Song of the Week - Have You Ever Had It Blue?/The Style Council

Man, I could listen to this song all day. I don’t know what it is, the horns, the old-time feel, there’s definitely something about this tune that makes me want to kick back with a drink with an umbrella in it.

The Voice

What’s not to love about the new NBC show The Voice? I’m a well known American Idol fan. I eagerly watched that show from day one, but this year I saw my out and I took it. I’m glad I did. I know their ratings are still high, but the show has played itself out in my opinion. Also, that C&W singer won. That’s about the only genre of music I don’t listen to so I’m glad I didn’t waste all those hours.

I remember hearing about The Voice, but I knew I didn’t want to add a new singing show to my list after successfully severing ties with Idol. I started to become intrigued though with the powerhouse judging panel they were assembling. Aguilera, Levine, Green and Shelton are currently topping the charts and touring. These are not has-beens; instead they are on the pulse of music today. I tried to resist, but I finally gave in. Can I admit that part of the reason is I love feasting my eyes on Adam Levine every week? Damm, that man’s a hottie!

So some might say it’s gimmicky. The initial auditions are blind. The judges do not see the singers and they are judged strictly on their voices. I, however, loved this concept. I think it worked too because I can’t imagine any other show where two bald women would be in the semi-finals!

It’s only fair to give credit to the trailblazing Idol because without it this show would not exist. They really introduced addictive, reality television where viewers can produce the outcome. Also, many fine artists have emerged from the show, even if that has not been the case lately.

So I’m in no way dissin’ American Idol. I’m only saying that The Voice has managed to fix the things that Idol has not. The judges are more relevant, the song choices are fresh, Carson Daly keeps his mouth shut, we don’t have to watch horrible singers and Adam Levine is a hottie…oh wait, I think I mentioned that already!

The show is rushing by at break neck speed too, so I don’t have time to get sick of it. I’m going to download some of the performances I’ve seen so far from iTunes. I would say the only problem is the contestants are so talented I hate to see any of them leave. I hope this show brings success for all of them. It seems like the coaches are very hands on and not above helping them out after the show. The judge banter is also pretty hysterical and I wouldn’t might being able to go online and hear the stuff they are bleeping out!

Bravo to NBC for putting on something fresh and fun during the long hot summer months.

Song of the Week - Metric/Sick Muse

Sick Muse – Metric

The only thing better than discovering a new song on your own is when a friend turns you on to something cool. My buddy burned me a copy of Metric’s album Fantasies and told me to check it out. If they sound familiar, they were also featured on the Scott Pilgrim Soundtrack. Too cool!

Kristen Schaal Discusses the Weiner Scandal

Jon Stewart cutting his hand eclipsed Kristen Schaal's hysterical take on the Weiner scandal. If you were distracted by a bleeding Stewart, give this clip a second viewing.

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Summertime on the Couch

Hi all! Well, I’ve taken a semi-break recently, but I have now been given the gift of time. Yes folks, the kids are on summer break and even though this blogger has a full-time job, the lack of school commitments frees up lots of my time.

I hope to catch up on some of the summer films that are quickly building up on my “must see” list. With all my personal commitments, films on my list like: Thor, Bridesmaids and Everything Must Go, appear to have passed me by. I may need to sneak in some double, or even triple feature days in order to catch up. I must say that the crop of summer films does appear to be more interesting than in recent years.

Spending time sprucing up my blog is also high on my list. Of course the first order of business is more posts. I have tons of new music to review and a stack of books waiting to be read and hopefully loved.

I will be reviving Tuesday’s Song of the Week. If you have any songs you’d like to turn me on to, I’d love to hear your suggestions.

I’m also starting a new feature called Movie/Book-Combo. This will be a review of the movie AND book. First up will be my review of Never Let Me Go.

You can also expect some physical changes to the blog. Some time ago I set up pages, but I never had time to work on them. Over the summer months I will begin to catalog my reviews for easier access for you. I will also update my severely sparse “About Me” page. When I visit other blogs, I notice their pages are rich and full of information that helps me get a sense of who they are. I realize my page is lacking and I’ll be rectifying that soon.

