Vote for my Cousin!!!

Vote for my cousin, Cody Linley, to come back on DWTS for a guest performance!!


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My Hollywood Wish List

Lately, I've been obsessing over a few things that I really want to see happen in Hollywood. Not stuff like, "Oh, I wish Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler would date!" or "I would love to see a movie about myself where Keira Knightely plays me!" What I mean are things I really want to happen that actually COULD happen. Like what actors I wish would play along side each other, what roles I'd like to see exist, director/actor collaborations, etc. Here are the top 8 things on my very own Hollywood wish list. Why 8? Not for any good reason except that these are the things I most want to see and it didn't even out into a nice round number. So if you have to have a good number like 10, then... pretend the first two are [10.] I wish to see RDJ come to my classroom in his Iron Man suit and scare the kids into loving English, and [9.] I'd love to see Keira Knightely become my BFF and go shoe shopping with me. AND NOW, the real stuff...

#8. Batman/Superman movie starring
the current stars in their current roles; directed by Chris Nolan

To me, this doesn't seem so far out there. Chris Nolan is already a part of the amazing Batman franchise which began with Batman Begins and only got better with its follow-up, The Dark Knight. With his guidance and Christian Bale's dedication to keeping the story of Batman legit, I don't see how this series could go wrong. Now it's being confirmed that Nolan is set to pick up the next Superman movie after he adds one more Batman flick to his saga. With his hand in both of these series, it wouldn't be hard to translate that into a well-adapted, continuity in tact, team-up movie that could blow the minds of any comic book geek in this world. Including me! I would love to see this happen, and am patiently awaiting the day it might.

#7. Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett to work together

Cate and Kate are two of the most powerful, beautiful, and successful women in the business right now. Having both just won an Oscar within the last 5 years and starring in numerous movies each year, it just makes good sense to get these gals together! Be it period piece or contemporary drama, I don't care. Make this happen!

#6. A Poe Bio-pic starring the luscious Robert Downey Jr.

I've always wanted there to be a good Edgar Allan Poe movie created. The man has such an interesting life and has inspired so many people with his poetry and stories, however there has never really been a great movie reflecting this. It wasn't until recently that I realized who I wanted to play Poe. For some reason I can really see RDJ in this role. He's had a past struggle with substance abuse, a darker side, and an amazing talent in acting. All of these things are helpful in playing Poe. One of my favorite roles Robert was in is Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin, and seeing his dedication to making that character as true to the real man as possible convinces me that he'd do well in this role, too. Not to mention that he, himself, is interested in doing it. The only bad part of this dream is I've heard whatever film they had in mind for Poe has been changed and the role actually went to (brace yourselves) Joaquin Phoenix. REALLY? It's not on IMDB yet, so I won't lose hope. I'll keep dreaming and see if this rumor gets debunked soon... PLEASE Hollywood, please?

#5. Christian Bale in a literary epic or ANY
role that gets him NOMINATED

I've been a huge Bale fan for years, now. Ever since he was the new face of my beloved Batman in 2005. I've seen him in role after role that just blew my mind, American Psycho, The Machinist, Rescue Dawn, and yet he has NEVER even so much as been nominated, individually, for an Oscar or a Globe. It's UNREAL. He's so talented and so dedicated. There is no reason for him to be constantly overlooked, and yet he is every year. So, that's why I wish for him to star in a role that is SO amazing, so awesome, it SLAPS the academy in the face and they have NO CHOICE but to nominate him. Maybe some sort of literary adaptation, or an epic love story (where he could possibly act along side the likes of Nicole Kidman, which is another dream of mine). But whatever it is, I want it to happen and I want him to finally get what he deserves! It's time.

