The Mindy Project

I'm sure every last person on Earth is familiar with The Office, starting Steve Carrell. Well, the woman who played Kelly was also one of the writers for the show, and once it was done she went on to create her own sitcom called The Mindy Project. Her name (you should already know this, guys) is Mindy Kaling. She's also got two books out, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Why Not Me? I've read her first one and it is amazing funny but sadly the second one came out after my kids were both born and I've been a super slow reader since then.

Anyway, The Mindy Project started out on regular network TV but then moved to Hulu. Since it moved, Mindy had a baby (on the show, not in real life) and I'm pleased to report that it didn't ruin the entire show the way adding a baby usually does. It did get REALLY real for a couple of episodes and it made me worry a bit but it ended up being in the best interest of the comedy... which is all I ask out of life! Check it out, pals. Let me know what you think.

Spotlight Saturday - Found Footage 3D

New movie alert! It's called Found Footage 3D and it's so good! It's about a film crew making a found footage movie (in 3D, which is ridiculous, as stated in the movie itself). The crew ends up in an actual haunted house and they all get killed, as is the tradition in found footage movies.

Okay, look. I'm doing a terrible job of describing this movie but it's actually really great. At Fear Fete last weekend I watched about nine different movies and they were all terrible except for two of them. One was this and I'll tell you about the other in a minute.  First though, as a disclaimer I would like to add that I hate found footage movies. They're all garbage, except Blair Witch. And that was only good one time through! But this one is really good and it will stand up over time, I think.

The second movie I liked was a short and it's called Girl #2. I can't find it anywhere online, or even anything about it but it will not disappoint you if you can find it. If you want to find info on Found Footage 3D, it's on IMDb. It's also got a Twitter account, @FoundFootage3D. It's just in film festivals and things like that right now, but if we like, follow, clamor, etc we should be able to get it in theaters eventually. It's actually really good, you guys. Check it out.

Fear Fete

OH
MY
GOSH!!!

You guys.  Did you ever rip the posters out of Bop Magazine, Tiger Beat, Teen Beat, or The Big Bopper or anything? Well, I did.  And I collected them.  I traded them.  I hung up my favorites.  I rotated them out.  They were Serious Freaking Business.  If you ever did that, and especially if it was Serious Freaking Business... and if you ever get the chance to meet one of those boys... even if you're now a 35 year old woman... DO IT.  I can't caps lock that enough.  I should've italicized.  I should've bold faced!  You guys, you have got to take the opportunity if it presents itself.  I met Brandon Adams over the weekend, and even though I promised to play it cool, I freaked the eff out. 

Okay, so like, when you're eleven years old everyone you meet who is your age looks like garbage, basically.  It's a universally awkward stage, from about eleven to fourteen.  Oh, it doesn't last the whole time for everyone, and it's sometimes earlier, sometimes later... sometimes lifelong (just being funny).  But when you're that age and you see someone of the same age who seems impossibly beautiful it's a big deal.  And of course, I know as an adult that is impossibly beautiful, because in real life nobody gets that combination of great genes, great lighting, great stylists, great lenses and filters and great photoshopping in the sixth grade.

At any rate, my hormones were kicking in and my bedroom walls were filling up.  My favorites were -first and foremost, Matthew Lawrence; I still dig him- and then Brandon Adams, Mike Vitar, Jonathan Brandis, Kris Kross, NKOTB, Marques Houston, Macaulay Culkin... and I'm sure some others I don't remember. Point is, one of the ones I do remember, and very clearly, is Brandon Adams (swoon).  When I met him in person over the past two days he was the nicest guy! I seriously reverted back to twelve-year-old, spazzy, squealing Tina and he treated me like a normal person, which must have been a task in itself. And he signed my DVD cover "stay sweet, Cake Eater".  I legitimately got dizzy.  I tend to hyperventilate. *shrug*

After I was done spazzing out (I just realized I could've asked for a hug... what's wrong with me), I walked out of sight around a corner and just... sat.  I don't know how long I sat there staring at the floor but I had to process!  I realized that I'd never really considered those boys real people.  They were impossible people, but my life subtly shifted when I realized they exist.  I shook his hand.  The boy from the poster grew up, like I did, and I physically saw him and touched his hand.  It's surreal.  I mean, I've met celebrities before.  I spent a day hanging out with Jimmie Walker from Good Times once, and that was fun.  But I never had his poster on my wall!  The boys from the posters are a whole different deal.  If you get the chance, do it and please let me know how you felt.  If you've already done it, let me know if you felt the same way.  Plus, as you know, The Mighty Ducks 2 (yes, the sequel for some reason) is one of my ten favorite movies so that added to everything.

Oh, and will someone please, PLEASE explain to me why I kept apologetically repeating that I was a nerd?  Was there really any part of me that thought my awkward social skills, Star Trek dress and Dr Seuss, Star Trek AND Jackson 5 tattoos didn't say that loud and clear?  And why would I even need to apologize for that? Nerds are in right now!  Maybe not us socially awkward ones, but I'm close enough.  Uuuugh.  Whatever.

 Another thing: This is what my hair does in public...

And this is what it does at home at the end of the day

The Best Music of the 80s And 90s

Hey pals, I've been remiss a bit lately but I hope to get back on schedule now, and to add in a regular Tuesday post for about a year. Today, I think the best thing for me to do is let you know what's to come. I've decided that since my favorite thing is lists, I'll do a post or two of lists telling you more about myself. I already gave you a list of my favorite movies and one about my favorite things to watch on Netflix, so I'm trying to come up with some normal things like favorite books and some more unexpected things, like my favorite TV talk show hosts. I'll kick it off today with a list of my favorite music in the late 80s/early 90s. 

In no particular order:

Michael Jackson
NKOTB 
Billy Ray Cyrus (embarrassing)
Tiffany
Debbie Gibson
Kriss Kross 
TLC
Ice T (I had to be really sneaky though)
immature
Bel Biv DeVoe
Boyz II Men
Jodeci
SWV

That's all I can really think of for now. Who am I forgetting, guys? Help me out. 

