This weekend, the Directors Guild of America named Kathryn Bigelow as their winner for best director of a feature film ("The Hurt Locker"), which came as somewhat of a surprise as it had been expected that James Cameron (who also happens to be Bigelow's ex-husband) would win for "Avatar". In most years, the winner of the DGA award also wins the Best Director award from the Academy, but that is not always the case, even when the DGA winner is nominated for an Oscar.
It'll be interesting to see how that all plays out. I'm not interested in seeing "The Hurt Locker", so I won't be able to make a fully-informed decision as to which I feel deserves it more, but I'm still interested in seeing who the Oscar nominees will be and whether they will match the five directors nominated by the DGA.
The Oscar nominations will be announced this Tuesday, February 2, at 5:30am.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
name that celeb
OK, so I saw a picture of someone, and even with knowing who it's supposed to be, I can't believe it's that person. It's a clear case of too much plastic surgery and re-structuring of your face, but seriously, this person doesn't even look like she used to.
Here's the picture.
Do you know who that is?
If not, and you want a hint, hover over the picture for the filename, which will give you her initials.
If you still don't know, here's where to find the answer.
And just for comparison sake, here are some photos of what she used to look like.
And it's not like she's been disfigured or anything - she does look good, unlike some other cases where the person now looks completely weird and bizarre - but it's not her. It's someone else's face.
Here's the picture.
Do you know who that is?
If not, and you want a hint, hover over the picture for the filename, which will give you her initials.
If you still don't know, here's where to find the answer.
And just for comparison sake, here are some photos of what she used to look like.
And it's not like she's been disfigured or anything - she does look good, unlike some other cases where the person now looks completely weird and bizarre - but it's not her. It's someone else's face.
Friday, January 29, 2010
a jury of your purrs
Many people who get called for jury duty are less than thrilled to have to serve it, partly because it can come at an inopportune time, but I suspect mostly it's the sitting around and doing nothing. People try to come up with all kinds of excuses to bail on jury duty.
Well, here's a situation when the reason not to have to serve is a legitimate one.
I heard about this story today, and it really made me laugh. When I heard one bit of the story, that the wife had included the cat on their census form, then I thought it was pretty stupid for her to do that (I'm just not one of those who considers my cat to be the equivalent of my child), until they clarified that she'd included the cat in the census form under "pets". OK, well, if there's a space for that (even if the form was canine-biased), then that's fine.
But I'm wondering what the jury commissioner thought in denying the request to be excused. Did he/she really think someone was pretending to be a cat to get out of jury service? I mean, I suspect there are ways to check if the "cat story" is true, right? If you watch the video on the page (which is mostly a duplicate of the info in the written story, but you get to see the kitty), it says they even got a letter from the cat's vet, stating that the "Sal" in question is actually a cat. Still, no go.
I'm figuring that with this news story, they won't actually have to show up with their cat and that Sal won't have to set paw in court.
Well, here's a situation when the reason not to have to serve is a legitimate one.
I heard about this story today, and it really made me laugh. When I heard one bit of the story, that the wife had included the cat on their census form, then I thought it was pretty stupid for her to do that (I'm just not one of those who considers my cat to be the equivalent of my child), until they clarified that she'd included the cat in the census form under "pets". OK, well, if there's a space for that (even if the form was canine-biased), then that's fine.
But I'm wondering what the jury commissioner thought in denying the request to be excused. Did he/she really think someone was pretending to be a cat to get out of jury service? I mean, I suspect there are ways to check if the "cat story" is true, right? If you watch the video on the page (which is mostly a duplicate of the info in the written story, but you get to see the kitty), it says they even got a letter from the cat's vet, stating that the "Sal" in question is actually a cat. Still, no go.
I'm figuring that with this news story, they won't actually have to show up with their cat and that Sal won't have to set paw in court.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Firecrackers Jump Rope Team
An email came through a list I'm on with a link to a video of what turned out to be the Firecrackers Jump Rope Team.
