Iron Man- Mini Review

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, Money, Movies, Hollywood, Retro, film history, film, media, America, celebrity, George Clooney, Iron Man, Robert Downey, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard on May 19 2008

So, we went to see Iron Man on Friday. In Hollywood’s saturated political environment, where “We are to blame for all the bad in this world” George Clooney style, it’s hard to avoid the agenda even in a movie like Iron Man. But other than that, it is a very enjoyable movie; Robert Downey Jr, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard are doing a very good job. So, if you like the genre, you are up for a treat.
Oh, and a very important tip: Stay in the theater for the credits, and wait until the very end!!!! You’ll thank me later.

Indiana Jones, Not Samantha Jones

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, Movies, Hollywood, Advertising, HBO, Sex & The City, pop culture, America, celebrity, Indiana, Jones, Shyamalan, Mark Wahlberg on May 16 2008

The “Sex & The City” PR machine is working so hard on promoting their film that it almost makes you forget how much of a shitty show it was, especially towards the end. And who has time to watch four middle-age women, strutting around acting like shallow and vacuous teenage girls, chasing 20-year-old dudes? Haven’t we had enough? Why won’t you watch “Indiana Jones” instead? At least Harrison Ford ages with grace…

There’s a new M Night Shyamalan movie coming out mid June called “The Happening,” with Mark Wahlberg. Looks promising, we’ll check it out soon.

Sprewell In Trouble

By ariel in Uncategorized, Money, sports, NBA, America, Basketball, celebrity, Latrell, Sprewell, Foreclosure, Recession, Economy on May 13 2008

It was very saddening to hear that former NBA star Latrell Sprewell lost his home, like many others, to foreclosure on Monday.
AOL Sport’s Matt Watson put it in perspective:

I know the automatic reaction among fans is to point and laugh at the silly athlete who didn’t know how to manage his money, but there’s nothing funny about foreclosure. I’m in the process of buying a house, and over half of the houses I walked through were both empty and in a sad state of disrepair as a result of frustrated owners taking it out on their property before losing it to foreclosure, which is becoming a sad trend in my state. After awhile, it’s just depressing.

Kobe Vs. KG

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, sports, NBA, TV, America, Basketball, Boston, Boston Celtics, Lakers, Kobe, Kevin Garnett, Sports Illustrated, NBA Playoffs 2008 on April 24 2008

Last weeks Sports Illustrated cover featured Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant, expressing what I think is many Basketball fans’ fantasy, to see the Lakers and the Celtics, head to head, in the finales. As a Lakers fan, who lives in Boston, and as a result is also a Celtics fan(…) And is old enough to remember the great rivalry from the 80′, I can say that it will be a dream come true. I’m sure that Lebron and Tim Duncan will have something to say about SI’s selection of championship material, so we’ll have to wait and see, but so far this year’s Playoffs looks very promising.

Hollywood’s New Clothes

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, Movies, Hollywood, business, film, pop culture, media, America, celebrity, George Clooney, Football, Showbiz, Tongue, naked on April 4 2008

I want to know.
I want to know if George Clooney’s ass has some sort of a mythical flavor to it. Because, otherwise, I can’t understand why everyone who is someone in showbiz, have their tongue stuck in there for so long.
We all know Hans Christian Andersen’s tale about The Emperor’s New Clothes, and how the crowd realize the emperor is actually naked only after a small child cries out, “But he has nothing on!” Hollywood and the entire entertainment industry is exactly like that Emperor. They wear George Clooney because they were told that it is the most beautiful cloth, and only those who are smart enough can see it. They even compare him to Cary Grant…. But in the end, you know what; someone, maybe a child, or someone else in the crowd will figure it out and will cry: “But they have nothing on!”
No offense Clooney I really don’t hate you, it’s just thet much ado about nothing around you I dislike.
Have a nice weekend.