Brandon Adams

A while back, on my Mighty Ducks post I promised you a Brandon Adams post. The other day... long story... my termite guy mentioned to me that at Fear Fete this year (I mentioned that a few years ago I missed Tony Todd at Fear Fete) the cast of The People Under the Stairs will be there. It's a really good movie and guess what? BRANDON ADAMS IS IN IT!!! So after my near-meltdown over missing Tony Todd I've decided that wild horses couldn't keep me away this year. Let me tell you a bit about Brandon Quintin Adams, as IMDB knows him... not me, though. I'm on a first name basis with him. Well, a first and last name basis. Basically, I'm too lazy to add the middle name. Whatever. 

So let's start at the beginning, shall we? And let's save the best for first. Best of all, besides The Mighty Ducks and D2 of course, is a movie called Polly: Comin Home. Not the one about the parrot, this one is the black version of Pollyanna. Keshia Knight Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad from The Cosby Show are also in that movie, along with a zillion other stars. It's a musical, so he sings and dances and sets little ten-year-old hearts aflame. In fact, if you really want to see him dance his way to the honor seat of my little-kid heart, just watch Moonwalker. He was a little MJ and he Moonwalked and everything. Super cute. 

Then came the 90s, with stills of him from The Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks pulled from Bop (or whatever magazine) decorating my little bedroom walls. Here in the 90s is roughly where I saw The People Under the Stairs, which actually came out in '88. I really liked it, I like scary movies. Which brings us to Fear Fete. Watch for that post in late October!

Hamilton

Hiya, pals! This Thursday I'm going to give you a little peek into my life at the moment. My life is mostly comprised of Hamilton lyrics right now, so that should be easy enough.  In case you're not familiar with Hamilton (are you seriously trying to tell me you're not riveted by the founding of the US Treasury Department?), let me explain. The most sought-after ticket in Broadway history is this hip hop/rap/show tune mashup that features amazingly talented minority actors portraying our founding fathers and their loved ones. I feel like I held out as long as I could, because I didn't want to listen to the soundtrack before I'd seen the show, but that thing has been sold out since before it opened, with no end in sight, so I just went ahead and listened to it. Then I waited as long as I could -maybe two weeks- and I bought it online. I mean... I had to. 

My house the minute the discs came in

If you know me at all by now, you've guessed that the part that impresses me the most is the writing. Lin-Manuel Miranda is this amazing story teller and lyricist who actually described the title character as "handsome, and boy does he know it..." AND THEN HE CAST HIMSELF. That's guts, folks. Good thing he pulls it off, eh? They spend a lot of time complimenting his eyes, and okay. Yeah, I can see that. You win this round, Miranda! But you're on thin ice! Just kidding, but they really are gorgeous eyes, though. My favorite song in the soundtrack is Helpless, and there's one line where Eliza says that she's trying not to cry because there's nothing that Hamilton's mind can't do, and it occurs to me every time I hear it to wonder if Lin-Manuel Miranda's wife Vanessa spends a lot of her time trying not to cry because there's nothing that her husband's mind can't do. It certainly seems like she would feel that way, and I hope she does. In fact, that's the way I feel about my husband, and it's something that I can genuinely say that I wish for everyone. It's a wonderful way to spend life. 

Oh. Too sappy? Sorry about that. Back to Hamilton. Anyway, if you buy the music, you get the whole show. There's not really any speaking; it's all in the songs. I feel qualified to pick a favorite character, just from the soundtrack and definitely, easily, this is King George. He sings a kind of beautiful, joyous love song to America that includes the phrase, "I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love! La da da da daaa..." I mean, just go find it. And give Say No to This your undivided attention. Let me know what you think. 

Star Trek 50th Anniversary

Today is the 50th anniversary of the first time Start Trek ever aired. I haven't been a Trekkie long, but I've definitely crossed a line somewhere along the way into fanaticism. I wrote about Trek before a time or two, and if you've read them you know all about it, with one exception. Drumroll, please... I got a new tattoo! 

Don't mind me, I stand on chairs for weird leg photos

You may recognize that design from Captain Kirk's mug in Start Trek Beyond. I've been trying to find a licensed version of that mug to buy, but I don't think there is one. I don't like the idea of buying a knockoff of something fairly priced (but if you can find me a high quality Louis Vuitton knockoff, hit up that comment box!). Since I can't find a real one, I'm looking for a good reproduction of that mug. I've seen a lot of them pop up but the cup itself is usually the wrong shape. If you make a good one or know who does, make sure to comment below. 

The real reason I've called you here today, though, is because I'd love to find out who actually designed that image in the first place. Please pass this along to anyone you can think of, who might know or even if you think they'd know who to ask. I want to let the artist know how much I love it. If it was my design, I'd love to see it inked onto someone. Thanks, pals. I'd really appreciate it!

Stranger Things

Alright, you've seen Stranger Things, right? If there one thing I love it's a Netflix original, and this one doesn't disappoint. It's about these three kids who try to find their friends after he disappears walking home from a day of D&D. They team up with a telekinetic girl named Eleven (a terrifying implication, because where are the other ten?) and try to find and defeat the Demogorgon. 

The best part is the pure nostalgia of it. If you were kicking around in the 80s you'll see a lot of things that will bring you right back. The props and set dressings aren't the kinds of things they used in 80s movies, they're the kinds of things normal people really had in their houses. What I call the 'grandma couch'... that brown couch with the wagon wheel and flowers... you know the one; that's the kind of thing you'll see. They've even got Winona Ryder, arguably one of the best parts of the 80s. She's really great and gives an amazing performance but the real stars are the kids. I didn't really have a favorite kid while watching the show because they're all legitimately talented actors. But since I've finished, I've seen this video:

This kid's been a Broadway star for years now and he's seriously got some pipes! His name is Gaten Matarazzo (no relation to Heather Matarazzo from The Princess Diaries). If you look him up on YouTube you can find tons of videos of him singing, and they're all wonderful. Here's my favorite:

It's great. Click it, you'll love it. Let me know what you think down below. 

The Princess Diaries

Ya know Julie Andrews? Perfect and beautiful, right? Guys, I know. 
I KNOW! 
And when I saw The Princess Diaries I first noticed Anne Hathaway, who's gone on to become a household name. I've seen most of her movies and watched grow up on-screen since then. I think even still, I mostly love her much because of that bushy hair in this movie!  

