Out of Control

VH1 is getting out of control. Let me count the ways. It all started with Flavor Flav -- thank God (for me in many ways coz I love *most of these shows). We had Flavor of Love, then Flavor of Love 2 (both starring the fabulous New York). The VH1 smartly gave New York her own show: I Love New York. Then Brett Michaels joined the bill and had Rock Of Love, which was fantastic. Then the girls from Flavor of Love joined Charm School. Then Flavor Flav tried a third time with Flavor of Love 3. New York got a second go-round with I Love New York 2. Tila Tequila, the whore, tried her shot of love on MTV. Meanwhile Brett Michaels returned with Rock of Love 2. Then to copy the real world road rules challenge, VH1 did I love Money, starring rejects from I Love New York, Flavor of Love, and Rock of Love. Simultaneously New York returned with a new format: New York Goes to Hollywood. Last week Charm School 2 (featuring the Rock of Love girls) premiered (and I loved it). Now just released this week Real Chance at Love (starring Real and Chance from I Love New York and I Love Money) begins, as well as Daisy's Time For Love (featuring the runner up from Rock of Love 2) begins. Good god!!!!!

I love new york, and i love the rock of love girls, but this is getting CRAZY!

Its Britney Bitch!

Britney Spear's video for her new uber catchy single Womanizer is now out! And it is HOT HOT HOT!! This may be the best video she has ever made, no lie. I love the song, I love the video, this time she's actually back! You MUST watch. Follow the link below - because it won't allow me to embed the video onto blog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-23EToh43M

(if it doesnt work - visit vh1.com -- its on there)

Daily Amy: For Nicholas

I recently introduced Nicholas to this vintage Amy song ... everyone enjoy

IMDB's top 50

Movie lists are sometime annoying - in that I honestly cannot agree with most of them. IMDB has compiled its final list of the top 50 films of all time. (Its done by user comments, reviews, star ratings, etc etc). So here it is (and my thoughts)

1. The Shawshank Redemption (couldn't agree less. I actually dont like this movie)
2. The Godfather
3. The Godfather Part II
4. The Dark Knight (certainly this is a joke. I mean it was good .. but awful)
5. Buono il Buono il cattivo (what the hell?)
6. Pulp Fiction (okay!)
7. Schindlers List
8. One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest
9. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
10. 12 Angry Men
11. Casablanca
12. Star Wars
13. Schichihin no Samuri (??)
14. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (eh)
15. Goodfellas (yay!)
16. Rear Window
17. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
18. Ciadad E Duec
19. C'era Una Volta en West
20. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings (eh)
21. The Usual Suspects
22. Psycho (yay)
23. Fight Club (double yay)
24. Silence of the Lambs (triple yay)
25. Dr. Strangelove
26. North By Northwest
27. Momento (wow!)
28. Sunset Blvd.
29. Citizen Kane (didn't they used to list this as #1?)
30. The Matrix (what the hell?!)
31. Wall-E (is this a joke?!!)
32. The Lord of the Rings: Two Two Towers (aaaggg! all three??)
33. It's a Wonderful life
34. Se7en (good)
35. Lawrence of Arabia
36. Apocalypse Now
37. Leon'
38. Taxi Driver
39. American Beauty (yay)
40. American History X (maybe the best on the list)
41. Vertigo
42. Amelie'
43. Paths of Glory
44. M
45. The Departed
46. Forest Gump
47. To Kill a Mockingbird
48. Clockwork Orange
49. Alien (YAAAAAY!!!)
50. Chinatown
---

I dont like this list?!! Where's Magnolia? Pennies from Heaven? Casino?! Requiem for a dream? Tootsie???!

Back from the Dead

Following in line with Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac, Lisa Left Eye Lopes will release her first solo cd, 8 years after her death. The album will feature all "new" "unreleased" material by Left Eye, and guest spots by: Missy Elliott, Lil Mamma, and Tupac Shakur. Yes - 2 dead rappers in one.
I for one am super excited!!

