7 More Days Until The Oscars.

So, the Oscars are coming. Seven more days. Whoo hoo. I like to watch them. It's one of my favorite events. But, I don't know about this year.

I'm thrilled that Steve Martin is one of the hosts. But I'm not too thrilled about Alec Baldwin. Sure he's funny, I guess. If given the right material, he's a blast. I'm hoping Steve Martin will more than even it out.

I'm also unsure about some of the other changes that Alan Shankman is bringing. (He's trying to give the 'old guy' a face lift.) Like: I just heard he's having a D.J. on the show (DJ Joel Madden -- No idea who he is, and I don't even have the desire to 'google' the guy).

Another change is that they are adding a "Thank You" camera backstage. I guess they got tired of having the winners drone on and on about their accomplishment. Why shouldn't they be allowed to? They deserve it. But now the Oscars are going to offer a camera backstage (I'm hoping before they go to the "cattle shoot" that is the press area) where the winner can take as much time as they want to say thank you, and then that speech will be uploaded onto the internet. I guess this is a good idea...but it's just showing how uncaring these award shows are now. I like hearing the speeches live. You never know what's going to come out of their mouth when they are put on the spot. But that's just me.

One other change they've done is with the Best Picture nominations. There are 10 this year. I've seen 6 of the movies (I'm waiting for DVD for the 2 of the other nominees, and there are 2 I have no desire to see):

Seen:

Avatar: I had been looking forward to seeing this movie long before it came out. James Cameron is one of my favorite directors (and people). He has a great work ethic; and if there is something that's not working right he'll go out and make the equipment to make it work right. A lot of people say this story is simple (and ripped off of a bunch of other movies), but so what? There are a lot of movies being made now that are either a rip off of another movie, a remake of an old movie, a sequel to a movie, or a "new vision" of an old TV show. The story is supposed to make you interested in what's happening in the movie (which is what Avatar did for me). Do I think it will win best picture: no. (Mostly because I think the Academy is "done" with James Cameron for now.)

District 9: This was a surprise for me. My friends (Butch and Sundance) saw this and didn't like it. So I waited for DVD. The PF and I watched it on New Year's Eve with Bubba, and we all liked it. The story was engaging (the humans were the bad guys), and the special effects were great (for being on a small budget--this was one of those "produced by" movies, this time by Peter Jackson). Overall it kept our interest (so much that we almost missed the ball dropping at midnight in Times Square). If you haven't watched this movie yet, I definitely recommend it. Will it win: I will be completely shocked if this wins, but it probably won't.

The Hurt Locker: This is about a bomb squad in Iraq. I didn't like this movie. I could say that it's because I don't like war movies, which I really can't say. [Although they are fantasy films, I have loved: Star Wars (a war movie series), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (arguably a war movie series), among others.] I really can't place why I didn't like this movie (the PF liked it). Probably because I've seen it done before, in other movies (back to that "there is no original idea left in Hollywood" theory that I have). This will be the winner of the Best Picture. It has got so much hype behind it; and, there's a war going on and the Academy will want to honor that somehow.

Inglorious Basterds: This is a fantastic movie. It's a "fantasy revenge" flick. Tarantino did a wonderful job writing and directing this movie. Brad Pitt was great in his role ("I'm Lt. Aldo Raine, and I'm here for one thing and one thing only...killing nazis."). Christopher Waltz does a fantastic job (and I believe he's going to win for best supporting actor). His part was great [he made you really hate him]). I don't think it'll win. It's too "out there" for the Academy.

A Serious Man: The Cohen Brothers. I already wrote about this one on Friday. It's an okay movie; but I don't think it's good enough to win the Oscar though.

Up: I loved this movie. I hope it will win for Best Animated feature (that's for another day). It starts with a pre-story (told through or before the opening credits); and then the adventure begins. It's really a beautiful picture, the animators put their hearts in it. Ed Asner was perfect in his role. Gotta love Doug though (he's my favorite). This is another one that will be a happy surprise if it wins; but I don't think it will.

Not Seen:

The Blind Side: Sandra Bulloch is one of my favorite actresses. I've been told this is a great movie, and that she does a fantastic job. I'll have to wait (when it comes out on DVD). It's based on a true story (which in Hollywood speak means "we have to change it just a bit, but really it's true") about a portion of NFL Raven's football player Michael Oher's life. I just don't have the desire to go out to the movie theatre and watch this movie. Will it win: Well it's "based on a true story", which the Academy likes, so it too has a chance to win Best Picture. But I hope not.