#4. Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. to work together;
directed by Quentin Tarantino

You can't get much cooler than Johnny Depp and RDJ, in my opinion. I adore them both and hold so much respect in my heart for them, which is why seeing them on screen together would absolutely blow my mind. What type of movie should it be? It would be great if it were some sort of period piece where we could see these two men in great costumes, but my affiliate, Kevin K mentioned something that was GENIUS. He mention to me that he thought it would be amazing to see Johnny Depp in a Tarantino flick, which I agreed with whole-heartedly. So let's kill two birds with one stone and just have him direct the movie with Johnny and RDJ in it. Hollywood! Do you hear this? I am talking MOVIE MAGIC HERE. Let's do it.

#3. Michael C. Hall to play The Riddler

I had been hearing rumor after rumor about who would be the next villain in the new Batman sequel. Was it The Penguin, Catwoman, The Riddler...? No one was for sure. But the one with the most speculation was been The Riddler and I've heard anyone from Jim Carrey (who played him in the old Schumaker flick, Batman Forever) to Johnny Depp was up for the role. No one I could think of seemed really right for the role, even Depp, who I believe can do most anything. But then, one day I was talking to my gal, Caty, about the Showtime juggernaut, Dexter. When she mentioned that it would be neat to see Michael C. Hall play the Riddler in the next film, I almost choked on whatever I was eating at the time. Having been completely enthralled with Hall's Dex, a character with a charming, yet frighteningly calm demeanor as a serial killer anti-hero, I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it myself! Of course, he'd be perfect to fit into The Riddler role! I can only hope that Mr. Nolan feels the same, or at least reads my blog and goes this direction. Do it Chris! You know you want to.

#2. A DVD of Conan's "Legally Prohibited
from Being Funny on Television Tour" with
making-of documentary and special features

Conan O'brien has been my late night ritual for years. Ever since 2003 rolled around and Elijah Wood was on his show to be interviewed for my biggest obsession, Lord of the Rings. From then on I was completely hooked on my favorite late-night red head. He was one of the funniest men on TV. It should come as no surprise to anyone how I landed when the NBC fail-o-thon happened this winter. I was BEYOND outraged and hurt. His last show brought me to tears and it showed me what a truly wonderful and gracious man he is. Beyond just making me laugh, he has earned my love and respect. What happened to him was SO undeserved. However, he has planned a tour for this spring, which even though I can't go, I am ecstatic about! And since it's so limited, I think it would be GREAT if a tour DVD would be created for all his fans who were unable to attend. I really hope this happens!

#1. Keira Knightely and Leonardo Dicaprio to work together

Surprise, Keira is at my number one again... But this is something that I've wanted for a long time. Keira is the only actress that makes me want to cry, even if her role isn't sad. I love EVERYTHING about her. Leo is on the list of the few actors I would see absolutely ANYTHING he did, no questions asked. I think that if these two were in a film together, it would be so beautiful my eyes would melt out of my socket... and the level of talent in the movie itself might actually set the cameras on fire. It sounds dangerous, but I think it might be worth it to try. The great news about this dream is that Keira has been linked to the new Fitzgerald book adaptation called The Beautiful and The Damned where Keira will plays Zelda, Fitzgerald's schizophrenic wife, and Leo has been rumored to have been approached about playing Fitzgerald. I'm feeling a well-deserve freak out coming on! This movie may kill me. In a good way!

Happy 25th Birthday Keira!!

Keira Knightley has been my girl-crush since 2003. I absolutely LOVE her and in honor of her 25th birthday, a PICSPAM of 25 beautiful Keira pictures! Enjoy.

WHAT a cutie! The picture above is from her Red Nose Day ads. Laugh! Laugh everyone!

OH, Keki! Love this production still (above) from her stage performance of The Misanthrope.

Above is a picture of Keira as a Fairy from her boyfriend's production called The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers.

A beautiful photoshoot (above) recreating a moment from Atonement.

Keira sings in The Edge of Love, which her mother wrote the screen play for!

Uuuh! I am so jealous of the precious friendship between Sienna and Keira. LOVE it.

The most amazing dress ever... I want it badly.

