The Restaurant Refugee posted a pretty cool meme-type-thing. I've been wanting to post this semi-ridiculous pet peeve of mine for some time, and since I'm writing again (if you can call this writing) I thought I'd at least post this.
I love my WaPo Express. It entertains and educates me on my metro ride every morning. I get concise stories about what's going on in the world in an easy to digest package. I feel too smart for USA Today but don't have enough time to sit on the Metro with a print regular Washington Post - I catch it online generally. So voila. The best of both worlds in the Express, plus Poncho in Pooch Cafe, and a crossword should I be so inclined. A healthy relationship.
However. When it comes to their daily poll results, I want to scream. Everyday. Take a look.
See the heading for this section? It actually repeats the previous day's poll question and gives you the results. Pretty straightforward. Then, in the comments, since they always print three comments, they have this.
WHAT DID WE JUST READ? You have covered the question in the headline. Otherwise, we'd have absolutely no idea what this crazy little box is all about. So why, WHY, are you repeating it not two inches away from the headline? If you didn't print it superfluously after this comment, would it really change our understanding of the comment?
WOULD IT?
I love my WaPo Express. It entertains and educates me on my metro ride every morning. I get concise stories about what's going on in the world in an easy to digest package. I feel too smart for USA Today but don't have enough time to sit on the Metro with a print regular Washington Post - I catch it online generally. So voila. The best of both worlds in the Express, plus Poncho in Pooch Cafe, and a crossword should I be so inclined. A healthy relationship.
However. When it comes to their daily poll results, I want to scream. Everyday. Take a look.
See the heading for this section? It actually repeats the previous day's poll question and gives you the results. Pretty straightforward. Then, in the comments, since they always print three comments, they have this.
WHAT DID WE JUST READ? You have covered the question in the headline. Otherwise, we'd have absolutely no idea what this crazy little box is all about. So why, WHY, are you repeating it not two inches away from the headline? If you didn't print it superfluously after this comment, would it really change our understanding of the comment?
WOULD IT?
This morning, as I checked my trusty (ha!) Bloglines, I was scanning EW's Popwatch blog and someone was talking about Radiohead's rehearsal for the Grammys. The rehearsal review was glowing. It was awesome, amazing, "keep-on-your-DVR-for-bad-days" kickass. Did I tape it? No.
I had watched a good hour and a half of the Grammys, but then stopped to pack up my laundry, head home, and watch my DVRed Rock of Love Bus. I thought, maybe I should tape the rest of the Grammys in case Radiohead performs. Then I got distracted looking at my pretty new chandelier wrangled from the Georgetown Flea Market on Sunday. Then I commenced watching Rock of Love, my sickest weekly guilty pleasure.
And this morning I find out about this earth shattering performance. I'm sorry, Radiohead. I am ashamed that I cast your live performance on a real TV only to watch Bret Michaels fuck it up six ways to Sunday on his Rock of Crazy. Yes, Bret and I have a history. A long one. But I saw the error of my ways and while I still love some Poison from time to time, your music is a necessary staple in my diet. I was even listening to one of my home brewed Radiohead mixes today in the car. I work out to your music because there's so much to listen to and concentrate on. I saw you guys three times this summer in two different states that didn't include Maryland or Virginia. Surely, this must count for something. Forgive me for my trashy TV sins.
I did catch it on YouTube, and it was indeed pretty awesome. Although I'm stumped why it was just Thom and Jonny - surely there was room for Phil, Colin, and Ed up there too? But it was great nonetheless. Excuse the poor video quality, but the audio is better on this one.
Oh, and Rock of Love Bus predictions? That cracked out box of batshit crazy Ashley will be around at the bare minimum to final three, but probably two. As much as I'd like to see Bret with Beverly, I think she'll go down somewhere in the top five, although she may flame out earlier. I also predict some sort of blow up, dramatic exit for her since she seems "stable." I'm torn between picking between Mindy and Thea in the top two. They are the two "normal" but still slutty women that always seem to make it (seriously, the preview for next week with Mindy's nude comeon to Bret is burned into my retinas in a bad, bad way). And I actually think of all the crazy bitches I've seen on this show in three seasons, Thea would be an excellent fit even if her triangles of clothing...erm...I mean outfits make me want to cry. The new girl Jamie? Kami? There's one of them that I think may end up being a contenda. That weird looking blonde one is also going down faster than Jager shots amongst those skanks.
I had watched a good hour and a half of the Grammys, but then stopped to pack up my laundry, head home, and watch my DVRed Rock of Love Bus. I thought, maybe I should tape the rest of the Grammys in case Radiohead performs. Then I got distracted looking at my pretty new chandelier wrangled from the Georgetown Flea Market on Sunday. Then I commenced watching Rock of Love, my sickest weekly guilty pleasure.
