TV - American Idol - Adam Lambert Cover Art

Here's Adam Lambert's cover art for his upcoming album:

Some people are saying that this super glam-y Glambert cover art will alienate his older home-Mom fans from Idol, but I don't really think so. For one, I think people knew that this boy was a David Bowie inspired superstar when they voted for him on Idol. For another - who really cares about album art? When you buy an album on iTunes it's not the same as buying the CD and constantly fiddling with the CD case. But this was definitely worth showing because it makes me so happy! Can you stop giggling? I can't. Read more!

The Office Episode "The Lover"

"tb" makes a great point that a point about last week's episode of The Office, entitled "The Lover," most certainly deserves a blog post! I will go as far as to say it was my favorite episode in recent memory. The Pam / Michael storyline was hilarious: there is now the potential for Michael to become Pam's stepfather, and that is AWESOME.

But really the best part of the entire episode (season... show history?!) was Dwight asking Michael if he would like him to give him "the chills". There's an egg on your head and the yolk is pouring down... The last time I heard that I was in fifth grade on a playground in that weird sleep-over day-spa dynamic that little girls have where we were all rubbing each other's backs, braiding hair, and painting nails. I laughed until my stomach hurt, and it's been a while since that happened.

Read more!

Run, Fatboy, Run

Cute movie. Exactly what I was in the mood for last night. Light, funny, not too much thinking involved, Hank Azaria. Click to keep reading.


We rented a movie for the first time in a very long time last night. We actually rented two, but we haven't watched the other one yet.

Run, Fatboy, Run was a perfect rental for me. It's something I missed in the theaters and it's just fun. Basic plot: Loser guy leaves gorgeous and talented pregnant fiance at the altar on their wedding day. Five years later, he's still a loser. He sees her and their son regularly, but she's moved on . . . to a successful hedge fund manager who runs marathons for charities. The next marathon is a month away. Naturally, loser guy decides that to win back the girl, he has to run in the marathon. Let me tell you from my husband's experience. You cannot train for a marathon in three weeks. No way. I thought that was going to be a huge issue. But, trust me, when you see how he runs the marathon, his training regimen is not a problem.

It's a cliched happy ending, he finishes the race - kind of - and the hedge fund guy turns out to be a jerk. They don't 100% tell you that he and the girl get back together, but it certainly seems to be heading that direction.

What makes this movie really worth watching are very good comedic performances from Simon Pegg, Hank Azaria and Dylan Moran. If you're looking for something fun and light to rent, this is a perfect choice.

The other movie we rented was Blood Diamond. Somehow I don't think it will be as much fun. Read more!

Book - The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Any talk about the Twilight books being "potato-chip literature" can now be thrown out the window. I can't remember if "The Da Vinci Code" was written this incredibly poorly, but let me assure you that there have been "Choose Your Own Adventure" books with more linguistic nuance than Brown's latest page-turner. That being said, "The Lost Symbol" takes the reader on a fun and exciting journey into the real-life world of American Freemasons and Noetic Science.

You don't watch the "National Treasure" movies for the method-acting, and you don't read Dan Brown to build your literary chops. You do it for fun! And while at the same time you might find your brain getting squishy from reading the phrase So-and-So "did a double-take" or "it's so obvious! How could we not have seen it before?" over and over again, or when you realize that that man has been described as "elegant" enough times that you have to assume he's actually a swan, the book actually does teach you a little about American History.



Another interesting note about this book... I can't help but wonder if Dan Brown is throwing a middle-finger at the production studios trying to turn this into another blockbuster movie. There are a lot of aspects to this thriller that will make it difficult to translate to screen. For one, we need to be shocked about the powerful members in our society who are actually Freemasons, and that's going to be hard to do in a short period of time without actually casting prominent political figures. There's also a weirdo death and resurrection scene and perhaps most difficult for a movie adaptation, one of the most exciting chase scenes takes place in absolute pitch-black darkness. 10 minutes of looking at a black screen might make for a strange cinematic experience... Read more!

Film - Invention of Lying

Ricky Gervais's new comedy "Invention of Lying" makes for a perfectly enjoyable date-movie experience. It's a comedy about a world where people are incapable of lying and ignorant of their ability to speak un-truths. After setting up this amusing culture, and establishing that Gervais's character is in love with an adorable Jennifer Gardner, he goes on to dig into the concept of religion from an atheist perspective. How can people subscribe to the silly concept of a giant man living in the sky, sometimes creating messes of their lives, sometimes granting them great gifts? Because it makes them feel safe and less afraid of the afterlife.



The movie is clever and provides some laughs, but I really expected more from Gervais. The script could have benefited from more time at the editing desk. For example, is Gervais saying that in this world people are incapable of lying or are they incapable of holding-their-tongues? It's unclear. The romantic obstacles between Gardner and Gervais's character are also a little perplexing, with a lot of talk about the necessity of proper genetic matching to create perfect children that doesn't quite settle well. However, I'd say if you were looking for a movie to rent on a lazy weeknight, this one would lead to an overall positive experience.

More importantly, let's discuss how crazy it would be to see Jennifer Gardner and Hillary Swank co-star in a film together? Another "Boys Don't Cry" type ambiguous gender film would benefit from this sharp-jawed manish-yet-also-pretty duo.
Read more!

Book - A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Metta's husband recently leant me the book "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole, and I am so grateful he did! Although written in the 1960s, this book wasn't released until two decades later and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. It tells the story of Ignatius, an over-educated blow-hard who's obsessed with Medieval philosophy but derives pleasure from being aesthetically assaulted by popular culture. Think Michael Moore, with constant gas issues and more infatuated with ancient European philosophers than capitalism or health-care. After enjoying many years writing furious screeds against modern society in his bedroom at his mother's house, circumstances necessitate that the 30-something Ignatius finally go out into the real world and find a job. On his journeys we run into a variety of other eccentric, well-developed characters who shape each other's lives in an elaborate web of interactions. This book is funny, smart, and impressively executed. Read more!

Film - Jennifer's Body

Why didn't people go an see Jennifer's Body? I thought it was really fun. True, there are plenty of people who detest Diablo Cody's distinctive writing style. You have to be able to stomach substituting "jealous" for being "Lime-Green Jell-O," but I think that's cute and perfectly fitting with a high-school horror flick.

Some say the film didn't fare well because people were sick of Megan Fox. Although this may be the case, that's too bad, because she was really perfect in this role. I actually think the movie would have done a lot better if it had delayed its release to the beginning of October. When I was in High School, loads of friends would get together and go see a horror movie around Halloween and this one would have been perfect for those who wanted to see something scary-fun, not truly horrifying (like Paranormal Activity). Read more!

TV - Greek

Why don't more people recognize what a great show this is? EW is on board. It gets good reviews. I know there are people out there watching this show, but for some reason, my friends don't seem to be on board.



I think a lot of people put this show in some kind of category where, maybe if they were bored and there was a marathon on, they would give it a shot, but it's worthy of much more attention.

Part of the reason I love this show is the same reason I love My Boys. I don't want to say that the show is realistic, because watching one episode would make it clear that it is not. However, despite the things that are unrealistic, there is something authentic about a large portion of the dialogue, the performances, and even some of the situations.

One of the things that I absolutely love about this show is how relationships ebb and flow. Now, that happens on every show, mostly in an effort to keep viewers interested, instead of getting bored. What this show manages to do that I think some shows miss, is that it shows you all the detail and provides more context and explanation for why these relationships are ebbing and flowing, and why people are taking their lives the direction they do.

Probably the most interesting is the relationship between Casey and Evan. I didn't think I would ever find Evan likable after some of the stuff that went on in the last season. And I didn't think it would ever make sense for him to be friends with Casey on the show again, or with Cappie, for that matter. But I'm back on his side now. He's likable again and, because they gave context, and, frankly, because the performance by Jake McDorman is so natural, I believe that these people would be friends with him again, and would see that he's actually changed.

Anyway, watch the show. Don't put it on the, "Oh, I'll watch it some day when I'm bored" list. It's too good for that. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's one of my top three favorite shows that are currently airing new episodes. And that's saying a lot, because I watch a lot of TV.
Read more!