Here's the description of the group from their website:
The group performed at half-time during a basketball game between Army and Navy in February of 2009, the video of which I'm including below. The video is rather long - just about 8 minutes - but it's worth the time to watch the whole thing. Those girls are amazing, both in timing and stamina. I could have done without the reaction shots of the crowd - yeah, I can tell by the noise how much the crowd likes it - I wanna keep seeing the girls!
It's pretty spectacular - and exhausting - to watch, so take a seat and enjoy.
Here's the description of the group from their website:
The Firecrackers are a performance jump rope team made up of talented 4th-8th graders from the Kings Local School District in Ohio. Coached by Lynn Kelley, they perform at venues across the country. Some notable past performances have been at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a Presidential Inauguration and an appearance on The David Letterman Show.
The group performed at half-time during a basketball game between Army and Navy in February of 2009, the video of which I'm including below. The video is rather long - just about 8 minutes - but it's worth the time to watch the whole thing. Those girls are amazing, both in timing and stamina. I could have done without the reaction shots of the crowd - yeah, I can tell by the noise how much the crowd likes it - I wanna keep seeing the girls!
It's pretty spectacular - and exhausting - to watch, so take a seat and enjoy.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Disney Valentine's Day antenna topper
A new antenna topper has been released at the Disneyland Resort for Valentine's Day, and I think it's really cute. I especially like the lace on the sides, though that would get thrashed pretty quickly if anyone actually used it as an antenna topper.
Here's a picture that shows the front and back of the antenna topper.
Here's a picture that shows the front and back of the antenna topper.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
you know it's a bad economy when...
I found out about this list, which I think is pretty funny for what it's worth.
I think this one is my favorite:
I think this one is my favorite:
If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds", you call them and ask if they meant you or them.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
and the Super Bowl contenders are set
The first game today was for the AFC title, between the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Jets, in Indianapolis. There was no scoring in the first quarter, and the half ended with the Colts trailing the Jets, 13-17. Definitely not the game that was expected. But 17 points was all that the Jets would get, as they were shut out for the entire second half. And Peyton Manning showed why he was the MVP this year. The Colts scored two touchdowns and a field goal in the second half, giving the Colts a 30 to 17 victory over the Jets. It was a nice run, Jets, and you had a terrific year, and you defeated a lot of good opponents along the way. But running into the brick wall that is Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts does have an effect on teams. And this was *so* not the Manning and Colts that the Jets defeated earlier in the season. So the Indianapolis Colts advanced as the AFC participant in the Super Bowl in two weeks.
The second game was for the NFC title, between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, in New Orleans. And it was a battle, a dead heat between the two teams, trading scoring drives with each other. The Vikings had two touchdowns in the first quarter but were shut out in the second. The Saints had a touchdown in each of the first two quarters, so at half-time, there was a 14-14 tie. Each of the teams scored a touchdown in each of the third and fourth quarters, locked in a 28-28 tie with about 19 seconds to go in the game, but the Vikings were driving, just about within range of a game-winning field goal. And on third down, the Vikings had 12 men on the field and were penalized. And on 3rd and 15, the inevitable happened - Brett Favre got hurried and hassled, and he made a bad decision, and he threw an interception, bringing the Vikings' drive to a screeching halt. And the game went into overtime. The Vikings called the coin toss and loss, so the Saints got the ball. And they drove, starting with a good punt return that ended on their own 39, and they kept marching their way across the field, including going for it on a 4th down and getting it, extending their drive. And they ended up at 4th and 3 on the 22 yard line of the Vikings. And the kicker came out to try a field goal. And he made the 40 yard field goal, giving the New Orleans Saints the win over the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 31 to 28. The Saints are the NFC participant in the Super Bowl, up against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, February 7.
