The Spielster

A change will do you good....

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:26:00 +0000

Dear readers,

First, I would like to take the time to celebrate today’s historical reverence and the hopeful effect it will have on our country.

As you are aware from my tireless blogging throughout the election cycle, I am more than excited about the Change that has come to Washington!

Secondly, I would encourage you to visit our new home at Spielster. Its up and running and many of you are still migrating to this site on a daily basis. I haven’t been lazy…I have been posting on my new domain.

Please visit me there to enjoy catching up on all the pop culture, music, movies, tv and political news one can handle. We have tweaked the format a bit and will be given you, our dear readers new and different content, guest contributors, first glimpses of movies and more and more pop culture goodies. We are expanding the brand, expanding our mission and hopefully expanding out readership in 2009. If you are a fan of the Spielster, help us out and spread the word to your friends and colleagues about us! Promotion and publicity have never hurt anyone. Also, if you have found yourself on Twitter, check out our feed: www.twitter.com/spielster.

Have a great new year, enjoy our day of Change and visit us at Spielster.com!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE VISIT OUR NEW SITE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:47:00 +0000

In my attempt to broaden the image of The Spielster, I would invite you to check out my BETA site - Spielster.com. Actually it's not BETA, its the new and nearly improved with some functionality issues THE SPIELSTER.

And on December 15th, we will be introducing that site as the new and lovely SPIELSTER.

Please let me know what you think about it so far. While its been great here at Blogger, I felt that nearly a year and half of doing this, it was about time I got myself a domain, a fancy site and the possibility to track backs.

So pardon its appearance and love me dearly on THE SPIELSTER.

Prop 8 - The Musical....Music to My Ears...

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:54:00 +0000

Sometimes, I miss the Jack Black of yore. You know the one who would jump around and sing and dance with merry on "Mr. Show" and was only sort of famous back then. Well if you are like me and miss him very much, please check out "Prop 8: The Musical". As always, the bastards at FunnyOrDie.com have found a way to make a anti-civil rights law passing in California funny. Black, with the help of Neil Patrick Harris, John C. Reilly, Rashida Jones, and others have brought humor and melody to a very state of affairs. ENJOY!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

The Real Housewives of Atlanta are a bunch of hot bitches....

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:04:00 +0000

So last night was the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” reunion show and it was a doozey. First, let’s say that much like Anderson Cooper, I am in love with Nene. She doesn’t take bull, is unimpressed with much of the hoopla these ladies find interesting and seems to have a grasp on what’s real. While I definitely know that this show is ridiculous in so many many ways, I can not help myself from watching the train wreck. I am not sure why they chose these particular five women to participate in this show, other then the obvious, but they do make relatively good TV. While the five ladies do not seem as close as say the bitches from the OC, they are pretending nicely for the camera that all they do is meet up and talk shit on one another, when they are not talking about their up and coming designing, singing, philanthropy careers. Kim, who has been ripped apart on the all the blogs for everything from her “singing voice” to her boyfriend, very much understands her role on the show and is not giving up on becoming a star. Unfortunately, the friendship that once was between Nene and Kim disappeared through the course of the show and as you can see from the clip below, there is a lot of love lost. I can not wait to see what goes down next season.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend everyone....

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Since I will be away from a computer for the majority of the holiday weekend, I wanted to let you all know that posting will definitely be sporadic at best until December 1st.

Over the next few days though, there might be some posts about the new cast members on SNL, The Sexiest Man? and Holiday fun.

Also, next week The Spielster will have some interesting news for you readers, well interesting in my book. On that note, I leave you with some fierce dance moves.

ENJOY!

Britney Spears - Are we ready for her comeback?