An Education: I didn't know anything about this movie, so, I went and did a search on the internet to check on it. It's set in 1961 England, and its about a girl named Jenny and her relationship with an older man named "David". That really does not sound interesting to me. Reading further the article says "Jenny finds out that David makes money by moving black families into flats near elderly women who are afraid of them, so he can then buy their flats cheaply. She also finds out that David and Danny steal valuable objects from houses that are for sale. On discovering this, Jenny is horrified and threatens to leave the relationship, but in the end she finds her new life so thrilling and enthralling that she chooses to overlook its darker side." This sounds like an "idependent" movie to me. "Independent" movies are hit or miss with me; mostly miss. So I think I'll pass on watching this one (unless I happen to have absolutely nothing else to watch--which I doubt will happen because then I'd rather read a book). I don't think it will win best picture, based on the other movies that are nominated.

Precious: I have no desire to see this movie. It's about a girl pulling herself out of the vicious cycle of abuse that she's living in (with help from others). I've seen this type of movie before and this movie doesn't appeal to me at all. I have a work friend who saw it and said that the acting is phenominal. But I don't find the subject matter all that appealing, so I'll be giving a pass on this one. Will it win best picture? Possibly. It has a chance because of the subject material, directing and acting. Should it win? I don't think so based on the other movies that are nominated.

Up In The Air: George Clooney as a corporate downsizer and his travels. Perfect movie for this day and age. I would like to see it. It'll be out on DVD soon; so I'll catch it then. I heard that Jason Reitman (the director) put an add in the paper for people who recently lost their jobs to come in and be in a documentary about job loss. Those people are a majority of the people being fired by Clooney. (I believe this is an "independent" movie and it'll probably tick me off like they usually do, I'll end up watching it.) Should it win? Possibly.

Who do I think will win: The Hurt Locker. Why: It's about a war that's going on now. I think that the Academy members will want to honor that.

Who do I want to win: Avatar or District 9. Why: they were both good stories.

Why do I think that Avatar of District won't win: They are both science fiction/fantasy films, which are film genres that the Academy member(s) usually don't award trophies to.

Well, that's all for now. Have a great Sunday...more later, Booboo.

It's Caturday!

Phoebe and I would like to wish everybody a Happy Caturday. Hope it's a good one!

More later, Booboo.

"Because I'm A Slug, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"

I am a huge movie fan. We both are, but I am more so than the Pocket Ferengei. He watches movies because I watch movies. There are certain movies that he gets excited about and will tell me he would like to see...but that's about it. Then he usually forgets about the movie until I either buy it or rent it from Netflix.

I on the other hand LOVE movies. If I hear a hint or rumor of a movie being made, I'll spend time going to websites like "IMDB" (the internet movie data base), or Ain't It Cool News (among others) to get info about the movie (who's directing it, starring in it, etc.).

We go out to the movies occasionally. We usually go to the movies with my sister Bubba, my nephew SharkMan (formerly SharkBoy) and my niece (Frog); or our friends Butch and Sundance. Sometimes we'll go by ourselves. Or, more likely than not, I'll go by myself. But since it's so expensive to go see a movie nowadays, we usually wait to watch them on DVD.

Recently, we've gotten a lot of bad movies on rental ("Cold Souls", "In The Loop", "Amelia"). This is not about them. This is about the 10 movies I've seen recently (out of 30 movies) that are worth writing about. They are in no random order, so here we go:



1. $9.99

This is an Australian, claymation/stop motion ensemble movie. Don't mistake that to mean that it is a "kids" movie. It received an "R" rating (for nudity and language). It's about "the meaning of life"; and it follows the lives of 4 families who live in an apartment complex. A father (who has a real violent awakening--twice--and is voiced by Anthony LaPaglia) and his 2 grown sons (one who's unemployed but is a brilliant cook [he's the one that buys the book on the meaning of life for $9.99]; and one who's employed as a repo man who falls in love with a model (that has a strange fetish); a man and his girlfriend [he doesn't want to grow-up and she wants to get married]; another young son being taught a lesson about growing up and being able to save money by his father; and an elderly widower [who is lonely] who befriends an Angel (Geoffrey Rush in a role equal to "Casanova Frankenstein" from Mystery Men and/or "Captain Barbosa" from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies). I've always been a fan of claymation/stop-motion films, and this is one of the best I've seen. The story is well written and thought provoking. It's really worth a look.



