Brendan Fraser and Inkheart

Apparently, the author of Inkheart, Cornelia Funke, is a big fan of Brendan Fraser. I just finished reading Inkheart and started reading the second installment of the Inkworld Trilogy, Inkspell, in which I noticed a special dedication to Brendan Fraser. It reads "To Brendan Fraser, whose voice is the heart of this book. Thanks for inspiration and enchantment. Mo wouldn't have stepped into my writing room without you, and this story would never have been told." I wondered what the connection was and found out that Brendan Fraser is actually her inspiration for the main character Mo. I thought that was neat. And she insisted that he be cast in the movie even though the producers wanted a bigger name.

When I was looking this up, I realized that we totally missed the Inkheart movie. It came out in theaters this past January! How the hell did we miss that? I guess no one watched it because none of us heard any buzz about it. What a shame. I was just telling Tina today that we should all go to watch it when it comes out. =( Now we can't. Well, I guess we can just wait for the DVD, which comes out soon on June 23, 2009. But still! I rather watch it in the theater. It better not be like Eragon! The book was great, but the movie was beyond horrific! They didn't even bother making the sequel, Eldest. Although supposedly, they already announced the Inkspell movie. That is a good sign. Hopefully, we don't miss that too.

Read Laura's earlier post on Inkheart.

The Judges of So You Think You Can Dance

The auditions are now over, and it was glorious! The season just started, but I just love it. It's been a year since the last season, and I totally forgot and am now reminded of the awesomeness that is the judges. I am totally in love with them...not all of them though, ahem, Mary. I love love love Nigel. He is such a gentleman and so gracious. He always knows the right things to say particularly in situations where he wants to let someone down gently. Last night, this wonderful contemporary dancer came to audition after almost giving up because he was constantly getting made fun of for his craft. After he performed, the judges loved him but unfortunately could not put him through because he was only 17. Nigel, the wonderful person that he is, gave the kid a ticket to Las Vegas for next season. Considering he was about to quit dancing, that was exactly what he needed. Nigel is great to watch.

I also love Mia Michaels. She is a ridiculously talented choreographer and plain blunt to the dancers. Love her! And Adam Shankman is so awesome. Last night he showed off his dancing chops by dancing the lindy hop with a contestant. So cute, and he is really good. Oh, and I love the husband and wife team, Tabitha & Napoleon. They are such a cute couple, and their dance routines are awesome. And the new judges/choreographers that came on last year are growing on me. Sonia Tayeh is so different and easily moved by great dancers. When she was judging the auditions last week, after certain great performances, she was making noises that sounded kinda dirty. Nigel made a funny comment: "For God sake's, woman, it's just dancing."Haha! Hilarious. (It's funnier in his English accent.)

Btw, I don't hate Mary. I just don't love her.

Friday Feature: Mommy, What Are You Doing?

Laura and I were at Tina's house the other day. And this conversation between Tina and Carmen happened on the second floor while we were downstairs.

Carmen: Mommy, what are you doing?
Tina: Reading my email.
Carmen: From who?
Tina: From Auntie Laura
Carmen: Ummm, hello, she's downstairs. You can just ask her what it says.

When she's right, she's right. Gotta love her.

I Heart NY?

Yes, the question mark is put there purposely. NY is one of those cities that people love to love. You know what I mean? There was a time when I thought seriously about moving there because I thought it would be cool. But I've come to terms with the fact that I am not a city girl. I was in New York today on business, and it's nice to go there once in a while. But it's too fast...too busy and bustling for me. I like the slow pace of the suburbs and the ability to drive where you want and get a parking space. And I like the trees and fresh air.

Another thing I notice every single time I go to NY is that NY is smelly. And you don't get just one smell. You get many different smells at every different corner and street. It's strange to me. Sensory overload! But it was fun for one day. Shout out to my friend in NY! Thanks for eating dinner with me today.

The Spirit

I saw The Spirit recently and I really liked it! It was funny, action-packed, and visually appealing. The look was a lot like Sin City, but, I admit that I think Sin City looks even better.

I think its funny that the director, Frank Miller, likes his main characters wearing chucks. I love chucks! Anyway, so I researched little more about Frank Miller. He was a big comics writer and artist in the 70s and 80s. He wrote, drew, and inked all of his Sin City comics. That's pretty amazing. I took a comic illustration class before, so I know first-hand how hard it is.

The word that I would use to best describe the movie is "silly." The characters and fight scenes are so exaggerated! I love it, though! It was really surprising. The silliness gave it this whole other level that separated it from Sin City. I really appreciated that.

Every hero has their weakness. Daredevil is blind, Superman had Kryptonite, Batman has bats (lawl). But the Spirit's weakness is women! I thought it was funny, yet it made me connect to the character less. I'm much the romantic, so when a man is breaking hearts wherever he goes, I can't help but tsk-tsk him.

















The main character of the film, the Spirit/Denny Colt, is played by Gabriel Macht. I first saw this cutey in Because I Said So, a romantic comedy starring Mandy Moore. His acting skills and his great jawline made him a good choice to play the Spirit. I approve! Frank Miller can rest soundly now that I have done so.

I give it 4.2 stars!