And the part of me that's angry at Brett Favre for not being able to decide what he wants to do, at the expense of holding an entire team hostage (ok, well, actually, three teams over the past few years), rather enjoyed that the demise of the Vikings came directly at his hands, that it was his customary bad throw for an interception that cost the Vikings a potential game-winning field goal attempt. And when the game went into overtime, the Vikings never had the ball, so Brett had to just stand on the sidelines, watching the Saints march down the field, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to help his team. I wasn't ever a huge fan of Brett Favre, but I respected him for what he did, even when I also knew about and saw the many times he had a penchant for really horrible passes that were then intercepted and caused his team to lose. But, when he retired from the Green Bay Packers, I gave him his due as one of the best that had ever played the game, even as I'd been unhappy about his waffling for the prior couple years about whether or not he was coming back each year, and each year, the Packers put their team on hold for him. And finally, one year, they didn't want to put their entire team on hold anymore. And they gave him time, but they asked for a decision. And he chose not to return, to retire, and the Packers moved on. And then Brett started claiming that the Packers pushed him into making a decision too fast, into a decision he didn't want to make, and he wanted to come back. And he was stunned that they weren't bowing at his feet. And in the end, he went to play for the New York Jets. And he played horribly. And again, he was retiring. And then not. At the last minute, he decided to play for the Minnesota Vikings, another team that decided to put their entire team (and their then-quarterback) on hold for him. And he ended up doing really well, which made me madder that I couldn't be happy for him because of his prima donna antics. OK, he didn't want to go to training camp because he's such a veteran, he doesn't need it. But what about the new teammates, people who mostly had never played with him before? Didn't they need time to get used to their new quarterback, to develop a rhythm and a rapport? Where was his sense of team spirit in doing what was best for the team, not just what he wanted to do? I was sorry that the Dallas Cowboys crumbled so easily in their playoff game against the Vikings, but at least now, for the last two weeks of the season, I don't have to hear about Favre anymore. Well, at least other than another round of "will he retire and stay retired" roulette. Be done, Brett, and let me try to respect you again for your accomplishments.
But, otherwise, it's onward to the Super Bowl. I'm a total fan of Peyton Manning, so I will be rooting heartily for the Colts, but if that doesn't happen, I'd still be fine with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints winning, so it's gonna be fun either way.
The second game was for the NFC title, between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, in New Orleans. And it was a battle, a dead heat between the two teams, trading scoring drives with each other. The Vikings had two touchdowns in the first quarter but were shut out in the second. The Saints had a touchdown in each of the first two quarters, so at half-time, there was a 14-14 tie. Each of the teams scored a touchdown in each of the third and fourth quarters, locked in a 28-28 tie with about 19 seconds to go in the game, but the Vikings were driving, just about within range of a game-winning field goal. And on third down, the Vikings had 12 men on the field and were penalized. And on 3rd and 15, the inevitable happened - Brett Favre got hurried and hassled, and he made a bad decision, and he threw an interception, bringing the Vikings' drive to a screeching halt. And the game went into overtime. The Vikings called the coin toss and loss, so the Saints got the ball. And they drove, starting with a good punt return that ended on their own 39, and they kept marching their way across the field, including going for it on a 4th down and getting it, extending their drive. And they ended up at 4th and 3 on the 22 yard line of the Vikings. And the kicker came out to try a field goal. And he made the 40 yard field goal, giving the New Orleans Saints the win over the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 31 to 28. The Saints are the NFC participant in the Super Bowl, up against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, February 7.
