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Thursday, December 31, 2009
I was in a Cameron mood (hence all the Avatar viewings) so I realized the only Cameron movies I own are the first two Terminator films. This will be corrected.
I love this movie. If they ever made a director’s cut or Criterion of this film on DVD I would buy it. I truly think not only is it an amazing film but it’s a film that helped define and solidify strong female characters in cinema.
Sarah Connor is an amazing character. She starts the film a waitress who can’t even handle her patrons and ends the film barking orders at Reese, killing the terminator & trying to prepare herself to train her son for the coming wars. It’s a spectacular arch and one that is female empowering on a scale not seen in cinema before it.
My love of Cameron does partially stem from my love of science fiction, and it probably started with this film. I love his visions of the future, dystopic as they are, and the characters these environments create are unique and wonderful to watch.
Sarah Connor: Are you sure you have the right person?
Reese: I'm sure.
Sarah Connor: Come on. Do I look like the mother of the future? I mean, am I tough, organized? I CAN'T EVEN BALANCE MY
CHECKBOOK!
I love this movie. If they ever made a director’s cut or Criterion of this film on DVD I would buy it. I truly think not only is it an amazing film but it’s a film that helped define and solidify strong female characters in cinema.
Sarah Connor is an amazing character. She starts the film a waitress who can’t even handle her patrons and ends the film barking orders at Reese, killing the terminator & trying to prepare herself to train her son for the coming wars. It’s a spectacular arch and one that is female empowering on a scale not seen in cinema before it.
My love of Cameron does partially stem from my love of science fiction, and it probably started with this film. I love his visions of the future, dystopic as they are, and the characters these environments create are unique and wonderful to watch.
Sarah Connor: Are you sure you have the right person?
Reese: I'm sure.
Sarah Connor: Come on. Do I look like the mother of the future? I mean, am I tough, organized? I CAN'T EVEN BALANCE MY
CHECKBOOK!
Lately, my thoughts have been about my adventures during 2009. The year flew by so quickly that I needed time to reminisce... and begin to dream of 2010.
Photo courtesy of Printemps, Paris
Although I'm not one to make resolutions, I do like to journal my hopes for the upcoming year.
This year, I wish to slow down and savour each day rather than be in a rush and let the days drift away without much thought. I also hope to minimize the time I watch TV. It's true, I do love TV.
A couple of weeks ago, my husband enrolled me at his gym. He asked if we could exercise together on his days off. I agreed. Our younger son commented "But Mom, I thought you don't like to sweat?". He knows me all too well. While I do believe in the importance of being healthy, this may be a challenge for me.
What are your wishes for 2010, dear readers?
Au revoir 2009 ~ you were a good year!
Our walk very serene and peaceful... Come take a walk over to my vacation blog to see more pics... Our Vacation Photos click HERE. Here is on of an abandoned house in ruins....
I never thought the day would come when Starbucks would be featured at PB... 
But miracles happen. I only found out about these Starbuck macarons last weekend!
Approximately 3,500 Starbucks stores carry these little macs available just for the holiday season. 12 mini macarons for all of $9.95 ($.83 per mac -not a bad price at all)
The size is correct - 1 1/4" across.The texture is very smooth not horridly bumpy unlike most US attempts at the French macaron.
The flavors are traditional: coffee, pistachio, raspberry, chocolate, vanilla, lemon.The mouth feel is pleasently chewy.
The box is your standard egg crate affair - not really a bad idea. At least the macs don't get mangled intransit.
*The big drawback is TOO MUCH SUGAR! Come on guys.
You came so close to giving us the real thing!
Starbuck's macarons hale from Château Blanc in Marcq-en-Baroeul near Lille, a good 224 killometers or 2 1/2 hours from rue Bonaparte Paris 75006, home of Pierre Herme and Laduree, so these are not your true Parisien macaron by a long shot. Still I give Starbucks E for effort, though I don't see one word about the macarons on their website. Test marketing 101?
Here's a whole bunch of information you will never see on a Laduree or Pierre Herme box ever. Who knew that 4 little macs equal only 157 calories and have 3g of protein? At 39 calories each is it any wonder French girls are thin? 6 macs= Lunch!
So HAPPY NEW YEAR Starbucks!
Keep up the good works and please cut down on the sugar.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
© by Carol Gillott 2010
and don't eat too many macarons...
