Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
READING BOOKS, WATCHING MOVIES AND MORE PRESENTS The Best of 2008
Top Ten Films
1: American Teen
2: Slumdog Millionaire
3: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barbour Of Fleet Street
4: Happy Go Lucky
5: Nothing But The Truth
6: Doubt
7: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
8: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
9: Flight Of The Red Balloon
10: The Dark Night
Best Actor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Best Actress
Sally Hawkins in Happy Go Lucky
Best Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga in Nothing But The Truth
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger in The Dark Night
Best Musical
[Title Of Show]
Best Revival Of A Play
Equus
Best TV show
Private Practice
Top Five Albums
1: She And Him: Volume 1
2: Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust Kerry Butler
3: Patti Lupone: Live At Les Mouches
4: A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas Kristen Chenoweth
5: I Stand Idina Menzel
Top 5 Books (Fiction)
1: How They Met by David Levithan
2: Hero-Type by Barry Lyga
3: Someday This Pain Will be Useful To You by Peter Cameron
4: Slam by Nick Hornby
5: American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield
Best Book (Non-Fiction)
Audition by Barbra Walters
Top Five Graphic Novels
1: The War at Ellismere by Faith Erin Hicks
2: Chiggers by Hope Larson
3: What It Is by Lynda Barry
4: Whys and Wherefores by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guarra
5: Drop In by Dave Lapp
Best Designed Book
2066 by Roberto Bolano
1: American Teen
2: Slumdog Millionaire
3: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barbour Of Fleet Street
4: Happy Go Lucky
5: Nothing But The Truth
6: Doubt
7: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
8: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
9: Flight Of The Red Balloon
10: The Dark Night
Best Actor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Best Actress
Sally Hawkins in Happy Go Lucky
Best Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga in Nothing But The Truth
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger in The Dark Night
Best Musical
[Title Of Show]
Best Revival Of A Play
Equus
Best TV show
Private Practice
Top Five Albums
1: She And Him: Volume 1
2: Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust Kerry Butler
3: Patti Lupone: Live At Les Mouches
4: A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas Kristen Chenoweth
5: I Stand Idina Menzel
Top 5 Books (Fiction)
1: How They Met by David Levithan
2: Hero-Type by Barry Lyga
3: Someday This Pain Will be Useful To You by Peter Cameron
4: Slam by Nick Hornby
5: American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield
Best Book (Non-Fiction)
Audition by Barbra Walters
Top Five Graphic Novels
1: The War at Ellismere by Faith Erin Hicks
2: Chiggers by Hope Larson
3: What It Is by Lynda Barry
4: Whys and Wherefores by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guarra
5: Drop In by Dave Lapp
Best Designed Book
2066 by Roberto Bolano
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
NEWS FLASH: Man handcuffs his wife to the bed, loses key
updated 1 hour, 49 minutes ago
DEARBORN, Mich. - If you love something, set it free. And if you can't, call the police. The Detroit Free Press reported police responded to a call Thursday morning by a Dearborn man who handcuffed his wife to their bed but misplaced the key.
Police used a universal key to free the woman.
Sgt. Ray Patrick said the situation was "more of an intimate relationship than an unlawful imprisonment."
Friday, December 5, 2008
Frost/Nixon
Michael Sheen is quite good in Frost/Nixon playing the television talk show host who with thousands of dollars of his own money and sheer determination manges be the first to interview Richard Nixon after Watergate but is very much upstaged by Frank Langella as Richard Nixon, the most obviously compelling character. The movie actually made me kind of like Richard Nixon. As I was exiting the theater, this was the scary thought on my and most of the audiences mind. Frank Langella portrays Nixon as a sympathetic and, except for a few scenes, retiree. While there are moments where Nixon seems threatening like when he says "I'm saying that when the President does it, that means it's not illegal!" But mostly he seems nice and jokey, poking fun at Frost's shoes and smiling. He even is helpful to Frost's romantic life offering him advice to marry the girl he brings to meet Nixon.
Monday, December 1, 2008
BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS! AND MORE BOOKS! Monthly Book Roundup: Monday, December 1st, 2008
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrisson
Toni Morrisson’s first book The Bluest Eye begins in the language of the beginner picture book “Here is the house. It is green and white. It has a red door. It is very pretty. Mother, Father, Dick and Jane live in the green and white house. They are very happy..”
