Last night, I received an insider tip from the in-the-know Twilight fan, Rachel Sokol, that stars of the Saga were rumored to be appearing at the 6:20 IMAX show at the AMC Century City in Los Angeles. Since Doreen and I just HAPPEN to be in L.A. approximately five miles from this theater, and I just HAPPEN to really like the Twilight series, we bought tickets for the show. When you buy tickets through AMC's website, you can actually choose your seats ahead of time, much like buying for a concert or sporting event. There wasn't much of a selection left -- two seats, eight apart, in the front row or a multitude of seats near the back of the theater. Since I was expecting an Omnimax-like setup, I knew the front row wouldn't be ideal for movie-watching, but it'd probably be better if the stars actually showed up as promised. So I went with the front row seats and hoped for the best.
Doreen and I headed out to Century City Westfield this afternoon and did some shopping/browsing while waiting for 6:20 to roll around. When we finally got into the theater, we took our seats, and I started to chat with some other enthusiastic girls sitting next to me. The one girl said she heard people saying it would be Robert Pattinson doing the appearance since he's currently in town filming "Water for Elephants." I commented that I'd love to see Rob, but I hoped that if he came, he wouldn't come with Kristen Stewart. If you've read any of my Facebook posts, you know of my distaste for this particular actress, but I also knew that if she was there, there would be little chance of any interaction with the fans or any substance to the visit. Kristen is notorious for dissing Twilight fans and acting totally unappreciative of any attention she gets, so I knew it'd be bad news if she showed up.
Before the movie began, a theater employee addressed the audience, saying that it was in fact true that Twilight stars would be visiting, but she could not confirm who it would be AND they wouldn't come until after the movie was over. Seriously -- two more hours wondering who was going to show up? We pretty much knew at this point it would be Rob, though, because she mentioned that the stars weren't coming until the movie was finished because of a "scheduling conflict."
So, two hours, a few shirtless wolves, sappy sections of dialogue, and strange vampire accents later, the credits rolled and the black-suited security guys began lining the aisles of the theater. The same lady from the beginning of the night came back and asked us to welcome Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart! While Doreen frantically struggled with her Flip camera, trying to take a video, I snapped away on my camera, trying to get at least one good picture of Rob. Unfortunately, even though we were in the front row, there was an aisle directly behind us that separated us from the rest of the theater, and of course THAT'S where they were led in for their brief -- very brief -- address to the crowd. In between looking through my view finder and getting yelled at by a security guard to "calm down" (I scooted over to an empty seat next to me to try to get a better picture), all I really noticed was that Rob was wearing an ugly jacket and had a bad haircut, but that Kristen's new hair color looked nice. I really have no idea what they said or what Rob really looks like up close because I was too focused on trying to get a picture and it was all over in the blink of an eye. Before the movie, one of the audience members asked if the cast members would be able to sign autographs or take pictures. The lady responded that she wasn't sure and it depended on the stars' "moods." Well, we all know what kind of mood Kristen is usually in, so the power couple was literally in and out of the theater in less than one minute. Rob did sign someone's something-or-other on his way out, but overall it was a pretty disappointing experience.
When we were exiting the theater, I asked a few of the girls coming out behind me what they thought of the whole thing. They said, "If it were Rob and anyone OTHER than Kristen, they probably would have stayed a lot longer." My sentiments exactly! It pretty much felt like a tease. Yes, I suppose I was within one foot of the back of Robert Pattinson's head, which is pretty cool, but it would have been nice if they could have been at least a little more kind to the crowd. There were probably 100 people, max, in the theater -- how hard would it have been to indulge them in some autographs or a few pictures? And even if they didn't want to go that far -- couldn't they have at least said more than, "Thanks for coming to the show"? I blame it all on Kristen because, well, she sucks. And Doreen made a good point by saying, isn't it a waste of THEIR time as well to make it so in-and-out? They come all the way there and go through the hassle of being ushered in by security guards only to breeze right back out? Lame.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm glad I went and had this experience, however unsatisfying it may have been, but I'm looking forward to our trip to the set of "Dexter" tomorrow where I hope we get a little more love from some of our favorite people!
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Glee to Me
I started watching Glee a week or two ago. The first episode I watched in full was the Madonna episode, only because Hulu didn't have any of the earlier episodes posted. After watching that one and the following ep. with Kristen Chenowith, I was hooked. I ordered the Season One, Volume One DVDs so I wouldn't have to buy all of the episodes from iTunes that aren't on Hulu, and the rest is history.