Keira and her boo, Rupert Friend. They met on the set of Pride and Prejudice and have been together ever since.

LOOK at that PRECIOUS expression! I just love her face.

Keira is my fashion muse.

Picture from her 21st birthday party! Flapper themed! (Where was my invite, KK?)

Such an angel! :)

The Dumbest Men in Hollywood

In honor of the, or [with politics being the way they are right now] at least ONE OF the most hated men in America, I decided to do a top 5 of some of the stupidest men who have ever set foot in Hollywood. That's right. I'm talking about men who were with women who were not only BEAUTIFUL and SEXY, but also SUCCESSFUL and FAMOUS. Yet, they STILL decided to cheat on their lovely wives. Behold, the Hall of Fame of Hollywood Douchery.

#5. Jude Law

Jude Law and Sienna Miller were a beautiful British power couple a few years ago. The two were engaged to be married in 2004, but then Jude had an affair with his children's nanny. I'm sorry but Sienna is not only a bombshell, but she's a talented actress and model. To me, Jude was an idiot to toss this one aside.

#4. Ethan Hawke

This one really upsets me. I absolutely love Uma Thurman. Hawke not only cheated on her, but the two of them had kids. When you cheat in a marriage, that's one level of low, but when you have two kids that's an entirely new low. How selfish do you have to be? On Oprah, Uma admitted that she was deeply hurt and it was a very hard time in her life. However, she was gracious and said something I think was so admirable:

"Blaming anybody doesn't make you feel better and when you have two children, I think, that's such a priority to protect them and to never lose sight of the fact that, even if you're in a fight or even if things are going badly, it's in their best interests that everybody comes out OK, so there's no winning.You bear two children with somebody, that's not a small thing. And then you can hardly talk to them and you need to and your children need you to and so you work on it and he's made an effort and I try to make an effort."

To me, the man is scum, but I'm glad that Uma can take the high road and look back on her situation this way.

#3. Ryan Phillipe

WHO could EVER cheat on such a precious person as Reese Witherspoon? I don't know either, but some how this piece of crap found a way. What goes through a man's head when they are about to be unfaithful to a completely gorgeous woman who they are committed to, such as Reese? It's just unreal to me, but as this list proves... it still happens! These two had the most precious story. They met on one of their earliest movies in each of their careers and they fell in love. They had two children. They were together for about 8 years. And then... infidelity. Of course there must have been other factors here, but please.... cheating is never ok. ESPECIALLY cheating on REESE WITHERSPOON, DUH.

#2. Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were like were like American Hollywood royalty in their time. They were THE most beautiful couple. The all-American, angel-faced man and the beautiful girl next door... surely one day they would have made the most incredible babies this world would have ever known. But alas... it didn't happen. I don't care what anybody says about Brangelina, the fact is Brad Pitt is a big fat cheater and Angie is a home wrecker and no matter how much humanitarian work they do together, that will not change. I've stopped hating the two of them, finally, within the last year. In fact, I quite like Angie now, but I'll never forget when Brad and Jenn were together and the then the pain he caused one of my favorite Hollywood sweethearts.

#1. Jesse James

Big surprise. But honestly... WHO COULD BE DUMBER THAN JESSE JAMES? Not just because his wife was AMERICA'S SWEETHEART, but also because even if neither of them were famous, Sandra would still be WAY out of his league... and even beyond that, look what he chose to cheat with! No honestly, there could not be anyone in this world with less sense in their head than this man. DUMB DUMB DUMB. And no one deserved this less. Sandra finally got an Oscar, and now she can never look back at that night or listen to her speech without it being completely tainted by his betrayal. It's just disgusting.

Comment me your thoughts! Who did I leave out? What do you think about what I said. Let me know your perspective on this.

