Ignoring The Boss to start post 2

I'm trying to keep going. Oy, I can't go on looking at Mickey Rourke.

I believe that I doubt my commitment to these awards. If I can barely keep my finger from the skip button while watching, why would anyone, especially ones not watching, want to read my commentary? Alas, it was worth a try. I am throwing in the towel at the 16 minute mark, enjoying Simon Baker but confused by his trying to keep his accent down.

Arianna Huffington, I tried. I tried to just blog. To not edit, to just write, to put it out there. I can't do it. Thank you for your support.

Ze Golden Globe Awards

So, what I' m going to try to do here is a live commentary whilst watching the awards. Well, I'm going to start them a bit late, and I shall skip through some parts, because, c'mon, I'm not getting paid for this, I am probably bad at it, and it's for my own lulz. I'm going to try to make sense at the time. This is really an exercise in fun.

Commence!

Ooh, too much fake tanner and Greek goddess extensions on that Acess Hollywood chick.
Could the theme song be more annoying? Doubtful. Drew Barrymore's hair doubts it, too. It is large with disapproval.

J.Lo, do you have a different style of dress? I don't think you do. Good thing this one is golden.

Does Penelope Cruz have a deal with the devil? That Viola Davis is pretty.

Yay for Kate Winslet! I love her so much. And she's sitting with Leo- lovely.
Okay, now shut up.

Gah! Can I have the title of "Social Activist," or can only rich, famous, beardy people like Sting have it. I mean, I am active on social networking sites, and I also could be called a social butterfuly sometimes. I'm taking it.

Less than 8 minutes in, I want 2 follicular interventions to be done: Sting and, someone, for the love of Pete, tell Billy Ray Cyrus that his hair is unacceptable!

This isn't a very interesting post so far. May abort, abort!

Why I love Twilight

I've been poking around a lot online (some would call it "obsessed." "Some" would be my husband.) and reading stuff about Twilight--generally snark, some articles, interviews with the cast (some members more than others are represented in my searches.)

It appears that the great majority of the snarky writers and of the haters seem to be up in arms (Shocked!) about a teenybopper book catering to an allegedly anti-feminist idea of a girl wanting a knight in shining armor and men being fairly dominant. Another group of them feels that a message of abstinence is antiquated and also anti-feminist. Most do not understand why, on Stephenie Meyer's sparkly earth, would grown-ass wimmins be reading these books, watching the movie, and salivating over them both. The general opinion seems to be that these are books FOR TEENAGERS, so ONLY teenagers should read and enjoy them. Anyone over the age of 16 who loves them is gross and wrong and needs to get a life. (Um, Harry Potter much?)

I sincerely beg of these people that they get off their high horses, take the sticks out of their collective bums, go soak their heads, or whichever command will get them off my dazzling, vampire-loving back.

Am I saying you're not allowed to dislike or hate these books? Not at all! What I find disheartening though, and there is a LOT of it on the web for any and every subject, is the poisonous disdain for people who do enjoy something you find stupid. As if you are the learned and wise one, while the 40 bajillion people who love scrapbooking, those creepily realistic stuffed cats, genre fiction, and Jesus are stupid and beneath you. And I'm a certified snob, myself! I'm sure you could go back through my very own blog and find a post where I am heaping scorn upon someone for liking something that makes me hurl. (Actually, I just looked and didn't find anything exactly like this. Whoosh! Narrowly escaped that little bit of hypocrisy!)

What I find irritating is that many (not all) of these posters seem to feel that everything they read is sensical, upright, empowering, deadly serious, and Good, while the Twilight books are brain-sapping, oppressive, and Bad. It's a freaking YA vampire romance novel! And if you think that much of the adult novels in the same genre are feminist tracts firmly grounded in reality and excellent writing, I have a bridge to sell you.

Yep, I've read a lot of those, too. And most of them suck. I've read at least 7 books by Sherrilyn Kenyon, almost every one of them exactly the same woman-hating, ridiculously bad, he-man saves the day after a sensitive woman heals his black soul bullcrap. It's a formula that I go to for comfort and brain-off entertainment. I am a seminary student with papers to write, deep stuff that hurts my brain to read, oft-conflicting beliefs to examine and juggle, and people's eternal souls to ponder and worry over, not least of all my own and my husband's.

