OK, That Was Cool

We just got hail the size of peas in San Francisco. Now, I realize hail can get a lot bigger than that in other parts of the world, like the size of canned hams and such. But for San Francisco, pea-sized hail is pretty big. And what was cool about it was I heard it coming. There was a lot of thunder, and some lightning, and then I heard this distant...thrashing sound. And it slowly got louder, like something was getting closer. And then it got to my neighborhood and it sounded like a dumptruck in the sky had just unloaded a billion pebbles on my roof.

Scary. But awesome.

Locality, AKA Another Survivor Recap

This week's SFist Watches post is now up!

OK. Time for bed!

Live Blogging My Post-Oscars Blog

Yeah, I couldn't be bothered to live blog the thing. I failed miserably in my predictions, and found a lot of it duller than usual. I hated that they waited so long before giving us an award category that was actually exciting--almost an hour and a half! (Art Direction first? Really? Followed by something about the Technical Awards? Way to get people amped for the evening!) What happened to giving out Best Supporting Actress early in the night?

There weren't any speeches that made me cry, and only a few laugh-out-loud moments (loved Will Ferrell and Jack Black). Of course I am thrilled that Scorsese and "The Departed" won, although it's obvious it was given to him to make up for years of slubs. It's not his best movie--although it was better than "The Aviator," which he didn't win for two years ago.

Ellen was fine. Just...fine. Those weird dancers that turned into guns and penguins were just so...random. And I thought it was just mean not to include Anna Nicole Smith in the salute to the dearly departed (AKA the Dead Applause-O-Meter, which was won by Robert Altman this year). Were they afraid people would laugh or something?

Who You Calling "Rich Girl"?

This week's "I'm From Rolling Stone" recap is now up on the SFGate Culture Blog! Six down, three to go...I think.

I Know He's Dead, But Is Swifty Lazar Still Throwing Oscar Parties?

So, the Oscars are, of course, this Sunday. I think our menu is set:

The Queen's Crown Royal Manhattans

Mussels From Iwo Jima

Little Miss Sunshine Potato Salad

The Departed Lobster Rolls

A Tower of Babel Dessert ("Babel" was the hardest to find a food for.)

I would post my predictions here, but I really tend to wait until the very last minute to make those predictions. I usually do pretty good, but this year's a little tough as far as Best Picture goes. Of course I'm rooting for "The Departed," but I have a fear that "Little Miss Sunshine" will get it, and I really thought that movie was mediocre at best. Of course, mediocre movies tend to win Best Picture, so it shouldn't come as any surprise if it does. It still irks me, though.

I haven't decided if I'll live blog the event or not. It might depend on if I can get a wifi connection or not. But don't doubt that I will be there for every minute of the 16 hour broadcast!

What's the Chinese Character for "Meh"?

After last week's episode of "Lost," which was kind of fun and intriguing, we are back to another damned Jack flashback. I don't want any more Jack flashbacks unless they involve him fighting dragons or revealing he was once a woman. Shit is played, yo.

How can anyone cast Bai Ling in anything resembling a serious role anymore? Perhaps it was a budgeting decision as it's obvious she brought her own wardrobe to the set.

Finally, I wouldn't fuck with sheriff Isabel, Jack. She had a tough mother, and if I know one thing about her, it is this: She is not. One of your FANS!

Happy Mardi Gras!

I've had a killer headache since about 8pm last night, so my Mardi Gras celebrations will be limited to eating some of my Mom's gumbo tonight. Mmmmmmm.

Here's this week's SFist reality locals post.

Royal Weekend

It's Presidents' Day weekend, so of course I spent it watching movies about monarchies.

My first foray into the royal world was Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette," which I loved. Now, I can totally understand the criticism waged against the film: it's a trifle; it's an awkward attempt to make an antiquated world understandable to a modern audience; it plays loose with the facts. All is true. (I will not, however, accept criticism against her being nothing but the spoiled daughter of a famous director who got where she is thanks to his influence because, hello? Hollywood is based on nepotism, and I don't hear the same kind of criticism being lobbed against people like Nick Cassavetes or Danny Huston--who, incidentally, has a bit part in the film). But there's something about this movie that, if not aimed at a specific audience of women who were teenagers during the 1980s, is aimed directly at me, and I loved it for that.

In 1984, I saw and fell in love with the movie "Amadeus," and in turn fell in love with the garish opulence of the 18th century. I listened to opera when not listening to The Police or Madness, and read books about Mozart and Marie Antoinette in between issues of Seventeen magazine. In short, how could I not love a movie filled with pastel confections, huge silk ballgowns, and songs by New Order and Bow Wow Wow? Sofia Coppola calls the film "girly," but I'd go a little further and call it "1980s girly." That's an admittedly narrow audience, so it's no wonder it was a bit of a flop.