2. A Serious Man

This is a Cohen Brothers movie (the guys who made Fargo, The Big Lebowski, etc.). I've read in many places that this movie is about the story of Job (from the bible/other holy books) and the Cohen Brothers father. It starts out with a short story about a man who may or may not be a "dybukk" (a demon who possess a recently departed body [played by Fyvish Finkle, always great to see him in anything (he was the attorney in Picket Fences back in the 90's)]). The movie proceeds to the late 1960's and this poor guy's (Larry Gopnick) existence. [His wife has betrayed him and took their money and house; his job and health are in question; his son is a pothead about to be bar mitzvahd; his daughter is stealing money from him; and his brother is just a mess (played perfectly by Richard Kind)]. Because its the Cohen's, this movie is a "black comedy". After watching it, I was going to give this movie a bad rating on Netflix; but after reading up on the story of Job (which I didn'y know -- poor guy was being tested by god to see if he would say anything bad about god), and getting some answers from other "talkback" sections on the internet [about the beginning clip, and what it had to do with the movie = nothing]; its not a bad movie to watch. Don't expect anything like Fargo or the Big Lebowski -- it's definitely not as good as them.



3. Everybody's Fine

This is a movie that got bad reviews from a lot of people. I liked it. Robert DeNiro is one of my favorite actors and in this movie he plays a widowed father trying to find out about his grown children and to somehow get them back in his life. Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckensall and Sam Rockwell play three of the four children; and they were all good. I thought the story was well written and the acting was good. Worth a look.



4. I Hate Valentine's Day

This was written and directed by Nia Vardalos ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding"). She also stars in it and has gotten John Corbett back for this movie. This is another movie that got a lot of bad reviews...and another one that I liked. [I am sensing a theme here.] Vardalos is the owner of a flower shop and the movie begins on Valentine's Day. She has a theory on how relationships should go, but when she meets John Corbett she starts to re-think it. This is a very simple story. But I like the pairing of Nia and John. They are a very cute on-screen couple. If you have a day that you want to just watch a cute movie, I'd recommend this movie.



5. Love Happens

Aaron Eckhart (another real cutey I love to watch--boy does that make me sound like a stalker or what) and Jennifer Aniston star in this movie about a man who gives advice to people to restart their lives and a woman who just got out of another bad relationship (talk about life imitating art, huh Jennifer). Yes it's formulaic, yes there are moments that don't make any sense, but Aaron Eckhart does a pretty good job in this movie. And there are two people I like who have supporting roles in it: Judy Greer and Dan Fogler (Judy plays another "best friend/assistant" role; and Dan plays Aaron's publicist/manager). If you happen to find it on cable (Encore, etc.), it's worth a look.



6. My One And Only

Rene Zellweger as a mother of two boys who has just left her cheating bandleader husband (Kevin Bacon). I'm not a real big Rene Zellwegger fan (I love Kevin Bacon), but she did pretty good in this movie. If you haven't read anything about this movie, I won't spoil it for you (only if you ask). I definitely recommend it.



7. Surrogates

Bruce Willis and James Cromwell. Furturistic movie that deals with people using robots (the "Surrogates") to live their lives. A lot of people didn't like this one either. I thought it was very entertaining (i.e.-it kept my interest). Bruce plays a cop investigating the murder of an unlicensed "Surrogate" and its user. Yet again, James Cromwell plays a creator type character. All-in-all, it's a good movie and worth a look.



8. Whip It

LovedLovedLoved this movie. I loved it so much, that I went out and bought this movie after I rented it. It has my favorite new actress (Ellen Page) and a favorite alltime actress (Marcia Gay Harden) in it. Drew Barrymore also stars in this movie, but more important is that she directed this movie and she did a really good job. It's about a small town Texas high schooler who wants more out of her life than the beauty pagents that she's doing for her mother. So she finds roller derby. Drew has done the impossible for me: she's made Jimmy Fallon and Kristen Wiig interesting. I do not like either of these actors. Jimmy is just obnoxious. Kristen can also be obnoxious, but I just don't like her. But in this movie they were (for Jimmy) entertaining; and (for Kristen) likeable and caring. If you haven't seen this one, definitely watch it.

9. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

This is from 1973 and it was a made for T.V. movie. It stars Kim Darby and Jim Hutton (Timothy's father). I remember it as being one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. Watching it now, not so much. But it's still entertaining to watch. Sorry to say, it is being given an update. Guillermo del Toro is producing (throwing money at it) the remake (he's also co-writing the script (which is one warning sign; why do you have to co-write something that was already made and was really a decent horror film?)). The other warning sign: its starring Mrs. Tom Cruise (Katie Holmes). After re-watching this movie today, it kind of makes sense to use Katie Holmes. Kim Darby (from my memory) was good in being the frightened person; but she was kind of wooden. So I guess Katie Holmes is the perfect choice (being the wooden actress that she is).

10. Valentine's Day

I saw this movie on Valentine's Day at the theatre. I went with Bubba, Frog and Frog's two friends (all three of which are teeney boppers). We loved it. It was a good ensemble movie, and it's plot and story kept flowing. (All the stories had beginnings, middles and ends). Since it's an ensemble movie, there really wasn't one stand-out performance. It's directed by Gary Marshall (he who directed Pretty Woman, Beaches, Overboard, The Flamingo Kid, both Princess Diaries, and more). He has an excellent brief cameo (ala Alfred Hitchcock), and he has a lot of "nudge, nudge, know what I mean" moments in this movie. I definitely recomend seeing this one (either in the theatres or when it comes out on DVD).

Well, I think I've taken up enough time about movies today...it's time to go make dinner and watch another movie (hahahasnortgiggle). Hopefully it'll be worth writing about.

More later. Booboo.

Here There Be Clowns.

The Pocket Ferengei and I live in a small town. For New Jersey, I guess its small. It’s the type of town where everyone knows everyone(s) business.

We live in a decent neighborhood. We are a few blocks away from both the projects and the ritzy neighborhoods.

In the early part of the 1800's, our section of town used to be the main part of town. At the end of our block one of the houses used to be the "post office" where the Pony Express used to stop. (Rumor has it that the house is haunted, I think it's been featured in "Weird NJ".)

The house across the street from us used to be the General Store. When you look at that house today, you can still see that it used to be some type of store.

There's a family that lives in that house. And they are clowns. At least the parents are.

Now when I say that they are clowns, I mean it. They are performers who dress up as clowns for parties, events in town and around the area. [Heh - At least I think they get paid to do it; I've never personally asked them if they get paid to do it. I think that'd be kind of rude. But hey, that's me.] They are also heavily Baptist…but I'm not going there today.

This past Saturday, when my PF dragged himself off of the couch to go "accomplish something". (Apparently, he felt the need--I didn't). As he was gathering items to take to the dump, we looked out our front window and saw a white stretch limo parked across the street. Usually, when you see a white limo it can mean "wedding" or "prom". And since they home school their children (and it's too early in the year to be a prom anyway) it meant "wedding".

The PF found out earlier that younger daughter was in the family way [I'm not saying its right or wrong, it happens] so she wanted to get hitched before the baby arrived.

So, when I saw younger son wandering around outside, dressed up (not in a clown suit); I asked what was going on? He said his sister was getting married.

Of course I was curious to see what was going on (there wasn't anything on the tube at that time); so I waited and watched to see the bride. Well I saw her, and she wore white. (Way to go mommma of 2.)

I waited to see if Momma and Poppa would come out dressed as clowns, but I was disappointed. They were dressed nicely for the occasion.

Personally, I thought'd it'd be kind of funny to have your dad walk you down the aisle with him dressed as a clown...but apparently they didn't think so. ("Who gives this woman away?" "Honk!")

So that was the excitement for last weekend. Today (into tomorrow) we have snow. Whoo hoo, can you feel the excitement.

More later. Booboo.

It's Wednesday, So That Means New Comic Book Day!

[Photo is "Psylocke" as drawn by Greg Horn...he's a favorite.]

I am a geekette. And today being Wednesday that means new comic book day. The "high holy day" for all geeks.

I have a schedule set-up with "The Illegal" (my comic guy) that he will hold my books for me (as long as I get him my list in time….yes TI I have learned my lesson…thank you master). That means every other Thursday (pay day), I will go see TI to get my books. (I saw TI last week, so I won't be getting my books until next week).

This weeks pull list for me is:

D.C. comics: Black Lantern Green Arrow (a/k/a Green Arrow/Black Canary #30); Blackest Night #7, Blackest Night JLA #3; and JSA #36.

Marvel: Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill, Nation X, Thor, and X-Factor.

