Baby, just say yes! Just kidding, this is not a Taylor Swift review (although I could give you a one-word review: awesome.). This is actually a review for "Adventureland" - my brother's fiance's dad (I will be so glad when most of that is shortened to sister-in-law!) reminded us often before we saw the movie that though it may seem to be a slacker comedy, it's a love story. And so it was...
The movie opens in 1987 at a commencement weekend at Oberlin College where our hero, James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has graduated with a degree in something like romantic poetry. He has been informed by his parents that due to a salary cutback, they can no longer pay for his graduation trip to Europe nor his fall apartment in NYC and that he must move home to Pittsburgh and find a job to fund his grad school enrollment at Columbia. He can't find a job since he has no experience and an un-marketable major, but he ends up working in Games at the local amusement park (Adventureland), where no experience is necessary. From there he makes new friends, falls in love, and earns little money. Ah, being 22 in the '80's...
The movie is super-sweet, predictable, and very funny. The breakout star is Frigo (played by Matt Bush, you know him as the older son from the AT&T old rollover minutes commercials). He is HILARIOUS as Brennan's best friend (until he turned 4) and his reference for the job at Adventureland. This kid has a future. I liked Jesse Eisenberg in the lead role, but with co-stars such as Martin Starr, Ryan Reynolds, and Bill Hader, you kind of wonder if this role was supposed to be for Michael Cera or someone in that pantheon. Still he was good and believable. I also liked the 1980's setting...I assume this is the time when writer/director Greg Mottola worked at the amusement park that inspired the movie. It gave it some authenticity since it wasn't finding a way to update it for the '00's. Like - this is exactly how he remembered it. Music and all.
Criticisms - I mean, you kind of figure where it's going end up, although the end kept me guessing a little bit. Kristen Stewart played the main love interest (Em Lewin) and while her emotions felt real, I wasn't really into her method of acting. Meaning, she spent a lot of time tossing her hair for effect and kept her hands near her face to convey the emotion that her face couldn't get to. It was weird. I'll be interested to see if she does this in "Twilight" as well...
Overall - very fun movie and very glad I saw it. Definitely recommended.
We also saw some great previews for "Funny People" - 3rd Judd Apatow film starring Adam Sandler, "Away We Go" - an indie film with John Krasinski and Maya Rudoplh starring as a pregnant couple, and "Hungover" - starring Zach Galifinakis, Ed Helms, and Bradley Cooper at a Las Vegas bachelor party gone awry. I want to see all of them!!!
Some things to look forward to...I had Mother's Day lunch yesterday with my husband and in-laws at Sullivan's and this Saturday we're headed to see "Rent" and have dinner at the Backstage Steakhouse. Last night, we went out to Stubb's to see a show, so I may give you my thoughts on that as well. I'm also hoping to see "Star Trek" and "Wolverine" this week, but who knows...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Literary musings
I figure it's time to open up the ol' blog to book reviews! Yay - I know you're stoked. As my brother said when I told him about this post, "I don't even read books, why would I want to read about them?" Either way, I'll let you know what I've finished, and what I'm reading currently.
"Breakfast at Tiffany's and Other Short Stories" by Truman Capote - I was given this book for Christmas by a dear friend and read it in little bits here and there. My friend had realized that everyone had seen the movie and no one had read the book. My husband and I had seen the movie at the Paramount last summer (get in on this, it is such a fun place to see a movie), so she figured I could be the first. First off, while the character of Holly is pretty much exactly the same, although not much of the rest of it is. "Fred," the narrator is just a writer and not a kept man in the same vane as Holly is a kept woman. The very end is different as well - I won't spoil it, though. However, I'm glad to have read it. Mr. Capote's way of writing Holly is very endearing and her character is compelling, as flawed as it is. You feel like everyone else in her periphery - a bystander drawn in by her personality, an acquaintance consumed by pity at her naivete, and a friend that she has hurt in her whirlwind of a lifestyle. I remember that the movie "Capote" suggested that Mr. Capote was not thrilled by the casting of Audrey Hepburn in the lead - I can't really separate the two - and at this point in pop culture, they are synonymous. While "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is the star story (and the longest), the other 3 are no slouches. My favorite was the last one, "A Christmas Memory." It recounts the story of a 7-year-old boy and his best friend, an aging female relative. They spend their days together with an old dog, save their money to make fruitcakes for all of their acquaintances (and the President) and love each other fiercely. The other two stories are about a reformed prostitute in the Dominican Republic and about an old man in prison. Both are told with such great imagery, that my mind's eye can picture the setting and the characters as I type this. The only other work I have read by Truman Capote is "In Cold Blood," and reading these stories made me want to get ahold of more of his fiction. Recommended!