All along it WAS true

Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, officially released a statement saying that Madonna and Guy Ritchie are in fact getting a divorce. AND there was no prenup. So its going to get messy. An "inside source" says: "Guy is a gold digger who was in from the get-go for the money. He forced her to have no prenup. He is nothing more than a wolf in a great sheep outfit!"

And even more shocking today news is flying that Madonna and baseball star Alex Rodriguez "are romantic". Another source adds: "Guy is not involved in this equation. With or without A-Rod, Madonna and Guy haven't been 'together' for over a year - they have been privately separated. Madonna, however, wanted to finish her world tour before divorcing. A-Rod and Madonna are more involved than ever. Alex has really missed spending time with Madonna. However, he understands the position Madonna's in."

All I can say is I am shocked. I didn't believe it for a minute.
Oh well - I wish everyone involved the best.

In less than 24 hours...

In less than 24 hours Nicholas and I could have had a child -- we will celebrate our 9 month anniversary. And I am so excited! I love you Nicholas.

Madonna's Shoes

Madonna attended a premiere of her new movie "Filth and Wisdom" which opened in LA this week. (The movie is actually getting pretty good reviews, and Madonna's directing is being lauded) HOWEVER, her KILLER shoes upstaged everything. Uhm .. I want a pair, just to sit on a shelf. AWESOME

Palin slipping further

Sarah Palin's numbers have been all over the board - but there's no second guessing what they have done over the past 2 weeks - plummeted. When she was tapped as VP candidate by McCain, she was the highest ranked (in popularity among voters) govorner in the US with an 86% approval rating. Then as far as rankings with republicans she was ranked at 77% (higher than McCain) the first few weeks of the campaign. And her first week on the trail she was viewed favorably by 57% of voters (also very high). Fast forward three weeks later, she was no longer pulling such high numbers - even in her own state. It seemed the more the country got to know about her, they turned against her (rightfully so). Most shocking, in Alaska. Whereas she was most popular, she now ranks at a 64% approval rating - a 20% drop. As far as how she is viewed by US voters, she is ranking a miserable 33% approval (over a 40% drop). And folks these numbers keep dropping, thank god. I knew America wasn't stupid.

Hillary on Future Presidency

Hillary Clinton did an interesting interview with Fox news this week. They asked her some questions about her future in politics, and she gave some saddening (to me) answers. When asked on a scale of 1 to 10 how likely would she accept the role of senate majority leader she said: “Oh, probably zero. I’m not seeking any other position than to be the best senator from New York that I can be.” Then when asked if she would join as a member of the supreme court if she was appointed by Obama (which had been rumored), she also said: "No." Then when asked if she would launch another shot at the presidency either in 4 or 8 years (depending on who wins) she said: “Probably close to zero. There’s an old saying: Bloom where you’re planted. That's what I plan to do." --- Do you hear what I hear? That's not a no!! I always wanted Hillary as president and then Barack taking over in 8 years when her two terms were up ... but I could be just as happy having it the other way around!! Either way - I loves ya Hillary.

To Those Who Support McCain

If you support McCain - or you are still undecided ... please visit this webpage:

http://www.hereallysaidthat.com/?clip=5

Daily Amy 2: Bad Snack

Bad news for my girl Amy. She has created a new snack for drug addicts, and apparently has had many parties at her house where she specially makes the treat. She ordered and now owns a cotton candy maker. However she only uses half sugar -- and half cocaine to make the concoction. So in effect she is making cocain cotton candy.

Movie Review: Quarantine

Nicholas and I attended our second (in what shall be a never-ending) movie of the week trip this Sunday. Last week we saw Blindness (the review is on the blog) and we both were glowing about it. This week, my love for horror movies (and my love for his shivers during them) lead us to see Quarantine. I didn't know until after the movie that it was in fact a remake of a film called Rec - from Japan of course. I am now intrigued to see that version as well.

