see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Also a crazy week, so I’m dialing back the writing, which makes me feel guilty since I didn’t do a lot last week. I should have finished Queen already, and should be halfway through Midnight Sun, but I cut 3000 words and haven’t made much progress since.

But, this week should (oh please no drama to ruin it) be good:

1) my birthday party

2) my birthday

3) last week of tutoring!!!!!!!!!!

4) Avatar on DVD (Sam!!!!!!)

5) The Losers in the theater (JDM, baby!!)

6) Tahmoh (Helo from BSG) has a new miniseries on Sci-Fi. Almost forgot about that one.

7) Problem Child will be absent Monday, going to the doctor to please God get medication. (I have only ever wanted a child on medication one other time in my career. Trust me that this is a desperate situation.)

8) Revisions on short story for Samhain

9) Finish a round of revisions on Queen, then go through one more time for continuity

10) Fiesta event with mom, BB, SIL and her bff

11) Exercise

12) House

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Natalie convinced me to come back to Netflix since I was having so much trouble getting new releases from Blockbuster, and they changed the exchange-a-mailed-movie-for-a-movie-in-the-store policy. So I came back, and had the same trouble getting new releases.

But.

We got a new Tivo, which streams a lot (a LOT) of Netflix movies. A. LOT. Recently I learned they stream The Dresden Files and all the Buffy and Angel series (though I own those.) They stream all seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and The Office. They stream the new cable series Spartacus, and the old Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew (not the whole season, though.) Also The Night Stalker, remember that series? Also Lost, Torchwood, The Tudors, Harper’s Island and Heroes.

Then there are the movies. Two Sam Worthington Australian movies, a lot of the Mystery Science Theater movies, classics like Jason and the Argonauts, Cleopatra, Butterflies are Free, the original Clash of the Titans. Penelope is on there, a few of the Rocky movies, the second Terminator. Singles, The Breakfast Club, The Last of the Mohicans, only a click away. Somewhere in Time, Princess Bride, Footloose. Newer movies, too, like The Taking of Pelham 123, The Ugly Truth, Angels and Demons and The Proposal (which I’ve now seen a BUNCH.) Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is there, and I realized I hadn’t seen the last episode. Caddyshack, Vacation and for awhile, Animal House was on.

It’s so nice, we’ve cut back to one DVD at a time, and when we’re in the mood, we just click onto Netflix. It stops the movie when you stop it and you can pick it up again later. I know Trish is using her netbook to stream them, which I could do, but I prefer it on the TV.

Anyone else use Netflix streaming? And no, no one is paying me for this!

see more dog and puppy pictures

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more dog and puppy pictures

It's been awhile since I've talked about movies, mainly because I'm too lazy to write up reviews. I saw three movies this weekend, two at the theater and one on DVD.

First was The Ugly Truth. You know I love me some Gerry, and this was a movie I'd been looking forward to. I knew the dh would not appreciate it, so I went by myself Friday AM. I really enjoyed it. It was pretty typical for a romantic comedy: opposites butt heads, then fall in love when she figures out what she thinks she wants isn't what she wants. There is a dance scene that's SMOKIN' and worth the price of admission. The R rating is for the language and subject matter.

Then we watched TAKEN, which has been number one on my queue since MAY. Good grief. It was very enjoyable, a dad who is unable to give his teenaged daughter anything to match what her rich stepdad can, and ends up risking his life to save hers. Liam Neeson is AWESOME. Awe. Some. Forgot how cool he was. The only quibble---he should have been all over the ex-wife with "I TOLD YOU SO." Just sayin'.

Then yesterday we went to see Harry Potter at long last. I should have watched the fifth movie before because I spent the first few minutes confused. Other than that, I thought the pacing was way off. All the action was crammed in the end, and the middle could have been trimmed. And I don't remember the book well enough, but did they change the ending? I thought there was a battle at Hogwarts, but maybe that's a different book? Also, I wanted more Luna.