My own bushy hair

Really, I loved that movie so much that when I heard a sequel was coming I was absolutely delighted! Only, here's the thing: I was deployed to Oahu, Hawaii when it was released, and that happened to be the very week that my mom and her friend (of the moment) came to visit me. Without mentioning the movie, I offered to send them on a nice luau date. Nobody wants their daughter on a Hawaiian date night, so I got to watch The Princess Diaries 2 on opening night! I felt like Heather Matarazzo (who played 'the best friend', Lily, in the first one, and who was really important to the story) kinda deserved more screen time, but it was very responsible of them to make her a good student, so it is what it is. The movie was still amazing and every bit as good as the first one, which is rare for a sequel. The highlight of the whole thing for me was watching Julie Andrews sing. It wasn't a big, juicy song but it just felt like a big, warm, Mary Poppins hug!

Which is what every movie should aspire to. 

Even the scary ones. 

That was a joke. 

Milli Vanilli

I actually have kind of a story about Milli Vanilli. As you probably all know by now, I grew up in a very hot climate, in the desert of southern California. I don't remember the heat really bothering me too badly as a kid, but I went back for a visit when I was 17 or 18 and it literally felt like I was being baked. I honestly felt like I was becominging cooked meat. We had moved to the Oregon coast and didn't need air conditioning in our car there, so my mom had bought a car without A/C and we never missed it... until we drove it to California. Even with all four windows down all the way it was intolerable. It was just like being blasted with hot air and it was no fun for me. 

Rewind a bit to 1990. One time we left a few of our tapes in the car over the weekend. That was a terrible idea. The tape part was okay, the part that actually has music on it (kids, you'll want to google that). But the plastic cassette part was, at one point, obviously liquid. Milli Vanilli was ruined! Now who were we supposed to blame it on? Nobody knew! So we took two tapes apart and combined them so that the Achy Break Heart tape, or whatever actually played Milli Vanilli. It was pretty smart. Later, as a teenager I found the same tape at a thrift store for a quarter or something. My friend Michelle and I blasted it in her Camaro with the T tops off. So much fun!

Thanks, Michelle. You're a blast!

The Rosie O'Donnell Show

In the 90s, I had a favorite TV show, which came on after school, so I had to rush home to catch it every day.  I was completely hooked on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and I never missed it if I could help it. I loved the opening theme song (which had a different line at the end each day), I loved all the guests that she had on and I loved her Koosh Ball shooter!  I even loved her complete obsession with Tom Cruise, even though it was way too much and I've never even liked Tom Cruise.  I loved it because I can DEFINITELY relate to being 'too much' when it comes to fangirling.  'Too much' is like my natural state. 

When I was a senior in high school (1999 this was), my drama club went on a field trip to New York to watch plays on Broadway.  While I was there I started my coffee cup collection, and I came home with close to a dozen souvenir mugs.  It's strange, but somehow I've ended up with around 100 coffee cups (I would've guessed 50 but I just counted them and... WOW.) but the only one left from that trip is my Rosie Show mug.

Here it is!

The reason that show occurs to me now is because my favorite episode ever was the one where Kerri Strug, who basically won the Olympics that year, came on.  My sister and I were watching the Olympics the night Kerri Strug won our country the gold by totally nailing her second vault... after she'd BROKEN HER ANKLE on the first try.  I watched the medal ceremony bawling that night.  I watched Kerri Strug on Rosie bawling later on.  I watched her on a lot of shows and interviews and documentaries, bawling every time.  And now that there's YouTube, I watch that vault over and over again and cry every time.  It's what ridiculous old ladies do, right? Seriously though, I cry over everything.  I really do.  And every time I think of the Olympics, Rosie O'Donnell, gymnastics or anyone named Kerri, Carrie or Cary I push back an urge to tear up.  Because that is easily the best feel-good story I've ever heard, and I watched it unfold in real time.  Then the heroine went on my favorite show and talked about it.  That was a good year.

Avi Kaplan

Well, this post was supposed to go up yesterday but I figure my follower will forgive me (I got big jokes). Today let's discuss Avi Kaplan.  He's one of the members of Pentatonix, and here's what happened: The other day I was listening to music but my phone doesn't go very loud.  I put YouTube up on TV so I could hear it all over the house while I cleaned.  As I walked past on one of my trips, I got distracted (my natural state) and watched a minute or two of a music video.  This popped up:

In the midst of a perfectly normal day, this face is startlingly attractive.  It was, like... jarring.  I enjoyed it.  Now you can, too. 

Candyman

I'd like to share with you quickly a little bit about my relationship with scary movies. As I mentioned, I started reading Stephen King when I was nine years old, and I've been watching horror since long before then. As an adult, not many scary movies can keep my heart racing all the way to the end but when I was a kid I was much easier to hold. I've always loved being frightened by movies, and I've always kind of chased that high of being terrified to turn the light off bedtime. If you've read my posts up to now (particularly this one) you'll know that the town I grew up in was an hour from civilization in the two closest directions so I can literally count on one hand the movies that I saw in theaters between '86 and '92. Candyman, Death Becomes Her, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Who Framed Roger Rabbit are the only ones that come to mind. Of those four, only one left me terrified at bedtime, and as a matter of fact I was terrified at all times! Even though I was plenty old enough to have been jaded about the genre in general, I guess seeing it on the big screen really affected me and I was scared enough to even pee with the door cracked open for probably a full week. It remains the most afraid I've ever been of a movie and it holds a very dear place in my heart. 

Now. Recently I discovered Tony Todd, the Candyman himself, is on Twitter. I followed him immediately and tried to come up with some way to put all of this information into 140 characters but before I could, I found that he's one of the celebrities who follows the fans who follow him! Obviously, he doesn't know me from Adam on Twitter but still... he followed me! He's my Twitter follower and he seems to read fan tweets often. This is a big day for me and I'm going to use it wisely! He's getting a link to this post in addition his fan letter, and hopefully he'll read it. Keep checking back on Twitter, folks! I just may receive a mention!

Demi Lovato

Hey, pals.  I have a question for you.  Have you ever listened to Demi Lovato?  Because I hadn't until recently.  I hadn't heard anything bad about her or anything, it's just that I'm 35 years old and it had never occurred to me to give her a try.  Then one night on James Corden (I watch the show the next day because who can stay up that late?) she sang Stone Cold.  You guys, it was simply gorgeous.  Her voice was beautiful and the lyrics, which she co-wrote, were touching.  Every once in a while I find myself Googling that video to listen to while I do whatever I'm doing.  I'll link it here and let you all judge for yourselves.  Gimme those comments down below, folks!  Let me know if you like it too.

