lost?

This is Erin's picture, but since I have a blog and she doesn't, I thought she wouldn't mind my sharing. We saw this on a pole near Lincoln Center. After taking the picture, Erin ripped off one of the tags. I asked her if she intended to contact the guy who found T-Rex, but she said she just wanted to encourage others to take slips. What do you think?

I like bad movies

There are many movies that I greatly enjoy, even though I know their quality to be a bit lacking. Circle of Friends is one of them. I love it, I could watch it again and again, but I know it is not actually a good movie.
But little did I know just how bad my taste was. My sister, Emily, found a list of the 100 worst movies on IMDB. Being all kinds of fun, she declared a family contest to see who had the worst taste in movies. You got one point for every bad movie you had seen, and an extra point for any movie that you owned. I have seen a lot of bad movies (The [Girl] in the Iron Mask springs to mind), so I was excited. Unfortunately, I had only seen three of them (From Justin to Kelly, Spiceworld, and Teen Wolf Too), and I owned only one (Spice World, of course!). Fortunately, this was enough to win the competition.
My sister had promised a prize, and even alerted me of it's impending arrival. Even so, when I received a padded envelope in the mail with no return address and my name and address printed on a piece of paper, cut out, and taped to the envelope, I thought it was slightly creepy. When I opened it to find a DVD of a yucky looking movie I had never heard of, and no note or receipt or anything, I got even more creeped out. I know it's melodramatic, but friends, the idea that this was some sort of threat to my life actually crossed my mind. It was the only thing I could think of.
It took me over 24 hours to realize that rather that a dire warning, this movie was my prize. Oddly, it was both a relief and disappointment.

Shake Shack Summer

Say that three times fast!
A couple of weeks ago Erin and I went to the Shake Shack. We went at the end of last summer, and I was completely enamored of it. The last time the special shake of the day was blackberry, and I was hoping that somehow, it would be that flavor when we went again. It wasn't, so I had to be content with a chocolate shake (wasn't too hard). We also got Shack Burgers (cheeseburgers with their special sauce, something involving both mustard and mayo-yum) this time, and we were not disappointed. It's a good time.

Did you know...

Susan Cooper has a new book out? Let's read it.

Variety article

New Line goes for the gold

After socko 'Rings,' studio chases another Brit fantasy trilogy

By DAVE MCNARY


Three years after "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" grossed more than $1.1 billion for New Line Cinema, the iconoclastic mini-major is embarking on another high-stakes -- and high-brow -- fantasy, with Phillip Pullman's "The Golden Compass."
At $150 million, it's New Line's biggest bet since spending $300 million on the phenomenally successful "Rings" trilogy. Chris Weitz starts a five-month shoot at Shepperton Studios in London on Sept. 4.

New Line's already staked out Nov. 16, 2007, as a release date and plans to shoot the second and third stories in Pullman's trilogy "His Dark Materials" -- that is, if all goes well with the first.

New Line has committed publicly to "The Golden Compass" only. But even with a single pic, it faces a potentially daunting array of challenges:


The pic's fantastic creatures and dual universes will require over 800 CGI shots. Rhythm and Hues, CFC London and Cinesite London have signed on.

The story's centered on a single character -- an adolescent girl, portrayed by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards -- rather than a group of characters as in the "Rings" trilogy or the Harry Potter pics.

Even though Pullman's trilogy has sold 12 million copies in a decade and spawned a successful London stage version and a fervent fan base, it doesn't carry the same kind of worldwide branding clout as "The Lord of the Rings" or Harry Potter.

There is a decidedly anti-authority tone to the stories. (Because of Pullman's atheist beliefs, some have interpreted this as anti-organized religion, but for him, it's a metaphor for any controlling organization.)
"The Golden Compass," published in the U.K. as "Northern Lights" in 1995, centers on the eternal saga of good vs. evil via a young girl named Lyra Belaqua.

It's a world where cars and telephones don't exist and where Lyra battles a totalitarian regime, known as The Magisterium, like the Empire in "Star Wars." Story lives up to its "dark" billing with an alternate universe of armored bears, witch queens and shape-shifting "daemons," or animal manifestations of inner selves.

Brit helmer Anand Tucker left this spring after replacing Weitz, who was the original director. Weitz, who also penned the script, had stepped down in late 2004, due to the daunting technical challenges, but now insists he's up to the task.

"I think Chris was willing to come back just because we were so much further along -- knowing the budget, when we're shooting, where we're shooting," notes New Line production president Toby Emmerich. "It's a lot easier for directors when that's already been decided."