Confession time...I read "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer, and even worse, I liked it! As far as easy to read and compelling - this book is it! Once I got going, I didn't want to put it down. Yes, it's silly, and yes (like the Vanity Fair profile pointed out) Meyer describes Edward's perfect beauty way too often, but it is still good old vampire fun. One thing I will say about Meyer's writing (and I read this somewhere else, but I can't recall where) is that she evokes that feeling of teenage like/love as accurately as when I felt it all those years ago (haha). She brings back that crazy tension of "do I like him? does he like me?" and sitting so close to someone that you just want to touch them, icy vampire or not. I liked her interesting setting of the Pacific Northwest, as it is something I am way not familiar with. It's not as edgy as the vampire literature I read as a teen ("The Last Vampire" saga by Christopher Pike, I have re-read it since and it's still good), but it was still a lot of fun. I am looking forward to reading the next one (one my co-worker's teenage daughter finishes it), and I may even cave and rent the movie (don't tell my husband!).
I'm currently reading "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy. I first became familiar with Roy while watching a documentary she was featured in in my Hinduism Seminar in college. The documentary was about damming one of the main rivers in India - by damming it to use the energy for a wealthy dwelling up river, they were depriving poor communities downstream of fresh water and livelihood. Fascinating. This book is pretty upfront about poverty, the residual caste system, and colonization in India, and I've had to put it down to take a break, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's just real, and some times you have to take that in small doses.
There are two other books I would say I'm reading right now as well. One is "How I Became Stupid" by Martin Page. This is my husband's favorite book and I'm doing all I can to read it (after all, he read my favorite book - "Bunny Bunny: A Sort-of Love Story" by Alan Zwiebel - on my recommendation), but I can muster up no feelings of warmth for the main character. He is a self-important French college graduate who thinks that stupid people are happier, since he is so tortured by his intellect. I bet I have read a chapter a month (and it's not that long) - so we'll see when I finish. I feel like it has to get good because my husband loves it so much, but it hasn't happened yet. The other one is "Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas." I have pretty much read all of Chuck Klosterman's collections pretty voraciously - I think he has a biting wit and I appreciate his nerdy honesty. However, Part IV of this book is a fiction novella. I'm used to reading his non-fiction essays, reviews, and interviews - so it's been hard to switch the brain over to fiction. I need to since his newest work ("Downtown Owl" is a fiction book. I think I'll get this one finished before "How I Became Stupid."
To read is always an interesting list...there are a ton of books I'd like to read, but I'm not as good as getting around to them as I used to be. Of course, "New Moon" is at the top of the list once I get my little paws on it (I decided to not buy it at Best Buy this weekend - it seems more like Half-Price Books purchase). From there I have "The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoyevsky hanging around along with Marx's "Communist Manifesto." Don't be impressed, ask me how long those have been on my bookshelf unopened. I'll probably get distracted by the 2 for 3 table at Borders again before I get to those.
Are you reading anything interesting? Or anything at all?
"Breakfast at Tiffany's and Other Short Stories" by Truman Capote - I was given this book for Christmas by a dear friend and read it in little bits here and there. My friend had realized that everyone had seen the movie and no one had read the book. My husband and I had seen the movie at the Paramount last summer (get in on this, it is such a fun place to see a movie), so she figured I could be the first. First off, while the character of Holly is pretty much exactly the same, although not much of the rest of it is. "Fred," the narrator is just a writer and not a kept man in the same vane as Holly is a kept woman. The very end is different as well - I won't spoil it, though. However, I'm glad to have read it. Mr. Capote's way of writing Holly is very endearing and her character is compelling, as flawed as it is. You feel like everyone else in her periphery - a bystander drawn in by her personality, an acquaintance consumed by pity at her naivete, and a friend that she has hurt in her whirlwind of a lifestyle. I remember that the movie "Capote" suggested that Mr. Capote was not thrilled by the casting of Audrey Hepburn in the lead - I can't really separate the two - and at this point in pop culture, they are synonymous. While "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is the star story (and the longest), the other 3 are no slouches. My favorite was the last one, "A Christmas Memory." It recounts the story of a 7-year-old boy and his best friend, an aging female relative. They spend their days together with an old dog, save their money to make fruitcakes for all of their acquaintances (and the President) and love each other fiercely. The other two stories are about a reformed prostitute in the Dominican Republic and about an old man in prison. Both are told with such great imagery, that my mind's eye can picture the setting and the characters as I type this. The only other work I have read by Truman Capote is "In Cold Blood," and reading these stories made me want to get ahold of more of his fiction. Recommended!
Confession time...I read "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer, and even worse, I liked it! As far as easy to read and compelling - this book is it! Once I got going, I didn't want to put it down. Yes, it's silly, and yes (like the Vanity Fair profile pointed out) Meyer describes Edward's perfect beauty way too often, but it is still good old vampire fun. One thing I will say about Meyer's writing (and I read this somewhere else, but I can't recall where) is that she evokes that feeling of teenage like/love as accurately as when I felt it all those years ago (haha). She brings back that crazy tension of "do I like him? does he like me?" and sitting so close to someone that you just want to touch them, icy vampire or not. I liked her interesting setting of the Pacific Northwest, as it is something I am way not familiar with. It's not as edgy as the vampire literature I read as a teen ("The Last Vampire" saga by Christopher Pike, I have re-read it since and it's still good), but it was still a lot of fun. I am looking forward to reading the next one (one my co-worker's teenage daughter finishes it), and I may even cave and rent the movie (don't tell my husband!).