Dr Seuss

One of the fairly obvious things about me is that I love kids.  I've taught preschool and kindergarten, I've worked at summer day camp, I've got my own two boys and I'm obviously a bit obsessed with kids' books and movies.  As I'm sure everyone on the planet knows, kids love being read to.  My favorite books to read aloud to kids are Dr Seuss books.  The rhymes fit perfectly in my mouth and the silly topics and made-up words make it just that much more fun.  The absolute best one to read is Green Eggs and Ham.  I like to start out pleasant and polite, but get progressively more annoyed and upset.  The kids get all worked up and they really invest in the story.  It's so much fun! Today I'll leave you with a few pictures of my arm to look at.  I've got some Seuss ink that I hope you enjoy.  It goes over really well with little kids!

All this work was done at Eternal Buzz in Huntingtown, Md

I don't think that's a thing anymore.

Now You See Me 2

A few years ago I saw Now You See me because a friend invited me and as a mom with a new baby, I hadn't been out of the house much.  I went and saw it, asking during the previews what it was about, and I ended up really liking it.  When I saw that there was going to be a sequel coming out on the exact weekend of my anniversary, I knew I had to see it.  Actually, to be honest, I held out hope up until about 9:00 the night before that my husband would agree to go to our local community theater to watch The King and I.  He wouldn't.  But last year we spent our anniversary there watching The Sound of Music, so I guess it was his turn to pick.  I actually loved the sequel a lot more than I liked the original! And I even learned a couple of things.  First, I think it's obvious that Woody Harrelson is an actual hypnotist because he was never a 'Dave Franco' and now he's aging but I'd still... you know... give him the time of day.  And second, Harry Potter grew up HOT!  It's the beard and the eyelashes.  I'm a sucker for em.  This is something I know about myself.  Also, he was the shortest one in the movie.  That's kind of my thing. 

*sigh* So hot. 

Anyway, my recommendation is that you get out there and see that movie.  It's really great.  It even has Lizzy Caplan from Mean Girls! Extra fun!  And the part I was hoping for was a Hogwarts reference.  It's there, if you pay attention.  Watch and see. 

Beauty and the Beast

Hey pals, how do you chose your favorite Disney movie? Some people pick a favorite character, a strong storyline or a good moral.  I 100% choose by which songs I like the best.  So, while my favorite Disney movie is obviously Mulan (I mean, you've heard those songs, right?), the next best is Beauty and the Beast.  I guess it's been vaulted for awhile and I've been searching for it everywhere.  I had it on VHS but that doesn't help anyone anymore, so I tried to find it on DVD for less than it cost to make the movie in the first place.  It was slow going and it almost never happened.  My friend Marci has an eBay shop and it requires her to go to yard sales every single weekend.  My other friend Andrea has been (unbeknownst to me) reminding her for at least five years, but maybe closer to ten that I was looking for that movie, and a few weeks ago, she found it!  I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally have that movie and all the bonus features on the second disk!  You may not have known this, but Cogsworth was played by David Ogden Stiers, who was Winchester on M*A*S*H.  Such an adorable little clock he was, too! 

Finally... my precious.

So, hey.  Tell me this.  Does anyone remember in the 90s when McDonalds was selling and giving out those tapes in the Happy Meals?  The one I got was Buddy Songs and it included You've Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story and Candle on the Water from Pete's Dragon.  Well, it also had The Gaston Song from Beauty and the Beast, and I don't even know how many times I rewound that tape to hear that song!  It's definitely my favorite from that movie and I dissolve into laughter when I hear these lines from after the main song is over:

Lefou, I'm afraid I've been thinking.

A dangerous pastime.

I know.

If that's not comedic genius, what is?

Saturday Spotlight: Borganix

It's been quite awhile since I found something new (or just new to me) that I cared about and actually enjoyed enough to write a Saturday Spotlight about.  This weekend, I'd like to share some music with you, but let me start at the beginning.  My friend from high school used to be in this band that was named after him, called Unkle Nancy and the Family Jewels.  Look them up on YouTube for a good time.  In particular, if you can find anything from an album called Lovely... you've found some amazing work that I can't get enough of.  Lyrics like, "I want you to know me like the sun knows the sky" are what make that album for me.  But then Unkle Nancy's health needed some attention so not a lot of new music came from the guys for a good long time.

Me listening to Unkle Nancy in Berlin

Now, my friend and a couple of his friends, Marv Ellis Daddy-yo and met diggy are working together to bring us something new.  Both the sound and the medium are pretty unusual, but really pretty great.  The sound is a mix of everything, but in a good way.  They found a way to mix kind of alternative with rap and add a flute without sounding insane or like total wankers (because I watch a lot of British TV).  The music is hot, the lyrics are hot (and explicit; it's rap) and the guys need our help to take it to the masses.  Instead of trying to release a traditional album, which they've already successfully done, so why beat that dead horse? they're going to release a series of podcasts called Borganix.  I'll post a link to their Gofundme and here's what I need from you: just click the link, read the description and listen to the music.  If you like it and feel like donating, knock yourself out, then share it with your friends.  If you can't drop some spange, it's cool and if the music isn't your style that's cool too.  Either way I'm just saying, try to think of a friend who might like the tunes and share, share, share!  Don't pressure anyone to donate, but do give them a little nudge until they listen.  I think a lot of people will like it, so let's get the music out there!  Thanks, pals!  Here's that link: https://www.gofundme.com/borganix

I Was Vermeer

Hey pals, I don't only have favorite movies and TV shows. I'm like, way cultured, too! Well... I have a favorite painting, anyway. It's called The Girl With The Pearl Earring and it's by Johannes Vermeer. It hangs in a museum in Holland called Mauritshuis (which I've actually been to). It's forbidden to take pictures there, so please take a moment to view a picture of me with the painting.

What a lot of people don't know about Vermeer is that when he was young, his style was much different than what he became famous for, and that there's no appreciable link connecting the early work to his later style. Early on in the last century there was a very talented and inventive artist named Han van Meegeren who created a series of paintings that mixed the two styles and he very successfully passed the paintings off as authentic Vermeers. He became filthy rich, swindled the Nazis and eventually found himself in court trying to prove that he HAD actually forged priceless works of art and become almost limitlessly wealthy selling them. It's a long and tangled story that's a whole lot of fun to read about. 