Now, since I have a schedule with TI, he will hold my comics for me until I come in to get them. On my last few visits, TI and I have been griping about the cost of comics ($2.99 a pop); the sorry state of the writing and art work of the books; and how the big companies and their "mega crossover" BS is not really working.

D.C.'s big event right now is "Blackest Night". Conlon (at Conlon's Cavalcade) can better describe this event. I can describe this as "D.C.'s version of a zombie movie" or "D.C. trying to catch on to the zombie phase to make more money"; both are correct in my viewpoint. [If you do happen to read Blackest Night, read the core books (Green Lanterns and the Blackest Night mini-series itself), because I've been spending my money on the other titles that "tie-in" with Blackest Night, and I feel I've been wasting my money.]

JSA (Justice Society of America) is about the "senior" heroes and their training of the new generation. (This is just my view point of the series, other people have described it better.)

Marvel's big event right now is "Siege"; and I have neither have a clue about or nor do I want to find out what that is. (D.C.'s sucking my money from me right now.)

The "Dark Tower" book is from Stephen King's "Dark Tower" story (it's a prequel, and it's been going on for a year and a half, maybe more). I'm a huge Stephen King fan, but I never got into the Dark Tower series. I buy this for my sister who loves the Dark Tower.

Nation X is also an "event" going on in Marvel (it deals with "Marvel's Merry Mutants" the X-Men. Other than that, I haven't read it yet (I'm waiting until the event is done (i.e.: that I've got all the issues), then I'll read it at one sitting so it will make sense, I hope)).

Thor -- I like the artwork and I like what they've done with Thor (bringing him back, there was an "event" a few years ago where he died…long story).

X-Factor -- It's Peter David. He's one of my favorite comic writers right now (and I also like his novels that he writes). These are part of the X-Men community, but not. I love how PD's, in the past, had one page in every book (or a whole book sometimes) where he acknowledges that there are "events" going on in the Marvel Universe, but that his "people" are not a part of it.

I mentioned my schedule with TI because TI told me (and I did not know) is that he has to front the money on the comic books. So that means he's buying all of these books for us (his clients), and he doesn't get paid until we pick-up the books. TI knows with me that he's going to be paid (because I come in every other week, like clockwork); but there are others who ask him to hold comics for them and they don't come in for months. So TI gets cheated out of money.

I don't think that's right. So today's blog is for you TI. {Booboo on a soap box}: "If you can't afford the habit, don’t do it!". {end.} It's as simple as that.

Comics aren't a "need" (well, for some people that aren't). They are a "want". If you don't have the money for something you want, you don't buy it.

It's not fair to the seller who's holding onto something for you until you get the money (or at the worst; change your mind and say forget it, don't hold it for me because I don't have the money AFTER it's been held for you for (let's say) three months). That's just plain wrong.

Well, I'm off to finish reading my last few weeks worth of books…that'll hold me through the snow storm we are supposed to have tonight going into tomorrow. (They promised me 12-14 inches, and they better well supply it.)

More later.
Booboo

A Little Bit Different (Or, Boy Am I Not Happy Today)

I thought I'd try something a little different today. Here's me attempting writing as therapy to get some of the sadness out of me that's been in me for a little bit:

I Heard Your Cry

August, 2007. A hot day. It wasn't as excruciatingly hot as the rest of that Summer, so I had the windows open. That's when I heard your cry.

I stepped out onto the porch to see what I could find. But I did not see you. While standing there, I heard your cry; so I went for a walk to find you. Up, down, all around--I could not find you.

Flash forward a month. A hot September day. My Sweetums was gone for the day. While on my own, futzing about, I saw you with them across the way. You were trying to get their attention. The girl, crying, tried to get her mother (uncaring) to help you. To no avail, they went away; but came back, only to ignore you. This seemed to be a theme over there; as they didn't notice that their dog got out -- which made me go over to tell them.

When I stepped on their porch, you came to me, and rubbed against my leg. I could tell before you let me pet you -- it was you who had cried, and that I finally had found you. Your boniness told your tale, you had been put out, for reasons you did not know why. So when I scratched your head, and rubbed your body, I knew I had to save you.

I knocked on the door that you so desperately wanted in on. The girl answered, and in her arms was the reason why you were out here. It seems that they did not want to play with the old girl that you had turned into. Because of that, they had gone out and gotten a kitten to replace you.

This made me mad. But I did not lash out at one of your betrayers. I only said, pointing to you, "She needs to be fed, and she will be". And that's when I scooped you up and took you to what turned into your forever home.

