DVD Revew: The Pursuit Of Happyness

Allen and I rented The Pursuit of Happyness and finally got a chance to watch it yesterday. It aims to be a feel good, American Dream type of movie and I felt like it fell just short of being truly inspiring.

The story of Chris Gardner is basically unbelievable. I mean, this guy's luck is so bad, it's just one roadblock after another up until the very end of the movie. It's based on a true story, but I have to say that I think they embellished a little.

It's a decent rental if you like feel good, family type movies. As an added bonus, Jaden Smith is super cute throughout the movie.

San Francisco Is Awesome!

San Francisco is likely to become the first U.S. city to ban plastic bags made from petroleum. The ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil annually and remove the need to send 1,400 tons of debris to landfills each year. Recyclable plastic bags are available on the market and can replace the petroleum-based bags at major supermarkets and drugstores. I hope every city follows suit.

Under the legislation, beginning in six months large supermarkets and drugstores will not be allowed to offer plastic bags made from petroleum products.

"Many [foreign] cities and nations have already implemented very similar legislation," said Ross Mirkarimi, the city legislator who championed the new law. "It's astounding that San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to follow suit."

"I am hopeful that other U.S. cities will also adopt similar legislation," he said. "Why wait for the federal government to enact legislation that gets to the core of this problem when local governments can just step up to the plate?"

Puffy Puff Daddy

Looks like P. Diddy has put on a little weight. Okay, a lot of weight. What happened? I thought he was very conscientious of his image. I mean, this is a guy who won't let non-pedicured toes into his parties.

The Weekend Update

Friday
A few of us went out to celebrate MS's birthday at some lounge called 217 in Santa Monica. Allen and I had never been there before and it was a cute place. Since I'd been fighting (and still am) this weird cough/sore throat thing I decided not to drink so as not to exacerbate my illness. After a little bit of dancing and hanging out we headed off to Swingers for some late night grub. Yum! They have the best french toast.

Saturday
Went to Costco and Target to run some errands. I finally bought a bluetooth headset for my cell - it was only $40 and I knew that if I didn't like it I could always return it. I've only used it a couple of times, mostly just to test it out, but the sound quality is good. I haven't used it while driving yet so we'll see how that goes. It feels kind of weird, like it's always about to fall off or not very secure on my ear, but maybe I just have to get used to it.

After that we didn't really do much. I took a nap since I haven't been sleeping very well due to my persistent cough. I woke up in time to catch the second half of the UCLA/Kansas game - Go BRUINS!

Sunday
Recently, in three separate magazines, I've read about the benefits of interval training. Basically you're supposed to train really hard for a few minutes and then either rest or slow down for a few minutes and repeat the cycle so your workout is about 20-30 minutes total. This method is supposed to burn more fat and has the same cardiovascular benefits as a regular workout. Because I'm a lazy ass, I decided that this would be the type of workout that I would most likely actually stick to so on Sunday morning, Allen and I went to the park to give it a shot. We stretched and warmed up like good little exercisers and then sprinted as hard as we could down the lane. Our goal was to reach the end of the lane and then walk back and sprint again. Let's say the lane was 50 meters - I made it to 40 meters the first time and 35 meters the second. After our second run, Allen felt a bit lightheaded so we sat down, but I felt fine. A little winded, but fine. We rest for a few minutes and then start to get up and head home because there's no way that we can run anymore. As we're walking back, I begin to feel very sick, like I might pass out. I have to sit down lest I faint, but even while sitting I still feel really, really sick. Then I throw up. Yes, folks, my body is so unaccustomed to exercise that the mere act of running for about 3 minutes (and in intervals!) induced vomit.

Later, we went to Ikea and bought some more furniture (yay!) and then met my dad and brother(s) for dinner. My dad was in such a fun, happy mood so it was a very nice dinner. We came home and built our new nightstand, but Allen didn't have the energy to build the new dresser thing.