The book I learned all this from is I Was Vermeer by Frank Wynne. There's a little section of photos in the middle, like you get with some biographies. There are quite a few pictures and they all help to tell the story. The art history is fascinating and the man himself was really an interesting guy with an unbelievable life. I hope you all check it out, and that you love it as much as do. Happy reading!

Fame

Here's another movie from my top ten list: Fame. It's a musical, because I'm a nerd, and it's from the 80s because I'm old.  If you haven't seen it yet, shame on you, but luckily I can tell you a little about it (including where to find it.  Here.).  Since it came out in the same year that I did, I feel like I've seen it at every stage in my life, from young childhood when I didn't understand much except broad strokes and that the music and dancing were super fun, to my teen years when all I knew was Leroy, played by Gene Anthony Ray may he rest in peace, to the adult phase of my life when I realized that my mom had wisely shown me the edited-for-TV version when I was a kid, because there is a pretty intense scene with a sexually predatory character that definitely needs a trigger warning.  If all you know of Irene Cara is the songs Fame or What A Feeling from the radio, you can definitely see that she's a hugely talented actress from this movie, particularly that scene. 

I mean...

I may be doing things a little differently this week by detailing SO MANY different characters, but you've got to understand that I've seen this movie so many times that these people are my friends, albeit imaginary friends.  I have hung out with them, sang with them, laughed with them, cried with them and wondered about their futures, their careers and their families.  I love those characters, like you should when writers, actors, directors and the rest of the crew have done their jobs so perfectly.

I'll start with Bruno Martelli, who has somehow always been my favorite character.  With most movies, my favorite character changes every few years as I do.  But Lee Curerri's character always stays my favorite, year in and year out.  He was in the TV series, too, although I remember that I watched it, but I don't actually remember watching it.  I was really young.  I think what I like about Bruno is that he genuinely has the most natural talent of the group.  He works, he learns, he creates... and he's the best.  He lacks in confidence and ambition, which are maybe more important than talent, but his father has the best line in the movie, in my opinion.  Bruno and his father are arguing about Bruno's seeming disinterest in being well-known or winning awards or creating any kind of career.  Bruno says that maybe he'll never get famous until after he's dead and the awards will go to his ghost.  Mr Martelli says, "Does your mama cook and clean and wear old clothes for a ghost? A ghost, Bruno? Elton John's mama's got three mink coats!"  FYI, whenever I want my kids to do something with their lives, like when I tell The Villain to be a doctor, I always think, "Elton John's mama's got three mink coats!"

Maureen Teefy plays Doris Finsecker, and Doris is just so great!  All she wants is to be destined for bigger things.  She lives her life surrounded by people with the right look, the most talent and great connections and she sees how easy it is to mess things up, even in the best of conditions.  I like to think of Doris in her mid-thirties winning Tony awards and living in the kind of comfort that it's hard to come by as an actor.  It's important to me to see her that way.  Her boyfriend, Ralph Garcie was played by Barry Miller.  He is an amazing actor and I've shed plenty of tears over Ralph and his struggles.  I imagine his career going just like River Phoenix's, and his life ending tragically and far too soon as well.  It's not what I want for Ralph Garcie, but it's all too easy to trace his path in that direction.

Lastly, if you're an ER fan from the 90s (I'm not, but I think I'm the only one who was around back then and never saw it), you're already pretty familiar with Paul McCrane, who plays Montgomery McNeil.  He's a sweetheart of a character who mostly lived on his own in New York City because his mother was a famous actress and her plays took her all over the country touring.  His father wasn't around, so as young as a high school Freshman he was basically a 24-hr latchkey kid with nobody to answer to except Dr Golden, his therapist.  It seems like a horrible way to grow up, but often that produces the best art, you know?  And bonus fact, Paul McCrane- the actor, not the character- actually wrote a song for the movie.  It's called Is It Okay If I Call You Mine? and this is a link to it on YouTube.  It's beautiful.  Go listen to it now.  Because I'm done here.  Go.

Fablehaven

Hey there, pals! Long time no see.  I've been a bit sick and pretty busy, so my posts have been a little hit or miss (and this one should've posted yesterday), but now I'm back and I've got good news: I have a book series recommendation for you!  Hooray, right? It's a five-book series about two kids who go to visit family for the summer and discover that their grandparents' wildlife preserve is actually a preserve for magical creatures like fairies, centaurs, demons and even a witch or two.  The older sister, Kendra, is the honest, reliable one and her little brother, Seth, is well-meaning but impossible to harness.  He takes rules and commands more like suggestions and as a result he causes lots of problems, but by far not all of them.  He's also the one willing to take the biggest risks to solve problems and no spoilers, but he's easily my favorite character in the series.  I definitely like his storylines the best.  Well written, Brandon Mull.

Let me also say quickly that I read a lot of YA novels and that's only partially because I'm an aspiring YA novelist.  My main reason for choosing YA is because they often focus more on the adventure, and if there's any romance it's usually secondary(Twilight doesn't count).  Plus, I prefer the quick, satisfying pace used for teens.  I have two small children running around my house and I don't have time to devote six weeks to analyzing imagery for hours on end.  So if you haven't tried Young Adult novels since you were a young adult, maybe give them another try.  Fablehaven is a great place to start.

Check at your local library (since there are FIVE in the series and a companion book coming in Oct '16) or buy them all here or at any bookstore, Target, etc.

Alright, pals, here's the interactive portion of the post.  Drop on down to that little comment box and let me know what you think of YA novels and if you have a favorite.  And no shame if it's Twilight, I liked them too!

Ken Burns

This week I'm sending a letter, not on my own behalf, but on my husband's.  He loves documentaries; we both do.  While I don't have a favorite documentarian, he definitely does.  He loves Ken Burns and has even said that he's a personal hero.  Burns has produced 32 documentaries, so I'm not going to list them all, but I have watched a handful of them with my immortal beloved, and I've seen some more than once.  The ones that stick out to me are my husband's favorites and I've watched them... well, we'll just say I've watched them enough that I really should know more on the subjects than I do.  The favorites are Baseball, The War, The Civil War and his extra special two, Prohibition and The Roosevelts.  Now, these are all series or miniseries, so I have really spent a lot of time with Ken Burns.  I feel confident that if one man in America knows more history than anyone else, it's definitely him.  What I'll do is find the fan mail address and send a SASE in order to really guarantee an autograph for my dude but remember: It's a surprise.  Don't tell him!  

immature

Hey, everyone!  Remember a music group called immature?  Yes, I left that uncapitalized on purpose.  Apparently immature was the e.e. cummings of preteen 90s R&B.  Actually, if you don't remember them (unforgivable), you may remember Marques Houston from his role on Sister, Sister.  It was a show about two twin sisters who had been adopted at birth by separate families and the stars were Tia and Tamera Mowry.  If you don't remember THAT, then you are probably a small child, but it's okay.  Check the show out on YouTube.  You kids can find anything on there.  So watch the show, taking special note of the next-door neighbor, Roger.  The twins always said, in unison, "go home, Roger!" every time he came over trying to hit on them.  I personally had a giant crush on him, but what else is new?  I have no type and I love EVERYONE.  That's just me.

