In Entertainment News . . .
Dude, Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney got married yesterday! I’m flab-ber-gasted. Seriously. Normally, I don’t get all caught up in who’s boffing who in celebrity-dom, but I have to admit that floored me for a second or two. Tom and Katie, don’t care. Brad and Angelina, boooorrrrrring. But for some reason, Kenny and Renee made me smile. I’m happy for them. And I’m not even that big a fan of either celeb. She’s a’ight, and if I hear his dumb ass song about the blue chair again, I think I might scream. But still, with the happy.
For all the theater geeks who care, Tony Award nominations came out today. And Spamalot got the most noms with 14! That’s not the highest ever though. That honor goes to The Producers with 16 noms in 2002. But at least 6 actors from the show were nominated in various categories including Hank Azaria, Sara Ramirez, and Tim Curry. But alas, no David Hyde Pierce. Which sucks like some great sucking thing that sucks. I adore DHP. Even though I did fall asleep and completely missed him on Tony Danza’s talk show last night. But dude, it comes on at 2 a.m. I can only do so much.
I’m looking forward to that whole week in June now.
So, if you don’t hear from me that week in June, you’ll know why.
I watched 3 of the 4 DVDs that I rented for my hair appointment. Two, I watched while taking my braids down, and the other, I watched while Linda was braiding my hair on Friday evening.
Flight of the Phoenix was a little nerve-wracking in the whole “sitting-on-edge-of-your-seat” kind of way. I felt kinda tired after viewing it, but then again, I had been sitting in my hairdresser’s chair for about 4 hours by then. I enjoyed it, even though Giovanni Ribisi and Hugh Laurie were the main reason I wanted to see it. Now, I am kinda curious to see what the original film was like and do a little comparison.
I also watched Calendar Girls. I thought it was cute. This is one of the few films I’ve seen with Julie Walters, but I’ve seen a number with Helen Mirren. She was a trip in this movie. She almost reminded me of Maggie Smith, in that way that Maggie, in full comedic mode, raises all films to a higher standing.
My favorite film of all the ones I rented was Friday Night Lights. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see this movie when it came out last fall. My interest was slightly piqued, but other than the fact that Christian Kane was in it, it never made it to my must-see list. But it’s the only DVD of the ones I rented where I’ve watched all of the extras including the director’s commentary. The story just pulled me in from jump, and the actors’ performances where equally stirring especially Lucas Black and Derek Luke. The only thing I’ve seen Derek Luke in was Biker Boyz. I know he was Antwone Fisher, but I never got around to seeing that. Now I see what everyone was talking about. He has very little experience in front of the camera, but that boy’s got skills. And how much do I adore Lucas Black’s accent? I’ve always loved rich accents from the Deep South. I’m glad he’s chosen not to cover it up for his acting career. He has a dialect that thousands of actors have tried to mimic at one time or another. His decision to maintain it is not only an asset to his resume, but to his character.
My favorite scene in FNL was CK’s scene near the beginning when he asks Winchell for a picture with his baby daughter. Buzz Bissinger, the book’s author, got a kick out of Chris’s performance. He mentioned him on the commentary and said that Chris was “So Odessa!”. I think Buzz felt that CK hit the nail on the head playing a former Permian football player.
Another of my favorite scenes was during the Dallas-Carter game near the end, Ivory Christian, who was known for being very laconic, went ballistic in the half-time locker room. Ha! He was killing me with the way he was yelling at the rest of the players. Dude, when the quiet guy starts shouting at the top of his lungs, then you know something’s wrong.
Even though I’m not from the South, I definitely understood where the story was coming from. Indianapolis is a large city, but that “sports championships = profound glory” mentality is very prevalent in Midwestern culture as well. I grew up with the basketball hoopla ringing in my ears every March, and I wasn’t even an athlete. I can’t pitch, shoot or throw a ball further than my arm, but I get it. And I can’t even imagine how intense that pressure must be if you’re from a small town that doesn’t have anything else going for it than high school sports. It’s sad what they do to those boys and girls, but it’s true. I’m glad this story made it to the big screen. I highly recommend it.
