Now That's Entertainment, 2008 Edition

It’s time for the blog’s annual roundup of my favorite entertainment offerings of the year, with a few regrettable experiences thrown in for fun. I always have a hard time narrowing such subjective lists down to just one, so I’m offering up a few of my most memorable and enjoyable items in each category. I’d love to hear your favorites – and least favorites – too!

***General Spoiler Alert***

Movies

…Sean Penn’s performance and the overall message of Milk

...The "where are they now" updates and continued romantic adventures of our 4 favorite ladies in Sex and the City. This could've been all wrong, an unnecessary coda to a series (see my worst below) but instead really stayed true to the characters and kept their stories alive in ways that felt very authentic. But let's not talk about that bird on Carrie's head.

…The sweet romance and raunchy hilarity – and musical puppets! – of Jason Segel’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall

...The heartwarming, rat-a-tat snarkfest of Juno, even though it has forever tainted my view of the adorable Jason Bateman

…In Bruges, the first movie that finally made me *get* the appeal of Colin Farrell, plus it was just a damn hilarious gangster flick that both kept me guessing and laughing

...Similarly, the shockingly funny latest installment from the Coen Brothers, Burn After Reading, has given me the deliriously enjoyable images of Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand as gym twits and... well, the less said about George Clooney's invention, the better.

Worst: The horrible, almost embarrassing (for all involved) experience that was The X-Files: I Want to Believe. The bigger the expectations, the worse the pain of disappointment.

TV

…LOST’s Season 4, which came roaring back to greatness with the amazing storylines of the Oceanic 6, the mysterious ways of Benjamin Linus, the 4 Island newbies, Penny and Desmond’s epic romance, and – woosh! – the disappearance of the Island!!!!

…Mad Men, the show that has brought back both the glamour and the outrage of the Camelot era, with its highballs, formal dress for dinner, and race and gender politics, plus it’s introduced us to the delectable (and talented) leading man for our generation, Jon Hamm as Don Draper (not to mention Jon Hamm as Dick Whitman).

…my Netflix discovery of the great guilty pleasure series Supernatural, with its monster-of-the-week fun combined with an overarching mythology and 2 hot leads (Dean's my fave), it’s nicely taken its place as the X-Files Light that I’ve needed.

…The pure escapist fun of Chuck, a comedy with more 80’s references than a Gilmore Girls episode and more wacky spy stuff than any hour of Alias

…The Office, still firing on all cylinders with the heartbreakingly sweet Michael and Holly story and the solid PB&J romance, not to mention the awesomeness of Oscar and Andy becoming friends

…HBO’s brilliantly acted, written, directed, and produced miniseries John Adams, which should be required viewing for all history classes and acting schools

Music

I don't buy many albums these days, since I'm now more of a sampler on iTunes. But I did just buy one album that is immediately at the top of my list of favorites -- She & Him's Volume One. Everyone must get it now.

Most of my new music comes in the form of one-off downloads, usually either music I’ve heard in a movie or tv show, or something new by an artist I’ve always liked. My favorite downloads of the year:

…Backseat Nothing by The Del Fuegos (it was in an ep of Rescue Me)

…Sexed Up by the always awesome Robbie Williams

…Skinny Love by Bon Iver (from an ep of Chuck)

…Keeps Gettin’ Better by my favorite bombastic pop tart, Christina Aguilera

Books

…The smart, sassy, guilty pleasure fun of spending 8 books following the adventures, loves and losses of telepath Sookie Stackhouse and all of the very real creatures of the night in Bon Temps, Louisiana in Charlaine Harris’s “Southern Vampire” series (the basis for HBO’s True Blood)

…Neil Gaiman’s American Gods made for not only a great read, but also a great book club discussion. I particularly loved all of the different religions’ gods and symbols that he worked into the book, and it had me consulting my shelf of religion major textbooks from my college years.

…Finally reading the entire C. S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia saga, and both reliving the adventures I’d loved as a child and seeing the symbolism and the sometimes inspiring and the sometimes questionable race and class references with the eyes of an adult.

Worst: Egad, the mess that was Breaking Dawn. If you ever want to learn how to ruin a series, follow Stephenie Meyer’s wholesome teen vampire romance story. The first three books were enjoyable marshmallow fun, but that final book was so awful it turned me into a Twilight-hater.

Theater

…the exuberant insanity on display in Studio Theatre’s Grey Gardens, which led me to both buy the Broadway cast recording and watch the original 1970’s era documentary upon which it was based. A full-scale cultural experience.

…the colorful, musical, whimsical, accessible, and just damn fun production of Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautika at The Shakespeare Theatre.

…the intense masculine energy of Studio Theatre’s The Brothers Size, practically a black box production with three actors sharing raw, emotional performances.

Museums and Tours and Stuff

…the guided tour of the Washington National Cathedral, which thankfully (for me) focused more on art, architecture, and both local and national history than on capital-R Religion. It’s a great pick for a family visit.

…DC’s many walking tours offer a great, low-cost evening out with friends, and the Embassy Row Walking Tour is another great combination of architecture, local history, diplomatic history, and lifestyles of the DC rich and famous.

Web

…Kudos to Joss Whedon, Felicia Day, Nathan Fillion and the incomparable Neil Patrick Harris for winning the “What I Did While The Writers Were On Strike” contest, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. It’s a brand new day, indeed!

…This year, I gained a new addiction and reconnected with many old friends on the way. Oh, Facebook, what would I do without you? Read more????

Podcasts

…The smarty-snarky-pants trio of John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz provided me with the enhanced ability both to analyze the week’s news and laugh at it on Slate’s Political Gabfest

…The NPR folks at Planet Money are achieving the nearly impossible task of making the incredible economic stories of our age make sense.

…And, the three nerdy-fun academics at BackStory with the American History Guys, including the Prez of my alma mater, help provide a historical backdrop for the issues of our day, making us all feel better knowing that previous generations of Americans have struggled with and triumphed over the same things we’re going through now, and that history really can be more entertaining than fiction.

Sports

Yes, I have a sports category!

…watching my Richmond Spiders win the FCS National Championship by defeating the Montana Grizzlies 24-7!

…enjoying the great new sight lines, concession stands, scoreboard bells and whistles, and – oh yeah – a winning team (that day) at the new Nationals Stadium.

***So there you have it, my complete (exhaustive?) list of faves of 2008. What are yours???

Our Family Christmas Tradition

We're not really much of a "tradition" kind of family -- there's just the 4 of us, so our holidays are always pretty low-keyed and more about just spending time together.

BUT, there is one activity that my Mom started when we were really little, and even now that we're in our 30's (well, little bro will be in a few weeks) it's still something we look forward to at Christmastime: making fun Christmas-shaped sugar cookies!

It's super-easy... we start with a tube (we each get our own) of store-bought sugar cookie dough. Then, using a knife, we slice the dough and then use our hands to start making some very familiar Christmas shapes.

Here you see two snowmen, an angel with her wings, a Christmas tree, and a jolly little elf with a hat.

When making the cookies, it is best to try to get some uniform size of the dough so it cooks evenly. Snowmen, cuz they're rolled-up balls, are always the gooiest.... YUM.

Here are more snowmen, another angel (with a bigger head this time), and a sad-looking elf. The one shape I forgot to make was a candy cane, but you can picture how easy that is too. I like my cookies plain, my bro adds red and green sprinkles. You could ice them, too, but doesn't that just delay the tastiness???

Deelish!!! I don't know who enjoys this more, my bro & me for making them, or my DAD for eating them! This year, he grabbed one off of my bro's pan so fast he burned his hands, and we laughed reminding him that these cookies do come out at 350 degrees!