Thanks very much to Cathy in CT for alerting me to Trader Joe's macarons! Thanks to Sue for the very beautiful Auld Lang Syne.Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Helllllll o Everyone!
Just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and families and VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! May it be one that shines the year through... filled with LoVe, PeAcE, PrOsPeRiTy, HaRmOnY and BrIgHtNeSs....
All my best,
Leesa
A year of 3 Continents, 7 countries, many welcomes, hugs, smiles, laughs, tears and heaps of good byes ... Thanks everyone who I've crossed path with! Was an amazing year!
It's something unpredictable but in the end it's rightI hope you had the time of your lifeTime of your Life- Green dayHappy 2010
Avatar. I’ve officially seen it in all three formats it’s available in – Imax 3-D, digital 3-D and Standard. It’s phenomenal in all three. Hoo rah.
If you haven’t seen it yet go see it and support James Cameron making more movies.
If you haven’t seen it yet go see it and support James Cameron making more movies.
In this modern day interpretation of A Christmas Carol Frank Cross is the youngest television president in history and it has gone to his head. As he plans the worlds largest live broadcast on Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his old boss and warned he is being given a chance to change his ways and will be visited on Christmas Eve by three ghosts. Cross spends the next day being ferried through his past, present and future by ghosts and leading everyone in his life to start thinking the Christmas Eve broadcast has finally made him lose it.
Scrooged is hands down one of my favorite Christmas films, and a movie so funny that like Elf I can watch it any time of year. What makes this film so memorable is that it takes a story we all know so well and manages to combine that with what Bill Murray does best – bizarre comedy.
Frank Cross is a horrible man. He sends the people on his Christmas gift list either a towel or a VCR depending on if he likes them or not. He refuses to give his secretary a bonus. He fires an executive the day before Christmas Eve for disagreeing with him. He’s excited when an old woman has a heart attack from watching his Scrooged promo and it gets published by the media. Cross doesn’t care about anyone and everyone knows it. The slogan posted around his office is “Cross: a thing you nail people to”. Bill Murray is the perfect person to play Frank Cross because he can take all of the self-involved horribleness of Frank Cross and make them almost endearing. You still think Frank Cross is awful, but you laugh at him and get excited when he changes. And there is nothing like watching Murray do his thing on screen, he’s amazing.
You also have to love the ghosts in this film, the most memorable one for most people I talk to is the ghost of Christmas present played by Carol Kane. Kane is a SNL alum like Murray, and their comedy styles mesh very well, but that’s not what makes her character memorable. What makes Kane’s ghost memorable is that she is a hyper fairy in a tutu that beats the crud out of Frank. I don’t mean metaphorically, or emotionally, I mean that at one point she literally hits him with a toaster – and that’s just one thing she hits him with. Kane’s character and Cross spend most of their segment arguing like an old divorced couple and each argument culminates in violence to get Frank magically transported to the next scene he needs to see.
I know the holiday season is wrapping to a close and you may not feel like watching a Dicken’s tale during the march to Valentine’s Day, but I do hope that at some point before Christmas Day rolls around again you will find this film and watch it if you haven’t seen it before.
Director: Richard Donner
Writers: Mitch Glazer & Michael O’Donoghue
Frank Cross: Bill Murray
Claire Phillips: Karen Allen
Lew Hayward: John Forsythe
Brice Cummings: John Golver
Eliot Loudermilk: Bobcat Goldwait
Ghost of Christmas Past: David Johansen
Ghost of Christmas Present: Carol Kane
Preston Rhinelander: Robert Mitchum
Grace: Alfre Woodard
Scrooge: Buddy Hackett
Frank Cross: Do you think I'm way off-base here?
Elliot: Yes. You're, well, you're a tad off-base, sir. That thing looked like The Manson Family Christmas Special.
Scrooged is hands down one of my favorite Christmas films, and a movie so funny that like Elf I can watch it any time of year. What makes this film so memorable is that it takes a story we all know so well and manages to combine that with what Bill Murray does best – bizarre comedy.
Frank Cross is a horrible man. He sends the people on his Christmas gift list either a towel or a VCR depending on if he likes them or not. He refuses to give his secretary a bonus. He fires an executive the day before Christmas Eve for disagreeing with him. He’s excited when an old woman has a heart attack from watching his Scrooged promo and it gets published by the media. Cross doesn’t care about anyone and everyone knows it. The slogan posted around his office is “Cross: a thing you nail people to”. Bill Murray is the perfect person to play Frank Cross because he can take all of the self-involved horribleness of Frank Cross and make them almost endearing. You still think Frank Cross is awful, but you laugh at him and get excited when he changes. And there is nothing like watching Murray do his thing on screen, he’s amazing.