Anyway, Marques Houston was also in this singing group called immature and for some reason his name in the group was Batman.  They all had real names, obviously, but they also had nicknames or group names or something and the other two were LDB and Romeo.  These three kids were, besides being cute for little girls to look at, legitimately talented singers.  Again, make your way over to YouTube and look them up.  Here, I'll post a link this time.  Here.  Really good, right?   I'm not even kidding, I listened to them SO MUCH!  I totally had their Bop posters on my wall, too.  I loved them, even if all their songs were slow jams.  So, listen.  What other groups like them can you think of?  I remember Soul For Real and 3T, and they were so great!  Also Kriss Kross were kids, but they did rap so that's kind of a different category. I loved them too, though.  More on that later, maybe.  Comment and subscribe, ladies and gents.  You don't want to miss a word of this blog, believe me!

The Mighty Ducks

When I was a kid, I never watched hockey.  I had literally never seen a game, or even a portion of a game when I watched the Mighty Ducks movies.  In fact, the first time I ever saw even a bit of hockey besides those movies was at age 20, when I saw the local minor league team in the city I'd moved to. Guys, if you've been in that situation, you know that the movies offer nothing by way of education about the rules, which are actually really complicated.  As I discovered.

Anyway, those movies were for sure my favorites of the 90s.  The best of the three is number two, and since I lived in a city with a $1 movie theater, I saw it on the big screen about ten times.  True story.  Now I have them all on DVD, but they've been all over the world with me and they're all scratched up and they skip and I think one of them doesn't even work anymore and MY LIFE IS SO HARD!!!

***Edit*** When I took them to get signed my Brandon Adams I remembered that about five years ago my husband had bought me new copies and they all work beautifully.  Thank goodness I didn't have to haul out the garbage ones to get signed!

Sorry.  Please accept this picture of my in my Goldberg jersey at approx. 15 months pregnant.

I know you're expecting this from me, because it's kind of a theme, so here's the list of my crushes from those movies: Mike Vitar (more on The Sandlot later), Brandon Adams (probably a whole POST on him later), Aaron Lohr (the bigger Bash Brother), Justin Wong (Wu Wu Wu Kenny Wuuuuuuuu!) and Emilio Estevez (of course).  This proves conclusively that I have NEVER had a 'type'.

So here's the story.  There's this real unethical jerk of a lawyer who gets a DUI and has to take a leave of absence from work and do community service.  He's assigned the job of coaching peewee hockey, since he was this big peewee star as a kid, but when he gets to practice, he finds the biggest hockey nightmare ever.  He takes over, makes them champs, and then continues to coach them into two more movies.  And he does you-know-what with the star player's mom.  Like ya do.  Spoilers, but these movies are almost 25 years old so... you should've seen them by now, to be honest.  If you haven't, get on it.  Now.

Saturday Spotlight: Stupid Game Show Answers

Short post today, but a good one!  There's a channel on YouTube called Stupid Game Show Answers and I LOVE IT!!! It's all these montages of the worst and funniest answers given by contestants on game shows.  Here are my two favorites:

Q: Name something at the grocery store that you squeeze before you buy it.

A: Peanut Butter.

Q: In what month of pregnancy does a woman begin to look pregnant?

A: September.

Okay, maybe it's not as funny in writing, but I swear the videos are hilarious!  Click here to watch!

The Cosby Show

First off, I know.  You don't need to argue with me because I already agree with you.  I'm not here to tell you how I feel about the show now, I'm here to tell you how I felt about it 30 years ago.  So, you know.  Consider me disclaimed.

Alright, where to start?  I'm mixed.  My dad's black and my mom's white, so I'm mixed, see?  Well, when I was about six, my parents split up and I moved from living with my dad's side of the family to living with my mom's side in a tiny, wretched little town where there were basically no other black people (see the horrific ghost town here).  While I lived there, until the era of In Living Color, the only black people on TV that I knew of were the Huxtables.  I'm right between the ages of Vanessa and Rudy, so I fit comfortably into their family and I loved to hang out with them.  I wanted to be Denise so badly, and wouldn't you know it... she turned out to be the rebellious one.  I also know that a lot of people had crushes on Theo, but I never understood that.  Well, not until years later when I saw Malcolm Jamal Warner all grown up.

Okay, now I get it.

My favorite thing about watching The Cosby Show was seeing how rich people lived.  It seemed like they were all intelligent, healthy and well-adjusted which you don't get a lot of in small towns.  It was totally fascinating.  I miss watching it and I miss the warm fuzzies it used to give me.

Side note: Phylicia Rashad and Keshia Knight Pulliam were in a movie called Polly together, which I will undoubtedly write about at some point.  Check back often to see.  Or better yet, click the subscribe button and never miss a post.  And comment to let me know if you'd rather see that one sooner rather than later.

Haven

One of the shows I've gotten into lately is Haven.  Funny story about that.  The show is loosely based on a Stephen King story called The Colorado Kid.  I got all the way into the third season of Haven wondering when they were going to reference the book before I finally looked it up online.  Turns out I haven't actually read that story.  I was thinking of Blockade Billy THE WHOLE TIME.  If you're familiar with those two stories, you're definitely cackling at me right now. 

So, the show is not about a minor league baseball team.  It's about a town near Derry, Maine where tragic supernatural things happen.  The things are called 'the troubles' and the people who make them happen (usually unintentionally) are 'troubled' people.  I'm not finished with the series yet but it seems that there's only one person who can fix everything but she doesn't know how to, or even who she is.  That's quite the obstacle, as you can imagine.  It's originally a Syfy show but I watch it on Netflix, as I mentioned here.  Check it out.