Meyer FAIL: Why Twilight Fails as Literature

Just like the majority of ladies in the world, I was sucked into the Twilight Craze of 2008. I read all three of the released books within a week and was immune to the bad writing because of my love for the story and characters. It wasn't until after my horrendous experience with Breaking Dawn that I realized just how bad the books were.

Here's my initial reaction to Breaking Dawn just after having finished it the summer of 2008:

"So who wants to take a wild guess as to which was better for me?

A. Seeing Batman for the 4th time on Sunday, at the Imax ORB. Reading Breaking Dawn

What do you guys think?

If you picked Batman, you win! Was that predictable??? Well, probably less predictable than Breaking Dawn ended up being. When asked to describe this book to those who haven't read it yet, I told them it was like watching the movie Titanic, and instead of the boat sinking at the end, it lifted up out of the water and was a space ship, all of a sudden.I don’t think I have ever EVER been so disappointed in reading a book in my life. This book was a train wreck… except that I could look away from it because I was bored with it. It was like she got tired and so she let a fan with half a brain write the last book.

It isn't true that anything is possible in a fantasy novel. You have to have rules... otherwise it's just cheese. There wouldn't be ANY conflict in a story without rules, and therefore no plot, and furthermore no good stories to tell. Which in this case, there wasn't. How many warm fuzzies could there possibly be in one book? It was like surprise happiness, after surprise happiness, to the point where it was just sickening. There was hardly any conflict. Well, any real conflict. Even when the Volturi approaches, there was no fear that something bad would happen. And … no one even dies. There is no loss at all! Meyer has completely gone against the rules of her own world, in this book, more than once. How am I supposed to believe her for the rest of the story when she pulled the rug out from under me in the first hundred pages? It was hard, but I kept holding out hope… it was not rewarded.

The only way a proverbial ‘red ribbon tied to the top of an ending’ feels rewarding is if there is some struggle somewhere in the book. That is the problem with this story. There is no REAL conflict the entire time. Bella gets her way in every single way possible, so the fact that she lives happily ever after isn’t surprising or rewarding in any way at all. It’s almost sickening. And it’s pretty easy NOT to really care either way, by the end, anyway. "

After that, every single flaw that I had been blind to before came screaming at me from every single page of the series. In a desperate attempt to find something redeemable about these books, I started re-reading them. About half way through, this happened:

"I cannot finish Eclipse... it's SO bad. I can't believe the difference in the experience I am having the 2nd time through these books compared to the first time.

Twilight was ok the 2nd time through. I still enjoyed New Moon the 2nd time through as well, despite noticing a bunch of goofy parts. But Bella is getting on my last nerve on every page in Eclipse. I think I actually said the phrase "I want to smear Bella against a wall with a canon," this week.

I am going to have to read Breaking Dawn again soon.

...omg...

...death....

I want to have hope that Breaking Dawn won't be utter crap the 2nd time through. But I fully expected to still like Eclipse when I started reading it for the 2nd time... and yet... 100 pages from the end I want to add it to the compost heap in my backyard. So if I re-read a book I generally liked at first, and now hate upon 2nd viewing.... I'm SURE BD will suck more the 2nd time through because it was an abomination the first time! There is no hope!

SM's writing is terrible OVERALL, regurgitated, unoriginal, and cheesy 80% of the series. Turn to any page of any of the books and you'll more than likely find one of these phrases/words:

- “He reached across the table to cradle my face in his hands…” (I SWEAR he does this more than any other being has ever done this EVER. And he does it at THE MOST random times. Like in the middle of a conversation… I mean, seriously… stop touching her face, Edward. It’s gotten to level where I actually picture Gollum pawing at Frodo’s face in The Two Towers movie any time I read this phrase.)
- “I had to remind myself to breathe…” (She does it so often, you’d think she would have died by now.)
- “…a sudden blaze of chagrin.” (I only had to turn the page twice to find a phrase with this word in it…)
- “…my favorite smile…”
- “…eyes like liquid…"

-"... topaz eyes"
-"... liquid topazy eyes.."