I was excited by the preview for the new Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog. I love stories about New Orleans and I love the old-fashioned Disney movies. Don't know who I can get to go with me....

Anyway, what have you seen lately and enjoyed? Or not enjoyed?

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I am irritated with Netflix. Out of the top 15 movies in my queue, only 3 are available now. Granted, six haven't released yet, but the rest all have waits, including TAKEN, which released, what, 2 months ago? I'm FINALLY getting SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, which released March 31. Yesterday I drove down to Blockbuster to get FRIDAY THE 13TH because I didn't want to wait "a very long wait." I wanted my Padalecki NOW.

The dh said it's because we haven't been members long, but I had the same problem with Blockbuster, and I'd been with them since the ds played video games (they'd have coupons for a free video game a month, when we started.) I left Blockbuster for this reason. I mean, hello, I'm on summer vacation, I want to see movies!!! My library is better at having them ready than Netflix.

Okay, just had to vent.

DLB is revised and resubmitted.

Texas is revised and with Trish.

The paranormal is a MESS.

I'm going to breakfast with Mom and baby brother in a few minutes, and the boy is not home from work yet. He left last night at 8. They said they might not be done until 8 AM. At least the boy can come home and sleep. My brother has to teach tonight, and his partner only had 3 hours of sleep yesterday.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Forgot how much paperwork is at the end of the year. I have to fill out 6 pages per child this week, not including grades (which are mostly done, to be fair.) Gah.

I met my writing goals, which is good since I spent the evening looking for blogskins.

I have Benjamin Button and New in Town coming from Netflix. Boy, how different, right?

And I need new music. I haven't bought any music since the Veronica Mars soundtrack I bought last summer. I'm listening to a 10 year old Nine Inch Nails album because the song from the Terminator trailer is stuck in my head. I don't even know what I'm in the mood for. Something sexy, I think, intense. What are you listening to?

see more dog and puppy pictures

This weekend we watched THE WRESTLER.



It was certainly not the feel-good movie of the year, but it was excellent, and had a good message. Interestingly, the dh and I took different messages from it.

Mickey Roarke plays an aging wrestler, one who had a video game character modeled on him, as well as an action figure. He’s no longer at the top of his game, but every weekend wrestles at local events. He barely has money, works part time at a grocery store, and lives in a trailer park. He’s estranged from his daughter, and has a relationship with an aging stripper, played by Marisa Tomei. (I say aging, though she’s just a bit older than me, because it was an issue in the story.) She’s the only “friend” he has, other than the other wrestlers, who mostly just look up to him. Mickey Roarke has to make a few choices, and he makes good ones, and bad ones.

The lesson the dh took was that Mickey Roarke was living on past glories. He hadn’t accepted that his life had changed and moved on.

The lesson I took was that he isolated himself from others, including his family, in the pursuit of his dream, and when he needed others, no one was there for him. I need to be careful of the same, since my tendency is to be a hermit anyway.

The second movie we saw was STAR TREK.



I could have done without Spock and Kirk as kids, but once the crew were adults, the movie kicked into high gear. Pure delight. I only watched the show peripherally growing up, but my step-dad was a big fan, so I was aware of the characters, and how well Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban, in particular, absorbed their roles. Loved Scotty, too. The dh was more fans of the spin-off shows, so didn’t enjoy the movie as much, but I liked it a lot more than Wolverine, which makes me sad.

Have you seen either? What did you think?

I’ve cut 6000 words from the 7000 I’d done on the paranormal. I’m also rereading 30 pages a night on Surface before I type in the notes and send it back to my editor.

14 more days of school. Today is Awards Day and Thursday is a field trip and the talent show. How many movies can I show before the kids get restless??

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

No, my school isn't being closed for Swine Flu. Apparently the chances of that are over, according to the CDC. My luck, I would have been the one sick anyhow.

