separated at birth!?

i mentioned it before, but here's the proof :)

sugar plum fairy, sugar plum fairy

i have to admit that i watched every american idol up until last year. i vaguely remember that ryan seacrist had a co-douche for the first season-- i don't know why he was kicked to the curb...even though i don't remember his name, he wasn't as chalk-board screechingly annoying as ryan. seriously, that bit of his in knocked up--you know his ass acts like that fo' real. i have no reason for my sudden disinterest in the show. i never really watched the seasons i did watch until after the 'hollywood rounds'. i guess i'm just bored with the concept. and the fact that although america is blessed with millions of people, the ones that actually have talent are not featured on american idol.

i tried to watch the whole narrowing down to the top 12 part these past few weeks. tried is the key word. when i heard they were going to sing beatles songs this week, i was horrified. so rather than listen to the butchering of yesterday, blackbird and let it be (one can safely assume that one of these beatles standards will be covered--by the way, who actually owns the beatles catalog now? i heard that apple finally came to an agreement with paul to sell beatles songs on iTunes--seriously, who doesn't already own all the fucking beatles songs? i don't understand it. the beatles should already be in your catolog of music. you shouldn't be downloading just 'hey jude' or 'strawberry fields forever'. screw iTunes and go buy the entire damn album. the album artwork is worth the price--and he stands to gain $400 million (hear that, heather?). i thought michael jackson was the one shilling the rights to these songs for crap advertisements/covers all these years. then i saw on some random blog that paul was the only beatle to not sell after the break-up, thus the reason he is mr. moneybags...i don't know. i'm nosey. shut up), i watched the excellent no country for old men.

i think javier bardem is my favorite actor now. he tops kevin spacey. i love kevin and all, i mean i have a framed autographed picture of him staring at me from my top shelf (i barely remember what was written in my fan letter to him to get this picture, but i know it was probably gushy and embarrassing), but i haven't seen any really blow-me-away movies from him in a long time.

anton cigurgh scares the be-jesus out of me, but i have something in common with him. if i don't take a hot iron to my wet locks in the morning, my hair resembles his dorothy hamill 'do. now that is scary.

you learn to cry by smiling, you know?

i recently re-joined netflix, which has once again opened the doors to a plethora of independent and foreign movies for my 'discerning' viewing pleasure (haha....right. i own point break, blue crush and center stage and watch them...often). the first movie i put on my list, the sea inside, is a film i've been wanting to watch since it came out...ok, since it was oscar nominated and i saw clips of it here and there. in the foggy depths of my underused brain, i barely remembered that javier bardem is the star (go watch before night falls if you haven't already. and unless you have been living in seclusion with the amish a la john book, you should know javier from no country for old men). it made me wonder why he didn't win the oscar for this!

anyway.

the sea inside is a true story of assisted suicide. i know, it sounds bleak and depressing, right? this is why i put off watching it for so long. but it was amazing. it was beautiful; i was surprised by it. i haven't been blown away by a movie in a very long time. i can't tell you what i felt other than joy and inspiration. i was crying one moment and laughing the next (i know i sound cheesy). what is it about foreign movies--particularily mexican and spanish (should i just say hispanic? idk. ah! did i just use a chat anagram?! shiver. 'i don't know.' there) movies--that they have the ability to come across as a moving poem? not only the gorgeous cinematography, but the language is so beautiful i wish i could understand it without subtitles...

**seriously, how did eli stone get green-lighted? my god. johnny lee miller what the fuck are you doing? ugh...distracted by stupidity.**

anyway.

i've lost my train of thought. but i have been gushing about this movie to a lot of people, and i only watched it four hours ago. i'm already wanting to own it. that is why i want to marry netflix. it allows you to experience such touching movies as the sea inside which you would normally not rent and, hey, if you want to add the complete voltron series for sheer childhood nostalgic value to your queue, well you can do that as well.

where is my beige iridescent lipstick?

while perusing the internet for celebrity gossip, i found out patrick swayze has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (not the most respectable way to find out when all you're looking for is another link to javier bardem's nudie stills...yes. i said 'another'). anyway, i remember when dirty dancing came out and everyone went crazy for it...my best friend at the time was even reenacting the crawling across the floor scene for her talent show (we went to different schools if you were wondering why i said "her" talent show instead of "our" talent show. how she managed to do something this sexual for a public school in the 7th grade is beyond me).

