wakked_out

My boy Rafa made it through the first round at the French Open this week....amen. And you have to love the man for knowing how to dress for the occasion....he is in France after all:

And if you have the extra time, you need to watch video of a certain Gille Simon from France. I watched his match Sunday and there's something going on in his shorts, something big.

If you're a fan of Legos, you have got to take a look at this article. You wanna build the Guggenheim out of little plastic bricks? Now you can! Amazing.

I had to write a bit about this fabulous new show I watched last night. For some ungodly reason, I watched the last bit of the American Idol final, and after it was over I was treated to the best new show on a major network since 30 Rock! And to top it all off, it was on Fox....WTF? It follows the formation of a high school glee club and it was funny, touching, and actually had great musical numbers in it. I was shocked to say the least. They say the pilot aired last night, but the regular season doesn't start till the fall. So I am hoping that enough people watch this show online to guarantee it a full season, and hopefully more after that. Here is the pilot in it's entirety, so make a cup of tea and slap on some headphones, you won't be sorry!

And if you don't believe me, check out this review.

Since my desperate search for employment has gotten me exactly nowhere, I decided to branch out and try new things. I recently placed an ad on two different sites to promote myself as a professional manny. Yes, I have turned myself into a babysitter. After several spam emails, I finally got a legit inquiry this past week and answered it.

I went to interview with the mother that needed her baby sat. First off, her place is a dump. I'm being polite with that description too. There is garbage all over and papers stacked on the dinning room table up to a foot high. Bill collectors called twice while we were talking (to which she yelled at the phone to stop calling her). They were nice enough people, but they really don't seem to be able to afford anything. I went in with the intention of asking about $7 an hour. She insisted she couldn't pay more then $5 an hour, and in desperation I agreed. (After looking at the house, I really wanted to ask for a lot more). Fast forward to today when she leaves me a message to call her back. She seems to have a problem with our pricing agreement. After much contemplation, she decides she can't afford more then $2 an hour. My first reaction is that of shock. I mean....really? REALLY? Would that even cover gas? NO. After I realized that taking care of her kids would not only infect me with new variations of herpes by just touching their kitchen counter but that I wouldn't even be able to afford a morning latte with her new pay rate, I told her there was no way I was going any lower. I suggested she find somebody else that will practically work for free and that was that. Unreal....that's all I can think about it all.


In other news, I just got done watching this French musical on Sundance channel this evening. It's called Love Songs, and it stars my favorite French beau, Louis Gerral.

It was an interesting film, and I absolutely loved the ending. I mean, how can you not love it when a gorgeous man buries his girlfriend only to find out he really needs a boyfriend? :) The musical numbers were not all that magical, but it was sweet and I would love to watch it again sometime.

OK then....it is a dark 2:26am and I really need my sleep. Gotta wake up early to get the kiddos to school on time. Babysitting for a bit tomorrow, then hopefully I can meet up with Kevin in some fashion. :)

Just because I feel like, I think I'll ramble on about thingy things. One, I went to see Star Trek last Friday and it was AWESOME. I took my mom for mother's day and she loved it as well. Seeing as how she's the one that made me the Trekkie that I am, I figured she'd appreciate it. It was a slick fast paced movie with a good story and a brilliant concept to reboot the entire franchise. My only gripe is that I couldn't see it in IMAX since the lame Harrisburg theater isn't playing it. Bastards. But I have to agree with Becky that Spock is indeed HOT. And I've actually liked him long before this movie or even Heroes. One might recall a a show from long ago that stared him and Tori Spelling, where Zachary played a gay Iranian friend of Tori's. You don't remember it? Well don't feel bad, nobody watched it.....except me. :) Check it out, here is Spock in some nice gay action in the steam room:



Secondly, I would love to tell the world about my ongoing ubercrush on Mr. Seth MacFarlane. He was recently on the Bill Maher show last Friday and he has managed to make me love him even MORE. Somebody get me his home number!

To see the ultra-awesome part where the cutie Reza Aslan admits his love for Seth, you'll have to skip to 4:18 or so, but the more time spent with Seth, the better, so feel free to watch it all.
There just isn't anything better then man love.