After watching through the first 13 episodes on DVD and then returning to iTunes and Hulu to fill in the blanks, I'm almost caught up with this season. I just have the Doogie Howser episode yet to watch. I still like the show, but I have to say that I find a lot of it unnecessarily cheesy and annoying. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order, about Glee.
-Finn: After watching him chase Rachel through the library in the Madonna episode, I had an immediate crush. He's cute, and he looked even cuter when he was singing. But now that I've seen him scrunch his eyebrows together through 18 episodes and basically amount to a huge, indecisive airhead, the crush has faded.
-Emma: I hate this character. I like her outfits, but that's about it. From her voice to her obsessive cleaning rituals they try to play off as endearing, I find pretty much everything about her annoying. I think we are supposed to be rooting for her and Will, but it bothers me that she was putting the moves on him even before he was separated from Terri. Yes, Terri was a deceptive beeyotch who treated Will like crap, but that still didn't make me sympathize with the Emma situation. Also, her "engagement" to Ken was a really stupid plotline.
-Sue Sylvester: probably the best part of the show. I want to watch the show with a pen and paper so I can write down every quotable quote that comes out of her mouth. I also love the scenes between her and her sister in the nursing home. Guy informed me that the actress who plays Sue is a regular in Christopher Guest movies, so that makes me curious as to how much of what she says is ad-libbed...which makes me love her even more.
-Quinn: Now that she's pregnant, she's suddenly Miss Congeniality? Sorry, but I don't think someone who was on a horse as high as hers can be brought back down to earth as easily as they have made it out to be.
-Artie: First of all, I thought he was giving the cupcake money to buy handicap ramps at the school, but in the episode where they go to sectionals, there he is getting on the special bus. His mode of transportation is the least of my worries, though. I don't mind his participation in the choreographed dance numbers because at least he doesn't look sorely out of place, but when the kids have an impromptu jam session in the choir room, it's always so awkward to see him just sitting there. In one of the most recent episodes I watched, all of the other Glee kids were having a dance-off to "Ice Ice Baby," and they just left Artie sitting there and shaking his arms a little bit. The absolute worst Artie situation, though, was when they did the mattress commercial and he was just sitting in the background with a piece of posterboard that said "Jump." I know I'm borderline Sue Sylvester insensitive when I say it, but it was painful to watch.
-Santana: Eye candy and that's about it. When they finally let her sing a solo with Mercedes in "The Boy is Mine," I realized why it had taken them so long to let her sing on her own.
-Kurt - love everything about him. Every episode that features him prominently, whether it was the Single Ladies one, the one where he sang Defying Gravity, or the one I just watched with Rose's Turn, is always a fun hour of television. Plus, I like the scenes between him and Mike O'Malley.
The show in general is almost always enj0yable to watch, and it's especially good to exercise to (lots of skinny girls to envy, plus musical numbers to keep things upbeat), but one thing I'm confused about is how much time supposedly lapses between each episode. When I originally watched the Madonna episode with Jesse St. James, I thought he would have been introduced to the show much earlier than the prior episode. In the end, Glee definitely has its flaws -- it's no Seinfeld or LOST -- but the bottom line is that it's entertaining, and for that reason alone, I'll keep tuning in.
After watching through the first 13 episodes on DVD and then returning to iTunes and Hulu to fill in the blanks, I'm almost caught up with this season. I just have the Doogie Howser episode yet to watch. I still like the show, but I have to say that I find a lot of it unnecessarily cheesy and annoying. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order, about Glee.
-Finn: After watching him chase Rachel through the library in the Madonna episode, I had an immediate crush. He's cute, and he looked even cuter when he was singing. But now that I've seen him scrunch his eyebrows together through 18 episodes and basically amount to a huge, indecisive airhead, the crush has faded.
-Emma: I hate this character. I like her outfits, but that's about it. From her voice to her obsessive cleaning rituals they try to play off as endearing, I find pretty much everything about her annoying. I think we are supposed to be rooting for her and Will, but it bothers me that she was putting the moves on him even before he was separated from Terri. Yes, Terri was a deceptive beeyotch who treated Will like crap, but that still didn't make me sympathize with the Emma situation. Also, her "engagement" to Ken was a really stupid plotline.
-Sue Sylvester: probably the best part of the show. I want to watch the show with a pen and paper so I can write down every quotable quote that comes out of her mouth. I also love the scenes between her and her sister in the nursing home. Guy informed me that the actress who plays Sue is a regular in Christopher Guest movies, so that makes me curious as to how much of what she says is ad-libbed...which makes me love her even more.
-Quinn: Now that she's pregnant, she's suddenly Miss Congeniality? Sorry, but I don't think someone who was on a horse as high as hers can be brought back down to earth as easily as they have made it out to be.
