Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Kathy's Rockin' Eve



You won't find me ringing in the New Year with that annoying Seacrest kid and the ghost of Dick Clark. Oh Nooooo....it's Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper all the way, baby!

You know how much I love her and, based on what I saw from last year's broadcast on CNN, the two of them together should be a HOOT. They really seem to enjoy each other and, let's be honest, Kathy's a funny lady.

If you don't believe me....just watch them in the clips below as they talk about their gig tonight on CNN in Times Square.








I may have to get a box wine just for the occasion.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Time flies



Towleroad posted this beautiful time-lapse video that Eirik Solheim created of the view from his house over the course of one year, which he then condensed into 40 seconds of visual splendor. He also recorded the background sounds in the same place.


One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

With the end of the year just a day away...it's a good reminder of how quickly time passes here on our planet.

Get busy, people!

If you'd like to see how he created this project...check out Eirik's blog here.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Ordinary Mary



I read that it's Mary Tyler Moore's birthday today....she's 71.

She's really accomplished a lot in her life to this point. Of course, I remember her very well from the classic "Mary Tyler Moore Show". But, it really got me thinking again about how good she was as Beth, the emotionally-disconnected mother, in the 1980 film "Ordinary People" (it won the Best Picture Oscar that year).

That film really affected me as a kid, which resulted in countless viewings over the years (I can still quote most of the movie to this day). All of the performances are top-notch (Timothy Hutton won the Best Supporting Actor award) and it's still difficult watching them all disfunctionally navigate through their intense feelings of grief and loss.



If you've never seen the movie, you should rent it.

Then, when it's done, you can cheer yourself up a bit and go watch an MTM rerun somewhere, like this famous "Chuckles the clown" clip...



"Oh, Beth"...Happy Birthday!

Friday, December 26, 2008

Santa Baby



Sad news today about Eartha Kitt...

Eartha Kitt, whose "Santa, Baby" remains the sultriest Christmas song ever recorded, died Thursday on a holiday she turned into something both naughty and nice.

Kitt, a versatile multi-media performer, engaging talk show regular and longtime human rights activist, was 81 and had been suffering from colon cancer. She died in New York with her daughter at her side. Her last performance, a PBS special scheduled to air in February, was taped just six weeks ago.

How ironic, yet fitting, that she passed away on Christmas Day.



Of course, I knew her best as one of the original catwomen on the TV show "Batman". The clip above features one of her classic appearances (along with my favorite....Batgirl!). That show was so cheesy and fun.

Many years ago (when I was still dabbling in acting and modeling), I did a fashion show in New York and got to talking to one of the prettiest models, named Cat. As I was about to comment on her unusual last name "The only other Kitt I knew was catwoman...", she quickly said "Oh, that's my mother!" Thankfully, I was able to restrain myself from asking how a mother could name her child after a candy bar (although I do love me a Kitt Katt bar!) and we continued the sportswear fashion "extravaganza" (three of us walking a small runway at a booth, amongst hundreds of other booths at the convention center) without incident.



Her mother really lived an amazing life, full of glamour, controversy and fame. And, to be honest, I really do prefer her "Santa Baby" above and beyond Madonna's odd baby-talking remake. Eartha's version always brings a smile to my face each holiday season.

Hopefully she's purrrrrfectly happy and at peace now.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Nasty Wasty Skunk



There are some very descriptive lyrics in that song!

One of the radio stations here in LA plays non-stop Christmas music from Thanksgiving through Christmas (which is always enjoyable) and, over the past few weeks, they've played the "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch" song several times while I happened to be bobbing and weaving my way through our lovely city traffic.

And, until this year, I don't think I've ever really listened to the full lyrics...always distracted by the animated thievery going on during the much-anticipated annual broadcast of the cartoon.



While listening, I realized I didn't really remember most of the actual song lyrics, other than "I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot POLE". But, after being trapped in the car with the song playing, I actually heard, what I thought, were new extended lyrics...

Your brain is full of spiders
You've got garlic in your soul.

Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk.



Your soul is an apalling dump heap
overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable

You're the king of sinful sots
Your heart's a dead tomato splot
With moldy purple spots

You're a three decker saurkraut and toadstool sandwich
With arsenic sauce

That last one reminds me of the time I got food poisoning at an Oktoberfest celebration many years back.

Talk about "overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish"...uggh.



Of course, I did some research and found out that all of these lyrics are actually in the cartoon and I just never noticed.

That Dr. Seuss really had a wonderful economy with words.

He and Alanis Morissette could probably have written an awesome man-hater song together!

