The Leese Files

Recap: American Idol 10: Week One Elimination

2011-03-10T21:38:00.000-05:00

CAUTION: SPOILER

Wow...

So the wild ride begins.

The one thing I hate about the elimination round is how long and drawn out it is AND all the fluff stuff that keeps me hanging on for an hour to find out who's going home.

Tonight I had to endure Adam Lambert and Diddy aka Puffy aka Puff Daddy aka Jennifer Lopez's former boyfriend. Can we say awkward?

Ack.. it's been like, 10 years or something so there should be no hard feelings right?

Anyway..

So Ryan first pulls down Karen Rodriguez, Jacob Lusk and Stefano Langone. He reviews what the judges say.. asks each of them what they thought about their performance and then lays down the results.

All are safe EXCEPT for Karen.

Whhaaatttt???

Another round of performances.. another round of commercials.. and then he pulls down Lauren Alaina, Ashton Jones and Haley Reinhart.

Again he talks to the judges.. talks to the contestants.. and poor Lauren, she's in tears saying how sorry she was that she sucked last night. She watched the performance and yep.. she sucked.

Everybody was feeling bad for her and Ryan, being Ryan, told her he wasn't going to let her suffer anymore. He was sorry but...

She on for another week.

Ryan is SOOOO Ryan.

While Ashton and Haley wait for their results, Haley.. sorry.. but was like giving attitude. Maybe she was trying to save face.. I don't know.

Ryan then tells them that BOTH of them are at the bottom and that everyone else on the couch is safe.

I doubt that's what the other's were expecting because they just stared at him like W?T?F? .. THIS isn't the way it's suppose to go!! But they finally got it and cheered for themselves, albeit with prompting.

Before long it was down to the elimination. Karen, THANK GOD, was safe leaving Ashton and Haley.

Haley's attitude still wasn't sitting right with me.. can't really put my finger on it but she was just.. cocky? Again, not sure but I didn't like it but maybe it's because I really don't like her.

Finally, Ryan announced who was eliminated:

Were you as shocked as I was?

Considering that she was the wild card brought in by the judges, maybe she just didn't connect with the rest of America. Maybe the people who voted just started watching the competition and didn't bother with the audition shows and Hollywood week. It had to be something like that because how else would HALEY beat her out?

This season (I don't know about other seasons) the judges have ONE save to use when they think America got it wrong.. so Ashton sings again but the judges choose not to save her.

I'm going to bet that they would use it if someone like Pia, Lauren or Jacob got the least amount of votes!

So Ashton.. be brave, girl. Rely on your faith because you are amazingly talented and will one day be a star!

Recap: American Idol 10: Week One

2011-03-10T18:25:00.000-05:00

You know what sucks? Writing a post and then losing it because of a stupid Windows automatic update! Grrr!!!

Okay .. so this was the moment I've been waiting for! I was going to start posting way back during the auditions .. and then Hollywood Week but it was way too much. I may not have much of a life, but I have one! LoL!

So anyway .. in all the years of American Idol, this has got to be THE MOST talented bunch of singers that I can remember! With the exception of like, 2, all of them are my favorite!! It's going to be a brutal season, emotionally, for me I think!!

This week, the contestants sing a song by their OWN personal idol. This should be interesting!

BTW .. Im writing this "real time", so I'll be writing what I think before the judges tell theirs. If that matters any!

Ok.. on with it

LAUREN ALAINA
Shania Twain: Any Man Of Mine

Wow.. it's hard to believe that this kid is still a teenager. I personally think she's fantastic and no matter what happens on Idol, she's going to HUGE but I think the energy was off tonight. Last week, she sang Turn On The Radio by Reba McEntire and freakin' killed it! Even though Lauren sang the song really well, it just didn't have a whole lot of other things going on.

But that's just me.. now on to the judges:

Steven: Loves her, loved the song but wished it was a little more kick ass
Jennifer: Thinks she always sounds amazing, doesn't have to try but needed to kick it up a notch
Randy: Doesn't think she still doesn't know how talented she is but wants more of what they saw in the auditions and shine.

CASEY ABRAMS
Joe Cocker: Little Help From My Friends

I love Casey.. I think what he does just oozes out of his pores and I'm so so so stoked that he got through and while I think this was a good song for him, I don't know. I liked it.. but didn't have that goosebump moment that I was really, really hoping for. I wasn't liking the changes between the strong growly parts and the thin falsetto parts.

But that's just me.. now on to the judges:

Jennifer: Goes by what she feels, and feels that she's watching someone important.
Randy: Always excited to see him perform and that he's so unbelievable and exciting and makes listening to him fun. Loves it.
Steven: A Rainbow of talent who doesn't cease to amaze him and a plethora of passion that makes everyone feel what he's doing.

ASHTON JONES
Diana Ross: When You Tell Me That You Love Me

I think Ashton is fantastic.. definitely got the goods and based on what the judges have been telling her, I wasn't surprised that she did a Diana Ross song. But THIS song? It sounded.. what's the right word? Breathy? Thin? I don't know, wasn't feeling a real rich or warm or smooth tone. She looked beautiful, though. Like I said, girlfriend got the goods!

But that's just me.. now on to the judges:

Randy: Liked it and thought she grew a little more as a singer and was conscience of where her voice was with the notes and stuff.
Steven: Agrees with Randy and thinks she has a lot more in her to show
Jennifer: Elegant and a real professional but wants to see her sing songs that everyone knows and can sing along to.

PAUL MCDONALD
Ryan Adams: Come Pick Me Up

I've heard of Ryan Adams but don't know any of his music and based on Paul's performance, I don't think I want to. Paul is one of Tim's favorites and I like that he has an unusual voice and is on the right side of quirky but after his performance last week of Rod Stewart's Maggie May, this was a huge let down. Personally, I think he should have sang BRYAN Adamsn istead of RYAN Admas.

But that's just me.. now on to the judges:

Steven: Loves the character and rasp in his voice.. makes each song his own but next time needs to find a song with a chorus in his key and nail it
Jennifer: So unique.. something about him that moves the crowd and hopes that America "gets" him
Randy: Loves who Paul "is" .. He gets it.. hopes America gets it and thinks he's perfect for the show

PIA TOSCANA
Celine Dion: All By Myself

First of all, even with her hair in a ponytail and glasses Pia is stunning! Beautiful girl with a beautiful voice and beautiful inside. She's another one who's going to have something going on for her regardless of what happens on Idol. Her performance was flawless.. talk about goose bumps!! She's just amazing and sang Celine like she was singing a nursery rhyme. It was effortless. In fact, I kind of forgot that I was watching Idol! I'm sure she makes her father proud with whatever she does!

But that's just me.. on to the judges

Jennifer: Was speechless.. and almost in tears it looked like.
Randy: Always tell people not to sing Mariah, Celine and Whitney and she has the same quality and hits the notes dead on with out thinking about it. Always in awe
Steven: Just slammed it. Beautiful.

JAMES DURBIN
Paul McCartney: Maybe I'm Amazed

Truthfully, I was a little surprised that he was going to sing McCartney. Truthfully, I like him but to me he always pulled out that whole "range" thing that floor everyone so I my interest was peaked and guess what? He FLOORED me .. this kid can SING! The whole vocal acrobatics aside, he has a voice and I think the arragement was perfect for him. Good job! No, GREAT job!

But that's just me.. on to the judges

Randy: One his favorites, one of the voices that can sing anything. Slayed it. This dude can do anything!
Steven: Taken everything he has ever felt and kicked it into next week.
Jennifer: Has a quality that every great rock singer has, a melodic tone

HALEY REINHART
Leann Rimes: Blue

Haley isn't one of my favorites.. I actually didn't think she should have been picked for the season.. and she didn't impress me at all tonight. Between the yodeling that was off.. the whole Hawaiian feel.. I don't know. It was boring. I keep thinking that there were a lot of better talent that they let slide by to let her in.

But that's just me.. on to the judges

Steven: Thought it was beautiful and did a good job
Jennifer: Thinks America is getting to know her and she does things with her voice that is diverse and is unique to her.
Randy: Likes that she has a broad range of songs that she can sing but thought this performance was sleepy and boring

JACOB LUSK
R Kelly: I Believe I Can Fly

Oh Jacob. Jacob is like.. a national treasure, that's how talented I think he is and after hearing him blow out God Bless The Child and A House Is Not A Home, I assumed I'd get the same one big goosebump tonight. Sadly.. it didn't happen. I don't know if it was the producers getting into his head and telling him to do things beside what comes naturally.. but it didn't work. There was this part in the middle that was mad impressive but that was it. And that made me sad. Jacob is so much better then what I saw tonight.

But that's just me.. on to the judges

Steven: Couldn't judge it.. pure passion, pure talent.. that's how good he is
Jennifer: Can't judge him because of how good he is.. he's at the top
Randy: Has a signature sound but felt he had a rough change at the "B" verse but at the end he was unbelievable

THIA MEGIA
Michael Jackson: Smile

Wow. You know, last week Thia just blew it out of the stratosphere with Irene Cara's Out There On My Own. When she began singing, it was soft.. melodic.. angelic. And then she picked up the tempo and it just kind of went downhill for me. I don't know if maybe it wasn't the right song for her but it almost sounded like it was a high school production. That made me sad too.

But that's just me.. on to the judges

Randy: Loved the intro but loved the beginning more then the jazzy end. Her vocal with just a guitar to accompany is golden.
Steven: Little pitchy, liked the front more then the end but she's young and has a whole career in front of her
Jennifer: Obvious her strength is her voice the way she sounded in the beginning of the sound. Thinks she sounds like an angel

STEFANO LANGONE
Stevie Wonder: Lately

Did Stefano channel Stevie or what?? Tell me you didn't think he sounded JUST like him? OMG.. it was unbelievable. I had hoped Stefano would make it to the competition and even though I'm not familiar with this song I did think he started off kind of bad but he pulled it out and in a big way. This boy has a set of lungs on him, that's for damn sure!

But that's just me.. on to the judges

Steven: Soared like a volcano
Jennifer: Had her dancing. Hard to take a ballad and make a dance re-mix but he did and made is his
Randy: Hard to sing Stevie but he slayed it and Stevie would be proud

KAREN RODRIGUEZ
Selena: If I Could Fall In Love

This made me sooo sad. Karen is just as great as Pia and when she sang Mariah Carey's Hero last week, the goosebumps lasted for days so I was expecting her to blow me away again and put me in the cloud listening to an angel. But it didn't happen. I don't know what happened. The arrangment was good and the think is, I don't think Selena had Karen's talent so none of her songs are going to be able to show her voice the way it should be shown. I really hope she makes it through. We'll really be missing something if she didn't.

But that's just me.. on to the judges

Jennifer: Could tell she was uncomfortable with some of the notes but she's one of their strongest girls and hopes she makes it on to next week
Randy: Felt she was fighting the song and wants excitement from her with her energy and big voice but it was sleepy for him
Steven: Knows she can sing so much better

SCOTTY MCCREERY
Garth Brooks: The River

Scotty is my favorite for a lot of reasons. For one, he is just as amazing as Jacob and Pia only in a country way. He's truly a young man who was raised right and I loved that he told the great Jimmy Iovine that he wanted to be true to the song and to himself while singing it. That's a big thing for a nobody to tell Jimmy Iovine, let me tell you. But Scotty's singing is effortless. He knows who he is and what he can do and made it all seem just way too easy. He might have some challenges with the different genre's coming up but this kid has a future and he's going to be huge. I can listen to him sing all day.

But that's just me.. on to the judges

Randy: Loved that he stayed true to himself because if it ain't broke then don't even try to fix it. This is exactly where he belongs and could put it a record now
Steven: Did the Garth justice. He's riding high tonight
Jennifer: Loved that he opened up as a performer and feel the audience and embrace them in the song. Sings country spot on.

NAIMA ADEDAPO
Rhianna: Umbrella

Let me say this about Naima .. she is determined to make the very most of this opportunity and is WORKING FOR IT. No matter what she sings.. or how far she gets in the competition, she knows that this is her shot and is doing everything she can to push it. I admire her so much. The girl PERFORMED .. pulling out the dance moves, throwing in some reggae.. she is doing all she can do. It's not my favorite song but she did it.. and did it well. A born performer.. she belongs on the stage. I have my fingers crossed for her.