Quarantine starts out pretty awful, I must admit. The story revolves around a reporter from a terrible news station (played by Jennifer Carpenter of The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and her cameraman, whom you never see because he films the entire thing. He is the narrator if you will. Carpenter tries a little too hard to be likable in the beginning and just comes off annoying. Honestly after a while I was ready for something bad to happen to her because she annoyed me so much. Her special report is on the local fire station, so she will be spending a night with the men (no women) of the fire department. It starts off low key, and we get bored watching these people tour the station, be idiotic, and walk in the shower rooms. However when the crew is dispatched to an emergency call at a local apartment complex, the movie finally takes a turn.

Suddenly everything about Quarantine gets better. The acting improves ten fold, as it is apparent that Jennifer Carpenter could be a scream queen (a comedian she is not). She is good at being terrified - and trust me - you will be too. I don't want to give away too much, but this movie just keeps unfolding and gets scarier by the minute. Apparently something has gone awry in the lavish apartment building, and tenants were worried when an elderly woman upstairs was screaming her lungs off, and wouldn't answer the door. The fire department is called in to "rescue" as it would a cat in a tree. However there is something much more sinister going on. And instead of taking the "zombie" road - Quarantine actually makes sense (which is rare and a welcome surprise to this type of horror genre).

When it is obvious that things aren't going to get better, the fire department, news crew, and tenants find themselves locked into the building, in effect in a quarantine so that the terror inside doesn't spread. Then you have about an hour left of the film, and its a non-stop thrill ride. This movie felt like I was on a horrific roller coaster. There's something around every turn, and it is a very uneasy watch. But at the same time its tons of fun. Definitely not for the light hearted, Quarantine packs some gory punches. If your significant other gets scared easily (as mine does) then this is a win win for you in a date situation. You're guaranteed to have him or her in your lap screaming the night away.

I would definately recommend Quarantine, despite its slow start. It is filmed similarly to Cloverfield (which I preferred to this) and has a bit of a Blaire Witch meets Night of the Living Dead vibe, which is always a good thing. If you want a good thrill to prepare for Halloween, then Quarantine is the movie for you.

***1/2 out of *****

Daily Amy: Jam Session

Woah!
This is a video of Amy Winehouse in her home recording studio jamming with some friends. At least she is still trying to make music. Good!

Coming Soon: Julia

NEW TILDA!!!
Here is the trailer for JULIA - the new film starring Tilda Swinton.
Its also playing at this years Chicago International Film Festival!

NO on 8

To all those voting in California elections -- PLEASE VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 8.
This proposition, among other things, will legal ban gay marriage allowing none to take place in California (which just passed a law allowing them). It will also strip gay couples from their marital rights including wealth sharing, and even hospital visitation. It is of the utmost importance to VOTE NO on 8.

The Gurney

This is the AMAZING trailer for my friend and co-star Tiffany's new show - which will open after our show "No Darkness Round My Stone" closes.

Wow this looks right up my alley!

Katie is a STAR!

One of my best friends Katie Carlson is currently in DIRTY DANCING THE MUSICAL in Chicago on its pre-Broadway run. And thanks to her, I get to go see the show tonight, and I am so excited. She plays my favorite character from the movie: Lisa, baby's sister. Here is a an official podcast from the show (with Katie in it), enjoy -- and go support local theatre!

MUST WATCH

IF YOU ARE VOTING (AND YOU BETTER BE) ... YOU MUST WATCH THESE VIDEOS .. NOW

It's Gonna Get Nasty

Tonights debate (the second of three before the election) is going to be a nasty sparring match I am guessing. In a statement from the McCain camp today, this idiotic statement was released: "Sen. John McCain has said he wants to shift the national dialogue away from the ongoing economic crisis and onto Sen. Barack Obama's character."
Of course he does. Stray away from the issue most americans care about right now, and switch it to trashing his opponent. Let's face it, the pressure is on McCain. Both Obama and Biden won their 1st round of debates, and Obama is ahead in every poll nationwide (even those that want to slant McCain ahead). So what does someone do when they are about to lose something very big? Attack attack and attack. (and cheat too)
Good evidence of this attack strategy is that Sarah Palin (the chihuahua in lipstick) called out Obama for his ties to a member of the Weathered Underground (an american based terrorist group in the 60's). However the weird thing about it is, Obama was in their presence when he was 8 years old. Hmmmmmm ....
Just watch and see how much McCain and company lower their "standards" to do just about anything to win this election. Sorry John, I believe its a done deal.