-Artie: First of all, I thought he was giving the cupcake money to buy handicap ramps at the school, but in the episode where they go to sectionals, there he is getting on the special bus. His mode of transportation is the least of my worries, though. I don't mind his participation in the choreographed dance numbers because at least he doesn't look sorely out of place, but when the kids have an impromptu jam session in the choir room, it's always so awkward to see him just sitting there. In one of the most recent episodes I watched, all of the other Glee kids were having a dance-off to "Ice Ice Baby," and they just left Artie sitting there and shaking his arms a little bit. The absolute worst Artie situation, though, was when they did the mattress commercial and he was just sitting in the background with a piece of posterboard that said "Jump." I know I'm borderline Sue Sylvester insensitive when I say it, but it was painful to watch.
-Santana: Eye candy and that's about it. When they finally let her sing a solo with Mercedes in "The Boy is Mine," I realized why it had taken them so long to let her sing on her own.
-Kurt - love everything about him. Every episode that features him prominently, whether it was the Single Ladies one, the one where he sang Defying Gravity, or the one I just watched with Rose's Turn, is always a fun hour of television. Plus, I like the scenes between him and Mike O'Malley.
The show in general is almost always enj0yable to watch, and it's especially good to exercise to (lots of skinny girls to envy, plus musical numbers to keep things upbeat), but one thing I'm confused about is how much time supposedly lapses between each episode. When I originally watched the Madonna episode with Jesse St. James, I thought he would have been introduced to the show much earlier than the prior episode. In the end, Glee definitely has its flaws -- it's no Seinfeld or LOST -- but the bottom line is that it's entertaining, and for that reason alone, I'll keep tuning in.
Friday, January 08, 2010
And now, the Villains
Jerri Manthey: Again?? Yes, Jerri is well known for her villainous act of lying about some guy having a granola bar in his backpack and consequently having him voted off, but what else has she really done? She has already played in two seasons (Australia and All Stars), and it seems pretty unnecessary to have her back again. I think the only purpose is to have the Jerri/Colby plot line again, but let's hope they don't waste too much time on that one.
Tyson Apostol: He appeared on the Tocantins season, and that's all I can say about that.
Randy Bailey: Again, another supposed villain I know nothing about. He was on the Gabon season. Fill me in if you think he's deserving of his spot on this tribe.
Danielle DiLorenzo: Danielle and her breasts that double as life preservers was the runner up on Survivor: Panama. Other than her way-too-symmetrical-to-be-real chest, I remember she was extremely annoying and I didn't even want to watch the finale because I couldn't care less if she or Aras won the grand prize. How she fell into the Villains category remains to be seen.
Russell Hantz: I didn't watch him last season, but I hope he sticks around long enough to live up to the hype that surrounds him as the most evil Survivor player of all time.
Boston Rob Mariano: Yes, he was a schmuck for proposing to Amber on the season finale of All Stars, but he is definitely up there with Jonny Fairplay as one of the biggest Survivor villains of all time. I'll become a hypocrite and not be annoyed that he's already played this game twice just because I hope he'll be so entertaining to watch. I also hope he and Amber are still together. Anyone know the answer to that?
Parvati Shallow: This girl literally makes me sick. Again, I say? Parvati has done nothing but flirt her way to the top for way more than her deserved number of days on the island in the past, and bringing her back again just seems pointless. She is a reality-TV whore and will never make anything of herself without her appearances on these shows, much like the casts of MTV challenge shows, so I'm really hoping she'll be kicked off at the beginning of the season. I also just can't stand to hear Jeff mispronounce her name for another thirteen episodes.
Sandra Diaz-Twine: Sandra was funny during her run on the Pearl Islands, I'll give her that. I think she also may have spied on people in the bushes and maybe done a bit of backstabbing, but a villain? Not really. She definitely wasn't villainous enough to deter the jury from giving her a million dollars. Her appearance this season could go either way for me.
Benjamin Wade, aka Coach: I've heard this name thrown around quite a bit in the Survivor world, but I can't say I know much about him. He appeared on Survivor Brazil, and I already like him better than Parvati!
Courtney Yates: Survivor: Heroes vs. Bitches would be a better title for a season in which Courtney is included. She is still just as disgustingly skinny as she was on Survivor: China and probably just as bitchy, if not more.
So, there you have it,-- the cast of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Will you be watching when it premieres on February 11th?
Tyson Apostol: He appeared on the Tocantins season, and that's all I can say about that.