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:35:00 +0000

So Britney is apparently on her way to a comeback, for the thirty thousandth time. With her cover story on next week’s Rolling Stone, professing that “Yes She Can!” I am wondering what exactly are we waiting for her to do? The pop star, who first made her way onto the scene with suggestive song, “Oops I did it Again” and an even more suggestive Rolling Stone cover, ten years ago, has lived just a few lives at this point. She has been the poster child for Disney and puritanical BS only Southern celebs or those with Disney contracts sell to the public. She was Ms. Sexy, who found her strength in tighter and tighter outfits and making out with Madonna. We saw her as Mrs. Mom, when she made the abrupt decision to marry a no good back up dancer with a pregnant girlfriend and have two children with him. We saw her be the new woman after that marriage failed and emerge as if from some adult cocoon, attempting to convince the public she was a great mother and even more, a great woman. And then we saw her as Ms. Meltdown, just a year ago, where she was doing drugs, attacking paparazzi, shaving her head, dating photographers, having wild nights, being picked up by ambulances and losing ALL control over her daily life. The culmination of this mess was her “performance” at last year’s MTV Music Awards, which was the night I resigned to no longer discuss her or the once music network (I have failed on both accounts.) The one time dream girl of teenage boys all over America had become a car wreck and another in a long line of sad stories of child stars and successful female singers. Most people, me included, began the countdown clock on the expiration of Britney’s longevity in the business.

At this point, just one year later, it seems that Ms. Spears has gotten her act together and never too late to do so, for both her professional and personal lives. She will debut a new CD next week, and an MTV documentary, along with the Rolling Stone article, in which she will allow reporters to dig through the muck that has been her past few years and attempt to sell us as to why she really is “back for good”. While I mean no harm to Ms. Spears, but what exactly is she making a comeback with? Her albums, overly produced and written by virtual strangers to the singer, sound nothing like a person who has just spent 10 years soul searching and from previous interviews, I can’t imagine the depth of these. What I would love to see Britney do in her next incarnation is truly follow in Madonna’s foot steps, but even more so, gain a “self”. Madonna, while a magnet for controversy and contempt, she always made everything she did seem like it was honestly from her. Not a made up PR scheme or jumping on the newest trend, but something Madonna wanted to do, so she did it. Britney has yet to find that depth within herself or even her “career persona” to own what she has done or will do in the future. And for any “artist” seeking longevity, if you don’t have “self”, you have NOTHING. For now, I will keep an open mind as to the next part of her journey and technically her audiences. I know there are many people out there rooting for her, hoping there is not another crisis on the horizon for our pop star. I can honestly say that I do hope that the drama that has followed this girl around for years is far gone and now, she can hopefully create a career based on her talents and interests, as opposed to pleasing her handlers and the masses.

Day Man...AHHHHH! - The glorious season finale of "It's Always Sunny"...

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:51:00 +0000

So it’s taken me a few days to wrap my head around the glory that was the season finale of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”. “The Dayman Cometh” episode could have been one of the funniest programs I have ever seen in all of my TV watching history. And for those of you who have yet to check out this show, SHAME ON YOU! To say this is next level is bemoaning the true genius behind the above and beyond anti-PC laughter that is “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”.

In this season's finale, Charlie wrote a musical, which is basically a secret way to (SPOILER ALERT) finally get the Waitress to marry him, never mind that they have only dated ONCE. The musical, which had Sweet Dee, a princess who works in a coffee shop, Dennis as DayMan, Mac as Night Man and Frank as the hilarious Antonio the troll, focuses on the maturation of Dennis’ character through the creepiest methods ever to finally secure his love, the princess. Let’s just say the creepiest methods are most definitely some of the most outlandish stuff you have seen in the in the show. For some reason, Antonio being the name of the troll could have been one of the funniest things the show has ever done and I am not the only one who agrees. But the real star of the program was the ever mind-controlling and incredibly infectious “Dayman” song. While it premiered on the show in the third season, the musical version of the song has yet to leave my brain since watching the program last Friday! Here it is in all its glory. I can not wait until the fifth season!

Monday Movie Box Office Recap - One Hell of a Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:27:00 +0000