It's been clear for awhile now that the Republicans have had NOTHING to of substance to say, but when your right wing agenda creator, Fox News, has to run a bit like this, then you know they're just full of shit and can't handle how insignificant they have become. Seriously Hannity, SERIOUSLY?

I wasn't planning on ranting, but by gawd. It's bad enough that the republicans are happy just sitting around and screaming no about everything while providing no kind of leadership in any way when there are huge issues to be tackled.....but when they have to resort to TEA PARTIES (laughable at best), and "listening tours" that aren't listening tours after Rush Limbaugh says so, then they're just becoming a joke. And now they're reporting on presidential mustard consumption. Cause EVERYTHING that a republican doesn't like must be unamerican. When are they going to realize that they don't corner the market on being "American"? Or knowing what patriotic is? How about all you republicans take a page out of Arlen Specter's book and look at your party and how divisive and mean spirited it has become. And how completely useless it is making itself. The answer is not to grasp onto your southern/confederate roots and try to push the country back to the days when women had no vote and gays were killed freely. That's just not going to work anymore. And for the last time....Rush Limbaugh is a jack ass! Stop doing everything he tells you to!! It's embarrassing to you and it's embarrassing to your party. I mean, did you check out how he rationalized that the economy isn't really happening since he has a $400 million contract? (Never mind that the employer that paid him said contract just cut 12,000 jobs that could have been financed with his salary!). Yeah, he's so rich that the economy is just fine. COME ON! How do you follow such a shit head around like a lost puppy? Right wing or left wing, how do you NOT see how much of an asshole this man is? And yet here is the republican party....taking points from this asshole while propping up "Joe the Plumber" as he goes around saying he "doesn't want gays near his kids". Good...fun...yeah, way to enlighten the young ones "Joe". And if the republicans keep saying how happy they are to lose Specter and how he should take McCain and Powel with him, then I think the democratic party is gonna grow leaps and bounds. While we will have a bigger and bigger tent with different thoughts and ideas, the republicans can sit in the sidelines and provide us with our comedic needs....cause they are getting awfully laughable.


Check out this interesting new Time article as well.

It has come to my attention that I am in love with quite a few journalists these days. Why is it that these anchors and correspondents are SO unbelievably hot? Take a gander:


Hottie BBC journalist with the best accent!


Hottie Iraq correspondent for NBC.


Hottie CNN weatherman. SMOLDERING hot!


And the hottest of all hotness....my beloved, Anderson Cooper. Ahhhh.

Can you tell that I'm horny and I watch too much news?

Watching the charming movie "You've Got Mail" on the tele today, I am reminded of a simpler time of internet usage. I often think of the time of America Online and dial-up (circa 1996) with great fondness. I loved chatting with strangers in random chat rooms and then finding instant message friends from across the country. It was all so new and amazing at the time. There were so many nights that I stayed awake well past three AM chatting with people and having the best time.

At one point I had acquired an online admirer from San Francisco. Mind you, there is no way to prove that anything he said was the truth, but that was a huge part of the AOL appeal back then really. His name was Peter, he went to Stanford and was quite wealthy. I loved talking to him online, and eventually even on the telephone. He would send me postcards from everywhere he would travel to (which included New Orleans, Paris, the Caribbean, Boston, and other more "woodsy" destinations). They were always very well written and reminded me of some sort of Victorian romance correspondence. I kept them all actually, and they are now placed in a book with many other pictures and such from my life back then. Peter would send me birthday presents and such all the time, I couldn't believe how thoughtful he was (one time it was over $100 in gift cards).

In all the time I talked to him, it never occurred to me that we should "date" in real life. I'm not sure why exactly, maybe because it wasn't something I thought the internet was able to do.....hook couples up in reality. At some point though Peter must have gotten disheartened because he fell off the face of the Earth. He had just inherited his grandmother's flat in Paris and was buying furniture for it when he seemed to disappear (seriously, he inherited an entire floor in a great part of Paris). Over the past few years I have tried to find him again, but to no avail. I still remember his screen name to this day, and I wonder what would have happened if we actually did start a relationship. Maybe I'd be sipping coffee at my favorite cafe in Paris right now while I take a break from shopping with my husband's money. *sigh*