Here is the video of the song, should you wish to Grinch-ify your Christmas Eve for a few minutes.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Training bra recommendations?

It was that time of the month...



I finally went to see "Twilight".

Now, I kind of resisted seeing this movie, based on the so-so reviews and over-hyped online frenzy surrounding the book series and the thirteen year old girl fan-focus. I just had a feeling it was going to be cheesy and kind of like the "OC"-meets- "The Covenant" and, in my mind...that makes it a rental, at best.

But, I found myself in the theater yesterday and, before I knew it...I was center-seated with popcorn in hand as the "Twilight" credits began.



And, as much as I hate to admit it...

I really enjoyed it.

I told my friend that it was kind of like watching "Juno the Vampire Slayer" (even though Bella doesn't actually slay any vampires). The two leads were brooding loners, surrounded by your typical High School range of outcast friends, nestled in the moody, perpetually wet and cloudy area of Fork, Washington.



Rather than focusing the movie on vampire violence and gore (which, thankfully, the movie avoided almost entirely), the story centered on bringing our two leads together and delving into the strength of their love-at-first bite attraction. Yes, there are some bad vampires doing bad things and, yes, you pretty much know going in that, in the end, things will likely be okay.

But...it's how they get there that counts and I, for one, enjoyed the journey.

Will die-hard action and horror fans who usually need to see a few severed limbs and exposed entrails enjoy the movie?

Probably not...



But, I'm a romantic at heart (the dark, cold place that it is) and really just went with it and found myself rooting for the girl getting the boy and love conquering all.

There is enough violence and gore in the real world...why pay to see more?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meet Tiffany, Amber and CeCe at the mall.

The Jonas Brothers are making an appearance tonight and we're totally freaking about what to wear!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Cat Lady

Well, now we all know what happened to that odd little girl in class who ate paste...

She's now living in Chicago and goes by the name...Cheetah Lady.



Some people just shouldn't be allowed to have access to the Internet.

Creepy.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Goodbye Nurse Chapel



Majel "Nurse Chapel"-Barrett-Roddenberry passed away yesterday.

The widow of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the influential science fiction series (Gene passed away in 1991), played Nurse Christine Chapel in 33 episodes of the original series, as well as in two of the spin-off Star Trek movies throughout the late 1970s and 1980s -- Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.



Some fun facts about her:



In the original unaired pilot for Star Trek, titled "The Cage" (which later was repurposed for the award-winning two part original Star Trek episode "The Menagerie"), she was cast as the First Officer of the Enterprise (Spock reported to her) and Jeffrey Hunter played Captain Pike (no Kirk then).



She also played Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Counselor Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation (seen here with her husband and "Star Trek" creator, Gene Roddenberry).



She appeared as Nurse Chapel in the short-lived Star Trek: The Animated Series too.

She also provided the voice of the ship's computer on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (and all of their movies), "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager".



So it's very cool that J.J. Abrams also brought that bit of nostalgia and detail into his upcoming "Star Trek" movie, where she also provides the voice of the computer on the new iMac Enterprise.



Which, if all of the Star Trek worlds collided (hmmm...there's a movie idea), she would be on board the USS Enterprise as the First Officer, Nurse Chapel and the voice of the ship's computer.

She'd be a triple threat!

But for now...she will just be missed dearly.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Instinct Magazine article



My second travel article is now out in the December/January issue of Instinct Magazine.

The first article, in Genre Magazine, is also still out on newsstands as well.

For Instinct Magazine, I wrote about the island of Rarotonga that I visited after leaving New Zealand and Australia earlier this year. The article starts on page 58 and, although it doesn't say "continued" at the bottom of the page, it actually finishes on page 60. So, don't forget to turn the page or you'll miss me telling everyone how the series finale of "Lost" ends...

Or do I?

They also featured me in the "Contributors" section at the beginning of the magazine on page 8. I'm right next to Brandy (the singer, not the drink). So, that was kinda cool.



Instinct had a really fun party last Friday night and, believe it or not, they actually invited me (I guess the restraining order finally ended). My friends and I had a blast and made good use of the food and Absolute-sponsored open bar (what's not to love about that?!).



I was also able to finally meet the editor who hired me for the article...a really nice guy. If you enjoy the article, feel free to let him know.

If you have found this blog from the magazine article (Thanks for stopping by!) and would like to read some of my travel-related entries, you can click on any of the following destinations and then hit the "newer" or "older" posts link at the bottom of each page to follow along.

Here's where I've been so far this year...