That's all folks. Tomorrow I'm hosting the Book Club's first meeting.

What's Going On

I know I haven't been as avidly blogging - but I've been busy! And you peeps don't comment as often so I don't have any incentive. However, since I feel a little bad about not being as diligent I decided I'll do a sort of lightning round of celebrity gossip, weird news and other stuff that has amused me lately.

Britney Leaves Rehab
And is supposedly all better. TMZ reported that secret sources (her publicist) are saying that she learned so much in rehab and is totally turning her life around. Only time will tell.

Uma and Non-Famous BF Call It Quits
Poor Uma. She just can't find someone good enough for her. Plus, she's VERY tall and I bet that limits the choices drastically. Men are so intimidated by very tall women.


Man Tries To Have Sex With Dead Deer
This is just wrong - and yet also somehow facsinating.

A 20-year-old man received probation after he was convicted of having sexual contact with a dead deer. The sentence also requires Bryan James Hathaway to be evaluated as a sex offender and treated at the Institute for Psychological and Sexual Health in Duluth, Minn.
...
He was found guilty in April 2005 of felony mistreatment of an animal after he killed a horse with the intention of having sex with it.

American Idol
Sanjaya has made it yet another week. I am no longer going to watch this show because it is clearly not based on talent. One myspacer agrees with me, but she's taking it to another level. She's refusing to eat until he is kicked off the show! What a nut.

The woman, who idenitifies herself only as "J," was not pleased that Stephanie Edwards got the boot on last night's show, leaving Sanjaya to continue "singing" at least through next week. "I'm really starting to feel sorry for Sanjaya," wrote the hungry blogger last night. "People keep voting him through because they think it's funny ... and I think it's to the point where this kid is starting to believe his own hype."

VJJ - anything you want to tell us???

Alright. I'm exhausted. That's all you folks get for now.

Wait! One more.

Kate Walsh Dates "Justin" From Brothers & Sisters
It's true. They released a statement or something. Weird huh? He's like 12.

Paparazzi Gettin' Run Over

Recently, there have been a few reports of celebrities running over the paparazzi. For example, today on TMZ, there is a post about Keanu Reeves grazing a paparazzo with his car and an ambulance having to be called.

TMZ has learned that actor Keanu Reeves was involved in an injury traffic collision with a paparazzo in Southern California yesterday.

According to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, "Mr. Reeves pulled out of a parking space, parallel to the curb, and grazed a paparazzo" with his 1996 Porsche, around 8:45 PM Monday night in Rancho Palos Verdes.

The Sheriff's Dept. claims that the man then, "fell to the ground," and "paramedics were summoned." The photog was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was treated for unknown injuries. Reeves was not injured during the accident.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. is investigating the collision.

Calls to Reeves' reps were not immediately returned.

Personally, I think that if you're stalking celebrities and you're in their way and you're making a nice, cushy living off of their faces, then the risk of getting hit by a car, or punched in the face, or pushed out of the way, is just part of the job.

Movies That Make Guys Cry

1. Shawshank Redemption - This is a great movie, but I don't think it made me cry, and I cry very easily.
   
2. Armageddon - I already know what Allen's thinking: "Yeah, I cried because I just wasted two hours of my life that I can never get back."
3. Chick Flicks: Terms of Endearment, Love Story, Amelie - hmm...
4. Field Of Dreams - Baseball movies make guys cry? Interesting.
5. Movies w/ dogs: My Dog Skip, Snoopy Come Home (WTH?), Old Yeller, Where The Red Fern Grows - Alright. I read Where The Red Fern Grows in seventh grade in one night and bawled my eyes out. I couldn't even follow along in class lest I start weeping in front of everyone. I had to replay an episode of 90210 in my head while everyone else took turns reading aloud.
6. Good Will Hunting - was that movie even sad? All I remember is when Matt's waxing the floors, writing on the white board and drinking beer with Ben.
7. Brian's Song - Anyone who watches Entourage knows that it is just a simple fact that this movie brings out the tears. It's based on a true story too.
   