I cannot frikking get my head into most "grown-up" contemporary fiction. It's boring! It's hard to slog through the thousands of new releases to figure out what I'll actually like and find something that itsn't about depressed middle class marriages where at least one person wants to kill themselves and they all hate each other. On the other hand, I can be reasonably sure that any urban fantasy or paranormal romance book I pick up is going to be a) kind of predictable, b) poorly written and edited, and c) at least 85% entertaining.

I first read Twilight in '06, because I love YA fantasy books, and it has vampires. End reasons. I remember thinking that it was only okay, and that while I didn't feel the need to go on to the next books, I probably would eventually if I was casting about for something to read. Two years later, enter 'Nette. 'Nette is in love with the books, and absolutely wanted to see the movie. I had half an interest in the movie, mostly due to the pulsing excitment of my h.s. girls and their enthusiasm for Team Cullen. So I semi-reluctantly went to see the movie on New Years Day. (really. Just last week. This thing is only 9 days old.) Though I didn't realize it right away, it was starting to crumble (my dignity, my sanity) right there.

I thought the movie was pretty good, with only a couple eye-rolling "OMG! We're so in love! OMG OMG OMG!!!!!1" moments. And, I'm sorry, but Robert Pattinson is seriously a beautiful boy. Seriously. So, I borrowed the 2nd book from 'NettaBobetta and read it that night. Then it was seriously all over. I had to know!!! I bought Eclipse (hardcover. ack!) and read it at the airports and on the planes. (I saw at least 5 other people in the airports w/Twilight books. All adults.) I went to church on Sunday (movie + 68 hours) and immediately went up to the first group of h.s. girls I saw, like a junkie needing her fix. "Do any of you have Breaking Dawn??!!" I thought I may have to go to someone's house to grab it, but one of those wonderful, obsessive girls had it in her car at church, so I was able to get it right away. Joy!

And you know what? I loved it. The teenage wedding, freaky rough sex (off-page, of course), creepy vampire baby, imprinting, non-fight- all of it.

Did I absolutely love every part of the books and think they're gems of literature and girls should be Just Like Bella? No! They're FANTASY. Escapism. Fairy Tales. Bella drove me mad most of the time, with her moping and defining herself solely based on the boys in her life and incessant lack of self-confidence. But find me more than a handful of teenage girls who aren't like that! Is that ideal? Of course not. Do you really think that traditional fairy tales build them up into strong, independent women? They're all about girls waiting for princes or the brave girls who will go ahead and die for the good of the weak men or their village. It's not pretty. But I can also guarantee you that my students at church also got a little sick of Bella's whining and they picture themselves as much more independent than she is. I think they also notice the love she has for her dad, but the crappy way she treats him, and they'll think about that. Yes, I worry a little bit about what example Bella & Edward set for them, but that's exactly why I'm going to talk to them about it. I'm going to ask them about Jacob's assault and Edward's controlling ways.

And I do appreciate the message of abstinence. I don't like that so much out there now tells teens that sex is no big deal, when it is. And you can live without it, even when you really really want it. You will live. You can talk. Even though it's not highlighted as much as it is with Jacob, Edward and Bella's relationship is barely physical, and they talk and spend time together and are deep friends. This is a good thing! It's actually pretty healthy to show a realistic view of sex instead of hiding it away and pretending that boys want it, girls don't, and it's not all that great, just keep it in your pants until marriage. Yes, I know that they *did* wait until marriage, at Edward's request, but believe me, I grew up in a semi-fundie school and you just weren't supposed to talk about or want it or acknowledge its existence. Only bad kids had sex. We weren't given any practical expectations, models, or advice other than "Don't!"

Why would I, a happily married, mostly completely satisfied with my life, almost mid-30s woman like it so much? As I mentioned before, escapism. Brain-off entertainment. Romance. Fun. I adore my husband and want to climb him like a tree most days, but that doesn't mean that I have zero bagage about my desirability. That doesn't mean that guys liked me when I was younger. It doesn't mean that I don't like reading about sweeping love and sex and immortality and strength after doing dishes and prying socks out of my dog's mouth. No, it doesn't make me wish I was Bella, or seriously pine over teenage boys (ick!). It makes me want my husband even more. It just stirs up romance in general, at least for me. That's it.