I'm frustrated about not being able to go see the summer movies this early. Our usual MO is breakfast and then a matinee, but it didn't work out last week for Wolverine and won't work out this weekend, either. The dh and I decided we'd go one night this week, but he's been working late because it's television sweeps (AGAIN. Yeesh.) I know there are a lot of blockbusters this summer, but I miss when they'd start coming out on Memorial Day weekend instead.

I cut my hair. Do Not have a good picture. We'll see if I can emulate the style this morning. All the damaged hair is gone, and what's left is really soft and fine. That has never been an issue for me. It's also like Teflon, in that it didn't hold any of the product I put in it last night :(

I'm frustrated at school. We had a field trip planned for Tuesday. I usually don't like them, as you know, but I was ready to get out of school after testing last week. When I got to school Monday (I was out Friday), I learned the trip had been cancelled. Why?

Another test, a district test this time. They couldn't put it off a day or let us take it early. Nooooo. They cancelled the trip.

Now we're scrambling to reschedule, but we'd planned this back in March, and it's hard to get buses this month, AND it's hard to match them up with available activities. Plus, one of our teachers is gone to Japan for 9 days and we don't want to take her kids with the sub. Then we get to the end-of-year activities, like the talent show and field day that conflict. Sigh. I feel bad for the kids. At least my kids got to go on a good field trip. Now we're looking at going to see Disney's Earth and then coming back to school for the talent show. That stinks.

I need to get writing. I didn't write at ALL yesterday.

So, what's new with you?

more animals

I was so COMFORTABLE in bed, then I realized what time it was. One of the teachers thought Spring Break was another week away (HOW could you not know???) If it was, I'd so be taking today off. I'm wiped. Testing went well, everyone finished and wrote something. We'll see the scores in May, but it's out of my hands now. Today, we hit math REALLY hard.

I had weird dreams last night. We were visiting my dad in Alaska (he lives in MN) and twice almost got run over by moose. The second time the moose thanked my dad for his conservation efforts (he would so shoot a moose, so I don't know where that came from. Or where Alaska came from, either, unless my mind confuses Australia and Alaska.)

I had a nice evening with Baby Brother last night. We got Australia from Blockbuster online, and he really wanted to see it, so I told him to come over. We went to Subway to get dinner, came home and rearranged the living room for movie viewing, ate dinner and settled in.

The movie is REALLY good. JoAnn told me it was, but I had to see, you know. I'm going to buy it, and if I can find the soundtrack, I'll buy that, too. All I can find is an EP on iTunes.

Anyway, it was a beautiful movie. My dh complained it was a little unrealistic looking, but it was a Baz Luhrmann movie. The romance was predictable, but not in a bad way. The only complaint I have it that we were kept an arm's length from the characters. I didn't feel like we were shown so much as told, but all in all, it's a keeper for me. It just made me happy, you know? And not just because of this:













You gotta admit, it fills the well :)

Movies I’m looking forward to-you'll notice neither My Bloody Valentine nor Friday the 13th are on here, though seeing the Winchesters on the big screen is very tempting. And I found out yesterday that Jared filmed Friday the 13th in Austin and drove to San Antonio almost every weekend. Wahhhhh!

Defiance with Daniel Craig



2012



Watchmen



Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince



Wolverine



Terminator Salvation



The Ugly Truth



Star Trek



The Wolfman

Sherlock Holmes

Nottingham

see more puppies

Here's a list of the best movies I saw in 2008.

3:10 to Yuma

Blood Diamond

Gone Baby Gone-talk about your moral dilemma!

Atonement-Not one I'd watch again but I'm glad I saw it

Dark Knight-have seen at least 5 times

Sex and the City

Juno

27 Dresses-bought it

Iron Man-bought it

Vantage Point-great twists and storytelling

Wall E-bought it

Wanted-innovative

What were your favorites in 2008?

more animals

You know, I watch a LOT of movies and a LOT of TV, but I've only seen 6 of the movies and 4 of the nominated shows (including the ones listed for best actor or whatever.) And believe me, Vicky Cristina didn't deserve all this.