What To Expect/Your Best Birth

When I was expecting my first baby, The Bookworm, I did what everyone does; I read What to Expect When You're Expecting.  It turns out there's a website, a mobile app, more than one verified Twitter account, a Facebook Page and a whole series of books.  If you're pregnant and enjoying the book, let me recommend that you go over to Facebook and like Heidi Murkoff's Page. She actually goes online a lot and interacts with everyone.  The most impressive thing (maybe in the world) is how much she remembers about people individually.  I mentioned once that I would like her to speak at the Air Force Base near me and months later when I commented on a completely unrelated post, she mentioned it again.  She seems to remember names and faces and stories and entire families that she's never even met, or only met once at an event full of hundreds of people.  I'm telling you, I don't know her but I love her to death.

More important, though, if you're nervous about labor or birth is a book called Your Best Birth by Rikki Lake and Abby Epstein.  You probably recognize Rikki Lake's name from TV and movies.  Yep, that's her.  In fact, there's a movie version.  It's a documentary called The Business of Being Born and it's on Netflix.  The book outlines all of your options, which is fabulous for us Americans because all they tell us is to either schedule a C-section or order the epidural before you even pee on the stick.  This book made me feel empowered (as much as that word's overuse makes me roll my eyes) and it took my nerves away.

If you go the hippie route, I suggest you check out every book Ina May Gaskin wrote.  My favorites are Spiritual Midwifery and Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding.  

For parenting advice, check out one of my older posts, here.

Me, with a month still left to go baking The Villain

 
What to Expect on Twitter:

What To Expect- https://twitter.com/WhatToExpect
WTE Pregnancy- https://twitter.com/PregnancyWTE
WTE Baby- https://twitter.com/BabyWTE
WTE Toddler- https://twitter.com/ToddlerWTE

ABBA

When I was pregnant with The Bookworm, I read somewhere that if you play a song to your tummy a zillion times, then that song will become your baby's soothing night-night song.  I have this little "Quiet Moment" song that I used to sing with my class when I taught kindergarten that's only about four lines long, and during both of my pregnancies I sang or hummed that song most of the time when I was alone, sometimes under my breath and sometimes just as loud as I could.  Thing is, when I get a new CD, that's all I want to listen to for a good long while, and when I got ABBA Gold I listened to it all through my pregnancy.

Here's the album cover.  I grabbed it from Wiki.

Then one day when The Bookworm was a few weeks old and Mama Mia came on TV, he stopped fussing and actually listened to the songs.  He also hated the car, but when I played ABBA he'd drop right off to sleep.  Even after he was a toddler, if he fought naptime all it took was about half of Dancing Queen and he was down for the count.  I simply cannot tell you how many times those Swedes saved my sanity! Now, because my kids are less than two years apart, The Villain obviously heard a lot of ABBA in utero also.  I didn't even think anything of it, but when I tried my Quiet Moment song, it once again did absolutely nothing.  ABBA once again saved the day.  I tried lots of things, too!  My guys are both named after musicians and I tried the music they were named for to no avail.  I have a list of beloved favorites, and so does my husband but those didn't work either.  It was always, only ABBA.  And I'm not talking about, "He's fussy and now he's calm."  It was instant sleep every time!  Of course, they're older now and it doesn't work anymore, but for a good three years or more, I owed a huge debt of gratitude to those four, and it's about time I finally got around to sending them a nice thank-you note!

Click here to watch my favorite ABBA song on YouTube!

Nikki Bazan (Major Superstar)

It's my sister's birthday.  She's obviously a major superstar and I can hear what you're all thinking: "What kind of movies does Nikki like?  You know her, you've GOT to tell us!"  Alright, calm down, I'll tell you.  Books and TV shows, too.  But you've got to be patient.  First, here she is relaxing at home. 

Wait, I think that's a TMZ photo...

As you can see, she likes to joke around, but please don't testify in court that I posted this picture or the judge will let her off scot free.

Anyway, back to what you wanted to know.  What does she read?  What does she watch?  Basically... not the same things as me.  She likes to read Nicholas Sparks, which is NOT my style, but I can't really say much.  I've never actually read one of his books and they might be wonderful.  I have seen The Notebook, although I never thought I'd ever mention it on this blog.  I like to keep this blog only to things that I like, and The Notebook is my #1 least favorite movie of all time.  I've given it a lot of thought, and that's what it is.  The Notebook.  So... yeah.

Nikki likes some TV shows that I dig, though.  Like, she recommended Supernatural to me and I'm totally loving it!  I actually started Merlin, then got distracted by Supernatural... then got distracted by Haven.  But someday I'll finish one of them.  Probably.

When I asked her what her favorite movie was, she said October Sky but listen, I grew up with her.  I can tell you her exact progression of favorite movies.  You know how kids get obsessed with one movie at a time and just watch that every day, as many times as you'll let them?  Here's the evolution of my sister's childhood:

101 Dalmatians (She wanted a Dalmatian Plantation)

The Jungle Book (She scaled back to just the Bear Necessities)

Drop Dead Fred (That's not how the pigeons do it!)

And finally... Andre.

Oh, holy crap.  Would you like to know how many times she watched Andre?  So many times that eventually it wouldn't come out of the VCR... and we barely noticed!  We just kept watching it over and over again until the tape inside the cassette finally snapped.  This is all true.  As is the fact that when she was in first grade she wrote 'I love Ryan Beeson' on a bathroom wall.  Also, if I ever go missing, she definitely did it.  But seriously, Nikki.  Don't be mad, I didn't even mention the bean! 

Love ya, Nik.  Don't kill me.

An actual non-Snapchat picture of her.  She's hilarious and gorgeous and I lover her!

Happy Birthday!

 

I got a response from SCOTT BAKULA!

Aw, crap.  I may have oversold it.  It wasn't a response as in, "hey, thanks for the wicked awesome letter you meticulously hand-wrote in your very best handwriting and sent though the actual mail, which is apparently still a thing" so much as an autographed glossy that the mail carrier bent in half regardless of the cardboard that was clearly intended to prevent her from doing that.  But it still literally made me squeal and spin like Belle with that book in the opening song of Beauty and the Beast.  Look, wouldn't you spaz out a little bit?

*Edit* Here's a link to my original post.  Duh.