Sydney, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Christchurch, New Zealand
Queenstown, New Zealand
Wellington, New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand
Rarotonga, South Pacific
Houston, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Atlanta, Georgia
Asheville, North Carolina
Tipp City, Ohio

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Fan-tastic



The new voyages of the old Starship Enterprise...

There are certainly many fans of the original "Star Trek" TV show still out there writing fan fiction, attending conventions and, for some, actually creating new episodes of the show with remarkable accuracy.

One of the best is "Star Trek: New Voyages". They write and film new episodes that take place as if the original "Star Trek" continued on into a fourth season. Through private funding, they've done an amazing job of recreating, in full, the original sets...right down to the lighting and sound effects. The bridge set looks exactly like it did in 1966.





They've also recreated the transporter room, sickbay, crew quarters and more.

Although they have recast the original characters with younger actors, they have managed to get many original series actors to guest-star on episodes. They've had George "Sulu" Takei, Walter "Chekov" Koenig, Denise "Tasha Yar" Crosby, and even got Marjel "Nurse Chapel" Barret-Roddenberry to voice the computer voice (as she did for all of the "Star Trek" series and movies over the years.



It's a pretty amazing accomplishment, considering they can't sell DVDs or make any kind of money off of their productions (Paramount licensing issues). They may not win any awards for acting, but their episodes have better special effects and editing than the original show, so they are certainly worth watching, if nothing else, just to take a little step back in TV time.



Their latest episode, "Blood and Fire", was actually based on a "Star Trek: Next Generation" series script by David Gerrold (he wrote the "Trouble with Tribbles" episode of the original show). It also features Captain Kirk's nephew, Peter, who also just happens to be gay and has a boyfriend serving on the Enterprise.

According to AfterElton.com, at the time (the 80's) the network decided that this kind of storyline was too risky ("shocking"), so it was scrapped. But, all these years later, Mr Gerrold brought it to the New Voyages people, Carlos Pedraza reworked it (see his comment at the end of this blog) and they filmed it. Here is a sneak peek...



Pretty good job for a group of everyday people who do this just for the fun of it.

With the new "Star Trek" movie coming out in May...I have a feeling that these kinds of fan films might just be the tip of the iceberg for what's to come.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Santa Claws

I saw "The Day the Earth Stood Still" this past weekend. It was okay...good effects and concept, but the story and ending were a bit weak, not quite deep enough for what they were trying to say about how we're destroying our planet and all of that. But, it's always nice to see Kathy Bates in a movie, even if she's not hobbling anyone.

However, if you enjoy Hugh Jackman and all of his Sexiest Man Alive qualities, I think you're gonna wanna see the new Wolverine movie trailer that played before "Day".



Now that looks enjoyable...ho, ho, ho!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Baby talk



Ricky Martin released the first photos of his adorable four month old twin sons last week in People Espanol and even answered a few questions...



Describe this time in your life.

I'm so happy! Everything they do, from smiling to crying, feels like a blessing. Being a father feels amazing. This has been the most spiritual moment in my life.

How hands-on are you as a father?

I don't have a nanny. I'm doing this on my own because I don't want to miss a moment. I have a personal assistant who helps me, someone who takes care of me while I'm taking care of them, but I'm the one who changes the diapers, the one that feeds them, the one that bathes them, the one that puts them to sleep. For any parent, the first couple of months tend to get a little bit intense.


I've always liked Ricky and it sounds like he's really happy, which is nice.

I wonder if he has the same "personal assistant" that he used to "work out" with in Miami to help "take care of him" while he's taking care of the babies?



I hope so, the guy looks like a really good..."trainer".

My fingers have a cramp from all of the "air-quoting"...

Friday, December 12, 2008

Wanda on Leno

As always, Wanda Sykes gives an entertaining interview on the "Tonight Show" this week. She discusses everything from "Prop 8", Obama and Michelle having "booty slappin' and ear pullin" relations, and the Big 3 bailout.



I bet she'd be a fun drinking buddy.

I have a feeling she'd have you laughing so hard that keeping the booze from shooting out of your nose would be very challenging.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Meryl's globes



She might get two new ones...

Well, Golden Globes, that is.

The Hollywood Foreign Press announced the Golden Globe nominations this morning and Meryl got nominated for two of them...Best Actress for "Doubt" and Supporting Actress for "Mamma Mia.

I love her and hope she gets both of them. I just watched "Sophie's Choice" again last weekend and it still holds up as one of the best performances anyone has ever given.

However, I am disappointed that "Milk" only got one nomination (for Sean Penn). It really deserved so many more. Let's hope the Academy Awards don't follow suit...that would be sad.