1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
a. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures
b. FROST/NIXON
Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Studio Canal; Universal Pictures
c. THE READER
Mirage Enterprises; The Weinstein Company
d. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
An Evamere Entertainment BBC Films Neal Street Production; DreamWorks Pictures in Association with BBC Films and Paramount Vantage
e. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.; Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
a. ANNE HATHAWAY – RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
b. ANGELINA JOLIE – CHANGELING
c. MERYL STREEP – DOUBT
d. KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME)
e. KATE WINSLET – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
a. LEONARDO DICAPRIO – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
b. FRANK LANGELLA – FROST/NIXON
c. SEAN PENN – MILK
d. BRAD PITT – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
e. MICKEY ROURKE – THE WRESTLER

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. BURN AFTER READING
Working Title/Releasing Company; Focus Features in association with Studio Canal
b. HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
Summit Entertainment, Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Miramax Films; Miramax Films
c. IN BRUGES
Blueprint Pictures; Focus Features
d. MAMMA MIA!
Relativity Media, Playtone, Littlestar; Universal Pictures
e. VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Mediapro; The Weinstein Company

5.BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. REBECCA HALL – VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
b. SALLY HAWKINS – HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
c. FRANCES MCDORMAND – BURN AFTER READING
d. MERYL STREEP – MAMMA MIA!
e. EMMA THOMPSON – LAST CHANCE HARVEY

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. JAVIER BARDEM – VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
b. COLIN FARRELL – IN BRUGES
c. JAMES FRANCO – PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
d. BRENDAN GLEESON – IN BRUGES
e. DUSTIN HOFFMAN – LAST CHANCE HARVEY

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
a. BOLT
Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
b. KUNG FU PANDA
DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures
c. WALL-E
Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
a. THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX (GERMANY)
(DER BAADER MEINHOF KOMPLEX)
Constantin Film Produktion GmbH; Summit Entertainment, LLC
b. EVERLASTING MOMENTS (SWEDEN/DENMARK)
(MARIA LARSSONS EVIGA ÖGONBLICK)
Final Cut Productions Aps; IFC Films
c. GOMORRAH (ITALY)
(GOMORRA)
Fandango; IFC Films
d. I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (FRANCE)
(IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME)
UGC YM/UGC Images/France 3 Cinema/Integral Film; Sony Pictures Classics
e. WALTZ WITH BASHIR (ISRAEL)
Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D'Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS International; Sony Pictures Classics

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
a. AMY ADAMS – DOUBT
b. PENELOPE CRUZ – VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
c. VIOLA DAVIS –DOUBT
d. MARISA TOMEI – THE WRESTLER
e. KATE WINSLET – THE READER

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
a. TOM CRUISE – TROPIC THUNDER
b. ROBERT DOWNEY JR. –TROPIC THUNDER
c. RALPH FIENNES – THE DUCHESS
d. PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – DOUBT
e. HEATH LEDGER – THE DARK KNIGHT

11. BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
a. DANNY BOYLE – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
b. STEPHEN DALDRY – THE READER
c. DAVID FINCHER – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
d. RON HOWARD – FROST/NIXON
e. SAM MENDES – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

12. BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
a. SIMON BEAUFOY – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
b. DAVID HARE – THE READER
c. PETER MORGAN – FROST/NIXON
d. ERIC ROTH – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN
e. JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY – DOUBT

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
a. ALEXANDRE DESPLAT –THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
b. CLINT EASTWOOD – CHANGELING
c. JAMES NEWTON HOWARD – DEFIANCE
d. A. R. RAHMAN – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
e. HANS ZIMMER – FROST/NIXON

14. BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
a. “DOWN TO EARTH” — WALL-E
Music by: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman
Lyrics by: Peter Gabriel
b. “GRAN TORINO” — GRAN TORINO
Music by: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
Lyrics by: Jamie Cullum
c. “I THOUGHT I LOST YOU” — BOLT
Music & Lyrics by: Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Steele
d. “ONCE IN A LIFETIME” — CADILLAC RECORDS
Music & Lyrics by: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street
e. “THE WRESTLER” — THE WRESTLER
Music & Lyrics by: Bruce Springsteen

15. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
Showtime/John Goldwyn Productions/The Colleton Company/Clyde Phillips Productions
b. HOUSE (FOX)
Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions
c. IN TREATMENT (HBO)
Sheleg, Closest To The Hole Productions and Leverage in association with HBO Entertainment
d. MAD MEN (AMC)
Lionsgate Television
e. TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
Your Face Goes Here Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. SALLY FIELD – BROTHERS AND SISTERS
b. MARISKA HARGITAY –LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
c. JANUARY JONES – MAD MEN
d. ANNA PAQUIN – TRUE BLOOD
e. KYRA SEDGWICK – THE CLOSER

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. GABRIEL BYRNE – IN TREATMENT
b. MICHAEL C. HALL – DEXTER
c. JON HAMM – MAD MEN
d. HUGH LAURIE – HOUSE
e. JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS – THE TUDORS

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. 30 ROCK (NBC)
Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little Stranger Inc.
b. CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
Showtime Presents in association with Aggressive Mediocrity, And Then...
c. ENTOURAGE (HBO)
Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
d. THE OFFICE (NBC)
Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC, Universal Media Studios
e. WEEDS (SHOWTIME)
Lionsgate Television

19.BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. CHRISTINA APPLEGATE – SAMANTHA WHO?
b. AMERICA FERRERA – UGLY BETTY
c. TINA FEY – 30 ROCK
d. DEBRA MESSING – THE STARTER WIFE
e. MARY-LOUISE PARKER – WEEDS

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. ALEC BALDWIN – 30 ROCK
b. STEVE CARELL – THE OFFICE
c. KEVIN CONNOLLY – ENTOURAGE
d. DAVID DUCHOVNY – CALIFORNICATION
e. TONY SHALHOUB – MONK

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. A RAISIN IN THE SUN (ABC)
Sony Pictures Television, Storyline Entertainment, and Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment
b. BERNARD AND DORIS (HBO
Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
c. CRANFORD (PBS)
A Co-Production of BBC and WGBH Boston.
d. JOHN ADAMS (HBO)
Playtone in association with HBO Films
e. RECOUNT (HBO)
Spring Creek/Mirage Productions in association with Trigger Street Productions, Everyman Pictures and HBO Films

22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. JUDI DENCH – CRANFORD
b. CATHERINE KEENER – AN AMERICAN CRIME
c. LAURA LINNEY – JOHN ADAMS
d. SHIRLEY MACLAINE – COCO CHANEL
e. SUSAN SARANDON – BERNARD AND DORIS

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. RALPH FIENNES – BERNARD AND DORIS
b. PAUL GIAMATTI – JOHN ADAMS
c. KEVIN SPACEY – RECOUNT
d. KIEFER SUTHERLAND – 24: REDEMPTION
e. TOM WILKINSON – RECOUNT

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. EILEEN ATKINS – CRANFORD
b. LAURA DERN – RECOUNT
c. MELISSA GEORGE – IN TREATMENT
d. RACHEL GRIFFITHS – BROTHERS AND SISTERS
e. DIANNE WIEST – IN TREATMENT

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS – HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
b. DENIS LEARY – RECOUNT
c. JEREMY PIVEN – ENTOURAGE
d. BLAIR UNDERWOOD – IN TREATMENT
e. TOM WILKINSON – JOHN ADAMS

see more puppies

For readers and writers:



For writers:

Five Sexy Scenes

Manic Readers Romance Novel with a final judging by Bantam.

We watched The Mummy 3 last night. Visually stunning. Liked the horses in particular. Very creepy. Not crazy about the evolution of the O'Connells, and while I appreciate Maria Bello as an actress, I had a very hard time with her as Evie. Once I stopped thinking of it as a sequel, I enjoyed it more. Still, since the first Mummy movie is my Favorite Movie, this one disappointed overall. Brendan's still ripped, though.