Submit your caption for this photo in the comments below and I’ll pick a winner at the end of the month. The winner will receive an actual prize, too.
(P.S. This photo was NOT staged in any way. It was just what I saw one morning when arriving at work.)
Yeah, this happened.
A dear friend of mine works at Clear Channel Radio (which is housed in the building right across the street from where I work) and she often has access to really cool perks.
A couple of months ago she got us tickets to go see Tina Fey and Steve Martin at the Nokia Live theater downtown (which was just as amazing and funny as you think it was). So, thinking that her company probably has tickets often to events at the Nokia, I emailed her two weeks ago about getting tickets to see Stevie Wonder perform at “Stevie Wonder’s 16th Annual Full House of Toy Benefit Concert ft. Drake.” You know, if she happened to hear of any tickets lying around.
“Oh Stevie!! He’s so amazing!!” she replied.
Two hours later, I got another email from her.
“Guess who is going to be in studio doing a private performance next Wednesday 11/30 at 8:30a?? Guess who got herself +1 on the list. Oh snap! Be my +1! You’ll be seeing Stevie Wonder in a private in studio performance (less than 40 people) up close! Way better than a big show!
You have to get off work and come over here Wednesday 11/30 at 8:15am! Can you come??”
Um, heck yes!
It ended up being a small crowd of about 25 people, a lot of them employees of Clear Channel. I love it when employees, people who see the magic happen every day, are just as jazzed as regular Joes. It’s how you know something truly special is happening.
To kick off the show, Stevie asked us what he should open with. People called out song titles, someone suggested “Isn’t She Lovely.” “No, we can’t start with that one,” Stevie exclaimed. We all laughed. There was a lull in the conversation, so I called out the name of my favorite song “Sir Duke.”
“Yeah. Now that’s a song we can start with. Let’s play ‘Sir Duke,’” he said to his band. And then they played this song: Sir Duke.
Some other highlights from the morning:
What a great way to kick off this holidays season. Up next, Christmas Celebration at church and my golden birthday (29 years old on December 29th).
Merry Christmas, everyone!
It’s not really a Thanksgiving story.
In fact, I can’t remember at all when it happened.
But it’s a family story, and family stories ought to be shared at Thanksgiving.
My family loves to play games. We all have our preferred games, games that usually line up with our strengths. My dad loves math games, my mom word games. I excel at speed games, and Cameron is a master strategist. (Side note: still, to this day, no one will play Monopoly with Cameron. He always wins. Don’t believe me? Challenge him to a game.) We have yet to find Carter’s preferred game genre, though if there were games where the snarkiest computer programmer would win, maybe that’d be it.
Before I get too much further into the story, here’s a brief introduction to my family.
Dad, patriarch. Mom, matriarch. Me (oldest, smartest, prettiest child), Cameron (turns 25 on Saturday!), and Carter (18.5 years old & much smarter than he lets on).
Like I said, brief.
So a few years ago (five, ten?), Dad, Mom, Carter and I were all playing Rummikub. Not my favorite game, especially since I have a hard time adding when I run out of fingers. We were mostly just killing time until Cameron brought over his new-ish girlfriend (Holly, probably).
I think we’d met her before, but this was the first time we were going to hang out with her. You know, casual family dinner, maybe a game or two, dessert.
Minutes before Cameron arrived with the girl, I had a flash of genius. Let’s all be completely silent when she arrived. Seriously, not a word, grunt, or exclamation. The consensus was immediate.
When Cameron arrived home, he called out a greeting.
We, in the dining room and completely out of sight, waved enthusiastic hellos back.
“Guys? We’re here.”
Holding back laughter, we wave harder.
Finally, Cameron and Holly see us in the dining room.
“What are you guys doing?”
We gesture theatrically at the game on the table.
“Why didn’t’ you say anything when we came in?”
The four of us just grinned like idiots. Then, ignoring, Cam and Holly, we proceeded with our game. Who’s turn was it? No one remembered. You can imagine the silent hilarity that ensued as we reenacted our last moves to discover who’s turn it was.