And this morning I find out about this earth shattering performance. I'm sorry, Radiohead. I am ashamed that I cast your live performance on a real TV only to watch Bret Michaels fuck it up six ways to Sunday on his Rock of Crazy. Yes, Bret and I have a history. A long one. But I saw the error of my ways and while I still love some Poison from time to time, your music is a necessary staple in my diet. I was even listening to one of my home brewed Radiohead mixes today in the car. I work out to your music because there's so much to listen to and concentrate on. I saw you guys three times this summer in two different states that didn't include Maryland or Virginia. Surely, this must count for something. Forgive me for my trashy TV sins.
I did catch it on YouTube, and it was indeed pretty awesome. Although I'm stumped why it was just Thom and Jonny - surely there was room for Phil, Colin, and Ed up there too? But it was great nonetheless. Excuse the poor video quality, but the audio is better on this one.
Oh, and Rock of Love Bus predictions? That cracked out box of batshit crazy Ashley will be around at the bare minimum to final three, but probably two. As much as I'd like to see Bret with Beverly, I think she'll go down somewhere in the top five, although she may flame out earlier. I also predict some sort of blow up, dramatic exit for her since she seems "stable." I'm torn between picking between Mindy and Thea in the top two. They are the two "normal" but still slutty women that always seem to make it (seriously, the preview for next week with Mindy's nude comeon to Bret is burned into my retinas in a bad, bad way). And I actually think of all the crazy bitches I've seen on this show in three seasons, Thea would be an excellent fit even if her triangles of clothing...erm...I mean outfits make me want to cry. The new girl Jamie? Kami? There's one of them that I think may end up being a contenda. That weird looking blonde one is also going down faster than Jager shots amongst those skanks.
Start Spreading the News - NYC Bound Needs Your Help!
16 Comments Published by Carrie M on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 at 1:34 AM.
Get this. I already have plans for my 32nd birthday. I'm going to New York City with my BFF and we're going to see Equus. Yes, the one where Harry Potter gets naked. He's 18 - get off my back! Granted, I'll be heading home from NYC on my birthday proper, but it's the birthday weekend. And, actually this is a celebration for both my friend and I, since I'll miss her bday this year thanks to work commitments.I love New York, just like the shirts and bags and hats and stuffed bears tell me to. I don't love New York hotel prices. Co and I usually stay with friends, but it's just not going to work out this time. I've heard that you can rent people's apartments in different cities, as a hotel alternative. I have done some preliminary searches and have found a big site, Vacation Rentals By Owners. While the places seem great, the prices are...well, pricey.
I'm hoping that you, dear readers and travelers, may have heard about this phenomenon and can point me in the right direction. Or know of a non-hostel alternative for two nights in Manhattan, early January. And I don't mean Cloisters Manhattan, I mean Midtown, the Village, Chelsea, and the like.
Anyone have any tips? Thanks in advance, kids!
Heaven Isn't Too Far Away...Well, Maybe We Passed It
8 Comments Published by Carrie M on Thursday, September 04, 2008 at 4:50 PM.
I spent most of Labor Day weekend in Virginia Beach with friends who intended to run the Rock n Roll half marathon. I went down with Elle and A to watch their son, who we have newly dubbed Baby Maki in place of "buddy" for a nickname, for a few hours while they ran. Because I don't run unless it's away from something dangerous like zombies, towards food or beer. Although my friends didn't end up running, there were still lots of Rock n Roll marathon activities throughout the weekend. We knew Billy Idol and the B-52s were headlining and sadly missed Morris Day and the Time on Friday night, but when we got there and looked at the full schedule, there was a band I was so excited to see on Saturday night:
*As I've said before on this blog, when I was 13 I thought Bret Michaels was the hottest thing ever. Now, Bret is 44 and has a tv show where 10s of women think the same thing and take off articles of clothing as often as possible to show their "love" for him. Add like 100 to that number, and that was a Tuesday for Bret in 1989.
Warrant.
Yes, that's right. Warrant. See the picture to the left, circa the good old days in the late 80s from M
etal Edge - oh yes, I can still tell a Metal Edge photo. It's damn possible I had this on my wall. I was a headbanger chick in my early teenage years, but I didn't waste my time with real metal like Metallica. I went straight to the good, sticky sweet stuff: glam metal. Hair metal, glam rock, whatever. My very favorite was Poison, hands down. Bret Michaels was the hottest thing ever.* Over the 3 years or so I was into that music, I loved several other bands along the way: Bon Jovi, my first real love in that music scene; Motley Crue; Skid Row; Trixter; Warrant. I flirted a bit with Slaughter, Winger, L.A. Guns, Cinderella but Poison, Bon Jovi, and Warrant occupied the medal positions in that order.
