what i did today today in florida

Ah yes, I am still wandering around Southern Florida with the parents and Godmother, and having a lovely time. We have done several things...including sit in the hot tub, go to a fabulous outlet mall, eat lovely dinners out, and take in a movie. It is our tradition to take in a movie over our holiday, and this year, we headed to CASINO ROYALE. I have actually seen it....but it is still fabulous and highly recommended. Daniel Craig is still gorgeous, the movie is well-made and good fun, and James Bond is still taking names. Make sure to check it out on the big screen if you haven't already.
Tonight, we had dinner at Outback Steakhouse. We are a classy people who love the BLOOMIN' ONION as much as the next person.
I have been really into this show on TBS called MY BOYS which had it's season finale tonight. It is a comedy about a girl and her friends - who are pretty much all guys - and the hijinks that ensue. It is kind of SEX AND THE CITY meets FRIENDS. It is a lot of fun, and if you didn't see it, I am guessing that TBS will show it again, and you should definitely check it out.
Other than that, I have been laying around...reading my book...and sending out more resumes in the hopes of working in early 2007. The twitch in my eye is back full-on....urgh. Tomorrow we are meant to go to the beach, so hopefully the rain will hold off and the family can gallivant about in the ocean.

Final thoughts: I hope you are making the last few days of 2007 count!!

photo credit: www.movies.yahoo.com
photo credit: www.flickr.com
photo credit: www.deseretnews.com

warm christmas thoughts...and what I did today in florida

I LOVE Christmas.....and for all of the cheesy reasons you might think. First, I adore mashed potatoes - and we inevitably eat them several times through the holidays. Second, I am geeky close to my family, and I get an ORGY of visitation rights around this time. This year, of course, we had the gorgeous nephew added into the equation. He is now almost nine months, and babbling up a storm. He knows two words, "hi" and "dada". As we were sitting down eating our "Barefoot Contessa" (okay...frankly, my mother has an UNHEALTHY obsession with Ina Garten and her show BAREFOOT CONTESSA. She now owns all of her cookbooks, and says creepy things about how Ina says to do this or that, or Ina does this this way. Can a mother be brainwashed by a show on the Food Channel???) spaghetti and meatball Christmas Eve dinner, from the end of the table would come a whispered "hi", and then a five minute scream. Yes, the nephew has learned how to scream...and roll. He is thisclose to crawling...but hasn't made the plunge. So, if he wants to get somewhere, he just kind of rolls there. It is adorable.

Santa was very good to me this year, bringing me a new cell phone (thanks to the Verizon-employed brother), an AMC gift-card (that noise you hear is the joy in my heart), and a camera for my computer. I guess I was better this year than I thought I was....oh, and of course, the parents and I made our annual pilgrimage down to visit the Godmother in Florida. We stepped off of the plane into 80-degree humidity. It is fantastic. We have taken our annual Christmas hot tub soak, and tonight had our grilled out hamburgers for Jebus.

All in all, it has been a lovely holiday. On the itinerary for the week is a day trip to Fort Lauderdale and of course a trip to the cinema. Happy Birthday Jebus, and bring on the mashed potatoes!!!

photo credit: http://emeraldbayevents.com
photo credit: http://images.barnesandnoble.com

merry christmas!

I hope that you are with the people you love, and have a very Merry Christmas (if that is what you celebrate). Warm thoughts from the VERY warm Delray Beach, Florida!

Merry Christmas!

photo credit: www.geocities.com

not particularly depressed feet

Last Friday, I took advantage of the cheap-skate AMC price before noon to check out HAPPY FEET, the animated penguin adventure. I loved the first half of this movie...but the second half really lost steam. In the story, penguins find their mate by singing....and the penguin whose song speaks most to you is your life partner. (Strangely, this is how I plan to find my mate...) Anyway, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman get together, and produce Elijah Wood. Poor Elijah can't sing, but he can tap-dance like no ones business. (They based it on Savion Glover's movement. He is officially a tap-dancing G-d!) Anyway, he ends up being sent away, seen as a threat to the penguin community. Off he goes, and ends up meeting different penguins (led by Robin Williams) and ends up in a Hispanic community, where racial slurs abound. Anyway, Elijah is ultimately blamed for the fish shortage and goes to find out where the fish are. This is the point where I lost interest. The tap-dancing is awesome though, and worth the price of admission. One thought: There are two very scary sequences involving a seal and orca that might be too scary for real little kids.

Final thoughts: It's not that I don't care about saving the environment, I would just rather watch the penguins tap dance.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

i heart penelope cruz?

Truth be told, I have never really been a fan of Penelope Cruz. (I tend to be suspicious of anyone who dates Tom Cruise.) Anyway, her most recent film VOLVER was well-nominated for the Golden Globes, so I decided to check it out. It was brilliant. I adored this movie.....and encourage everyone to check it out. One word of warning though....it deals with some heavy issues, and I would take the "R" rating seriously. The film, beautifully directed by Pedro Almodóvar, tells the story of Raimundo (Cruz), her daughter, her sister, and her deceased mother. There are lots of secrets in this family, and they will all have to be eventually revealed. Funny, candid, and sad, this film is a must-see. Will Cruz get her Oscar nomination with this one? I wouldn't be surprised.

Final thoughts: Grab your mom, or a girlfriend, and go and check this one out.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

so..still jobless

Well people, I am still unemployed and have now officially gotten my last paycheck. Things are okay though. I think at this point I am SO relaxed that I can't really get worked up about anything. Yesterday, I slept in until 11:30am. I can't remember the last time that happened. Anyway, the good news is I found out today that I have made it to the second round of interviews for a job that I am really interested in. That will happen sometime in January. So, fingers crossed that that might still work out!

so many movies...so unemployed

So, the Oscar release blitz has begun!! There are so many good movies coming out, and I am so not really able to afford it considering I am jobless. There are two that I really have my eye on right now.