“I think they’re playing another game, too,” said Holly.
“Guys, knock it off,” Cam pleaded. Prior to his college years at Azusa Pacific University, our Cameron was very much like Cameron Frye from the film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Seriously, the kid was so uptight, “if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you’d have a diamond.”
He did not think our game of silent Rummikub was funny.
“You guys are so lame,” he whined.
Cam and Holly left us to our frivolity, and we finished out our game in silence. Good times.
I hope you all had a chance to spend some extra time with family or friends this Thanksgiving. I observed my tradition of decorating my home for Christmas while watching Christmas movies and I helped a friend get a live Christmas tree. I can’t believe it’s almost December and my 29th(!) birthday is just a few weeks away.
Happy Thanksgiving, and Merry Christmas!
Happy Halloween, y’all!
Are you watching “American Horror Story” on F/X? You should be. It’s hecka scary.
Judge and jury are still out on the longevity of the series, but on a weekly basis, it consistently serves up a juicy dish of heebie jeebies.
Yep, heebie jeebies.
It has settled into the pattern of opening each episode with a flashback to a particularly gruesome murder (are murders ever NOT gruesome?) that occurred in the house where the main characters live.
Imagine every irrational fear, things that make you jump, open closets, et cetera, and then imagine encountering them ALL. THE. TIME.
“American Horror Story” stars Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights”), Dylan McDermott (“The Practice”), Jessica Lange (Big Fish, Tootsie), and Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”). The show follows the Harmon family, Ben (McDermott), Vivien (Britton) and Violet (Taissa Farmiga), who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien gives birth to a stillborn baby and Ben has an affair with one of his students. The family moves to a restored mansion, unaware that the home is haunted. Ben and Vivien try to rekindle their relationship while Violet suffers from depression.
They buy this beautiful but creepy house. Their emo daughter loves it, and it works well for McDermott to operate his psychiatry practice out of. (Ew. I just ended a sentence with a preposition.)
Enter Creepy Neighbor Constance (Lange), who keeps popping up at random, throw in her grown daughter Addie who talks to ghosts, a half-burned man who stalks Ben, a maid who is either young or old depending on who sees her, a murderous ghost in the basement, a few psycho patients, a scorned (and pregnant) ex-lover, and you pretty much have all you need for the best new show of the season.
My only concern is longevity. If it runs the way of the amazeballs AMC show “The Walking Dead,” then we’ll be okay. But if F/X expects “American Horror Story” to pump out twenty-two episodes this season or any future seasons, I fear the show will lag the way seasons 3 and 4 did of “Lost.”
Speaking of “Lost,” one of my favorite writers at Entertainment Weekly is writing recaps and feature articles about the show. His name is Jeff “Doc” Jensen and he did the same for “Lost.” You can read his musings here.
That’s it, I’m done. Just watch the show tonight at 8:00pm on F/X. Make sure you leave a light on, and have an episode of “Friends” on standby to detox your mind so you can sleep without nightmares.
Last night when I got home from work, I opened the door to my apartment and my roommate jumped and sat up straight on the couch. I’d caught her redhanded.
I cautiously said hello, to which she just replied by widening her eyes, and stealing a furtive glance at the tv.
I followed her gaze.
Frozen on the screen was a shot from a tv show I recognized instantly: Storage Wars.
“You’re watching ‘Storage Wars’ without me???”
“It’s on Netflix,” she sheepishly replied.
We. Love. Storage Wars.
The premise of the show is (basically) this: when a storage unit defaults (mostly due to non payment), the storage facility then auctions off the rights to the unit. This allows them to clear the unit, as well as hopefully recover some of their lost payments. The bidders are (sometimes self-proclaimed) resale experts: Barry the collector, Darrell the gambler, Dave the pro, and Jarrod & Brandi the newbies. They’ll bid on a unit virtually unseen (they can stand in the doorway and peruse for five minutes, but they can’t enter and no boxes can be opened or stuff moved around), and then the rest of the episode follows the four teams as they go through their unit, searching for hidden treasures.