You also have to love the ghosts in this film, the most memorable one for most people I talk to is the ghost of Christmas present played by Carol Kane. Kane is a SNL alum like Murray, and their comedy styles mesh very well, but that’s not what makes her character memorable. What makes Kane’s ghost memorable is that she is a hyper fairy in a tutu that beats the crud out of Frank. I don’t mean metaphorically, or emotionally, I mean that at one point she literally hits him with a toaster – and that’s just one thing she hits him with. Kane’s character and Cross spend most of their segment arguing like an old divorced couple and each argument culminates in violence to get Frank magically transported to the next scene he needs to see.
I know the holiday season is wrapping to a close and you may not feel like watching a Dicken’s tale during the march to Valentine’s Day, but I do hope that at some point before Christmas Day rolls around again you will find this film and watch it if you haven’t seen it before.
Director: Richard Donner
Writers: Mitch Glazer & Michael O’Donoghue
Frank Cross: Bill Murray
Claire Phillips: Karen Allen
Lew Hayward: John Forsythe
Brice Cummings: John Golver
Eliot Loudermilk: Bobcat Goldwait
Ghost of Christmas Past: David Johansen
Ghost of Christmas Present: Carol Kane
Preston Rhinelander: Robert Mitchum
Grace: Alfre Woodard
Scrooge: Buddy Hackett
Frank Cross: Do you think I'm way off-base here?
Elliot: Yes. You're, well, you're a tad off-base, sir. That thing looked like The Manson Family Christmas Special.
Today at the office I was included on email chain letter, with a warning about a guy that “apparently” is HIV positive. On that email, describing the city where he lived, name of the girls he “apparently” dated and infected, was also attached his picture.
The girls in the office said that it might be just an upset x-girlfriend trying to ruin his life!
Crazy heavy sh*t hey!!!!?
Angolan girls are Mad lol damage his car is not fun anymore!!! =)
My cousin once told that one of the reasons why people don’t do the test here, is due to the lack of professional confidentiality from the responsible institutions, resulting on patients being victims of discrimination! And in the other hand there’s heaps of people consciously infecting others…
I'll advice you to check Nkosi speech...
Nkosi Johnson (born Xolani Nkosi on February 4, 1989(1989-02-04) – June 1, 2001) was a South African child with HIV/AIDS, who made a powerful impact on public perceptions of the pandemic and its effects before his death at the age of 12. He was ranked fifth amongst SABC3's Great South Africans.[1] At the time of his death, he was the longest-surviving HIV-positive born child.
In Wikipedia
Nkosi Johnson- The face of Aids
Nkosi Johnson (born Xolani Nkosi on February 4, 1989(1989-02-04) – June 1, 2001) was a South African child with HIV/AIDS, who made a powerful impact on public perceptions of the pandemic and its effects before his death at the age of 12. He was ranked fifth amongst SABC3's Great South Africans.[1] At the time of his death, he was the longest-surviving HIV-positive born child.
In Wikipedia
Who's that masked women?? I look like a duck-billed platypus!!! I put on the mask at the airport to avoid everyone's
germs... coughing and nose-blowing tourists!!! Coming back from Nice....
Anyhow... It was funny because first I pretended to be very sick and everyone was eyeing me in a very suspicious
manner... Until I said to them.. "Just kidding, I'm NOT sick!" Hahahaha on them!!! Needless to say, I didn't get sick
from the airport or flight.. WHEW!!!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I was excited and confused when I found out Guy Ritchie would be doing a Sherlock Holmes film. I was even more excited once I realized that Robert Downey Jr. would play Holmes. However, despite my excitement I still remained slightly doubtful; while Sherlock Holmes is a very interesting character I didn’t understand how he could fit Ritchie’s style or how exactly it would be a more entertaining film than the past Holmes films, yet still have that core being we all know to be Sherlock. I am here to tell you that Sherlock Holmes was an amazing film.
Somehow Ritchie did what I thought might be impossible, he married his very modern style to a period piece. This blend of classic literature and modern Ritchie gives Holmes the edge that was always under the surface of the character and makes the carriages, waistcoats and constables relatable to a modern audience. Sherlock is a character not a part of his time or the society around him so Ritchie adding his stylized flair to the film is a perfect match.