Does Robert Pattinson need to worry about me? Nah. I'd blush like an idiot if I met him, just like I did when I nearly met Alan Rickman, who is way too old for me. Pretty boys are nice, no matter their age. I'm human. And I love vampires. So nyah.

Twihard (I guess. I don't know.)

I'm working on a semi-coherent, thoughtful entry on Twilight: the books, the movie, the phenomenon. Stay tuned.

For now, be content with RPattz.

Let a person make a friggin' mistake already!

Good golly, I'm tired of the media. The endless coverage and scrutiny of every, single thing that barely matters has gotten completely stupid. What I'm specifically tired of is everyone having to apologize for every mistake they make, every time they put their foot in their mouth, every time they fart in their kitchen.

What kind of people are David Hasselhoff's daughters that they would put a video of their dad stumbling around drunk on the internet? Why are Hulk Hogan's private conversations with his incarcerated son being taped and leaked? Why do all the candidates have to apologize for having any opinions that some might disagree with? (I'm even defending Hillary here.) Why is firing a staffer the only way to make up for a dumb comment?

I feel like my eyes are going to roll all the way back into my head and I won't be able to dislodge them. I'm especially susceptible because I'm actually into the campaigns...why do I lie? I'm into Obama's campaign. But I'm checking the news more often, reading stories about the election, and checking out headlines in general. Therefore, I'm seeing more of the silliness.

Can all journalists and politicians PLEASE just get their panties out of a knot and let people be themselves? I know, it's not going to happen. Not with multiple round-the-clock news stations and Nancy Pelosi on the case.

Kai Ryssdal sounds hot

So, I realized the other day that I've thought this for a while. Have you listened to Marketplace on NPR? Try it. Anyway, I'm posting this after figuring out how the heck to spell his name, but before looking for a picture.

I'm going to look for a picture now to confirm or refute my thoughts on his hotness. Here goes:

He's alright. Probably cuter in person than in the slanty photos favored on the website. Fairly handsome man. (Bah. Look for yourself, I don't want to search again for the link.)

Celebrities are people, too.

I really do believe this. You may remember when I was saddened by the divorce of Reese & Ryan, and I felt maybe a little stupid about being so invested in them, but I'm here to defend myself! My theory: perhaps I'm a better person than you.

I kid. I just mean that while most people subconsciously tend to turn celebrities into commodities, I guess that I continue to hope that they'll behave like human beings with hearts, souls, and brains. So, when something happens to them, it does disappoint me. I don't want people to hurt- not that I'm saying you do- I'm just one of those heart on my sleeve sort of gals, something which has become more obvious to me of late, but I'll get to that another time.

Anyway, today's sadness is about Owen Wilson. Simply put, suicide breaks my heart and it makes me so sad that he tried to do it. As one who has attempted it, I know some of the thoughts and heart conditions that are probably there, and I don't want anyone to feel like that. I'm sad whenever I hear of anyone killing themselves, but I guess since we think that we know celebrities a little bit- at least a portion of their personalities, my mind tends to think, "No! But he seemed okay!" But what do I know?

And now for a silly post

I've been having Project Runway dreams. THANKS, BRAVO! Last night there was also a dash of Six Feet Under, and also Christa Alberts was there. (Old friend.)
The night before last was Kayne from PR, Anthony Bourdain, an island inspired by the last leg of Treasure Hunters, and I was advising on a PR task because it was the same as when my leg of The Amazing Race went through the day before. Plus, lots of drama.

I think that I may be watching too much TV.

What hath Oprah wrought

I channeled my inner Grandma the other day and wrote a letter of complaint to O Magazine. (I also wrote a letter of praise to novelist Carolyn Parkhurst, and she wrote back to me, but that's not what I'm talking about here. It's just cool.)

The subject of my complaint? Stationery. Not just any old printed notecards, but ones designed by Kate Spade and featured in a multi-page spread in the September O. Stationery that costs $189 for 50 calling cards (that's a boring design, and one of the cheapest ones, too.)

I am not often one to shake my fist at excess or deny anyone the right to have nice things- if you know me, you know that I greatly enjoy shopping and don't like cheap crap. But, as the Slacker's Prince often points out, our worldview is very much shaped by our lower-middle class upbringing. My definitions of "cheap" and "expensive" are VERY different from Oprah's definitions, or the definitions of many people that I meet here in California. Either way though, I find it vulgar to spend that kind of money on cute paper products when there are starving children in Africa.

Which brings me to the conundrum (dare I say "hypocrisy") that Oprah creates on a weekly basis. Oprah defines what is good, acceptable, desirable, and worthy of attention for millions of people worldwide. It sounds glib for me to use "starving children in Africa" in a guilt trip, but those African children are some of the people that Oprah cares most about in this world. Yet she can have an episode about her trip to South Africa air on a Thursday, and then next Tuesday the wildly popular "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode airs, where she gives away televisions, jewelry, cheesecakes, handbags, and other things that have caught her fancy over the year.

Is it impossible to both have extravagant things and provide real support for charities and worthwhile causes? No, it is not impossible. Mostly for Oprah and the SuperRich. Am I saying that Oprah doesn't do enough or that she shouldn't like Burberry jackets? Not at all. What I would like to consider is the fact that most people cannot both make a real difference for a ministry or charity and save for the latest Balenciaga dog collar or Prada silk tampons. So Oprah is sending a very mixed message to her viewers: You can make a difference! You need this flat-screen TV! You need to and can do something about the situation in Africa, or for women in Iraq, or for the kids who can't read in your city! $180 moisturizer is the only way to go!

Which is the priority?

Summer Reality Shows

Two shows I am quite fond of right now: America's Got Talent and the World Series of Pop Culture. The first fills my need for American Idol, and the second makes me feel smart. Or like lots of my brain matter is clogged up with facts about Jessica Simpson and Hammer, but that I'm not alone.

So far, I know that I'm as good as the people on WSOPC. I'm pretty much getting all the same questions right and wrong, but I am truly impressed with some contestant's knowledge of what I think of as extremely obscure information.

I'm also watching Treasure Hunters, which is a very nice emotional replacement for The Amazing Race. And in TH, they actually have to FIGURE OUT CLUES!! Ooooh-aaaah. TAR used to have that. But the host of TH is a cyborg who will NEVER measure up to Phil, and it just isn't quite as fun as TAR. But it is its own thing, and I appreciate it. Hopefully they'll hang the editors they have now and clean the whole mess up a bit for a second season.

New Band

Get thee straight over to the Gnarls Barkley website and listen to them. I am obsessed, I tell you. I have them in my head all of the time.

Oh, the American Idol finale

Blech. He's not my Idol. But Katherine isn't that great, either. I mourn for Elliot.
I will say this: I had a kissing dream about Taylor Hicks. It was okay, but he was a tad jerky.

Will & Grace Finale

I laughed a few times, and I got a little choked up at the end, but that was it. I thought that I would cry and cry, but nay. They sort of ruined it with that idiotic "Best Friend" song, which I do believe is by Queen. Boggles the mind, the stupidity of that song.
Why am I posting this? Dunno.

More American Idol

Okay, are the judges on crack? Sometimes I think that they are. Katherine's third song was so rockin' and awesome, and they were blech about it. It was the same a few weeks ago when she did " Black Horse and Cherry Tree". Did her 1st song suck? Oh yeah. And her "Over the Rainbow" being the best performance of the entire competition? If you mean of any season, Simon, you are sorely mistaken. I understand that you were trying to exactly reproduce Fantasia's "Summertime", but it just didn't happen. (The link above is to the CD version, not her original AI performance, which was better and gave me the stinkin' chills.) Edited on 6/15- I think the link I have now is to the original performance, though it may be the finals of that same season.

ERGH!!! I do NOT want Taylor to win, and obviously he is the crown prince. He was not as good as they claimed tonight.