It sounds simple, but it’s very addicting. And since the show films all over southern California, they’re visiting cities and towns that I know. And I can’t shake the feeling that I know or have met Darrell. He’s from San Diego (my gorgeous hometown), and he has that East County style.
Anyway, if you’re not watching yet, watch at least one episode and see if you don’t get hooked.
Like Dani says, it’s on Netflix.
Rediscovered this lovely poem by e. e. cummings. Enjoy.
“i carry your heart (i carry it in)”
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of the tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
There is a delightful little website I recently discovered called “Today I Found Out.”
Today, I found out how trick candles work. They’re really quite simple, really. Just a little extra mineral that’s highly flammable at low heat. No big deal.
I also found out how Albert Einstein got his wife to agree to a divorce: he promised her the prize money if he ever won the Nobel Peace Prize (he did, in 1921 – guess he thought he wouldn’t win).
So poke around, read some fun stuff, add the site to your Google Reader. You’ll learn something new every day!
Oh, and yesterday I found out that my dad is a real-life Sandlot kid. More on that soon…
Things I learned from Shark Week:
1. Don’t live in Australia. Or South Africa. “Why does anyone ever go in the water??”
2. Don’t put your hand in a shark’s mouth. It will bite you.
3. Don’t kiss a shark on the mouth. It will bite you. “Idiot. Why would you kiss a shark?”
4. When the seals are getting out of the water, you probably should, too.
5. Even sharks want their fifteen minutes of fame, like the one that “evacuated its bowels” in front of the camera.
6. Don’t get between a whale and its dinner. It does not care that you are fragile.
7. Maybe it’s just the way the Discovery Channel programs their shows, but it seems like it’s mostly just men who are dumb enough to get in the water with the deadliest ocean predators. Seriously, why does anyone ever get in the water???
Until next summer, Shark Week. I’ll miss you.
And now I’m craving fresh tuna.
And for that, I apologize.
This post won’t do much to make it better. I’m a little busy watching the FIFA final game between USA and Japan.
But I ran across a few fun things I wanted to pass along.
Enjoy!
Re: the final NASA shuttle flight that launched a few weeks ago. Moon perspective.
Re: being a good leader (going along with hiring good people and then getting out of their way). Be a leader, not a pusher.
Re: when happiness is not enough. Calvin and Hobbes.
Um, hello, February. January, where’d ya go?
It’s crazy how busy I’ve been, how my priorities have shifted, how my heart’s been changed, and how good God is.
So it’s “with a little bit of love, and a little yeah yeah” that I take things just one day at a time. It’s all I can do, and for now, that’s okay.
“Today was the day that I put everything in perspective.”
Yep, today is my 28th birthday. I’m officially in my late twenties. And you know what? It feels good. I’m excited for what this next year will bring. To quote Doc Holliday, “I’m in my prime.”
And now, to start off the celebration, here’s Stevie Wonder. Watch it!
Stevie Wonder sings \”Happy Birthday To You\”
Sixty-nine years later, December 7th still continues to be a “date which will live in infamy.”
But this year, now that I’ve seen HBO’s “Band of Brothers” and am watching “The Pacific” this week, the impact of what happened at Pearl Harbor and its resonation throughout the world is hitting me a little bit harder. I wish I could say “thank you” enough to the men and women who have fought for this country.
Today, I especially wish I could thank all of those who served in World War II. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to be so cut off from every bit of life you knew before you left. War is so different nowadays, fought with technology just as much as it is fought with bodies.
The method has changed, but the effect is just as devastating and lingering.
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” — G.K. Chesterton
I just got back from an amazing weekend at the CA Young Adult Retreat. Wow. Mind-blowing, refreshing, perspective-changing, and a ton of fun.
I feel even more connected now to the community I love so much. I love my home and there’s no place I’d rather be.
And here’s something I’ve been thinking about lately: why are we more concerned with making truth than finding truth? Does this affect who we are? How can it not?
Yep, it’s exactly what it looks like.
Last night at Warner Bros., there was an employee screening of “The Goonies” at the SJR Theater. But it wasn’t just a screening. In addition to giving all employees a free copy of the 25th anniversary collector’s edition DVD, Warner Bros. gave us the cast!
Well, they loaned them to us. Director Richard Donner was there, as were Corey Feldman, Jeff Cohen, Jonathan Ke Quan, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, Lupe Ontiveros, and the casting director for the movie, Mike Fenton. They were all there a few hours before the movie, doing press photos and interviews, and then they all went on a little scavenger hunt with contest winners (Feldman and Quan’s team won).
After we’d all filed into the 500-seat theater, the cast and crew did a little intro. Just during those few minutes of intro, we could see how much fun they had making the film.
Thanks, Warner Bros., for putting together such a fun night.
And to top it all of, my date for the evening, Kevin Davis, and I went to visit the awesome Mark Christopher Lawrence on the set of “Chuck.” We watched them film for a few minutes, then chatted with Mark, then poked around on the other two Chuck soundstages. I love being on the Warner Bros. lot after hours. 
UPDATE: For more photos (and professional ones) from “The Goonies” screening, check out Broadway World’s link here.
Oh yeah, I ran it. 13.1 miles, baby!
You want proof? All right, here’s a picture.
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jerry O’Connell, James Marsden, Elvis (not the Elvis, just a Elvis) also ran the half marathon.
A BIG thank you to those of you who supported me at the race or virtually from afar. It totally made my race.
Watching the newest episode of The Mentalist reminded me of a funny story.
Last week at work, I was at the museum when the following happened:
Actor Owain Yeoman, who plays Wayne Rigsby on The Mentalist (which films at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, CA), was in the museum. He was there with some friends and family members. His wife, the beautiful and talented Lucy Davis, was there with him. She’s a doll, by the way, totally unassuming and so cheerful.
Owain was in costume that afternoon, which means he pretty much looked like a business man on a break (no jacket). He didn’t really stand out that much from anyone else in the museum, except that he’s strikingly tall and thin, not to mention quite handsome.
Perhaps it was the way he was chatting and laughing with his posse, or maybe it’s just his natural, easygoing manner, but there’s nothing really about Owain that screams “celebrity.” So most people probably wouldn’t pick him out as an actor, let alone as one of the stars of TV’s highest-rated dramas (Biased opinion? Not really. Well, maybe just a little.).
Anyway, after perusing the first floor of the museum, Owain, Lucy and their family and friends headed to the second floor to check out the props and costumes from all the Harry Potter films.
At the museum, there are security officers on both floors, wandering around to make sure no one messes with the props or costumes. There are also docents, retired employees, who volunteer a morning or an afternoon to spend in the museum, answering questions from guests about Warner Bros. The docents are our link to the past, some of them having been at Warner Bros. since the days of Jack Warner.
When one of the docents saw Owain showing his friends and family the Harry Potter exhibit, she became quite concerned.
Approaching one of the security guards, she whispered, “Is he allowed to have a gun in here?”
I guess she’s never seen The Mentalist.
The gun is just a prop, ma'am.
I may be in trouble.
I found a great used bookstore called The Iliad (it used to be next to a video store called The Odyssey). My friend Jenny and I went there the other night. They have a cat that only has one eye (she looks like a pirate), and TONS of books. We only spent an hour there, yet I managed to find 5 books I needed to buy.
Then, when I got home, I had two more books waiting for me that I’d ordered from Amazon.
In my defense, one of the books I bought is for my dad’s birthday.
But the other six? Yep, they’re for me.
The books I bought are:
by David McCullough
by Stephen King
Now I just need some time off from work and all my other responsibilities so I can read them!
What books are you reading?
I’m gonna go ahead and just throw this out there:
I think Leonardo DiCaprio should play Superman.
There, I’ve said it.
In election-speak, Leonardo DiCaprio is my write-in vote. He is a gambler, taking risks and choosing projects that are ambitious and on-the-fence (the kind of movies most people would pooh-pooh as “a nice idea, but not box office money”) and turning them into compelling, must-see films, not to mention worldwide blockbusters (Inception, anyone?). With Zack Snyder on board to direct “Superman: Man of Steel,” DiCaprio could be persuaded to sign on and I’d be first in line to buy tickets to see the result of their collaboration.