Emmerich says he's encouraged by Disney's blow-out success with "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." But he admits that New Line, which hardly ever goes over $40 million on a budget, hasn't yet committed to filming the other books in the trilogy, "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass."

The "Dark Materials" trilogy is aimed at preteens and teens, though the books -- inspired by John Milton's "Paradise Lost" -- have a far bleaker view of the world than that contained in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series or C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" books.

Pullman's tales have also shown significant traction among adults. "Amber Spyglass" won the U.K.'s 2001 Whitbred Prize for best children's book, then became the first children's book to win the Whitbred Book of the Year award.

"That award is very much to the point," notes producer Deborah Forte. "When I optioned the book 10 years ago, it wasn't because it was a children's book; it was because it's great literature that will stand the test of time."

Nicole Kidman has been rumored as a possibility for the part of the evil Mrs. Coulter, but none of the adult parts has been nailed down, and Forte says they will be tapped over the next few weeks.

She's not worried about a religious backlash or that New Line hasn't firmed plans for the second and third films, adding, "As long as we can live up to the source material, we'll be fine."

Forte is producing with line producer Bill Carraro, whose credits include "Frequency," "Blair Witch 2" and "The Best Man." New Line has assigned exec VP Mark Ordesky, who was the go-between exec on the "Rings" trilogy, and senior VP Ileen Maisel to oversee.

Emmerich admits "The Golden Compass" is a big bet for the mini-major.

"It's very ambitious for us from a budgetary point of view -- a massive undertaking with incredibly complicated special effects," he says. "But we feel that New Line has a unique asset in what we've shown with the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy: that we have the capability to produce and market a film like this and carry it to the finish line."

Even some successful franchise starters don't spawn offspring. Despite a $208 million worldwide gross for "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," no sequel is planned.

On the other hand, the siren call of franchises is impossible to resist, particularly since New Line's gamble on "The Lord of the Rings" paid off by grossing nearly $3 billion.

"Before the trilogy, we didn't really have a capability for a tentpole film," Emmerich admits. "We had 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' 'Seven,' 'Nightmare on Elm Street,' 'The Mask' and 'Dumb and Dumber,' but we didn't have a worldwide day-and-date event film."

Pirates & Cream Puffs

Last night I had the pleasure of two treats; Erin and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and I checked out Beard Papa on Emily's recommendation. Emily read about Beard Papa in a magazine, and suggested we try it out. I was of course willing (as I always am as far as trying desserts is concerned), but I wasn't going to get too excited. It seems that almost food place in Manhattan has been written up somewhere as being fantastic, so I was definitely holding my judgment until I taste-tested for myself. I walked up to the movie theater by way of Beard Papa and picked up six cream puffs to go. They always have regular custard, and one specialty flavor. The special flavor didn't look good to me (can't even remember now what it was), so I just got regulars. It was fun watching the lady fill them up (they have a huge bin of the pastries, and when you order them, they fill them with custard and top them with powdered sugar), and they come in a cute box. Once Erin and I had our seats at the movie, we tried them, and let me assure you, they are noteworthy. The pastry is just a little crunchy, and the filling is just the right sweetness. Be sure to put this on the list of places to check out next time you're in town.



As for Pirates, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. That being said, I hate the title, it was too long, too confusing (this is coming from someone who regularly figures out supposedly sophisticated plot twists - why am I getting mixed up during a family film?), and Kiera was terrible. I might just have to see it again. Kudos to Johnny on mastering comedic running.

toast

The other night I was thinking about how much I wanted some toast, and then I started thinking that really, there's never a time, day or night, when I wouldn't like to have some toast. I love it. I have a particular weakness for cinnamon sugar toast, but I also greatly enjoy toast and jam (seedless raspberry is the best!). Isn't there a Francis book where she'll only eat toast and jam? (Just looked. It's bread and jam, which is almost, but not quite as good as toast and jam)
Yes, I'm fairly sure I could happily eat toast for breakfast lunch and dinner for quite some time. It's just that good.

Why I have to watch Big Brother

I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy reality television. I have always felt, however, that Big Brother is beneath me. That is until last summer. Do you know how they got me? The Summer of Secrets.
I love secrets of any kind. Last season featured secret rooms and riddles and puzzles; how could I resist? And then, of course, I got attached to some of the players. I thought it was all going to end last summer, but now, they've got me again. This summer they brought back my favorites (Janelle and Kaysar), so I'm stuck again. There's really nothing I can do about it. My hands are tied. If you want me, I'll be watching Big Brother three times a week.