I'm currently reading "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy. I first became familiar with Roy while watching a documentary she was featured in in my Hinduism Seminar in college. The documentary was about damming one of the main rivers in India - by damming it to use the energy for a wealthy dwelling up river, they were depriving poor communities downstream of fresh water and livelihood. Fascinating. This book is pretty upfront about poverty, the residual caste system, and colonization in India, and I've had to put it down to take a break, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's just real, and some times you have to take that in small doses.
There are two other books I would say I'm reading right now as well. One is "How I Became Stupid" by Martin Page. This is my husband's favorite book and I'm doing all I can to read it (after all, he read my favorite book - "Bunny Bunny: A Sort-of Love Story" by Alan Zwiebel - on my recommendation), but I can muster up no feelings of warmth for the main character. He is a self-important French college graduate who thinks that stupid people are happier, since he is so tortured by his intellect. I bet I have read a chapter a month (and it's not that long) - so we'll see when I finish. I feel like it has to get good because my husband loves it so much, but it hasn't happened yet. The other one is "Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas." I have pretty much read all of Chuck Klosterman's collections pretty voraciously - I think he has a biting wit and I appreciate his nerdy honesty. However, Part IV of this book is a fiction novella. I'm used to reading his non-fiction essays, reviews, and interviews - so it's been hard to switch the brain over to fiction. I need to since his newest work ("Downtown Owl" is a fiction book. I think I'll get this one finished before "How I Became Stupid."
To read is always an interesting list...there are a ton of books I'd like to read, but I'm not as good as getting around to them as I used to be. Of course, "New Moon" is at the top of the list once I get my little paws on it (I decided to not buy it at Best Buy this weekend - it seems more like Half-Price Books purchase). From there I have "The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoyevsky hanging around along with Marx's "Communist Manifesto." Don't be impressed, ask me how long those have been on my bookshelf unopened. I'll probably get distracted by the 2 for 3 table at Borders again before I get to those.
Are you reading anything interesting? Or anything at all?
Aloha
My husband and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary last week and we decided to make a night of it and have a celebratory anniversary dinner at Roy's Restaurant. Roy's is a national fine dining Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine chain. We decided on Roy's because we spent our honeymoon on Maui. We intended to go last year, but decided to go to the Round Rock Express game instead (who is gonna say no to Dollar Dogs night?). So, last Tuesday, we headed out to Roy's downtown.
I had made our reservation for 6:45pm, but once my husband and I got home from work we were kind of ready to go, so he called the restaurant and they graciously moved our reservation up to 6pm. We headed into town and once we got down to 2nd street our GPS gave up and we promptly got lost. We headed west while the restaurant was east (right across the street from the Convention Center). Did you know that 2nd Street is numbered both up and down? We did not. After traipsing up and down 2nd Street we finally called the restaurant and they directed us there. The host met us at the door, wished us Happy Anniversary and whisked us to our table (not a moment too soon as I still have blisters on the bottom of my feet from all of the traipsing in heels). They had a card at the table for us, as well as a full page congratulating us in our menus. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice and felt private although the dining room was very open. We ordered Mai-Tai's to start (not as good as the free ones in our hotel in Maui...) and some calamari. They also brought us edamame. The calamari was good, but I did not like the asian-inspired dipping sauce. We probably should have gotten some sushi or a signature appetizer - but we just kind of love calamari. Our waitress was excellent and very knowledgable about the menu, plus she gave recommendations which I love at a restaurant I have not dined at before.
For entrees I ordered scallops over cous-cous and assorted vegetables and calamari (not fried, I had to give the animal-looking ones to the husband so they wouldn't look at me) and my husband ordered swordfish over quinoa and greens. His was better, although I didn't love the quinoa. My scallops were good, but a little meaty and the cous-cous was almost pea-sized (my husband thought it was baby corn). I've never seen cous-cous that big! It was best when I got a bite of sundried tomato with it. I didn't love the presentation of either of our plates, because the plates were 3 times the size of the food - so the portions did not look very generous. We also each had a glass of white wine (I think it was a pinot grigio).
For dessert we ordered the signature dessert - a flourless, molten chocolate cake with a raspberry coulis. It was delicious - and they wrote "Happy Anniversary" in chocoloate on our plate. Another nice touch was the complimentary champagne for celebration.
All in all, we left the restaurant full and had a nice evening. The food was not really anything I would go back for, but I did love the service. Every employee that walked by our table wished us a Happy Anniversary and we were not rushed at all. I felt like a valued patron, I just wish the food had been that good.