i never got to see dirty dancing at the theaters, so i didn't know the glory i was missing. i just knew that summer suddenly perms, cut-off denim shorts and keds were in style. years after it was released, after the perms were grown out and the cut-off denims and keds were donated to the DAV, i finally got to watch it on VHS. i adored it. i am supposed to adore that movie...being of the female persuasion...right (contrary to popular belief, i AM a woman. i am not elton john or gary oldman or fucking phillip seymour hoffman, who are, unfortunately, my wonderful myheritage.com look-a-likes. i like these guys and all, but i don't really want to be told i look like them)?!?! i'm not trying to be sexist or whatever, but i honestly don't think i know a female that hasn't enjoyed this movie.

i even went to college a few miles from where the actual resort is located. i don't know what it is about dirty dancing, but it brings out the squishy girly hearts and puppies side of me. it's not like i actually really like any of the actors and i don't even know who directed it, which is what usually attracts me to a movie (thus my juliette binoche, alfonso cuaron, quentin tarantino, pedro "i always spell his last name wrong" almodovar, diego luna/gael garcia bernal, LOTR, kate winslet collections). and nothing really annoys me--not even the sister singing "hula hana of kamana whala hula bay"--about it.

it. is. just. perfect.

so i am writing this to support patrick swayze. i am by no means the biggest fan of his, but one of his movies has made me smile on my darkest days.

as for those of you who have never given its sister movie, havana nights, a chance, i suggest you do so immediately.

i've got a brand new pair of roller skates...

i found a brand new columbia 3-in-1 coat at the thrift store last weekend (i say "the" thrift store as if it's the only one in this damn city). i was so excited. it was $6 and red, red, red! almost the exact one that i wanted from bass pro shops (ugh, thank god i don't have to venture into that store again. never have i felt so out of place. well...except for that time i went to a "goth" party. and all the frat parties i stumbled upon at RU. and the WoW parties i attended--hell, i felt out of place with gamers. you can tell how confident i am--i guess i always feel out of place so i suppose i should have felt right at home with the manly men in the sporting goods store) only it's lacking a hood.

i'm just living to be lying by your side

i took gambit to get his rabies shot the other day. only $18 for a three year vaccination! however, the vet said he has gingivitis and he'll have to have dental surgery before 2009. now, i haven't been to the dentist in years (i am deathly afraid of having teefs pulled. i know that's a little back-asswards since not going to the dentist would most likely result in the teef pulling festivities, but that's my excuse so mmleah), but i have already made the appointment for bit-bit. funny how i will spend exorbitant amounts of money on my cat for health issues but balk at a $20 copay for a personal prescription.

anyway.

i was thinking of re-reading the dark tower books. gotta love some roland and oy. but i need to catch up on my non-DK stephen king novels. i've read quite a few (like IT, a book i will NEVER, ever read again because it scared me so fucking bad. if you can get past that first 100 page hurdle of IT, you will be hooked. people are always telling me how they watched the tv movie, and i'm like, uhhhm, read the book, 'cause the scariest thing about the movie was the fact that dr. frankenfurter played pennywise the clown) but looking at my dad's bookshelf, i noticed i am woefully far behind.

i need to pick up a copy of the stand (which is a dark tower book i haven't read...shut up. i know) because my copy is missing the first 5 chapters. i started to read the shining the other day (someone asked me, "haven't you seen the movie?" and i was all like "have you?" i mean what does this have to do with me reading the book? besides, i'm sorry, but that shit was lame. and yes, i am talking about the stanley kubrick-jack nicholson version. maybe i need to rewatch the shining as well. let me put that on my netflix list). anyway, i had to put the book down, otherwise i'd have the lights on every night. salem's lot did that to me. random taps at my windows will never sound the same again.

off the top of my head list of SK books i've read:

salem's lot
the shining
different seasons
thinner
the dark tower series (of course)
skeleton crew
it
cujo
bag of bones
the eyes of the dragon
misery
(parts of) four past midnight
nightmares and dreamscapes
the green mile
hearts in atlantis
night shift
insomnia
dreamcatcher
everything's eventual

see? i need to catch up. 'cause he has a hell of a lot more books out there.

sigh

living is easy with eyes closed...