1st Annual "Ehch Is Bored" Contest on Twitter - come play!

Mmkay. The 1st Annual (or weekly, if these antibiotics keep me laying facedown in my bed for much longer) Ehch's Boredom Contest on Twitter will begin at 8 a.m. EST on Friday, June 19th. Up to three prizes shall be awarded (if there are enough people playing along to warrant a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finish, that is), and they will be based on the recipient's taste (i.e. if the winner is a movie buff, s/he'll get a DVD; we'll discuss it once you actually win).

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NOTE (Fri. June 19 @ 9:30 a.m.):

The complete rules etc. can be read

HERE

(I removed them from this post to un-clutter things a bit - my friends' progress has already begun to be posted below!

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The winner(s) will be announced by 8 p.m. EST on Saturday!


I already have several challenges in mind, so I'll set about scheduling them into HootSuite ASAP. :) Let's have a little fun with our Friday, folks!

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IT'S FRIDAY!

Wanna keep track of people's progress?

SO FAR...

8 a.m. - #1. Upload a song about "morning" and post the link here on Twitter for me to download. GO! (Bonus points if it's "Friday morning"!)

• @pweifenbach - 2 points for "Friday Morning" (nicely done!)
  
• @j0n0p - 1 point for "In The Morning"
  
• @herstorian - 1 point for "Sunday Morning"
  
• @aliciamcauley - 2 points for "Thursday Night, Friday Morning"!
  

9 a.m. - #2. Be the first person to find a celebrity whose birthday is today (June 19th) AND who has a Twitter account. (There's gotta be someone!)

• @madam_mina - 1 point for PAULA ABDUL!
  
• @pweifenbach - honourable mention for being so close with the same answer.
  

10 a.m. - #3. Six Degrees Of Separation: Connect any of the following (by musical association) to Level 42! : The Killers, Rod Stewart, Rihanna, INXS, Eric Clapton, Kanye West, Radiohead. (It's hard, so you get choices! There must be a MUSICAL LINK - played together, etc.) FYI re: #3 - you get a point for solving the link, no matter who's fastest, so no need to rush like mad on what I knew was a tough one. ;)

• @madam_mina - 1 point for an INCREDIBLY impressive answer (which I won't post yet while others are working on it, but BRAVO)! "Dominic Miller played with them in '79 later played with Sting - "It's Probably Me" (Feat. Eric Clapton)"
  
• @pweifenbach - 1 point for ANOTHER impressive (and totally different!) answer! "Mark King and Mike Lindup performed with Eric Clapton at Prince's Trust concert in '86..."
  
• @ShayneWinters - 1 point for Lethal Weaponry! "Dominic Miller played with Sting, who sang "It's Probably Me" with Eric Clapton on the Lethal Weapon 3 soundtrack."
  

11 a.m. - #4.Name four Grammy-winning musical artists who are Canadian. Then link me to a video on YouTube by one of those artists. GO!

• @madam_mina - a TIE! 2 points for being the first, with Joni Mitchell, Michael Buble, James Ehnes, The Band
  
• @ShayneWinters - 2 points - a TIE for answering at the same moment as @madam_mina! Joni Mitchell, Michael Buble, James Ehnes, Celine Dion
  
• @pweifenbach - 1 point for Michael Buble, Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morissette, and Sarah McLachlan
  
• @herstorian - 1 point for Alanis Morissette, Bryan Adams, Leonard Cohen, and Celine Dion.
  
• @aliciamcauley - 1 point for Joni Mitchell, Michael Buble, K.D. Lang, Diana Krall
  

12 p.m. - #5. It's lunch time here in Ontario! But here's a trivia question for you: How many time zones exist across Canada? (Ignore the DST thing!)

• @aliciamcauley - 1 point
  
• @ShayneWinters - 1 point
  
• @pweifenbach - 1 point
  
• @madam_mina - 1 point
  
• @herstorian - 1 point
  

1 p.m. - #6. Scavenger Hunt! Find 5 photos featuring my 1st name (NOT handwritten; I mean street signs, billboards etc.)! Links ok here or at DW.

• @aliciamcauley - 1 point
  
• @madam_mina - 1 point
  
• @herstorian - 1 point
  

2 p.m. - #7. Will you be the first person to persuade a famous author to send me a get-well Tweet?

• @j0n0p - 2 POINTS for the sweet message from @EmmaK67!!
  

3 p.m. - #8. Find a complete stranger on Twitter, send him/her a note saying you have a crush on him/her, & link me to the tweet. Bonus for reply!

• @pweifenbach - LOL at saying "NOT!"
  
