Sunny Thoughts on a Sunny Friday Morning

If you're like me, reading this will ruin your morning...but also if you're like me, it helps to have an idea of the worst possible thing that could ever happen to all of us (obviously related to the BP spill). Usually what actually happens is less severe, so I like to brace myself for the worst and enjoy a pleasant surprise when it turns out less bad.

First read this short story, which appeared in the New Yorker right before Christmas last year. It's short, and sort of funny!

Then read this Gawker post, which is just a Gawker post and based on a commenter on a message board blah blah blah. But even if (especially if?) the information is twice-removed from official sources, it was scary. Another comment:

"The loss of that much marine bio-mass would be absolutely disastrous. The social implications alone would strain every governmental and social institution. People from the coasts who rely on seafood as the staple of their diet would begin to migrate in search of food. These people number into the tens to hundreds of millions. National borders would become non-existent. Governmental structures would fall due to the social unrest of such an huge influx of people in such a short period of time. Famine, plague, ethnic border wars, and the collapse of authority would be just the tip of the iceberg. If that oil were able to do as much damage as is suggested (and there is no proof that it can; I'm not sold, but I'm considering the implications as an intellectual exercise), then we could very well see another dark age for mankind."

Is there any reason this won't happen? If you know some stuff about science, I want to know!

And sorry for the bum out, but I hope you all have a great weekend!

Whatever Happened to...

Ben Stiller and Tom Cruise?

I missed the MTV VMA Awards. For the 5000th year in a row! How will I ever stay current? FourFour's recap caught me up. The show looks worse than I remember it being! MTV - always current! One piece did catch my eye - the fact that Tom Cruise came out as Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder and danced with J.Lo. WTF! The character wasn't even funny in the movie he was being paid to be funny in!

Today I find this item - that Ben Stiller is developing a movie solely for Tom's Les Grossman character. As if that link isn't warning enough...this movie is going to be horrible! I know this is a boring/standard complaint but why does Hollywood keep making terrible movies??? Tom Cruise has pretty much annoyed me ever since I was old enough to realize he's bonkers (aka age 5). Aside from Cocktail I really can't stand him/his body of work.

But Ben? I had a little more respect for him. How can you hate a guy who marries Melody from Hey Dude? Exactly you can't. Now I can. Ben Stiller isn't funny anymore. I saw him on Extras and heard rumors of his crazy outbursts, but I took awhile to believe it. Now I think he's just out of touch with what is funny and it's believable that he rages about that. It's a sad day when the once "funny" and "hot" guys of my childhood are revealed to be out of touch dads with anger issues.

Now that LOST is over, let's move on to SATC 2!!

This Gawker article sums up everything I think about the Sex & the City sequel:

"This is an audience that is willing to overlook many shortcomings in favor of indulging a fantasy with their imaginary BFFs, and that's what movies like this are about."

and why I will see it, hopefully with Susan & friends & some kind of booze, at the dollar theater:

"And I'll be there, no question about that. But I also stare at car wrecks, love stories about Jonestown, and once spent an entire afternoon watching the Saw movies. A glutton for punishment."

Spring Songs

Now that the weather is warmer, I want to hear different music than when it was cold and dreary. Here's what itunes sez are my big hits lately:

The Ramones: I Want You Around. Rob and I watched Rock 'n' Roll High School a few weeks ago and this one really stuck with me. Watch the video: it is so cute and weird!

Nite Jewel: Want You Back. The early-80s-science-reel sound that made me love Neon Indian so is also here with Nite Jewel. This song is so catchy and dark, but not in a Knife way (not that there's anything wrong with that...I am a Knife mega-fan).

Dum Dum Girls: Jail La La. Honestly, this whole album has been topping my charts lately. More lo-fi female vocals, which apparently I just love!

Four Tet: Circling. This one puts me in a trance while I jog. Crazy but true: I listen to it on repeat while I jog!

LL Cool J: Paradise. Don't know how to sell this to you, I just like it! LL saying "Paradise is very nice" is usually stuck in my head,

just like most LL Cool J songs I love because of the way he says something (almost all of "I'm That Type of Guy" being another great example). This is the kind of song where you uncover something new with each listen--just this morning, I figured out what LL means by "touch it why don't ya/touch it why don't ya"...but I'll let you discover these things for yourself.

What springy music are you really into these days?

Let's Talk: TV shows

2 new shows I started watching over the break: Freaks and Geeks and Weeds. I'm nothing if not current! Let's profile both shows.

Freaks and Geeks: I've never heard anyone say anything bad about this show...and I'm not going to start now. It's hilarious, and the episodes fly by. It does remind me of a later Wonder Years, and Sam alternately makes me laugh and cringe. Catching on to this show so late is interesting because practically everyone on the show is famous now. All the freaks are in Judd Apatow movies and the main actress (Linda Cardenelli) was on ER. James Franco even surprised me - I had no idea he'd ever done anything worth watching.

Weeds: I'd heard a lot about this show and because it's been nominated for Golden Globes and Emmys, I thought it would be good. I guess it's marginally funny? Conrad and Kevin Nealon are the only standout characters so far, but Nancy just drives me nuts. Between her kids, her constant breakdowns, and her habit for latte drinks - I just can't stand her. And the theme song! What the heck is that about?? It reminds me of nails on a chalkboard. I can't believe they're about to start their 6th season. How many storylines for Nancy are out there??

This girl is me today. I might beat her for number of total sneezes? I LITERALLY almost passed out during a gallery tour this morning, I was so sneezy. Also the sneezing montage is hilarious.

PS:I swear I saw this on CNN, not copping the hipster mom blog!

Maybe he was right?

Isn't it funny how Kanye was sorta-validated when Beyonce won Video of the Year at the VMAs? Though it begs the question, how could the best video of the year not be the best female video of the year? Whatever. It doesn't matter. It's MTV.

After his meltdown I was rooting for him, just to see how he would top himself. Would he demand 2 statues for 1 award? Would he let out 5 consecutive curse words? Would he spit on Lady Gaga? I wanted to see this.

Kanye should always be nominated for awards so our nation can unify in our disdain for his behavior when he loses. Or when he wins. He's a perfect anti-role model for parents to use with their kids.