Holy hell was it a good weekend for box office totals. While the recession seems to be hitting other areas of entertainment, movie grosses have remained strong over the past few months. Coming in at number one was the vampire tween spectacle that is "Twilight"! The movie based on the young adult series that follows the life of Bella and her vampire suitor pulled in $70.6 million, making this one of the highest grossing opening weekends this year. Three quarters of the audience for Twilight were of the female persuasion, no shock there, but what was interesting that almost 50% of the audience was at least 25 years or older. I guess the puritanical outlook on romance and limited sexual interaction between any of the characters, courtesy of Mormon author of the series Stephenie Meyer, did actually get a lot of people’s hearts pumping. The movie, which was made for actually half the amount of the weekend gross, has proven that marketing campaigns and teenage girls can be the only thing that makes a movie a success. There is a sequel in the works, based on the second novel in the series New Moon, and hopefully from the reviews, a bit more direction and money can be pumped into this to make this a successful franchise. This movie has propelled the careers of the two stars, Kristen Stewart, a Rising Star nominee here almost TWO YEARS AGO! and Robert Pattinson, to already crazy status and has lead to fan frenzy at malls, premieres and anywhere else these two can be found. I made sure to stay away from this vampire frenzy at all costs, since I do not plan on reading the books nor seeing the movies. I do wonder what execs who passed up on the film, like those from MTV Paramount, are thinking about now and if they are kicking themselves for not shelling out some small beans to get their hands in the blood sucking pie?

And don’t think that it was only teenage girls at the theaters this weekend. Quantum of Solace, the second Bond flick to star Daniel Craig, remained strong with a near $30 Million draw this weekend. Surprisingly, Bolt, the animated tale of a superstar dog, starring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, did not do anywhere near as the industry expected. The Disney flick pulled in $27 Million, which is not a great start at the box office totals for an animated film (I blame John and his bad toupee). Rounding out the remainder of the top five was another animated film, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, with $16 Million and Role Models, the comedy that shows why you should step out of your comfort zone, which pulled in $7.2 Million.

Here is the rest of the Box Office Top ten, courtesy of Box Office Mojo.
1. Twilight - $70.6 million
2. Quantum of Solace - $27.4 million
3. Bolt - $27 million
4. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $16 million
5. Role Models - $7.2 million
6. Changeling - $2.6 million
7. High School Musical 3: Senior Year - $2 million
8. Zack and Miri Make a Porno - $1.7 million
9. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - $1.7 million
10. The Secret Life of Bees - $1.3 million

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:26:00 +0000

I know I promised I wouldn't post about Britney, but....

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:35:00 +0000

Ok, but I sort of have to. Well I don't have to, but I wanna. So in preparation for the release of Circus, her album dropping December 2nd, MTV did a little documentary on the pop star. The footage is a mixture of poignant interviews, footage of behind the scenes work on the new album and the beginning of the press juggernaut she is about to get back to.

And from the clips I have seen so far, it seems that Ms. Spears might just have gotten her shit together. In part of the film, she explains how her marriage to Kevin Federline was doomed from the start and that she "married for all the wronge reasons". She also states that there are times where her life "feels like a prison" and that she considers "her childhood normal compared" to other child stars. So yes, while I am recuperating from the pig our fest that will be Thanksgiving, my ass will watching the Britney redemption documentary.

Here's a clip of the 90 minute special....

Britney Spears - MTV Shows

Whose on Top? Not America's Next Top Model!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:34:00 +0000

Ugh…I think I have to admit that the golden age of reality programs is DEAD! Well, at least America’s Next Top Model is. This show used to be AMAZING, with drama between the models, actual competitions that would show off if someone could be a model and important guests who would stop by to be guest judges all the time. Sadly, this is no longer the case and that could not be anymore evident after this shitty season. The girls this go-around were boring with a capital SNOOZE! They also had probably the least amount of skills to obtain a lucrative position within the modeling world of any previous cycle. Anywhos, McKey won the title that means about as much as winning a Barbizon contest nowadays.

And I am not sure if the trip overseas to Amsterdam was the best idea to regain some footing within the fashion world. That being said, last night’s finale was the worst of any season because it was boring, the critiques were pointless and the girl who should have won was already kicked off. The fact that Sam got into the final two was beyond silly, given that EVERY WEEK she was told that she didn’t come across as a model. Even when she was told she was in the final two, Tyra was still giving her notes on her look. Really? And Analeigh, who given the final three should have won, was told that she was likable, commercial ready, as well as good in editorial, was kicked off for a non-existing reason. Don’t worry Analeigh, CW producers were watching and you will most likely be asked to join the cast of some tween sensation soon enough. McKey, was about as personality bare as possible and could not have been less like a Cover Girl, but she still won. While I think her editorial photographs are beautiful, I am not sure how anyone would know what she was capable of if they met her in person. Anyways, she won after a piss poor runway show and someone had to wake me up from my sleep to let me know this boring chick won. Tyra better recognize the deficit that this show has gone through the past few cycles and pick some stellar girls next go around and bring them to something actually fashionable – say Paris or Milan. If not, this show will self-destruct. Unless that’s what Ms. Oprah 2.0 wants?