I had made our reservation for 6:45pm, but once my husband and I got home from work we were kind of ready to go, so he called the restaurant and they graciously moved our reservation up to 6pm. We headed into town and once we got down to 2nd street our GPS gave up and we promptly got lost. We headed west while the restaurant was east (right across the street from the Convention Center). Did you know that 2nd Street is numbered both up and down? We did not. After traipsing up and down 2nd Street we finally called the restaurant and they directed us there. The host met us at the door, wished us Happy Anniversary and whisked us to our table (not a moment too soon as I still have blisters on the bottom of my feet from all of the traipsing in heels). They had a card at the table for us, as well as a full page congratulating us in our menus. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice and felt private although the dining room was very open. We ordered Mai-Tai's to start (not as good as the free ones in our hotel in Maui...) and some calamari. They also brought us edamame. The calamari was good, but I did not like the asian-inspired dipping sauce. We probably should have gotten some sushi or a signature appetizer - but we just kind of love calamari. Our waitress was excellent and very knowledgable about the menu, plus she gave recommendations which I love at a restaurant I have not dined at before.
For entrees I ordered scallops over cous-cous and assorted vegetables and calamari (not fried, I had to give the animal-looking ones to the husband so they wouldn't look at me) and my husband ordered swordfish over quinoa and greens. His was better, although I didn't love the quinoa. My scallops were good, but a little meaty and the cous-cous was almost pea-sized (my husband thought it was baby corn). I've never seen cous-cous that big! It was best when I got a bite of sundried tomato with it. I didn't love the presentation of either of our plates, because the plates were 3 times the size of the food - so the portions did not look very generous. We also each had a glass of white wine (I think it was a pinot grigio).
For dessert we ordered the signature dessert - a flourless, molten chocolate cake with a raspberry coulis. It was delicious - and they wrote "Happy Anniversary" in chocoloate on our plate. Another nice touch was the complimentary champagne for celebration.
All in all, we left the restaurant full and had a nice evening. The food was not really anything I would go back for, but I did love the service. Every employee that walked by our table wished us a Happy Anniversary and we were not rushed at all. I felt like a valued patron, I just wish the food had been that good.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Puppets and wild game
This Saturday found my husband and I observing our 3rd of 5 shows in our Broadway Across Austin package graciously provided by my in-laws. This month's musical was "Avenue Q." "Avenue Q" opened earlier this decade and I remember hearing about it on the Tony's and whatnot - it is unique in that it involves puppets interacting with humans (a la "Sesame Street") - but is firmly not for children. My in-laws saw it when they were in NYC this summer and LOVED it - so they have eagerly been awaiting seeing it again, and for us to get a chance to see it as well. The premise is a puppet named Princeton, a newly-minted college graduate, turns up on Avenue Q because he can't afford any avenues closer into town (his opening song is "What Do You Do with a BA in English?" - hit a little close to home for me...). He rents in an apartment building managed by Gary Coleman and occupied by an odd assortment of down-on-their-luck humans, monsters, and puppets. Part of the intent of the show is too shock you and catch you off guard, so I don't want to reveal too much more. Regardless, the show is a lot of fun and something interesting and different to catch if you have a chance.
The show was good, but the real star of the night was...Hudson's on the Bend!!! We went there for dinner after the show and while it is price-y (thank you again, in-laws!) it was SO SO SO SO SO SO delicious!!!! We started out with an amuse-bouche - a wild boar tartlet topped with crumbled cheese in a white chocolate tomatillo sauce - REALLY REALLY GOOD. Then my starter was their creamy chipotle lobster bisque - if you can imagine the best soup you have ever tasted, then you know how good my soup was. My husband got a mixed greens salad with tomatillos that they did something to that were phenomenal. For my entree I ordered Grilled Pheasant Breast stuffed with a cilantro pesto in a mole sauce, served with a pheasant tamale with the aforementioned white chocolate tomatillo sauce, Shiner Bock ancho mashed potatoes, and some seasonal veggies. I made a happy plate!!! My husband ordered chicken fried antelope that was fried in masa flour. It was light and tender and delicious. My mother-in-law ordered a steak and my father-in-law ordered their wild game sampler plate that included - quail, venison, venison sausage, buffalo, and rabbit. I tried a few - all good. We had not saved room for dessert, but never fear! We were sent home with samples of the pecan pie. I can't wait to go back and I can't say enough good things about our experience. It was high end without being stuffy, fine dining with a very accessible menu, and a very polite and knowledgable waitstaff, not to mention they have a sommelier on staff that served us our wine! I recommend it for any special occasion. I'm telling you, I did not put one bad bite of food in my mouth.
Next up - my husband and I are having dinner at Roy's tonight for our anniversary, so I can't wait to tell you about that. And from there - just more of my thoughts on television and movies. Although, I am in the middle of a couple of books, so I may just flesh the ol' blog on out to include those reviews. So exciting.
The show was good, but the real star of the night was...Hudson's on the Bend!!! We went there for dinner after the show and while it is price-y (thank you again, in-laws!) it was SO SO SO SO SO SO delicious!!!! We started out with an amuse-bouche - a wild boar tartlet topped with crumbled cheese in a white chocolate tomatillo sauce - REALLY REALLY GOOD. Then my starter was their creamy chipotle lobster bisque - if you can imagine the best soup you have ever tasted, then you know how good my soup was. My husband got a mixed greens salad with tomatillos that they did something to that were phenomenal. For my entree I ordered Grilled Pheasant Breast stuffed with a cilantro pesto in a mole sauce, served with a pheasant tamale with the aforementioned white chocolate tomatillo sauce, Shiner Bock ancho mashed potatoes, and some seasonal veggies. I made a happy plate!!! My husband ordered chicken fried antelope that was fried in masa flour. It was light and tender and delicious. My mother-in-law ordered a steak and my father-in-law ordered their wild game sampler plate that included - quail, venison, venison sausage, buffalo, and rabbit. I tried a few - all good. We had not saved room for dessert, but never fear! We were sent home with samples of the pecan pie. I can't wait to go back and I can't say enough good things about our experience. It was high end without being stuffy, fine dining with a very accessible menu, and a very polite and knowledgable waitstaff, not to mention they have a sommelier on staff that served us our wine! I recommend it for any special occasion. I'm telling you, I did not put one bad bite of food in my mouth.
Next up - my husband and I are having dinner at Roy's tonight for our anniversary, so I can't wait to tell you about that. And from there - just more of my thoughts on television and movies. Although, I am in the middle of a couple of books, so I may just flesh the ol' blog on out to include those reviews. So exciting.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Reality TV Round-Up
I realize I have been extremely absent - and for that I apologize. Let's just chalk it up to MTV premeiring two of my shows in one week.
First up - "The Hills." As of today, we are three episodes into the 5th season (I believe). Lauren has already stated she will not be returning for another season, Audrina is shopping around her own reality show all about her, Whitney is living in "The City," and Heidi and Spencer want to be on "The Hills" forever. So as far as I'm concerned, this will be my last season of "The Hills" - I hope. The last 3 episodes have been pretty Heidi-Spencer-centric, my least favorite kind of episodes. I just typed out a long recap - but then I realized - who cares? Basically, Spencer has been lying to Heidi and Heidi continues to forgive him. At this point I can't help but suspect that the Pratt-Montag clan is trying to pull the proverbial wool over our eyes. I would hope that they watch the show - assuming this fact, Heidi would learn that yes, Spencer is a gross, controlling liar. Not to mention the fact that Stephanie seems to be egging on drama wherever she can (pushing Heidi on Lauren, reporting to Spencer Heidi's whereabouts, encouraging Heidi to stay with Spencer, trying to get a job at Lauren's work). My hypothesis is that the 3 of them have to be in some sort of cahoots to further drama on the show, like at this point they are really characters (or caricatures) to ensure the focus on their storylines - this is no longer their real life. I feel this way because I don't understand how, after 4 seasons, that Heidi could stand for this constant barrage of emotional abuse. Here is your chance to be a role model and stand up for yourself and be a strong woman, but instead you're getting plastic surgery, getting fired from your job, losing all of your friends, and alienating your family. What a winner. Part of me was really hoping they had broken up since their names haven't been on the interwebs mush as of late, but I caught a snippet the other day that said they are planning to get married in June. Maybe it's fake PR so people won't see their break-up coming? The unfortunate thing is that the show is perpetuating these other story lines while Lauren is dating Kyle Howard (Bobby from "My Boys"), but she has chosen to keep that out of the show. Wouldn't that be so much better to watch?!
Then there is the sweet sweet return of "RW/RR Challenge:The Duel II" - was it everything I hoped it would be? Maybe more...of course, there was drama before the challenges even started. Diem (RW/RR:Fresh Meat) and CT (RW:Paris) are no longer together (speaking of emotionally abusive relationships), and she hears from Katie (RR:Extreme? and hells yes, Katie is back!) that CT messed around with Shauvon (some new, questionable, RW girl). CT thinks that Adam (RW:Paris) told her and he and Adam get in this RIDICULOUS fight. RIDICULOUS. Like uncomfortable to watch and people are bleeding and the house is being destroyed. Diem cries and they are both sent home. This all happens while Diem is dressed up as some sort of slutty cavewoman. QUESTION - does this mean that she and Paula (of RW:Key West, who was dressed as Poke-your-hontas, I think you get the picture) packed these outfits with them? Like just in case they threw a birthday party? Or is this one of those things that MTV provides, like copious amounts of alcohol? I would really like to know. Fast forward to the challenge the next day, Nehemiah (RW:Austin, Beth's 'tenderoni') and MJ (RW:Philadelphia) have joined us in place of the ejected RW:Paris competitors. The first challenge is a rugby challenge - oops! - MJ is a former SEC football player (it was Vandy, but still, did you play SEC football? I didn't think so). He doesn't win, but he gets close - Evan (RW/RR Challenge:Fresh Meat) wins along with Robin (RW:San Diego). MJ gets Robin to save him in the selection process and the two duels are set up - Ryan (Fresh Meat) vs. some new guy who I can't remember his name and Aneesa (RW:Chicago) vs. Shauvon. Are you kidding me?! Who would pick Aneesa to go against? Anyways...Ryan beats the new guy and we won't learn about the girls until tonight. I think this season could really hold a lot of outside-of-the-challenges drama. Robin and Mark (first RR) are exes, Diem is left without CT, Rachel (RR:Campus Crawl) and Jenn (RW:Denver?) have hooked up previously, Brad (RW:San Diego) and Tori (RR:Viewer's Revenge) appear to break up on the show, there are two gay guys and at least two more lesbians, Big Easy (Fresh Meat) is back (shocking, that takes a lot of nerve), and I just love all of it!