Good times. :-)

A Very Dark Knight

I finally had the chance, thanks to Netflix, to see the biggest movies of the year, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that this is the second installment in Nolan's "reimagined" telling of the Batman saga, starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Mr. Nolan has brought so much to this series. As somewhat of an auteur, and a director who seems to encourage everyone on his team in front of and behind the camera to bring their very best work to the fore, he's made something that barely even resembles the old 80's/90's series that had an ignoble end in Joel Schumacher's George Clooney-nipple suit extravaganza. (Everyone look away, there's nothing to see here.)

I agree with all the critics out there who've lavished praise on The Dark Knight - the script is smart and filled with not-so-subtle allegory about order vs. chaos, the production values are so strong that you seem to feel the darkness of Gotham, and the performances are of a universally high standard, including Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal (a nice change over Mrs. Cruise), and Aaron Eckhart.

But -- of course -- the biggest thing about this movie is that from start to finish, it is Heath Ledger's show. His final performance is so mesmerizing, so magnetically horrifying, that you can't look away... in fact, I often found myself rooting for his anarchist / nihilist Joker. Even after all the hype, and for just now seeing the movie it means I've had about a year's worth of hype built up, he truly amazed me in this role. Any posthumous nominations he received will be well-deserved, and the sad commemoration of a fantastic and interesting career that was just beginning.

Now, given all of these things, I give the movie a solid A.

But, the more I think about the movie, the more I keep coming back to a nagging question. By making The Joker, and to a lesser extent the very intriguing Harvey Dent, such a central character, does The Dark Knight leave any room for Batman himself? All of my favorite scenes featured either Ledger or Eckhart, and their characters seemed to get all the best lines. I didn't clock it, but it even seemed to me that Ledger and Eckhart combined had more screen time than Bale -- with the result that Batman came across as just a dark force in the background of these two colorful, very watchable villains. There didn't seem to be much character or story development for Bruce Wayne or his masked alter ego, and I *hated* Bale's low Batman growl. In the physics of this film, were the villains the "matter" and Batman - the "hero" - the "antimatter" ?

What did you all think? Was this a Batman movie that turned Batman into a supporting character? With the film's symbolism, does that say anything about villains being more complex and interesting? Or about the hero's struggle to find his own purpose? Interesting food for thought, Mr. Nolan!


Photo credit.

Can't Wait to Get Lost Again

Eeeeeeeee!

First Time for Everything

What in the world could possibly make me -- about as unaware of sports as one can be, and the absolute least sports-minded person of my entire family -- stay home and watch an entire football game on my own on a Friday night?

How about the chance to hear these words?

The Richmond Spiders are National Champions!!!

Yes, indeedy, my alma mater scored tonight -- several times, in fact. We defeated the Montana Grizzlies 24-7 in the FCS Championship Game in Chattanooga-ooga-ooga. The mighty Spiders (don't get caught in OUR web!) were led to victory by first-year head coach Mike London, an '83 Richmond grad himself with a pretty inspirational personal story.

This is the University of Richmond's first national championship, in any team sport, ever. The school was founded in 1830. That's a mighty long time, so we'll milk this one for a while. And I'm guessing this gives President Ed Ayers (co-host of one of my favorite geeky podcasts) an even better case for moving the football stadium out of downtown and actually onto our suburban campus.

So... even though I'm the lone non-sports fan of the family, looks like this year *I* will be the one at Christmas dinner with a little something to brag about... how did those Hoosiers do this year, anyway? ;-)

The Semi-Golden Globes

After last year's debacle of the Golden Globes "press conference" during the writers' strike, this year has to be better, right? We shall see.... here's my take on the nominations, for now.

HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2008 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS NOMINATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2008

Movies
1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
a. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
b. FROST/NIXON
c. THE READER
d. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
e. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Stefanie Says... I haven't seen ANY of these movies yet, but they must be pretty dang good to have all beaten out Milk, one of the best movies I've seen in years. These are all on my must-see list for the next few weeks, though, so hopefully soon I'll be able to judge. All of these do have fairly international casts, especally Slumdog Millionaire of course, so maybe that's part of the appeal to the Globes. Milk may have bee just too "American" a film for the HFPA. At this point, I have no idea which film will win best drama -- but it will be an interesting category to watch.

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
a. ANNE HATHAWAY – RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
b. ANGELINA JOLIE – CHANGELING
c. MERYL STREEP – DOUBT
d. KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME)
e. KATE WINSLET – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Stefanie Says...Again, I haven't seen any of these yet. Changeling didn't look all that appealing, and my guess is that Angelina has the worst odds on winning this one. I'd love to see the always-nominated Kate Winslet finally bring home the gold this year all season long, but I hope the fact that she's in two prestige pics doesn't work against her.

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
a. LEONARDO DICAPRIO – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
b. FRANK LANGELLA – FROST/NIXON
c. SEAN PENN – MILK
d. BRAD PITT – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
e. MICKEY ROURKE – THE WRESTLER
Stefanie Says...Sean Penn was he best she's ever seen him playing Harvey Milk, and that's saying a lot. There's a lot of buzz over Mickey Rourke in this "comeback" role, but I hope he'll just feel honored being nominated. As strong as all the other consistently good actors look in this category, this better be Penn's.

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. BURN AFTER READING
b. HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
c. IN BRUGES
d. MAMMA MIA!
e. VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Stefanie Says...I have seen two of these, and really enjoyed both Burn After Reading and In Bruges. My guess is that Woody Allen might win this one, since Vicky Cristina Barcelona racked up so many nominations and it also has an international cast and setting. I have it in my queue and really, really want to see it -- Javier Bardem is a hottie -- and I also have Meryl's ABBA extravaganza coming soon.

5.BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. REBECCA HALL – VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
b. SALLY HAWKINS – HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
c. FRANCES MCDORMAND – BURN AFTER READING
d. MERYL STREEP – MAMMA MIA!
e. EMMA THOMPSON – LAST CHANCE HARVEY
Stefanie Says...Frances was pretty hilarious as the dim bulb gym rat, and she seemed to embrace a role that was just filled with the neuroses of a middle-aged woman, not something many actresses would do. She gets my vote -- but I haven't seen any of the other performances yet, and I haven't even *heard* of Emma's movie!

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. JAVIER BARDEM – VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
b. COLIN FARRELL – IN BRUGES
c. JAMES FRANCO – PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
d. BRENDAN GLEESON – IN BRUGES
e. DUSTIN HOFFMAN – LAST CHANCE HARVEY
Stefanie Says...Good for Colin Farrell! This was the first role I've seen him in that really, really made me like him. Stick to comedy, Irish bad boy, and you'll age better than through the brooding dramatic action route. I've heard good things abut James Franco in this role, but I haven't seen Pineapple Express yet. He was great in Milk, and I've been a fan since the F&G days, so I wouldn't mind seeing him winning. Acually, I'd be fine with any of these actors winning, even though I *still* haven't heard of Hoffman's movie....

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
a. BOLT
b. KUNG FU PANDA
c. WALL-E
Stefanie Says... The latter two are both on very long wait status on Netflix, harrumph. But based on all the buzz, this seems like Wall-E's year.

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
a. THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX (GERMANY)(DER BAADER MEINHOF KOMPLEX)
b. EVERLASTING MOMENTS (SWEDEN/DENMARK)(MARIA LARSSONS EVIGA ÖGONBLICK)
c. GOMORRAH (ITALY)
d. I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (FRANCE)(IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME)
e. WALTZ WITH BASHIR (ISRAEL)
Stefanie Says...Since Kristin Scott Thomas is getting raves for the French movie, that will be my guess.