In other Tyra Banks news, the supermodel cum Oprah 2.0 had the kicked off contestants from this past cycle on her syndicated talk show earlier in the week. She brought on some of the ladies to discuss some of the major issues within the house, most notably the unfavorable attacks on Isis, the first transgender contestant in the program’s history. See, I like how Tyra thought she would be doing something brave by bringing in Isis to the house and have her compete, but didn’t she realize that when she picks idiots from across the nation to fill the rest of the house, unity isn’t going to be a very easy thing? But props to Tyra for one, offering to pay for Isis sexual reassignment surgery, two, bringing on her mother to discuss the issue or her daughter being a transgender and finally, calling out hypocrite and wench Clarke for hating on Isis. See Clarke is a wench, much like Ann Coulter is and by that I mean she sucks! She throws around hateful words, believes she is better than everyone, does things that go against everything she says she is about, like making out with another girl just for the hell of it, but being anti-gay, and then says Jesus about twenty times to make it all okay. Here is Tyra dishing her just some of what she deserves.

Wanda Sykes "Comes Out"....

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:37:00 +0000

In other TV funny lady news, Wanda Sykes, co-star of The New Adventures of Old Christine and Curb Your Enthusiasm, “came out” this past weekend at a rally for gay marriage in Las Vegas. The comedian announced that she had recently married her long term girlfriend, just days before Proposition 8 was passed in California, banning gay marriage. Sykes had never gone on the record before in regards to her sexual orientation because she didn’t feel the need to, but after the passing of Prop 8 she felt “pissed off”. The comedian said that she was hoping that the ban on gay marriage in California will now lead to work and progress that would make it legal in all 50 states. She also said “I am proud to be a woman. I’m proud to be a black woman and I’m proud to be gay”, later in her speech. Sykes, who is a well known comedian and co-star on a popular comedy program, is just another celebrity who has made the decision to live her life out in the open and for that we couldn’t be prouder. Not to say that I think everyone should “come out”, but this takes strength and hopefully will bring further awareness to the public.

This rally is just another in many that have been happening across the country in protest of the passing of Prop 8. For more coverage, please check out Queerty’s Tireless Coverage.

Here is a snippet of Wanda Sykes’ speech at the Las Vegas rally this past weekend.

Rashida Jones joins Amy Poehler for Non-Spinoff to "The Office"......

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:12:00 +0000

As you can tell,The Spielster loves anything having to do with Ms. Amy Poehler. I mean the lady rapped and danced around on national TV at Midnight, six days before popping out a kid. So I have been waiting on pins and needles for any more information on the new mysterious Amy Poehler project on NBC.

So far the cast seems like comedic gold, with Poehler and Aziz Ansari, from Human Giant fame, starring in the comedy produced by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur from “The Office”. While originally it was expected to be a full on “The Office” spin-off, the newest cast announcement confirms that this is NOT true. Michael Schur, has announced that the one time “Office” star, Rashida Jones, will be joining the cast. He has also confirmed that her character will NOT be Karen Fillipelli, the jilted girlfriend of Jim and manager of another Dunder Mifflin branch after her departure from the Scranton office. When discussing the upcoming non-spinoff spinoff, Schur had this to say about his newest addition to the cast, “"She is perfect for this new show, which -- just to remind everyone -- is not a spinoff of 'The Office. It is a spinoff of 'MASH' called 'Seinfeld II.' "

The show is said to be in production as we speak, which I find a bit hard to believe considering they are still casting, no plot points are known and their main star just had a baby two weeks ago, but who knows. Jones will be seen next will two of my Hollywood crushes, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel in ”I Love You Man”, which will be released in theaters early next year.

Image courtesy of Watch with Kristin on E!