Although I did not know your story (and despite that little escapade) over the next two/three years you showed me who you really were: a loving cat; a mother cat (to those who didn't want one--but who, nonetheless, accepted the mothering that you gave them); a friend and confidant; a silly cat; a droolly cat; and a determined cat who never let "No" get between us.

On February 12th (such a short time) our time together ended. You never complained my L.C. dear (my Duchess cat) of any pain you were having. So we knew we had to help you go to the bridge where all critters go -- to enjoy your forever after. Off to the bridge to play, to scamper and skitter -- to be with the one's who have left us before. Sometime in the future -- I hope once again -- that we get to meet and be together. Rest in peace, you beautiful soul.


Thanks for listening. (When we get her ashes back I'll probably have more to add.)

I'll be bringing back the happy (I hope) later.

Monday Morning Feels So Bad ...

Monday's have never been my favorite day. I guess it goes back to when I was kid: by Sunday night I was dragging, moaning and complaining about going back to school on Monday.

Things really haven't changed since then. I don't moan an complain (well not that much, anyway), but I'm still dragging.

I still dread getting up in the morning...coffee helps, but only 'just'. On these mornings I am very grateful for my Pocket Ferengei. He gets me going in the morning. Not in your normal way, not by a long shot. He sings to me. And not just any song; he sings to me the one verse from a song he knows: "open wide your windows dear" (the rest he either makes up or just hums). But I know this song from somewhere (besides the PF singing it). I just can't place where I know this song from? I keep thinking its bugs bunny or one of those cartoons, but I just don't know which one. I guess I'll remember eventualy, oh well.

We did some food shopping yesterday and while we were out and about [I'm writing this down for posterity sake] the PF went out and bought himself new shoes. And not just one pair, he broke down and bought 2 (buy 1 get 1 1/2 off). That's one for the history books, folks. [The PF tends to hold onto things until they are completely used, and his shoes were at the "fart" making point (every other step he'd take, he'd make a "pfrt" sound: hehehe. And yes, I am quite definite it was the shoe.)]

So, the weekend was a pretty decent one. I also was able to make the PF get our pictures off of the camera. They are on his computer, now I just have to get to them so that I can organize them to use them on here. Some of the shots I took during both snowstorms (Dec. '09 and Feb. '10) came out pretty good.

I did find something funny om the tube last night. It's probably been on for a couple of weeks, but since we have a "DVR" we usually fastforward through the commercials. We were watching the NASCAR race on FOX. [The PF is a big race fan, me: not so much. I have people that I like to watch (Boris Said and Mikey Waltrip), but for the most part I find NASCAR racing boring. So I sit and read my comic books or (more likely than not) play on the computer.] While we were watching the race, a commercial came on for Old Spice underarm deodarant. It's been a while since I've laughed that hard. It has a very nice looking guy with a towel wrapped around his waist and he said "Ladies, look at your man; now look at me; look at your man, look at me"; and he kept on going that way talking about how nice he looks for you, he'll take you places, get you pearls, and [my favorite part] inside a clam he has "two tickets to that thing you wanted to see" or more diamonds then you'll ever want. Just a very funny commercial.

Well, time to go and feed my "habit"...Farmville is calling...I feel the need, the need for seed.

More later! Booboo

Oh yeah, I fogot....Happy Birthday OX. Hope your day was fun.

List, List, I've Got A List...Do You Have A List?

Everyone has a list. It may be a "to do" list; or it may be a "shopping" list. Whatever it may be, you've got a list. The reason I started blogging is because of a list: you see, an old friend of mine recently got in touch with me and asked if I would like to submit some lists for his blog? Of course I said yes, (as I'm open right now and I'm able to submit a list (or 5) to him). [Yes, I'm busy with work and home (and "Farmville", [that'll be another blog later]) [snicker, yeah I'm super busy, not!]].

(By the way, my friend is Conlon, and his blog is "Conlon's Cavalcade" on blogger. Stop by, read some lists, and say "Hi!", (tell him Prophecy sent you).)

When I got up this morning I wanted to catch-up on my Netflix DVD's that have been here for a bit. This mornings pick was "I Hate Valentine's Day" (Nia Vardalos and John Corbett; a very cute movie--a lot of people didn't like it, but I did (but then again, I am a geekette and I love my movies--good, bad, it doesn't matter, if it catches my interest I will watch it...which it turns out is not such a good thing sometimes)). So, as I was watching the previews (one of my favorite things to do) I saw some previews for movies that I had previously seen, because of the preview, but the movie completely sucked.