Plus, he’s tall, handsome, looks good in a suit and he’s an American boy (I’m looking at you, darling Henry Cavill – much as I love you, I don’t think fans would like a Brit playing their beloved Superman).
So while the folks over at Entertainment Weekly (who, I’m pretty sure, don’t have any actual say in the casting of our next Clark Kent) didn’t mention DiCaprio at all in their recent poll, I’m still hoping for a blue-eyed Superman.
I want this t-shirt.
My boys won! I’m so proud of them! And it’s a good thing I don’t have high blood pressure or anything, because those 15-minute quarters of extra time were crazy intense! I don’t think I sat down the entire time.
And good job, Team Netherlands. Way to make the boys in navy work for it.
So until 2014, viva España!
Why are we more concerned with making truth than finding truth? Does this affect who we are? How can it not?
Sometimes, I wish life were as simple as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And it is, sometimes.
Lately, however, life’s been pretty exhausting. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually, I’m exhausted.
I’m just a simple sinner who received God’s good grace, somehow.
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!
Wow, has it been four years already?
I’m a little overwhelmed right now, as there are sooo many games to watch. Until the competition starts to really heat up and losers are sent home, there’s almost too much going on.
Thank goodness for DVR, eh?
According to Wikipedia.org, the first two World Cup matches took place simultaneously on July 13, 1930, and were won by France and USA, who defeated Mexico 4–1 and Belgium 3–0 respectively. The first goal in World Cup history was scored by Lucien Laurent of France. In the final, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in front of a crowd of 93,000 people in Montevideo, and in doing so became the first nation to win the World Cup.
The World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world; an estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match of the 2006 World Cup held in Germany. 715 million people?? That’s mind- boggling. The current World Cup is being held in South Africa (it started June 11 and will end July 11), and the 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil.
During the 18 tournaments that have been held, seven national teams have won the title. Brazil have won the World Cup a record five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. Italy, the current champions, have won four titles, and Germany are next with three titles. The other former champions are Uruguay, winners of the inaugural tournament, and Argentina, with two titles each, and England and France, with one title each.
I think it’s time for a USA win.
But… I don’t think it’s gonna happen. Let’s face it, soccer (or “football,” as it’s known everywhere else in the world) is not really a priority here in the United States. Baseball is our favorite spring pastime, American football our fall fav, basketball is another spring fav, but soccer? Meh.
Even with the addition of David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy team (yep, L.A. has a professional soccer team), soccer is not a big priority on the DVR list.
There are a bajillion movies about football, basketball, baseball, hockey, running, and even surfing, but only a handful of movies about soccer. I can only think of three, two of which are British films (Bend It Like Beckham and the original Fever Pitch), and the other is a lame Will Ferrell comedy (Kicking and Screaming).
So until we start straightening out our priorities, a USA World Cup win ain’t gonna happen. Not for lack of trying or heart, though. We did tie England last week, after all. (Thank you, Robert Green.)
Next up for USA, 11:30amPST tomorrow against Slovenia. We’re scheduled to kick their butts. I’ll be at Disneyland, so it’ll be up to y’all to keep me updated.
What have you read? I’ve read 50 of these books. This list, by the way, comes to me from Janet Batchler.
#1 Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
#2 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
#3 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
#4 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
#5 From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
#6 Holes by Louis Sachar
#7 The Giver by Lois Lowry
#8 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
#9 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
#10 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
#11 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
#12 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
#13 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
#14 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
#15 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
#16 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
#17 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
#18 Matilda by Roald Dahl
#19 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
#20 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
#21 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
#22 The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
#23 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
#24 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
#25 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
#26 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
#27 A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett
#28 Winnie-the Pooh by A.A. Milne
#29 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland /Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
#30 The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
#31 Half Magic by Edward Eager
#32 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
#33 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
#34 Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
#35 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire JK Rowling
#36 Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
#37 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
#38 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
#39 When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
#40 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
#41 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
#42 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
#43 Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
#44 Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
#45 The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
#46 Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
#47 Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
#48 The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
#49 Frindle by Andrew Clements
#50 Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
#51 The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
#52 The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
#53 Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
#54 The BFG by Roald Dahl
#55 The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
#56 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
#57 Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
#58 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
#59 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
#60 The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
#61 Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
#62 The Secret of the Old Clock (The Nancy Drew mysteries) by Caroline Keene
#63 Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
#64 A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
#65 Ballet Shoes by Noah Streatfeild
#66 Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
#67 Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
#68 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
#69 The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
#70 Betsy Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
#71 A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
#72 My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
#73 My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
#74 The Borrowers by Mary Norton
#75 Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
#76 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
#77 City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
#78 Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
#79 All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
#80 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
#81 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
#82 The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
#83 The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
#84 Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
#85 On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
#86 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
#87 The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg
#88 The High King by Lloyd Alexander
#89 Ramona and her Father by Beverly Cleary
#90 Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
#91 Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
#92 Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
#93 Caddie Woodlawn by C. R. Brink
#94 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
#95 Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
#96 The Witches by Roald Dahl
#97: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
#98 Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
#99 The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
#100 The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Today was a bit surreal. But it was also totally awesome.
Two fun things happened today. Read on, dear reader!
Thing one: My tour this morning was a sing-along tour. Yep, we sang. Well, not all of us sang. But me and some of the older women sang “Sisters” from “White Christmas.” Later on our tour, more people chimed in when we sang “Seventy-six Trombones” as we drove around Midwest (aka River City, Iowa from “The Music Man”).
I’ve always thought life should be a musical, so I’m always singing on tour (much to the amusement of my guests). It was so fun today to actually have people singing with me.
Thing two: The Chancellor of Germay came to Warner Bros. today. She’s quite a remarkable woman, this Angela Merkel. In addition to being the first female Chancellor of Germany, she’s also the second woman to chair the G8 (after Margaret Thatcher from England).
Chancellor Merkel was in Washington for the Nuclear Security Summit. President Barak Obama invited over 40 heads of state and governments to consultations on guarding against unsecured nuclear material. So why exactly is she visiting Los Angeles?
According to the Los Angeles Times, Germany is the fourth-largest source of direct foreign investment in the Los Angeles area, with German-owned and affiliated companies employing nearly 3,000 people. That amounts to about $149 million in wages paid to employees, according to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office.
Her visit to Warner Bros. is just one stop on her 5-day visit to the States. According to Wikipedia, health care reform and problems concerning future energy development have thus far been major issues of her tenure.
I personally have great health benefits, but that’s more a result of my union (yes, I’m union) than anything Warner Bros. is doing. But the environmental stuff? Ah, now there’s where we’re the leaders in the industry.
The Warner Bros. Studios Environmental Initiative is one of the leaders in the entertainment industry. We recycle and reuse EVERYTHING, we’ve installed a solar power system of more than 500 kilowatts (this helps us save about 900 kilowatt hours of energy and $1 million annually), and just last year we completed construction on the first environmentally-efficient soundstage in the industry. And, heck yeah, they gave me a reusable water bottle.
So I can see why Chancellor Merkel would want to visit Warner Bros. We’re the best, anyway.
Just a few more things about this remarkable woman:
Forbes magazine listed her as the most powerful woman in the world from 2006-2009. Chancellor Merkel has also been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 10 April 2000, and Chairwoman of the CDU-CSU (Christian Social Union) parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.
From 2005 to 2009 she led a grand coalition with the Christian Social Union (CSU), its Bavarian sister party, and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), formed after the 2005 federal election on November 22, 2005. In the elections of 27 September 2009, her party, the CDU, obtained the largest share of the votes, and formed a coalition government with the CSU and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Her government was sworn in on October 28, 2009.
Chancellor Merkel is also a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
In 2008, Merkel received the Charlemagne Prize “for her work to reform the European Union”.
And she’s only 55.
Enjoy some pictures from today’s meet-and-greet with the always-dashing Simon Baker, one of the stars of Warner Bros.’s hottest drama The Mentalist.
German Chancellor Merkel meets Australian actor Simon Baker, left, on the back lot of Warner Bros. Studios during her tour of the studio in Los Angeles on Wednesday April 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Buck, Pool)
Simon Baker showing Chancellor Merkel some of the Midwest set. (AP Photo/Paul Buck, Pool)
Chancellor Merkel and Simon Baker (AP Photo/Paul Buck, Pool)
I just got home from seeing “Dr. Zhivago” on the big screen at Warner Bros.
Beautiful film.
If you ever have a chance to see it on the big screen, do it. It’s not a film to be taken lightly, while at home with the distractions of life readily available.
Also, I vow here and now NEVER to see the remake of “Dr. Zhivago” with Keira Knightly.
I don’t understand why Hollywood insists on remaking films (a remake of “Clue,” really?!?) that are so perfect just the way they are.
“Dr. Zhivago” is a masterpiece. Good job, MGM and David Lean.
(P.S. I saw Bryan Cranston today at work. He was in the museum, just looking at all the stuff. He’s got hair, so “Breaking Bad” must be on hiatus.)
I got this from my friend Carey. I thought it was pretty fun. Enjoy!
Sandra Bullock, Ben Stiller, Jeff Bridges
Yep, I watched the show last night. Christa and I watched it later though, starting it around 9:30pm. Which actually was awesome, because we were able to fast forward through all the commercials, some slow speeches, and all Twilight kids.
I loved NPH’s opening song – he’s so awesome and epic (yay, Barney Stinson!) and it was a great way to kick off the night. Alec and Steve were great hosts – funny, but not overly so, and I liked the simplistic stage dressing. It was a classy night that seemed to move along pretty quickly (or maybe that was just me fast-forwarding through the commercials and slow parts).
I realized, however, that I’d only seen a handful of the movies nominated last night – Star Trek, District 9, and Up… and that’s it! I saw some of the movies nominated for sound and art awards (like Harry Potter, Transformers, and Sherlock Holmes), but that’s it.
I think it’s a bit strange that I work in the industry, at the best studio in the world (in my humble opinion) and yet I see very few movies. I don’t like to think that I’ve become a movie snob, but I kinda think I have. It certainly doesn’t help that they do free screenings for us at work about once a month or so (Dr. Zhivago coming up this week!). I don’t know what it is, but I have to really want to see a movie to actually put in the time and money and go see it at the theaters.
The last movie that I saw in theaters was Shutter Island – it was fantastic. Before Shutter Island, the most recent movie I’d seen on the big screen was Sherlock Holmes and I only went to see it because it was my family’s annual Christmas Day movie outing.
Anyway, back to the Oscars. I thought it was a fun show, a good idea to have two such charismatic hosts. And I LOVE that they had co-workers of the acting nominees give a little speech. This happened last year at the ceremony and I feel like it truly honored the nominees (as well as having them onstage at the beginning of the show) for their achievements. And Oprah calling you the new American Cinderella? That’s a great consolation prize.
Entertainment Weekly, my go-to source for all things entertainment, has a fun little article that highlights what happened in the press room. Read the full article here, but my favorite moment comes from Jeff “The Dude” Bridges.
Jeff Bridges, who is more similar to Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski than we may have initially realized, was his usual go-with-the-flow self backstage. However, the Best Actor winner did manage to put together a rather lovely metaphor when asked about his personal key to success. “The first thing that pops into my mind is my wife,” Bridges said. “She holds that kite string. She lets me go way out there, and then it’s so sweet being reeled back in. I love coming home.”
Wow. Where’s the man who’ll hold my kite string? Jeff Bridges, by the way, has been married to his wife for 32 years. It’s possible, Hollywood. If “The Dude” can choose wisely and make it last, so can you. I’m just sayin’…
So another Oscar season is down and done. I wonder what movies from 2010 will be nominated at next year’s ceremony. I nominate the always-captivating and amazing Leonardo DiCaprio for Shutter Island.