Lincoln Center sculpture

See, this sculpture is way cooler than that picture I found online makes it look.

Exciting announcement

Alright, this probably won't be overly exciting to you, nor is it immediate. But I'm excited about it, so on my blog it goes. I'm going to do another weight-loss program/infomercial with JB in September. Here's the ad their running in the Village Voice for participants. I don't really know all of the details yet, but I figure it can't be bad for me. Still, you might not want to get too close to me this fall, I do tend to be a little irritable when I'm eating little and exercising a lot. Ah the price we pay for beauty and fame.
(what? You don't think being in a scene of an infomercial in the middle of the night constitutes fame?)
For any of you that missed my first brush with fame and a smaller size of jeans, check out Urban Rebounding. Seriously, come to my house and try it if you want, I'm a proud owner of the urban rebounder as well as the complete library of workout videos. If I used it more often, I'd be looking a whole lot better; but then again, I wouldn't be eligible for JB's latest venture, and who'd want to miss that?

Richard Greenberg does it again

I start by admitting that I have not seen Take Me Out, and I believe my friends that it was a wonderful play. However, I have now seen three Greenberg plays, and I have not liked any of them. Well, that's a bit harsh, there were parts of two of them (Naked Girl on the Appian Way & House...)that I liked, but overall none of them were very good, and one was a super stinker (The Violet Hour).
So, I used my beloved Lincoln Center Theater student subscription to see The House in Town in the Mitzi E. Newhouse (LCT's off-Broadway theatre), and I was looking forward to it. I had a great seat, it was a period piece (as you know, I have a predilection for them), and on of my favorite actresses, Becky Ann Baker, is in the ensemble.
The play is about a well-to-do couple in 1929. He's a Jewish store owner, and she's a protestant mild mannered, dutiful wife who's one sorrow is never having been able to have children. In most scenes they are interacting with their best friends, also a couple made up of a doctor and his socialite wife (that's Becky!!). The last character is a young man whose mother worked at their store, but has now died, so he's working there to support himself. (and here's a spoiler, but it's so obvious that I don't even feel like I'm giving anything away, this boy is the store owner's illegitimate son from an affair). I can't bring myself to go into any more details - the plotline rambles around with false leads thrown into almost every scene; it makes me tired just thinking about it. What annoyed me most, however, is that it had the potential to be a good play, it just wasn't. And of course, the big, dark secrets that come out at the end were obvious from the beginning. And my biggest problem of all was the lead, Jessica Hecht. She's just the kind of actress that I want to like (quirky, seems smart, charactery), but I just don't ever like her. I've seen her on TV, in movies, and a couple of plays, and I have never once liked her performance. And that's all there is to it.
Still, the set was beautiful, and I always, but always, enjoy my Becky Ann Baker.

If my wedding reception was catered by Chick-fil-A and featured a soft drink bar, would you come? What would you say about it behind my back? Oh yeah, and my wedding cake is going to be chocolate with chocolate icing (brown, not that monstrosity known as white chocolate).
Just wondering...

The Scottish Play

A couple of weeks ago, I was thrilled when my friend Ericka called to tell me she had an extra ticket to Shakespeare in the Park. Tickets are free, but you have to invest several hours in line to get them, something I can't do during the week. I read Macbeth in high school, and have never seen it, so I was very happy to let Liev Schreiber and Jennifer Ehle act it out for me.
Overall, I enjoyed the production very much. It had been edited, so it felt very fast moving. I thought both Jennifer and Liev did a very nice job. Two of the fight sequences were remarkably beautiful.
That being said, here are a few problems I had. The Public's theme for this years Shakespeare in the Park is war. I feel that there are many Shakespeare scripts to choose from that would work nicely. Macbeth isn't one of them. Yes, there is war in this play, but I feel the main themes of Macbeth are on a much more personal level (ambition, greed, destiny, consequences, etc.) It seemed unnatural to try to make it be about war. For instance, the three witches were dressed as soldiers-it didn't work for me. Also, the play was set in the 1930's and the only reason I can see for that decision is because the costume designer liked it. If you are going to make the choice to set Shakespeare in a different time period, you have to back it up. It needs to be somehow tie into and enhance the themes, characters, and language, and if it doesn't, you can't do it. It's that simple. Lastly, I shocked myself by thinking that maybe Macbeth just isn't one of Shakespeare's better plays. I would have to double check with the script, but it seems to me that we jump from a scene wherein Macbeth's virtues are universally acknowledged, and we see him acquiring even more wealth and prestige, to a scene where he and his wife decide pretty easily to kill the king. What? If Macbeth is as great as we're supposed to think he is, and for the consequences of his actions to be so devastating as they ultimately are to both him and his wife, don't we deserve more agony over such a decision? I really wanted to see Macbeth being eaten away with the desire to become king until he can't stand it, and finally decides to do it. I know we haven't got all night since the emphasis of the play is on the aftermath of this action, but would one more scene really hurt? I was also surprised on how small Lady Macbeth's part is. I of course knew her two famous speeches, but I figured she had a lot more to do than that. Really she had maybe three other scenes with Macbeth, and that was it.
Anyhoo, it was a very fun NY experience to just be at the Delecorte Theatre on a lovely summer night (this was my second time), and I highly recommend the experience to anyone. In August they'll be playing Mother Courage which is Brecht who's not my favorite, and is starring Meryl Streep so it'll be crazy to get in, but I'm still going to try, and you should too.