So, this got me thinking: what previews have I seen that made me want to watch a movie, but the movie sucked? Well, here's my list (no particular order):

1. Gamer -- I lovelovelove Gerard Butler; and this movies suckedsuckedsucked. The preview looked really good, but the execution was "meh". Maybe it was because I had just watched "Surrogates" (a Bruce Willis movie that I thought was much better) before it, but I just couldn't get into it. (It's set in the future where humans can control other humans (mainly criminals; sometimes other humans) and kill each other in a large-scale online gaming world. Surrogates is set in the future where everyone has access to robot "surrogates" that they can control; there is a difference, trust me -- it's the "robots".)

2. 9 -- This is an animated movie brought to us by Time Burton; Tim Burton had nothing to do with the story or animation--he just "threw the money" at the director and said "make it so". The preview caught me, and I could not wait to see it. So Mr. Burton, you got my $9.00: I hope you are happy, I'm not. (The movie, also set in the future, but on another "earth" -- postapocalyptic dolls. That's not what made me not like it, it was that the director/writer couldn't commit on one thought. Halfway through the movie, the plot changed somehow and it went in a different direction.)

3. The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard -- I am a Jeremy Piven fan. This movie preview caught my attention (not enough to see it in the theatre, but I saw it on DVD), and I could not wait to see it. Almost all of the funny bits of the movie were in the preview. (That seems to be the M.O. for previews.)

4. The Maiden Heist -- I saw this preview on several different DVD's. It looked good, had a great cast (how can you miss with Morgan Freeman, William H. Macy, and Christopher Walken?); the story looked entertaining (in order to save the artwork they were watching over, 3 security guards decide to steal them); the execution...not so much. I fell asleep through it half way and had to go back to watch what I missed, which was a complete waste of my time.

5. Burn After Reading -- I love the Cohen Brothers. I really loved this preview. Even after watching it twice (once at the theatre (thankfully it was a free movie, AMC Rewards=happiness), once on DVD with the Hubby), I didn't like it. (I can't even describe it, that's how bad it was for me.)

6. Step Brothers -- I like John C. Reilly; Will Ferrell, it's time to go away for awhile. Wil Ferrell is suffering what Jim Carrey suffered when he came to the movies....oversaturation. This movie is about two grown-up men still living at home with mom and dad. The preview looked somewhat entertaining, I thought it was going to be a good movie: WRONG. I was watching it more for John C. Reilly than anything, but, wow, just horrible.

7. In Bruges -- Yeah it won some awards. The preview caught me and it has a story that sounds really good: a hitman screws up so he and his partner are sent to Bruges to hide out until everything cools over. I like Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleason, and Ralph Fiennes, but this movie was just boring. That's the problem with most "independent" movies, they have a great sense of themselves as being this powerful, wonderful whatever, but it's just plain boring.

8. Becoming Jane -- I've recently become a Jane Austin fan. I've only read one book, so far, but I'm getting into her. The preview for this movie really made me want to see this movie. But it was boring...as boring as life in the 1800's (or whatever era it was) for women.

9. Pathfinder -- I saw this preview at a convention years ago. Todd McFarlane, I think, was producing it (I know most people won't know who he is, he's a comic book writer/creator "Spawn", toy maker (a very good toy maker, although you can't really play with the toys too much or they will break)). The preview looked really great. The story sounded good: It's about Viking's fighting Native American Indians, a young Viking gets left behind and lives with the indians; then the Vikings come back. Karl Urban and Clancy Brown (two actors I really like), couldn't get me interested in this movie at all.

10. Kill Bills (Vol. 1 & 2) -- The preview(s) looked really good. Uma Thurman stars in these revenge flicks directed by Quentin Tarantino. Uma Thurman is a good actress. Quentin Tarantino is a good director. These movies aren't that good. They did not catch my attention at all (I watched the 2nd one because my Pocket Ferengei wanted to...he liked them).

So that's my list for this Sunday. Next week I'll have my list of movie previews of "Movies I Loved/Liked -- But The Preview Was Completely Misleading".

Have a great Sunday!