Monday Movie Box Office Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:38:00 +0000

Who said people weren’t going to buy Daniel Craig as James Bond? Well whoever did is biting their tongue to the tune of the $70 Million, which is what ”Quantum of Solace”, the lamest title of a film from the Bond franchise to date, pulled in this past weekend. This is the second strongest November opening for a film which is not a Harry Potter flick, after “The Incredibles”. The movie has already pulled in $250 Million overseas and is confirming with the studio why they chose Mr. Craig to step into Bond’s shows for at least another two feature length films. Coming in second were the zany animals in Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa, with very strong second weekend total of $36 Million, bringing the domestic gross to $118 Million after two weeks. Role Models, the hilarious comedy directed by David Wain, stayed strong comparatively, coming in third this weekend with a little under $12 Million. High School Musical 3 and Changeling rounded out the top five movies of the weekend, coming in at fourth and fifth, respectively.

Here is the rest of the Box Office Top ten, courtesy of Box Office Mojo.
1. Quantum of Solace - $70.4 million
2. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $36 million
3. Role Models - $11.7 million
4. High School Musical 3: Senior Year - $5.9 million
5. Changeling - $4.2 million
6. Zack and Miri Make a Porno - $3.2 million
7. Soul Men - $2.43 million
8. The Secret Life of Bees - $2.4 million
9. Saw V - $1.8 million
10. The Haunting of Molly Hartley - $1.6 million

There is no Pepe Silvia.....

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:16:00 +0000

If you have not been watching the fourth season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, then you are missing out on the funniest show on TV. The completely off the wall, flipped the script comedy has the least PC storylines to ever appear on TV, yet is one of the sincerely funny comedies ever. I have been obsessed with the show since I first caught it on FX, but this season has reached far beyond my already high expectations. If you are unfamiliar with the program, it’s a comedy that follows the “lives” of four good for nothings, played by co-creators Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, as well as “Curb Your Enthusiasm” alum, Kaitlin Olson, who live in Philly and work in a dive bar, they partly own with their father figure and severely disturbed Frank, played deliciously by Danny DeVito. Think Seinfeld on acid and crystal method. In previous seasons, we have watched the gang get hook on crack, get on welfare, date trannies, bomb buildings, try out for the Philadelphia Eagles and form a rivalry with a family of incestuous freaks. This season has taken the acid tripiness of the show to a whole other level, with the episode “Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack”, which you can watch in full at Hulu. In the show, Dee has a heart attack, which forces Charlie and Mac to get a job with health benefits. They stumble upon a mail room gig that they split for the pay and benefits. While Charlie is down in the mail room toiling away, Mac is finding out if he can save the company and move up the ladder ”Secret of My Success” style. What follows could be the funniest two minutes I have ever watched on TV. Charlie and Pepe Silvia will haunt your funniest dreams!

What’s great about the show is that the cast and creators are all friends in real life, and actually they have two married couples, Olson and McElhenney and Day and Mary Elizabeth Eliis, Charlie’s real life wife and “The Waitress” who he has an unrequited crush on throughout the series. Here is a great interview with the cast and co-creators of the show about their amazing fourth season. And some good news for fans or will be fans, FX has picked up the program through at least a six season.

Jaden Smith to Star in Remake of "Karate Kid"

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:55:00 +0000

And for the annoying news of the day, Jaden Smith, child of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, will be starring in a remake of the CLASSIC “Karate Kid”. Columbia Pictures has tapped Chris Murphy to pen the script for the remake. The movie will reprise the idea of the original, a bullied child turns to Karate to gain strength, but with it shooting in Beijing, I see this will not be a straight up remake. Honestly, “Karate Kid” could be one of the most perfect teen focused movies from the 1980’s, with its focus on class issues, self-esteem, education from elders and awesome action sequences. It also had an adorable love story between back in the day cutie Ralph Macchio and the underutilized Elisabeth Shue. So I am not sure how a ten year-old, like Jaden, can reprise the role originally played by a teenager without making this a typical cheesy Disney-esque film. And I am not sure how you can identify with him because this kid is about as annoying as his VERY annoying father. Seriously, he is already showing up to red carpets with sunglasses on and suits, posing like he has been doing this for years. Maybe its my aggressive dislike of most things surrounding Will Smith since 1996 or that I hate the fact that Hollywood keeps promising to ruin all my favorite movies from the 80’s, but this movie sounds like a big pile of poop already. And with Daddy Smith co-producing, I am sure it will be just a vehicle for nepotism. Yuck!