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
a. AMY ADAMS – DOUBT
b. PENELOPE CRUZ – VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
c. VIOLA DAVIS –DOUBT
d. MARISA TOMEI – THE WRESTLER
e. KATE WINSLET – THE READER
Stefanie Says...This seems like a tough category, with several familiar names from the last few years and Meryl Jr. (I love Kate!), but based on all the rave reviews I'll pick Viola Davis. The HFPA does like to award newer faces, so she may end up getting Doubt's gold for the night.

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
a. TOM CRUISE – TROPIC THUNDER
b. ROBERT DOWNEY JR. –TROPIC THUNDER
c. RALPH FIENNES – THE DUCHESS
d. PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – DOUBT
e. HEATH LEDGER – THE DARK KNIGHT
Stefanie Says...There's no question here, it will be a posthumous award for Heath Ledger. The Dark Knight is hopefully coming soon in the queue so I'll finally see this acclaimed performance. Hoffman and Fiennes are always reliably good, and Tropic Thunder has had such mixed reviews I'm surprised to even see it here. But sadly, this is the last chance to honor someone who had been an emerging star, so it will be Ledger's name called in January.

11. BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
a. DANNY BOYLE – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
b. STEPHEN DALDRY – THE READER
c. DAVID FINCHER – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
d. RON HOWARD – FROST/NIXON
e. SAM MENDES – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Stefanie Says...I'm still bummed that Milk was ignored in all of these big categories, because both the direction and the screenplay wer fantastic. But, bygones... so again in considering the big prestige pics I haven't yet seen, I'm going to guess that the HFPA wil honor one of the foreign directors with a more international cast, so Danny Boyle is my pick.

12. BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
a. SIMON BEAUFOY – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
b. DAVID HARE – THE READER
c. PETER MORGAN – FROST/NIXON
d. ERIC ROTH – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
e. JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY – DOUBT
Stefanie Says...I haven't heard much about these screenplays yet -- but two are adaptatins from stage plays, at least one (Hare's) is an adaptation of a novel. So when Oscar time comes these likely will be split into different categories. I'm guessing it will fall either to Slumdog Millionaire or The Reader.

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
a. ALEXANDRE DESPLAT –THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
b. CLINT EASTWOOD – CHANGELING
c. JAMES NEWTON HOWARD – DEFIANCE
d. A. R. RAHMAN – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
e. HANS ZIMMER – FROST/NIXON
Stefanie Says...Oh, who knows? The trailers for Benjamin Button sound good, I'll pick that.

14. BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
a. “DOWN TO EARTH” — WALL-E Music by: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman Lyrics by: Peter Gabriel
b. “GRAN TORINO” — GRAN TORINO Music by: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens Lyrics by: Jamie Cullum
c. “I THOUGHT I LOST YOU” — BOLT Music & Lyrics by: Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Steele
d. “ONCE IN A LIFETIME” — CADILLAC RECORDS Music & Lyrics by: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street
e. “THE WRESTLER” — THE WRESTLER Music & Lyrics by: Bruce Springsteen
Stefanie Says...Please God, not Miley Cyrus. And did we really need a new, original Beyonce song in a film about Etta James and other legends? I'm going to vote for the Boss here, but wouldn't be surprised if Peter Gabriel gets the Globe.

Television
15. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
b. HOUSE (FOX)
c. IN TREATMENT (HBO)
d. MAD MEN (AMC)
e. TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
Stefanie Says...Due to the timing of the Globes, it often feels like a lesser rerun of the Emmys - whereas it's more of a preview of the Oscars. Their TV picks are usually a little more unpredictable though, as evidenced here with the freshman hit True Blood. Now, you all know I love vampires, but I don't have HBO so I can't judge the show or In Treatment yet. I'm a season behind on Dexter and growing bored. House is reliable but often just good enough to be background. And so, not just by process of elimination... I say any category that doesn't include LOST has to go to Mad Men. It's one of my favorite discoveries of the past year.

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. SALLY FIELD – BROTHERS AND SISTERS
b. MARISKA HARGITAY –LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
c. JANUARY JONES – MAD MEN
d. ANNA PAQUIN – TRUE BLOOD
e. KYRA SEDGWICK – THE CLOSER
Stefanie Says...I only watch one of these 5 shows with any regularity. While January Jones is not the best actress in the cast -- why is Elisabeth Moss missing here, when Peggy really came into her own as the next Don Draper this season?? And where's the luminous Christina Hendricks? -- but again, I'm happy for Mad Men to take home any and all awards.

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. GABRIEL BYRNE – IN TREATMENT
b. MICHAEL C. HALL – DEXTER
c. JON HAMM – MAD MEN
d. HUGH LAURIE – HOUSE
e. JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS – THE TUDORS
Stefanie Says...Jon Hamm, over and done. He played both Don Draper AND Dick Whitman with a nuance, an intelligence, and a grace rarely seen on the small or large screen these days. He's like old Hollywood come back to life.

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. 30 ROCK (NBC)
b. CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
c. ENTOURAGE (HBO)
d. THE OFFICE (NBC)
e. WEEDS (SHOWTIME)
Stefanie Says...I do watch 4 of these shows, though I'm a season behind on each of the cable series. So in the neck-and-neck battle of the Thursday night NBC offerings, I am solidly in the "The Office is better" camp.

19.BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. CHRISTINA APPLEGATE – SAMANTHA WHO?
b. AMERICA FERRERA – UGLY BETTY
c. TINA FEY – 30 ROCK
d. DEBRA MESSING – THE STARTER WIFE
e. MARY-LOUISE PARKER – WEEDS
Stefanie Says...It's the Year of Fey.

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. ALEC BALDWIN – 30 ROCK
b. STEVE CARELL – THE OFFICE
c. KEVIN CONNOLLY – ENTOURAGE
d. DAVID DUCHOVNY – CALIFORNICATION
e. TONY SHALHOUB – MONK
Stefanie Says...This is a tough one, since Alec Baldwin and Steve Carell are both just brilliant comedic actors. I think Carell is able to work just a little bit more depth into Michael Scott, just a smidge, so he gets my vote.

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. A RAISIN IN THE SUN (ABC)
b. BERNARD AND DORIS (HBO)
c. CRANFORD (PBS)
d. JOHN ADAMS (HBO)
e. RECOUNT (HBO)
Stefanie Says... Both Recount and John Adams were great, but they're like apples and oranges. Adams was by far the more intricate, layered accomplishment, and this trophy will be added to Tom Hanks's shelf.

22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. JUDI DENCH – CRANFORD
b. CATHERINE KEENER – AN AMERICAN CRIME
c. LAURA LINNEY – JOHN ADAMS
d. SHIRLEY MACLAINE – COCO CHANEL
e. SUSAN SARANDON – BERNARD AND DORIS
Stefanie Says... I hope Laura Linney wears red. She looks good in red, especially when accepting awards.

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. RALPH FIENNES – BERNARD AND DORIS
b. PAUL GIAMATTI – JOHN ADAMS
c. KEVIN SPACEY – RECOUNT
d. KIEFER SUTHERLAND – 24: REDEMPTION
e. TOM WILKINSON – RECOUNT
Stefanie Says...Now that the election's over, I wonder what Paul Giamatti will say in his speech?

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. EILEEN ATKINS – CRANFORD
b. LAURA DERN – RECOUNT
c. MELISSA GEORGE – IN TREATMENT
d. RACHEL GRIFFITHS – BROTHERS AND SISTERS
e. DIANNE WIEST – IN TREATMENT
Stefanie Says...She's only seen one of these performances, and Laura Dern was uncannily good - and scary - as Katherine Harris. Give her the gold!

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS – HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
b. DENIS LEARY – RECOUNT
c. JEREMY PIVEN – ENTOURAGE
d. BLAIR UNDERWOOD – IN TREATMENT
e. TOM WILKINSON – JOHN ADAMS
Stefanie Says... This is a tough category, but NPH rules the world. If he doesn't win, he might just pull out his Freeze Ray on us.