If you want to see the full list of Golden Globe nominations....click here.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Chang, Poole and Schmidt

The series finale of "Boston Legal" this week was one of the best finales I've ever seen (and I've watched a lot of TV)!

There was drama, corporate intrigue, great speeches, romance, humor and TWO weddings.

And when I described, in my previous post, how Denny Crane and Alan Shore acted, basically, like an old married couple....I had no idea just how close that description would turn out to be. If you still have the finale on your DVR...don't play this clip until after you've watched it.

If you have seen it or don't care....well, enjoy the final balcony scene.



Maybe the "Sex and the City" gals need to work with Denny Crane and Alan Shore in their next movie...

That would be perfection.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

GENRE magazine article



My first travel article just came out in GENRE magazine this week.

It's their annual travel issue and is titled "Stepping Out" (on page 10).

It was a lot of fun to write and I hope that everyone enjoys it. If you do, feel free to let the editor know what you thought.

I would love to write for them again.



If you have found this blog from the magazine article (Thanks for stopping by!) and would like to read some of my travel-related entries, you can click on any of the following destinations and then hit the "newer" or "older" posts link at the bottom of each page to follow along.

Here's where I've been so far this year...

Sydney, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Christchurch, New Zealand
Queenstown, New Zealand
Wellington, New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand
Rarotonga, South Pacific
Houston, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Atlanta, Georgia
Asheville, North Carolina
Tipp City, Ohio

Monday, December 8, 2008

Adios Amigos



"Hell, you'll probably outlive us all. We'll be dead and buried and you'll still be kicking, doing Priceline commericals."

Alan Shore to Denny Crane, regarding Denny's advanced age.

I have been dreading this day...

Tonight is the 2-hour series finale of "Boston Legal". I can't believe that the show will be done after tonight. I'm in denial and think it's gonna be a few weeks before it actually sinks in for me.



I've never really been a big fan of legal shows, mainly because most of them focus more on the grisly violence of crime and all of the horror surrounding it. But, "Boston Legal" was different. It focused on the Crane, Poole and Schmidt law firm that, with all of the inappropriate sexual conduct amongst the employees, could never actually exist in the real world and, that aspect, is probably one of the reasons that I got hooked.



The ridiculously regular sexual innuendos and situations would never be tolerated in the real world...but, within the context of the show, were often hilarious and rewind-worthy. The image above features Denny (the perfectly cast William Shatner) showing Shirley (Candice Bergen) the life-size sex doll of her that he had custom designed and regularly "associated" with, at times, over the years.



"Outrageous!" as Henry Gibson's (he of "Laugh In" fame) re-curring judge character was famous for shouting at Denny or Alan during their many "ridiculous" court encounters.



But, along with that was another layer of reality that, oftentimes, was profoundly real and relateable. I think I learned more about politics, morality and law from this show than any book, movie or class that I've ever taken. David E. Kelly had an amazing ability to present both sides of an argument somewhat evenly and, during closing, seemed to verbalize perfectly how I really felt about each one in almost every case.



I will definitely miss Alan Shore's colorfully dramatic and always-entertaining closing arguments each episode. As I've told friends, I would pay to have a DVD set of just those speeches. James Spader seemed to natually master every emotional nuance of a speech and was able to deliver them as if each case resonated directly with him and, along with that...the jury.

Here is a sample of one of those speeches...this one discussing the realities of Scientology...



As childish as it may seem to some, David E. Kelly was a genius at finding the right moment to use a fart to make a point (Denny Crane!) or break the show/viewer reality "wall" regularly to speak directly to the audience...and he did it numerous times and, always, to good effect.



Plus, he was able to use so many wonderful guest-stars throughout the series, like Betty White's serial killing, yet sassy sweet, character Catherine Piper.

There just hasn't been a show like it before (David E. Kelly's "Ally McBeal" was close) and, I doubt, there ever will be again.



Most of all, I will miss sitting with Denny and Alan on the balcony at the end of each show as they have their heart-to-heart sessions about their day and lives. Although both characters are straight as the day is long...their relationship was bascially an old married couple who, regardless of their differences, are always there for each other...no matter what.

Here is a bit of dialogue that seems to sum up their relationship best....

Denny: I don't know whether you know this but not many men take the time, every day, to have a cigar, glass of scotch, to talk to their best friend. That's not something most men have.

Alan: No it isn't.

Denny: What I give to you, what I share, I do with no one else. I like to think that what you give to me you do with nobody else. Now that may sound silly to you. But here's what I think is silly, the idea that jealousy or fidelity is reserved for romance. I always suspected that there was a connection between you and that man. That you got something you didn't get from me.

