08.30.07
Pace Yourself!
Sometimes, mobilizing the Pixies can wear me out. I’m now in the habit of leaving two days early for pretty much everywhere I need to go!
08.29.07
A Little Late…
but still cute – here’s a shot from the first day of school. Or rather, Trixie’s first day as a big time First Grader. Squidge doesn’t start Pre-K until next week.
On a side note, I truly adore my daughters’ friends. This could be because I have instilled in them a hawk-like ability to ferret out the jackasses. Or maybe just sheer luck. Either way rocks!
08.24.07
Picks of the Pixies…
or e-pixie-phanies is today’s riveting topic. Here are a few bits and pieces that the Pixies gave the thumbs (three dry, one soggy) up rating:
Cool Surf: BBC Science & Nature: Space
Cool Tune: Walking on the Moon – the best Police song ever. Unplugged. Boom baby!
Cool Read: Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs
It’s hard to be a rock star…
08.23.07
Artistic Pet Peeves…
might just be a new fun project for my posting. To kick things off, I’d like (thanks to deputydog) to list some violators of one of my greatest peeves of all time: bad accents in film. Let me preface this roll call with the timeless maxim that NO ACCENT is better than a painful one.
Let’s start with one of my favorite (ha!) actresses of all time: Julia Roberts. In Mary Reilly, she plays an Irish woman. From Ireland. With an Irish “accent”. Not only should that idea have been nixed from the get go – to inflict such an audible rape of the accent should result in some sort of federal prosecution. The best is when, having no idea how on God’s green earth she should correctly articulate certain words, she plows right on through, no doubt hoping to distract us with her famous Stonehenge smile. Judge for yourself:
Continuing in this stunning thespian tradition, I offer you… Keanu Reeves. I know what you’re thinking – so many movies, so many bad accents. Which one shall I choose? In this case, I’m going to go with Dracula. In this film, he had to use a British accent. I’m assuming… Since everyone else was speaking that way… At some point, I just gave up, gave him the benefit of the doubt, and prayed that Gary Oldman would come back on screen. Because truthfully, a paper bag with eyes drawn on it could spit out a better British dialect than this guy. I mean, come on!
Next up: Four words – Kevin. Costner. Robin. Hood.
Moving on, let’s take a look at John Malkovich in Rounders. It’s like this guy had no idea what a Russian accent sounded like, so he just studied Count Chocula and went from there. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Here’s a dynamic duo – two bad accents IN THE SAME MOVIE. Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York. Now I think little Leo is quite a good actor. But he needs to avoid tricky European accents – it would be the best thing for all of us. And Cameron Diaz??? I don’t know what she’s got going on, but ding dang! she doesn’t sound like she’s from anywhere. It’s as if she’s in the transitional stages in her work with Henry Higgins! To wit:
I must end this list on a sad note. Dick Van Dyke is a rock star. Period. He is a wonderfully gifted physical actor. But what he did in Mary Poppins should have been addressed by the director. Or a fellow cast member. Or any member of the human race. He’s going for Cockney; he hit crappy. But Julie Andrews saves us all, God bless her!
What are your least favorite accents?
08.20.07
I’m Back Baby…
’cause school is just around the corner (cue Hallelujah Chorus). And why haven’t I posted lately? Let’s see… oh yeah, I’m raising two very mischievous, delightful but somewhat machiavellian PIXIES! So basically, I have my hands a wee bit full. And when I say a wee bit full, I mean don’t-even-pause-to-go-to-the-bathroom, breathe-when-you-have-the-chance, take-the-phone-off-the-hook, ask-for-eyes-in-the-back-of-your-head-for-Christmas, just-go-ahead-and-set-your-affairs-in-order FULL!!
Here is some irrefutable evidence:
Don’t be fooled by the sweet smile – she’s got a bucket full of rocks, for the love of God!!
Note to self: when patroning a bowling alley wherein small children freely cart bowling balls hither and yon, steel-toed boots vs. flip flops isn’t really even a contest!
It’s just not enough to slide like a normal person – let’s add some panache!! And check out the other kid trying to get with the program – is there even medicine for a groin injury in one so young?
Why wear your own clothes when you can strip down to your skivvies at a birthday party, pirate this little number and work it like you’re headlining a Disney Renaissance Festival??