8. Big Fish - Really? This weird fantastical film brings tears to your eyes? Maybe I'll have to check it out.
9. Backdraft - Now this is just stupid.
10. Hoosiers - What is it with guys and sports movies that make them cry?
11. Hotel Rwanda - Understandable. This isn't limited to guys. Everyone should be sad and upset that the world ignored Rwanda.
12. Saving Private Ryan - Earn this.

Lucky Me

I'm very fortunate to have such wonderful friends. In today's world it's hard to find people who won't stab you in the back (hello, Heidi and Jen) so it's really touching when you find people who are generous and actually have your best interests at heart.

The action that spurred this post might seem silly, but when you know people who won't even pour you a cup of their Costco-sized juice, a friend sharing 50% of her mango seems like a big deal.

There are so many nice things that my friends do, but I don't want to embarrass anyone since all of them are so modest. Thanks for being you.

Scary Azz Spice

Is it just me, or is Mel B.'s ass expanding at the same rate as her belly? They're almost equal in size and protrusion, right? I didn't know that was humanly possible. Don't get me wrong, I think the pregnant woman's body is very lovely, but I really don't ever want my booty to be larger than my seven-months-along pregnant belly. Maybe it's an allusion and she was just photographed at an odd angle. Anyone witness this bizarre phenomenon in real life?

The Weekend Update: Las Vegas

Friday
A bunch of us celebrated Spam's bday after work at a cool wine bar in Santa Monica. It was lots of fun, but we missed VJJ and Biddy. Allen and I couldn't hang out afterwards because we had to wake up super early on Saturday to head out to Vegas.

Saturday
We wake up at 7.30am (this is considered a miracle; I have to be at work at 8.30am and I sleep until 8.10-8.15am every day) to pack up the car and head out to meet my dad. He is very anxious to get going to Vegas (his favorite place on Earth) and calls me at 7.45am to make sure I'm awake and getting ready. He calls again at 8.50am to see where I am. We arrive at his place around 9.05am and he's waiting outside by the curb, car all ready to go and everything.

The drive wasn't so bad, aside from the verbal beating I took from my dad.
Dad: Ah! Why haven't you two bought a house yet?? Stupid.
ME: Uh...We live in LA, we don't make a gazillion dollars.
Dad: Ay-yah...You guys waste money paying rent. You should move to Vegas.
ME: Uh-huh. Well...I'm only 24 after all so I still have time. Big sis didn't buy her first house until she was 30 or even 31.
Dad: You should move to Vegas. No rent, then you guys save up your money, then you buy a bigger house! Then, when Daddy retires you can take care of me.
ME: Uh...I don't really want to live in Vegas. Anyway, there aren't that many jobs out there aside from hotel stuff.
Dad: Ay yah! You can get a job anywhere! So many jobs!
ME getting really irritated now: Right. Okay, I'll be a card dealer or a cocktail waitress.
Dad: Why wouldn't you want to live in Vegas?? Look, it's beautiful there! So nice, so many trees, you have the casinos, you eat free all day, you have a washer/dryer at the house, no rent, so many jobs. Stupid if you don't want to move here.
ME: FINE!!!! I'll move to Vegas! I'll look for a job as soon as we get back to LA okay? Are you happy now?
Dad happy now: Okay. Good.

I already talked this over with VJJ. I'll move to Vegas if she moves to Vegas. Er, Allen - hope that's okay. Just kidding!

Sunday
The whole purpose of this trip was to see AFI in concert at the Hard Rock Hotel. The venue, Joint, was actually really cool. Unfortunately, it's general admission/standing room only and I realized this past weekend that I am too old for that type of venue. I really did not enjoy being with the masses and having them jump up and down on my toes and have their hair stick to my arms. So, most likely, unless it's a band that I'm absolutely crazy about, I will no longer attend standing-room-only events.