For all the reminiscing I do about AOL days, I suppose things are better today. I do still remember the busy signals and the wait to actually get online. And if you wanted to download a picture, prepare to sit around for a half an hour. It was quite frustrating at times. And don't get me started about the billing. The first month or so, not knowing the different packages, I racked up a bill of $275. So while I think of the time positively, I probably would have given anything for the internet to be as fast as it is today. One thing I do kinda miss are the chat rooms. I could literally go into different chat rooms and just start talking about anything. And usually you'd find somebody with similar tastes that would talk to you. Nowadays it's nothing but sex talk or spam about some website. I haven't found a single chat room where you just went in and talked with people. But so is the price of being able to download entire porn films in three minutes, read seven blogs and watch a video about a singing fish on youtube all at the same time. Oh progress.

Don't ask me why, but after a bit on Keith Olbermann's show a few weeks ago, and now this video:

I officially have a crush on Seth MacFarlane. NO IDEA why. He's not even that cute. But man, I'm sure he could make me laugh like there's no tomorrow, he would only have to do Stewie over and over. :)

One of the only semi-funny bits on SNL this past weekend....


Seth Rogan does look a lot better these days though, I must say. But my heart will always beat for Seth Meyers, he's just too cute.

From the look of this picture, and from video in Iraq, I think it's safe to say we finally have a president that we are all proud of. And it's a beautiful thing:

Sorry, but I TOTALLY agree with this video. I just can't figure out what purpose Twitter serves. I still like phone calls...

The weather has been getting a tad better these days and occasionally we'll have a great day where you can actually go outside and appreciate it. Even though, my idea of outdoor fun is taking my nieces to the park. How things have changed. I still went and found some new tunes that I would love to blast out of my window while driving through town. Most of them are just face paced Euro pop, but I love it. Just picture yourself driving in an old Altima, a stereo system that costs more then the car, the windows down, sitting in traffic in the gayborhood in Philly and watching the locals sing along with you. :) (I've even had gay guys break out in dance right there on the corner before). Here are a few to brighten your day:

Calvin Harris- I'm Not Alone (LOVE this one!)

Frankmusik- Better Off As Two (doesn't he kinda sound like he might be deaf? I dunno)

MJ-Smooth Criminal Remix (new spin on a classic)

Ciara and JT- Love and Sex and Magic (pretty catchy, but not mind blowing)

Friendly Fire- Skeleton Boy (not exactly euro pop, but I still love it)


I wanna go for a ride!

I was reminded of a moment in my childhood today while listening to This American Life and I kinda feel the urge to write ( something. )

Look at that, I feel like writing some ( more... )

The way to a man's heart is his stomach, right? I should so have this covered then:

Hope everybody is having a very green and drunken kinda day today. As for me, I'm just filling out stupid online forms so I can attempt to get a job. The crap you have to go through to apply for a state job is ridiculous. Everybody have a drink for me!

Since I haven't spilled my opinion of recent films (or anything) onto this blog in ions, I decided it was time. I've seen quite a few gems lately, and I'd love to share with you all (and I'm a tad bored tonight).

First I want to applaud the Academy Awards this year. Never before have I found the Oscars to be quite so entertaining. I didn't once feel the need to change the channel.....pretty sure that's a first for me. I also loved Hugh Jackman as the host. He did a great job and his opening number really hooked me right from the start. He was funny, charming, devastatingly handsome, and boy could he sing and dance. Bravo Hugh. The show itself was beautiful and at moments, very touching. The set was gorgeous and I really liked how they presented the acting trophies with previous winners.

The awards themselves I didn't totally agree with. The most touching moments belonged to the two people I felt deserved their awards more then others. Dustin Lance Black and Sean Penn's win for Milk were the times that I cheered at the TV and I really loved their speeches. The endless awards for Slumdog Millionaire were totally expected, but in my opinion, not totally earned.

The reason for my cheers at Mr. Black and Mr. Penn was that I found Milk to be simply the BEST movie of 2008. I felt it deserved the best picture trophy as well, but I wouldn't have put any money on it. I think I blogged about Milk before, but it was really something amazing. I was glad I got to catch it with Kevin and Julien when we were visiting Philly in December. I can't wait for it to come to DVD so I can revisit it. Even though you know exactly how the story will end, you are so emotionally involved that when the climax is presented, your heart is ripped to pieces. Incredible stuff.

As for Slumdog Millionaire.....I did catch it at the local theater a few weeks ago and I liked it. I just would have liked it more if it were for a few little things. If you haven't seen the movie and don't want me to ruin it, please skip the following paragraph:

*Slumdog Millionaire was made extremely well, Danny Boyle should really be proud. I liked the characters and the way the story was told. I just had this one problem. The movie follows a little boy and a little girl growing up in the slums of Mumbai. The whole point of the movie is to tell their story and get you rooting for their eventual reunion. When the boy is older, he makes it onto his female friend's favorite TV show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He only goes onto the show to try and reach out to her and find her where abouts. All this does come to fruition, but I had this one little problem: I didn't believe they were in love. I had no compassion for their relationship really. I don't think the fact that they grew up together was enough to substantiate a yearning between the two. I didn't get where the romance came from at all. If I had, I would have been as crazy about the movie as everybody else. I'm pretty sure I am the only person that has this problem, but I really just don't buy their love for each other. Tragic, cause it was such a great movie.*

As for other, smaller movies...lets see. Best actor nominee Richard Jenkins was in this tiny movie called The Visitor. I rented it a few weeks ago, thanks to Redbox, and I just loved this gem. It was unexpected, unassuming, and totally charming. It sounds very simple on paper, but the movie was moving and very well acted. A burned out college professor in Connecticut comes back to his New York City apartment after being absent from it for a few years, only to find that it had be "rented" out to a strange couple. It's never explained how this couple came to "rent" an apartment not even for rent, or who would have given them keys, it's just doesn't matter, it's not the point. The professor becomes friends with this soft spoken couple and even learns to play an African drum with the male, inspiring the professor to take new interest in life. They all form an odd friendship, and by the point when one half of the couple is arrested and found to have no visa, it really hits you. The risk of deportation terrifies the professor and he does his best to help out with legal help and support. It was refreshing to see a movie like this....no big action or big laughs, just a big helping of heart.

I've seen a bunch of films via my discovery of the oh so cheap Redbox, but they haven't all been good. For some reason, I thought that Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay would have some redeeming laughs. I was wrong. Skip this one all together, no matter what anyone tells you. Just awful. I also rented the film The Women, just for something to watch really. It had a good cast and I figured it couldn't be too bad. And it wasn't really. It just needed a little something more. Annette Bening was great, and I thought the relationships between the women were believable, it just lacked the little something to make it great. It could have used a better script for sure, a few more laughs would have helped. Not a bad flick though.

Surprisingly, I really liked Pineapple Express. James Franco was brilliant in this movie! Yeah yeah, I know, he's playing a pot head, how hard is that? Well he made it look rather easy and he really made this movie all together. He was funny, completely lovable, and you just pulled for him the whole time. It doesn't hurt that he is VERY easy on the eyes too. There were some great moments in the movie, and I was just utterly shocked how much I appreciated it by the end. The best line had to be when the drug dealer slams his car into a bad guy, gets out and screams: "YEAH, you just got killed by a Kia!" (or something to that extent). Hilarious stuff.

There is this other small movie that I took a chance on and was really pleased with. It's called A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints. It stars Shia Lebouf and Tatum Oneal, along with Diane Weist and Chazz Palminteri. While I am not really a Shia Lebouf fan, it was a great movie. It captures 1980s Brooklyn, and what kids have to go through to survive on the streets in one hot summer. The complicated relationships with friends, girls, and his parents really made this a stand out movie. Shia did a great job as the center character, and Tatum is OH SO delicious as he runs around with no shirt all summer. Definitely worth watching if you like good character studies and seeing a film recreate Brooklyn to perfection.

My mum got me a copy of Religious last week on DVD, and it was pretty much as I expected. Bill Maher running around making very valid points about religion and it's effect on society over the past few thousand years. It wasn't a stand out winner, but it was good. I suppose it would be better for somebody that was questioning religion or is a very religious person to start with. Myself, I'm already right there with Bill, so I wasn't surprised by much. Definitely worth a watch though.

I watched Wanted, Burn After Reading, and The Wackness a few weeks ago as well. Wanted was a good action movie with exceedingly unbelievable scenarios. Doesn't mean it wasn't entertaining though. Burn After Reading was quirky and at times pretty damn funny. Seeing George Clooney construct a sex chair was only topped by Frances McDormand's response when she first sees it. :) Classic. The Wackness was a lot like A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints in that it depicts New York City in a former time right to the T. The relationship between the young drug dealer and his psychologist/customer was the heart of the story and some good acting made it worth watching. It wasn't the most interesting movie ever, but because of this movie, somewhere inside you kind of longs for the early 90s in NYC and the forgotten rawness that it held.

Most recently, I went to see He's Just Not That Into You on Valentine's day. For some reason my whole family wanted to go see the Wrestler that evening, but I just couldn't force myself to watch Mickey Rourke's greasy hair for two hours. Instead, I went for the romantic comedy (seeing as how it was V-Day and all). It was a long time since I went to see a movie by myself, but I didn't find it as depressing as I thought I would. The movie was actually pretty good. I didn't have high expectations really, but it was rather clever. And whenever I hear friends talk about their dating lives, I can't help but think about something that happened in this movie. One thing that I really got out of this movie is a new found crush for Justin Long. I always thought he was kinda cute, but now it's full fledged, I wanna have your babies kinda love for him. Just something about his smile and his strong hands that make a little part of me melt. I will be buying this movie on DVD, if for nothing else then to continue my imaginary relationship with Justin Long.

I do believe I'm pretty caught up. There were other movies that I have seen lately, but the fact that I can't remember them seems to prove that they're not worth writing about.

Aside from movies, I did get to read a great book as well. I got the book Waiter Rant from the library a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved it. Very funny, and a great inside look at how the restaurant business works. I could read it over and over again in fact, I just loved the stories he told and how he put a very human face on all the people that put up with rude and demanding customers day in and day out. Go check it out for sure, it's a fantastic read. You'll never eat out at a restaurant and look at it all the same way again.

Next on my wish list of movies to rent will be: In Bruges, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Happy Go Lucky, Changeling, and maybe Nights in Rodanthe (only because I'm a sucker for the Outer Banks). In the theaters, I'm curious to find out if Watchmen can live up to any of the hype at all. And I can't believe they made a movie out of Land of the Lost. I'm really excited for the new Star Trek film, and the next installment of Harry Potter. This Nicolas Cage movie called Knowing looks pretty interesting as well, I hope it's not all in the trailer. My boyfriend Paul Rudd is in a new movie called I Love You Man.....even though I'm not expecting much (if it's half as funny as Role Models, it'll be worth while). And as much as I hate to admit it, I do actually want to see a Michael Bay movie. Transformers 2 better be kick ass, it sure looks impressive in the trailer.

**Update! Since it's been so long since I've been online, I have actually seen In Bruge before I could post this. Somehow it's already on HBO! I wasn't even sure it was out on DVD already, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it show up on the guide one night. The movie was great, but the ending is kind of a bummer. I mean, they do such a great job of making you like the characters that it's sad to see that happen to everybody. And hot damn, Colin Farrel is a great actor. I could follow his character for hours, doing nothing more than just goofing off in a pub. It doesn't hurt that he's bloody sexy as well. All and all a great movie. **

Lastly, a little on the music front. I actually think there's a big lack of great tunes out there right now. The new James Morrison CD is proving to be just as good as his first one. The single Broken Strings that he sings with Nelly Furtado is a definite stand out. The newest Brandy album is pretty fantastic as well. It's a more grown up R&B sound so I doubt there will be much of an audience for it, which is tragic. I'm enjoying the newest Killers album as well. Is it just me or is the lead singer looking more and more attractive these days?? Hotchie motchie.

OK Kids, this brings us to the end of my opinionated rant. Go forth and rent something good. Or tell me what I should rent next.

PS-Is anybody else thrilled with the new season of The Real World?? It's better then the past five seasons combined, I love it!

Warning, this is going to be a bitchy, self indulgent entry. So I'll throw it behind ( this cut. )

Since when does a radio host become the leader of a political party? Can you imagine putting Keith Olberman in charge of the democratic party? Doesn't that just sound ridiculous? YES! It's a sad day when you look to entertainers to give you political guidance, especially when you're a politician! When a politician in your party starts using the same talking points as a radio host, I think it's a sign that things are not going good for your party.