-----------------
In other news --- I am NOT psyched about Hugh Jackman hosting the Oscars. Why not Jon Stewart? Did Jon turn it down? I'm refusing to call Jackman the sexiest man alive, too. Not as long as Jon Hamm is on the planet.

Prop 8, the Musical!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Best cast of the year! I especially love the big NPH finish. :-)

Milk

Seeing the movie Milk, one of this fall's most anticipated films for so many reasons, is a bittersweet experience.

The movie is fantastic, a biopic telling the inspiring but tragic life story of San Francisco activist and gay rights icon Harvey Milk, who became the nation's first openly gay elected official when he was elected to the city's Board of Supervisors in 1977. The film tracks his life from 1970 until he was killed by a fellow supervisor 8 years later, the script tells the story of one man's political awakening as it parallels the emergence of an activist movement. The acting is top-notch, as expected from the incredible Sean Penn as well as from strong supporting actors Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and James Franco. (Plus Victor Garber in a small but crucial role. Hello, Jack Bristow!) Gus Van Sant directed the film, and it's shot in such a way that they can incorporate real footage from the 1970's of the characters and events in San Francisco so that it feels like a natural way to tell the story. Let the Oscar race begin.... My grade for the movie: A.

I hope this movie does bring home a truckload of awards, and I hope it does really well at the box office in cities and towns across the nation. But more importantly, I hope it becomes a touchstone in the ongoing and necessary dialogue about gay rights -- and about all civil rights -- in this country.

I can't remember ever seeing a work of pop culture appear at a moment in time when it is so newly relevant. Watching the film, it seemed the entire audience - myself included - was crying at pivotal moments, shedding tears for the tragic life of Harvey Milk, yes, but I think even more so at the fact that so much of the story could be, IS, taking place right here, and right now. These emotions are still so raw. There are scenes from 1978 that could have been shot 3 weeks ago. Watching those scenes is surreal, and very sad. We are now at just over 30 years to the day that Harvey's journey ended, but it's really hard to judge if we've made it any further. I hope that we have, and that the film's message of hope and perseverance takes hold so that progress can continue to march on.

(Photo from the official movie site.)

Obsession Update

It's been a while since I've talked about one of my favorite obsessions, but it's one at the very forefront of pop culture these days it seems. For whatever reason, as long as I can remember I have just loved stories about vampires. Ah, those creepy-but-sexy, spiritually-challenged, powerful metaphors, those bloodsuckers. What would I do without them in my entertainment world? :-)

I dabbled in a few Anne Rice books growing up, lined up at the theater to see the sexy-but-cheesy Interview with the Vampire (the movie that helped launch a zillion Brad Pitt crushes?), I was a huge Buffy and Angel fan, I enjoyed that strange book The Historian and its retelling of the Dracula story, I try to catch both the scary and the silly vampire horror movies when they come out on DVD, and I've even read some questionable vampire romance novels over the years.

Yes, I've read all of the Twilight books. I enjoyed the series -- up until that horrific last book. I was willing to put aside Stephenie Meyer's slight writing style and the immature love story, cuz I still enjoy good vampire mythology and the books had it in small doses. But Breaking Dawn was just horrible, in my humble opinion, and I really hated the way that Meyer tied together all the storylines and had the characters doing things that just seemed ridiculous. So, the last book has pretty much made me a Twilight-hater, and I will not be seeing that movie. At least not in theaters. Someone has suggested we rent it on DVD later and make a drinking game out of it -- I'll leave the door open for that possibility. ;-)

But have no fear - even after feeling burned by that mega-hit series, I still love my vampires. And now, I am so completely engrossed in the world of that tough cookie, the wise-cracking, telepathic Louisiana barmaid, Sookie Stackhouse.

Sookie's such a great character that HBO is pretty much now betting on people falling in love with her and her crazy world to save their tv department -- but I don't have HBO so I actually haven't seen an episode of True Blood yet.

Instead, I've immersed myself in Sookie's world the old fashioned way - spending the last month speed-reading through all 8 (so far) of the books in Charlaine Harris's "Southern Vampire" series. In fact, I'm happy to tell you "how I spent my Thanksgiving vacation" - reading the 3 newest books in the series in the past 48 hours. Yeah, guilty pleasure or not, I'm hooked.

A friend who's also a bit of a vampire fan asked me how these books differ from the more popular Twilight books, and with no spoilers I can tell you that Ms. Harris has succeeded at the difficult trick of creating a fantasy world that seems both unnatural and utterly realistic. While this series looks like one you can easily disregard as just drugstore romance, there is a great deal of poignant social commentary here, on top of smart, fun characters, compelling mysteries and action scenes, and just enough romance (yes, some naughty bits) to keep you turning the pages late into the night.

Sookie lives in our time and place, kind of, with the main difference being that she is slowly learning that all of those legends and myths that have passed down for millennia are true. Vampires are real, and there's a whole hidden culture of supernatural beings living and working, and sustaining their own ritualistic traditions and political systems, right alongside us mere humans. In this world, vampires have "come out" to the general public. After the introduction of a synthetic blood that means they no longer need to feed on humans, the undead folks decide it's time to integrate themselves into the greater human population, with all sorts of reactions from those humans around the world. It's not too heavy-handed to say that there are obvious metaphors behind the scenes of Ms. Harris's stories, and she makes interesting statements on race, discrimination, harassment, prejudice, and fear throughout each of the books.

Aside from all that social commentary, the stories offer us up a smart, funny, courageous heroine in Ms. Sookie herself. As the series begins, she's a small-town barmaid who's used to being known as the town freak since the folks in her community aren't so understanding about her telepathic abilities. She's alone and a little lost, but as she begins to learn just how much more there is in the world around her, she becomes more confident, stronger, and more sure of herself. Unlike another vampire romance heroine I could name, she doesn't just become a submissive fool for love. She enjoys her new found femininity as she starts to meet men who appreciate her, including my favorite character, Eric the Viking vampire, who's most prominently featured in the 4th book, Dead to the World. But, even with all this male attention, she still knows that she's the best person to take care of herself. (Take that, Bella! Sookie is so much cooler a character!)

I don't want to go into too much more without revealing important stuff that plays out over the 8 books of the series -- but I did just close the page on the most recent, From Dead to Worse, and I *loved* the way it ended. So now I can't wait until book 9 comes out in May!

Playing Tour Guide

I am happy to report that Mom and Dad have had another successful trip to our nation's capital, and after 4 days I'm very tired but proud of all that we were able to accomplish even in spite of the dang cold Alberta Clipper that hit us in the face. They had a few places they wanted to see, I had a few exhibits on the agenda, and while their goal was to walk all over the city we did have to curb some of our plans cuz we were just plain freezing. Here's the rundown:

Day 1: Wednesday

After treating Mom and Dad to the fun of transferring on Metro with suitcase on the way home from the airport, we took a little while to explore my new NW neighborhood. They were very impressed, and totally agree that it was worth the upgrade from my old 16th St digs.

After wandering for a while, we had lunch at a place I'd been wanting to try - Yanni's Greek Taverna in Cleveland Park. While Mom and Dad both enjoyed it, I have to agree somewhat with those reviews in the Post. I liked the hummus, but I had a terrible overcooked spanakopita. Really, it was burned on the bottom and the filling was so dried out it was hard. Dad insisted I send it back - I NEVER do that - and the second one I got was at least cooked correctly, but was still terribly salty. Service was okay and the location is convenient, but I'm not going to be rushing back for a return trip to a place where I had to send something back. Like I said, though, my parents both thought their meals were delicious.