First, the new musical version of DREAMGIRLS. Starring Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, this looks to be nothing but drama and kick-ass singing. I can't wait to check it out. People, support movie musicals....so they will continue to be made!!

The other is THE PAINTED VEIL starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. Have I mentioned lately how fabulous Edward Norton is? Not only is he an amazing actor, but he is also a beautiful human being. He is incredibly active in environmental causes and politics, and in several other charities. His just can't seem to make a false move with his films. I watch his directorial-debut KEEPING THE FAITH at least once a year. (I am rather ashamed to say that I haven't seen all of his stuff, including FIGHT CLUB.) Anyway, this is a big romantic epic about a man who finds out his wife is cheating on him and decides to take her to China where he (is a doctor) fights a cholera outbreak. It looks lush and sexy, and I am so there.

This really is the most wonderful time of the year, unless you are jobless and can't get your fix of movies. Then I say boo.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

day two

So, this is day two of not having a job. It actually just kind of feels like a Saturday. I did have an interview today for a job that I am very interested in at a major university as the program coordinator for their film school. I thought it went okay, but who ever really knows? I have one more interview this week...and then nothing. Panic has actually not yet set in.
I am planning on going to an audition next week. I am slightly terrified by that, but hoping for the best. It is for a run of OKLAHOMA and is actually at a theatre in Ohio. How random would that be?
Christmas is in less than two weeks. That is just plain MADNESS!!

a lovely trip

Well folks, after months of blogs and previews and photos, THE HOLIDAY starring Kate Winslet opened last weekend, and I (dragging Richard) was there with bells on. I so enjoyed this movie. Is it a great work of cinematic art that will forever test the greatness of film? Well, no. Is it a lot of fun, will make you laugh, and touch your heart? Yes, it will. Two women are both screwed over by scummy men, and decide to trade homes via an internet program for two weeks over the holiday. (Suspend your disbelief that you would trade houses with someone that you exchanged seven instant messages with.) Anyway, the girls (played by the lovely Kate Winslet and skinny Cameron Diaz) trade houses and set up in their homes. Amanda (Diaz) meets Iris' (Winslet) brother played by the lovely-although-scummy-in-real-life Jude Law. They instantly have sex and then decide it would be complicated to pursue a relationship. Iris meets an old-time screenwriter (Eli Wallach) and a film composer (Jack Black) with whom she trades jokes and shares absolutely no sparks with. That is probably the only thing that doesn't really work...as funny as Jack Black is, he and Kate have NO spark, which is too bad because you are so rooting for Iris to find a great love! (The roommate and I were discussing who else might have played the part. Who is an "average" film actor that you can play he is kind of plain looking? I am kind of stuck actually.) Anyway, I found I came out of this movie thinking Kate is a goddess, and Jude Law is hilarious.

Final thoughts: The perfect movie to hit with friends, grab some chocolate and dream of the time that true love will maneuver itself into your life.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

this makes me smile

I adore this picture. Nothing like an angry nut to make you smile. This week has been insane. Today is my last day at the theatre company, and of course I have an event for the show underwriter. Is it ever really simple? The good news? I have two job interviews next week. Even better news? The roommate and I have our tickets to see THE HOLIDAY tomorrow. Go Bucks!

photo credit: Not sure who made this as it was forwarded to me in an e-mail. Whoever did...they rock!

freaking me out

Was anyone else rather freaked out by the fact that the high in NYC on Friday was 72 degrees? I mean, I am all for not having to carry around a winter coat....but I am seriously thinking that the film THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW actually might happen, and I don't think my apartment will save me. I mean, I definitely don't have a fireplace, and I don't think my dad (although he is an Eagle Scout) would journey to NYC to find me.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

don't even consider it

On this lovely winter day, I decided to go and check out the new Christopher Guest flick, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. I am a huge fan of his...I mean, who in theatre hasn't seen WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, and BEST IN SHOW is so funny, I think even my father owns the DVD. Sadly, Mr. Guest does not match his earlier success with this movie. Once again, the film is full of lots of familiar and fabulous actors. Parker Posey continues to show that she is a force to be reckoned with, and does anyone play dumb better than Jennifer Coolidge? I thought my loving this movie would be a give-in considering it was being made by one of the funniest directors ever, and was about movies. I think I laughed three times. It was very sad indeed. One high point was there were LOTS of great previews before the flick. They showed one for HOLIDAY (Hooray! One week and counting), and a new one for Mandy Moore and Diane Keaton called BECAUSE I SAID SO, and an interesting one for BREAKING AND ENTERING starring Jude Law and Robin Wright Penn about a man who ends up having an affair with the woman whose son stole his computer. (I realize that sounds kind of bizarre and far-fetched, here is the link to check it out yourself: http://www.hollywood.com/content/trailer_detail_step1.aspx?id=3563369&FromPlayerPage=1
It looks kind of fun and sexy for what it's worth. So, the previews were pretty much the highlight of this flick....sadly.

Final thoughts: Maybe rent it if you are a die-hard Christopher Guest fan.

Photo Credit: www.movieweb.com

one week.....plus my twitch is back

So, my time at the New Jersey theatre company is wrapping up...I have one week until my final day on December 8th. I am excited about NOT commuting out there anymore....the commute was honestly slowly sucking out my sanity, and things were starting to look a little rough. I am a little stressed about not having found another job yet though. I have sent out about 2,637 resumes, and I have had exactly two interviews, neither of which have called me for a second one. My eye twitch is back. I have an eye twitch when I am feeling particularly stressed, and the twitch is back. Sigh. I would just feel A LOT better if someone would call me about a job. Urgh. So much for my pea-sized nest-egg!