in these times of economic uncertainty, keep your fingers away from your cash and your plastic when you see the name "coldplay" plastered across something.  i mean, unless you actually happen to like soft-core, corporate-generated, radiohead-lite crap.

Elokuvakaunotar Gwyneth Paltrow sai kokea Madonnan ystävällisyyden Donatella Versacen järjestämissä uudenvuodenjuhlissa.

Naiset olivat tanssineet samalla pöydällä aamuneljän aikaan, kun Madonna oli yllättäen vetänyt Gwynethin itseensä kiinni ja suudellut häntä eroottisesti huulille, kerrotaan brittilehti The Sunin verkkosivuilla.
Britney sai maistaa Madonnaa vuonna 2003. Gwynethin suutelemisen vuotta ei The Sunissa mainittu.

IS Madonnan ja Britneyn herkkä hetki MTV Video Music Awards-gaalassa vuonna 2003

Cominciamo proprio dai capelli!!

Direttamente dagli Usa il taglio più hot del momento: il long bob.

Bando ai facili doppisensi, si tratta di un taglio semplice, pratico, di media lunghezza e adatto ad ogni tipo di capello.

Tra le star c'è chi lo porta liscio, con un'aria sofisticata e sexy:

chi lo porta mosso, per un tocco dolce e romantico:

Chi lo porta riccio, anni '30 ma super trendy:

Non passate inosservate, chiedete aiuto a Bob, the Long Bob.

Iron Man follows the script that you would expect, with lots of CGI, one central 'hero' character, and an outlandish plot to wrap it all together. Even though they all have similar themes, what makes each one unique and different is the hero. Apart from X-Men, all the others focus on one character, the hero, and it's this that makes each film enjoyable in its own way.

This also means that the actor playing the hero role has to be perfect. If the casting of the main character is off, the film is absolutely doomed. Fortunately, Iron Man is played by Robert Downey Jr who completely makes the film what it is. His character Tony Stark starts as an extravagant billionaire, living the playboy lifestyle in casino's and living day-to-day. Stark then goes through a major emotional journey, going through various attitudes towards his work and colleagues, before ultimately deciding what to do with his money and his engineering talents. It's done in a likeable way though - one thing (maybe the only thing) about one of the Spiderman films that annoyed me was that Toby McGuire turned into a goody two shoes overnight, and dumped (before getting back with) Kirsten Dunst in order to save as many people as possible. I know its noble and a hero is supposed to be like that, but its still annoying. Iron Man is a good guy, but he does the right thing for his own good and for his own revenge against the people who originally kidnapped him - not because the villain is a threat to society or anything sad like that. So even though he should be a bit of an asshole, he's actually very cool and likeable, and crucially, not annoying or frustrating to watch. Just the opposite in fact.

CGI effects are very good throughout the film, and are done in a similar way to the Transformer film. It looks realistic and tangible even though it is obviously done on computers. The Iron Man Suit effects are shiny and eye-catching, even more so than Spidey's undies, and the mechanical components that pop in and out shooting missiles and what not, are sublime.

The storyline is a bit silly, even for me, but I'll forget about that. You know its not going to be based on real life events or anything serious so who cares. The ending is a bit OTT but satisfying nonetheless (and wide open for a sequel).

Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, has the somewhat typically role of the obedient, under-appreciated, plain yet secretly glamorous assistant to Tony Stark. Although everyone else thinks she was great, I think the role could have been better cast. This is being a bit picky because she does do the role OK, but for such a good film you would expect slightly more from her.

Iron Man is a great film to watch - thrilling, fast paced, frequently comical and absolutely owned by Robert Downey Jr who makes the film what it is almost single handedly, without him, the film would have been only a 5/10 and you can't imagine the role going to anyone else after seeing him in it.

Overall - 8.5/10

Thankfully, time has moved on. Now, it seems, it's only the most self-obsessed celebrities that give their offspring names you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. And here are 10 of the very worst.

10: Apple and Moses

Tiresome, self-satisfied musician Chris Thingy and tiresome, self-satisfied actress Gwyneth Paltrow clearly thought that Apple was an appropriate name of a girl.

They then went one worse by calling their second child after the father of the Israeli nation, Moses. What were they thinking?

9: Moon Unit

Frank Zappa's eldest daughter was lumbered with the name Moon Unit. Of course, she followed in family tradition by calling her own daughter Mathilda Plum.