Some other, non-MTV reality shows I have been viewing are "America's Next Top Model" and "Last Restaurant Standing." I have really been enjoying this season of ANTM. I didn't ever really get into the last cycle (evidenced by the fact that I finished it about 2 weeks before this cycle started), and I didn't mean to start this one because of my indifference, but then the DVR just picked up recording it, so I may as well watch it if it's there, and it's been pretty good. I could easily say that I pretty much like all of the girls that are left - and I am interested to see how this cycle plays out. I also like the addition of "Top Models in Action" during the commercial breaks once an episode. Nigel narrates what past contestants have been doing in their modeling careers - it's kind of nice to have an update to see that they are actually modeling. I guess they are doing this in place of 'Cover Girl of the Week' now that I think about it...
As for "Last Restaurant Standing," we are down to just 3 couples and 2 episodes. Last week, one of our faves - Nel's, went home - so that was kind of a bummer. The three that are left are the Cheerful Soul, True Provenance, and The Gallery. The interesting challenge/twist for this week was the invitation of some dietary special needs customers - vegetarians, vegans, and celiacs. Oh, and a fine dining supper club. None of them handled it perfectly. True Provenance didn't really have any viable vegetarian/vegan options, Michelle of the Cheerful Soul wasn't familiar enough with the menu to figure out where the gluten was so it took 20 minutes to take the celiacs' order and they were then served crostini, the celiac 7-year-old at The Gallery was served a biscuit on her dessert, and the fine dining club kind of ripped James up and down on his food at The Gallery. I don't really know anything about Raymond Blanc's restaurants, but The Gallery and True Provenance seem more up his alley, but to me the front-runner kind of seems to be the Cheerful Soul. The thing about it all now is that none of them seem to be doing particularly well, thus all three couples are in some sort of special challenge (saw that coming) for next week.
New show alert - Bravo will be premeiring "Top Chef: Masters" on June 10. This will pit 24 established chef's (including some fave guest judges) against each other in "Top Chef"-style challenges in order to ultimately win the title and $100,000 to their charity of choice.
"Project Runway" update - Season Six will finally be premeiring this summer on Lifetime. I'm really bummed that Bravo lost out on this show, and I am wary about the two replacements - "The Fashion Show" and "Buy My Line" or something like that. Hmm...
First up - "The Hills." As of today, we are three episodes into the 5th season (I believe). Lauren has already stated she will not be returning for another season, Audrina is shopping around her own reality show all about her, Whitney is living in "The City," and Heidi and Spencer want to be on "The Hills" forever. So as far as I'm concerned, this will be my last season of "The Hills" - I hope. The last 3 episodes have been pretty Heidi-Spencer-centric, my least favorite kind of episodes. I just typed out a long recap - but then I realized - who cares? Basically, Spencer has been lying to Heidi and Heidi continues to forgive him. At this point I can't help but suspect that the Pratt-Montag clan is trying to pull the proverbial wool over our eyes. I would hope that they watch the show - assuming this fact, Heidi would learn that yes, Spencer is a gross, controlling liar. Not to mention the fact that Stephanie seems to be egging on drama wherever she can (pushing Heidi on Lauren, reporting to Spencer Heidi's whereabouts, encouraging Heidi to stay with Spencer, trying to get a job at Lauren's work). My hypothesis is that the 3 of them have to be in some sort of cahoots to further drama on the show, like at this point they are really characters (or caricatures) to ensure the focus on their storylines - this is no longer their real life. I feel this way because I don't understand how, after 4 seasons, that Heidi could stand for this constant barrage of emotional abuse. Here is your chance to be a role model and stand up for yourself and be a strong woman, but instead you're getting plastic surgery, getting fired from your job, losing all of your friends, and alienating your family. What a winner. Part of me was really hoping they had broken up since their names haven't been on the interwebs mush as of late, but I caught a snippet the other day that said they are planning to get married in June. Maybe it's fake PR so people won't see their break-up coming? The unfortunate thing is that the show is perpetuating these other story lines while Lauren is dating Kyle Howard (Bobby from "My Boys"), but she has chosen to keep that out of the show. Wouldn't that be so much better to watch?!