etal Edge - oh yes, I can still tell a Metal Edge photo. It's damn possible I had this on my wall. I was a headbanger chick in my early teenage years, but I didn't waste my time with real metal like Metallica. I went straight to the good, sticky sweet stuff: glam metal. Hair metal, glam rock, whatever. My very favorite was Poison, hands down. Bret Michaels was the hottest thing ever.* Over the 3 years or so I was into that music, I loved several other bands along the way: Bon Jovi, my first real love in that music scene; Motley Crue; Skid Row; Trixter; Warrant. I flirted a bit with Slaughter, Winger, L.A. Guns, Cinderella but Poison, Bon Jovi, and Warrant occupied the medal positions in that order. My mother was very kind to me and let me go see most of these bands (except the ones I flirted with, never got out to them). The rule was I had to go with an adult, and of course I had to ask permission first. My mom went with me to my first show, Bon Jovi/Skid Row. My dad took me to one Poison show. Friends of the family who were music guys went with me to another Poison show and Crue, a neighbor took me to see Trixter/Warrant**. So when I saw that Warrant was going to be playing that night in VA Beach, I was so effing there.
You guys remember Warrant, right? Remember that ridiculous song "Cherry Pie"? Yeah, that was Warrant and that was their biggest hit. Personally, I'm more a fan of their first album, and song-wise my favorite is what has been dubbed their rock anthem "Down Boys" and of course, "Heaven". I always thought Heaven was their biggest hit, but after an impromptu survey and the show, I know now that it's Cherry Pie. A and I walked down the Neptune Stage on 31st Street at around 9, go carded to get beer tickets, cracked a couple of Bud Lights and waited for their set to start at 9:30. There were definitely people there, but it was no problem to find a place to stand and get a decent view.
I was so excited to get into the Way Back Machine to 1991 to see them. I told A that I'd probably be pretty confused because I didn't know who was singing for Warrant now, b/c I didn't think it'd be the original singer, Jani Lane since he'd left the band ages ago. The last time I saw him, he was drinking his way through his body weight in vodka on Celebrity Fit Club.
They came out and started playing Down Boys, and holy shit, that's Jani Lane! I smacked A's arm and told him so. I was SO EXCITED. I felt like a teenager again***. True to my teenage self, after noticing it was in fact Jani Lane, I looked for the resident hot guys in the band: Erik Turner and Jerry Dixon. Still hot. What can I say, old habits die hard for me? I'll still turn and look at a guy with long hair. Erik has his ha
ir cut short and Jerry still has long hair, but it's not the pouffy, curlier thing happening from back in the day. And truthfully, Erik looks better now than he did before without the long hair and suspenders clipped to leather pants with no shirt. I couldn't tell if it was the original lead guitar player, Joey Allen, because I mostly knew him by his long blond hair and this dude was seriously short haired with cool eyeglasses, but the drummer was definitely the same guy (Stephen Sweet, and really, I honestly remembered all their names) - same crazy curly hair just shorter, but with the addition of Chris Cornell-like facial hair. The guys looked pretty good I had to say. See photo of Warrant now - muy improved, no? Jani had seen better days, but at first glance, he seemed better than his former Celebrity Fit Club self and I never thought he was much of a looker to begin with although he was saddled with the weight of trying to be the hot one since he was the singer.
ir cut short and Jerry still has long hair, but it's not the pouffy, curlier thing happening from back in the day. And truthfully, Erik looks better now than he did before without the long hair and suspenders clipped to leather pants with no shirt. I couldn't tell if it was the original lead guitar player, Joey Allen, because I mostly knew him by his long blond hair and this dude was seriously short haired with cool eyeglasses, but the drummer was definitely the same guy (Stephen Sweet, and really, I honestly remembered all their names) - same crazy curly hair just shorter, but with the addition of Chris Cornell-like facial hair. The guys looked pretty good I had to say. See photo of Warrant now - muy improved, no? Jani had seen better days, but at first glance, he seemed better than his former Celebrity Fit Club self and I never thought he was much of a looker to begin with although he was saddled with the weight of trying to be the hot one since he was the singer.Back to "Down Boys". Again like my teenage self, I still had absolutely no idea what they were singing about. What the hell is that song even about anyway? "One million miles an hour headed out/ to where the down boys go". What does that mean? I still don't know the answer, but I still knew all the damn words. Between me and Jani Lane, I think I knew more of the words than he did. The first verse was a little choppy, got through the chorus because that's the easy part, right? The second verse, yeah that was pretty much butchered or just wasn't sung as he interacted with he first row of people shoved up to the stage. Second chorus was way rushed, careening into a the guitar solo, and more stumbling through the last semi bridge and two choruses. Jani was all over the place, I can only assume wasted. He definitely wasn't pulling his notes like he should have been, because he used to have some decent pipes. Well, I liked his voice anyway and he was better than a lot of singers in bands out there who enjoyed more success than Warrant. I'm totally looking in Vince Neil's direction.