But that's just me.. on to the judges

Steven: Crazy good.. a little pitchy but she brought flavor and a little something more then the others did
Jennifer: Got fire.. didn't care about the pitchy.. she's doing it like stars do but needs to work on the control when dancing and singing together
Randy: Does care about the pitchy but she just has to learn how to breath and LOVED the reggae

So who's going home tomorrow?

All the judges agreed that there were ups and downs and you know, it's hard to make your mark when you only have 1:40 minutes to put your best out there and piece together bits of a song to do that with. I also think that sometimes the producers hurt more then they helped. These are ameuters and don't have a lot of time to take a song that they're familiar with and change it up in such a short time. Some had success with it (James Durbin) and some didn't (Haley Reinhart) so hopefully that will rectify itself organically.

If I had to choose who went home, I'm thinking Haley.. haven't been impressed with her so far. Or maybe Paul McDonald.

We'll see tonight!

Good Stuff: One Second Needle

2011-03-09T17:22:00.000-05:00

I'll be the first one to admit that I am an INFOMERCIAL JUNKIE!!

Not that I ever buy anything.. having been married to some one who bought EVERYTHING advertised kind of does that to you .. but I think they're so ridiculously over the top and in my experience, hardly ever did what they were said to do.

Now, I have a lot of hobbies. I'm always crafting something.. or crocheting something.. or scrap booking something.. and living with four males who have absolutely NO concept of taking care of anything, I do a lot of sewing.

All those require eye sight and unfortunately, mine isn't what it used to be. Blame it on age or blame it on a bad prescription from America's Best Eyeglasses (don't ever go there, please. WalMart is actually SO much better!) .. I can't see the way I used to and trying to thread a needle has become way beyond frustrating.

When I get frustrated, I tend to throw things.

So when I first saw the informercial for the One Second Needle, I was way more then intrigued and really wanted to order it but never quite had the funds whenever the commercial aired. Blame it on Tim, but I've gotten very ... um... frugal? these last couple of years. People who know me BT (Before Tim) know that I'm not one to over analyze spending ten bucks.

But.. it is what it is now ..

The other night I happened to be in WalGreen's and they have an AS! SEEN! ON! TV! wall. Knowing that I had a pair of Josh's pants to hem, I looked over what they had and low and behold, they had the One Second Needle.. complete with a gaggle of multi colored spools of thread! I was in heaven.

I bought it but was still a little skeptical .. but I got it home and guess what? It WORKED!! OMG!! Did it work!! I couldn't believe it and went searching around for things to sew just so I could thread the damn needle!!

This will definitely make life a whole lot easier.. and faster.. especially because I have a cross-stitching project to do that I've been putting off because of the whole needle threading thing.

So get this.. get it for yourself.. get it for an elderly person in your life.. get it for everybody!! I can't see how this isn't the perfect gift for someone who needs to use a needle!!

It was only 9.99 and comes with 4 large needles and 4 small needles. Also included was a mini sewing kit with buttons, pins, straight pins, scissors, different color thread and a measuring tape. Great to keep in your office drawer, handbag or glove compartment!

Try it and let me know what you think! I'm sure you can find it in stores.. like I said, I got mine at WalGreen's but I've seen As Seen On Tv displays in Walmart and supermarkets.

Recap: Teen Mom Season 2 (catching up)

2011-03-09T16:19:00.000-05:00

Oh man.

If these four aren't the poster children for abstinence OR protection, then I'm at a lost.

At least Leah and Corey are redeeming themselves. Since I last posted, they've become engaged and still dealing with baby Ali's health issues.

Thankfully, Ali's MRI has come back clean but her pediatrician .. who, excuse me, belongs in some kind of horror movie or something .. but suggests she see a geneticists. She also needs to wear glasses.. which are adorable.. but how exactly does one perform an eye exam on a baby?

The couple is in redneck heaven and I'm glad to have the opportunity to watch them come back together and do the right thing for their family. They've both matured a lot .. and how cute was the family picture they took all dressed in camo?? So West Virginia!! LoL!

Ok.. so let's move on to Chelsea. I want to say that she made her bed and now she has to lie in it but, really. Have you SEEN her house? Does she EVER make a bed, do a dish or put clothes away?? So best friend Megan moves out because of Adam, the balloon knot father.. Chelsea's father wants him to pay rent .. Chelsea wants him to be superdad / superpartner .. and all the balloon know wants to do is what he's been doing which is getting his face on MTV.

Sorry, but while Chelsea is an idiot .. her father is the biggest fool. Because trust me on this one, if she was MY kid you can be damn sure things would be a LOT different.

So nothing has really changed for Chelsea except in the last episode, the balloon knot decided that he couldn't deal with her bitching and booked out.

Give up the fantasy, girl .. go back home.. finish getting your GED and get your tail in beauty school. Maybe then you'll be able to do something with that hair!!

Poor Kailyn wants to have it all .. and at least she has the ambition to try and get it. She's going to school, she's working too jobs, she finally made it clear to The Douchebag that not only did she not want to move in with him but didn't want a relationship period and she started dating the guy from work that she initially broke up with because The Douchebag's Puppet Master parents wouldn't allow her to continue living in their home if she dated someone other then her control freak son.

She tried to keep the new boyfriend a secret but you know, I can imagine she felt held down and confined. The Puppet Master Mother kept pushing her to give The Douchebag another chance and it didn't seem that anything Kailyn said about how she felt made a dent.

Fortunately, Kailyn was able to move out and stay at her mother's but she didn't get her or the baby's things out of The Puppet Master's house. Bad move. If I were here, I would have started taking things out little by little and THEN told them all where they needed to go.. but as it stands now, The Douchebag has the baby and her things and won't give her neither because she owes him money for her college tuition.

Kailyn's mom tried to get them for her but wound up having to call the police. Now, I watch A LOT of Judge Judy so I can tell you that what the police SHOULD have done is told him to give her stuff back and then take her to civil court for the money. I'm familiar with where Kailyn and The Douchebag live and I can tell you beyond certainty that the Nazareth Police Dept saw The Puppet Master's big house, gorgeous house and Kailyn's crazy mother and were like,, yea... we're not getting on their bad side because they probably donate a LOT of money.. so they basically tell The Douchebag what HE needs to do to make sure he gets custody of the baby.

There was a local news story in mid-February about Kailyn getting into a car accident when she was picking up the baby from daycare so apparently, she and The Douchebag worked out a custody arrangement. Since the baby is in daycare, I'm going to assume that K is still going to school, working her ass off and living on her own.

Last but not least we have Janelle and all the dysfunction that comes with her mother and her boyfriend. I really think Janelle is just lost. There seems to be a lot of history that hasn't been delved into regarding her mother and some male abandonment issues that she hasn't resolved yet... why else would she be so hell bent on sticking with KEIFER??

So with Jace in the custody of her mother, Janelle and Keifer got thrown out of her friends house.. then were living at one of his friends summer place.. and when kicked out of there. The plan then was to use her student loan money to move to another town close to school, get an apartment and both get jobs. Janelle got a job but Keifer.. with is no-hs-diploma, no-ged and no-ambition ass couldn't find one. Not that I think he looked to hard, mind you. I keep going back to the conversation he had with Janelle's mother where he said that he was this awesome cook and could get a job anytime.

Well, mofo?? What's the dealio? Guess "anytime" doesn't apply to NOW, huh?

That plan falling through, her mother agreed to them both staying there. Personally, I wouldn't have let him stay at my house but you know, I think Janelle needs to recognize that her mother did something she didn't have to do. But that was short lived because they got snagged smoking a bone in front of the house. Keifer was out but Janelle, with no where to go had to stay at her mother's.

The shit hit the fan.. again.. when Janelle drove Jace up to the store to get milk. Her mother saw the car seat still in her car and freaked the hell out.

Now, I'm no fan of the mother. But given Janelle's history, I could understand her getting bent out of shape with Janelle taking the baby somewhere in the car. Especially since her mother knows that Janelle is MORE then 420 friendly. Janelle keeps whining that SHE is Jace's mother. No girlfriend, you signed away guardianship.. regardless of whether it's temporary or not.

She runs to Keifer.. who she hasn't seen for three.. long... days... and both decide to drive up to New Jersey. She lies to her mother and tells her that she is going to a concert in Myrtle Beach for a few days. In fact, she was going to sneak out of the house with her stuff but her mother caught her. If she didn't, when was she going to find out?

Janelle? You know, I do have some empathy for you but you're going through that quick. You want your son, then you need to suck it up and prove your mother wrong. You want a man in your life? You have one.. his name is Jace and sorry, but it should break your heart more then mine when he stares out the screen door watching you leave.

And do you REALLY think that using your mother's credit card on your Jersey excertion wasn't going to go unnoticed??

Things were going well until

Review: Just Go With It

2011-03-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

I love Adam Sandler ..

Well.. I love Adam Sandler in romantic comedies. I'm going to chose to forget ANY movie he does where he talks in a retarded voice like Little Nicky, The Waterboy and a few others!

But Sandler does this kind of movie the best and even though you KNOW what's going to happen, you still enjoy the ride because it's just. freakin'. funny.

Sandler plays Dr. Danny McAvoy, an LA plastic surgeon who realizes he can use a wedding ring to pick up women without the fear of getting into a serious relationship.

He meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker.. who's ALL boobs, btw.. not that there's anything wrong with that!) at a party and the sparks fly. She's into him as much as he's into her but she happens to find the wedding ring in his pocket and accuses him of being a cheater.

Caught in a jam, he spins this tale of divorce. Wonderful, except that Palmer wants to talk to the supposedly ex-wife before going on a date with him.

Really.. who does that?

Anyway.. Dr. Dan convinces his office assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to pose as his ex.. go to lunch with him and Palmer.. and give her blessing.

Have to say that their shopping scene was beyond hysterical!

All is well and Dr. Dan is thisclose to being in the clear when Katherine's cell rings and there's an issue with one of her kids.

Palmer, a school teacher, is surprised that Dr. Dan has kids and now the fun really begins.. because not only does this new info have to be spun but now the KIDS have to be involved and if you have kids, you know how much of a wild card they are with secrets!

Everything in the movie is over the top but that's the fun. You have to know going in that it's going to be out there so just sit back and roll with it .. if you over think it, you're going to ruin it for yourself! Especially when it comes to Dr. Dan's cousin Eddie (Nick Swardson) .. he's just beyond.

Nicole Kidman also shows up half way through the movie as Katherine's college sorority sister. I had no idea she was in the movie and it was kind of cool to see her doing something with no "angst" .. if you know what I mean!

So Thumbs Up on this one.. it took me a while to see it but it was worth the wait!

Review: The Adjustment Bureau

2011-03-07T21:13:00.000-05:00

After watching Matt Damon in The Hereafter and HATING it ( see that review HERE ) .. I was a little gun shy about spending a few hours with him again.

But I absolutely ADORE Emily Blunt so yknow.. I figured I'd give it a whirl.

I'm glad I did. I liked the movie a lot more then I thought I was going to but think the writer(s) didn't do their concept any justice. They could have really, really run with it and made both the characters and the plot a little richer.. given them more dimension ..

At any rate, the movie centers around David Norris (Matt Damon) .. a sort of wonder kid in the political field... who's running for office when news breaks of a scandalous picture taken at his college reunion.

His ratings plummet and he loses the election. In the men's room practicing his concession speech, he finds Elise (Emily Blunt), hiding from security for crashing a wedding. .. she's ballsy.. brazen.. and unlike any women he's ever met before.

There's a connection but Elise skips away and out of his life. Or so he thinks.

This is essentially a story of Fate and who exactly our destiny. Do we or is there a conglomerate of fedora wearing men making sure that we do what we're suppose to do?

It's an interesting premise and one that ALMOST explored the spider webs of our choices in life. If David insists on being with Elise, he will not become President and she will not become a world famous dancer. Considering the more important consequences of his actions, whether or not Elise dances kind of pales in comparison.

Guess there's only so much you can focus on in a few hours, huh?

Anthony Mackie, John Slattery and Terrance Stamp are the fedora wearing Fate Sealers (my title, not the movie's) who work for The Adjustment Bureau making sure that each character stays on the path they laid out for them and makes the appropriate "adjustments" to ensure that it happens.

I enjoyed the movie.. wouldn't say I absolutely LOVED IT!!!!! .. but worth the time.

Give it a go and let me know what you think ..

Review: Drive Angry

2011-03-07T20:42:00.000-05:00

Have to say that I really haven't been enjoying Nic's movies lately.

I know he needs the money with all those nasty IRS letters coming in the mail but yknow.. I thought he was a METHOD actor and all.

At any rate.. I really, REALLY liked this one.

Think Desperado minus Selma Hayek plus can cheese and you get the idea.

Beside being BEYOND cheesy, it's raunchy in that 1970's soft porn kind of way.

You can't but love it because nobody acting in this movie is taking it seriously .. if they did, the movie would of sucked. But everybody involved knew what it was and played it over the top.

Oh.. and when they say Shot in 3D? The mean it.. EVERYTHING is practically in 3D.. it was a riot.

Ok .. so basically, the story is this:

Milton (Nicolas Cage) is a man on a mission to hunt down the fake prophet Jonah King (Billy Burke), the guy responsible for killing his daughter and kidnapping his infant granddaughter with the intent of sacrificing her.

NOTE: you know you're getting old when Nicolas Cage plays a GRANDFATHER for pete's sake!!

Anyway .. along the way he picks up the hot chick Piper (Amanda Heard). But not only is Milton and Piper hunting down Jonah Hill, Milton is also being hunted down by some dude named The Accountant (William Fichtner),

Not for nothing, but The Accountant literally steals every single scene he is in. He needs his own movie.

Look, if you're looking for something deep and meaningful this isn't it. If you're looking to laugh your ass off.. well, you might. The movie has it's moments but it's not a comedy. But if you're just looking for something that you can just sit back and watch without having to utilize any brain cells, then that's what you have here.

If the situation fits, it's the perfect movie to take your 23 year old girlfriend to!! ROFLMAO!!

Review: Unknown

2011-03-05T15:22:00.000-05:00

Other potential titles for this film:

UNKNOWN REASONS WHY I WASTED MY TIME?
UNKNOWN REASONS WHY LIAM NEESON WASTED HIS TIME MAKING THIS FILM
WHY THIS MOVIE WAS EVEN MADE IS UNKNOWN

You get the picture, right?

Come on.

I'm not even a fan of Liam Neeson but really, really loved TAKEN so it's not like I'm being biased.

So.. okay... don't expect much:

Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) and his wife Elizabeth (January Jones) travel to Germany from some bio-something-or-other conference. After landing and making their way to the hotel, Martin realizes he left his briefcase at the airport and jumps in a taxi to go get it. The taxi falls victim to a fridge or something falling off a truck, careens to avoid smashing into it and winds up crashing over the side of a bridge and into a river.

Personally, with my fear of bridges, I would have choses to go head on with the fridge but that's just me.

The taxi driver, Gina (Diana Kruger) pulls Martin out of the sinking cab and takes off.

Martin wakes up from a coma 4 days later with his memories kind of in tact but more then a little foggy and sets about to reunite with his wife. Only his wife doesn't know who he is.. even though she IS married to Dr. Martin Harris but he's now being played by Aidan Quinn.

Personally, I would go with Aidan Quinn myself but that's just me.

So now we fight through waves of molasses watching Neeson prove he is who he is.. running through Germany with Kruger being shot at and all this other nonsense.

There is a twist .. well, one that any novice movie watcher will catch on to right away.. that could have been semi interesting if it was done properly .. and probably the best scene in the movie was probably about 3 minutes long and between two secondary actors (Frank Langella and Bruno Ganz) .. other then that, HUGE waste of time.

Save your money .. save your time..

AND if you completely think I'm off base, well the only think I can say to that is your taste in movies is UNKNOWN.

I know.. I know.. cheesy.. but cut me some slack!

Review: Gnomeo and Juliet

2011-02-20T17:09:00.000-05:00

Loved It! Loved It! Loved It! LOVED IT!

I'm really not big on "family" movies.. in fact, you normally have to drag me kicking and screaming to see them but the only thing kicking and screaming with this movie was when it was over.

Think Shrek 1 done a hundred times better.

Everything was so spot on that I started to think they made this movie more for adults then for kids!! LoL! AND I got so into it that you'd swear I was like, five or something the way I was gasping and talking to the characters.

I think Tim moved a few seats down when I started doing that!

At any rate..

Don't let other family movies sway you from seeing this one. Elton John (yes, that one) is listed as executive producer so the soundtrack is literally all his music. I'm a fan so I so didn't mind.

James McAvoy (Mr. Tumus from Narnia) is the voice of Gnomeo and Emily Blunt voices Juliet. Jason Statham, Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan also voice characters but I'm not going to tell you who because I'll ruin it for you

Look.. there really isn't much more I can say except GO SEE IT!!!

Review: The Dilemma

2011-02-20T16:55:00.000-05:00

Oh man.

I soooooooo wanted to love this movie! I mean, come on! Vince Vaughn? Kevin James?

Tell me you can't watch ONE episode of King of Queens' and not spend half of it on the floor hysterical.

Such high hopes. Such a huge let down. I would have settled for just "liking" the damn movie.

Don't get me wrong.. there were some funny moments but everything seemed soooo draaagggged out that it didn't matter what was funny anymore because I just wanted it to end.

Vaughn and James play best friends from college who now own a small business doing something with car engines. They get a meeting with a big car manufacturer and that puts all kinds of pressure on Nick (Kevin James) who is just so not good under any kind of pressure.

Oh.. Queen Latifah play a car company executive and COMPLETELY steals every scene she's in.

Anyway, Ronny (Vaugh) discovers that Nick's wife Geneva (played by Winona Ryder who sounds like she either downed a few bottles of whiskey or smoked a carton of cigarettes.. maybe both) is cheating on him and there in lies the movie title.

Should he tell Nick? Should he wait to tell Nick until after the deal with the car exec? Should he press Geneva to tell Nick? Why doesn't he tell his OWN girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) instead of letting her think that he's back to him gambling way?

Too much of a dilemma if you ask me.. everything is over the top and well, boring.

Check it out if you got absolutely nothing better to do but I would wait until it's on late night cable.

Recap: Teen Mom S2E6 - Taking Sides

2011-02-20T16:33:00.000-05:00

My GAWD.. should I just dig out my eyeballs now and save myself from watching Chelsea being an idiot?

Yea.. yea.. I know it's my choice to watch or not to watch but this chick is like a car crash. You can't help BUT watch.

Her father needs a swift slap upside the head to.. let my kid talk to me the way she talks to him when I'm the one footing the bill for everything and and we'll see how mouthy they are.
At any rate .. so Chelsea moves her baby's daddy (here in referred to as the "Balloon Knot") in the house her father is paying for. Her best-friend Megan.. who's stuck by Chelsea's side when the baby's daddy was being a major dick.. is also living there rent free.

Chelsea loves the Balloon Knot.. Megan hates the Balloon Knot .. the Balloon Knot doesn't want Megan living in the house HE DOESN'T PAY FOR all the while whining that he has to pay child support.

Well.. maybe next time he'll invest 3 bucks for a condom.

You know what happens, right? The Balloon Knot and Megan go at it and she winds up leaving while Chelsea whines more then a Napa Valley vineyard. Chelsea calls her father but like, really? What the hell do you think HE's going to except tell The Balloon Knot that he has to pay rent.

And while I'm watching this all play out I'm thinking to my self, "... good Lord they bred!"

Leah and Corey are getting boring with their all lovey-dovey selves. The only thing worth noting in this episode is that baby Ali is still too young for an MRI but a therapist is coming over to do exercises with the baby to help her develop. The lovey-dovey couple have a conversation about communicating better and their all happy and lovey dovey and Corey goes and buys Leah an engagement ring.

Insert heart flutter < here >

Janelle's little bad ass self and her BF Keifer have been staying in a friend's run down ~~meth lab~~ trailer since she got thrown out. She still having issues with getting financial aid because she up and gave up custody of her son so now she needs her mother's financial information ..

Is it me or does her mom need massive amounts of zanax?

Anyway, she winds up getting the information and when she calls her mother to thank her she finds out that there's going to be a party for baby Jace to celebrate his Big Number One. Her mother has the Oh! Decency! to invite Janelle and tells her what time to be there.

Janelle and Keifer show up at the designated time but that's not good enough for the mother from hell. She bitches and complains that Janelle didn't get there early enough. She also bitches and complains about the gift Janelle bought for Jace.. a motorized Spiderman car thing.

I mean, this crazy ass woman went off saying how she wasted her money.. Jace isn't going to remember it.. she should have bought him a silver cup and how SHE didn't get her kids anything for their birthdays or Christmas until they were old enough to ~~crawl over broken glass to kiss her ankles in thanks~~ realize what gifts where.

My GOD woman.. can you cut this girl some slack? I know there's a history.. I know that Janelle will never win daughter of the year.. but there's a reason why your kid is the way she is and I'm willing to bet that you're responsibility falls right out of the grey area.

Thankfully.. THANKFULLY.. Kailyn has a good head on her shoulders. She realizes that there is no relationship anymore with the King of the Douchebags and that she's going to have to do what she needs to do for her and her son. King Douchebag doesn't take the news well.. he tells her she's sending out mixed signals and when she figures out when she's moving, etc. to let him know.

In the meantime, King Douchebag band-aid's things with his poppa and him, Kailyn and the baby are allowed to move back in. The Puppet Masters (King Douchebag's parents) call a "meeting" with them to find out what they're plans are and they didn't look pleased at. all. when Kailyn tells them that she doesn't want a relationship with the King Douchebag because of they don't really get along.

I don't know this for sure, but from the looks on their faces I'm willing to bet that they have the Emergency Custody paper work all filled out and are waiting for the right time to file them to take Baby Isaac.

And this just in .. King Douchebag was arrested over the weekend with his brother for driving under the influence of ".. a controlled and dangerous substance." which, according to reports, was weed.

Guess it was a slow day in cop land .. OR maybe Janelle and Keifer were hiding in the trunk. Did anyone think to look?

Until next time...

Recap: Survivor 22 - Redemption Island

2011-02-18T11:36:00.001-05:00

After 22 seasons, you'd think Survivor would get old. Nope.

Not to me, anyway.

And NEVER when Boston Rob.. Russell or BOTH land on the sand.

There's also THE TWIST this year and if you're a fan of Survivor then you know just how this is going to be a game changer.

This season, instead of heading to the Ponderossa after your flame is snuffed you're shipped to Redemption Island where you will stay alone until someone else gets voted off. Both torched contestants will duel with the winner brought back in the game. Game over for the loser.

After the first episode, I'm not gong to get into a detail of all the contestants.. would take too long and most of them weren't even featured so I'll only hit the highlights and BELIEVE ME this was THE most JAW DROPPING first episode in Survivor history.

So the key players in Episode 1:

Rob will always be a key player regardless of the episode or season.

He's the shiznit when it comes to Survivor and it just boggled my mind that there were people on his tribe that thought they were going to hood-wink him... on THE FIRST DAY!!

Come on.. like SERIOUSLY?? He is arguably the best player in history for a reason and that reason isn't because he doesn't know how to play this game.

There's no doubt that Russell is the ultimate in Survivor villains.. he plays people like a fiddle and does things that are so morally corrupt without conscience that you can't help but give him his due.

He's played the same game twice before .. hook up with the young, pretty girl and cause havoc and chaos to get to the end.

His strategy worked for him twice and I really didn't think his tribe would fall for it a third time. Seems like it did.. he made an alliance with the young Stephanie (I believe that's who it was) .. but I don't think the guys on his tribe are going to follow as blindly. But Russell's tribe won immunity so that's all I'm going to say about him in this post.

Poor Kristina.

What a freakin' idiot. Did she really think that she was going to master mind Rob being booted off without the numbers? With just an immunity idol? With just Francesca and Philip, the guy you don't really trust?

Have you ever watched a season of Survivor that Rob was on?

Come on girl.. there's a time and a place for bold moves and the first tribal council is NOT the time to try an oust an icon before you know the other personalities your playing with.

Francesca's confidence may have been an asset to her.. as would her experience as an attorney if she hadn't been stupid and saddled up with Kristina.

I will say that she wasn't down on trying to vote off Boston Rob because she understood that you needed to keep the tribe strong to win challenges. The more challenges you win as a tribe, the less you have to worry about tribal council.

Unfortunately for Francesca, her alliance put her on Rob's radar and when you mess with the bull, you get the horns. As the first person on Redemption Island, she could be back..

Please Phillip .. I'm BEGGING you .. toss the peach/coral banana hammock! Normal people don't want to see you walking around the beach wearing nothing but a banana hammock.. especially when the crotch area sags.

Anyway.. you're either going to like him or think that he's a complete moron but there's one thing you have to at least understand. If you want Phillip on your side, you have to be up front and honest with him. Keep him in the loop.. treat him like he's important enough to confide in and you'll have his loyalty. Try to change up on him and he's going to call you out. Big Time.

Not so sure Phillip realizes what Survivor is all about.. and given the opportunity, he may just learn but he definitely drew a line in the sand.

Ok.. so what happened last night..

Boston Rob catches Kristina hunting around for the hidden immunity idol clue and he let's her know that he knows what she's doing. That spooks her a little bit but she happens to find it without the clue. Now she thinks she got some power going on so she clues in Francesca.

They're happy.. almost giddy.. and devise a plan to get rid of Rob because the rest of the tribe is in his shadow and they don't like that.

They talk to Phillip.. Phillip the former secret agent man who's trained in reading people. He wants to know all the nitty gritty details and Kristina isn't willing to share. She got the power.. she's flexing her muscles.. she's running her little show. Against her better judgement, she winds up telling Phillip about the immunity idol just to get him off her back.

As for Rob, he keeps it simple. He tells his team about Kristina's search for the idol. He doesn't know if she has it or not but all they have to do is split their votes for Kristina and Francesca. The idol will be played and the alliance will be gone.

Francesca doesn't think that voting Rob is the best thing for the tribe so she talks to Kristina about voting for someone weaker (Natalie) and Kristian agrees.

But.. but.. BUT!! They never talk to Phillip. He still thinks that Rob is being voted out. So when Jeff Probst starts grilling the tribe, Rob tells him that he knows he has a target on his back and you know, what can you do about it.

Francesca, for WHATEVER BLOODY REASON, makes this little comment about Rob not having to worry about going home and Phillip FREAKS! This isn't the plan that he thought he was involved in and he pipes right up and calls out Kristina and Francesca about voting out Rob and THEN busts out about Kristina having the immunity idol.

Rob, who's not going to let ANY opportunity pass him buy, asks to see the immunity idol. Kristina actually HANDS IT to him and he tells her that if she wanted to redeem herself then she should give him the idol.

Talk about bold moves in episode one. You could literally see her wheels spinning and I think she wasjusthisclose to handing it over but she didn't. And I think the reason why she didn't play it was to kind of like snub her nose at Rob.

At any rate, Francesca was voted off... she was going to be voted off anyway but I think SHE believes it was because of Phillip so if she makes it passed the Redemption Island duel, we'll see what the dynamic is.

Review: My All Time Favorite Valentine's Day Movies

2011-02-14T17:11:00.000-05:00

You'd think this would be an easy list to compile but when you're a movie whore like I am .. paging and paging and paging through lists of movies.. EVERYone is a favorite and EVERYone conjures up memories and moments and just who the nitwit I was sitting next to in the theater was!

But I did wittle it down.. to 37. I know.. I know.. but what can you do, right? I'm a hopeless romantic. More on the "hopeless" then the "romantic" but that's another post for another time.

I did, though, categorize them for you. Well, possibly for me because I'm OCD when it comes to organization but none the less.. here they are:

THE EPICS

long.. lush.. cinematic jewels of love lost and found

Paul (Keanu Reeves), a WW2 vet who becomes a traveling chocolate salesman meets Victoria (the beautiful Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) on a bus. She's returning to her family's grape vineyard for the harvest but also with a secret.

She's unwed and pregnant.

Paul offers to pose as her husband, to ease the news for her old world Mexican family. But her father Alberto (Giancarlo Gianinni) and grandfather Don Pedro (Anthony Quinn) see the world a little differently .. holding on to old school traditions and assumptions while Victoria tries to spread her wings.

It's no mystery what happens. Paul and Victoria fall in love but not before a near catastrophe takes away everything the family has worked for.

Three brothers...Aidan Quinn (the sensible one), Brad Pitt (the wild one) and Henry Thomas (the collegiate)

One woman (Julia Ormand)

You know all hell is going to break loose, right?

Living with their father in the wilds of somewhere in the early 1900's, this tale spans something like 30 years and tells of heart ache, moral compass', politics. love and loyalty.

I watch this movie every chance I get regardless of where it's at when I turn it on. The scenery is breath taking.. the story and characters make you want to be there right there with them. Truly an epic of massive proportions!

Do yourself a favor and trust me on this one. The first ten minutes are what turned off a lot of people from seeing this movie through but chew on a nail or something because this is one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen.

My complete lust for Ewan McGregor aside!

Ewan is Christian.. a poet at a time in Paris where artists and musicians are pouring out of the closet. He falls in love with Satine (Nicole Kidman) the beautiful courtesan and lead performer of a theater.

Their devotions comes up against the Duke (Richard Roxburgh) who not only is in love with Satine but is also financing their latest production.. the production that will keep the theater open. Oh.. and you Satine is dying, right? With acting, the modern music, the dancing, the sets will all sweep you away to another time and place and leave you just as heart broken as Christian.

I'll be honest.. there is NOTHING Gerald Butler can do that I won't sit through and drool over and even if you know the story of the Phantom already, you won't want to miss this.

The Phantom is actually a mere mortal who lives in the bowels of the Paris Opera house since becoming disfigured in a fire. No one knows his true identity and he controls everything and everybody through fear.

He sees promise is a young orphan, Christine, who comes to live at the Opera House with the corp. He appears under the guise of an angel who is teaching her to sing and through the years, falls in love with her. She, however, falls in love with her childhood friend, Raoul, who is now something of great importance. The tug for Christine ensues and what we get is a lavish upon lavish movie that will definitely make you root for the Phantom.. 'cause, it's Gerald Butler! Duh!

Did you ever wonder just where the story of Cinderella came from? I'll admit that I kind of watch every Drew Barrymore movie and really didn't plan on becoming as enamored as I did . It's just a great movie. A really great movie.

Danielle (Barrymore) an only child of a man of some prominence. They live in the country with a house full of servants that a mother-less Danielle treats as her family. Upon arriving home from a trip, her father brings home his new wife Rodmilla (Anjelica Huston) and her two daughters, beyond spoiled Margurite (Megan Dodds) and softer hearted Jacqueline (Melany Lynsky). Not longer after, Danielle's father dies leaving Rodmilla ruling the roost. You know what happens.. but you'll love just HOW it happens and who pops up to make it happen. The prince is played by Dougray Scott because, really.. isn't he everybody's prince?

This one is a little off the mainstream. Ok. A LOT off the mainstream but you have to trust me on this one too. It's really a spectacular movie.

The story follows the fabled Red Violin from it's creation and across three hundred years and a variety of people who possess it.. all with their own story of drama, tragedy and love.

You won't know anyone starring in it, save for Samuel L. Jackson, but relax on a quiet day and fall into the story.

I'll warn you, it does have subtitles.. at least the version I watch but you may be able to come across a copy that doesn't. All in all, it's well worth the effort .. especially the end when you find out just why the Red Violin is so damn special!

I'm sure you've heard of Ludwig Von Beethoven, right? The composer of some of the greatest classical music ever written? Sure you do.

But did you know that upon his death he wrote a love letter to his immortal beloved?

But just who WAS his immortal beloved? Beethoven was kind of a cad in his day and upon his death, his last will and testament leaves his wealth to his greatest love so the movie is based on Beethoven's assistant, Schindler, trying to locate her. Although it is a work of fiction (the true woman was never identified conclusively for Beethoven scholars) it is moving.. and be prepared to go through a box of tissues when Gary Oldman (as Beethoven) puts his ear on the piano so he can "hear" it's vibrations. Isabella Rossellini and Valeria Golino also star.

Tristan (James Franco) is the second in line to the British throne. Isolde (the stunning Sophia Myles) is the princess of an Irish tribe that's feuding with the Brits.

You know nothing good is going to come of this .. because it wouldn't be a sweeping epic romantic love story if all was well right?

Set in the medieval country side, this tail isn't much different then any other movie where two lovers are from opposing sides and what they have to do to over come it .. but come on! It's JAMES FRANCO!! You can't watch this movie and not swoon at his mop of hair and six pack. It just can't be done... but it is a great love story. Honest.

You wouldn't think that a movie with Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep would strike my fancy. I really not a fan of Eastwood so maybe it was because when I saw this movie I was in the middle of my own longing for a guy I couldn't have.

It's 1960. Robert Kincaid (Eastwood) is a photographer who happens to come across Italian immigrant Francesca (Streep),

Francesca's husband is away and for four days, these two come together (in more ways then one).. each painfully aware that what they've found in each other cannot be.. or last.

The acting is subtle .. how this situation is handled in it's time period is a lot different then how it would be handled today if Robert and Francesca would meet today. It's sad.. it's heartbreaking.. and if you don't reach for the tissue box then.. well.. there's something wrong with you!!

THE BAWLERS

just accept the fact that these will make you cry

Sorry.. but you can't go wrong with a movie that stars BOTH Gerald Butler and Jeffrey Dean Morgan!! My heart's palpating as I type.

Holly (Hilary Swank) is a widow, completely broken over the death of her husband Gerry (Gerald Butler). Nothing and no one can get her out of her funk until she receives a post mortum letter from Gerry... and then another.. and another.. and then a box.. and then another.

Gerry knew he was going to die and to help Holly heal, he sets her on a path through his letters and gifts that lead her back through their past and to a new future.

The supporting cast is great.. Kathy Bates, Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon and James Masters to name a few. It's funny.. it's sad.. it's just about everything except Gerald Butler naked and wrapped up in bow!

Ok.. you knew there had to be a Nicolas Spark's movie in here, right?

Well, ok .. a few.. but nobody raises Kleenex stock better or faster.

Noah (Ryan Gosling) is the boy from across the tracks who meets and falls in love with Allie (Rachel McAdams), the rich girl from the right side of the tracks. She falls back but it isn't long before the pressures of her social status dictate that she forgo her love and conform to the status quo.

Noah doesn't give up quite that easily and his passion and longing would melt even the coldest of hearts. Gena Rowlands and James Gardner pop in the beginning and end to wrap this masterpiece up.

This is definitely a chick flick. No question about it but if you can get your man to watch it with you, so much more the better!

Another Nicholas Sparks!

Adrienne (Diane Lane) heads to babysit the North Carolina in owned by her friend, who is off to meet her boyfriend. Unhappily married with two kids, Adrienne needs the time away. Along comes Paul (Richard Gere) a prominent plastic surgeon who drives a Jag.

Paul is the only tenant unless you count the big hurricane that's storming up the coast. Over clanging shutters and whipping winds, Paul becomes less arrogant and Adrienne becomes less shy. A love blossom. But their days are numbered because Adrienne has to go back to her family and Paul needs to go over seas to make amends with his distant son who is doing charitable doctor work in a third world country. They stay in touch through letters... letters of love.. letters of longing.

You know how this ends.. but it doesn't make it hurt any less.

... and ANOTHER Nicholas Sparks!

This was actually a last minute add on but I'm glad it popped in my mind because I remember watching this, sitting on the edge of my bed with the silent tears just pouring down my cheeks.

But I'll deny it if you tell anyone!!

Theresa (Robin Wright.. does she still use Penn?) is a single mother and news reporter from Chicago who happens to come across a love letter in a bottle. Enthralled, she's able to trace it's origins and lands on the Outer Bank where she meets Garrett (Kevin Costner) and his father (Paul Newman.. a scene stealer!).

She knows that Garrett is the author.. scribing letters to his deceased wife but Garrett doesn't know that she knows. That is until he finally let's his guard down, realizes there's another woman who can hold his heart and travels to Chicago to surprise her. There, he finds his letters in his bedroom.

There's conflict.. he leaves.. but soon realizes that he loves her so he takes his sailboat and begins to navigate his way to her.

Look. This is Nicolas Sparks. You KNOW what happens and like Nights in Rodanthe, knowing it doesn't make it any less heart breaking.

THE TIME SPLITS

centuries apart .. worlds apart.. how the hell is this going to happen?

Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) is a successful playwright but is having a bit of a crisis. He has writer's block, his girlfriend left him.. you know, the usual. To get away from it all, he takes a vacation to the Grand Hotel.. the sight of his first successful play a decade prior.

Touring the grounds, he sees the portrait of a turn of the century actress Elise (Jane Seymour) and he's smitten. Really, really smitten. He talks to an old bell hop that was a child living at the hotel and knew the actress. With his help and with the help of an old college professor who believed that self-hypnosis can initiate time travel, Richard goes on a mission to find Elise.

He does.. and they fall in love. But her manager (Christopher Plummer) doesn't want this union to be because he fears Elise would compromise her career.. and his income.

Look, I don't pretend to understand time travel. If I think too much about it, my head starts to hurt but this has got to be one of the greatest romantic movies ever filmed. If you haven't already, watch it. You won't be disappointed.

If you're as old as I am, then you'll remember this as a television show back in the 70's, I believe.

But I'm not talking about the show, I'm talking about the movie staring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison.

In 1900, widow Lucy Muir (Tierney) moves into a seaside cottage with her young daughter Anna (Natalie Wood, if you can believe it!). The house is haunted by the craggly Capt Daniel Gregg. At first frightened, but not enough to leave, Lucy and the captain come to an understanding where the ghost would only appear to her.

Having lost her source of income, the captain suggests she write his autobiography and have it published. Telling her and being told of his exploits turns into love but the captain knows that Lucy and he will never be so he leaves her.. insisting she find a live man to share her life.

She does, but it ends badly and she resigns herself to live alone at the cottage with just memories of the captain until she eventually passes away and meets with him once again.

After watching this, there is NO WAY you can tell me that you didn't get lost in it! They just don't make movies like this any more! BTW .. watch the black and white copy.. so much better!

Brad Pitt plays "Death" who decides to take a holiday from the daily grind and immerse himself into the world. Needing a guide, he appears to William Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), a media mogul who may not have been the best person in life.

Parrish agrees to be Death's guide of sorts and it's funny to see his learning process. Death may find out that he likes peanut butter, he also finds out that he like Parrish's daughter Susan (Claire Forlani) more and she likes him back.

Claire already has a boyfriend who isn't too thrilled with this new dude and Parrish himself, is having some type of attack of conscience along with suspicions that the family members he has on his board may not have his best interests in mind.

Every thing comes to a head on the night of Parrish's birthday .. a scene which still gives me the chills.

I love this movie! So under rated! And it stars Richard Dreyfuss, who would have thought it!

Pete (Dreyfuss) pilots an airplane that dumps water on forest fires. He's a daredevil, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend Dorinda (Holly Hunter) and his best friend Al (John Goodman).

Pete loves Dorinda enough that he agrees to give up piloting and take a job as a trainer instead. But after coming to this conclusion, the alarms sound and there is one last forest fire that Pete needs to take care of. As it goes, Al's plane is in trouble and to save his friend, Pete flies a series of acrobatic maneuvers that saves Al but ends his life.

On the other side, he meets Hap (Audrey Hepburn in her last role, I think) who tells him that he must now be a spirit guide to a new pilot. His inner voice, so to speak.

Fast foward six months and Pete is now the inner voice of Ted, a new pilot that is flying out of his old airport.. making friends with his old friend Al and falling in love with Dorinda.

And that's all I'm going to tell you .. this is another must watch and damp hanky movie!

What's a list without City of Angels?? I could watch this over and over and over again and still have the same reaction!

Seth (Nicolas Cage) is an angel that escorts the newly dead to the light (so to speak) and starts becoming close to Dr. Maggie (Meg Ryan) when she tries desperately to convince one of her patients' to have open heart surgery. He admires her determination and love of life. Seth makes the decision to appear to her and a friendship ensues .. and something more.

He wants to be with her.. and when her boyfriend proposes, Seth decides to exercise his free will and become human.

The love between Seth and Maggie is consumated in one night of blissful passion but when Maggie leaves to go to a store the following morning, she his hit by a car and dies.

This is an oldie.. but definitely one that I'll watch until I can't watch it no more!

Captain Entienne Navarre (Rutger Hauer) escapes from the Bishop's guard with his love, Lady Isabeau (Michelle Pfieffer) but not before they are cursed by the Bishop who loves her and wants her as his own.

Navarre transforms into a wolf by night.. Isabeau a hawk by day.. mandating that they can never be together in the way they want to.

Both meet Philipe Gastone (a very young Matthew Broderick), a thief also trying to escape the guard. Together the threesome travel the countryside to make their way back to the Bishop and force him to lift the curse.

This is another movie set in Medieval times and also is loaded with springy one lines and comedic moments.

Would you travel through time to hook up with Hugh Jackman?

Yea.. thought so!

Leopold (Jackman) is an 1876 dreamer who is the thorn in the side of his Uncle, who wants him to marry an rich American woman and restore the family fortunes.

Kate (Meg Ryan) is a 21st century career woman who lives with her brother Charlie (Breckin Meyer) and who's ex-boyfriend Stuart (Liev Schrieber) lives in the apartment above them.

Stuart finds a time portal and on his return to the present, winds up taking Leopold with him. The portal won't open again for another week, and Leopold is to stay out of sight until then but as luck would have it, Stuart has an accident and winds up in mental ward leaving Leopold to investigate a world new to him and finding Kate.

This is actually a romantic comedy but because of the time theme, I put it here.

The ALL TIME in All Time Romantic Movies. Ack! Who just doesn't LOVE Ghost? And after twenty years, you still have the same reactions and emotions when you watch it!

Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) and Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) are young and in complete and absolute blissful love but one night, Sam is mugged and is killed. Now a ghost, he comes to the realization that his dead was not random and that Molly is in danger.

Oda Mae (Whoppi Goldberg) is a fake psychic who starts receiving messages from Sam and convinces her to get Molly to understand that she in danger and that his love for her will never end.

Jeez.. I'm tearing up just writing this!

THE OLD SCHOOL

when you're as old as I am, the 80's seem forever ago

I don't care how old I get.. this will always be one of my all time favorite movies! I can literally recite the whole script verbatim and still play the soundtrack!

Keith (Eric Stolz) is the son of a blue collar guy who wants nothing more then to see his son go to college. Keith works at a gas station frequented by the rich kids, one of whom has a girlfriend by the name of Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson) and who Keith has an undying love for.

Amanda happens to be from the "other" side of the track too but does what she needs to do to be with the "in" crowd.. even if it means giving up her integrity.

Keith's best friend Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson), is the tomboy that secretly loves Keith.. hates Amanda.. and has no clue what to do about either.

It's a great flick with a great ending. If you haven't seen it before, watch it. Take my word on this.

This one is classic. My classic anyway.. another John Hughes' flick.. and another one that I can recite verbatim.

And OMG.. the SOUNDTRACK!! Like SKOW, I still play this one routinely! Makes me almost want to wear blue eyeliner again. A little.

The story is routine. Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) is the poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks with an alcoholic father and a mother who took off when she was young. She falls for rich boy Blane (Andrew McCarthy) who lets pressure from his richie friends pull them apart.

Everybody loves Andie though, including her geeky sidekick Ducky (Jon Cryer) and Blane's best friend Steff (James Spader) who goes out of his way to make Blane's life miserable because he wants Andy for himself.

Throw in the quirky Iona (Annie Potts) as Andie's boss with her head stuck in her own teenage years and you get more then enough to keep you interested.

Back when Whitney Houston WAS Whitney Houston, she starred in this little itty bitty movie with Kevin Costner called The Bodyguard. Whenever I want to drool over Kevin Costner, THIS is the movie I think of.

Rachel Marron (Houston) is an international superstar that is on somebody's hit list. To protect herself, her kid and her sister she hires Frank Farmer (Costner) a body guard extraordinaire at the request of her manager.

There's no doubt that somebody wants Rachel dead... there's no doubt that she and Frank are destined to fall in love.. there's also no doubt that they're not going to wind up together.

With all that said, you can't help but feel for both of them when they say their last goodbye.

We're going WAY back now.

Back in the day, there was a movie out staring a VERY young Nicolas Cage as an LA quasi-punk rocker who falls head over heels for the ultimate in ultimate valley girls, Julie.

Again, it's the same story. Peer pressure, status pressure, social pressure that breaks them a part but how can ANY movie that has Human League's I'll Melt For You as it's theme song bad? Right? I mean, RIGHT?

This doesn't come on very often but when it does.. and IF you were all gag me with a spoon when you were young, then watch it. I guarantee you'll love it!

THE DATE NIGHT

the ones you've been waiting for that your man won't mind seeing

Did you see this? If not, you really have to. This is probably one of the best movies I've seen is years and it's pure Sandra Bullock. She's really an awesome actress.. you can read every emotion on her face no matter how subtle.

Margaret (Bullock) is a big wig at a publishing house and a Canadian transplant. Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) is her personal assistant, a would be writer who can't get his foot in the door.

Turns out that there is an issue with Margaret's visa and she black mails Andrew into marrying her by dangling a book deal in front of her. Andrew is on his way to his grandmother's birthday in his native Alaska and Margaret tags along. What ensues is nothing short of hysterics with Betty White completely stealing the movie with every scene she's in.

Want to talk 80's flash back complete with red leather jackets, winged hair and Madonna inspired lace
gloves.

Robbie (Adam Sandler) is the wedding singer of 80's hits. Julia (Drew Barrymore) is a waitress at the catering hall where Robbie plays. Each are involved with other people but their friendship soon developes into something more.

There are SO many funny moments in this flick .. I mean, come on, it's Adam Sandler for God's sake.. and so many good songs that bring back so many memories.. good and bad. If you're an 80's baby.. or you want to know about the 80's.. this is the movie to watch.

A month before Christmas in London and eight very different couples with eight very different problems are trying to figure out their lives. New relationships begin.. old relationships end.. there's unrequited love.. there's extra marital love.. there's love that developes on the set of a porno. No lie!

This is an all star cast including Keira Knightly, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson just to name a few. It's the who's who of English actors, actually but don't let that throw you.

Love, Actually is sad, funny, happy, screwball and has THE best and cheesiest scene where a guy named Mark (Andrew Lincoln) expresses his love to the object of his heart, who's already engaged, by knocking on her door and silently flipping through cue cards.

Each of the couples interact in some way so there's no disconnect with randomness.

Actually, I think I'm going to watch this movie tonight!

Another British import.. and another staring Hugh Grant.

Bridget Jones' (Renee Zellweger) can't do anything right. She's goofy and is always coming under the attack of her mother because of her single status and weight. Trying to improve her life, she starts keeping a diary and takes a job working for a news station. There she meets Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) the office lethargio who doesn't mind Bridget's curves and so begins the affair she's been waiting for. Also enter childhood friend Marc Darcy (Colin Firth) who loves Bridget too.. maybe even more.

Who does she wind up giving her heart to and how? You'll have to watch and find out.

Jennifer Lopez is quietly rivaling the likes of Meg Ryan and Drew Barrymore as America's Sweetheart of Romantic Comedies. Think about it .. The Wedding Planner.. Maid in Manhatten.. Monster In Law.. and now The Back Up Plan.

Zoe (Lopez) is at the time of her life where she wants a baby.. even though she's single with no prospects on the horizon. The day she gets inseminated (with twins!) she meets the man of her dreams in Stan (Alex O'Loughlin.. and where did this chunk of melting butterscotch come from?? ).

Stan's a good guy and initially embraces the fact that the girl he falls in love with is pregnant but going through a hormonal pregnancy and then the actual babies becomes too much to deal with .. especially when dealing with their mother.

This is a great movie, regardless of what the critics say and it's great to see Jennifer back on the screen!

Sandra Bullock again .. Hugh Grant again .. do you see a trend here? You'd think these two were bred for romantic comedies!

Lucy (Bullock) is one of those lawyers who champion the underdog.. complete with activist parents. George Wade (Grant) is a mogul who likes buildings even if it means tearing down historical buildings.

Lucy goes to work for George but soon finds out that he's more of a child with a pocket full of money who can't make a decision to save his life and starts relying solely on Lucy in every aspect of his life instead of just in the office.

These two are made for each other.. on screen and off!

Okay, I have to stop here or else I'll just go on and on and on and I don't think BlogSpot would appreciate me taking up all this room on their servers. Is there even a word limit??

At any rate, some others that I didn't get too but are just as good:

Never Been Kissed (Drew Barrymore and Michael Vartan)
One Fine Day (Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney)
Sweet Home Alabama (Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas)
Only You (Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr.)
Serendipity (Kate Beckinsale and John Cusak)

Review: The Green Hornet

2011-02-13T06:11:00.000-05:00

I'm not a comic book person .. not a super-hero person .. not a cartoon person ..

I don't do Superman .. don't to Batman.. don't do whatever other super-hero comes to life on the big screen.

Not my gig so when I tell you that I was NOT looking forward to seeing The Green Hornet then trust.

I was NOT looking forward to sitting through this movie and had all kids of diversions set up on my iPod Touch to make the 119 minutes bearable.

I was wrong.

Even though this IS your typical super hero movie, Seth Rogan as the under achieving son of a newspaper owner brings a whole other dimension to the other wise stoic Bruce Waynes and Clark Kents of the comic world.

Throw in Jay Chou as THE perfect Kato since Bruce Lee (Tim's opinion because he knows about this stuff more then I do) and you have a movie that was action packed and funny enough to keep even me entertained.

Believe me, that's saying something.

Cameron Diaz, in her role as Lenore the secretary, is also more of an asset then eye candy.

Good flick.. glad I watched.

Review: No Strings Attached

2011-02-13T05:54:00.000-05:00

Even though I'm SO not a fan of Ashton Kutcher, I've loved Natalie Portman since The Professional so when the opportunity came to see this, I tucked my personal feelings for AK aside. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much. Just another screwball comedy filled with immature innuendos and gratuitous fluff.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Definitely an adult movie where you can relate to each character because they're real. Real issues.. real problems.. real feelings.. real experiences. The comedy.. while sometimes over the top.. is truly funny and not written to dumb down the audience.

Yes, it's "boy meets girl" but with a twist.

Emma (Portman) and Adam (Kutcher) meet as children in summer camp. The movie opens with Adam upset that his famous father is divorcing his mother. Emma feeble attempt to console him speaks volumes to her inability to open her emotions.. even at a young age.

Over the years, the two keep running into each other until, in present day, both are in the same place at the same time. But time breeds experiences that breeds maladjustment.

Emma is walled off .. fiercely independent and used to calling the shots. Adam is the sensitive, touch-feely type guy who longs for his father to be anything but the over-aged man trying to restore his youth.

Their No String's Attached relationship begins one night when Adam finds himself hung over in Emma's apartment .. a scene that is completely hysterical.

She wants him without the relationship .. He wants her, basically any way he can get her so he's happy to go along with it until the inevitable happens and feelings start to bubble.

Everything about this movie is on point.. the acting (even by the supporting cast including Kevin Kline and Ludacris) .. the script .. and the emotions and situations the writer's wanted to convey.

Tim even loved this movie even though he didn't want to. His impression was that Ashton Kutcher finally grew out of his "goofball" characters and represented something real.

I had to agree.

Two thumbs up for this and go ahead.. spring for the nacho chips and hot dog. You won't mind spending the money.

Recap: Teen Mom Season 2 (so far)

2011-02-10T05:21:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I really shouldn't write posts at 4:30am when I've had too much coffee!

So with nothing to do for the last few hours I caught up on all the TM2 episodes and all I got to say is:

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

These people need reality CHECKS not reality SHOWS .. and by "checks" I don't mean the ones you can cash at the bank.

Let's start with the ultimate spoiled barbie CHELSEA:

We already know that her baby's daddy is a ballon know... calling the baby "a mistake" .. telling her she's fat and has stretch marks .. blah blah blah. We also know that for some still-unexplained reason, her father agreed to pay her rent and costs of living to move into a house with her best friend Megan WITH the stipulation that she stays in school.

Um... yea...

Because EVERY 18 year old with a baby is going to focus on her school work when she's living by herself with her best friend and only has nothing else to worry about but school.

Great parenting decision there, dad!

So you know what happens.. Life-size barbie ISN'T doing her school work AND falls back under the charms of the balloon-know daddy. Oh! But he's changed! Oh! He ~~needs a place to stay~~ wants to be in his baby's life! Oh! He still ~~wants to be on an MTV show~~ LOVES her!

What does she do? Moves him in, of course.. and because, you know, she's mature enough to know that she has daddy wrapped around her little finger that she doesn't want him to know because he may just cut off her funding. Yea.. like that's going to happen.

Because what does daddy say when he DOES find out that the balloon knot moved in? Does he go off the deep end? Does he tell her to pack her shit and get her ass home? Does he tell her that the United Bank of Dad is closing and there will be no stimulus money to bail her out?

Nope.

He tells her that Balloon Knot is going to have to pitch in on the bills. Tough stuff you do there, dad!

We all know how this is going to play out .. but at this point, she's made her own bed. Let's just hope she doesn't get sperminated again when she lays in it.

One other thing:

Did anybody else find it weird when Megan called Aubree ".. our baby?" .. hmmm.

Ok.. so moving on to LEAH, her cutie-patootie baby daddy COREY and their twins.

You know the story.. Leah busted up with her long term boyfriend.. hooked up with Corey and within a month or so was pregnant with twins. She cheated on Corey.. He wanted her back.. She didn't want him back.. He cheated on her.. She wanted him back.. He didn't want her back.. and so on and so on. But faced with the fact that there may be something seriously wrong, medically, with one of their babies they got back together and fast tracked their relationship by moving in together like.. 10 minutes after they decided to rekindle.

It may not sound like it.. but I really like these two. Or maybe I just really like Corey and the fact that he's not shying away from being a father. Or maybe I just like their accents. Who the hell knows at this point.

Leah had been living in a trailer with the girls before getting back together with Corey. A fairly nice trailer. I've seen some that were WAY nicer then my house. This wasn't one of them but it was more nice then not. But when they decide to move in together, Corey suggests they get a new place closer to his job.. which meant 45 minutes further from Leah's family and friends.

And can I ask exactly where do they live? I've been trying to rent a new place for the last five months with no luck and here they go looking at a place and the landlady shoves a lease at them and says SIGN HERE!! SIGN HERE!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SIGN HERE!! Really, is it that easy where they live?

On second thought, I take all that back. The trailer they moved into was worse then a dump. Calling it "white trash" would be a HUGE compliment. No wonder the landlady was all ready with the paper work and no credit checks or reference calling.

It really is a shame but look, you have to do what you have to do.. I just don't understand why they couldn't move onto Corey's father's phat property?

And you know.. now Leah is starting to feel caged and she wants to go to nursing school but isn't going to be able to and sounds like she's starting to resent Corey because she does nothing but take care of the babies 24/7 and hearing her mom say that that's what she's suppose to do because Corey is the one providing for the family .. blah blah blah.. You're a momma, Leah. You have no life.. and will have no life until the girls get into school full time. Just accept, girlfriend... and continue to keep that flat iron away from your left side bangs! You're doing good!

There's nothing new regarding the baby's medical issues. She's too young for an MRI just yet.

All righty then.. moving right along to season problem child JANELLE

Ooohhh.. where to begin.. where to begin..

So we know that Janelle was Wild Child Extraordinaire.. never met a party.. bottle or bud that she didn't like. Or man, apparently because now questions have surfaced regarding who actually is the father of her baby Jace. We know that the alleged father is completely out of the picture but send child support.. we know that Janelle gave up custody to her fucking lunatic of a mother temporarily.. and we know that she hooked up with a new boyfriend Keiffer that she subsequently got arrested with not too long ago.

After watching four or five episodes in a row, let me tell you something.. Janelle is the way Janelle is because of her mother. I'm sorry.. I know people make their own choices in life but honestly, I think I would have cold cocked that weird talking mofo a long time ago.

This kid just can't do anything right .. and so she does everything wrong. Her mother CONSTANTLY berates her and tries to control her and yells at her and puts her down at every opportunity. It was hard to watch and I really did feel for her when she broke down after her mother's boyfriend started doing the same thing to her. In tears she told him that her mother never told her she loves her.. never hugs her.. and even though Keiffer was absolutely right when he said that sometimes Janelle brings it on herself, this is a lost, broken girl.

I hope she gets her shit together.. and once she does, I hope she gets Jace back and tells her << insert the worst dirogatory word you can think of here >> mother where to stick it.

Last but certainly not least :: I saved my favorite for last :: is KAILYN

This girl is stuck between a rock and hard place. Like Janelle, she's broken and lost. Unlike Janelle, this girl is a survivor. I just don't think she knows it yet.

Kailyn has a mother who's more interested in her man-of-the-moment then her daughter and grandson. There also must be some drug/alcohol/domestic abuse thing going on because she's repeatedly said that her mother's place isn't safe for baby Isaac. Her father lives down south and doesn't want nothing to do with her. I'm sure if pressed, he'd want to do a DNA test because Kailyn's mother seems like the type where there will always be a question of DNA ..

At any rate.. she hooks up with the King of the Douchebags :: I refuse to say his name :: a his apparently semi-affluent parents agree to have Kailyn live with them. Everybody in that house seemed to treat her like the ugly step sister. It seemed like she always had to walk on eggshells because they held the power to make her homeless and take her kid.

When the Douchebag King didn't want to deal with her anymore and broke up with her.. she was moved to the basement. Feeling alone.. she welcomed the attention of a male co-worker. A simple minded boy but none the less, someone who I guess made her feel good about herself and gave her the chance to get out of the basement and away from the cold glares of the Puppet Masters.

But they all found out about it and jumped on the poor girl's shit and basically said without saying the words that if she wanted a boyfriend, she can go live with him.. that under THEIR roof, she was their prisoner. Of course, she told the dude she couldn't see him anymore.

Then the Douchbag King wanted her back.. of course he did. You always want what you didn't want but somebody else does.. but then things started going haywire with the Puppet Masters and the Douchbag King got kicked out.

Which means that Kailyn got kicked out.

He took the baby to another state to stay with an aunt and told Kailyn that they would move there. She doesn't want to.. her job and her school are both local. He starts jumping down her throat about being selfish and only wanting what she wants.

Listen DOUCHEBAG: YOU have a job... SHE has a job.. BOTH jobs are local. You NEED jobs to afford an apartment .. WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU MOVE TO ANOTHER STATE WHERE YOU DIDN'T HAVE A JOB??

After meeting up at a diner to discuss what they needed to do, Kailyn knows that moving in with the King of Douchebags may be a little easier financially.. but isn't going to be good for the baby because of the way they fight.

Like I said.. this girl is a survivor. It's going to be tough on her but she'll end up on her feet.

Review: The Resident

2011-02-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Ok..

I don't think I EVER used the word "creepy" so much in 91 minutes in my life.

I don't think I ever had chills running up my spine so much in 91 minutes.

AND ...

I don't think my chin was on my knees so much in 91 minutes.

How the HELL did I miss this movie??

Hilary Swank plays Juliette, an ER doctor who moves into an apartment building after she finds out the love of her life cheated on her.

Jeffery Dean Morgan :: who's all hot butter-scotchy :: portrays her landlord Max.

So here's Juliette with a job she loves... a too-awesome apartment that's too cheap for NYC.. and a hunky landlord with the weird grandfather.

Oh.. did I mention the weird grandfather?

Anyway.. what more could a girl want, right?

You know that saying about things being too good to be true usually aren't? Well, I'm going to guess that Juliette skipped that message because her Romeo :: come on, you knew that was coming! :: is this creepy guy who does creepy, creepy things.

Sooooo creepy that I told Tim that if I ever had to live in an apartment it would be ONE BIG ROOM with lights on 24/7..

And honestly, it's one of those creepy movies that is on point.. there wasn't one scene where I was like, ".. Oh! Come on! How the hell DIDN'T you notice that???? " It's well written.. well acted... and was exactly what it set out to be.

If you like creepy movies that stick with you.. you'll love this one.

So grab the DVD... pop a bag of microwave popcorn.. and grab a pillow or blanket to grip on to. THEN let me know what you think!

LOST DOG ALERT!

2011-02-05T08:42:00.000-05:00

You all know I have a huge heart for dogs..

These two are lost and the family is beyond heart broken..

If you live in the area.. or are driving through the area.. or know people in the area.. please get this out to them.

It's more of an emergency because Sophie is pregnant and is due to give birth very, very soon!

Recap: Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Reunion

2011-02-02T09:44:00.001-05:00

Oh man.

Ok.

First off, Part 1 of the reunion was screwed up by my cable provider so I just combined the post after watching Part II.

And just let me state AGAIN that I want to be Lisa Vanderpump when I grow up..

Does she not ooze class? Does she not ooze charm and wit and the right amount of sarcasm?

There were two questions that I hoped the reunion would answer. One was.. One wasn't:

WHAT HAPPENED WITH CEDRIC?

If you watched the show, you already know that Cedric was Lisa and Ken's "permanent" ~~mooch~~ house guest. As the story goes, they opened the door to their ~~fortune~~ lives to him a long time ago but felt that after bringing him to the states.. giving him free room, board and every thing else, it was time for this 30-something year old man to move out.

Cedric didn't necessarily see it that way.. but after the season ended, he packed his bags. Well, he packed Ken's bags with his stuff.. and left. But you know, you can't live that lifestyle, lose it and be a happy camper so Cedric went on a smear campaign even going as far as meeting with Ken and Lisa demanding a pay off or he'll go to the trash rags.

What struck me is that these are decent, genuinely giving people in the truest sense of the word. You could feel their hurt and didn't try to hide the fact that they got hoodwinked by a fuzzy dude who wears a neon green and purple banana hammock.

While I comment Ken for wanting to punch Cedric for the hurtful things he said, I can't imagine him squashing a bug let alone going mano y mano with Cedric. Of course, I think Cedric is too much of a sissy to get into a physical altercation either .. kind of reminds me of the Bridget Jone's Diary scene where Colin Firth and Hugh Grant "try" and fight ..

THE KYLE AND KIM FIGHT

I'm only going to say this...

While I respect that fact that some things are private.. you can't have your life played out on a reality television show and then lock your lips about it. It just isn't fair, dammit!!

So what did we get?

"I love my sister" ... " I wish it never happened " ... " I'm not going to talk about it " ... " I don't have a problem with ~~brushing my teeth with JD~~ alcohol " ... " I love my sister " ...

BORING!!

I wanted to know just what house did Kyle steal from Kim? Just how did Mauricio support Kim? What happened with the rehab??

The fact that they are sisters and have a long history made this more compelling so keeping mum about it was screwed.

Other then that, the reunion was pretty unspectacular.

Adrienne had very little to contribute other then the fact that she has had fillers, botox and a prenup. Then again, she really wasn't involved in much during the season so other then wearing the same blingy bling shoes that she wore the night of Taylor's infamous party, she was just decoration.

Taylor.. well, really.. who cares? Considering that she's not the brightest crayon in the box, you'd think she would know how to play stupid a lot better then she did when Kim called her out on the whole throwing down some Oklahoma remark. Kudos to Kim though, she backed Taylor up in a corner and hit that hot spot. If her lips weren't plastic, I'm sure we would have seen them quiver!

And then we have Camille. No so much a feeder fish anymore, huh?

I was actually impressed with her .. she didn't play victim quite as much as I thought she would and was kind of impressed that she owned her faux pas' .. I really think her issue is that she can't get what's in her brain out of her mouth and everything gets all twisted .

In other randomness:

Loved how Lisa seemed to be crushing on Handsome Nick
Andy Cohen putting Adrienne on the spot regarding fixing Kim up with her "available" brothers
Could just sit all night and swoon over Mauricio
Laughed when Russell said he wouldn't be able to keep up with a 20 year old
Really think Dr. Paul needs his own show!

And so I wait for their next season .. I really do think this is the best of the franchise!

P!nk: Fucking Perfect

2011-02-02T08:30:00.002-05:00

Make sure that everyone important in your life listens to this song..

Review: Choose

2011-01-24T01:08:00.001-05:00

ME: This looks like a good one..
TIM: What's it about..
ME: A girl finds her parents hog tied and is told she has 60 seconds to choose who gets killed.. her mother or her father. If she can't decide then he kills both.
TIM: I would choose neither. That's horrible!!!!
ME: ... and that's why it's a "horror" film? Duh?
TIM: Good point.

Ok..

That brief synopsis is only what occurs in the first five minutes of the movie...

Even BEFORE the credits!

Not sure how this one missed my radar.. and with Kevin Pollack and Bruce Dern you wouldn't think it would have gone straight to video.

It shouldn't have...

This is THE BEST psychological thiller / horror movie that I've seen in a long time .. better then "Case 39" and "My Soul To Take" .. maybe even combined.

Smartly written.. not cheesy... not unbelievable.

And that's probably the scariest thing about this movie.

This mad man (he isn't necessarily a "killer" because he doesn't actually kill his victims) gives his victims a choice.. I'm not going to give anything away so let's say he makes them choose between A or B .. Black or White.. Apples or Oranges ...

For each victim, either choice is devastating so it basically becomes the lesser of to evils..

And everything.. everything ties in.. no loose strings.. no questions left unanswered.. everything fits right down to the last second of the film..

If I tell you anymore it's going to feel like I'm giving something away and this movie is too good to go into it knowing "something".

So my lips are sealed.. you'll have to watch it for yourself and let me know what you thought.

Wrap Up: Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Season 1

2011-01-22T01:57:00.000-05:00

So we've come to the end of Bravo TV's Real Housewives of Beverly Hill's first season.

Quite a ride, I think.

Personally, this has been my favorite group of house wives with Atlanta coming a close second. I guess their seemingly over-abundance of bank has levied out the need to flip tables and dress their kids in over the top concoctions of fabric (are you listening, Teresa?).

So here's the wrap up:

ADRIENNE MALOOF-NASSIF

I'm sure you already know that Adrienne is the only daughter in the Maloof dynasty of everything entertainment .. casino, sports teams, movies.. even skateboarding for pete's sake.

Bet you didn't know her middle name is Maude.

Shhh!! That's our little secret.

Anyway, Adrienne's tag line is ".. money is what I have, not who I am" .. or something like that. And you could say that everybody with the net worth that she has says the same thing but I happen to think Adrienne means it.

Very little drama centered around her.. which is why she probably didn't get the same air time that the other wive's had .. she took the girls to a basketball game.. took the girls to the casino that her family owns in Vegas, played around with her twin sons and made them lunch.. I mean, had the CHEF make them lunch.. attended functions and bickered with her husband, Dr. Paul Nassif.

Dr. Paul really should be the 7th house wife. I love love love him! At first you think he's a little dim witted lap dog but believe me, he holds his own.

Adrienne is the eye of the hurricane, however. With all the in fighting between the other girls, Adrienne was the voice of reason .. got involved when she needed to.. stayed out of it when necessary .. again, which is why she didn't get a lot of air time.

TAYLOR ARMSTRONG

If Dr. Paul is the 7th Housewife, then Taylor's lips .. okay, her whole MOUTH.. should be the 8th.

Taylor has issues bigger then her mouth, though.

See.. Taylor's married to Russell.

Russell has a mistress by the name of Blackberry. He is not to be confused with Kelsey Grammer who also has a mistress.. only Kel's is flesh and blood. Well, blood-less actually but more on that later.

I think Taylor was perfectly fine with Russell's mistress.. especially after having their daughter Kennedy. After all, Kennedy meant that Taylor would life in the lifestyle she has become accustomed to.. at least until Kennedy becomes 18.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Sephora.. Taylor started wanting to be a REAL wife.. with a REAL husband and a REAL marriage.

All the things money can't buy.

Only Russell likes having a trophy wife hanging on to his short stuff. And it was soo obvious during the season that he could care less about Taylor's thoughts and views and their lack of communication.

Case in point? Kennedy's so over the top birthday party. Taylor didn't think twice about buying her 5 (?) year old daughter a diamond pendant and transforming their grounds into an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party.. because actually, all that stuff was for her.. the former poor, abused Oklahoman who dared to reach for the stars and make her way to California to be discovered and.. oh.. um.. err... heh.. excuse me. Got carried away there.

But Taylor does things for Kennedy that satisfied the void in herself and Russell just does what he wants to like buy the kid a puppy, which sent Taylor on a freak out.

This season also spot lighted one of her beloved charities.. the 1736 Family Crisis Center. The episode where she speaks about the abuse she suffered as a child was probably the one that turned my opinion of her around.

I began to understand why she made the choices she's made and you started to see light in her eyes go out a little when Russell would be completely oblivious to her feelings or wants. Like constantly being on the opposite side of a room from her at a party .. women notice these things.

And I think the reason why Taylor was so quick to ruffle Camille's feathers in New York is because Taylor looking at Camille is like Taylor looking in the mirror. She knows where it's going for her.

One last thing.. so why is the focal point of Taylor's website a chandelier?

LISA VANDERPUMP TODD

When I grow up, I want to be Lisa.

Love, love, love her!

Of all the housewives, Lisa is the most accomplished.. probably the richest in her own right.. and is just down right normal.

This women has her stuff together.. says what she means and means what she says in this straight from the hip way that you just have to love. She's also funny as hell!

Her and her husband Ken also have big hearts and a penchant for strays. Not only did they adopt a little boy (big heart) but they also took on Cedric (the stray).

When not focusing on Lisa's attempts to keep the gals from imploding, her story line revolved around Cedric.. the 30-something, French born "house guest" who sponged off her good nature.

Cedric.. with the sobby sobby past of being born of rape and abandoned by his prostitute mother in a phone booth at age 7.. came into their lives almost two decades ago and never left. Ken wants him gone.. Lisa tries to explain that living their house doesn't mean he left their hearts.. Cedric plays the abandonment card.. not working.

What's the poor man to do? Leave the comforts of a million room mansion where he doesn't have to do a damn thing and like.. I dunno.. WORK? Support himself? Latch on to Lance Bass again? The HORRORS!!

Come on, now. Even the Todd's OWN kids are out and about making lives for themselves. Give me a break, Cedric .. and please refrain from wearing the neon green and purple banana hammock again.

KIM RICHARDS

Poor Kim.. she's like this fragile little bird that fell from it's nest and into a pond of Prozac.

Or maybe needs it.

There is definitely something up with this chick.. bad nerves? Pills needing to be tweeked?

Didn't know until the finale where her sister called her out on her booze consumption and we were informed that her family stuck her in rehab.. where she promptly signed herself out the following week.

But it was obvious that Kim's hay days were looooong behind her and that she was a really tiny fish in a pool full of sharks. She didn't know how to relate... didn't know how to blend.. She would have been perfectly happy staying at home surrounded by her gaggle of kids instead of venturing past her doorstep.

There's a name for that, isn't there?

So being the naive freshmen, she opened her mouth when she shouldn't have and kept it shut when it needed to be opened.. like defending her sister in New York.

I also think she holds A LOT of resentment for being the bread winning child actress who thinks she should still be respected more then she is.

The finale also burst like a super nova when her sister let loose on how her husband has been helping support Kim financially and IT. STOPS. RIGHT. NOW... cut to camera 3 where Kim is huddled in the corner of the limo hysterical.

Interesting.

KYLE RICHARDS UMANSKY

There's a reason why Kyle and Lisa Vanderpump are besties.. nationality and age aside, they're exactly the same.

Although she says she was a child star, she wasn't anywhere near the level of her sister Kim.

Sorry Kyle, but the truth is the truth.

But I don't think Kyle would mind because her life centers around her family. Incredibly hunky husband Mauricio Umansky and four daughters. She's very hands on.. living for her kids.

Her pride and emotion when eldest daughter Farrah graduated from college show just who Kyle really is.

She's also a spitfire who doesn't back down when she knows she's right..

This season really centered around her and her on going feud with Camille Grammer. And BELIEVE me.. it was on going with a lot of rings in the ripple. Oh.. and the strange dynamic of her relationship with her sister Kim and the pressure she feels trying to live up to their dying mother's request to take care of her.

<< cue scene of dying mother >>

That was bad. Sorry.

If there's one thing you can expect Kyle to do is stick up for herself and defend her family.. even against family. It was interesting.. and I'm sure the story isn't going to end there with these two.

CAMILLE GRAMMER

Oh Camille, the patron saint of blindsided wives.

And I do say that respect.

I'll be honest.. didn't care for her. I thought she was uppity and bougie and held herself too high.

But I think after the last few episodes, everyone's opinion of her has changed.

She "Little Girl Lost" .. another feeder fish not equipped to handle the shark pool. Like Kim, she's socially inept. She may know how to walk down a red carpet and field questions from reporters but I don't think she knows how to develop relationships other then the people sitting in her inner circle.

A lot of info on their marriage has come out recently and it seems as if she was held in a golden cage being cared for by a douche bag and then disposed of with the cage liner.

Yes, I just did just call Kelsey Grammer a douche bag. I'd call him worse.. believe me!

It's also obvious that he pushed her into doing the series to give him the opportunity to start building another cage for his mistress.

Although some of the things Camille did and said initially made think that perhaps some silicone was leaking in her brain, I get it now. I get HER now .. and I feel bad for her. I do.

The 2 part reunion show airs on Bravo beginning January 27th ..

Review: The Fourth Kind

2011-01-19T00:13:00.001-05:00

Whoa.

That's the first word that comes to mind after watching this movie.

And when I mean "Whoa" .. I mean WHHHOOOOAAAAAA.....

Let me just state up front and for the record that when it comes to UFO's and aliens and abductions and stuff .. I leave that to Tim. He watches all those documentaries on cable and spends hours looking at YouTube footage.

I let him entertain himself while I watch Project Runway or the Real Housewives and when he gets over-excited by something and JUST. HAS. TO. SHOW. ME .. I nod in the right places and give the right adjectives to appease him.

Ok. After watching this movie, I think I'm going to take him a little more seriously.

This is the true story of Dr. Abigail Tyler of Nome, Alaska.

Dr. Tyler and her husband, Will, were both psychologists, raising their son and daughter in Nome and treating a variety of patient's that all appear to have a common thread... all were having their sleep disturbed in the middle of the night and all were experiencing an unusual sighting of an owl.

That's all I'm going to tell you because you MUST watch this movie.. and the reason being is that everything that happened in Dr. Tyler's life was already documented on her own video tapes of patients.. police video tapes.. police audio tapes.. and the movie uses this real footage spliced into the very movie itself.

Because of this, the majority of the script was already written.. the rest was filled in using actual journal accounts and reports.

I've never seen anything like this before... ever.. and when I tell you it had me on the edge of my seat and seeing the actual footage had my chin on my knees.. let me tell you, that NEVER happens.. especially a movie about alien abduction.

Milla Jovovich plays Dr. Abigail Tyler and at the beginning of the movie, she addresses the audience as herself and says that what we're going to see is disturbing .. it is. No doubt about it. Disturbing with a capital D.

She also says that we need to draw our own conclusions..

What this movie and tell me what YOU thought about it.. I'm really curious.

Good Eats: Peanut Butter Tandy Take Cake

2011-01-16T18:33:00.000-05:00

I'm betting most of y'all don't know what's pictured at the left, do you?

You're loss.

Pictured is the heaven that is a TastyKake Peanut Butter Tandy Take (or Kandy Kake for those that feel stupid saying Tandy Take)

You won't find these anywhere other then Philadelphia and it's surrounding areas and believe me, once you've had them, you're going to be hooked.

It's a shame that TastyKake .. after building a new multi-million dollar facility filed for bankruptcy but that's what happens when you jump up your prices.

At any rate, the other night we thought about making something for dessert. I'm not a big cake eater.. or sweet eater for that matter.. but the rest of the house would DIE without chocolate so I figured I'd be kind. Looking over the stuff I had in the house already, I discovered that I had all the makings of the Tandy Take.

Basically, I used white cake mix but added whole eggs instead of just egg whites to the recipe.

While that was baking, I used half a jar of peanut butter, some 10x sugar and butter to whip up the peanut butter filling.

Fortunately, I have a Kitchen Aid so I was able to just throw everything in the bowl and let the machine do the hard work.

You can use a hand mixer but I really wouldn't recommend trying to do it manually.

But at any rate, you want to get it to a point where the peanut filling is light, airy and spreadable.

Like a mousse, almost.

Realize too that the more air gets into the mixture the lighter in color it's going to be.

It's still going to have an awesome peanut butter flavor but I tell you that just in case you are into the concept.

Nobody cares how anything "looks" in my house.. much to the chagrin of Uber-Chef Tim .. you can basically through things in a trough and they'll eat it!

At any rate..

I put the mixture in the fridge for about 20 minutes just to firm it up a little bit. I was leery about putting a very soft filling on a maybe not so cooled down enough cake. So the little bit of chill gave the mixture enough bite to hold up to spreading.

Once the 2 9" round cakes were cool, I flipped them out of the pans and spread the peanut butter mixture .. careful to use it as a leveler so that the top tier of the cake would be level.

Ok.. so I watch too much Food Channel Network. Even though no one else would notice, I still wanted it to be nice!!

Lastly, I took a container of chocolate frosting and warmed it up in the microwave at 30 second intervals until it was soft enough to pour but not too soft that the cake would absorb it all. You'll know what I mean if you try it.

Once I poured it, I stuck the cake in the fridge to let the icing firm up a little bit and get hard.

The picture on the left is the finished product .. I wanted to take a picture of it once I had cleaned up the edges and transferred it to a cake plate but it didn't last that long..

I don't think it lasted the night, to be honest with you.

As a non-cake eating person I thought it was delicious and as close to a Tandy Take as they come.

If you make it, let me know how you did .. if you need more concise measurements well, I'm sure you can find it online. I didn't measure anything other then what the box cake mix asked for.

Review: Teen Mom 2

2011-01-13T19:33:00.000-05:00

You know this show, right?

MTV takes the best of the best .. or worst of the worst.. teen mother's from their 16 and Pregnant series and focus' on their lives after their babies are born.

I'm actually inclined to believe that they pick the one's with the most potential for drama (Um, hello? Amber Portwood?) because what's a show without ratings and what makes good ratings?

Right.

So let's meet this seasons's moms:

Leah with twins Aleeah and Arianna
(sorry, don't know which is which in the pic)

LEAH

So Leah and Robbie break up and on the rebound, hooks up with Corey. One month later, she's pregnant with twins. Corey, bless his heart, stands rightbyherside but being young and immature Leah kept wanting to get back with Robbie.

Robbie was like TWINS? HELL NO!!

Leah finally realizes that men don't get no better then Corey and wants him back but the damage is already done and he's moved on .. kinda.. sorta..

Is anyone else disturbed that Leah only flat irons part of her hair?

Sorry.. I digress!

I'll admit that by the end of Leah's 16 and Pregnant episode I felt bad for her. There was something redeeming about her knowing that Corey really did love her.. was sticking by her and his kids.. and had some sense and maturity about her.

We already know that Leah and Corey get married :: oops! Sorry! You mean you DIDN'T know? :: and that there may be something medically wrong with one of their twins so this season, we'll get to follow their road of both relationship bliss smothered by the devastation parents feel with their child is sick.

My fingers are crossed for these two.

And not to be superficial but Corey is cuter then cute!

Chelsea with daughter Aubree

CHELSEA

Out of all the moms, I thought Chelsea had the most support and normalcy at home. Her parents are divorced but they seem to be void of issues and psychotic-ness. Plus, it doesn't appear as though her friends deserted her after she had Aubree.

The baby's daddy, on the other hand, is a douche bag. He's done everything from call Chelsea a "stretch marked bitch" to calling Aubree "a mistake" .. and everything in between.

If he thought that being on the show was going to bring him opportunities or glory, he's as dumb as he looks.

While I do find that Chelsea's father is a font of wisdom "... you liked the idea of being with him" .. I certainly question his judgment of allowing his 18 year old daughter and 9 month old granddaughter moving into their own place that he's financing. But I guess the show wouldn't be a show with a functional family handling the situation in a mature way.

At any rate.. this season expect to see Chelsea's struggle living on her own (well, with a friend) and the previews of the season show that maybe Chelsea didn't learn what she needed to learn about Adam.

Kailyn and baby Isaac
I smudged out the baby's King of Douchebag father
because I really, REALLY can't stomach him

KAILYN

If Chelsea's family is the picture of stability, Kailyn's is the polar opposite.

I really feel for this kid .. and not because she doesn't live far from me.. I feel for her because this is a kid that really doesn't have anywhere to go and no one to help her with anything.

Except the King of the Douchebag's parents.. who absolutely have their grandson at the top of their priority list.

Kailyn's mother is more interested in her current man and every hope that this kid had that her biological father would some how step up to the plate after years of no contact were dashed on a visit where he barely did anything except get up and open the front door to her. So is it no wonder that this girl was looking for love in on the wrong places?

For as supportive as his parent's are, the King of Douchebags is anything but. He's spoiled, verbally abuse and worse.. knows that Kailyn not only has no one ELSE to go to but his parents but no WHERE to go. And believe, me exploits that at every turn.

The King of Douchebags tells Kailyn that he's done with her and when she asks where she's suppose to go, he says, ".. your mother's I guess." knowing that that isn't likely. When she told her mother that the King of Douchebags broke up with her, the mother is sympathetic but never offers to either help her or give her and the baby a place to stay.

Like I said, I feel for this kid.

This season, there's even more trouble with the King of the Douchebags and what appears to be some type of domestic violence that brings the cops to the house. Something tells me that Kailyn won't be living in that house long...

Jenelle and baby Jace

JANELLE

You know, every article I ever read about reality shows says the same thing.. you get so used to cameras being around that you don't even realize they're there anymore.

That HAS to be true because what other excuse would Jenelle have for acting the way she did in the season opener?

I mean.. really. Do you NOT know ANYTHING about Amber Portwood and her current legal issues, Janelle?

Janelle is a bitch. No two ways about it. She lives with her single mother who has some weird ass speech impediment that makes her sound goofy. Come to think of it, she may have something wrong with her hearing that makes her sound that way.

Great. Now I feel horrible for getting annoyed with her speech impediment!

Anyway.. it's obvious that her mother has lost control of Jenelle a long, long time ago because if she hadn't, she wouldn't tolerate the way her daughter speaks to her. When she got pregnant, her mother told her the partying was going to have to stop and that she wasn't going to put up with Janelle, her attitude and her partying.

Yea. Right.

So baby Jace is born and what does Janelle do? Not care for her child, that's for sure. You don't give a baby a bath.. put him to sleep and then take off for the night with your friends. But that's exactly what she's doing and that's exactly what is getting under her mother's skin.

From what's been shown so far in the opener, Janelle's mother is almost caring for the baby full time and because Janelle hasn't shown any level of maturity up until then, she has little confidence in Janelle's ability to care for her child.

Which doesn't sit well with Janelle.

There was a lot of verbal abuse and some physical abuse against the mother in the opener which concluded in her mother filing for custody of Jace.

It's obvious that this little girl lost is into more then just downing the occasional long neck.

Seems as though Janelle's anger and bravado is a little chemically fueled if you ask me.

Janelle has recently been arrested for breaking and entering into an abandoned house and for having about an ounce of weed in her possession.

Nice role model for Jace, Mama...

This season expect to see Janelle continue to act out and really need to get her ass kicked by someone who can knock some sense into her. This girl needs it.

Hopefully we won't see baby Jace starring in an episode of INMATES in 20 years!

So there you have it.. I'm not sure if I'm going to commit to doing weekly recaps or not. This isn't something I make a habit of watching but do catch up on the episodes On Demand if I'm up late enough and television is boring enough so you never know. It just may be that compelling!!