- “… porcelain god…”
- “…perfect lips…”
- “… perfect chest…”
- “…perfect Adam’s-apple…”
- “Perfecty perfect perf perf!!!”
- “Hey! Indestructible beings! I’m worried you may skin your knee trying to protect me so I’m going to whine on and on for pages about that, sending the reader to [what can only be described as] the brink of a break down… K?” (Alright, so I ad-libbed that one… But it’s the jist of what Eclipse basically is.)

I guess I just never noticed, the first time through, that there was so much cheese, because I was so in love with Edward and Jacob and wanted to know WTF was going to happen. Now reading it slower and more deliberately, I am seeing a growing surplus of things that annoy me... Bella being #1, followed by SM's tired ways of setting up faux distress and continuing her empty/shallow descriptions of the perfection of vampires. The patterns of bad writing from Breaking Dawn are littered all throughout the series... I can hardly believe I never saw it before."

Needless to say, I stopped reading right then. There was no way I was going to be able to subject myself to Breaking Dawn once again. Just no way! My experiment had failed, there was nothing redeemable about the series for me, after that. In fact, a second reading made it more clear just how GOD AWFUL the series really is.

Twilight has been one of the biggest disappointments to me in my Entertainment history.

Here's a great link to two bloggers having an intellectual discussion about S. Meyer's writing style. Hilarious and right on target. Enjoy.

A Formal Defense of Robert Pattinson - Movie Review: Remember Me

REVIEW:
I wasn't going to make a blog post out of this, but Remember Me was very surprising in many ways. I went into it with low expectations. I thought it was going to be a regular boy meets girl, girl changes boy, they fall in love, there's trouble, then everything gets fixed and it ends happily ever after. Mostly I just expected this film to be another excuse for Summit to flaunt the mug that is Robert Pattinson and get lots of money from teeny girls who can't get enough of him.


I was impressed to find that the plot was much deeper and more complicated than what I expected. It was deeper look into the lives of people living in NYC and all trying to keep their heads above water after having experienced real trauma in their lives. It was sad and provoking. The entire time each character is searching for hope and happiness, and just as it seems they are on their way to FINALLY achieving it, the ending happens, and I was literally speechless. I definitely did not see the ending coming. Not to mention how shocked I was that no one had ruined or even hinted at the ending before I had seen the movie. It was a shrewd but nice move by the writers, and a shocking snap-to-reality to any viewer just out to kill time by watching eye-candy for 2 hours.

It definitely jolted my perspective. Even though it was absolutely not what I had expected, and kind of pissed me off with how it made me feel when I really just wanted to relax and eat the pastry I snuck into the movie via my giant purse, I loved the movie. It truly affected me, and that's the mark of something special, in my opinion.

DEFENSE:


It's obvious that Robert Pattinson is one of those UBER famous guys that a lot of people either love or hate, and it's not even all his fault. A lot of girls ONLY love him because he's Edward Cullen and have deluded themselves into believing he really IS Edward Cullen. Another group of people ONLY hate him because he's Edward Cullen and they can't stand all the hype. Either way, neither of these groups have based anything on Robert Pattinson, himself. It's all about the illusion and stigma created by the Twilight saga, and I have a sneaking suspicion that no matter what the RPattz-ideology, Robert is uncomfortable with both.

It's hard when you get stuck under a label as an actor. It's hard for the general public to see you any other way (which is a sad commentary in itself about how close minded and judgmental most people are, but that's another blog post entirely). And being stuck under a label like "Dreamy Vamp" doesn't seem like one that is or will be easily shaken off. (photo from GQ)

That's when the 3rd group of RPattz commentaries come in. There are those, who can see past the type-cast, and judge him based on his talent. Now, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't one of those people who has been seriously annoyed at Robert Pattinson and his boring and slightly confusing portrayal of Edward Cullen in Twilight. He's stoic... he's stoic... he's angsty... he's angsty... then he makes out. That about covers it. It's easy with all of the fuss over him in that role to start to wonder: "What the HECK is the big deal about this kid?" Beyond his beautifully sculpted cheek-bones, is there anything more there?