Randy Bailey: Again, another supposed villain I know nothing about. He was on the Gabon season. Fill me in if you think he's deserving of his spot on this tribe.
Danielle DiLorenzo: Danielle and her breasts that double as life preservers was the runner up on Survivor: Panama. Other than her way-too-symmetrical-to-be-real chest, I remember she was extremely annoying and I didn't even want to watch the finale because I couldn't care less if she or Aras won the grand prize. How she fell into the Villains category remains to be seen.
Russell Hantz: I didn't watch him last season, but I hope he sticks around long enough to live up to the hype that surrounds him as the most evil Survivor player of all time.
Boston Rob Mariano: Yes, he was a schmuck for proposing to Amber on the season finale of All Stars, but he is definitely up there with Jonny Fairplay as one of the biggest Survivor villains of all time. I'll become a hypocrite and not be annoyed that he's already played this game twice just because I hope he'll be so entertaining to watch. I also hope he and Amber are still together. Anyone know the answer to that?
Parvati Shallow: This girl literally makes me sick. Again, I say? Parvati has done nothing but flirt her way to the top for way more than her deserved number of days on the island in the past, and bringing her back again just seems pointless. She is a reality-TV whore and will never make anything of herself without her appearances on these shows, much like the casts of MTV challenge shows, so I'm really hoping she'll be kicked off at the beginning of the season. I also just can't stand to hear Jeff mispronounce her name for another thirteen episodes.
Sandra Diaz-Twine: Sandra was funny during her run on the Pearl Islands, I'll give her that. I think she also may have spied on people in the bushes and maybe done a bit of backstabbing, but a villain? Not really. She definitely wasn't villainous enough to deter the jury from giving her a million dollars. Her appearance this season could go either way for me.
Benjamin Wade, aka Coach: I've heard this name thrown around quite a bit in the Survivor world, but I can't say I know much about him. He appeared on Survivor Brazil, and I already like him better than Parvati!
Courtney Yates: Survivor: Heroes vs. Bitches would be a better title for a season in which Courtney is included. She is still just as disgustingly skinny as she was on Survivor: China and probably just as bitchy, if not more.
So, there you have it,-- the cast of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Will you be watching when it premieres on February 11th?
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
I haven't watched a full season of Survivor since Fans vs. Favorites. I stuck with it from Season 2 up to that point, but I just couldn't commit myself to an hour of television every week that was basically the same every season. However, when I heard they were doing a Heroes vs. Villains season, I knew I might have to watch. They finally revealed the cast, and I have to say, I'm a little disappointed with who they're bringing back. Some of the people have played the game three times already! Here are the cast members, along with my thoughts on them.
Heroes:
-Colby Donaldson - appeared on Season 2, The Australian Outback, and Survivor All Stars, as well as a few Gillette commercials, I do believe. Colby was kicked out relatively early in All Stars, so even though this is his third time on the show, I feel like I wouldn't mind seeing more of him this season.
-Rupert Boneham - appeared on Pearl Islands and All Stars. Rupert won $1 million for being America's favorite back when he was on the All Star season, but I think I read that he burned through it pretty quickly, so I'm not surprised to see him back. I'm also not surprised to see that he doesn't appear to have shaved or showered since then, though he has lost some weight.
J.T. Thomas Jr. - never heard of him. Apparently he was on Survivor: Tocantins and won. I honestly don't like the idea of previous winners being allowed back. They'll be voted off almost immediately for the pure fact that they've won, and if they've made it to the end of the show once, haven't we seen enough of them already?
James Clement, aka the Grave Digger - James is about the size of a Monster Truck and as dumb as one, too. This will be his third run at the Sole Survivor title. What I remember most about him is having to read way too many subtitles while watching because of never being able to understand what he is saying.
Tom Westman - Tom was the All-American fireman on the Palau season, and he breaks my rule of not having any previous winners back for a second round. The only thing he has going for him, in my opinion, is that this is only his second time on the show, so I won't mind seeing him in the spotlight again.
Cirie Fields - Cirie is hilarious - no doubt about it. She always has something witty to say in her confessionals, but this is her third time on Survivor. If she whines and complains about dirt and bugs this time, I might reach through the television and strangle her.
Stephenie LaGrossa - Stephenie was amazing during her run on the Palau season, but her novelty wore off when she made it to the runner-up position in the next season in Guatemala. She's already had her second chance at the million. Maybe third time's a charm for her, but I would have rather seen her spot filled with someone with a less annoying accent.
Jessica Kiper - known as Sugar, Jessica appeared on the Gabon season, and I know nothing about her other than I think she cried a lot. Doesn't sound very heroic to me.