Lastly, I’m taking part in the SITS summer group of 31 Days To Build A Blog. I did this once before and I learned a lot and met many new blog friends. Some of my posts will be related to this project.

I hope everyone’s summer is getting off to a great start. I’ll be on my couch, but also walking in the sunshine, eating ice cream and drinking cold beer. I hope you’ll stop by now and then and let me know what you’re up to!

Midnight in Paris - Movie Review

Not only have I been absent from my blogging duties lately, but I also haven’t gone to the movies for weeks. I have my oldest kid graduating High School and my youngest graduating 8th grade. First, we were getting through all the final projects and tests. Now, it’s all the graduating events. It all comes to a conclusion with a huge graduation party at my house. I’m not a very experienced party thrower so this has been creating a lot of stress in my life. Today I found a temporary escape from the chaos by taking in the new Woody Allen flick, Midnight In Paris.

I should have been house cleaning all day, but the movie bug bit me and I said to the hubby, “Want to go to the movies?” Then I had second thoughts, how irresponsible of me, I have so much to do! One of the many reasons I married my husband is because he’s able to convince me, in similar situations, just forget everything for a moment and go.

What a joyful movie experience! The first showing sold out! It was in a smaller auditorium and the larger screen’s showing was only an hour away. We actually had to stand in line in the lobby for a half an hour! I can’t remember the last time I’ve had to do that.

I’m a Woody fan, but I don’t rush out to see everything he’s ever made. I’ve been hearing good things about this one and the movie poster is simply gorgeous so my interest was piqued.

Owen Wilson takes on the “Woody” character this time and it’s a refreshing change. He worries and broods too much, yet doesn’t fall into the extreme eccentricities that we usually see in Allen’s main male characters.

This time we’re taken to Paris with Gil (Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams), an engaged couple visiting with the girl’s parents who have business there. Gil is a Hollywood screenwriter who dreams of becoming a novelist. He is inspired by Paris and only desires to walk in the rain and soak up the ambience.

Inez, on the other hand, wants to see what type of expense antiques she can find and to hang out with her horribly pretentious friends, which she unexpectedly ran in to. It’s clear that Gil and Inez do not see eye to eye on many things. Gil is annoyed by Inez’s parents and friends and begins to spend time walking the streets of Paris at night alone. However, he is not alone for long.

Gil gets invited into an old time taxi and is transported to Paris in the 1920’s. There he meets the writers of his dreams; The Fitzgeralds, Ernest Hemingway (mark my words, Corey Stoll will snag a Best Supporting Actor Nod) and Gertude Stein. There are many fun appearances from artists of the time and Owen Wilson does a great job of ushering the viewer into this make-believe world.

Like a typical Woody Allen film, this one is short and sweet. It was a refreshing change to a film clocking in at an hour and 40 minutes. I saw this on a busy weekend and it was a nice break. The cinematography of Paris was gorgeous and it truly was an “escape” film in every way. It was the best movie going experience I had in a long time: anticipation in line, packed house, responsive audience and a husband who started the applause when the end credits rolled. What more could you ask for?

R.I.P. Jeff Conaway

We all know that actor Jeff Conaway has had some problems recently. Today, unfortunately, he passed away at age 60. I will always remember this Jeff.


Grease - Summer Nights 1980 by ZapMan69

And this Jeff, in my all time favorite scene from the TV show Taxi.

Chris O'Dowd New Leading Man!

I was worried about Chris O'Dowd following the funny and handome Bradley Cooper on this recent episode of Conan. I've been a fan of Chris since his days on the BBC comedy, The IT Crowd, but how many people are familiar with that show? Sure, I know he's funny, but most American audiences are only recently getting to know him from films like, Dinner For Schmucks, Gulliver's Travels and most recently, Bridesmaids. He had me doubled over with laughter. Here I was afraid he'd feel slightly intimidated. Silly me!