I guess that I'm more bitter than I expected that Chris is gone. Maybe I'm cranky about the lack of eye candy. *sigh*

Elliot is who I have voted for the most over the course of this season, but he has bored me a bit the past few weeks, and I think that his voice is a little shot. I'll still vote for him, though.

No Title Today

First things first- I miss my husband. He is currently in FL for 2 weeks of training, and I'm not happy about this. I mean, I'm a loner and all and used to my own time, but I don't think it's too healthy for me to be inside my own head and in my own company 24-7 for 2 weeks straight.

I did go to visit family, and it was nice, but I'm still a little weird.
BLECH- I need to get out of the funk I've been in.

Second things second- I love California! Not for any new reasons, but just more of the beauty of it. Flowers and creeks and birds and hills. Just awesome, and I feel that just about everyday. I thank God that I live here and still have to pinch myself sometimes.

And C) The security at the local mall ride Segways. Now, I have been intrigued by Segways and they do look hella fun, but the security guards just look like total idiots riding around in and around the mall on these. Serious goobers, and even I want to beat them up for being nerds when I see it.
Gob got away with it on Arrested Development because he is supposed to be ridiculous and Will Arnett is seriously hot.

Have a new band that I love- Thrice. I know that they've been around for a while and I'm a bit late to the game here, but they're pretty awesome. Check 'em out.

I'm breaking down and talking about TV.

American Idol, specifically. I had sort of avoided putting book, movie, and TV reviews here. I'm not sure why- maybe I just was thinking it was a cheap way to fill writing space and I wanted to explore my thoughts more or some such rubbish. Anyway, I have to talk about AI right now, all my friends are abed, and the TWoP boards are too danged cluttered!

So, I basically agreed with all the judges tonight. After Katherine sang Whitney, I was sooooo afraid that they were going to love it, because it sucked. I don't hate Katherine at all- well, maybe a little because she is too pretty to live, but she's cute and nice (seeming) and sings well, but Simon was totally on when he said that for someone to come out and sing a Whitney Houston song, they are claiming that they are as good. I've always thought that with Whitney, Mariah, Christina Aguilera, even Kelly Clarkson. For you to sing one of these big songs is pretty ballsy and you are trying to say that you are just as good as them, and most people ARE NOT. Sorry, Kat. And Holy Boobies! Ryan had to practically grit his teeth to not look at them.

I have loved Elliot right from the beginning and continue to vote for him almost exclusively. His voice amazes me every, single week. I am always surprised by how well he sings, although I do agree that he can be a smidge boring at times.

Taylor makes me frustrated when he doesn't sing a song as well as I know he can. It felt like he was being lazy, nervous, and just wanted to get through the beginning of the song so that he could get to the higher part and do his thing. Shame on him! He's done it before, though.

There have GOT to be songs out there that are appropriate for Paris. She amazes me, but I do get tired of her smoky jazz voice. I like her straight voice a little better.

I have liked Chris from the beginning- mostly because he's smokin' hot, but I also think that he's good. That said, he has been starting to bore me with his Frozen Asshole Robot Rocker thing. (Please excuse the language- it's just the title I came up for him during the show, and it stuck.)
Unfortunately, my DVR changed channels to tape Scrubs before Chris was over, so I didn't get to see the whole thing and the praise that the judges apparently gave him.
What I did see? RAWR

TV Lust and Whatnot

So, some serious Josh Holloway lust going on. He's a bit too Kid Rock-looking on Lost, but still quite yummy.

The sleep has shifted a bit. The past few days I am so tired that I can go to bed early-ish, but I've been waking up.
I tried to quit my job and now they're working with me a bit on my schedule, so that should help. I am a little disappointed that I couldn't quit, though. Although it is irresponsible, I was REALLY looking forward to not working and just SLEEPING for a while! Oh well. Continued paychecks are the upside.

I have nothing deep or witty to add tonight. So, I shall stop writing.
I am meeting with a life coach tomorrow, so that should give me things to talk about. Yes, it sounds really dorky, but I'm desperate here. I have almost no idea at all what I want to do with my life. I feel like I'm sort of drifting. I know the person I'm seeing, so I think that it will help.

More on that later.