Image courtesy of Wire Image

Monday Movie Box Office Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:07:00 +0000

So Madagascar basically kicked a lot of ass this weekend at the box office, where they filled about 4,000+ theaters and pulled in $63 million in the opening weekend. To be honest, this could have been because there hadn’t been a children friendly movie since the Chihuahua hot mess a few weeks ago or the fact that even in NYC my local theater was playing this 21 times on Saturday alone. Whatever got them the second highest grossing weekend after The Dark Knight this past July, it worked. The movie has received praises from audiences and critics alike and the only I have against it is the commercials drive my dog Oliver f’ing crazy. Role Models, the comedy starring Sean William Scott and Paul Rudd, came in strong at second place with nearly $20 million in its first weekend. The hilarious movie, which scored as well as Madagascar II with critics and audiences, focuses on two jerks forced to become big brothers to children. This is also the highest grossing movie Paul Rudd has played the lead in, so congrats. High School Musical 3 remains strong with a third place finish, pulling in an additional $9.3 million. Clint Eastwood’s Changeling remained strong, coming at fourth place with $7.3 Million and Kevin Smith’s romantic comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno moved down three places from last weekend to a fifth place finish and pulled in $6.5 Million. My review on the comedy is forthcoming on this here lovely blog and get ready folks – it’s a doozey!

Here is the rest of the Box Office Top ten, courtesy of Box Office Mojo.
1. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $63.5 million
2. Role Models - $19.3 million
3. High School Musical 3: Senior Year - $9.3 million
4. Changeling - $7.3million
5. Zack and Miri Make a Porno - $6.5 million
6. Soul Men - $5.6 million
7. Saw V - $4.2 million
8. The Haunting of Molly Hartley - $3.5million
9. The Secret Life of Bees - $3.1 million
10. Eagle Eye - $2.6 million

Little Kid Nostalgia....

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:05:00 +0000

There are things that I will always remember like they were yesterday and one of those things is what I considered to be one of the scariest things ever when I was six years old. Below Bert and Ernie discover some terrifying mummies on Sesame Street back in the day.

When the mummy taps Ernie on the head, it used to freak me out! Am I the only one?

Daily Rounds....Obamamania Edition....

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:02:00 +0000

So now that my faith in humanity has returned and I can face problems like personal credit card debt and what to do with my lazy ass on a Friday night, let’s discuss some pop culture nuggets. Here is the return of your Daily Rounds and it’s a week’s worth of goodies.

* First, I would be remiss to not discuss the Obama/Biden win and say how wonderfully amazing it is to have two politicians who speak the truth, sometimes too much of the truth, come into the White House. I am very much looking forward to January 20th, 2009.

* And here comes the bloodshed within the Republican party. Even though John McCain, during his very graceful concession speech on Tuesday night, blamed the loss of his campaign on himself, the same can not be said for many of his advisors who pointing some really dirty fingers towards Governor Palin. The accusations upon the VP hopeful have ranged to her comfort standing in a towel in front of male campaign staffers to the idea that she was not aware that Africa was NOT a country. Um, and this is supposed to discredit her for a run in 2012? Shouldn’t this have discredited her from the run in 2008? Oh Repugs.

* There’s a good chance Blur might be getting back together. Damon Albarn, who has consistently shot down the idea, said a reunion was “very possible” in an interview with the BBC earlier this month. Damon and onetime Blur band mate, Graham Coxon, who are notorious for disliking each other beyond the point of reconciliation, recently sat down for lunch and have begun discussing the possibility of making music together once again. So if 2009 brings Blur around, as well as Jane’s Addiction, it will officially be my favorite year, well at least for now.

* David Lynch has just signed a deal with On Networks to produce a series, based on his book Catching the Big Fish” for the web. The media company has recently scored a few big names to bring new programming to the web, such as Amy Poehler with her ”Smart Girls at The Party” program, which features young girls and their stories in pursuit of self-confidence. Lynch’s show will focus on the Director’s interest in Transcendental Meditation.

* This Q&A with the creators of “How I Met Your Mother” doesn’t let us know who the mom will finally be, but it does clue us in on the behind the scenes stuff and if they planned Robin and Barney making out in the first season.