And the part of me that's angry at Brett Favre for not being able to decide what he wants to do, at the expense of holding an entire team hostage (ok, well, actually, three teams over the past few years), rather enjoyed that the demise of the Vikings came directly at his hands, that it was his customary bad throw for an interception that cost the Vikings a potential game-winning field goal attempt. And when the game went into overtime, the Vikings never had the ball, so Brett had to just stand on the sidelines, watching the Saints march down the field, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to help his team. I wasn't ever a huge fan of Brett Favre, but I respected him for what he did, even when I also knew about and saw the many times he had a penchant for really horrible passes that were then intercepted and caused his team to lose. But, when he retired from the Green Bay Packers, I gave him his due as one of the best that had ever played the game, even as I'd been unhappy about his waffling for the prior couple years about whether or not he was coming back each year, and each year, the Packers put their team on hold for him. And finally, one year, they didn't want to put their entire team on hold anymore. And they gave him time, but they asked for a decision. And he chose not to return, to retire, and the Packers moved on. And then Brett started claiming that the Packers pushed him into making a decision too fast, into a decision he didn't want to make, and he wanted to come back. And he was stunned that they weren't bowing at his feet. And in the end, he went to play for the New York Jets. And he played horribly. And again, he was retiring. And then not. At the last minute, he decided to play for the Minnesota Vikings, another team that decided to put their entire team (and their then-quarterback) on hold for him. And he ended up doing really well, which made me madder that I couldn't be happy for him because of his prima donna antics. OK, he didn't want to go to training camp because he's such a veteran, he doesn't need it. But what about the new teammates, people who mostly had never played with him before? Didn't they need time to get used to their new quarterback, to develop a rhythm and a rapport? Where was his sense of team spirit in doing what was best for the team, not just what he wanted to do? I was sorry that the Dallas Cowboys crumbled so easily in their playoff game against the Vikings, but at least now, for the last two weeks of the season, I don't have to hear about Favre anymore. Well, at least other than another round of "will he retire and stay retired" roulette. Be done, Brett, and let me try to respect you again for your accomplishments.
But, otherwise, it's onward to the Super Bowl. I'm a total fan of Peyton Manning, so I will be rooting heartily for the Colts, but if that doesn't happen, I'd still be fine with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints winning, so it's gonna be fun either way.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
"Hot Tub Time Machine" and other movie trailers
The husband and I went to the movies today and ended up seeing 3 new trailers for upcoming movies.
I'd heard about "Clash of the Titans", and while I'd never seen the original, the cast for the new version sounded really good. The trailer looked awesome. I'm a fan of Liam Neeson, and when I heard he'd been cast as Zeus, that sounded perfect to me, and he looked great in the trailer. And since I'm now a fan of Sam Worthington, I presume he'll be terrific in this movie as well. Yeah, Medusa is also in the movie, so I'm going to have issues with that, but at least I know that going in.
Here's the trailer for "Clash of the Titans".
I'd also previously heard about the movie version of "The A-Team", and I'd approached it with real skepticism. I mean, 20+ years later, a movie version? Who's gonna care? And, with recent movies of old TV shows that completely disregarded what the TV shows were really about in the first place (yeah, I'm looking at YOU, "Miami Vice" and "S.W.A.T."), I didn't know what to think. Sure, I watched and enjoyed the TV show back in the day, but how was that going to translate to today? Well, surprisingly to me, the trailer looked amazing. It looks like they really did do a good job of recapturing the show, and Liam Neeson (yep, him again) looked incredible in George Peppard's role of Hannibal. Yeah, I laughed that Liam Neeson is going to be in movie theatres in two very different roles in a short period of time, but he looks like he's nailed both. The rest of the movie cast looks good too (they really did a good job of having the film actors bear great resemblances to the TV actors, and according to IMDB, there are going to be some familiar faces at least making cameos), so I'm actually looking forward to seeing the film now.
Here's the trailer for "The A-Team".
But, it was the trailer for a movie I hadn't previously heard about that really caught my attention. The film is called "Hot Tub Time Machine". It stars John Cusack and is about four friends who get transported back to 1986 by way of a magic time machine in a hot tub. Now, seriously, with that kind of premise and that title, you pretty much just have to go with where the movie is going to take you. There's no attempt to make a serious explanation for what happens - you really just have to give in and let yourself be taken. The timeframe of the mid-80s is something I remember fondly, and it was really funny because at one point in the trailer, they showed someone using their yellow Walkman - I totally had one of those, and I still have it. The husband didn't hear me when I said it during that segment, but after we came home, I showed him where it was sitting inside one of the cabinets. And I like John Cusack, so him being in the film is just a bonus!
Here's the trailer for "Hot Tub Time Machine".
It's gonna be a good time at the movies. :)
I'd heard about "Clash of the Titans", and while I'd never seen the original, the cast for the new version sounded really good. The trailer looked awesome. I'm a fan of Liam Neeson, and when I heard he'd been cast as Zeus, that sounded perfect to me, and he looked great in the trailer. And since I'm now a fan of Sam Worthington, I presume he'll be terrific in this movie as well. Yeah, Medusa is also in the movie, so I'm going to have issues with that, but at least I know that going in.
