Random Thoughts on a Friday

I just realized that I have been so focused this month on THE RISE OF GINNY COOPER experiment at The Story Siren that I haven't done any non-book related blogs at all.

But there are so many awesome non-book related things going on that I have to mention:

1. American Idol started again and I miss Paula. I only saw the Boston auditions this week so I didn't see Mary J. Blige but what I saw on Tuesday was really a bummer. First of all, I disliked Kara last season and while she seems to be a little more tolerable now, I still would rather see Paula in that middle chair. And second, um...Boston? Where was the talent? I lived in Boston for a while and I'm embarrassed for New England. And there wasn't even any good snarking! Sheesh!

2. Denzel has a new movie out and I'm intrigued. "The Book of Eli" looks like a Mad Max-type post-apocalyptic road movie with major amounts of cliche (trench coat and sunglasses? Gary Oldman as an over-the-top bad guy?) but I love Denzel. He, Tom Hanks, and Will Smith are probably the only three actors (along with actresses Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton) that I will watch in just about anything they do. Oooh, could you imagine a movie with ALL of those actors in it? Get going on that, Hollywood!

3. Lost returns in 2 weeks and I'm nervous. Last season! Last episodes! Last chance to tie up all the loose ends! Is it even possible? I have watched every season of this show, even the so-called bad ones that other people used as an excuse to stop watching. I can't claim to have even the slightest clue about how everything fits together but I am waiting with baited breath, as they say, for the conclusion. I have faith in these writers and I really hope they don't let us all down.

4. Haiti had a major earthquake this week and I'm humbled. And grateful. When you live in an earthquake-prone area like Southern California, there is always the chance the ground could begin shaking under your feet and you will be powerless to stop it. But when it doesn't happen every day, you get complacent. This Haitian earthquake reminds us all here in LA that we could get one like that too. The big difference? Most of our buildings are in much better condition to withstand the shaking; the people of Haiti were not so lucky. Their structures were very poorly built and that's a primary reason so many people died.

To end this on a more upbeat note, I just read that aid is flooding in to Haiti and George Clooney has planned a fundraiser with MTV for later this month.

And one last one...

5. Part 3 of Ginny Cooper will be up on Monday January 18th and I'm excited again. I hope people are downloading and enjoying it. And if they do read it, I hope they let me know!

4 Movies to get your mind off Swine Flu

Things could be a lot worse...

1. 12 Monkeys - one of my favorite films of all time, this was based on a short French film called La Jetee, which I believe refers to the "throw" of the time traveling. Bruce Willis' character in the American film is literally thrown into the past in order to retrieve items which will help scientists in the future create a vaccine which will combat the virus which has killed millions and driven survivors underground. This is Terry Gilliam at his mainstream best and gave me new appreciation for the talents of Willis and Brad Pitt.

2. 28 Days Later - ah, the fast-moving zombies. Danny Boyle's film is set in Britain after a virus has been accidentally released into the general public and it turns people into crazed "Ragers." I loved this film for its very depressing ending - much like the remake of Dawn of the Dead. Btw, this movie introduced me to the very sexy Cillian Murphy - ooh!

3. Doomsday - another virus has infected the populace, this time in Scotland, in Neil Marshall's film. Marshall directed the amazing Descent which was a wonderful, horrific, female-centric action/horror/suspense film. Doomsday has another strong female lead, Rhona Mitra, who was a Lara Croft model. Mitra plays a special agent who is sent into a walled-off area where survivors have created a Mad Max-ish world; a cure is rumored to have been developed by Malcolm McDowell's mad scientist character and our agent must retrieve it. Not the best, but not bad.

4. I Am Legend - Will Smith, Will Smith, and Will Smith. A virus has wiped out everyone in Manhattan (and presumably the rest of the country), leaving only Smith and his dog to fight the zombie/vampire survivors in this film by Francis Lawrence based on Richard Matheson's novella. I loved this film until the introduction of the woman and boy, which I found to be suddenly too uplifting and took the film in an optimistic direction that strayed much too far from Matheson's fantastic story. Watch it until then and shut it off.

Random Thoughts on a Friday

6 Movies I Watched This Week

1. Valkyrie - Tom Cruise as a Nazi who leads an (obviously unsuccessful) coup against der Fuhrer. I wasn't as turned off as I thought I'd be by the non-accent of T. Cruise and I have to say, his hair was amazing! Kudos to his stylist. Supporting cast of Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Izzard, etc. were fantastic.

2. 7 Pounds - okay, you know I dig Will Smith more than just about any human on this planet besides HH so of course I was going to love him in this. Sappy? Sure. Manipulative? You bet. Requiring a massive suspension of disbelief? Right on. The people I saw it with did not share my love of Will nor did they suspend their disbelief as I did so they didn't like it as much and the ending is the hugest downer of the year. I cried, cried, cried. And I don't care who knows. Cuz now you do.