After lunch and a quick stop into the National Building Museum to show my parents the Great Hall (site of the G20 meetings - Dad's a CNBC addict), we headed down to the Mall for our first cultural item on the agenda: Pompeii and the Roman Villa at the National Gallery of Art. I really enjoyed this show, and while Dad wasn't too interested at the start I think he liked it, too. The exhibit focuses on the lavish lifestyles of the well-off Romans who had seaside villas in that doomed town. This was a great collection of statues, mosaics, frescoes (like the one to the right), sculptures, jewelry, and housewares, all about 2000 years old. The age of the pieces is impressive enough, and while the style of the art looks familiar to anyone who's taken art history or classics, the organization of the exhibit does help tell a story about a culture that had no idea it was about to end. Word to the wise, though, skip the $5 audio tour - but do watch the 10 minute documentary in the gallery.

With a quick dinner at Gordon Biersch - and fried food lover Dad's first order of calamari for the trip - we then called it a day. A successful day!

Day 2: Thursday

We got up early on Thursday and had a very busy day. First up, we made our way to the National Museum of Natural History and its new Sant Ocean Hall. As a Resident Associates member, I scored us entree to a free lecture about the mysterious creatures that live in the deep. Dad, who actually has an undergrad degree in zoology, was tickled pink, which was a nice surprise for me since I wasn't sure if they'd be down with an hour-long lecture. It was both educational and fun, cuz the lecturer had a good dry sense of humor, and made me glad I've rejoined the Resident Associates program this year. I'll be back! The Ocean Hall itself, though, wasn't a favorite stop on our visit -- cuz it's mainly geared towards kids and at about 11 am on a weekday it was just teeming with teenagers on field trips. Eeek!

I had to go to work for a few hours Thursday afternoon, so after a quick lunch at the Sculpture Garden cafe watching the ice skaters, Mom and Dad went off on one of their own adventures. They've never actually seen the Jefferson Memorial, so they headed off toward the Tidal Basin and in about a 3 hour walk covered the Jefferson, FDR, Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials. They were happy and a little tired.

After a coffee break in the Kogod Courtyard at the Reynolds Center, with some live jazz in the background, we took in the special Bicenentennial exhibit One Life: The Mask of Lincoln at the National Portrait Gallery. This is a small one-room exhibit, but it packs in a lot of information. By documenting the changes in Lincoln over the course of his public life, as seen through the new technology of photography, the exhibit tells the story of a nation at war with itself. The photos are striking, of course, but I was really impressed with the comprehensive labels throughout. You can pick up a lot of the history of Lincoln's life and Presidency through this exhibit, and I strongly recommend taking advantage of their cell phone audio tour. This exhibit left me, admittedly a Lincoln fan, wanting more. Though they didn't produce a catalog for this exhibit, I'll be going back soon to see the Lincoln's Inauguration show, also at the Reynolds Center.

We took a quick peek as well at the Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams show, Natural Affinities, at American Art. This was a good one to walk through quickly - as we were all almost at the cultural saturation point for the day - as both artists offered strong, bold visuals that were great to look at but didn't require much interpretation. Mom and I had actually seen several of the pieces at the O'Keeffe Museum on our Santa Fe trip a few years ago, and it was nice to see them juxtaposed ith Adams's photographs. Another recommendation here.

After a very enjoyable dinner with Scotte and J-Lo, talking politics and travel at Ella's Pizza - during which Dad had his second fried calamari appetizer of the trip - the 'rents and I called it a night. Color us exhausted, 2 nights in a row.

Day 3: Friday

The cold started to take its toll, as Friday was extremely blustery and gave us the first snow flurries of the season. We decided to take things at a more leisurely pace. Cuz really, who needs to freeze while playing tourist?

We spent the morning visiting the Washington National Cathedral, which really is gorgeous. I recommend taking one of the free docent tours, as our volunteer guide spent almost an hour with us pointing out really interesting symbolism in the art and architecture and filling us in on the history of the nation's cathedral. My own personal allergies to any intermingling of church and state aside, it's an amazing landmark. This is another site where we were dodging hordes of unruly teenagers, and I had the very disappointing experience of seeing a few boys stealing money out of a donation plate. Aaargh.

We happened to be there the morning that the volunteers were setting up all of the Thanksgiving decorations, which was cool to watch. I took a lot of pictures, and would've taken more of the outside if it weren't freakin' miserably cold in the wind. Here's one of my faves from inside, where it was warm:

After lunch at my favorite standby, Cafe Luna in Dupont, Mom and Dad went off in the snow flurries on another of their own adventures to visit the Library of Congress. I took the afternoon to check in with the office on a few things and take a nap. Hey, it's my vacation too, and playing tour guide is a lot of work!

Then, Friday night, I brought Mom and Dad to one of my favorite things in DC -- a photography lecture at the National Geographic. These are always a treat, as I love learning about the photographers' experiences and what they learned about their subjects, and I like that there's always some sort of political, humanitarian or conservation message to the talks. This was another good one.

Day 4: Saturday

Today we had grand plans, but the cold is seeping into our bones so we took it very easy. We made our way up to Bethesda for a good lunch of soup and sushi (and Dad's third order of friend calamari) at Raku, then scrapped our agenda of spending the afternoon walking around at Hillwood. We all agreed we should save that for a future visit when it's warmer. Nap time again!

Tonight, Dad stayed in and watched football with a pizza. Mom came over to my place, and we were both amazed watching the original 1975 documentary Grey Gardens. The musical I saw last week is based on this film and its incredible story of the destitute relatives of Jackie O. It was an interesting mother-daughter experience, watching this film of a horrible mother-daughter relationship gone wrong. Good times.

Day 5: Sunday

What's left to do? Not much -- brunch in the morning, then heading back to the airport. The timing for this trip worked out well, and while I'll be sad to see them go I'll see them again in just about a month. And then it'll be their turn to entertain me! :-)

My Little Christmas Dream

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Three Cheers for Crazy Ladies!

My theater-loving buddy Selena and I made our way over to Studio Theatre to see their new production of the musical Grey Gardens.

This musical was inspired by a 1975 documentary of the same name, telling the shocking story of Edith Ewing Bouvier and her daughter Edie Bouvier Beale. These former socialites, aunt and cousin to Jackie O and key fixtures of the pre-WWII Hamptons scene, were found to be living in complete squalor at their estate, Grey Gardens. Surrounded by 50+ cats and piles of trash, and under scrutiny by the Board of Health for their inhumane living conditions, "the Edies" spend their days singing, dancing, arguing, and reminiscing on days gone by. Not quite the picture mental health, those two.

The entire play takes place at the titular estate, with the first act showing their 1940's heyday and the second showing the strange world they'd created for themselves by the early 1970's. Since Selena and I are the two friends most likely to find the hidden dark psychological subtext in our book club books (whether others think it's there or not!), give us a play where the dark psychological dysfunction is right there on the surface and we're in heaven! After the show was over, we compared notes and found that while we both thought the play was strong as a whole, it was really the CRAZY stuff in the second act that we just loved. :-)

This is my 2nd year subscribing to Studio, and while I enjoyed the plays overall last year I did have a bit of a beef with the season because I thought women were sorely underrepresented. In the 5-play series, every show had a majority of male leads and there was one show that didn't have any women in it at all. There were some good supporting female roles, but the season was largely dominated by men. Well, I shall complain no more.

Grey Gardens is a fantastic show for actresses, and Barbara Walsh - in the role originated by Tony winner Christine Ebersole - gives an unforgettable performance as both Big (in Act I) and Little Edie (in Act II). I thought she was strong in the first act, playing the domineering diva mother Edith, and she had a grand, operatic voice. By the second act, her transformation into now middle-aged Little Edie was remarkable. Her mannerisms, her look, her posture, and even her *singing voice* changed so completely that there was not even a question that we were watching the same actress play a different character. She was frustrating, funny, ridiculous, and ultimately moving in her portrayal of these two very unhappy women.

