WASP WOMAN!

Every Halloween for the past ten years or so my friends and I have gotten together for a scary movie night. It is a good way to avoid the costume nonsense and since we start late we avoid a lot of the trick or treaters as well. In the begining it was just a few of us, but over the years the crowd as grown as the single people paired off. We also used to try and choose good, scary movies. More often than not however they just ended up being dumb and after a few drinks we spent the evening making fun of them. In the past couple of years we have wisened up and started purposely choosing really bad and cheesy films. The selection this year, the 1959 Roger Corman classic The Wasp Woman, did not disappoint.

24 – The Musical

Seeing the teaser for season 8 of 24 reminded me of this gem from a couple of years ago. The songs here are genius. I am especially loving “Bring it On” featuring Kim and the Cougar. Click the pic to experience it for yourselves.

The Real Housewives

I’ve watched the Real Housewives of Atlanta off and on for since it began. I only watch it in spurts because keeping up with it every week gives me heartburn. But I did want to see the season two finale this week, mostly to find out if She by Sheree’ would turn out to be the hot mess I suspected it would. While watching I came to some conclusions.

First, Nene Leakes needs to take her nerve pills, and as Kandi so eloquently put it a few episodes back, she needs to “brr-RING it on DOWN!”

Nene rants and raves about removing drama from her life, and how she has no time for people who disrespect her. Then she stomps all over Atlanta like Godzilla in dangly earrings starting drama with whomever she can find. I think she’d start shit with the baristas at Starbucks if she thought she’d get five more minutes of airtime. Having said that, Nene provided us with what has to be the best quote from any reality show ever during one of her many rants about Kim.

“She’s a low-down monkey with a wig on.”

Nene is fun when she’s not breathing fire and snatching wigs off heads. Her and Dwight together is comedy gold. She should focus on that instead of the drama.

Second, Sheree’ had no clue what she was doing when it came to putting together a fashion show. That much was obvious when the only feedback she’d give poor Dwight were blank stares. It would have been cool if she had given him some credit at the end of the night, but instead she acted as if she put the entire thing together between hair appointments. The show itself came off well, but the clothes…not so much. I think Kim’s stylist summed it up well when he expressed his amusement over her fashion “career” when he’d never even seen her sew. The update at the end of the show told us that in addition to her fashion line Sheree’ was now doing workout DVDs and “building her empire”. LOL ok.

The most frightening realization of the episode came when Kim told us that Nene would NOT be on her album. Wait, did she album? As in…more than one song “sung” by Kim? “Tardy for the Party” is cute, and has earned her a place on “I Love 2009″ on VH1 in ten years. But an album? No no no. If Kandi has any sense, which I think she does, she will stay far away from a Kim Zolciak album.

Next season should be interesting, with the death of Kandi’s fiancee to deal with as well as the opening of her boutique Tags. I suspect Lisa will be pregnant next season as well. Let’s hope Nene’s doctor gets her dosage leveled out before then.

Final Thoughts on Paranormal Activity

So I saw the film Paranormal Activity again this weekend with some friends and upon a second viewing I have some thoughts.

I still think the film is superb. It works on every level for me. It is truly frightening and unsettling in a time when every horror film released it just a rehash of the one before it full of loud noises, tits and gore. That formula has its place, but its boring. The group I saw Paranormal Activity with on Saturday was split. The ones that liked it felt more or less as I do about it. the reactions from the haters were more varied though. One person just thought it was silly and predictable; one got motion sickness and left, and one was so bored she filed her nails. I don’t judge though. To each their own. We saw a matinee so the theater was only about half full, and this made a big difference in how the current of fear spread through the crowd. This is a movie that definitely should be seen at night with a full house. Believe me, its worth waiting in line for. Still, despite knowing what was coming I still got scared. The simplicity of the production really helps to build the sense of dread even after multiple viewings. What is happening on screen is truly frightening no matter how many times you watch it, and there is no relief since you never leave the house. The fear is always there.

 (Spoilers follow. You’ve been warned.)

My Saturn Legacy

Speaking as someone who loves cars and driving, I for one am very sad to see Saturn die. In the beginning I will freely admit to being a bit skeptical of these odd looking “plastic” cars that were suddenly EVERYWHERE. I didn’t quite trust them, even though I really like the styling. When I bought my first new car in 1993 I went with a Honda Civic. I was young (22) and I didn’t do much research before I made the purchase. I just knew that Honda had a good rep and my best friend drove one. I didn’t even consider any other cars at the time. It turned out to be a great car. I drove it for 6 years until I totaled it in 1999.

When I set out to replace the Civic I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I looked at used Accords and Mazda 626s and they all drove great. But they were all a bit more than I wanted to spend. At one of these lots I noticed a really nice sedan sitting off by itself. I wasn’t aware that Saturn had changed their body style so I didn’t recognize what it was. It had everything I wanted and more, it was attractive, and it was thousands less than what I had been looking at. Saturn had my attention.

That particular car was gold, the one color I would never buy, so I left and drove a half-mile down the street to the Saturn dealer to see what they had. I found my car immediately. She was out front and freshly washed. I drove it and within a couple of hours she was mine. The love affair had begun.

Evidence of a Haunting

To say I was excited about seeing Paranormal Activity on Saturday night is a bit of an understatement. I have been in complete, full-on geeky horror film fan mode since it was released a few weeks ago. I am sure anyone who has been around me lately wishes I would just shut up about it already. Indulge me one last outburst and I will, I promise.

If you don’t know what I am taking about then here is a quick rundown. A young couple buys a video camera to record the strange activity going on in their home. They set up a tripod in the bedroom and record what happens while they sleep. Mayhem ensues. Think The Blair Witch Project meets Ghost Hunters. The premise alone was enough to get me in the theater. I am so tired of the current “formula” for the horror genre that I get excited when something different comes along. The case can be made that PA isn’t really that different considering BWP and that stinker Quarantine preceeded it, but I think that PA builds on those a bit.

(Review after the cut)

What The Frig?

The runaway cable hit “Ghost Hunters” is adding another show to its empire. This November T.A.P.S. members Steve and Tango will host “Ghost Hunters Academy” where they will lead a group of college students on paranormal investigations around the world. I’m pretty excited about this. I have freakin loved GH since the beginning when that hot mess Brian was causing all that drama. Who can forget “Dude, run!”? I think its cool that Steve and Tango are getting their own show. I have to wonder if they are being groomed to inherit the empire when Grant and Jason retire. They are certainly worthy successors, and I’m sorry but how cute are they? Hello.

“Ghost Hunters” has definitely set the standard for this genre of television. So many shows have popped up in its wake but none of them really stack up. I tried to get into “Ghostly Encounters” but it just felt wrong. I do enjoy “Paranormal State” though. The PRS guys get a tad melodramatic at times but it is compelling television, even if its just to see how long it is before Serge and Ryan get together. The episodes about Six were pretty scary. I used to watch “Scariest Places on Earth” but it became pretty obvious that it was all staged. I did get a kick out of Linda Blair’s overacting and Zelda Rubinstein’s unique voice over talents. There were some episodes where it was obvious they had sped her voice up and the result had me rolling on the floor.

I can’t talk about GH without mentioning the movie Paranormal Activity, which is pretty much an episode of GH on the big screen. If you have not seen the trailer yet click here and check it out. It opens in Atlanta tonight. We’ll be at the midnight show on Saturday and I cannot wait!

“Ghost Hunters Academy” debuts Wednesday, November 11 at 10pm. Check it out!

I Die

The first step to recovery is admitting I have a problem right? So here goes.

I am OBSESSED with The Rachel Zoe Project. My partner got me watching it last season and I’ll admit, I did not expect to like it. I mean, what could be interesting about buying clothes for celebrities? Half the time I don’t know my Chanels from my Gautiers. But there is something about Rachel that just sucks me in. I so would have been her best friend in high school. We are the same age so totally would have been possible if she had gone to my school and stuff. Totally.

