2014 Golden Globes. . . Let's Discuss

Matt Damon will never
be a "garbage collector"
to me. 

I hadn't really been a big awards show fan until I moved to somewhere were traffic, business and viewing schedules revolved around them. Now, I watch. I especially like the Golden Globes because it just looks like more fun. It's TV and Movies and really there isn't an uninteresting category all night. Plus they got Tina and Amy to host twice now, so I'm totally down.

Here are my initial thoughts on last night's show:

• Opening monologue was a little disappointing but the George Clooney zinger had me laughing pretty damn hard.
• Jacqueline Bisset was probably drunk and altogether unprepared for her train wreck of a speech. Sorry folks, rambling is not endearing. And she only got away with it because it was the beginning of the show. I could've probably forgiven the speech if I wasn't so pissed that she just rolled out of bed with that hair. Even a pony tail would've looked better. Just sayin'.
• Can we please have a lifetime achievement award go to someone who isn't a child molester, accused or convicted sex offender or has some kind of violence against women in his background? Are there any of those left in Hollywood to honor? I'm not a big Woody Allen or Roman Polanski fan, but it would be nice to perhaps save the accolades for a less public venue. To be honest, I felt the same way when Ray Lewis did ANYTHING in front of a camera, including playing and his current stint on ESPN.
• P. Diddy, please shut up. You can have them call you "Sean Combs" but everyone remembers that you have a ridiculous name you insist on calling yourself and no one cares about your St. Bart's vacay. 
• The guy who won for best original score had a better hairdo than Jacqueline Bisset.
• Matthew McConaughey seems like he spent his entire life  preparing for his role as David Wooderson, even though Dazed and Confused was 21 years ago. (Don't you feel old now?)
• I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

What did you think? Insert your own snarky comment in the comments section.

Because I love to watch Matt Damon in Anything. . .

In honor of the new Matt Damon movie, Elysium, coming out this week, please enjoy this video of him dancing with Stephen Colbert to "Get Lucky." Oh and there are a bunch of other people too. But there's 8 whole seconds of Matt Damon, so it's totally worth the 5 minutes.

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Almost as good as meeting real celebrities. Okay, Maybe not

Chef decided a few weeks back that he wanted to us to venture to Madame Tussaud's and see some waxy celebrities. So today, we took a trip down to Hollywood & Highland and had fun hanging with the faux celebrities. The only thing I was disappointed about (aside from the fact that they have Jennifer Aniston looking at Brangelina from across the room) was that there was no Matt Damon.

My right leg is tone enough to launch a twitter account, too.

Looking down Hollywood Boulevard.

Can you guess who this is? Hint: He looks slightly better  as a vampire.

Classic Marilyn

Love her in wax or on celluloid

Apparently I was trying to look like a wax figure myself with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Okay, I was so creeped out by Hannibal Lecter that I didn't get too close. That's Chef in his face.

Me and Forrest. He didn't share his chocolates.

Took this one with Rocky for my Rocky. 

He's got the red shirt on, so it must be Sunday. 

This is me letting Kobe know that my backdoor is definitely a foul. 

Down Hollywood Boulevard just a few minutes later.

I love Meryl Streep. Even in wax she's gorgeous and way more talented than the other wax figures.

Creepy. Funny. Still Adorable.

Chef sent me the picture below and it cracked me up. He had planned on printing it out to have it look at me while I was on our toilet at home (perhaps under the toilet seat). He might've been hoping to help deter my love of Matt Damon. More likely he was trying to crack me up. Either way, it cracked me up but I still love Matt Damon (just not nearly as much as Chef).

Frivolous PR

To be honest, I would totally do PR for him no matter what.

Back when I was just starting out in my career, I was frankly against PR jobs. Let me rephrase that: Back BEFORE I had a career, I was against PR jobs. Mostly I thought that PR was just a way to control the media. Then again I was determined to be a part of the media until I learned that I could make more money working retail part time than in full time starting off writing positions at newspapers (which by the way were scarce jobs even back then). So my buying into a book I had in college called Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies, and the Public Relations Industry met directly with my need to eat. Eating won.

After a brief stint with a HUGE multinational company that made me feeling icky, I decided that I would only do PR for the "betterment of mankind" or that was so ridiculous that no one could take it seriously. I thought at the time that that left me with non-profit, sports or entertainment. Seeing that I lived in Middle America, didn't have the balls at the time to move and there were only 3 professional sports teams within a 3 hour drive, I chose non-profit. And it worked out well. Hopefully for all parties involved.

Lately, I've been rethinking my stance. Clearly I do PR still and it's not for a place related to the three things I list above, but I actually like my job. I realize there are companies that pitch ridiculously false things to the media but honestly for the most part the media have a pretty good BS meter, so even the best written press release on a story with no substance won't get significant play. However, a poorly written release on a great material can kill a company--which is why companies and journalists to some extent need PR. But that's beside the point. I thought since now I'm doing different PR could I do PR for a sports team or celebrity? Not tactically, but PR is PR. If you can do it well, it's a pretty transferable skill. The level of aggressiveness changes with industry, but that's about it.

The question is now whether I'd want to do what I thought of as "frivilous PR" and now I think the answer is no. Mostly because I don't think people in the entertainment and sports fields think of it as frivolous. And I agree on one hand: those industries are BIG money so the PR is at a higher importance. But when I say "frivolous PR" I mean that the person receiving the information does not see it as essential in their daily lives. And that's where things seemed to have changed. I've seriously met people who view US Weekly as their own personal devotional books. People who can't name the current president, but can tell me the past 6 winners of Dancing With The Stars. . . in order of their receiving the disco ball trophy.

Maybe nothing at all has changed that much except my perception. But that's all I got.

Movies I Can't Wait to See

Being in LA (or New York too, actually), one thing you see a ton of is movie posters. They're on billboards, plastered on construction sites, bus stops, and buses themselves. They are EVERYWHERE. And they start about 2 months before the actual movie comes out, so by the time the TV ads kick in, you feel like you've seen the movie almost.

My PR theory on why this is done is that the majority of those people who make movies or act in them live in NYC or LA. If you want to make someone think the movie is being promoted heavily everywhere, promote heavily where they are. They'll never know that there's not one damn billboard in Nashville for The Cape or not an out-of-home campaign running in Indiana for Drop Dead Diva.

That being said. There are several movies coming out that I'm itching to see. Here they are:

• Moneyball (Brad Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and baseball? WINNER!)
• The Ides of March (It's a movie about a press secretary that messes up. Love the idea. Did I mention Ryan Gosling is that press secretary?)
• Twilight: Breaking Dawn (no judgement people. My only hope is that Kristen Stewart is mute for most of it)
• We Bought a Zoo (interesting premise and Matt Damon) 

I'm sure more will pop up as the (brace for it) holiday movie season gets hopping. 

Damn you, Matt Damon

I still heart Matt Damon. Even more than a decade after my borderline psychotic passion of him, I still have a special place in my heart for him. I'm not nearly as psychotic. I don't insist on going to all of his movies on the day they open, or even going to all of his movies (there were a few that I think I was the only one there for-- All the Pretty Horses, anyone?). With the exception of some voiceover work, I've seen all his movies and most of his TV appearances.

Last night I watched The Adjustment Bureau. And for the first time I cursed Matt Damon a little in my head. It was kinda billed as The Matrix meets Last of the Mohicans or at least that was my take on the marketing campaign. The fact that the movie went from billboards to movie shelf so quickly should've told me something (and honestly it did), but I'm still a sucker.

There are more holes in this weird ass plot line than in Roger Clemen's grand jury testimony. I don't really believe the chemistry between his character and Emily Blunt's. For the record, I also don't believe in her chemistry with John Krasinski, but that could just be me. It's just kind of a boring mess of a movie. I wouldn't waste your time. Even if you are currently in the throws of a Matt Damon obsession. Just watch Good Will Hunting again. Or his stint on 30 Rock (thank you AGAIN, Tina Fey).

He's Still Cute, even in a Fringe Jacket

Last night Chef and I went to the movies last night to see "True Grit." We had originally planned to see it on Christmas, but laziness got the best of us (laziness and mimosas and roast turkey and pumpkin pie to be honest). So we went last night. It was our first LA theater-going experience and my first case of sticker shock. It cost us $12.75 to see a movie here. That's the FIRST time that I was a little perturbed at a price. But I got over it for Matt Damon.

I have long since broken my streak of seeing every Matt Damon movie on the weekend it comes out, and even broke my streak of seeing every Matt Damon movie in the theater. However, it does go to show that if I'm going to pay to see something on a movie screen that is frankly on a little bigger than our gaudy large TV at home, then my dollars still vote for the big Matt Damon. It is a crush that started more than a decade ago, reached some pretty embarrassingly high (or low depending on the perspective) levels of addiction and has since mellowed to a manageable amount of adoration. But I have to say that the Matt Damon horse was a pretty good one to pick. He's stood up pretty well over time and has only seemed more normal with age. Two things I look for in a Hollywood crush.

We laid out the bucks to see "True Grit" and the movie was pretty good. And Matt Damon still looked good with weird hair, a long ass moustache and fringe leather jacket. Not too shabby. The only odd thing was the man sitting next to me. No, not Chef. There was a guy sporting a leather man-purse ("There's skittles in there!"-name that movie), a bag of popcorn and a drink. He was alone and got up twice to get the free refills (on a side note, I love that this theater has the fountain drink stations that allow you to serve yourself. I mean, nothing holds up a line longer than filling up the large jug of Coke Zero that I require to sit still for 2 hours). All of that--not so weird. He just had an odd look about him and it made me lean myself towards Chef a little more than normal.

And halfway through the movie, I knew my suspicions were true when the chick on the OTHER side of the guy (he was there by himself) said in a normal voice "Quit touching me and trying to touch me!" and then moved to sit in the empty seat on the other side of her friend. The guy then got up and left the theater. I was thankful that the woman sat with another woman. I think if it had been a man with her, there might've been a fight. And that would've interrupted my Matt Damon viewing, which in the scheme of things, is way more important than some potential sexual assault. (You know, I'm kidding).

So bottom lines:

True Grit-worth the price.

Creepy guy sits next to you in the theater: hope there's a single woman on the other side of you to take the brunt of the creepiness.

It Doesn't Really Feel Like Christmas

First of all, let me say that I'm not complaining about weather. I mean, one of the reasons we moved here was to have some nice weather. However, when it's December 17th and there are palm trees around, it seems weird to think that in a week it'll be Christmas and it's rainy and 60 degrees out. There's no chance of a white Christmas, and I'm okay with that.

It's just the lack of acknowledgement that it is Christmas time. I knew this one was going to be a weird one anyway. It's my first Christmas in California and my first Christmas in my life that I won't be with my family. Well, not all of my family. I would be remiss if I didn't recognize that Chef is my family too. A very important part of it.

But anyway, aside from the crowds in shopping complexes and some decorations around retail outlets, it's not a very spirited place right now. Some decorations on houses, but that's about it. No snow or cold chill or mistletoe or office parties. And it's not like Chef and I are tearing up the decorating spirit either. I have my IU Santa out, but we've never had a tree or many decorations. There's just no place to put them and I'm sure the kitties would tear up a tree.

So, no Christmas spirit yet. We've already planned to go to Ruth's Chris (our place of celebration) on Christmas Eve and to see a Matt Damon movie (which is a western, so really the best of both worlds for satisfying the two of us) on Christmas. Hopefully that will be enough to get us in the spirit. If not, there's always next year. . .

Mad For Mad Men

When we last left them, the group from the former Sterling Cooper were starting their own ad agency. And Betty was leaving. And Don was having his secrets unravel. It's the perfect beginning for a new season. Now the question is going to be...when will the new season start? Not literally when. That's easy. AMC has been hyping tonight since Breaking Bad ended its season.

But when in history? Remember how they messed us all up by coming in mid-Kennedy administration and then assasination was near the end of this season after the end of the previous season highlighted the campaign and debates? The great thing about Mad Men is the antiquated way it showcases the workplace. Women as secretaries who are naive to the ways of the world. Only unmarried girls who actually worked. Drinking during a meeting. Smoking indoors. It's a throwback to a time that seems so foreign to the modern work environment. It also makes me wonder what the future will think of how we work now.

The other great thing about Mad Men, of course, is the fashion. It makes me want to break out my pencil skirts (or buy some) and flaunt my curves. The show's costume designer is launching her own line on QVC. I LOVE it. Hope I think about it and actually go back in September to check it out. I'm not a big QVC watcher (despite my heritage--Mom was a HUGE fan), but there's always the web site.

Anyway, here's hoping that tonight's premiere continues in the pattern of the show that we know and love. At the very least, I'd like to see Jon Hamm continue his career for a while and since they gave him hook hands on 30 Rock, my dream of him being Liz Lemon's husband is out of the question. However, she did take my superior dream of having Matt Damon as a boyfriend and make that real.

I love TV. Maybe too much.

Two Things that Made Today Weird

1) For some reason the eyeliner I used decided today would be the day that it would smudge under my eye. This not only made me look creepy but also gave me the appearance of a fighter with a black eye for a good part of the morning until I went to the bathroom. All in all. Not a good look for me.

2) I was on my way to Lowe's to buy some rope (different story, different day) when I was behind a bright yellow Toyota FJ Cruiser that bore a Twilight sticker and a personalized Tennessee license plate with the word "Cullen." For those of you not in the know, or not caring, that is the name of the main vampier character family in the Twilight books.

I have been known to be a super fan of things (Anne, you don't need to mention Matt Damon, as I can "out" myself of being completely obsessed with him during my college years. And yes, I did go to two Backstreet Boys concerts --in my defense on that one, the beer lines were WAY short at those concerts.) That being said, I draw the line at having a personalized license plate or, as a separate matter, airburshing of any type. I also will not give naming rights to my children to a fictual character unless it's something cool and enduring like Scout.

Am I wrong?