8: Jermajesty

Just to disprove the idea that Michael was the only 'Wacko Jacko' brother Jermaine called his son 'Jermajesty'.

7: Kal-El

Elvis and Superman fanatic Nic Cage called his first born 'Kal-El', which apparently was Superman's birth name. It seems Elvis Superman Presley Cage was too obvious.

6: Moxie Crimefighter

Magician Penn Jillette's first child. This is a girl's name, apparently.

5: Lark Song

The choice of '60s throwbacks Mia Farrow and Andre Previn.

4: Fifi Trixibell

First of two entries for Paula Yates - Fifi is the daughter of that nice Sir Bob Geldof , who really should know better.

3: Princess Tiaamii

British glamour model Jordan and her ridiculous ex-pop star husband Peter Andre thought this was a great idea for a child's name.

2: Sage Moonblood

Sylvester Stallone was obviously reading a lot of Conan books when he named his son this.

1: Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily

Possibly the worst children's name in the history of mankind. Proud parents : Paula Yates and Michael Hutchence.

Iron Man is a comic adpatation to film from the Marvel Entertainment Group which made the comic itself. It stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes, and Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stone.

Now if you don't want to read all of this because it is tl;dr well folks I just so happen to have made a quick review last night after the movie. Here it is...

The movie starts off on a good foot and never missteps. From the very beginning opening scene of comedy flowing easily into action follows the path throughout the movie. This can be attributed mostly to the directing talents of Jon Favreau who has a comedy movie past. He proved on Zathura he could do action and here in Iron Man he proved he could adapt a comic book into a movie almost perfectly.

What's interesting to note is that throughout the film there are various assorments of different techniques to go on to the next scene. There was a blend in, a side swipe, and quick cutting all throughout the movie and I for one loved that there really was no set style for this movie other than it's story.

The story is pretty much true to the comic itself as we see Tony Stark battle himself more than the actual enemies. Stark is a complex man and you need a complex actor to play him and Robert Downey Jr. fit the bill. Downey has had his own life problems and seeing him use them to make Tony Stark a more fully enriched character is something I want to see more than once. Downey proves that he is one of the greatest actors of our current time.

Don't get me wrong Downey pretty much is the movie but the cast of other characters is strong and important to the film as well. Paltrow and Terrence Howard play their buddy parts like they only know how and Jeff Bridges brings in a great performance throughout as Obadiah Stone.

What I like most about this movie is the secret nods to the comic book fans of the movie. We got hints of S.H.I.E.L.D., War Machine, and staying true to how Stark handled the press about Iron Man.

Overall, this movie is everything you want in an action movie and more. It gives you sense of satisfaction and that's what you really go into a movie theatre hoping for. While I'm a Spiderman fan outright I can tell you that Iron Man is the most complex character and it elevated the movie as one of the best comic book movies of all time.

4.3/5

I review Iron Man...

I saw Iron Man the other day, and it was pretty cool. While it is definitely not worth the high 90% -plus grade on Rotten Tomatoes, it was definitely one of the better superhero movies I have ever seen. I liked the fact that it went down a Batman Begins route; not just in terms of storyline, but in terms of presentation. Iron Man is fairly realistic. We know the military can build stuff like the Iron Man suit, but we know it costs a lot of money.

Enter insanely rich weapons dealer Tony Stark. And enter Robert Downey Jr., one of my favourite actors (see A Scanner Darkly, see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang).

RDJr carries this motherfucker, and he carries it with ease. Incredibly talented, this man is. Funny and charismatic, but also able to pull off being the tough guy - in a rockstar kind of way. Props to Jeff Bridges, too. The Dude has the same kind of gritty charisma that RDJr has, and they both performed
excellently in Iron Man. Gwyneth was a great Pepper Potts (not being a comic fan, I must say wtf to that name choice), but Terrence Howard was underused as Tony Stark's army man friend.

More wit than hit, this is a superhero film where the action did not dominate. Maybe I am used to expecting insane ADD quick-cut explosion-drenched action scenes, but for me the action - or lack thereof - was Iron Man's main drawback.

However, it provided an afternoon of solid entertainment, and I recommend it for casual viewers and hardxcore comic fans alike.

3/5

Genre: Sci-Fi Action Adventure

Rated: PG-13

Conceit: The Man In The Iron Mask

Disclaimer: I am a large comic book fan.  Have always been.  This makes me more inclined to see a comic book movie.  It makes me more inclined to appreciate the nuances that others may miss.  And it makes me more inclined to be critical of a comic book movie.

Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark.  Absolutely.  The way that Patrick Stewart is Professor X (and hopefully Heath Ledger will be Joker), Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark.  He absolutely makes this movie.  Downey captures every nuance that makes the comic book Stark such a compelling character and he is a pleasure to watch.  The movie makes sure it conveys two important characteristics of Stark: his quick witted sarcasm and his genius.  A lesser movie would sacrifice one for the other, but Iron Man manages to show both sides perfectly.  A genius playboy and CEO of Stark Industries, Tony owns the weapons company he inherited from his father and co-runs with Obadiah Stane.  While demonstrating a new weapons system in Afghanistan, Stark is kidnapped by terrorists.  (Side Note: I'm pretty sure in years to come, we'll view the current usage of Middle-Eastern Terrorists as the all-purpose enemy the same way we view 80's movies always casting the good guys against communism)  Needless to say this opens Stark's eyes to what his weapons really do.  This is an aspect that the movie gets completely right.  Downey plays Stark's fears and regrets perfectly.  We really believe he rides the iron because he wants to make up for what he's put out there.  And the evolution fromt Tony Stark to Iron Man feels organic.  Its not that he puts on the armor and kicks butt.  There are several violent (and comedic) crashes before (and during) the butt kicking.

Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane is a mixed bag.  Bridges himself is excellent.  He captures Stane perfectly and is a pleasure to watch.  The problem is with Stane himself.  The character is such a cliche and follows such a cliched path that it really does detract from the movie itself.  All of Bridges acting ability cannot save a character who follows such a predictable path from beginning to end.

Gwyneth Paltrow returns from movie exile to play Stark's doting secretary, Virginia "Pepper" Potts, the quintessential "stand by your man" type.  Paltrow is fine as Potts.  That's all I can really say.  This role ends up being very similar to Katie Holmes' Rachel Dawes character in Batman Begins (although Potts exists in comic book continuity, whereas Dawes does not).  She brings what she can to a character that really doesn't do much in the movie.  Sure Potts runs from here to there, and we know there's a spark between her and Stark, but there's really nothing there to praise or criticize.  Potts' character seems all the more one dimensional when stacked up next to Downey's multi-faceted portrayal Stark.  Hopefully Paltrow will get a meatier rule when Iron Man 2 (already announced for Summer 2010), before she's un-ceremonially canned ala Holmes.

Terrence Howard also pops in as James Rhodes, military liaison to Stark Enterprises and Tony's friend.  Howard does a good job of playing an old friend and advisor in Tony's life, but like Pepper Potts, there isn't much there.  Methinks that Howard agreed to this role because of what happens to Rhodes in the comic books, something that the movie alludes to for a moment.

Jon Favreau knows comic books and it shows.  He was able to take the source material and make it accessible.  He also managed to effectively walk the tight rope of making the movie accessible to the general audience while staying in the source material enough to appease the comic shop heads (well, as much as they're ever appeased).  Favreau also Hitchcock's himself a cameo.  The clever part of this, and what shows Favreau loves the source material, is that he puts himself in a role that is more important to the Iron Man legacy than this movie would have you believe.

Marvel Studios should be proud.  Their first independently produced comic book movie easily sits amongst the top comic book movies made.  Though it slows down for necessary exposition in the middle after taking off at rocket speed, the pacing of the movie is perfect for a summer popcorn flick.  They made Iron Man a compelling character and even planted seeds for their broader vision. (Hint: Stick around after the credits roll)  

Final Grade: A-

Andrea Poppiti, in esclusiva per FuoriLeMura, ha scattato le seguenti fotografie alla conferenza stampa ed al Red Carpet italiano del film "Iron Man".

Solo FLM ti regala tutto il glamour che desideri!

Ricordo a tutti che ho registrato il dominio per questo blog … http://blog.raccontiperduti.it

Da oggi tutti i nuovi post saranno pubblicati direttamente là … quindi è ora di reimpostare il link dei preferiti e a breve inserirò anche il feed RSS (per oggi venite sul sito che sto aggiornando l’account FeedBurner) … Lo spostamento avviene per aver maggior libertà di aggiornamento e gestione del blog stesso, dai plugin alle variazione sul tema (che per ora rimane invariato).