Cry Me A Weight Loss

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, NBC, TV, America, reality TV, celebrity, Boston, The Biggest Loser, Cry, Mark Kruger on April 2 2008

I like The Biggest Loser; in fact I think it is the only realty TV show worth watching. It actually helps people do something positive, and encourage others as well. Also, I was very happy to find out that the brothers Jay and Mark are from around here, right outside of Boston (Go SOX!!!) But GOSH, did you see how much they cry?
Is this the way to lose weight? Tears are heavy you know…
They give a new literal meaning to Cry Me A River… (It’s actually a song from the 50’s, written by Arthur Hamilton, and sang by Julie London. Sorry Justin, no hard feelings, but it’s not yours, like many other things…) OK you got my point.

Johnny, Colin And Jude To Finish Heath Ledger’s Movie

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, News, Movies, Hollywood, film, pop culture, America, Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger, Colin Farrell, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, Jude Law, Terry Gilliam on March 11 2008

Before his death, Heath Ledger was working on a new movie called “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” a modern-day fantasy adventure involving a traveling theater company and a magical mirror. We now learn that three major actors have agreed to complete Ledger’s part in the movie. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law will help the director, the great Terry Gilliam to finish the movie. “Since the format of the story allows for the preservation of his entire performance, at no point will Heath’s work be modified or altered through the use of digital technology, Each of the parts played by Johnny, Colin and Jude is representative of the many aspects of the character that Heath was playing.” said the film’s producers in a statement (Yahoo).
Now that’s a really nice thing to do, that’s how you honor someone, not by digging in their trash, or interviewing their masseuse.

The Coolest Site Ever: For Prospective Renters/Buyers

By Beth in Entertainment, Tech, pop culture, America, Apartment Hunting, Civilization, Coolest Site Ever on March 8 2008

While browsing for apts today and most likely crashing Craigslist’s server with the amount of times I hit the pages, I came across a most fabulous website for those of you (like my husband and I) who can’t quite off the city bug and like to live in close proximity to a Dunkin Donuts, a Store24 (or some neighborhood equivalent), and at least one cool coffee shop that isn’t either DD or Starbucks (for neighborhood character). Anyways, the search still continues but with the help of Walk Score, we’re that much closer to finding an area we might actually want to live in and that suits our cultural needs to some extent.

The site is super easy to use and utilizes Google Maps technology to map out the nearest destination points of interest. It tabulates a patent pending Walk Score* based on a scale of 1-100 that rates how desirable an area is for walking in terms of grocery stores, movie theaters, schools, libraries, bookstores, drug stores, music stores, etc. It’s particularly useful when you’re trying to sort of the cultural landscape of an area and if like my husband and I, you happen to be true aficionados of walks within a cityscape.

To test the site, I entered one of the apartments we happened to look at today to see what was within walking distance and our apt of choice at the moment rated an 86. Our other apt. contender scored an overall rating of 68. As you might have guessed, there will be more apartment searching, but with Walk Score I feel a little more giddy about the process of sorting through Craigslist ads.  The fact that realtors have started to embrace this site by posting links from their ads is a good indicator of just how sticky and “viral” this sight is.

Where Is George? And What Happened To Sick Boy?

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, Quotes, Movies, British, Music, TV, Pop Music, pop culture, America, celebrity, gossip, Eli Stone, George Michael, Trainspotting, Sick Boy, Jonny Lee Miller on March 7 2008

I thought that the whole thing about Eli Stone was that George Michael appears in all of his visions/ hallucinations.
Now I’m curious to know where George is. We he is not so good in hiding. A permanent role for the singer, will improve the show greatly.
Just to think of the long way Sick Boy had to go, from a drug addict to Eli Stone….

Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life… But why would I want to do a thing like that?

Trainspotting 1996

Is Medium The New Heroes?

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, NBC, Heroes, The Office, TV, Steve Carell, America, writers' strike, Medium, TBS, 10 Items Or Less, Allison Dubois, Hiro Nakamura, Patricia Arquette on March 4 2008

It has been so long since Heroes was on, that I almost forgot what it was about. In TV like in nature there is no such thing as vacuum, and since the writer’s strike brought the production of our favorite shows to a complete stop, we simply got used to watch other things on TV. It’s a given, that there is nothing out there that can replace The Office, especially not TBS’ 10 Items Or Less. But the question we’ve been asking ourselves lately is: Is Allison Dubois is the new Hiro Nakamura? Is Medium the new Heroes? Or is it just a generic pain killer?