This show did exactly what a good production should - it left me wanting more. So, I just ordered the original Broadway cast recording on CD and I've moved the original 1975 documentary to the top of my Netflix queue. I'm not done with those Beale women yet!

January 21!

Dear Santa Claus

I have finally figured out what I really want for Christmas! Since my own personal Santa Claus (aka Mom and Dad) is of the type that really just prefers giving people cash or pulling items off a list -- not really the type to impulse buy those "I just saw this and thought of you" kind of items -- I now have an idea of exactly what I'd like to use that Santa cash for this year.

I want to take cooking classes! Yes, me, the singleton formerly known as the least likely to cook. Since this is the lifestyle area I've been best at improving lately, I've found that (a) I'm enjoying making tasty things on my own in the kitchen and (b) I have a lot to learn about techniques and good flavor and texture combos.

So, my plan is that starting sometime in early 2009, I will be enrolling in some of the recreational classes at L'Academie de Cuisine.

The classes are pricey, so I probably have to pace myself and start just with the basics. Depending on the schedule, I'll probably try the Beginner Techniques course first. Has anyone out there sampled their classes? Anything to report?

So -- that's my plan for my Santa cash this year. :-) What are you all asking the jolly guy in red for this holiday season?

Photo credit.

What's Going on at Grey's?

For those of you, and I know there are many, not still following along - there's a new controversy over in Shonda-Land. It's very hard to figure out what's actually gone on here, but it sounds like the big nasty slam of either the network or sponsors clamping down on a storyline that was just starting to explore a really interesting new relationship. And in light of the many things that happened in the real world this week, it just doesn't feel right at all.

**Spoilers**

Starting at the end of last season, two of Seattle Grace's most interesting and sassy characters - Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Dr. Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) - started a budding relationship that allowed both of them to explore their own sexuality and self-image. By last week's episode, this had developed into a full-fledged romance - though one with typical GA angst and shenanigans. In a really moving scene, Dr. Hahn had made an amazing revelation, a discovery, really, that she is gay. Brooke Smith played it beautifully, and her "leaves on the trees" speech is definitely one that should be submitted for Emmy contention.

I loved this storyline, for many reasons. It was pushing the envelope on prime-time tv, sure, cuz it's still a rarity to see story arcs of characters exploring and experimenting with their sexuality. But it was also great to see two women who are gorgeous but don't quite fit the Hollywood standard of "beauty" having fun with a fun, sexy plot. And, it gave these 2 great actresses in the somewhat crowded Grey's playing field a really meaty storyline.

But.... something happened. For some reason, between last week's brilliant episode and this week, Brooke Smith was abruptly fired. Her character was sort of quickly disposed of in last night's episode, with a story that sorta makes sense from a medical standpoint but had nothing to do with the Callie/Erica relationship. It sounds like Smith was taken by surprise, as were her other cast members. It's not like she's been having any public feud with the writers, a la Katherine Heigl, so what gives?

Shonda's reason - that they can't write for her character anymore? - doesn't sound good, and reports make it sound like she wasn't happy about it either. Was it the network brass reacting to an edgy storyline? Or were the sponsors getting cold feet? It all feels kinda gross, and of course folks are wondering if this at all relates back to or demonstrates some sort of pattern relating to the Isaiah Washington troubles.

If it all does have to do with squeamishness over the storyline, that's so disappointing. In a week when a battle was fought for gay rights across the nation, the outcome of which shows that we all still have a long way to go, it's really sad to lose an example of such a complex, multi-dimensional, thought-provoking gay relationship on one of television's biggest shows. Pop culture does have the power to influence society as a whole, and it feels like this is another step back.

Yippee!!!!

Hooray!

Yabba dabba doo!

Woohoo!

Woot!

Bam!

Hot diggety dog!

Yowza!

Now, the next stage of the fun.... Cabinet-stakes! Stay tuned...

The Belief-O-Matic

There's this interesting and fun online quiz that friends and I discovered about 10 years ago... on BeliefNet, you can take the 20 question "Belief-O-Matic" to learn how your own views match up with the major world religions. The questions ask your thoughts on things like divinity, the afterlife, salvation, and social and moral issues, and then you'll get a list of how well you align with 27 different faiths or belief systems.

I retake this quiz about once a year, and it's always interesting. For me, my results are very telling -- I almost always end up with the same top 5 answers but their order varies. As I've gotten older, though, Judaism has moved a bit down the list and Buddhism has moved up. Interesting. Seeing these results is always a good little motivator for me to do some reading about the different belief systems.

And, I *always* - for ten years - have had the same answer in the very bottom slot. Roman Catholicism, the religion in which I was brought up, is always the worst match for me. I'm more of a *Scientologist* in my beliefs and social views than I am a traditional Roman Catholic. Seems about right.

Here's my rundown:

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Neo-Pagan (99%)
3. Secular Humanism (92%)
4. Liberal Quakers (88%)
5. Theravada Buddhism (87%)
6. New Age (86%)
7. Mahayana Buddhism (75%)
8. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (75%)
9. Nontheist (64%)
10. Reform Judaism (64%)
11. Taoism (63%)
12. Orthodox Quaker (57%)
13. Jainism (51%)
14. Baha'i Faith (48%)
15. Sikhism (44%)
16. Scientology (43%)
17. New Thought (42%)
18. Orthodox Judaism (34%)
19. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (33%)
20. Hinduism (32%)
21. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (29%)
22. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (29%)
23. Islam (27%)
24. Seventh Day Adventist (27%)
25. Jehovah's Witness (16%)
26. Eastern Orthodox (15%)
27. Roman Catholic (15%)

Holding My Breath

I'm getting very concerned. Concerned about overconfidence.

I've heard it so many times lately.... from very smart people, people I know and people I listen to on podcasts and people I read in the papers. People who are accepting all of this as a foregone conclusion.

I am not going to jinx it. I'm not 100% confident that Obama has this whole thing wrapped up.

The closer we get to election day, and the more stories we hear about registration irregularities, voting machine problems, undecided voters, wingtip warriors, margins of error, the Bradley effect, and intimidation tactics, the less confident I feel.

I was so passionate and optimistic and active in 2004, and Election Night just broke my heart. I've become a much more cynical person since then, both about the American electorate and about the problems in our voting infrastructure.

I *hope* Obama wins easily on Tuesday. I *hope* Democrats do really well on all the down-ticket races and boost our numbers in both Houses and state offices. I *hope* the results are definitive enough that we'll actually have some resolution by Wednesday or Thursday. I *hope* the public accepts the results and that the President-Elect, whichever one wins, starts right away on leading a national healing process. I *hope* moving beyond the election helps reduce the national anxiety a bit and the economy sees a bounce.

I hope all of these things. But I do not *know* that any of them will happen, and I refuse to set myself up for heartbreak yet again by assuming anything before it actually happens. And I *hope* the rest of the voting public does the same, cuz we still need every single vote to be cast.

Voting is one of the most precious things we can do as Americans. It's a right, it's a privilege, and it's a responsibility. People have fought and died to ensure that we can exercise that right, and the future of our democracy depends on it. Though we have our own share of problems with the process, problems that we need to address to restore voter confidence and boost participation for a new generation, I still believe there's nothing more important than for all of us to fulfill our civic duty by showing up at the polls.

I'll be watching until the last vote is counted. When all is said and done, I really, really hope to be celebrating the start of a new chapter in our shared American story.

Be Don Draper

Oh, the season can't be over!!!! How will I last until the TBD premiere of season 3? By watching this over and over, I suppose.