Declaration: I believe there is. I have to be honest and say that, yes, after 2 and a half years of Twilight craze surrounding me and filling up my days (as I do teach freshmen English), it was easy for me to fall in with the rest of the haters and just say "Gah, he's a pretty face with little talent. Just like K-stew and her awful attitude. Only her face isn't as pretty." (Was that harsh? I'm ok with it.) But seeing Robert in this Remember Me role made me double back, and perhaps, just perhaps, I am about to formally eat my words.

In the world of Twilight, where there is nothing if not skin-deep sentiment, it's easy to do a bad job on screen because the script doesn't demand any more of the actor. It was eye-opening to see Robert in a role with actual DEPTH, where his character is full of angst, but actually HAS A REASON to be that way. There were levels to his Remember Me character, Tyler, and it was fascinating to watch him being peeled away slowly throughout the film.

Robert's portrayal was explosive. This character allowed him to stretch his legs and an actor and explore HUMAN emotions that many people in the real world can relate to and understand. And he does it in a way that is genuine and profound. When given a good script with a good story, Robert proves that he has much more potential and range than what is displayed in Twilight.

As for Robert as a person, I've always found him to be nothing if not completely awkward in interviews, which has never changed, even after he's acquired massive fame. To me, this is endearing but I think that comes off as him being a douche bag to some people. To be honest, I think it's just him in his hatred for having to do interviews and appearances because he's not that great at them, especially now, knowing that millions of crazy fans are watching him. He's not the suave and charismatic actor. He's shy and introverted and most of the time he says things that either get him in trouble (ie. the recent comment to 'Details Magazine'), or things that don't completely make sense. I actually like that his fame makes him act out in this way, rather than other ways we've seen in the past from actors of his age. Such as, becoming a jackass, womanizing, and getting addicted to some sort of illegal substance. So far, so good with Rob.

It is for all these reasons that I think it's a shame that so many people have and will continue to judge him based on his role as Edward Cullen. It makes me sad to think that in many people's minds, he is type-cast as the sullen Cullen: the brooding "emo" vamp with no personality. That isn't all he can do, and he deserves to be given a chance to prove that. Hopefully his role in Remember Me will have surprised enough people to have some of the Twilight-stigma removed, but only time will tell, along with the types of role choices he makes in the future.

And just for kicks, my favorite role of Rob's: Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter. CUTE video! Before the fame. Love it.

AnisButlerston and 'Puffy' Depp

In passing I came across two pictures that drew my attention for two different reasons... the first is this gloriousness:

SOURCE!

This pose may just be for the cameras, but there is no denying that these two beautiful people have chemistry. If Gerard and Jennifer could please ACTUALLY start dating instead of teasing us all with their faux cuteness, that would be GREAT. Now hopefully my blog has become big enough that Jenn and 'Gerry' (as Jenn has come to called him) will see this and get RIGHT ON THAT. THANKS!

(Also this = WINS!!!)

SOURCE!

Second was this:


Now... this is Johnny Depp... but at first glance he did not LOOK like himself. I don't know if he's just tired, or if he's storing food in his cheeks for later, or if he's gone off the deep end and started using botox... but... DOESN'T HE LOOK PUFFY?? Please, someone else who is not me give me a second, third, and fourth opinion.

I mean ... look at this!
SOURCE!

Puffy? Johnny, bb, what are you doing to your face? Maybe put a bag of ice on every morning when you wake up.

It's only frightening to me because Johnny's appearance has really been steadfast his entire career... I guess everyone ages. Even Depp. Am I the only one who thinks he looks very very different from usual?

Maybe I am over-reacting and it's just the fuzzy facial hair and poodle hair-cut.