Maybe I should have been tipped off that this wasn't going to be the glory days of Warrant considering their merch table featured Cherry Pie tour t-shirts...from 1991. The show continued to get worse with Jani. The band was great though, but when the singer is out of it...The next hit to be played was "Heaven" which of course I recognized because Jani had his white acoustic guitar that I totally remember from the video that I have seen probably at least a thousand times. Jani told us that he wanted our help singing, and it turned into freaking Warrant karaoke. I think he let the audience sing at least half that song. Again, the notes weren't there like they should have been. I don't even know what the hell he was singing in some of the song, and I seriously know that song backwards and forwards. Later, Jani seemed to attempt to play in the guitar intro to "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and couldn't do it (not the acoustic intro, mind you. I think his head might have exploded on the spot), so he told Joey to do it. He did, because what else can you do? And because Joey can actually play the guitar. Well. Another nearly unrecognizable version of the song. You get the point.
Their encore consisted of one song. Cherry Pie. You've probably already guessed that the song wasn't that great a few nights ago. The guys were very gracious. Jani was very grateful and humble to the crowd, who were actually quite forgiving with him and his vocal "stylings" for the night. I think most of the band was pysched to get off the stage, although Erik stayed to throw out his guitar picks to the crowd. I had moved my way up to the first few rows since A had gone back to the hotel, but did not come back with any picks. Much like my teenage self.
Once I got home, I looked up some Warrant info to catch up. Apparently, the band just went back to its original line up after 14 years or something. Mind you, I stopped listening to Warrant regularly only 16 years ago. They did one of their first reunion shows in Vegas over the summer, where the crowd was not so forgiving. Jani made a pigs ear of that performance and people asked for their money back.
It was awesome. It was terrible. It was awesomely bad. But I still loved it. Looking back, we had to know that kind of music had a limited shelf life. I still listen to it from time to time, though. And more Warrant songs have found their way onto my mixes than Poison songs, so I'm really glad I got to see them again and relive some of my youth. Even if it was a bit sad but I'm very glad I was too young to get sucked into the hair metal culture fully. I'm totally okay with never being on a tour bus or covered with tattoos of defunct or dysfunctional glam bands. I guess Cinderella had it right all this time, as Warrant has learned the hard way, playing their free show in VA Beach with a wasted lead singer. You don't know what you got till it's gone.
*As I've said before on this blog, when I was 13 I thought Bret Michaels was the hottest thing ever. Now, Bret is 44 and has a tv show where 10s of women think the same thing and take off articles of clothing as often as possible to show their "love" for him. Add like 100 to that number, and that was a Tuesday for Bret in 1989.
**I think it was Trixter and Warrant. I know I've seen both of them, but I couldn't tell you who they supported, but I'm pretty sure the show I went to was after Warrant and Poison broke up on tour in 1991, then Warrant went on to headline later in the year.
And If You're Frightened, You Can Be Frightened, You Can Be, That's OK
7 Comments Published by Carrie M on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 2:08 AM.
We are bombarded with images, sounds, words, etc. everyday. Many of them are frightening in this day and age. Since I can't be accused of being awfully serious on this little blog, here are a few things I've seen over the last couple of days that scare the bejesus out of me.
WTF? Michael Phelps, while an extraordinarily talented athlete and now the most decorated Olympian of all time, is not the most attractive man. He has an AMAZING body however, if you like the swimmer's build (I think most women do). But he is what you'd call the male version of a butterface. The infinite genuises over at Sports Illustrated decide to do this to him. Make him look like a very confused young man trying out a new, blingy halter top who hasn't decided if he's going to throw on a pair of pants today.
Hardly newsworthy, but seriously, how much work did Meg Ryan get done? And how bad
does the trailer for her new movie, The Women, look? After Sex and the City had such a huge bow at the box office, is this what Hollywood thinks women want? May I remind Hollywood the last time they made a movie with "what women want" in the title it featured Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson parading around in pantyhouse, after waxing and painting his nails in an attempt to connect to the female spirit. Meg Ryan seems to think that "The Women" want botox and collagen. I'm scared either way.
I am not a fan of Playboy. Not because there are hotter woman than myself shaking what God gave them "artfully" for a camera, but more because of the slut culture it's helped produce as of late. I don't see them as often anymore, but a year or so ago, there were far too many junior sized t-shirts, trucker hats, and stupid necklaces featuring the Playboy bunny logo for young girls. I'm not saying we need to lease them power suits and Crackberries either, but I hate it. And then these dumb Playboy girls get a show? Granted, everyone gets a show. If I could convince E! or Bravo that my dog is
gender confused (she's not, though, for the record), I may be able to get a show. But folks, seriously, stop showing this dumb girl. This is the most ridiculous picture not ONLY because of those glasses (are you Kanye? And even still, Kanye looks dumb in them, but at least he's PERFORMING.), but because of her face and just all around ridiculousness (hello Lauren Conrad in 10 years and after a bad dye job, bad manicure, and a graffiti artist attacking your sweatshirt). Even on Perez, why is she news? Does anyone care? I'm convinced that Hef pays the bills on the Girls Next Door, and that's why it's still on the air. Or there are a lot more men who watch E! than previously admitted.