Here's the trailer for "Clash of the Titans".
I'd also previously heard about the movie version of "The A-Team", and I'd approached it with real skepticism. I mean, 20+ years later, a movie version? Who's gonna care? And, with recent movies of old TV shows that completely disregarded what the TV shows were really about in the first place (yeah, I'm looking at YOU, "Miami Vice" and "S.W.A.T."), I didn't know what to think. Sure, I watched and enjoyed the TV show back in the day, but how was that going to translate to today? Well, surprisingly to me, the trailer looked amazing. It looks like they really did do a good job of recapturing the show, and Liam Neeson (yep, him again) looked incredible in George Peppard's role of Hannibal. Yeah, I laughed that Liam Neeson is going to be in movie theatres in two very different roles in a short period of time, but he looks like he's nailed both. The rest of the movie cast looks good too (they really did a good job of having the film actors bear great resemblances to the TV actors, and according to IMDB, there are going to be some familiar faces at least making cameos), so I'm actually looking forward to seeing the film now.
Here's the trailer for "The A-Team".
But, it was the trailer for a movie I hadn't previously heard about that really caught my attention. The film is called "Hot Tub Time Machine". It stars John Cusack and is about four friends who get transported back to 1986 by way of a magic time machine in a hot tub. Now, seriously, with that kind of premise and that title, you pretty much just have to go with where the movie is going to take you. There's no attempt to make a serious explanation for what happens - you really just have to give in and let yourself be taken. The timeframe of the mid-80s is something I remember fondly, and it was really funny because at one point in the trailer, they showed someone using their yellow Walkman - I totally had one of those, and I still have it. The husband didn't hear me when I said it during that segment, but after we came home, I showed him where it was sitting inside one of the cabinets. And I like John Cusack, so him being in the film is just a bonus!
Here's the trailer for "Hot Tub Time Machine".
It's gonna be a good time at the movies. :)
Friday, January 22, 2010
stranger in your hotel bed
OK, it's not *quite* as salacious as that, but it still amused me. I heard about this on the radio the other day, that a couple hotels in England are going to be offering human bed warmers to their clients. And no, "human bed warmers" is not a euphemism for something more shady. :)
My first thought is that you're in a hotel. If you're really that cold, why not just turn the heat up in the room? And do you really want a stranger in your room, much less in your bed, as you get ready to go to bed? Because it's not like housekeeping where they can do it while you're out of the room. You have to pretty much be there while they're in your bed because you would presumably be getting in the bed while their warmth is still in the bed. And do you really want to feel the warmth of some random stranger? I mean, I like the warm spot that the husband or our cat might make in the bed, but that's totally different.
And doesn't this potentially put the bed warmer at risk? It's not like delivering something to the room at the door or even going inside the room to do something, but to actually get in someone's bed? If it's a woman, I'd be concerned that someone might try to take advantage of her. If it's a man, maybe not so much, though that could still happen.
The person on the radio who was telling the story made the comment that unless the bed warmer is a hot chick named Trixie who's going to stay for a while, he wasn't interested. That amused me too.
My first thought is that you're in a hotel. If you're really that cold, why not just turn the heat up in the room? And do you really want a stranger in your room, much less in your bed, as you get ready to go to bed? Because it's not like housekeeping where they can do it while you're out of the room. You have to pretty much be there while they're in your bed because you would presumably be getting in the bed while their warmth is still in the bed. And do you really want to feel the warmth of some random stranger? I mean, I like the warm spot that the husband or our cat might make in the bed, but that's totally different.
And doesn't this potentially put the bed warmer at risk? It's not like delivering something to the room at the door or even going inside the room to do something, but to actually get in someone's bed? If it's a woman, I'd be concerned that someone might try to take advantage of her. If it's a man, maybe not so much, though that could still happen.
The person on the radio who was telling the story made the comment that unless the bed warmer is a hot chick named Trixie who's going to stay for a while, he wasn't interested. That amused me too.
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