Amanda Kimmel - If there's any one person they could have chosen for this season that would have made me NOT want to watch it, it's Amanda. Not only is she pathetic and boring, but she's been to the final Tribal Council TWICE (in China and Micronesia) and could not pull off a win. See what I mean? Pathetic. And if she latches onto another guy this season and he professes his love for her at the jury's questioning, I think I might puke in an envelope and mail it to her as my way of saying thanks.
Candice Woodcock - I really don't remember much about Candice from her season in Cook Islands. The only thing I vaguely remember is when she boldly decided to switch tribes and was upset when Jonathan Penner (who I like much, much better than her) followed suit. She seems like a "uh-oh, no one else will participate" kind of choice rather than a true hero of Survivor's past 19 season.
That about sums up the heroes. Stay tuned for a post on the Villains since this one is getting a bit long.
Heroes:
-Colby Donaldson - appeared on Season 2, The Australian Outback, and Survivor All Stars, as well as a few Gillette commercials, I do believe. Colby was kicked out relatively early in All Stars, so even though this is his third time on the show, I feel like I wouldn't mind seeing more of him this season.
-Rupert Boneham - appeared on Pearl Islands and All Stars. Rupert won $1 million for being America's favorite back when he was on the All Star season, but I think I read that he burned through it pretty quickly, so I'm not surprised to see him back. I'm also not surprised to see that he doesn't appear to have shaved or showered since then, though he has lost some weight.
J.T. Thomas Jr. - never heard of him. Apparently he was on Survivor: Tocantins and won. I honestly don't like the idea of previous winners being allowed back. They'll be voted off almost immediately for the pure fact that they've won, and if they've made it to the end of the show once, haven't we seen enough of them already?
James Clement, aka the Grave Digger - James is about the size of a Monster Truck and as dumb as one, too. This will be his third run at the Sole Survivor title. What I remember most about him is having to read way too many subtitles while watching because of never being able to understand what he is saying.
Tom Westman - Tom was the All-American fireman on the Palau season, and he breaks my rule of not having any previous winners back for a second round. The only thing he has going for him, in my opinion, is that this is only his second time on the show, so I won't mind seeing him in the spotlight again.
Cirie Fields - Cirie is hilarious - no doubt about it. She always has something witty to say in her confessionals, but this is her third time on Survivor. If she whines and complains about dirt and bugs this time, I might reach through the television and strangle her.
Stephenie LaGrossa - Stephenie was amazing during her run on the Palau season, but her novelty wore off when she made it to the runner-up position in the next season in Guatemala. She's already had her second chance at the million. Maybe third time's a charm for her, but I would have rather seen her spot filled with someone with a less annoying accent.
Jessica Kiper - known as Sugar, Jessica appeared on the Gabon season, and I know nothing about her other than I think she cried a lot. Doesn't sound very heroic to me.
Amanda Kimmel - If there's any one person they could have chosen for this season that would have made me NOT want to watch it, it's Amanda. Not only is she pathetic and boring, but she's been to the final Tribal Council TWICE (in China and Micronesia) and could not pull off a win. See what I mean? Pathetic. And if she latches onto another guy this season and he professes his love for her at the jury's questioning, I think I might puke in an envelope and mail it to her as my way of saying thanks.
Candice Woodcock - I really don't remember much about Candice from her season in Cook Islands. The only thing I vaguely remember is when she boldly decided to switch tribes and was upset when Jonathan Penner (who I like much, much better than her) followed suit. She seems like a "uh-oh, no one else will participate" kind of choice rather than a true hero of Survivor's past 19 season.
That about sums up the heroes. Stay tuned for a post on the Villains since this one is getting a bit long.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
I Laugh at Weird Things
I've been told I have a weird sense of humor, but I have to say, I keep myself pretty entertained. Here's a dialogue I just had with Guy that made me laugh. See if it strikes your fancy the same way it struck mine!
Me: Was that your phone getting text messages?
Guy: When?
Me: I dunno, a while ago.
Guy: Probably. I got two texts a little while ago.
Me: Who dey from?
Guy: My brother.
Me: What'd he want?
Guy: He wanted to know the name of the fat band leader from...Bethel Park.
The end. I don't know why that made me laugh, but it did.
Me: Was that your phone getting text messages?
Guy: When?
Me: I dunno, a while ago.
Guy: Probably. I got two texts a little while ago.
Me: Who dey from?
Guy: My brother.
Me: What'd he want?
Guy: He wanted to know the name of the fat band leader from...Bethel Park.
The end. I don't know why that made me laugh, but it did.
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