Part of the fascination comes from the peek inside the process of being a big star. It never occurred to me that celebrities have to strategically plan outfits for EVERYTHING. In my naivety I assumed that…oh…if Jen Garner was attending the premiere of a movie she wasn’t in she would just go to her closet and say “oh this is cute…I’ll wear this”. Instead Rachel gets a call and a whole rack of options are put together. Clothes are “borrowed” from the local stores. It’s a fascinating process even if it does seem a bit silly to me.

For me though it isn’t really about the clothes. I enjoy watching Rachel work. And her assistants are engaging as well. Admittedly, I have a tiny crush on Brad and I think he has amazing style. I plan to steal the courduroy jacket he had on last night if I ever see him around in it. Like he’s ever in Atlanta. But that is beside the point. I really enjoyed his assesment of how glamorous Rachel looked even though she was sick last week. “You are the most glamorous sick person I’ve ever seen. Should I get a clutch for you to throw up in?” LOVE IT.

And Taylor! She stresses me out but I love her. I think she’s gorgeous.

Next week’s episode is Paris fashion week, the source of much drama on last night’s installment. I had to agree with Brad on this one. I think the whole situation was handled badly. At least everyone owned up to it, and Taylor really did a nice thing in letting Brad go to Paris in her place. I seriously think that she is about to quit RZ. Maybe next season we’ll see the birth of a new brand…Tay Tay. That would be bananas.

The show airs Mondays at 10 on Bravo.

Hey Y’all…today we are gonna fry some butter!

Barbara Walters gave Paula Deen a piece of her mind today during her appearance on The View. Deen was there plugging her new cookbook “Paula Deen’s Cookbook for the Lunchbox Set” with some samples of her less than healthy treats. Everyone but Barbara dove right in. When questioned by Deen, Walters accused her of contributing to childhood obesity. Deen was naturally taken aback.

Deen looked a little stunned and licked her fingers as Walters scolded: “This is a cookbook for kids. Obesity is the number one problem for kids today. Everything you have here is enormously fattening. You tell kids to have cheesecake for breakfast! You tell them to have chocolate cake and meatloaf for lunch. And french fries! Doesn’t it ever bother you that you’re adding to this?”

Deen, looking a bit uncomfortable replied: I think we have to teach our children, first off, Barbara, moderation.”

Snapped Walters: “Not when you’re giving them this!”

Deen added that she certainly wasn’t telling kids they should eat like this everyday. I can see where Babs is coming from with this, but since when do we blame the chef for what our kids eat? As if the kids are buying the cookbooks and cooking the meals themselves. I would think, as a parent, if you didn’t think Paula’s recipes were the sort of thing your kid should be packing for lunch everyday then you wouldn’t buy the book or cook the recipes for them. It is hardly Paula’s fault. Somehow I don’t think the problem of childhood obesity has a lot to do with the number of home cooked meals they get. I think it has more to do with feeding them fast food two meals a day.

Funny this story should pop up today. I am passing through Savannah on Thursday and had made plans to stop in at Deen’s restaurant for lunch. I’ve been dieting and going to the gym for months and I’ve been looking forward to this little transgression for weeks. I’ll be sure and give her a thumbs up as I stuff my face with ho’cakes and fried chicken.

 

The Great Flood of 2009

So Metro Atlanta is essentially experiencing The Deluge. It has rained here for the past 8 days straight. Yesterday alone we got 6 inches, and that wasn’t even the worst of it. And it isn’t going away for at least a few more days.

from the AJC

My office closed early today. We are about a tenth of a mile from the Chattahoochee River. Our building wasn’t in any danger since it sits way up on a hill, but the concern now is flooded and washed away roads. Thankfully the only drama at my house is water rushing through my basement. Everything of value has been up on shelves since the last time we had a leakage issue, so I’m not too stressed about it. The scary thing was when I opened my garage door and a good inch of water came pouring out. Good times.

More as this develops.

UPDATE 5:00PM – Downtown Connector closed. I-575 south of Hwy 92 closed in both directions. Chattahoochee River up over 20ft.

UPDATE 5:30PM – Go here and scroll down for updated road closures in Metro Atlanta. Another line of storms is coming in from Alabama. I-575 is still closed.