Immediately after watching "Marie Antoinette" I decided to watch my disc of "Pretty In Pink." Obviously, 80s nostalgia had hit me. It turned out to be a pretty good double-feature. I'm not going to try and stretch the similarities between the two, but there were enough: both have '80s soundtracks. Both films are portraits of girls in hostile social environments. And both films have a preoccupation with fashion. I haven't seen "Pretty In Pink" all the way through in several years, but watching it this time, I was kind of appalled by Andie's outfits throughout the film. I mean, I remember always thinking it was a crime against fashion what she did to that awesome 1950s prom dress at the end of the film, but her other outfits? Were kind of horrifying. Floral tights? If you want to look like you have a horrible skin condition I suppose they're suitable. And all those hats tied up with floral scarves? *Shudder.* Just way too many florals, period. Sure, she was supposed to be a quirky individual, but frankly, she looked best in the simple grey skirt and top ensemble she wore on her first date with Blane, an outfit that was an obvious attempt to tone down the quirk a bit...

I followed all that up with a PBS documentary about Marie Antoinette I had been saving on my TiVo for when I finally saw the Coppola movie. It was...educational, but not nearly as much fun as Coppola's film. Those who want the facts should rent the documentary. Those who like to look at pretty shoes should rent the film.

Last in the monarch festival was a trip to the movie theater to see "The Queen." I enjoyed it, and thought Helen Mirren was fantastic. She managed to be both infuriatingly stoic and touching. I think she's got the Oscar in the bag. Speaking of bags, not much can be said about the fashions in "The Queen," aside from the fact the the Queen loves her handbags. But what she carries in those handbags? Remains a mystery.

The key take-away I got from my royal weekend was this: I could not care less about the history of monarchies and royal bloodlines, and I think the continued existence of royal families in this day and age is silly, at best. But if we are going to have them around, why not dress them up in tremendous hoop skirts, powdered wigs, and pretty pink shoes? They'd be a lot more entertaining.

Shining Star

This week's recap of "I'm From Rolling Stone" is now up on the SF Gate Culture Blog! Go. There. NOW.

Finally, a Plot Development I Can Get Behind

Talking "Lost" here. Spoiler-phobes beware.

First: Charlie's going to die?

YAAAAAAY!!!!

If they actually come through on that promise, I may be able to forgive a lot of the show's missteps this season.

Also, who's giving out haircuts on the island, and when did Claire decide to get herself some bangs?

There were a lot of movie references in Desmond's...flashback? Lifeflash? I caught the "Out of Sight" necktie throwdown, and a bit of "Somewhere in Time" with his going to see the professor. Other sites have pointed out some allusions to "The Wizard of Oz" (red shoes and the crushing thereof) and "Frequency" (a sporting event being used to prove time travel). Any others? And any ideas why?

Ohmygodsocuteimmadie

Someone tell me, why haven't they (and by "they" I mean, of course, the Van Patten acting family) bred cats to remain teeny tiny, like they have with some dogs?

Seeing Red

Originally uploaded by Wendy Mc.

Happy Valentine's Day blah blah blah..

Feh.

Sound and Fury Signifying...Huh?

Popwatch posted this video of the brainwashing scene from last week's "Lost" being played backwards. In it a voice is heard saying, "Only fools are enslaved by time and space," which is one of those quotes that sounds all profound and meaningful until you realize it's nothing but another damn cryptic clue we can just throw on the pile with the rest.

Locality Is Back

My weekly reality TV locals round-up is back on SFist now!

Although at the moment it's just covering "Survivor." Hopefully we'll get some locals on "American Idol" this week and I can add them to the mockery.

Hi! I'm From Rolling Stone!....Say, Where Is Everybody?

Alas, there is no "I'm From Rolling Stone" recap today because MTV didn't actually air an episode last week. And it looks like they're trying to bury the show in late night scheduling. Oh well. The show is lame, but I still appreciated its lack of hot tubs and girls-making-out-with-girls nonsense.

Tower of Shame

Thanks to Chuck for sending along the above photo. Click on it for a bigger view.

Apparently I express complete terror as utter shame when on thrill rides.

Ho. Lee. Shit.

Dye Lots, Pro Forma Orders, and Swatches

Is anyone watching "Top Design" on Bravo? It's like "Top Chef" and "Project Runway" and so far is probably the weakest of the lot. But I still enjoy it. Having worked in the interior design industry for several years (HA!) I find it kind of fascinating. However, in my experience, interior designers were either a) gay men (duh) b) incredibly old women or c) women with rich husbands who funded their careers to give them something to do. The show is really only representing one of those demographics (you can guess which one).