But then asks the question that is age old, is anyone really happy by breaking down this immortal, familiar and comforting picture book vision and changes it into being unsettling and almost frighteningly forbidding by printing the text of this imaginary picture book in a clump.It then in its various chapters shows how a tragedy, a father raping his child, can be hidden in this picture book. It shows the longing hidden in this story.
The book tells the story of the girl who was raped by her father, Pecola Breedlove, an eleven year old black girl, who only wants blue eyes. It is a wonderful book and is highly recommended.
Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckly
A hugely fun and funny read from the first page to the last
Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guarra
I have still not finished all the volumes but always enjoy the ones I have with the great artwork and writing of Pia Guarra and Brian K. Vaughn.
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfieild
I bought this book after the review in The New York Times made me want to read it out of shear curiosity. Little did I know I had bought one of the most enjoyable reads of the year. I read all six hundred pages in around two weeks and enjoyed all of them. I never in a million years would have thought a book about Laura Bush could be so interesting! Even without the added attraction of George Bush as a character (he doesn't appear for a good hundred pages), Sittenfieild's writing shines and fascinates. Highly recommended.
I Live Here by Mia Kirshner and others
This anthology interested me just based on its great cover design but the insides with fascinating insight into the impoverished countries of the world is great as well.
What It Is by Lynda Barry
A very well and interestingly illustrated book (a lot of it was drawn on legal paper) with a lot of interesting and worthwhile ideas.
Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner
Another great read that I picked up just out of curiosity based on its cover, I finished this one in two days and found it a hugely entertaining and fun read.
Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi
A powerful and intense book with beutiful illustrations, this is Satrapi's best book yet.
Hero-Type by Barry Lyga
At this point, I will buy any book Barry Lyga releases and with good reason. Each of them so far has been a masterpiece in and of itself. This book Hero-Type was at once exciting, fun, fast paced, entertaining, political, romantic and many other things. Highly Recommended!
Next Month: Books by Toni Morrison', Roberto Bolano, Curtis Sittenfield and more
Toni Morrisson’s first book The Bluest Eye begins in the language of the beginner picture book “Here is the house. It is green and white. It has a red door. It is very pretty. Mother, Father, Dick and Jane live in the green and white house. They are very happy..”
But then asks the question that is age old, is anyone really happy by breaking down this immortal, familiar and comforting picture book vision and changes it into being unsettling and almost frighteningly forbidding by printing the text of this imaginary picture book in a clump.It then in its various chapters shows how a tragedy, a father raping his child, can be hidden in this picture book. It shows the longing hidden in this story.
The book tells the story of the girl who was raped by her father, Pecola Breedlove, an eleven year old black girl, who only wants blue eyes. It is a wonderful book and is highly recommended.
Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckly
A hugely fun and funny read from the first page to the last
Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guarra
I have still not finished all the volumes but always enjoy the ones I have with the great artwork and writing of Pia Guarra and Brian K. Vaughn.
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfieild
I bought this book after the review in The New York Times made me want to read it out of shear curiosity. Little did I know I had bought one of the most enjoyable reads of the year. I read all six hundred pages in around two weeks and enjoyed all of them. I never in a million years would have thought a book about Laura Bush could be so interesting! Even without the added attraction of George Bush as a character (he doesn't appear for a good hundred pages), Sittenfieild's writing shines and fascinates. Highly recommended.
I Live Here by Mia Kirshner and others
This anthology interested me just based on its great cover design but the insides with fascinating insight into the impoverished countries of the world is great as well.
What It Is by Lynda Barry
A very well and interestingly illustrated book (a lot of it was drawn on legal paper) with a lot of interesting and worthwhile ideas.
Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner
Another great read that I picked up just out of curiosity based on its cover, I finished this one in two days and found it a hugely entertaining and fun read.
Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi
A powerful and intense book with beutiful illustrations, this is Satrapi's best book yet.
Hero-Type by Barry Lyga
At this point, I will buy any book Barry Lyga releases and with good reason. Each of them so far has been a masterpiece in and of itself. This book Hero-Type was at once exciting, fun, fast paced, entertaining, political, romantic and many other things. Highly Recommended!
Next Month: Books by Toni Morrison', Roberto Bolano, Curtis Sittenfield and more
Hillary Clinton is secratary of state
Today, I watched some of the live news coverage on the NY Times site and was so excited to see Hillary Clinton announced as Secretary of State. I hope she cuts back on her shoe shopping¹!
¹reference to Condalezza Rice going shoe shopping as hurricane Katrina happened
¹reference to Condalezza Rice going shoe shopping as hurricane Katrina happened
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