splish…

When the “real feel” is about a bzillion degrees, humidity through the roof, and your hometown has just declared bankruptcy, this is the most refreshing visualization I could come up with.

 

Forever Walking the Line…

• Thank you, USPS: best new stamp since the whole young Elvis vs. “fat” Elvis issue goes on sale tomorrow.  (Btw, “fat” Elvis wasn’t really so fat; I’ve seen the costumes…the fact is that young Elvis was stick thin!)  Johnny Cash, the original rebel…

• The Real Couple Behind Before Sunrise

• Beauty Products:  fellow product addicts, this might make your life ever so slightly easier:
  2013 CEW Beauty Award Winners

• A Game of Thrones Reader’s Dread vs. a TV Fan’s Shock: The Two Reactions to the Red Wedding

 

binge viewing and miscellaneous linkage…

For those of us with a tendancy towards addictive behavior (and we know who we are), binge viewing brings out the hidden beast. You know, that series of weekends lost to seasons 1-5 of Breaking Bad, that had you lost in a blurry-eyed funk of tv-blue crystal meth fumes. This is what I’m dealing with…

Here’s the thing: I can’t stop watching the middling good Brazilian HBO series Preamar. Is it because of the gorgeous Rio scenery and beaches? Is it because Portuguese sounds so much rougher around the edges than I always think it will (it’s like the Swiss German of Romance languages)? The acting is fairly good, the story lines a bit predictable, but the thing is that the actors are good enough to make me either love or pretty much hate them. Bottom line: I’m fairly obsessed.

So please people, speak out:  are you, too, a binger? And has anybody but me been watching Preamar?

Also of note, HOORAY: Judy Greer, one of my favorite actors that doesn’t pop up nearly enough is coming back http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/judy-greer-joins-fx-sitcom.html. Btw, why oh why was Miss Guided ever cancelled? It was cute, deviated enough from the formula to entertain, and – damn it – was just funny. Now you can’t even find it on letmewatchthis.com (but did find it belatedly on tvmuse.eu)!  Makes it challenging for a binge viewer…

And, kind of exciting for all of us who use our hands when telling people where we come from…per Michael Moore:

This week, the Motion Picture Association of America, the main federation of Hollywood’s six major studios, posted on their web site a list of what they believe may the best movie theaters in the world.
And the first one on their list was… the State Theatre of Traverse City, Michigan!

Yes, people of the mitten, this is exciting!

And now for promised linkage fun:

• How to Dance Properly to Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’
• 6 Affordable Champagne Features for Your Beer Budget Home
• and yes, for the sorority girl buried very very deeply within:
  How I Tightened My Legs and Butt for $77

That’s it for now. Hopefully you laughed, rolled your eyes, or said something like “seriously? does she have nothing better to do?” Well, not everybody gets a few moments here and there to play, so I thought I’d play nicely and share. Ha!

 

LONG LIVE CARTMAN!

Respect My Author-i-tay !

Already I feel obliged to interrupt this blog to share the latest of completely ludicrous absurdities.  Yes, per The Daily Beast, “South Park Creators Are Warned after unfavorable depiction of Prophet Muhammad”. 

Excuse me, but WHAT WERE THOSE MULLAHS DOING WATCHING SOUTH PARK IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Here’s the article from the NY Times.  

Arts, Briefly
Muslim Group Warns ‘South Park’
Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF
Published: April 21, 2010 

An Islamic group based in New York said that a recent episode of “South Park,” the satirical animated series, insulted the Prophet Muhammad, and compared the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, to Theo van Gogh, the Dutch filmmaker who was killed in 2004 by an Islamic militant, CNN reported. The group, Revolution Muslim, published its post after a “South Park” episode last week that depicted the founders of various religions, including Moses, Jesus and Buddha, but declined to show the Prophet Muhammad, instead representing him as wearing a bear costume. The post, written by Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee, said that the episode had “outright insulted” Muhammad, adding: “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid, and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.” Mr. van Gogh was killed in Amsterdam after making a film that discussed the abuse of Muslim women in some Islamic societies. A telephone message left at a number listed on the group’s Web site, revolutionmuslim.com, was not immediately returned; on Wednesday the Web site was largely inaccessible. Comedy Central declined to comment on the group’s remarks or say if it was taking any precautions because of them.

 

Maiden Voyage

Always with, well, you know...

 

Well crack a bottle of Dom on my bow, here it is…my brand spanking new blog.

Ever notice how, as the French say with great conviction, it is the formation, or foundation, of a person that produces their bottom line? Yep… sway, tread or silently creep as you will, my Mom was right: you want to wear the appropriate undergarments because they help everything else  lay smoother. Brings out the best of your assets. Un huh, I rolled my eyes too, but of course now I recognize that despite the Barbie-doll “I grew up in the 50’s” post-war zeal for perfection, she was right. And yes, I was regularly questioned as to the appropriateness of my undergarments:  this is not fiction.

Though I seriously doubt the necessity of publishing my thoughts, it is in honor of my Mom, Marilynn, and keeping the best of her quirky humor alive that I am creating this blog. Although it is now 8 years that she’s not here to ask me when the last time was that I went through my closet, or checked to make sure I had something to wear should I receive a last-minute invitation to a swanky dinner from any random prince charming, the critical thing to remember is how she made me laugh and groan simultaneously. This is no trick for amateurs. For me, unlike her, it has always been a struggle to get it all together.  I am proud to say, though, that YES:  ultimately I do have the appropriate undergarments in my arsenal to get me through just about any battle that comes my way.

Frayed and flawed though I am (most especially on a Monday) this is the kind of thing that really defines a person. So as I continue to check that my underwear has no holes or tears (“what if, God forbid, you’re in an accident?”), in the contest of everyday life we all have the need to protect and clothe our naked selves.  As she asked me completely arbitrarily one day, phoning me from hundreds of miles away, “Are you naked?”  Well, yes, Mom I am.  But not to worry, as you taught me (and several of my dearest friends…you know who you are) the value and relevance of always maintaining my bottom line…