So, as not to end on a down note, I would like to share with all those who don’t know (or care) that today is Fred Astaire’s birthday. He was born today in Omaha, Nebraska back in 1899. Granted, he passed away in 1987, but “the memory still lingers on”. Happy Birthday, Freddy!!!
For all the theater geeks who care, Tony Award nominations came out today. And Spamalot got the most noms with 14! That’s not the highest ever though. That honor goes to The Producers with 16 noms in 2002. But at least 6 actors from the show were nominated in various categories including Hank Azaria, Sara Ramirez, and Tim Curry. But alas, no David Hyde Pierce. Which sucks like some great sucking thing that sucks. I adore DHP. Even though I did fall asleep and completely missed him on Tony Danza’s talk show last night. But dude, it comes on at 2 a.m. I can only do so much.
I’m looking forward to that whole week in June now.
-
Sunday, June 5th - Tony Awards broadcast on CBS (hosted by my baby) -
Thursday, June 9th - Steve Carlson Band album release party -
Saturday, June 11th - Volunteering at the LA Pride Parade and Festival in WeHo
So, if you don’t hear from me that week in June, you’ll know why.
I watched 3 of the 4 DVDs that I rented for my hair appointment. Two, I watched while taking my braids down, and the other, I watched while Linda was braiding my hair on Friday evening.
Flight of the Phoenix was a little nerve-wracking in the whole “sitting-on-edge-of-your-seat” kind of way. I felt kinda tired after viewing it, but then again, I had been sitting in my hairdresser’s chair for about 4 hours by then. I enjoyed it, even though Giovanni Ribisi and Hugh Laurie were the main reason I wanted to see it. Now, I am kinda curious to see what the original film was like and do a little comparison.
I also watched Calendar Girls. I thought it was cute. This is one of the few films I’ve seen with Julie Walters, but I’ve seen a number with Helen Mirren. She was a trip in this movie. She almost reminded me of Maggie Smith, in that way that Maggie, in full comedic mode, raises all films to a higher standing.
My favorite film of all the ones I rented was Friday Night Lights. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see this movie when it came out last fall. My interest was slightly piqued, but other than the fact that Christian Kane was in it, it never made it to my must-see list. But it’s the only DVD of the ones I rented where I’ve watched all of the extras including the director’s commentary. The story just pulled me in from jump, and the actors’ performances where equally stirring especially Lucas Black and Derek Luke. The only thing I’ve seen Derek Luke in was Biker Boyz. I know he was Antwone Fisher, but I never got around to seeing that. Now I see what everyone was talking about. He has very little experience in front of the camera, but that boy’s got skills. And how much do I adore Lucas Black’s accent? I’ve always loved rich accents from the Deep South. I’m glad he’s chosen not to cover it up for his acting career. He has a dialect that thousands of actors have tried to mimic at one time or another. His decision to maintain it is not only an asset to his resume, but to his character.
My favorite scene in FNL was CK’s scene near the beginning when he asks Winchell for a picture with his baby daughter. Buzz Bissinger, the book’s author, got a kick out of Chris’s performance. He mentioned him on the commentary and said that Chris was “So Odessa!”. I think Buzz felt that CK hit the nail on the head playing a former Permian football player.
Another of my favorite scenes was during the Dallas-Carter game near the end, Ivory Christian, who was known for being very laconic, went ballistic in the half-time locker room. Ha! He was killing me with the way he was yelling at the rest of the players. Dude, when the quiet guy starts shouting at the top of his lungs, then you know something’s wrong.
Even though I’m not from the South, I definitely understood where the story was coming from. Indianapolis is a large city, but that “sports championships = profound glory” mentality is very prevalent in Midwestern culture as well. I grew up with the basketball hoopla ringing in my ears every March, and I wasn’t even an athlete. I can’t pitch, shoot or throw a ball further than my arm, but I get it. And I can’t even imagine how intense that pressure must be if you’re from a small town that doesn’t have anything else going for it than high school sports. It’s sad what they do to those boys and girls, but it’s true. I’m glad this story made it to the big screen. I highly recommend it.
So, as not to end on a down note, I would like to share with all those who don’t know (or care) that today is Fred Astaire’s birthday. He was born today in Omaha, Nebraska back in 1899. Granted, he passed away in 1987, but “the memory still lingers on”. Happy Birthday, Freddy!!!