I'm not a huge fan of Kathy Griffin. I don't particularly dislike her either. Entertainm
ent Weekly had an interesting article about her awhile back, talking about her contraversy, how hard she works and how she's gotten to where she is. Speaking of incredibly dumb shows, her's may be worse than the Girls Next Door (but definitely better than Pam Anderson's show, which I had the misfortune of catching a few minutes of). She wouldn't stop saying Steve Wozniak. He was teaching her to ride a Segway and she kept saying, "Don't let me fall, Steve Wozniak." "I'm going to die, Steve Wozniak." "Woz loves the Big Boy." Griffin had "company meetings" that consisted of 4 other people plus herself, and I believe one of them was to perpetrate a plan to get her friend Rachel True (remember her from The Craft?) set up with one of the Woz' geeky, rich friends. Griffin continued having this useless meetings. That she employs a staff is frightening to me. Her face frightens me for that matter. The fact that someone who CAN be funny has such an awful show, and makes money off it, is truly frightening.
Oh, and anyone who wants a glimpse into the "future", click on the comments of Perez Hilton, make like the man who killed Inigo Montoya's father, and prepare to die.
WTF? Michael Phelps, while an extraordinarily talented athlete and now the most decorated Olympian of all time, is not the most attractive man. He has an AMAZING body however, if you like the swimmer's build (I think most women do). But he is what you'd call the male version of a butterface. The infinite genuises over at Sports Illustrated decide to do this to him. Make him look like a very confused young man trying out a new, blingy halter top who hasn't decided if he's going to throw on a pair of pants today.Hardly newsworthy, but seriously, how much work did Meg Ryan get done? And how bad
does the trailer for her new movie, The Women, look? After Sex and the City had such a huge bow at the box office, is this what Hollywood thinks women want? May I remind Hollywood the last time they made a movie with "what women want" in the title it featured Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson parading around in pantyhouse, after waxing and painting his nails in an attempt to connect to the female spirit. Meg Ryan seems to think that "The Women" want botox and collagen. I'm scared either way.I am not a fan of Playboy. Not because there are hotter woman than myself shaking what God gave them "artfully" for a camera, but more because of the slut culture it's helped produce as of late. I don't see them as often anymore, but a year or so ago, there were far too many junior sized t-shirts, trucker hats, and stupid necklaces featuring the Playboy bunny logo for young girls. I'm not saying we need to lease them power suits and Crackberries either, but I hate it. And then these dumb Playboy girls get a show? Granted, everyone gets a show. If I could convince E! or Bravo that my dog is
gender confused (she's not, though, for the record), I may be able to get a show. But folks, seriously, stop showing this dumb girl. This is the most ridiculous picture not ONLY because of those glasses (are you Kanye? And even still, Kanye looks dumb in them, but at least he's PERFORMING.), but because of her face and just all around ridiculousness (hello Lauren Conrad in 10 years and after a bad dye job, bad manicure, and a graffiti artist attacking your sweatshirt). Even on Perez, why is she news? Does anyone care? I'm convinced that Hef pays the bills on the Girls Next Door, and that's why it's still on the air. Or there are a lot more men who watch E! than previously admitted.I'm not a huge fan of Kathy Griffin. I don't particularly dislike her either. Entertainm
ent Weekly had an interesting article about her awhile back, talking about her contraversy, how hard she works and how she's gotten to where she is. Speaking of incredibly dumb shows, her's may be worse than the Girls Next Door (but definitely better than Pam Anderson's show, which I had the misfortune of catching a few minutes of). She wouldn't stop saying Steve Wozniak. He was teaching her to ride a Segway and she kept saying, "Don't let me fall, Steve Wozniak." "I'm going to die, Steve Wozniak." "Woz loves the Big Boy." Griffin had "company meetings" that consisted of 4 other people plus herself, and I believe one of them was to perpetrate a plan to get her friend Rachel True (remember her from The Craft?) set up with one of the Woz' geeky, rich friends. Griffin continued having this useless meetings. That she employs a staff is frightening to me. Her face frightens me for that matter. The fact that someone who CAN be funny has such an awful show, and makes money off it, is truly frightening.Oh, and anyone who wants a glimpse into the "future", click on the comments of Perez Hilton, make like the man who killed Inigo Montoya's father, and prepare to die.
Harry Potter Becomes Warner Brothers' Red Headed Stepchild, Batman Promoted to Prodigal Son - New HP Movie to be Released 7/2009
6 Comments Published by Carrie M on Friday, August 15, 2008 at 6:50 PM.
Can you hear that? That's the sound of gnashing and wailing by Harry Potter fans worldwide.
Last night, as my BFF were hanging out, I got on the computer to check my t
rusty Bloglines. I clicked on the Entertainment Weekly Hollywood Insider Blog and saw the startling headline: NEWS FLASH: 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' Bumped to Summer 2009. Like the Potter-phile that I am I said no, no, no like a crazy person hoping it was a joke. Alas, it was not.