I know some people that were doubtful that this modern, cheeky Holmes would be at all accurate to the Holmes they remember from the novels. To those that say this I challenge you to reread a Holmes story after seeing the film. Holmes has always been a willing outcast and rebel; he’s bored by convention, doesn’t like society and would prefer to drink, experiment and leer at those below him. Holmes is not neat and tidy; his intellect renders the world around him dull and lifeless and the only escape he has is to solve mysteries. If Holmes doesn’t have a mystery to solve he goes into a state of isolation and depression – just as he did in the books.
The absolute pitch-perfect element in the middle of an already entertaining movie is Downey as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. These two have fantastic chemistry playing off each and every twitch, sigh or smirk of the other person. The movie is alone worth watching for those two sharing screen time. It’s beyond entertaining to watch Watson try to back out of Holmes’ world out of a sense of duty while Holmes knows just what carrots to drop casually that have Watson eagerly running back into the fray, even though he thinks he doesn’t want to. Law and Downey might be my favorite pairing on screen this year.
I hope that you take the time to go see Sherlock Holmes while it is on the big screen. Not only is the film one of the most entertaining things you would do with your holiday, but now that Guy Ritchie is climbing back to the top of his game it is more than worth applauding.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Writers: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham & Simon Kinberg
Sherlock Holmes: Robert Downey Jr.
Dr. Watson: Jude Law
Irene Adler: Rachel McAdams
Lord Blackwood: Mark Strong
Holmes: You've never complained about my methods before.
Watson: I've never complained! When have I ever complained about you practicing the violin at three in the morning, or your
mess? Your general lack of hygiene or the fact that you steal my clothes?
Somehow Ritchie did what I thought might be impossible, he married his very modern style to a period piece. This blend of classic literature and modern Ritchie gives Holmes the edge that was always under the surface of the character and makes the carriages, waistcoats and constables relatable to a modern audience. Sherlock is a character not a part of his time or the society around him so Ritchie adding his stylized flair to the film is a perfect match.
I know some people that were doubtful that this modern, cheeky Holmes would be at all accurate to the Holmes they remember from the novels. To those that say this I challenge you to reread a Holmes story after seeing the film. Holmes has always been a willing outcast and rebel; he’s bored by convention, doesn’t like society and would prefer to drink, experiment and leer at those below him. Holmes is not neat and tidy; his intellect renders the world around him dull and lifeless and the only escape he has is to solve mysteries. If Holmes doesn’t have a mystery to solve he goes into a state of isolation and depression – just as he did in the books.
The absolute pitch-perfect element in the middle of an already entertaining movie is Downey as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. These two have fantastic chemistry playing off each and every twitch, sigh or smirk of the other person. The movie is alone worth watching for those two sharing screen time. It’s beyond entertaining to watch Watson try to back out of Holmes’ world out of a sense of duty while Holmes knows just what carrots to drop casually that have Watson eagerly running back into the fray, even though he thinks he doesn’t want to. Law and Downey might be my favorite pairing on screen this year.
I hope that you take the time to go see Sherlock Holmes while it is on the big screen. Not only is the film one of the most entertaining things you would do with your holiday, but now that Guy Ritchie is climbing back to the top of his game it is more than worth applauding.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Writers: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham & Simon Kinberg
Sherlock Holmes: Robert Downey Jr.
Dr. Watson: Jude Law
Irene Adler: Rachel McAdams
Lord Blackwood: Mark Strong
Holmes: You've never complained about my methods before.
Watson: I've never complained! When have I ever complained about you practicing the violin at three in the morning, or your
mess? Your general lack of hygiene or the fact that you steal my clothes?
Malongo Café: 50, Rue Saint André des Arts
Had a nice afternoon with my "gals." We met at Malongo Café in the afternoon and then walked around a little in the Latin Quarter afterwards.
Great Christmas lights... light up the night!
Lois is one classy and elegant lady!! She's a French prof in Philly....
Lois and I got together yesterday in the Marais and had a nice time. She's my friend who is visiting from PHILLY!
We found this store 10 minutes before closing and had to really do a "rushed" tour of the place. But, just to find it and enter was just great, too!! I'll defin. go back again and check it out when it's open!
Letters are EVERYWHERE!!
Things to buy:
Christmas bright lights... All lit up for the holidays.
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