A good, old-fashioned quilting bee!

My mom has this quilt that she must have made sometime around my birth, because I don't ever remember a time that we didn't have it. It's very big, and it's got kitchy flowers all over it. We took it on every picnic and outing. Right now it lives in the back of my mom's car so that it's always there when you unexpectedly want it. I decided that I really needed my own blanket like this. Surely the only reason I don't spend more time in the park is because I'm lacking the blanket, right? So when Erin suggested we go to Rochester for the Independence Day weekend, I thought I would try to convince everyone that it would be really fun to help me tie my own, all outing quilt. It was surprisingly easy to do (the convincing, not the making which turned out to be much more intricate than expected).Mom told me she made her blanket out of sheets which she thought aided in it's long life, so I ordered a red gingham sheet set from JC Penny, and had it sent to Mom. I was planning to just do gingham on the top, and plain red on the bottom; very simple. When I got home I bought the red material with Mom, and she also had bought some really cute cherry material for the binding. Well, in our fervor to get started (actually, it was Sunday night before we really got started), Mom and I both cut the red fabric to match the sheet size, and between the two of us, we managed somehow to cut it to neither the right length or width. Thus, we ended up making (read Mom made) the patchwork top, cutting up the red fabric, the fitted gingham sheet, and the cherries, and we used the flat gingham sheet as the bottom.As you can see, it turned out really cute thanks to Mom's expertise and speedy serging, Erin's cutting, and my impressive ironing skills. Emily, Erin, and Lily helped me tie the quilt with green ties using the "pioneer knots" that Charlene Campbell taught us (she also let us use her quilting frame for which I'm very grateful), and it only took us a few hours. We were a little disappointed, in fact, over how quickly we finished. After The Hill Cumorah Pageant finishes (my mom works in the costume shop), my mother will finish it off for me with the cherry binding, and I can begin attracting attention in the parks of NY with my beautiful blanket.

Berries & Cream Dr. Pepper

I've become completely enamored with Dr. Pepper this summer. I drink one almost every day, alternating between Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. Amy warned me never to try Berries and Cream Dr. Pepper, and I really didn't intend to (I was worried about the cream aspect. I can't abide cream soda), but while at my parent's house this weekend, I couldn't help but notice that they have some. A chance to try it for free? I had no choice. Luckily, Emily documented the event for me, so that I can share it with all of you.

Maybe it's okay...Nevermind, I don't like it.

Roadtrip

I was planning on visiting my parents over the holiday weekend via the train, but the tracks were flooded and it was cancelled, so I figured I had to stay home. Luckily, my sister, Emily, came to my rescue, and picked Erin and I up and we drove to Rochester. It was a great weekend, and there will be more on that later, but first, just look what
we saw on our way upstate! It was an amazing sight:
In case you can't quite make it out, in the back of the truckbed are the legs standing up, and laying in front of those are the torso of a giant robot holding a gun. Who knew they were filming the Transformer movie in NY?

Look what's new

This has appeared in Lincoln Center. You may not be able to tell from this little picture (I'll have to borrow Erin's camera and take some more), but it's lots of boats held together by wires. It's actually quite nice to look at, but I fear having a boat drop on my head every time I walk by.

Golden Compass News

Lyra has been cast. Her name is Dakota (creepy, no?) and she's never acted before. She'd better be good. Here's a look at Iorek's armor, and a possible movie poster: