Gillian Anderson, the actress who is best known for her role in the TV franchise The X-Files (it’s now a comic book series) as Special Agent Dana Scully, attended the London premier of her new film How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. She is currently eight months pregnant with her third child. Shown in the picture below is Gillian with her partner, Mark Griffiths.
I want to be organized. How exactly does one do that? Is it part of your DNA blueprint if you’re a neat freak or if you slovenly go your way around? Yeah, that’s one stupid question, be it literal or figurative. I am just frustrated, I guess. I have these goals and I’m either too lazy or too brain-dead to accomplish them. It’s never been my style to use those colorful post-its or those refrigerator magnets to set myself daily to-do things. But I’m thinking about changing my style if not doing so means I’m going nowhere. I feel like a chunk of lard stuck in a bottle’s mouth. Welcoming change only means taking the heat, and I’m too much of a coward for that. There’s got to be something worth straightening my life’s path for. I know what you’d say, “Get a life!” I think I just might.
In the U.S., it’s fall season TV. This side of the world, it’s download time! From someone who used to not have any idea what’s the difference between an RJ65 cable and a Cat5e Keystone jack, much more what the heck those alien-sounding things are for, I’ve made use of Internet networking in ways I can only imagine before.
Gossip Girl season 2 is on it’s 3rd episode already, while season 5 of House started last September 16. Heroes Volume 3 started yesterday and there’s a really huge revelation by the end of the 2-hour season premier. You have to watch it for yourself. Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy will both premier their new episodes on September 25. Desperate Housewives will start on September 28, Chuck on September 29, Pushing Daisies and Private Practice on October 1, and 30 Rock on October 30.
Whew! That’s quite a lot! And those are just shows I follow or have a passing interest in. Now, pass me some popcorn!
Tina Fey reportedly lost her purse during the recently concluded 60th Annual Emmy Awards, but forget about it - she scored big in the awards department, winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing For a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Comedy Series. She is the creator, executive producer, and lead actress of 30 Rock.
Alec Baldwin also won the Outstanding Lead Actor (Comedy) category for 30 Rock and he paid tribute to Tina Fey during his speech. Ms. Fey, on the other hand, thanked her parents for “somehow raising me to have confidence which is disproportionate with my looks and abilities. Well done! That is what all parents should do.”
If you’ll dig the archives of this humble blog, you’ll find that 30 Rock is my favorite comedy show on TV today. I can’t wait for season 3! Among the confirmed guests this upcoming season are Jennifer Aniston and Oprah Winfrey.
Last week, I bought this trial pack of an herbal tea product. It didn’t taste good; in fact, it was quite awful but it did made my stomach feel lighter and I don’t know if it was just a psychological effect, but I did feel good after using the product. I was trying to find something to substitute for coffee. I must admit that I tend to be easily persuaded into trying health drinks – as long as they promise to be natural and safe. I would probably even shell out more that what I should for some food supplements that are supposed to be good antioxidants and that promote increased energy levels. I haven’t tried many, though, and I’m not sure if there is one product that truly lives up to its “testimonials.” I’ve read about this new brand of product - what is called the orovo detox. It claims to be using 10 “Super Foods” or 10 natural extracts that are known to promote optimal health. I must say it looks promising. But I’ll try to find first what other people are saying.
I love pearls; they’re just so pretty! I like that can exude elegance as well as simplicity and purity. I don’t have many occasions to use as an excuse to buy several pearl accessories but I am very fond of pearl earrings.
Quite frankly, I buy the cheap ones you can find at the mall. That way, I can have them in different sizes and color without the guilt. But there’s nothing like the real thing. Big, small, round, oval, Akoya, Tahitians or freshwater, whatever kind you prefer, pearls are just a beauty to behold. I found this site that sells a wide variety of pearls, from necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and others. Just looking at the pictures of pearls, from the gorgeous pearl necklace at the homepage to several pieces of pink and white earrings, makes me want to purchase anything right away. The prices range from $15 to up to $5000, depending on product and grade. The thing I like most about the site is the big selection it offers. Every kind of jewelry is accompanied by beautiful pictures that would make your mouth water. I don’t think I have seen anything close to those Tahitian pearls they have. (Tahitian black pearls are valued highly because of their rarity.) I’ll be happy to get my hands on some of the freshwater pearls in their selection.