Wanna know why? Here's what the press release says:
I'm sorry, but is there such as a thing as making TOO MUCH money in one year? Would it really hurt them that much in 2009 to have only one potential blockbuster in Terminator 4: Salvation? I can hear studio execs' hearts stopping with that blasphemy. I know that Hollywood revolves around the almighty dollar. I do. However, this seems pretty low even to my cynical senses.
People are PISSED, to say the least. A petition has been championed (over 10,000 signatures at 2 pm): http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/harrypotter6. From the comments section of the Hollywood Insider post breaking the bad news:
1. Warner Brothers, much less Alan Horn (does anyone else think of the actor from Entourage when you hear that name?), doesn't give a shit what movie audiences want, when it comes right down to it. They know they have gold on their hands and people will see it no matter what. I mean really. People who are going nuts over this will NOT boycott the movie. They're nuts BECAUSE they love it so much...so they're going to boycott? Yeah, it doesn't work like that.
2. How many people who go to the movies really know what studio is releasing what? Unless you read the trade mags, the trade mag for Dummies like EW, etc? Go out on the street right now and ask 100 people what studio put out The Dark Knight and you'll get at least 80 people without any idea, they just go to the movies and don't realize when you see the screenshot of a studio lot shimmer, it's going to morph into the Warner Brothers logo.
3. We don't live in the golden era of the cinema anymore. See number one - the studios don't give a rat's ass who they piss off because they have something people will always want: entertainment. Anyone remember the writer's strike?
4. Harry Potter fans aren't doing themselves any favors by posting some of this comment drivel.
Slightly unrelated, some moron also posted that maybe WB is scared that Twilight will outperform HP two weeks later...um, no. I loves me my Twilight as we all know, but we aren't even in the same species here folks (no pun intended). Some Twilighters already make themselves look ridiculous, so don't make it worse for yourselves, mmkay?
Like I said, this news pisses me off too because I was absolutely looking forward to the new movie, like I always do since I'm a card carrying member of the HP and movie clubs. I also wonder what it means to the people who busted their asses to get this movie ready for a November 2008 release, which I think is very uncool. I hate that Warners can do this. My not-so-cynical-side would love to see such a huge stink created over this that WB would have to backtrack, but again - they don't have to. People are going to see it anyway. The percentage of "business" they'll lose from this will be very small, which is unfortunate, but true. Even if I were to be one of the boycotters, I couldn't give up my EW (owned by Time Warner). It's not as simple as saying, "I won't see this movie."
I did just read that Warners pissed off the wrong dork by pressuring Harry Knowles of Ain't it Cool to remove bad reviews of the new Star Wars animated movie. And now they've pissed off Harry Potter fans. I'd love to see them have to eat their hats, but I'm not holding my breath.
Eff you, Alan Horn and Warner Brothers. This dork writing this blog has a more boring November to not look forward to. But now I have more time to re-read the series for the 4th time.
Last night, as my BFF were hanging out, I got on the computer to check my t
rusty Bloglines. I clicked on the Entertainment Weekly Hollywood Insider Blog and saw the startling headline: NEWS FLASH: 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' Bumped to Summer 2009. Like the Potter-phile that I am I said no, no, no like a crazy person hoping it was a joke. Alas, it was not.Wanna know why? Here's what the press release says:
“[L]ike every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move Half-Blood Prince to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”Translation: Warner Brothers has made enough money this year thanks to the overwhelming success of the Dark Knight and would rather spread the wealth.
I'm sorry, but is there such as a thing as making TOO MUCH money in one year? Would it really hurt them that much in 2009 to have only one potential blockbuster in Terminator 4: Salvation? I can hear studio execs' hearts stopping with that blasphemy. I know that Hollywood revolves around the almighty dollar. I do. However, this seems pretty low even to my cynical senses.
People are PISSED, to say the least. A petition has been championed (over 10,000 signatures at 2 pm): http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/harrypotter6. From the comments section of the Hollywood Insider post breaking the bad news:
This is more than agravating! But let us not just complain on these comment sites. LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD! I am asking everyone to send an email to Warner Bros Feature Film department and Rattle Alan F. Horn the guy responsible for pushing the film to next year.That's just a taste. While I think it's pretty shitty of the studio to do, there are still a few problems with the outrage and the proposed "solutions":
My 8 year old daughter actually cried when we told her this movie wasn't coming out until next summer instead of the fall. She has been looking forward to this for a year!
This is the worst movie news I've heard in a long time. Way to get more people to see the movie. Now no one will go.
BOYCOTT ALL WB MOVIES. . .AND IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE DARK DONT WATCH IT AGAIN...HIT THEM WERE IT HURTS. . .THE POCKET!
THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! I was getting so excited that I only had to wait 3 more months for the movie but NOW I have to wait 11!!! Harry Potter has almost always come out in November around my birthday. I AM OUTRAGED!!!!!!!!!