In Treatment

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, Israel, TV, relationships, HBO, America, YouTube, In Treatment, Gabriel Byrne, Mark Whalberg, Concept, Paul Weston, psychoanalyst on February 29 2008

Although HBO’s new therapy series In Treatment does not rate well among viewers so far, and although the concept of a show that is based mostly on a dialog with a monotone background and relatively passive characters contradict what we are used to get from our TV, the show is very addictive. In Treatment airs daily, and each patient has one session a week, so the show deals with different issues every day. Don’t let the slow start mislead you, in Israel, where the show was created, it also took a while, but then the show became a hit, with a growing group of devoted followers. I’m sure that this crossed Mark Whalberg’s mind when he decided to bring the show to the states.
HBO wanted to increase the exposure of In Treatment and wisely decided to put full-length episodes on its YouTube channel. So if you are not yet acquainted with psychoanalyst Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne) and his patients, here’s your chance.

In Treatment- Highly recommended.

Melancholic Post: Who Died At 27

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, Weird, Retro, Classic Rock, Music, America, celebrity, Jenis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Dead At 27 on February 27 2008

Warning: This post has the potential of making you moody. Don’t read it if you are having a happy day!!!!

Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we’re born
Into this world we’re thrown
Like a dog without a bone
And actor out on loan
Riders on the storm

There’s a killer on the road
His brain is squirmin’ like a toad
Take a long holiday
Let your children play
If ya give this man a ride
Sweet family will die
Killer on the road, yeah

The recent rain and snow storms in my area reminded me of this wonderful song from the 1971 Doors album, LA Woman. And it also made me think about all those talented people who died at the same very young age of 27:
Jimmy Hendrix died on September 18, 1970 in London. He was 27. Just two weeks later, on October 4, 197 one of Janis Joplin’s road managers found her dead in the Landmark Motor Hotel in LA. She was 27.
Jim Morrison died in Paris. It was July 3 1971, and he was taking a bath. Guess how old he was. It took 24 years before our next 27 year old phenomenon checked out. It was April 8, 1994 when Kurt Cobain was discovered at his Lake Washington home by an electrician, after he shot himself.

Well, that’s all folks, Have a happy day….:)

Dalai Watch Out, George Clooney Is Behind You

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, Movies, Hollywood, film history, film, pop culture, media, America, celebrity, George Clooney, Oscars, Academy Awards, Coen, Cohen Brothers, John Stuart, Dalay Lama, Foreign Films on February 25 2008

Click here for more Clooney stuff, and here for more Movies stuff

Last night’s Oscars was as predictable and extremely boring (the Coen brothers looked like they really need some sleep.) No real surprises, no dramas. John Stuart may be a nice guy, but he is useless as a host, and the only true comic relief was that slippery something on the floor in front of the podium, that made almost every presenter to almost fall on their asses. Most of the winners, relaxed in their tuxedo and dresses, were almost indifferent in their acceptance speeches. The foreign actors were the only to give a genuine sense of excitement. Maybe the lack of surprises was the reason, maybe the long evening, but I think that the main reason for the dull event is that everybody was so busy being infatuated with George Clooney, that they forgot all about the Oscars. Don’t be surprised if next year, instead of the Academy Awards they’ll just have a St. George Clooney day.

Just Like In The Office…

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, NBC, ABC, The Office, TV, Steve Carell, media, America, writers' strike on February 21 2008

It’s kind of corny to repeat the same thing over and over again, but every day that goes by brings with him situations that make you think about The Office. Those little moments that of course are not as amusing as when they happen in Scranton, but still you stop and say: Hey, this reminds me of something from The Office… This guy looks like Kevin Malone… She is like Jen…
There is not much hope that we will get to see The Office or any other show if you come to think about it returning in the next month or so, and it is sad. But hey, at least we have Eli Stone played by Johnny Lee Miller tonight at 10/9c on ABC. Eli Stone is probably the best thing that happened on TV during the writers strike.