Then there is the sweet sweet return of "RW/RR Challenge:The Duel II" - was it everything I hoped it would be? Maybe more...of course, there was drama before the challenges even started. Diem (RW/RR:Fresh Meat) and CT (RW:Paris) are no longer together (speaking of emotionally abusive relationships), and she hears from Katie (RR:Extreme? and hells yes, Katie is back!) that CT messed around with Shauvon (some new, questionable, RW girl). CT thinks that Adam (RW:Paris) told her and he and Adam get in this RIDICULOUS fight. RIDICULOUS. Like uncomfortable to watch and people are bleeding and the house is being destroyed. Diem cries and they are both sent home. This all happens while Diem is dressed up as some sort of slutty cavewoman. QUESTION - does this mean that she and Paula (of RW:Key West, who was dressed as Poke-your-hontas, I think you get the picture) packed these outfits with them? Like just in case they threw a birthday party? Or is this one of those things that MTV provides, like copious amounts of alcohol? I would really like to know. Fast forward to the challenge the next day, Nehemiah (RW:Austin, Beth's 'tenderoni') and MJ (RW:Philadelphia) have joined us in place of the ejected RW:Paris competitors. The first challenge is a rugby challenge - oops! - MJ is a former SEC football player (it was Vandy, but still, did you play SEC football? I didn't think so). He doesn't win, but he gets close - Evan (RW/RR Challenge:Fresh Meat) wins along with Robin (RW:San Diego). MJ gets Robin to save him in the selection process and the two duels are set up - Ryan (Fresh Meat) vs. some new guy who I can't remember his name and Aneesa (RW:Chicago) vs. Shauvon. Are you kidding me?! Who would pick Aneesa to go against? Anyways...Ryan beats the new guy and we won't learn about the girls until tonight. I think this season could really hold a lot of outside-of-the-challenges drama. Robin and Mark (first RR) are exes, Diem is left without CT, Rachel (RR:Campus Crawl) and Jenn (RW:Denver?) have hooked up previously, Brad (RW:San Diego) and Tori (RR:Viewer's Revenge) appear to break up on the show, there are two gay guys and at least two more lesbians, Big Easy (Fresh Meat) is back (shocking, that takes a lot of nerve), and I just love all of it!
Some other, non-MTV reality shows I have been viewing are "America's Next Top Model" and "Last Restaurant Standing." I have really been enjoying this season of ANTM. I didn't ever really get into the last cycle (evidenced by the fact that I finished it about 2 weeks before this cycle started), and I didn't mean to start this one because of my indifference, but then the DVR just picked up recording it, so I may as well watch it if it's there, and it's been pretty good. I could easily say that I pretty much like all of the girls that are left - and I am interested to see how this cycle plays out. I also like the addition of "Top Models in Action" during the commercial breaks once an episode. Nigel narrates what past contestants have been doing in their modeling careers - it's kind of nice to have an update to see that they are actually modeling. I guess they are doing this in place of 'Cover Girl of the Week' now that I think about it...
As for "Last Restaurant Standing," we are down to just 3 couples and 2 episodes. Last week, one of our faves - Nel's, went home - so that was kind of a bummer. The three that are left are the Cheerful Soul, True Provenance, and The Gallery. The interesting challenge/twist for this week was the invitation of some dietary special needs customers - vegetarians, vegans, and celiacs. Oh, and a fine dining supper club. None of them handled it perfectly. True Provenance didn't really have any viable vegetarian/vegan options, Michelle of the Cheerful Soul wasn't familiar enough with the menu to figure out where the gluten was so it took 20 minutes to take the celiacs' order and they were then served crostini, the celiac 7-year-old at The Gallery was served a biscuit on her dessert, and the fine dining club kind of ripped James up and down on his food at The Gallery. I don't really know anything about Raymond Blanc's restaurants, but The Gallery and True Provenance seem more up his alley, but to me the front-runner kind of seems to be the Cheerful Soul. The thing about it all now is that none of them seem to be doing particularly well, thus all three couples are in some sort of special challenge (saw that coming) for next week.
New show alert - Bravo will be premeiring "Top Chef: Masters" on June 10. This will pit 24 established chef's (including some fave guest judges) against each other in "Top Chef"-style challenges in order to ultimately win the title and $100,000 to their charity of choice.