1. Warner Brothers, much less Alan Horn (does anyone else think of the actor from Entourage when you hear that name?), doesn't give a shit what movie audiences want, when it comes right down to it. They know they have gold on their hands and people will see it no matter what. I mean really. People who are going nuts over this will NOT boycott the movie. They're nuts BECAUSE they love it so much...so they're going to boycott? Yeah, it doesn't work like that.
2. How many people who go to the movies really know what studio is releasing what? Unless you read the trade mags, the trade mag for Dummies like EW, etc? Go out on the street right now and ask 100 people what studio put out The Dark Knight and you'll get at least 80 people without any idea, they just go to the movies and don't realize when you see the screenshot of a studio lot shimmer, it's going to morph into the Warner Brothers logo.
3. We don't live in the golden era of the cinema anymore. See number one - the studios don't give a rat's ass who they piss off because they have something people will always want: entertainment. Anyone remember the writer's strike?
4. Harry Potter fans aren't doing themselves any favors by posting some of this comment drivel.
Slightly unrelated, some moron also posted that maybe WB is scared that Twilight will outperform HP two weeks later...um, no. I loves me my Twilight as we all know, but we aren't even in the same species here folks (no pun intended). Some Twilighters already make themselves look ridiculous, so don't make it worse for yourselves, mmkay?
Like I said, this news pisses me off too because I was absolutely looking forward to the new movie, like I always do since I'm a card carrying member of the HP and movie clubs. I also wonder what it means to the people who busted their asses to get this movie ready for a November 2008 release, which I think is very uncool. I hate that Warners can do this. My not-so-cynical-side would love to see such a huge stink created over this that WB would have to backtrack, but again - they don't have to. People are going to see it anyway. The percentage of "business" they'll lose from this will be very small, which is unfortunate, but true. Even if I were to be one of the boycotters, I couldn't give up my EW (owned by Time Warner). It's not as simple as saying, "I won't see this movie."
I did just read that Warners pissed off the wrong dork by pressuring Harry Knowles of Ain't it Cool to remove bad reviews of the new Star Wars animated movie. And now they've pissed off Harry Potter fans. I'd love to see them have to eat their hats, but I'm not holding my breath.
Eff you, Alan Horn and Warner Brothers. This dork writing this blog has a more boring November to not look forward to. But now I have more time to re-read the series for the 4th time.
I have always hated preppy clothes. I was in junior high at the height of prep - anyone remember Britches Great Outdoors? I definitely remember warthog socks. And the fugly rugby shirts (fugby shirts?) that EVERYone wore. The "cool" girls wore their pink and blue or similarly girly $40 rugbys with the fronts tucked in and the backs out and their Keds with warthog socks over their jeans. So fucking cool. So cool in fact that there are no pictures to be found of those trends of yore. It may have been a local thing too, indiginous to the wilds of Montgomery County.
I hated that stuff. I wanted to be the rocker chick, and I tried with my black denim jacket and my stylin' boots and general too cool for school all black apparel. Then in high school in 1991, came the grunge and out came the flannels. I remember my first pair of really cool shoes (in my innocent, sparkling eyes): black, 7 hole Doc Martens. I remember the blisters they gave me for the first few days. But I was determined to be as cool as possible and I suffered through, then they became comfortable and awesome.
In general, I hate trends that everyone picks up on. I can't say I've never fallen victim to trends and I certainly can't say that everything in my closet or on my bookshelf or whatever is totally original because only me and 4 other people in the continental US have them. The Doc Martens example above proving my point. But I hate crap that everyone has just for the sake of having it.
Exhibit A - Louis Vuitton. Seriously some of the ugliest bags I've ever seen. Some of the shapes are kinda cool (thanks, Marc Jacobs) but the brown and camel LV pattern makes me wanna yak.
Exhibit B - Juicy Couture. Really, ladies? Couture means pink and ribbons and bows and plaid and terrycloth and charms with Juicy screaming all over it and all mixed up into one for the bargain price of $145 for a bag that would fit my wallet, cell phone, and maybe my metro card? Well done, girls. That definitely says high fashion. But holy hell, I love this bag. Now I have to go bathe in alcohol.
Et cetera.
The latest trend that I've decided chaps my ass comes in the form of preppy-ish shoes. They strike me as preppy, but maybe it's just the girls I see wearing them. I see a pair at least once a day. I did a quick Google search for "leather flip flops 3 chain links" and only a few links down do I see the magic words: Steve Madden. Is Madden still cool? Target filches his designs every year I've noticed, when I've been forced past the SM store with the scary cartoonish girls in his ads. But he's not quite the household name anymore, or maybe that's just in my demographic. I'm also decidedly not a shoe girl, although I feel qualified to pass judgment on footwear often.
However, I guess Mr. Madden's still got it because apparently a quarter to roughly half of the 20 something girls in DC own some iteration of this shoe.