* I think I found a new comedy crush. Um SNL, you taking notes?

* The Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be releasing a new album next year. They say it will be different, but I say I will be the judge of that.

* Melissa Etheridge wonders if those who voted against her right to marry think she should still pay taxes or treated like a true second class citizen. I like this idea.

* And finally, Zack and Miri came in at number two last weekend at the box office, but you’ll hear what I think of the movie later this week. Warning…it’s a mixed bag.

ENJOY!

There are no words to express the delight in my heart right now...

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:16:00 +0000

So I will let President-Elect Barack Obama do it for me.

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To be able to have participated and witness this glorious historical landmark is priceless. And now we have Obama and Biden in our White House. Who wants to go to DC on January 20th?

Thank you America for showing up, voting and making history! I can breathe again.

"Where's the Crack?"

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:41:00 +0000

Ugh.. on The Daily Show make community organizing, idiots, crack and Appalachia this fun!

Barack Obama on The Rachel Maddow Show

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:54:00 +0000

For more clips, check out Crooks and Liars

Just for Laughs..

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:53:00 +0000

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:43:00 +0000

I want to apologize to my dear readers for the lack of posting this week. To be honest, my brain has been fried courtesy of the Election, work freak outs, personal ailments, friend problems and sadness. And this has all led to an overall BLOCKAGE for even this chatty of Chatterboxes. I am at the point where I would like to just turn off my brain, cuddle up in bed and watch marathons of “Golden Girls” and “Roseanne”. I am not on a pity train here, but hoping some of you can empathize and understand and possibly even feel the same way. But hopefully tonight’s festivities will pull me out of my slump.

Today is Halloween, which is one of my favorite days of the years. It could be my arrested development or my once upon dream of being an actress, but I adore dressing up. I love wearing costumes and usually am quite diligent in my costume creation. Last year, I was Tippi Hedren from “The Birds”, see here and so far this is hands down my favorite costume ever!!!. And last Halloween was bizarre because I ran into David Cross, dressed as Tobias Funke from “Arrested Development” in his never nude/blue stage. It was amazing and I still kick myself for not having any of my drunk friends capturing me and him chatting it up at Galapagos. Anywhos, this year it’s Tinkerbell, because apparently I have a thing for blonde characters who surround themselves in green and shady characters. Hopefully all of you will enjoy your Halloween, whatever you are up to! Make sure you are safe and excited and please send in photos!

And I pinky swear in my quest for internet dominance, this site will up and at ‘em next week. There are things in the works down the line, but you’ll have to wait till November to find out about them.

Again, Happy Halloween!!! And vote early if you can!

Monday Box Office Movie ReCap - The Tweens stand alone!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Johnsen) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:31:00 +0000

Let’s keep this short and sweet, since I am not particular about any of the movies on the list, nor has my lazy ass seen them. This weekend, and as no surprise to anyone, Disney’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year blew away the competition and pulled in $42 Million putting it at the number one spot at the box office this weekend. This major amount also has the first time to big screen cable giant tween sensation setting the record for the highest grossing weekend for a musical ever! The anticipated success of this movie finally coming to the big screens was accentuated by smart marketing efforts and lull in tween comedies at the box office. The weekend success also confirmed that Zac Efron pulls some weight in Hollywood and pulls in dollars at the box office, the remake of “Footloose” starring Efron is reportedly on its way! In a close second was the fifth installment in the horror franchise that is SAW, which had the torture porn classic Saw V bringing in $30 Million dollars the weekend before Halloween. Max Payne, last week’s number one, kept strong with a third place finish and another $7 Million to add to their till. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is still holding weight, coming in fourth overall and the new Irish-cop drama “Pride & Glory” came in fifth with a little over $6 Million.

Here is the rest of the Box Office Top ten, courtesy of Box Office Mojo.
1. High School Musical 3: Senior Year - $42 million
2. Saw V - $30 million
3. Max Payne - $7.6 million
4. Beverly Hills Chihuahua - $6.9 million
5. Pride & Glory - $6.3 million
6. The Secret Life of Bees - $6.1 million
7. W. - $5.1 million
8. Eagle Eye - $5 million
9. Body of Lies - $4.1 million
10. Quarantine - $2.6 million