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty happy that the republican party is a mess. A big mess in fact. But I find it amazing that cable news channels spend so much time talking about the leadership of Rush Limbaugh. As a conservative blogger said this weekend: Rush and his private plane, cigar smoking, drug abuse history, marital problems, and literal fat cat appearance is exactly what the democrats want the public to tie with mainstream republicans. And it's working. I had no idea that democrats could be so clever actually. They do seem to be two steps ahead of the republicans. The actual leader of the republican party went on the record saying that Rush is just an entertainer and he was in fact the leader of the party. Only to retract that tonight and apologize to the radio clown. Unbelievable.

And while the country is hurting and it's people are losing jobs and their homes, Rush goes on his radio show and tells everyone that he wants our president (including his) to fail. He doesn't want you to get your job back, and he doesn't give a shit about the 401K of yours that is worthless now. He just signed a new $120 million contract, so he's good to go. Now, don't get me wrong, I do think he has the right to say such things. I just think it's both irresponsible, and I find it amazing that he can get away with it.

I never really supported the Iraq war. I felt I was lied to about why we went and I didn't want us to stay there indefinably. But I NEVER ever said that I wanted the war to fail. Even though I don't really believe there's a winnable option there, I never said I wished it to fail (I never even wished for Bush to fail, I just had to watch as he did). Even now I don't want the war to fail, I just don't want it to cost us any more money or lives. Now think back to the start of the war. Back when everybody had to back Mr. Bush so that they could be in the "patriotic group". Now imagine that a left leaning entertainer on radio or TV said that they wanted the war to fail after we had only been there for 31 days. Can you see their public fall from grace? The call for their public hanging for being unpatriotic? I can. But no such thing for Rush. We kind of all expect it I guess. "Oh look, that silly republican guy is spewing hate again. Whodathunkit?"

I think this is a sign of just how much meanness we expect from certain republicans. The extreme right can be so down right horrible at times, that it seems more like a blood sport then politics. There was this documentary on HBO recently that followed the John McCain trail up to election night when they lost. Now, I understand that it was filmed by Nancy Pelosi's daughter, so I know it is a little left leaning. But it is incredible just what you can see from extreme conservatives, especially when they feel they are going to lose. I remember seeing those rallies towards the end of the campaign where Palin and McCain did their best to pump their party up with hate, and the crowd responded with cheers. "Hate Obama, he had a priest we don't like, he has a muslim middle name, he's a socialist, he hates America cause he didn't wear a flag pin once!!!" I'm not saying that the left didn't do it's share of bashing, but the vile in the air of McCain rallies was just palpable. Did you ever hear about how McCain is a communist or how his wife used to have a drug problem, or anything else that really compared to the barrage of slinging being done by the right? I just don't know why the right needs to be so angry. They are no more American then the left, they need to stop thinking they are.

So now the republican party has no more ideas then to stand around and just say no! They're not coming up with better ideas or suggestions. In fact, they haven't come up with any kind of alternative what so ever. They just want to say no. What kind of strategy is this? How is this helping your constituents? I don't think this really shows any kind of leadership. Especially when your country needs you SO badly. They need ideas on how to get us out of this recession, not just stonewalling.

I'm by no means conservative, but it would be nice if they had ideas that I could disagree with. Because all this talk of a radio clown being their new non leader leader is really boring. At a time when we have a president who at least says he's willing to be bipartisan, it would be nice if they brought something to the table to contribute. I understand that the last eight years have robbed them of the credibility to be able to argue economics or foreign policy, but if they had a single new idea, I think it might help a little.

So Rush, if you are going to sit there and yell into your microphone about how much you want this country to fail, explain to me what good you're really doing there? There's no good to come from you. You have nothing constructive to say, you have no new ideas. You don't want to be part of the solution, you just want your opponent to fall on his face so you can laugh at them and then yell some more. Be a big boy and go out on a limb to suggest that there is another way to do things in this country. A new direction that lines up with your values. If you have any other value then to hate the opposite side of the aisle. And republicans....get a real leader soon please, I can't stand to have to listen to this blow-hard much longer.