Ci vediamo di là, mi raccomando …

Il Bardo

Gwyneth Paltrow è stata fotografata da Steven Klein per la rivista Vogue dove promuove Iron Man. Decisamente interessanti le fotografie che ritraggono l’attrice in abiti da gran sera in mezzo al set del film tra attrezzatura e l’armatura robotica. Molto cool.

Iron Man esce nelle sale italiane il 1 maggio, la Paltrow interpreta Virginia “Pepper” Potts, nel cast anche Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Samuel L. Jackson ed Hilary Swank.

Fonte Cineblog.it

Best foot forward, first impressions count etc. So with that in mind here's a brilliant scene from a pretty good movie; in my humble opinions one of the best things i've ever seen on a screen.

Don't worry about such an auspicious start though, its all down hill from here!

THE LOOK

GETTING THE LOOK: A fashionable look such as this one can be achieved when one has managable hair. Hair can be straightened and easier to braid by using a CHI straightener , a straightener that leaves hair tame. A lighter look with a noticeable bounce can also be attained by using a CHI Hair Dryer-- giving the hair a more natural look.

Click here to learn more about CHI Hair Products.

Scarlett Johansson:

Drew Barrymore:

Ashley Olsen:

Nelly Furtado:

Natalie Portman:

Haylie Duff:

Christina Applegate:

Gwyneth Paltrow:

Christina Aguilera:

Może długo się otwierać lub mogą być problemy z otwieraniem, ale warto uzbroić się w cierpliwość. Talent grafika czyni cuda ! ;D

http://manitu.freehost.pl/retusze/retusze.html

It's time for... a parable. I call this little ditty,

The Righteous Pothead and the Blissful Poet:

So... after a morning of day labor, me and this guy smoke a little weed. I was wearing the "standard wardrobe" at the time, namely a shirt with "a certain blond" drawn on the back, which is usually a good conversation starter...

(And remember... do not attempt to understand the poet of this tale. Included for illustration purposes only. Speaking of miracles in the "really real," I don't even know. I love her like... there ain't no like. I digress...)

So he mentions his interest in art, displays a few tattoos. Which naturally encourages me to display the "certain blond" inked on my forearm... and we talk about poetry, somehow; perhaps because I'm headed to the coffeehouse to recite some for open mic night. (Poetry celebrating a "certain blond") A stop along the way is required to gather said hard copy, namely a visit to my storage space, being otherwise homeless at the time. And naturally, he investigates the numerous (less than a hundred, anyway:) pictures of a "certain blond" doing a laudable impression of wallpaper...

(A sidebar, in case, perhaps, you wonder about the imagery. If you ever seen a movie which called for the set design labeled "standard stalker layout, full kit..." I completely understand the negative stereotyping fostered my the media by my tastes in fashion and interior design. I also understand if you devalue the "book" of me by the "ostentatious cover" of this "excessive display," which is merely my celebration of her magnificence. And I will even apologize to those in the crowd for inspiring any uncontrolled "gag reflex." I have heard it told that far from being universally loved, this "certain blond" inspires actual, physical pain in some individuals from the mere mention of her name... All I ask is that you read the fine print: In no way, shape or form, through threat, intimidation, or even through inserting my presence with a ten mile radius of her, cause her any pain, discomfort, fear or emotional distress... I just absolutely adore this poor girl... OK, I'm done. Back to the story...)

Later:

We talk, compare art, smoke more weed... and out of the blue, he tries to catch my eye with the unlikely question of:

"But surely, you don't love Gwyneth more than God, do you?"

And I said...

Can you guess my answer? Bonus: can you guess what I actually said?

Forget all that. Let's join together in the comforts of socially acceptable behavior and find comfort in traditional values. Let us go as far as to say I'm not only wrong, I'm so far from right in performing my "duties as prophet," I'm mapping new territory in the realm of blasphemy... imagining all that, care to bet your conviction of my "express train straight to hell" against my similar certainty of the wink and a smile from ol' Pete at the Pearly Gates with the greeting of, "You and your dang Gwynnies..."

Of course, the Blissful Poet didn't say a dang thing. Left that place like some hidden computer activated the ejection seat. Sure enough a guided missile suddenly appeared on the threat scope. But at the other end of the imagination scope. Say I am absolutely correct and my actions are fully sanctioned, yet disaster occurs in the unfortunate "ascension"  of a "certain blond" into the state-sanctioned "divine manifestation" of the more historically accurate aspect of the "creator" as "Goddess..." Let the record show...