Everyone Hates Palin

Madonna jumped aboard the anti-Palin ship (which is pretty damn packed full as of now) at the opener of her US tour this weekend. Onstage Madonna shouted: "Sarah Palin can't come to my party. Sarah Palin can't come to my show. It's nothing personal. I just can't stand her stupid politics."

Good job Mad! Everyone speak up!

Back together!!

The best news of the day! Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmell are back together!! She will be on his show later this month! Thank goodness they are the cutest things ever.

Daily Amy: "She's fine"

After a horrific week of news including amy's suicide watch, suicide attempt, and the news that her nose might be falling off, a representative from the Winehouse camp has released a statement.

"Don't believe everything you read. Amy is fine."

Hmmmm.... somehow I don't believe that -- but wish it were true.

THIS SHOULE BE ME

Now there is an official Amy Winehouse tribute band. And it should be me not this bitch. Here's her singing at a festival:



and here's me drunk at karaoke as amy

Movie Review: Blindness

Director Fernando Meirelles' film Blindness has had a long struggle to come to the big screen. The rights for the book were hard to come by, then when they finally secured the rights, the film overspent its budget and ran overtime. However with a strong cast and director hopes were high and Oscar buzz was flying around. That is however until the film premiered on opening night at the Cannes film festival. It received mixed to negative reviews, shockingly. It seemed the consensus was Julianne Moore was good - and that was about it. After the disappointing premiere, the director re cut the movie, and the new version opened this past weekend.

I had been excited about Blindness ever since I heard about it. I am a huge Julianne Moore fan, and believe everything she does is golden. She has also been robbed from an Oscar so many times that I was hoping she would have another shot with this film. Plus the idea behind the film, that a sudden epidemic of blindness tears into the world is very intriguing. After a long wait, I finally got to see the film. I must say - don't believe the negative press: this is a great film. The look of it alone is breathtaking, and in many ways it succeeds in putting you in the mind of the characters as it is filmed as if you yourself could be slowly loosing your sight. Where to begin? The performances I suppose. Of course Julianne Moore is good. She's better than good. She's great. I don't know if this is as good as her performance in "Far From Heaven" but thats like comparing oranges and apples. She is astounding and I couldn't imagine anyone else playing the role. She is a doctors wife, who is unexplainable the only woman left who has her sight. She is thrust from housewife into leader role. From tepid housekeeper to brave soldier, and the transformation is exciting to watch. I was pleasantly surprised with Mark Ruffalo, who I have never been a fan of. As Julianne Moore's eye-doctor husband who goes blind, he is really terrific. The always hot Gael García Bernal plays a terrifying villian. But other than these three, no other characters are fleshed out. Danny Glover shows up as Man in the Black Eye Patch, and he does what he can with his limited role. Sandra Oh, who is featured in the trailer, honestly is onscreen for less than a minute. Her character seemed lost in the mist. I wonder why she was even included.

The story revolves around the first "victims" of the blindness epidemic being thrust into a holding camp - which goes from pristine hospital quality to an all out war zone. I won't go into detail because I don't want to ruin any of the surprises in the film. I didn't know where the story was going - and I think its best if you don't either.

The ending of the film left a little to be desired, however I don't know how you would end a film like this successfully. It has made me interested in reading the book, which I suppose any movie version should do. However, for the amazing performance by Julianne Moore, and the beautiful atmosphere of the film, you really shouldn't miss it.

***1/2 out of *****