My Enemies List

After years of suffering and cursing nature's bounty... I finally went ahead and had a full-scale allergy test. I got the results today. So here it is, my list of mortal enemies:

Goldenrod. Interestingly, not ragweed. Even my ENT dad was surprised, cuz I guess ragweed is the most usual culprit for hay fever. Instead, goldenrod gets me. I should've known. It's my least favorite color of colored paper. (Photo credit)


What's this strange-looking thing? That's a mold spore -- yes, I am sparing you from some of the really gross mold photos out there. But this little puppy, I believe, is the reason why I often feel like crap on damp, humid, rainy days. (Photo credit)

Oh my God! It's a monster - run!!! That, my friends, is a dust mite. Gross, just all kinds of gross. If you want to learn more, click here and prepare to shudder as you get into bed tonight. (Photo credit)

My springtime nemesis -- the good old red maple tree. Does this mean I can't move to Canada?!?!?! (Photo credit)


Finally, my worst enemy attacks in the fall -- the birch tree! (Photo credit)

So my instructions? Keep taking allergy meds and dust and vacuum my apartment more often. I think I can do that.

Here's the best news of all. Guess what I'm NOT allergic to?

My Top Ten

At a fun little par-tay yesterday, the topic of all-time favorite songs kept coming up. So, I'm challenging myself to narrow down my own list to a very personal top ten.

Stef's Favorites - in no particular order:

1. Into the Mystic - Van Morrison

Perfection. I've heard other versions over the years, and while the duo from Once came close, nothing beats the Irish troubadour's original.

2. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen

No other song is as soulful, or as quotable, in my book. I once sang the entire thing out loud to a coworker, word for word. No small feat!

3. Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies

So many BNL songs to choose from -- both their emotional ballads and their fun quirky tunes. But this one perfectly captures an emotion *and* makes me want to jump up and sing whenever I hear it.

4. Express Yourself - Madonna

Ditto with the so many to choose from -- but I think the Like a Prayer era really was Her Madgesty's best, and this song remains an anthem for me and many, many people I know.

5. Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel

This song was the soundtrack to my life during a fairly troubled time, and the lyrics meant a lot to me as I needed to find my own way home. Peter Gabriel's voice is inextricably linked to some of my most powerful memories.

6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2

It's hard to say, but U2 *probably* is my favorite band of all time. So many of their songs are right for so many different occasions, but the gospel version of this one on Rattle and Hum just nails it every time.

7. Shambala - Three Dog Night

I wish I could say it was my childhood memories of my Mom listening to Three Dog Night that turned me on to this great tune - and maybe it was, subconsciously - but really, I became obsessed with it after it was prominently featured in several episodes of LOST. Combined with my undercurrent of interest in the Buddhist worldview, and this song's a winner!

8. Somebody - Depeche Mode

I am still looking for somebody who will listen to me when I want to speak about the world we live in and life in general.

9. Language or the Kiss - Indigo Girls

Amy and Emily may just be the most perfect lyricists ever. "Oh the fear I've known: That I might reap the praise of strangers, and end up on my own."

10. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police

I have fond memories of singing along to this one at the top of my lungs back in high school, and it still gets me going. That "I resolve to call her up, a thousand times a day" part slays me!

This was tough! There are entire genres and decades (like the 2000's!) not represented in the top 10, but I think I made a pretty good call on all of the above. If I had to extend it, you would start to see Robbie Williams, Alanis Morissette, the Dixie Chicks, the Cure, Trisha Yearwood, Dido, Queen/David Bowie, the Killers, the Scissor Sisters, Christina Aguilera, and more. I swear I'm not totally stuck in the musical past!

Okay, your turn -- try and narrow it down to 10! :-)

Very Well Said, Secretary Powell

Weekend Roundup

A 3-day weekend purposefully with no plans? Know what that means? That's right, lots of quality time with my Netflix and On Demand. Here's the scoop:

Romantic comedies have a formula, for sure, and "What Happens in Vegas" follows the familiar "meet cute - major obstacle - slowly falling in love - huge fight - it all works out in the end" path. But, Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz are both just so darn likable - and gorgeous - that this movie makes it all pretty fun. It reminded me a lot of that Michael Douglas / Kathleen Turner 80's movie "The War of the Roses," although that movie had the star-crossed lovers/haters attack each other a lot more physically while Ashton and Cameron go for more emotional manipulation. That makes the 2000's version of the story easier to watch without any bad aftertaste -- it's a light little trifle, and I give it a B+.

After spending about 1/3 of 2008 rewatching one of the all-time greatest shows, "The X-Files," I am still in the mood for some serialized spooky investigations. I've always been a big Buffy/Angel fan, so I thought it was time to try out one of those newer WB/CW offerings starring impossibly gorgeous people. "Supernatural" is actually pretty darn enjoyable, and I've made it through 8 episodes already. It's the story of 2 (impossibly hot) brothers played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Their dad (the also incredibly hot Jeffrey Dean Morgan, aka Denny Duquette) has been chasing down demons - literally - ever since their Mom was killed by one 20-some years before. The dad has been training older bro Dean (played by Ackles, slightly confusing for those of us used to thinking of Padalecki as Dean from "Gilmore Girls") in battling the dark arts his whole life, but younger bro Sam was the black sheep who craved a "normal" life of college and a career. Now Dad's disappeared, the mom-killing demon has returned to kill Sam's girlfriend, and the brothers reunite to try to find their father. It's very much a buddy/road show, as the brothers drive from town to town fighting off a new evil in every episode, but I've heard that future seasons will go more into a larger mythology and their role in it. I do love me some overarching mythology. For now, I'm hooked. I give it an A-.

I also took a bit of a risk by checking out the latest M. Night Shyamalan movie, "The Happening." Now, I loved "The Sixth Sense" and really enjoyed "Signs" and even "Unbreakable." But, since then, I've been increasingly disappointed to just plain angry over his more recent movies. I thought the twist in "The Village" was pretty annoying, and I HATED "The Lady in the Water." After the last, I vowed not to waste any more money on seeing M. Night movies in the theater, and that I'd wait 'til they came out on DVD. So, I already had lower expectations based both on M. Night's more recent movies and on my more casual, less expensive choice of venue for watching "The Happening." And, surprise, I didn't hate it! It wasn't the best movie ever, but I never rolled my eyes or got angry enough to yell at the screen. Mark Wahlberg does a good job playing the hero, a high school science teacher trying to use his faith in science to figure out what in the heck is - um - happening to cause people all over the Northeast zone out and start killing themselves. At several times, I may in fact have cheered at the screen "You go, Marky Mark!" Zooey Deschanel was kinda weird as his wife, and I didn't understand the emotion she was playing in several scenes. But, really this movie was about Wahlberg and M. Night's art direction. The overall premise - I won't ruin it - is interesting and has a bit of a message, and the look of the movie itself is gorgeous. It doesn't come anywhere close to being as the movies that made M. Night a star so early on, but it was way better than the last two. So, I give it a B.

Finally, and speaking of Marky Mark, I made my way through Season 4 of HBO's "male version of SATC" - "Entourage." I agree with many of the critics that the series is starting to run a little long. (And that's not a good sign, since season 5 is airing now and 6 is in the works.) The show used to have a good mix of stories that were about Vinnie Chase and the gang making their way in Hollywood with rising careers and unpredictable social lives, with a good shot in the arm of Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) in each episode.

Well, the Piv is such a superstar that he's become more and more central to the story - I'm not complaining about that - but along the way the plots have become a lot more formulaic and less interesting. Everything always works out for Vince, Ari somehow makes it work and reminds Eric that he still has a lot to learn about the business of making movies. Drama and Turtle have become one-note comic relief, and I wish we had more interesting stories about their own lives rather than just how they revolve around Vince. Eric and Ari are still my favorite characters, and the best stories are those when they're at odds with each other. But they still need to mix it up and have the gang fail every once in a while so we keep watching. Vince is a pretty but ambivalent "lead" for the show, and he's actually the least interesting guy of them all. Bring back Sloane, or give Eric or Vince a real relationship that makes them grow up and apart a bit. And please, get rid of the insufferable Billy Walsh! I'll keep watching the future seasons, but the show doesn't come close to the awesomeness of its first two years. I give it a B-.

History vs. Myth

It's starting to look a lot like fall these days, as the leaves are slowly turning, the nights are getting cooler, I'm sleeping with the windows open... that means it's the perfect time to curl up with a blanket and spend lots of time reading. Well, really, anytime is a good time for reading, but fall is especially perfect.

I just finished a great book - Tony Horwitz's A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World. I've now read almost all of Horwitz's books, and my favorites - like this one - are a combination of history book and travelogue. Horwitz, a journalist with a real love of history, tells his stories by alternating between well-researched and compellingly-written history and his own modern day perspective as a researcher visiting the sites where the history took place. It worked really well for Captain Cook in his Blue Latitudes, for the Civil War in his Confederates in the Attic, and now for America's discovery in A Voyage Long and Strange.

Horwitz sets the stage for this book with a trip to Plymouth Rock, where he realizes that - even for a relatively knowledgeable history buff like himself - most Americans have about 130 years of our own history missing. There's a giant void between 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue and 1620 when the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts. So he set about studying the history of the "discovery" of this new world, and learned a whole lot more than what is ever in our history books. Starting with the Vikings in 1000, and covering six centuries of European exploration before the English ever set foot on Terra Nueva, Horwitz provides fascinating details on the exploration and settlement of our sometimes-not-so-fair continent.

Okay, I admit, the subject sounds a little ho-hum at first, right? But trust me, this is great stuff. The usual suspects - Erik the Red, Leif Erikson, Ponce de Leon, Coronado, de Soto, John Smith, Pocahontas, Squanto - they're all there, but Horwitz goes far beyond the Trivial Pursuit level of factoids and tells the real stories of people struggling to establish settlements in a harsh land, of tragic culture clashes between native peoples and the European newcomers, of conquistadors and traders both claiming all that they see. And beyond the history, he explores the reasons why modern day Americans celebrate Columbus and the Pilgrims and, to some degree Jamestown, but the lost colony of Roanoke and the original European settlement St. Augustine are mostly forgotten or neglected. (Hint: PR is not a new thing.)

I really enjoyed this book, and my mind is so tickled with learning more of the real stories of history that I've now moved on to another historical subject entirely -- a biography of one of the most fascinating women in US history, "Princess" Alice Roosevelt Longworth. More good stories for these chilly weekend mornings!

So, readers, what books are keeping you company these days?

Don't Vote

This is pretty good...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

To Die For

Like cupcakes? Love frosting? Enjoy sampling different flavors? In the DC area?

Then you simply MUST check out Hello Cupcake.

We had a little party at work today, and one of my very culturally aware coworkers had heard of this great new bakery in Dupont. So we got a sampling of 3 dozen of their bestest little cupcakes, and they were UNBELIEVABLE. Mouth watering... there were noises coming from people that weren't what we'd normally expect to hear at work. :-)

They have a ridiculous number of flavors - I sampled 3 today, the 24-carrot, the you tart! and, my favorite, the velvet elvis. A banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting. YUMMMMMMMM.

Do it! Go! Get yourself a cupcake or 3 soon!

Tina Fey, Part Deux

She did it again!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Back to regularly scheduled programming, literally... The new tv season has started! I've been sampling, I've been catching return favorites. But so far this week, the real tv story for me has been questioning the fate of two former favorites. These are two shows that have given me both highs and lows, good times and bad, so I was looking to their season premieres (both of which clocked in at 2 hours!) to push me either back into the fan camp or over the edge into just giving up.

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First up, Monday night... and the premiere of Heroes season 3 - a new story arc called "Villains."

So how was it? Yeeesh. What an unfun 2-hour pile of televised poo!

At one point, 2 years ago, Heroes was remarkable... filled with wonder and joy as well as mystery and dark foreshadowing as these seemingly ordinary people suddenly realized they were extraordinary, and that they had a job to do. Well, they saved the world, kinda, and now they've been spinning their wheels - both the characters and the writers - for 2 more seasons.

What is really killing this show for me is that the stories just aren't fun anymore. The characters seem to be caricatures - could Peter Petrelli be any more dour and idiotic? could Claire be any more naive and idiotic? could Mohinder be hotter or stupider? - and the storylines now just rely on time travel or "look, he's not dead after all!" tricks of lazy writing to get out of any problems. We've lost the wonder of seeing the world change through Hiro's eyes, and I just don't find myself caring that much about the drama of the Petrelli family (Sylar as secret half-brother? really?) or the "war" that must be coming between the regular heroes and the newly-escaped bad guys.

I was excited to see Weevil (Francis Capra), though I can't for the life of me figure out how "Present Peter" is trapped in his body. I like Mama Petrelli, and I still think last season would've been a lot more interesting if they really pursued the parents' storyline and left behind their idiot kids. And I wish they hadn't wasted the fantastic David Anders last season. And I can not BELIEVE that Mohinder actually did get even dumber and more annoying... and they even paired him with Maya! The most annoying addition of season 2!

Ack. Heroes, you're really close to losing me forever. I am at the point of almost hating this show. But.... there's still that little kernel of hope that they might somehow tell a story that was just as cool as the early eps of the first season.... and feeling such a passionate hate towards the show now makes it really fun to play along on the blogs, sharing Heroes-hate on a Tuesday morning. So, I'm probably going to give it at least another week... what else am I doing on Monday nights?

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The second show "on the bubble" for me? That doctors-and-dramas sudser Grey's Anatomy. I loved the first 2 seasons, but then there were a few years that really made me question Shonda Rhimes' direction and her ability to follow-through with a good story. When they almost killed Meredith in the ferry crash? Ouch. I almost gave it up for good then. But, at the end of last season Shonda seemed to be raising the level of the show back to its good old days again, giving characters more realistic storylines and cutting out some of the really cheesy melodrama.

Last night, I watched the 2-hour premiere, "Dream a Little Dream of Me." (Because of the ridiculously over-programmed Thursday night tv schedule, ABC's shows are weekend deferred viewing for me. For sheer water-cooler value, I've got to watch "The Office" and soon "30 Rock" in real time.)


Guess what? I *loved* it! It was a fantastic episode for my favorite characters -- Bailey, Cristina, Alex, the Chief, Callie, Hahn, and Sloan. There was some great guest star work by Bernadette Peters, Kathy Baker, and Mariette Hartley. The Der-Mer drama was nicely balanced out with Rose's antics, Cristina's rant and then Meredith's request for her support, making it all actually seem like real life. The Chief's obsession with the drop in rankings seemed to be Shonda herself talking to the audience about how the show will do better. And, I don't think George and Izzie were even in a single scene together!!! Instead, they've put Izzie and Alex back into play and those two have such great chemistry I'm willing to see where it goes this time around.

And... best of all... the introduction of Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) as Major Owen Hunk, I mean Hunt, the dashing Army field trauma doc injected a very welcome shot of pure masculine energy onto the show. And Cristina is just licking her lips! (As is, I'm sure, the very talented Sandra Oh, who's in need of a good storyline.) McKidd is such a great addition, I was even able to put aside my smirk at the thought of his reunion with Patrick Dempsey after that insultingly bad rom-com Made of Honor.

Shonda, you have won me back. Now keep up the good work.