A Life In Movies Blogathon

Here we go! Over at Fandango Groovers Movie Blog today is A Life In Movies Blogathon. Everyone participating will pick one movie from each year of their life. Since I'm old, it took me longer than some. I'm also in major spring cleaning mode at me house. I'm in the process of painting my son's room and going through ALL of his possesions. The house is in shambles and looks like an episode of Hoarders right now. Seriously, I don't understand how so much stuff could be in one room! So I'm sorry to say that I didn't spend as much time on this as I would've like, but I will enjoy my Mother's Day by visiting everyone's list. It's amazing to see a whole list laid out like this and I was very surprised by the years on some films. I hope you like my list, it's filled with the best of the best!

What a way to start. Movies were this cool when I was born?
1. To Sir With Love (1967)



And this scary?
2. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)



Goofy fun before Allen got more serious.
3. Take the Money and Run (1969)



Nothing is better than a little Lemmon.
4. The Out of Towners (1970)





You can't top this one.
5. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)












Okay, I've owned almost a dozen rats in my lifetime so I look more at the friendship in this film than scary killer rats! Plus awesome Michael Jackson song.
6. Ben (1972)



This always makes me cry and it's about a spider. I hate spiders!
7. Charlotte’s Web (1973)















How on earth did both of these come out the same year? Sorry I can't choose.
8. Blazing Saddles & Young Frankenstein (1974)




Do you know where ya going to?
9. Mahogany (1975)



Best Stephen King adaptation.
10. Carrie (1976)



Changed movies forever.
11. Star Wars (1977)



Funniest comedy of all time. Still can't be topped.
12. Animal House (1978)







The new phonebooks here! The new phonebooks here!
13. The Jerk (1979)



One of the best movie soundtracks ever.
14. The Blues Brothers (1980)


Saw this 43 times in the theater, can quote the entire film. This movie turned me into a bona-fide geek.
15. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)


How Richard Gere manged to be the only one not to get and Oscar nod baffles me to this day.
16. An Officer and A Gentleman (1982)


Cry a lot, laugh a lot, discover John Lithgow
17. Terms of Endearment (1983)


Simply cool
18. Repo Man (1984)












Again, how did this film not win Best Picture? Seriously! How?
19. The Color Purple (1985)


Creepy, but in a fun way.
20. Blue Velvet (1986)


Strong women, complicated, messy and a joy to watch.
21. Broadcast News (1987)













Hot!
22. The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)


Best Rom-Coms ever! If only they could be half as good as this one.
23. When Harry Met Sally & Say Anything (1989)













On paper this movie should not work, but it does.
24. Pretty Woman (1990)




Animation is back baby!
25. Beauty and the Beast (1991)













Too stupid, too good. No way? Way!
26. Wayne’s World (1992)







A true movie movie. Pure fun.
27. Jurassic Park (1993)












The first movie that I had to take a day to decide if I liked it. I did.
28. Pulp Fiction (1994)








This film taught me that computers could make a film with heart.
29. Toy Story (1995)














Some say boring, I say beautiful.
30. The English Patient (1996)














How could a movie work when you already know how it ends?
31. Titanic (1997)













Sweet
32. The Wedding Singer (1998)














This film seems so tame now, but not at the time.
33. American Beauty (1999)












Talk about carrying a film by yourself!
32. Castaway (2000)








Hot! Hot! Hot!
33. Sex and Lucia (2001)














I waited a long time for a Spiderman movie. It was worth the wait.
34. Spiderman (2002)




Who would think you could still make a classic Christmas movie?
35. Elf (2003)















So creative.
36. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)







Something different in a sea of sameness.
37. The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)













Visually stunning.
38. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)


Giving Animal House a run for it's money.
39. Superbad (2007)













This totally deserved the Oscar.
40. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)


Wait! The Rom-Com isn't dead yet!
41. 500 Days of Summer (2009)


I just bought this on DVD and I look forward to watching it many, many times!
42. Black Swan (2010)


I hope you enjoyed the trip down my life in movies. Don't forget to go to the source and you'll find the links to many more fun posts. Enjoy!

Conan O'Brien...SHAVE THAT BEARD!

I laughed my ass off watching this. Enjoy!

Conan has now officially and literally shed the transition from NBC to TBS. The show is really having a great vibe lately and I think this will only be lifted once his documentary comes out this summer. I'm a forever fan. I was digging the beard, but it's nice to have that baby face back too. Basically, I'm going to take my Conan any way I can get him!