However, the reason I bring this all up is because I need to ask: WHAT HAPPENED TO TODD OLDHAM'S FACE? He didn't always have a scary orange rubber face and weird teeth, did he?

Can We Get Back to That "Sky Turning Purple" Thing?

Just some brief notes about "Lost" before I go to sleep. Needless to say, thar be spoilers ahead. Aaaaaarrrrgh.

First, I didn't hate it as much as I feared I would. I found parts genuinely exciting, and that bit in the Clockwork Orange room kind of creepy. (Doesn't mean I'm going to spend hours analyzing the images in the video, though. I'll leave that to the truly obsessed.) I liked that there was at least a tiny bit of explanation about the Others (or at least, one of them), and my new favorite Other (OK, my only favorite Other) is Tom.

However, they were KILLING me when Tom mentioned the sky turning purple and was interrupted by stupid Ben and his stupid spouting artery. And I'm thinking that even though Alex is under the impression she's Ben's daughter, she might not be. She's supposed to be Rousseau's kidnapped daughter, right? So perhaps she was just raised thinking she was Ben's?

What Am I, a Farmer?

I like Andy Richter and all, but I can't say I'm happy to learn his new show, "Andy Barker, PI," is going to be taking over "30 Rock"'s timeslot for five weeks starting March 15th.

Damn it, NBC! You know I love my big beef and cheddar!

Lost Again

Just a reminder that "Lost" returns tonight, with a recap show at 9pm and a new episode at 10pm, its new timeslot.

When the season began, and I knew it would only be on for six weeks before disappearing for a long time, I was worried. But in the past three months since its aired, I haven't missed it a bit. And that's pretty sad. I'm still going to watch, and I'm still going to hope for the best, but in the back of my mind is the nagging suspicion that there's no coming out of the whole they've dug for themselves. And that makes me both sad and mad.

All I know is I'm not going to take the advice of this stupid article from Newsweek.

Instant Nostalgia

I've got Disneyland pictures up on Flickr now. Check them out!

The trip was absolutely fab. Highlights include seeing an Elvis impersonator* on the Tomorrowland Terrace stage; riding Big Thunder Mountain during the fireworks show; the miraculous reappearance of the Velvet Misery; and eating a big ol' piece of prime rib followed by a souffle dessert. Ahhh. Good times.

* I've uploaded this Elvis video twice, and both times YouTube screwed up the audio/video sync. Can someone explain to me why this happens?

Life Is a Fairytale

Hey! Here's a video from my trip to Disneyland. It was taken on the Storybook Land ride.

If I could have anyone in the world narrating my life, I'd want this girl to do it.

Am I at Disneyland Yet?

I'm back, and my trip to Disneyland was fab. I'll have photos and videos up at some point, but for now I wanted to direct you to my SFist post about the Superbowl ads. Yes, I watched all the ads when I came home late last night. Perhaps that's why I found most of them quite sucky. But I don't think so.

Did Nee Land?

I am off to Disneyland, woo hoo! I'll be back on Sunday night, at which point I will have to immediately sit down and write about the Superbowl commercials for publication on SFist on Monday. Yeeks. I just hope the cold or flu I can feel creeping up on me holds off until Monday.

Also, be sure to check the SF Gate Culture Blog around noon for my latest "I'm From Rolling Stone" recap.

I better get to sleep to help prepare myself for that eight hour car ride in which I will hopefully be sleeping.

Martik Manoukian Rocks My World

Last night on "American Idol" there was this guy who....

Oh, man. I can't even explain it. Just watch the clip.

Sad Mac

I finally ventured to the Apple store to talk to one of the "geniuses" at the Genius Bar, and I'm not sure it was really worth my time. She basically pressed start on my iBook, put her head down onto the keyboard, and said, "Yeah, the disc is failing." As Chuck pointed out, she came off as more of Mac Whisperer than any kind of genius.

Of course, I'm the genius who had the thing for two years, and never really took the time to back any of it up. Including the one document that contains all of my Musty TV movie write-ups from the last 10 years. I have some saved copies of that document, but I think the most recent I saved is about a year old, at best. It would have been so easy to just email myself a copy of that doc every week, but I didn't. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

I'd also like to get all my pictures, and my address book. The rest I can say good-bye to without many tears. Luckily my iPod has all my music, so none of that was lost....

I've tried many suggestions for accessing the failing hard drive and trying to transfer files one by one, but so far nothing's worked. Miss Genius gave me some names of places that do data recovery, but she told me she didn't think anything like that would cost less than 600 bucks (!) and doubted it would even work.

All I can say is, do not suffer my fate. People. BACK YOUR SHIT UP!