Lead singer Davey Havok is a very theatrical and dramatic performer, which was fun to witness. He actually crowd-surfed! I kind of took it as another sign that I was too old to be there, but it was cool to see AFI in concert nonetheless. And even though he looks all goth and scary, he actually seems very soft-spoken and kind. He does wear lots more eye make-up than me though.

Newt Gingrich = S.O.B.

This little bastard has come out and admitted to a conservative Christian group (Focus on the Family) that he was having an extramarital affair AT THE SAME TIME he was leading the impeachment against Clinton. Here is his explanation:

"The president of the United States got in trouble for committing a felony in front of a sitting federal judge," the former Georgia congressman said of Clinton's 1998 House impeachment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

"I drew a line in my mind that said, 'Even though I run the risk of being deeply embarrassed, and even though at a purely personal level I am not rendering judgment on another human being, as a leader of the government trying to uphold the rule of law, I have no choice except to move forward and say that you cannot accept ... perjury in your highest officials."

Here's the thing, if Gingrich felt that he could have an affair and still qualify as a public official then there was no reason to even begin questioning President Clinton. Gingrich is trying to excuse his own hypocrisy by saying that Clinton was impeached for perjury, but Clinton never would have perjured himself if Republicans (cheating ones at that) hadn't dug their fat noses into his personal life. But they based their investigation on the idea that one who breaks the sanctity of marriage is no longer fit to represent our country. If that's so, then everyone has to be accountable to the rule, not just people they don't like. Everyone knows the whole impeachment/scandal was simply a political strategy to undermine the Democratic party, but to find out that the very people leading the crusade had a whore or two in their own closets is really just ridiculous. I believe Ken Starr was ALSO having an affair at the time he was investigating the President.

Funny how the Christian, conservative right are able to look past their own sins and call them mistakes, but aren't able to forgive liberals, or anyone outside of their circle, for the same human errors.

Salma Hayek - Baby On Board

The AP is reporting that Salma Hayek is engaged to business man Francois-Henri Pinault and is pregnant with their first child.

Pinault is chairman and chief executive officer of the luxury goods company PPR SA, which owns high-end labels such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Stella McCartney.

Remember when she was dating Ed Norton? They were together for something like five years, but rumor has it that they broke up because he just wouldn't commit.

Really, Lime Green?

Your Power Color Is Lime Green

At Your Highest: You are adventurous, witty, and a visionary. At Your Lowest: You feel misunderstood, like you don't fit in. In Love: You have a tough exterior, but can be very dedicated. How You're Attractive: Your self-awareness and confidence lights up a room. Your Eternal Question: "What else do I need in my life?"

What's Your Power Color?

America's Next Top Model - C8E2

So far, I'm not a fan of any particular girl, but I think both Jaslene and Brittany have lots of potential. Yesterday's theme for the photo shoot was high school cliches.

Jaslene as "Weirdo" - you can't really see her face, but the close-up is very striking, despite how freaky she really looks. Her downside is that she has very thin skin; when the other girls start talking smack, she breaks down and cries, which I thought was a little more drama than the situation called for. She still produced a great picture though.


Brittany as "Valedictorian" - she also won the runway challenge. We didn't really get to see much of her personality, but she seems nice enough.

Despite not having a clear favorite, I already hate one girl. This bizzle, Renee, is the biggest whiner. She always has the lamest excuses for not producing good pictures. Yesterday she kept saying, "They give other girls themes that they're good at; I always get stuck with the hardest themes." Wah wah. She doesn't realize that she's actually saying, "I have no range or talent. I can only work with easy shots." You think being a weirdo is easy? It's so ambigious - what the hell does a weirdo look like anyway? Renee had to be the class clown, which I think is pretty easy. You put on a silly face and ta-da! you're a clown. She made this face instead:

Someone looks like a tranny and she's a bitch to boot.

Click on the images for a larger view.