Come on, girls. That's like a MILLIMETER of leather between you and the streets of DC. Or Virginia. Or God forbid, Maryland. And the 3 chain links? Does not make the flip flops "classy." THEY ARE STILL FLIP FLOPS. And white? Because it's so clean here in the summer? I know we're not Bejing, but come on. And the $50 price tag does not make these things any nicer either. I will say that the cognac leather is quite pretty and I would almost forgive those. Except I've never seen anyone wearing that color.
Their official name is Steve Madden Women's Sannibel Flip-Flop Sandal. Again, this name does NOT MAKE THE SHOE ANY CLASSIER. They are still flip flops. Just because you secure some plastic "jewels" or stick a heel on a leather flip flop it does not make it appropriate for work. Some of the plastic jeweled ones just look like your 4 year old niece went nuts with a Bedazzler for feet and the flip flops with heels? When you don't wear them with long pants, and/or wear them to work (again, this doesn't make them FANCY or PROFESSIONAL), there's an unfortunate side effect. They make you look like you have the feet of goats. Or other cloven footed animals. Seriously.
Oh, and while I'm hurling insults at the feet of DC women, I'll also say this. Whoever told you that neon pink, and sometimes orange, a la the 80s is a nice nail polish color...that person is not your friend. This color does not look good. Get thee to Ulta or CVS and find something else that would not make Cyndi Lauper ask you where she could score a bottle for the remake of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - the video OR the movie.
If I still had Doc Martens, I'd want to kick some sense into you.
I hated that stuff. I wanted to be the rocker chick, and I tried with my black denim jacket and my stylin' boots and general too cool for school all black apparel. Then in high school in 1991, came the grunge and out came the flannels. I remember my first pair of really cool shoes (in my innocent, sparkling eyes): black, 7 hole Doc Martens. I remember the blisters they gave me for the first few days. But I was determined to be as cool as possible and I suffered through, then they became comfortable and awesome.
In general, I hate trends that everyone picks up on. I can't say I've never fallen victim to trends and I certainly can't say that everything in my closet or on my bookshelf or whatever is totally original because only me and 4 other people in the continental US have them. The Doc Martens example above proving my point. But I hate crap that everyone has just for the sake of having it.
Exhibit A - Louis Vuitton. Seriously some of the ugliest bags I've ever seen. Some of the shapes are kinda cool (thanks, Marc Jacobs) but the brown and camel LV pattern makes me wanna yak.
Exhibit B - Juicy Couture. Really, ladies? Couture means pink and ribbons and bows and plaid and terrycloth and charms with Juicy screaming all over it and all mixed up into one for the bargain price of $145 for a bag that would fit my wallet, cell phone, and maybe my metro card? Well done, girls. That definitely says high fashion. But holy hell, I love this bag. Now I have to go bathe in alcohol.
Et cetera.
The latest trend that I've decided chaps my ass comes in the form of preppy-ish shoes. They strike me as preppy, but maybe it's just the girls I see wearing them. I see a pair at least once a day. I did a quick Google search for "leather flip flops 3 chain links" and only a few links down do I see the magic words: Steve Madden. Is Madden still cool? Target filches his designs every year I've noticed, when I've been forced past the SM store with the scary cartoonish girls in his ads. But he's not quite the household name anymore, or maybe that's just in my demographic. I'm also decidedly not a shoe girl, although I feel qualified to pass judgment on footwear often.
However, I guess Mr. Madden's still got it because apparently a quarter to roughly half of the 20 something girls in DC own some iteration of this shoe.Come on, girls. That's like a MILLIMETER of leather between you and the streets of DC. Or Virginia. Or God forbid, Maryland. And the 3 chain links? Does not make the flip flops "classy." THEY ARE STILL FLIP FLOPS. And white? Because it's so clean here in the summer? I know we're not Bejing, but come on. And the $50 price tag does not make these things any nicer either. I will say that the cognac leather is quite pretty and I would almost forgive those. Except I've never seen anyone wearing that color.
Their official name is Steve Madden Women's Sannibel Flip-Flop Sandal. Again, this name does NOT MAKE THE SHOE ANY CLASSIER. They are still flip flops. Just because you secure some plastic "jewels" or stick a heel on a leather flip flop it does not make it appropriate for work. Some of the plastic jeweled ones just look like your 4 year old niece went nuts with a Bedazzler for feet and the flip flops with heels? When you don't wear them with long pants, and/or wear them to work (again, this doesn't make them FANCY or PROFESSIONAL), there's an unfortunate side effect. They make you look like you have the feet of goats. Or other cloven footed animals. Seriously.
Oh, and while I'm hurling insults at the feet of DC women, I'll also say this. Whoever told you that neon pink, and sometimes orange, a la the 80s is a nice nail polish color...that person is not your friend. This color does not look good. Get thee to Ulta or CVS and find something else that would not make Cyndi Lauper ask you where she could score a bottle for the remake of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - the video OR the movie.
If I still had Doc Martens, I'd want to kick some sense into you.
