Celebrity Pregnancy

Natalie Portman has never really held my interest. Until now. I'm more tempted to click on a People Star Tracks when she's listed now. Her pregnancy wardrobe is interesting. Her outfits before were just standard, but I feel like she's really taking some risks now...or just trying to hide how pregnant she is. Either way - she looks great!

Celebrity Look-Alike

These fellas are famous for staying in the public eye, despite the public eye's efforts to turn away. They look similar, and you have to feel sorry for them for that, but which one deserves more pity?

Nic Cage, your role as Chad Kroeger is calling!

Nickelback, get a song on the Drive Angry soundtrack!

It's all in the hair baby!

All Celebrity Look-Alike posts are the product of yours truly.

Celebrity Look-Alike

Two giants of the entertainment industry whom you never think about. One of them is John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted, the longest-running show in FOX history and helpful in capturing more than 1,000 fugitives.

The other man is Ken Follett, author of four NYT number one best-selling novels. His novels have sold more than 100,000,000 copies worldwide. Can you tell me which is which?




OK. It was obvious.

Who do you admire? Clamz edition.

Philip Guston: the year he died! his shirt, his face, and his hands looks like his paintings!

Dan Bejar: so gypsy chic! but I sing British blues music!

Joan Mitchell: I can fit in with all of those masculine drunks! and I love my dogz!

FRiDaY MyStErY TwEeT

It's time for a brand-new feature, one that has prizes! The first person to figure this out in the comments is the winner.

As a side note, I got a new phone this week and I can finally say I think I understand Twitter. If you're bored/stuck in traffic/waiting for someone, you know how you usually reach for your phone--just to look busy or send a text? Now that I can get it from my phone, I realize how Twitter is like a neverending stream of texts, to and from other people, that are occasionally funny!

That said, here's this week's Friday Mystery Tweet:

Parabéns @huckluciano feliz aniversário meu irmão!!Abraço para voce e outro para @angelicaksy! HAVE FUN BRO!

Pro tip: pay attention to context clues, and follow the links back to the source!

GOOD LUCK!

5 Pic FRIDAY

I'm reading Jane Fonda's autobiography at the moment (why? I don't know either!). Actually it's fascinating how people in Hollywood mingle with everyone legendary and are just like "oh yeah, Jimmy Stewart was over at dinner all the time". It's a good read. In some parts you can tell she's had a bit too much therapy and is a little too insightful on mundane events in her life, but overall I'd recommend it. This 5 Pic Friday is hers.

Warning - this is a book with Daddy issues.

(L-R: Jane, Henry Fonda, Peter Fonda)

with Robert Redford in Barefoot in the Park

One of her kitchens with ex-husband Ted Turner. I'm lovin' the Southwest vibe.

What is it about "Lost"? Obviously, there's something beyond the smoke monster, the polar bears and time travel--its the characters! Duh, we all know this. Their back stories are what kept us wanting more. But I'm going to take it a step further.

Their REAL lives! Don't they all seem so down to earth and natural, considering we are so used to actors at least presenting themselves to be pretty superficial? Here, for your and my entertainment, some of my favorite "Lost" characters, and their spouses and children! I just love it!

Okay--this one's pretty questionable, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt since they are "at the beach" probs.

In a way, this kind of sums up my personal L.A.

Afternoon Rambler

Where's an Oscar post this year? Answer: The show wasn't deserving of one. How long/boring/unexciting was it this year? I think the most interesting nominee was Gabourey Sidibe. All the blogs love her because she says stuff like "real people". But it's true! I've started watching and reading more of her interviews, and I read a comment online to the effect of "she's like the version of ourselves that we imagine we'd be if we were famous". I agree. She says what she thinks and she isn't intimidated by anyone. I hate reading celebrity interviews today. I think it can be called a Life and Style/Us Weekly/InTouch disease that's affecting celebrity interviews today. They're mindless and boring. And I don't learn anything new about these people!

I'm not asking these people to be brain surgeons or answer life's deepest mysteries, but I appreciate when I can learn something new about their lives, movie role, or even maybe something about myself. Is it weird to want every celebrity interview to follow the lines of Terry Gross' Fresh Air? I was listening to the William Hurt interview she did a few weeks ago, and a) I love William Hurt, but man that guy is kind of crazy, b) a lot got revealed! Did you know his step-dad was the son of the founder of Time, Inc? Or that he was held up at gun point while shooting Kiss of the Spider Woman? He's had a fascinating life. Although some research today revealed that he left out a lot of the more fascinating parts, but still (he dated Marlee Matlin???). I learned a lot about him and why I appreciate his work. In a world where Kate Gosselin on Dancing with the Stars is news, I appreciate it when celebrities, musicians, politicians, anyone, can go a bit deeper with their answers than the standard "my co-star was really fun to kiss!"

Three Pic Wednesday

5 Pic Friday

Stay with me as I follow a chain of logic. I just watched Murder on the Orient Express, a great mystery starring Sean Connery...

...and written by the great Agatha Christie...

...who sold more novels than any other author. I'm talking about billions of books. If she had gotten into politics she could have sold a lot more, like Chairman Mao...

...who has been delightfully satirized by this chair. I'm not sure I would sit in this though. Of course we all know Mao followed the teachings of Karl Marx...

...as did many Soviets, according to this AP photograph. Marx studied at the University of Berlin, which is not to be confused with the Free University of Berlin and its killer library...

...shown here. Would anyone not want to study in a building this awesome? They must have well read graduates.

CrUsH ALeRt

I like the Up series so much!! I just finished 21 Up, and Nick (aka Nicholas Hitchon, look him up) has completely surprised me by becoming a crush alert. He's by far the most down-to-earth, attractive--think Andy Samberg but less apey, more thoughtful--member of the group* and then I just read he's a professor at Wisconsin-Madison, which was my #3 choice for grad school--I could have been so close to maybe running into him one day!

PS: wtf is up with John in 21 Up?? He's acting high and it looks like he tweezed his unibrow halfway through. Plus he's always been shady and self-conscious, like he knows he's an a-hole but he thinks it's your problem

*FYI, the Up series are films about a group of British kids at ages 7, 14, 21, 28 --> 49 (most recently) and, I hope, for the rest of their lives. The focus is on class differences and belief systems, but the real fun is just watching them grow and change. Also some of the upper-crust kids are hilariously out of touch with the world. These are awesome documentaries and completely riveting.

Current Events

I get that celebrities can think for themselves, but they better stop being so in my face about it....specifically in regards to the whole Roman Polanski mess. The more names I see signing a petition to free Roman, the more I start losing respect for everyone on the list. Today I find out that Natalie Portman just signed. wtF??? I guess it's hard for me to understand their position because a) I'm not in Hollywood and b) it's hard for me to understand how genius Roman is (he directed a few movies?). There's no denying he has had a rough life, aside from the troubles he's made for himself, but does that entitle him to get out of jail free cards for the rest of his life?

Sidenote - it's interesting that Jack Nicholson hasn't signed or said anything at this point considering it happened at his house.