Aw, relax. It's just a story, I'm just an obsessed freak posing as a monkey with a typewriter. Obviously insane. Surely cannot expect to be taken seriously in comparing some "moronic crush" on a movie star to the Divine Office ensconced with thousands of years of tradition and ritual... the very cornerstone upon which rests the entire weight of modern civilization... yet I seem to remember hearing of this other guy with a construction gig who surely had no intention of creating a new religion, just wanted to fix what was broken... (mumble, mumble) cornerstone of modern society (mumble, mumble) and has it not become... (mumble, mumble) celebrity worship is the state-sanctioned... (mumble, mumble) distract from the context of the actual "true, universal, modern religion" (mumble, mumble) all about the green...

And the moral of the story is (other than being a vehicle clearly driven by my issues:)

A couple of people can sit down and have a conversation speaking the same language, using words and phrases only with their most basic objective intent, yet communicate vastly different concepts... (an hour later...) What I'm really trying to say... cannot be said. Whether or not you are not reading or ignoring, devouring or skimming this missive, this rant, this pathetic display of an infatuated loser who has nothing to say and no way to say it... I'm looking at a picture of a "certain blond."

It is incorrect to state that "god is love." The more accurate form would be "love is god."

Gwenith Paltrow?!

This movie bothered me -- but not because it was bad. I'm what one might call a Superman fan, so it irks me that a second-string Marvel character like Iron Man gets a class-act flick like this and Superman, arguably the most recognized (and before 'Returns', most admired) superhero, gets rubbish. That said, this post isn't about Superman, but if anyone from Warner Bros. with any level of control watches 'Iron Man,' they should take some notes on what makes a good superhero movie.

'Iron Man' succeeds on something most superhero movies don't have: solid writing. There is considerable punch between Downey, Jr. and Paltrow throughout this film, and each deliver his/her lines with credible accuracy. Downey, Jr. may not fit the category of blockbuster actor and certainly wasn't on anyone's shortlist of superhero physiques, but he is almost perfect as the troubled and transformed Tony Stark. Paltrow also deserves some credit for her role as Virginia 'Pepper' Potts -- some might say she hasn't really done any acting since 'Shakespeare in Love' (and this isn't wholly without merit) -- but she nevertheless puts forth a classy effort. Paltrow is admittedly an acquired taste -- there are many who think she was miscast in this role but I do not share that opinion. If you want to see a truly miscast female lead, see Kate Bosworth in 'Superman Returns'.

The plot is serviceable and the action sequences - though few - are well-played. That said, some comic gurus will probably notice one-too many similarities with Chris Nolan's 'Batman Begins' but let's be frank, Tony Stark is in many ways a chopped up version of Bruce Wayne. There aren't as many surprises in the story and the back-stabbing possibilities become awfully apparent early on. What perhaps kept me glued to the screen was how good 'Iron Man' turned out despite the character's position in the pantheon of superhero creations. 'Iron Man' is no Wolverine, and his following has always been more cult-ish than mass. That will probably change with this film. Marvel and Favreau have somehow legitimized alchemy; they've taken brass and turned it into gold. Kudos to them.

And yet as surprising good as 'Iron Man's' debut is, it isn't an off-the-scale shocker. 'Iron Man' is the first of hopefully many movies Marvel is financing itself. That's right, after some miserable outings (anyone remember 'Ghost Rider'? No one? Good.), Marvel decided it best to manually bring its characters to the big screen versus licensing them off to studios such as Sony or Fox. If Iron Man is any indication, this was clearly the right move for the comic book giant. This makes so much sense and honestly, is something I've always scratched my head about. Why movie studios often put people unfamiliar with the properties to make them was frankly lost on me. Singer never read a Superman comic (or for that matter, any comic) growing up. Some believe his X-Men movies were gold - I'm of the opinion they were decent; spectacular only because no one had made or seen serious superhero movies in a long time. But I'd bet that superhero films would be miles better if we put the likes of Busiek, Morrison, Miller, and Moore on them. Art direction by creators like Lee, Ross, Campbell, and Maduriera (and maybe even Warren) would put to shame what we've seen in a good number of superhero movies.

So here's to Marvel's 'Iron Man'; I hope to see many sequels -- but please don't become 'Batman and Robin'. And to DC Comics, please get off your rear ends and try to wrestle more control away from Warner Bros. before it turns the rest of your beloved franchises into wretched abominations; see 'Catwoman'.