"Project Runway" update - Season Six will finally be premeiring this summer on Lifetime. I'm really bummed that Bravo lost out on this show, and I am wary about the two replacements - "The Fashion Show" and "Buy My Line" or something like that. Hmm...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Paul Rudd - one way or another
After the busy-ness of two weekends ago, my husband and I made the realization that we had no plans for this past weekend. We had some dinner and hang-out time with friends on Friday night, but Saturday was pretty much wide open. After doing some damage on the DVR and some clarinet serenades (now do you understand how little we had to do?), we decided to go to the movies. We haven't actually been to a movie theatre the entire month of March - since the Oscars. We set out to our local Alamo Drafthouse (Lake Creek, the red-headed step-child of the Austin Alamos) to see "I Love You, Man." An important caveat to this story - while I LOVE the concept of the Drafthouse (food and drink/booze while watching a movie), I don't really love their food - especially not any of their (in my mind) healthier fare. HOWEVER, since Lake Creek doesn't really share a menu with the others, they carry a delicious salad known as the Buffalo Chicken Salad. This was my compromise - no guilt about popcorn and sangria if I have a salad. Anyways, we arrive at Lake Creek ONE HOUR BEFORE the movie and it is sold out. There is nothing else there that we want to see, so we head back to the car. Upon calling two of the three other Drafthouses, we discover one is not showing said film and the other one is, but, you guessed, it's sold out. If this was a review about the Alamo, I would be PISSED. Next time, buy online, is all I have to say.
So...since we were in town, we decided to get some take-out and rent a movie. Predictably we grabbed Banzai - our favorite local sushi place. The food was delicious even at home, but since they drizzled some sort of sauce on my shrimp tempura roll, it was a little mushy. But not the end of the world. The miso soup was still hot and I felt satiated and pleased.
Since we couldn't view "I Love You, Man" in the environment we intended, we opted to rent "Role Models," featuring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott and McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Here's the thing - it goes just like you expect it to, so don't think they're out to fool you. But it is funny. The real stars were their mentees from Sturdy Wings - C M-P and Bobb'e J. Thompson. They play their roles well and end up being very endearing. Plus, the little one curses a lot, which my husband finds hilarious (don't we all?). Once it was over, I enjoyed it, but I probably wouldn't watch it again. I don't think it's worth a buy either, although my husband does.
We may try to venture to see "I Love You, Man" this weekend, but if not, maybe we'll just rent "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"...
So...since we were in town, we decided to get some take-out and rent a movie. Predictably we grabbed Banzai - our favorite local sushi place. The food was delicious even at home, but since they drizzled some sort of sauce on my shrimp tempura roll, it was a little mushy. But not the end of the world. The miso soup was still hot and I felt satiated and pleased.
Since we couldn't view "I Love You, Man" in the environment we intended, we opted to rent "Role Models," featuring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott and McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Here's the thing - it goes just like you expect it to, so don't think they're out to fool you. But it is funny. The real stars were their mentees from Sturdy Wings - C M-P and Bobb'e J. Thompson. They play their roles well and end up being very endearing. Plus, the little one curses a lot, which my husband finds hilarious (don't we all?). Once it was over, I enjoyed it, but I probably wouldn't watch it again. I don't think it's worth a buy either, although my husband does.
We may try to venture to see "I Love You, Man" this weekend, but if not, maybe we'll just rent "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Recovery?
Last night my husband and I settled in to watch "Chuck." As some of you may remember from my last post about "Chuck," I'm getting a little frustrated with this show. This week's episode started on the journey back to a story and character I care about. Chuck did some of his own reconaissance work and was able to locate Orion - the creator of the intersect. Though it may have been a Fulcrum trap, their mission ended up being successful. It was really fun to see the General in person and to hear her compliment Chuck, especially since he may become a real spy (great guess, Will!). I really felt like the show recovered last night. The mission wasn't too outlandish - and Chuck didn't really screw it up like usual. Plus the Buy More subplot was pretty fun (I have gotten to where I really enjoy the messed-up shenanigans of Jeff and Lester - Jeffster). I am not pumped about next week's plot twist (Agent Walker - out!), but my husband reassures me that, of course, it won't stick.
Things I'm looking forward to in tv land...
Things I'm looking forward to in tv land...
- The next new episode of "The Office" - last week's episode left me shocked! I thought I knew where it was going, but I was wrong. I am INTERESTED to see how this is all resolved.
- The return of "My Boys" - I would venture to say again that this is the best show you're not watching. It is genuinely funny and if you even claim to be a Jim Gaffigan fan at all, then you must watch this show. Third season starts next Tuesday!
- The next "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" - This time it's "The Duel II." I don't know if TJ's back, but I can tell you who is: CT, Adam, Diem, Brad, Ruthie, Aneesa, Robin, EVAN (!), Paula, Ryan, drama drama drama. That one is premeiring on April 8.
- And to be totally honest with you, the last season of "The Hills" starring Lauren Conrad. She has stated that this will be her last season (good for her), so it will most likely also be mine (my husband is rejoicing somewhere). I like the show, although "The City" ended up being a little disappointing, and will stick with it till the end - premeiring on April 6.
Are you looking forward to anything?
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