[Oh, what did I mean by tell Conlon "Propehcy sent me"? Well, as a geekette (I think still in good standing) I used to get together with him and a group of friends on Sunday nights (and some Tuesdays as well) and we'd play a role-playing game called "Champions". He was more prolific with characters than I was, but my favorite character to play was "Prophecy" (a psychic chick who served as the novice of the group -- i.e.: I had no idea what I was doing, but they let me play along anyway.) Ahh, the memories.] More on that later!

Caturdays And Shamrock Shakes

"Happy Caturday everybody". If "Catuday" doesn't mean anything to you, it's because: (a) you are not a cat person; and/or (b) you have never been to "FARK" or "ICANHASCHEESEBURGER" or anywhere else on the web that a person has posted something on a Saturday in honor of their beloved kitteh(s).

I first found out about Caturday from the lovely men and women who post comments, pictures, etc. on the website "FARK" (wonderful site, you should visit it if you haven't already; you'll find some interesting news articles on it (but its the headline descriptions that keep me coming back, and the cats -- just be mindful that the people on FARK are very "passionate" and will, in kind, respond to anything you might have to say)).

In order to post pictures of their beloved kitties (or dogs, guinea pigs, various other animals or selves) a lot of the people use "ICANHASCHEESEBURGER" to post their pictures and make "LOL's". (A LOL--as demonstrated above by my Murphy (who was very helpful)--is a picture you can upload onto the "ICANHASCHEESEBURGER" site and you then can put a funny saying on the picture, put a tribute on the picture, or put whatever kind of saying you want to put on the picture (which you can then submit to post on the site so that you have a copy of your own LOL). In order to post, I do believe that you have to create a sign-on, but its easy and fun to do. [They also have "FAIL" and other things you can look at or create LOLs of.]

As for "Shamrock Shakes": It's that most wonderful time of the year [one of them] when the Shamrock Shake is brought out for consumption. It runs at MickyD's from the day after Valentine's Day to St. Patties Day (at all McDonalds)-- some McDonald's go longer. They've changed the way they make them over the years, and now it's just the vanilla shake with creme de menthe (non-alcoholic version) put in it. Last night my Pocket Ferengei and I fed our cravings for McDonalds and had our first Shamrock's for the season. They were introduced in 1970 (thank you "Wikipedia") and I remember my Muzzy (what we called our Mom, Dad was always "Dad-O") bringing home the shakes for us after Valentine's Day. Those were some great times.

Anyway, Happy Caturday to everyone.

More Later: Booboo

Hello, It's Me.

So, I have decided to blog. I've been a long-time lurker, now I have decided today is the day for me to "come out". Let's get started shall we.

As an introduction, I am a GOFOR at a legal facility somewhere in the northeast (the smelly part). GOFOR meaning: "Gofor this, Gofor that, Gofor food", etc. -- (you get the picture). I am married (and since this is the northeast: I'm a she and hubby's a he). Never thought it'd happen, but I'm glad it did. The hubby will be mentioned as "the hubby" or "my pocket Ferengei" (for those Star Trek fans -- and friends of the hubby -- if there's something that you need, he can help you find it!) He's a good guy, a little strange (emphasis on the "little" part because he's shorter than me, not that there's anything wrong with that -- heck I married him!), and whatever he does it's always with good intentions. (My own private "Polyanna" as it were.) He himself is a slave working on computers.

We live in a Hobbit Hole (actually, no, we live in a nice cottage; he tries to make it into a Hobbit Hole every summer with his gardening [yes, pictures will be posted later when I've figured it out]) with The Florence Fuzzies: our kitties - Miss Priss, her sister Boobookitty, Phoebe, Murphy (the Dude, our KKKitty - more on that later), The Spazz and our lone old man guinea pig: Chocolate Moose (ancient at 7 years old). This makes for a warm, happy existence for all.

As we were driving in to work (we share my car) today a thought popped-up in my head: Coffee! What's my favorite brand? We had stopped at Wawa so I could get my lunch, in order for me to do that I needed a sip of coffe to wake myself up. So I grabbed a 20oz coffee from Wawa. It's not bad coffe. I have had worse, but I've had better. So it got me thinking: what is the best coffee out there? Here's my top 3:

1. Dunkin Donuts (regular).

2. Maxwell House.

3. WaWa (regular).

I know a lot of people love coffee, I'm just wondering what's your favorite? What am I missing out there? Feel free to post your opinion, I'd be glad to hear from you.

Well, it's off to the slave mines for me. More later.

2/19/10 -- I have found a picture of a portion of my Pocket Ferengei's garden. This is from Summer 2009.