Alan: I probably do. But gosh, what I get from you Denny. People walk around today calling everyone their best friend. The term doesn't have any real meaning anymore. Mere acquaintances are lavished with hugs and kisses upon a second or at most third meeting, birthday cards get passed around offices so everybody can scribble a snippet of sentimentality for a colleague they barely met, and everyone just loves everyone. As a result when you tell somebody you love them today, it isn't much heard. I love you Denny, you are my best friend. I can't imagine going through life without you as my best friend. I'm not going to kiss you however.

Priceless.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Mount Assmore



JoeMyGod posted this funny picture and I just had to repost it here, mainly because the idea that this might be the view from the other side of Mount Rushmore makes me laugh.

So, have a great weekend and, if you get the chance, bend over and crack someone a smile.

They'll be thankful that you did.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Box of wine time



Last year on "My Life on the D-List", Kathy Griffin decided that, now that she has an Emmy (two of them since she taped that), she wanted a Grammy too. So, she recorded a live concert subtly titled "For Your Consideration" to see if she could snag a Grammy nomination.

Here is a cartoon from Kathy's "For Your Consideration" CD that is hilarious...



Well, the Grammy nominations were just announced and Kathy's on the list!



Perhaps she'll even get to do a duet with mulitple Grammy winner, Madonna (pictured above in a photo released today for her new ad campaign for Louis Vuitton bags).

If there's any way for her to wrangle that...you can bet she'll do everything in her power to make it happen.

Atta Girl.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Prop 8: The Musical!



With a cast that includes Allison Janney, Neil Patrick Harris, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Kathy Najimi, Margaret Cho and Jack Black as "Jesus"...

You know it's gotta be a wee bit enjoyable.

And it weely is.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Merging on Cruise Control



Is there a pre-nup for something like this?

Tom Cruise is to merge his family with Victoria and David Beckham’s in a special ceremony.

The ‘Valkyrie’ actor will hold the bizarre service – during which the families vow to be brothers and sisters and exchange heartfelt speeches - at his wife Katie Holmes’ New York town house.

A source said: “Tom and David have been friends for years and they and their families spend a lot of time together. This year Tom wanted to make a special gesture that would show how much he appreciates their friendship and he thought this would be the perfect way.”

Tom, 46, is also building a replica of the LA Lakers’ Staples Centre basketball court in the Beckhams’ garden for the soccer ace and his sons Brooklyn, nine, Romeo, six, and Cruz, three.

If Tom is this excited about their "family merger" (and all that that implies), Katie better leave the plastic on all of the couch cushions in the house.

And, seriously, Tom's building a replica of the LA Lakers' Staples Center basketball court in the Beckhams garden?!

I hope they were careful when they relocated Victoria's body-snatchers pod (which was thriving out near the begonias).

Those things don't grow well in direct sunlight.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Should I build an Ark?



It horrifies me that people can be so blinded by greed and the urge to "get a deal" that they lose all sense of self-control and revert, in essence...into a pack of wild animals.

By 4:55, with no police officers in sight, the crowd of more than 2,000 had become a rabble, and could be held back no longer. Fists banged and shoulders pressed on the sliding-glass double doors, which bowed in with the weight of the assault. Six to 10 workers inside tried to push back, but it was hopeless.

Suddenly, witnesses and the police said, the doors shattered, and the shrieking mob surged through in a blind rush for holiday bargains. One Wal-Mart worker, Jdimytai Damour, 34, was thrown back onto the black linoleum tiles and trampled in the stampede that streamed over and around him. Others who had stood alongside Mr. Damour trying to hold the doors were also hurled back and run over, witnesses said.

Some workers who saw what was happening fought their way through the surge to get to Mr. Damour, but he had been fatally injured, the police said. Emergency workers tried to revive Mr. Damour, a temporary worker hired for the holiday season, at the scene, but he was pronounced dead an hour later at Franklin Hospital Medical Center in Valley Stream.

Awful.

I'm really starting to think that some of those "the end is near" street prophets are on to something.

Priorities people...

Friday, November 28, 2008

Black Friday



I don't know how people psyche themselves up enough to brave the chaotic crowds at ass-a.m. in the morning just to go shopping. I don't even like to get up early to rush to the bathroom after a long night of drinking. Sometimes...I just chance it and hope that I wake up in a dry bed.

Yet, I know so many people who have the whole shopping day strategically planned out like an air-raid attack.

I'm just gonna relax in the safety of my own home and wait for the "Mauled at the Mall" footage that is bound to show up on the news later this evening.

Now that's entertainment!