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The Wedding Bells
I tried to watch thenew show by David E. Kelly (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal) but it was just too ...stupid. The dialogue was flat, the plot lines improbably - the whole thing came off as really cheesy and sub-par.

You Think You Know Me, But You Have No Idea

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

TV Hits New Low

After some light shopping last night, I came home and turned on the telly. Lucky me! It just so happens that Pussy Cat Dolls Presents: The Search For The Next Doll was on. Sure, I had missed the first 45 minutes, but 15 minutes of this show was plenty for me. Right when I started watching the girls were performing in groups of nine. The first group sang "Buttons" and were actually pretty decent if you discount the fact that the song itself blows ass. The second group sang some song I can't even remember and they were all sick. In addition to their weird flu-like ailments, they were saddled with a rogue "doll" who flailed her arms inappropriately and was either four steps ahead or five steps behind the rest of the wannabe dolls.

I'm rooting for this girl (above), Melissa R. Btw, on the CW Website, it states that she's playing herself. Isn't that a little redundant considering it's a reality show? Imagine! They're all playing themselves. Duh...

After the performances, the judges had to cut the group in half and decide who would be the final nine girls who can still become the next pussy cat doll. Yesterday's panel of judges included Robin Antin, the group's founder and choreographer. This photo doesn't really do her plastic surgeon justice. Her lips are twice this size and she's on the verge of looking like a lion-woman.

As hideous as she is, she comes off like a friggin' genius compared to lead Pussy Cat and aspiring role model, Nicole Scherzinger.
During judging, Robin squeaked out comments like, "Melissa R. you've got a great tone to your voice and you're a fantastic dancer. I really think you've got the full package. Congratulations!" and Nicole made comments like, "You have nice hair. You're...a goddess." Beyond dumb. She needs a writer or something. Seriously, she makes Paula Abdul seem sane AND coherent.

Anyway, you should all tune in next Tuesday at 9pm on the CW to see the final nine in their new LA digs. It's going to be fantastic.

PS - The loser from Sugar Ray hosts the show. That's just a bonus folks. Really. You gotta watch.

The Weekend Update

Friday
VJJ, CL and I went to eat soon tofu at BCD (yum!) before heading to a concert at the El Rey. Priscilla Ahn opened the show and, in my opinion, was the best performer of the night. The second band, Midnight Movies was pretty horrible. Their music was trying too hard to be edgy and intense; instead, it just sounded like Earth would be invaded by martians at any given moment. The headliner, Alexi Murdoch, was okay, except that he kept having sound problems. And he seemed too tired to give a good performance.

Saturday
Allen and I watched Stranger Than Fiction, which was very cute. I really liked it and, unlike how I normally am, didn't really mind all the weirdness or unexplained details. I just liked how it was innovative and fresh.

Afterwards, my friend from high school came over for a chat.

Sunday
We were going to go to Chinatown in the morning, but had to cancel those plans because of the LA Marathon. Instead, I took a long nap, returned a library book, picked up some food and a pie, and headed over to my sister's house. Too bad if you missed out on Marie Callender's semi-annual pie sale.

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It was a somewhat boring, low-key weekend, but I was so tired and didn't really feel up to doing much. Next weekend we're going to Vegas.

Crabs Anyone?

What is going here?

Celebutards: please do not scratch your cooters in public. It's distasteful.

Angie & Brad Adopt Again

There are all these adoption rumors swirling about that Brad and Angelina are adopting a boy from Vietnam. The media is making a big deal out of the fact that Angelina filled out paperwork as a single mother. The reason she's doing this is because Vietnam only allows married couples or single parents to adopt - no "living in sin together" couples allowed. If the media did their research they would know this, instead of trying to insinuate that Brad and Angie are breaking up or that she's adopting a child w/o his knowledge. How stupid.

TMZ's headline says:

Angelina To Adopt Again, But Does Brad Know?

Also, since we're already on the subject of Brangelina, here's a recent photo of them out with Zaraha and baby Shiloh. Shiloh is so cute!