I know we’re only three months in, but have you seen any Oscar-worthy films or performances this year?
I try to keep this blog professional (-ish), fun, and entertaining. I try not to spread the geek on too thick, but it happens sometimes.
Like tonight.
I met Wil Wheaton today.
He was on the lot again to tape an episode of the funniest comedy on TV (The Big Bang Theory) and I ran into him (and Bill) outside the commissary while on a dinner break. Bill and I are old acquaintances, so we fell into easy conversation, with Wil interjecting every once in a while (I agree, Wil, Tim Burton’s Pee Wee’s Big Adventure is a classic).
It wasn’t a long conversation, I didn’t even properly introduce myself to him (hi, Wil, I’m Emily!), but in those few short minutes, I learned a lot about him.
He’s very sweet: he was on a well-deserved break after 5 days of rehearsals and was about to perform live in front of an audience full of die-hard fans, but he took the time to just chill and chat with Bill and I. No rush to get back to stage, no impatience, he seemed very content just to hang out for a bit.
He’s a super fan: he was following Bill around like a puppy. Wil has proudly proclaimed his love for The Big Bang Theory on his blog, and I’m sure he’ll continue to do so for as long as the show is on TV and probably even after that. Wil is a BBT geek. He was also, I’m pretty sure but my memory could be fuzzy, wearing some shirt that had something to do with sci-fi, computers, or science. I could be totally wrong, but I do remember that his knapsack thingy had an old-school seatbelt buckle. He looked like a college student who was on the lot to shadow one of his favorite producers of his favorite show.
He’s cute: Yes, the man is, according to IMDb, 37 years old, but without the beard, he’d look like he was only 12. It’s strange for me to think that Wesley Crusher, the heartthrob of my youth, is all grown up, is a husband and a father, is playing evil incarnations of himself, but it’s all true. He’s still handsome!
He’s a great writer: I already knew this just from reading his blog, but hearing him speak only confirms that he’s smart, reads a lot, and is a great writer. I’d love to just grab a cup of coffee with Wil and pick his brain about writing. Mostly, I’d ask him how he tricks himself into just starting (that’s my big problem).
In conclusion, Wil Wheaton is everything I’d hoped he would be.
Wil, if you’re reading this, I’m in the Eagle Rock area every weekend – let’s grab coffee sometime!
Well.
Where to begin.
Last week was a crazy week. Some major changes started happening at work (I don’t want to go into it here, but if you want to know, email me!), so it was nice to have two days off from work.
Wednesday:
Lunch at the Disney lot with my friend Heather was really fun. I actually spent about an hour and a half there. We accidentally walked through filming of a scene of Brothers & Sisters (look for me!) and accidentally walked into a screening of Tim Burton‘s Alice in Wonderland. We also ate at the commissary – always fun to eat good food with good friends. And then, my favorite part, she took me the Lost writers’ office!! It was magical.
After lunch, my aunt Lauri and uncle Dave from San Jose met me at Warner Brothers and we spent the afternoon poking around at Gilmore Girls and Chuck sets. They’re big fans of both shows, so it was fun.
The highlight of the day though was getting great seats to a taping of The Big Bang Theory that night. A friend of mine (he’s awesome and shall remain nameless) got us seats to the show and we spent four hours busting our guts. It was seriously one of the funniest episodes of television I’ve seen in a long time. I love this show!
Thursday was work again – bleh – but then I had Friday off! Spent the day doing a lot of chores and errands, which wasn’t as fun. But at least it meant that my weekend was truly my weekend.
I had a great weekend with friends and family and Marvin (my new/used MacBook Pro).
This week has already flown by – turns out days spent working and nights spent with good friends makes for a quick week.
Tomorrow is Friday and I have plans to hang out with a friend until the wee hours of the morning, Saturday morning will find me running around the Rose Bowl, Saturday night I’ll be with my kids, and Sunday I’ll be running at Lake Balboa in the morning and church in the evening!
Whew!
What are y’all up to this weekend?