My most-recent-favorite film, My Fair Lady (1964), is going to have a bigscreen makeover.
Variety reports that Columbia Pictures is set to revive the film, to be produced by Duncan Kenworthy (Love Actually, Notting Hill) and Cameron Mackintosh (Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, among others). With such able hands streering this project, I couldn’t be more excited!
Keira Knightley reportedly auditioned for the part of Eliza Doolittle but is yet to be confirmed for the role. I think she looks the part; we’ll see if she can do the singing.
Another buzz circulating is that Emma Thompson will write the screenplay.
No wonder I’ve been singing this song the whole day yesterday:
All I want is a room somewhere,
Far away from the cold night air.
With one enormous chair,
Aow, wouldn’t it be loverly?
Lots of choc’lates for me to eat,
Lots of coal makin’ lots of ‘eat.
Warm face, warm ‘ands, warm feet,
Aow, wouldn’t it be loverly?
Aow, so loverly sittin’ abso-bloomin’-lutely still.
I would never budge ’till spring
Crept over me windowsill.
Someone’s ‘ead restin’ on my knee,
Warm an’ tender as ‘e can be. ‘ho takes good care of me,
Aow, wouldn’t it be loverly?
Loverly, loverly, loverly, loverly
Sometimes I can get so incredibly … stupid.
I’m not really someone who easily remembers faces. I do make an effort, though. There’s this girl at our badminton group, someone older than me and seems to be of a much distinguished position at the office, who I always mistake for somebody else. When I see each of the two ladies at the office cafeteria, I take notes to remind myself that they don’t really resemble each other much – same hair, same eyes, same built but different height, different aura.
Here’s the kicker - one time, I beamed at one of them and with my best cheerful tone, asked, “Hi, Ma’am, how are you?” Wrong person. I can safely say she doesn’t have a bleepin’ clue who I am. Then, just yesterday, while I was waiting for the shuttle outside the lobby, the other lady came out the door and was eyeing me; I looked away, thinking that she was the one I encountered weeks before. Guess what, she’s my badminton buddy and I deliberately snubbed her! I didn’t have anything with me to cover my face in embarrassment but I’m pretty sure I turned red right then and there. I bowed a little to hide my face and inspected my watch for having nothing else to do. If only I have one of those talking watches, it possibly would’ve said “It’s three o’clock, moron!”
Bad news: RENT recently closed on Broadway after 12 years.
Good news: The last performance was filmed and will be shown in movie houses this September.
Bad news: Screening will only be in U.S. cities.
Good news: I still have my VCD copy of the 2005 movie starring the original Broadway cast.
Today 4 U; tomorrow 4 me! Someday, I’ll be able to watch that, too.
In reference to my last post, I just discovered that the singer who dubbed Natalie Wood’s singing voice in West Side Story is the same singer who dubbed Audrey Hepburn’s singing voice in My Fair Lady. A quick Wiki research will reveal that Marni Nixon is the singing voice behind many very well known Hollywood movies such as An Affair to Remember (for Deborah Kerr), Joan of Arc (for Ingrid Bergman), Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s The King & I (for Deborah Kerr), and others, in addition to the two movies mentioned earlier.
Ah, I love My Fair Lady - The story of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney (working class Londoner) flower girl who took speech lessons from Professor Henry Higgins so that she can pass as a lady. I’m just rediscovering Audrey Hepburn (and Julie Andrews, for that matter). I found several treasures at YouTube showing the clips of the real singing voice of Hepburn and some other original renditions by Andrews and they were all marvelous in their own individual way.
I have recently watched the original TV production of Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Julie Andrews and was pleasantly surprised to realize that the recent Manila production (starring Lea Salonga) didn’t deviate much from the material. Lea’s Cinderella is just a little bit more spunky compared with Julie’s prim and proper lady but I love both versions.
I think I want to rewatch The Sound of Music next.