3. The Sound of Music - Nazis! Singing Austrian children! Julie Andrews! What's not to love in this? Honestly, I coudn't remember the last time I had seen this in its entirety and I guess I had completely forgotten the beginning and I sort of got confused at the end because I recall in real life they came to the US and I thought that was part of the movie but it wasn't. It just ends with the nuns rescuing them. So it was good to see this again. My upstairs neighbor totally lurvs this.

4. Doubt - Meryl, omg, I heart Meryl so effin' much. She is freaking amazing in just about everything she does. And Philip Seymour Hoffmann and Amy Adams are splendid with a capital awesome. This is another serious movie for Oscar contention and they all deserve it, especially the writer/director John Patrick Shanley who adapted his own Pulitzer-winning play (which goes right on the TBR list - I can't wait to see what he might not have included and if the ending is as ambiguous as the movie).


5. The Dancer - a kind of documentary about a young Swedish dancer as she joins the Royal Swedish Ballet, Katja Bjorner. I say "kind of" because it's not a documentary in the traditional sense; there is no obvious narrative and not much explanation about who we meet in the film and what they do and their relationship to Katja. Still, for those of us who love ballet, it's a fascinating study of a very passionate teen as she prepares to dance. And a nice introduction to how pointe shoes are made.

6. Shut Up And Sing - another great documentary, this time about the Dixie Chicks and the hassle they went through after lead singer Natalie Maines told people she was ashamed the president was from Texas- this shortly after troops were sent to Iraq, which made her very unpopular among the mostly-conservative fan base across the country. How the protests against the Chicks affected them and the music they wrote makes for a fascinating look into the politics of entertainment. We went right out to the store and bought their album.

3 Movies I'm Jazzed About

Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith and directed by Gabriele Muccino (who also directed Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness"). Will Smith is a suicidal IRS agent who decides to help seven people before he kills himself. I know it doesn't sound very promising - sort of maudlin with a likely sappy ending - but in the hands of these two, I know it will be heartfelt and sincere, if nothing else. Also, didn't they say that about "It's a Wonderful Life"?


The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves and based on the classic 1951 sci-fi film which was directed by Robert Wise and was itself based on a short story by Harry Bates. "Gort, Klaatu barada nicto!" Come on, who in the free world has not heard those words before? The first time I saw the original film, I was in junior high. I have no idea what class it was or why the teacher showed it to us, but I absolutely remember every frame of it. Will the Reeves version be as good? Hard to tell. It's got a great cast and likely amazing special effects but will people believe Reeves (and lord knows he's one of my favorite actors of all time and I'll watch him in just about anything) is Klaatu and not Gort?


The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, directed by David Fincher, and based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald (one of my absolute favorite writers ever - ever!). A man is born very old and ages backwards. Pitt and Blanchett - together? My heart does a little pit-a-pat. I love Cate, adore her like I do Meryl and Michelle. The movie, I can tell from the trailers, will break my heart. I just know it. Sigh. Bring it on.


Don't forget to enter the Teen Free Book Friday contest to win a signed copy of LOVE, MEG or ALL ABOUT VEE! Contest ends Friday, December 5th!

Random Thoughts on a Friday

1. I was on TV!! Me! I can hardly believe it! I was like, a star, for a very brief moment in time. It was really hard to watch myself at first(I can't even stand to listen to my recorded voice - yuck!) so I kind of cringed as I watched but then I tried to just sit back and imagine being a member of the audience and I didn't sound so bad after all. Hope you all got to see it but if not, it will probably go up on YouTube and on Connie's website. Check back on my own site for that info; we'll keep you updated.

2. Anyone looking for a respite from the summer heat should duck into her local theater and watch "Hancock" starring my super-crush, Will Smith. If you haven't seen it yet, it's fun but thoughtful - a very unique superhero movie that somehow manages to include all of the typical superhero conventions yet remain original. HH and I so love Will Smith that we came right home and watched our favorite scenes from both MIB movies. I would own "Pursuit of Happyness" except so much of it is way too sad.

3. Jordyn, your book is in the mail. Jordyn was the winner at Teen Book Review's blog when I was guest blogging over there in June. On Wednesday I sent her out a signed hardcover of LOVE, MEG. I hope you'll let me know what you think when you read it, Jordyn!

4. Hey, I was on TV!

Ending the Week with Awesomeness

1. Awesome television - aw, come on, you know the answer to this one: Lost. Another fantastic episode last night and HH and I are still trying to unravel the flash forwards. Obviously, in last night's show Jack and Kate are happy and isn't a drunken pill-popper. So we're assuming this episode precedes the very first flash forward we saw, right? Another question we wonder: in the future, does Jack realize he is Aaron's uncle?

2. Awesome movie trailers - The Robert Downey Jr. movie "Iron Man" opens today and that certainly does look like fun but honestly, it's "Hancock" that we're looking forward to. Comes out in June! Will Smith as a homeless superhero - yeah, baby!

3. Awesome library event - okay, so my writing workshop tomorrow at the West Hollywood Public Library on San Vicente isn't truly awesome but it could be if YOU come! I'll give away a copy of LOVE, MEG and I'll sign it and everything! 2:30PM until we finish talking.