The Dark Tower

This is the second of what will probably be many Stephen King related posts.  Stephen King is my favorite writer and there's plenty of material to cover, so just expect them to keep coming.  Today I'm writing about The Dark Tower, which is a seven-book series* about a gunslinger named Roland who teams up with three other people (and one pet, a billy-bumbler) to save the world... and in fact, all worlds.  They travel between parallel universes to places that are much like what we know but have moved on, to our own world and back again.  They fight dangers both magical and natural, and they become a unified group, a family, a team.  An idea very much like fate is Ka.  Ka is a wheel, you can't get off and you can't change the direction.  You can fight all you want or you can just ride along but you have to know when to do either one because Ka is a wheel that can crush you in an instant. Roland's group is called his Ka-tet.  

The whole series, via Viking Press/Schribener

First is Eddie, a drug addict who was born in the 1960s and joined the Ka-tet at age 22.  Next is Susannah, who joined the group from the 1960s as an adult who had seen a very difficult life, and whose mind contained multiple personalities.  Last in the Ka-tet is Jake, who is only a child but possesses 'the touch'.  He is very sensitive to the signs and clues that the universe shows us and he uses this intuition whenever he can.  The Man in Black is a force of evil who has been working for hundreds, if not thousands of years to balance out all the world's good.  Well, that's maybe not quite right but it's close enough to get you started.  In the quest for the Dark Tower, not everyone makes it to the end (a bit of a spoiler, but that's how King works in general so you really should've guessed that much).  If you want to find out if ANYONE  does, I guess you'd better read for yourself. 

When I started my journey to the tower with book one, I really just couldn't get into it.  Granted, I was only 9 or 10 years old, but I've had other people tell me the same thing.  If you find yourself in that situation, my advice would be reading the second book, then going back to the first one.  The second book has more action and less back story, so if you read it first, you actually ask the questions before you get them answered.  That worked for me.  There was one in the series that I didn't love, and that was Wizard and Glass.  Some people like it best though, so please don't think it isn't well- written.  It's just not my favorite part of the story.  Read it, though.  Decide for yourself.

If you try it and like it, let me know.  I'd love to hear your opinions on it, especially if it's because of my blog that you find new books that you love.  If you've already read it or tried and it wasn't your thing, let me know that too.  I love a good book discussion, especially with the new movie version being filmed as we speak.  It's an exciting time in the journey!

*I say seven books because that's what it originally was, but then later on Sai King added another book in between books 4 and 5.  Also, as you follow on the journey you'll see where a lot of his other books are either loosely related or VERY closely tied in with this series.  They stand alone just fine but whey work even better when you're one of his Constant Readers.

Jersey Boys

When I was living in Germany, I got to do a LOT of traveling (no kids yet, of course).  One place I went was London, and while I was there I visited the Globe Theater, where Shakespeare worked.  I toured places that inspired Charles Dickens and I did two different Beatles walking tours.  I was going to do either Stonehenge or Platform 9 3/4 one day, then a Jack the Ripper tour at night... but when it was time to decide that morning I decided that I was keeping my pregnant butt in bed all day.  I did walking tours every day while I was there, but that last day I just went out for meals and watched the British food channel all day.  It was lovely.

 The Globe Theater

 The rooftop where The Beatles gave their last performance

Nothing relevant to the story; just beautiful London

The highlight of our trip (besides the Globe) was going to a Broadway play.  We saw Jersey Boys and let me tell you... if you haven't seen it, it's not what you expect.  It's basically a mob story (language, kids!) with music by The Four Seasons.  One of the characters is actually Joe Pesci (Yes, THAT Joe Pesci!) because he knew those guys way back then and he helped form the band.  This is all true, that's what's the coolest part of it! Well, like I said I was six months pregnant at the time so every time the music started up The Bookworm went completely NUTSO kicking and punching and twirling around in my belly.  I would say dancing, but I almost don't want to give it a positive spin.  It was pretty painful.  Even still, I couldn't help laughing.  It was really like he was dancing around in there. 

My ticket and a page from my program

In case you don't ever get the chance to see the stage show, don't worry your pretty little head.  They made a movie version, with Clint Eastwood (inexplicably) in the director seat.  I was worried that he was the wrong guy for the project, but that movie was so true to the stage show that I fell in love with it and I keep rewatching it.  I'm not the kind of person who would mind if a movie is drastically different than the original/book/play/whatever as long as it's good.  I get that movies are art and Xerox is not what artists are for.  So sure, there are a few differences between stage and screen but I promise they're all great.  Plus John Lloyd Young, who plays Frankie Valli, is one of the most attractive humans I've ever seen, particularly while singing.  Check him out, then watch the movie.  You'll love it.  Even guys, even though it's a musical.  No joke.

Here he is. *swoon*

Coming to America

One of the funniest movies of the 80s is easily Coming To America.  If you haven't seen it for a while, I suggest you go straight to Netflix and add it immediately to your list!  If you haven't seen it ever... I don't understand you.  Maybe you're just really young, or maybe you don't like Eddie Murphy... or maybe you just hate yourself and don't want to be happy.  I don't know.  Like I said, I don't understand.  I'll let you go watch it now while we all WAIT FOR YOU!

Have you really not seen it?

Okay, you've just improved your life.  Let's discuss.  Basically, Eddie Murphy and Arseniooooooooooooooooooooo Hall played every character in the movie, so there's that.  No, that's not true but they did each have four or five roles.  It's also got Darth Vader and the dad from Good Times and Samuel L Jackson in one of his 70,000 credited roles and it's so HILARIOUS!  An actual African prince trying to find a pretty American woman and make her rich for real.  I keep checking my inbox but so far they all want my credit card number.  Oh, well. 

When I was deployed to Okinawa about a decade or so ago, I had this friend who would sing at the top of his lungs to get everyone laughing and it was one of my favorite things about our crew.  Imagine a bunch of construction workers basically digging ditches all day every day and out of nowhere, "She's your QUEEEEEEEEN to-oo BEEEEEEE" as loud and as high as he could sing.  Ray Boudreaux, you're the real MVP of that deployment.  That was definitely my favorite deployment.  One day my friend caught an octopus with a shovel.  Good times.

Anyway, if you didn't watch it when I told you to or if you need a refresher, take the time now to let your Soul Glow with Mufasa and Axel Foley.  Thank me in the comments or by subscribing to the email list.  It's only polite.