• @herstorian - she did it! (link pending - 1 point) 2 POINTS! http://ow.ly/f8tI !
  

4 p.m. - #9. Put all of the songs on The Beatles' "Abbey Road" in alphabetical order & tweet the first word of each to me. GO!
(I'm granting points to all due to the creativity of presentation)

• @pweifenbach - 1 point!
  
• @madam_mina - 1 point!
  
• @herstorian - 1 point!
  

5 p.m. - #10. Do you think you can bribe/talk a famous musician into sending me a get-well tweet before 8 a.m. tomorrow?

• PENDING!
  

6 p.m. - #11. Name 3 actors or actresses who died on this day (June 19th).

• @madam_mina - 1 point for
  Geraldine Brooks, Jean Arthur, Bobby Helms
  
• @ShayneWinters - 1 point for Robert Shafer, Scott Merrill, and Zelda Crosby
  

7 p.m. - #12. Scavenger hunt! Can you find photos online of things that feature YOUR first, middle, and last name? (Each 3 can be separate pics.)

• @pweifenbach - her first and middle names! (half a point!)
  
• @madam_mina - all three names = 1 point!
  
• @herstorian - all three names = 1 point!
  

8 p.m. - #13. Tell me, in 140 characters, about your worst date ever. ("Didn't get laid" isn't quite detailed enough, FYI.)

• @ANGRYSAM - 1 point! "In high school, first date, took girl miniature golfing, other friend swung club & slammed her in the eye. Had to go to hospital." Ouch.
  
• @madam_mina - 1 point! "5 Arby's melts for $5 and he was cheap enough to be pissed that we couldn't share a soda because I drink diet and he doesn't" Creep!
  
• @herstorian - 1 point! "Worst date=Awkward guy. In a comic shop we had something to talk about;afterward, he was almost silent for 2 hours. Excruciating."
  

9 p.m. - #14. Name 4 films that are based on conspiracy theories (and tell me which theories they cover). The Mel Gibson/Julia Roberts one = NO. :-P

• @madam_mina - 1 point (great answers; will post 'em later so nobody steals 'em!)
  
• @ShayneWinters - 1 point (though I should deduct one for your choice)
  
• @herstorian - 1 point (I especially liked "there is no spoon")
  

10 p.m. - #15. Trivia: How many American states either begin or end with the letter 'A'?
Okay, there is some debate over this one; I'll have to verify!

• @ShayneWinters says 23 [debate still raging over D.C. and other bonus trivia]
  
• @herstorian says 22 - 1 point
  
• @madam_mina says 22 - 1 point
  

11 p.m. - #16. Send me a link to the very first baby photo taken of you! (Hint: it was probably with your birth announcement...)

• @herstorian - 1 point ( http://bit.ly/njs2U - aww!!)
  

12 a.m. - #17. Go to this optical illusions site - http://ow.ly/eT90 - and tell me how many you get right. (No cheating!) Highest score gets 1 pt.
Apparently I am the devil and this was a terribly misleading question; points for those who played along!

• @ShayneWinters - 1 point
  
• @madam_mina - 1 point
  

1 a.m. - #18. Write a Haiku for me about something we both love! Can it be done in 140 characters??

• @ShayneWinters - 1 point for "Watching horror flicks. / "We're never going there." Bad / things happen in corn." (LOL!!)
  

2 a.m. - #19. Confess a slightly embarrassing factoid about yourself to me, something I didn't know before. (You can get back at me in one hour!)

• @madam_mina - 1 point
  

3 a.m. - #20. Name 3 of the best guitarists EVER, then link me to a solo by each of them on YouTube. GO!

• 
  

4 a.m. - #21. Only a scant few hours left to convince a famous actor/actress to send me a get-well tweet... Good luck!

• 
  

5 a.m. - #22. Okay, it's officially Saturday morning. Upload a "Saturday" song and link to it for download! (hint: you can use MegaUpload/YouSendIt)

• 
  

6 a.m. - #23. Find and post a picture of someone who shares both your first and last name, but is NOT you!

• 
  

7 a.m. - #24. Only one away from the grand finale! Trivia: Name Canada's last 4 Prime Ministers AND the last 4 leaders of YOUR country.

• 
  

8 a.m. - #25. LAST CHALLENGE! Find someone famous on Twitter, of whom I'm a fan but am not already Following, & see if you can get THEM to follow ME! You have until 7:59 p.m. EST (June 20) to accomplish that feat. The Follow only has to last long enough for me to know!

• 
  

*** THANK YOU to everyone who devoted a full 24 hours to my amusement! I actually want ALL of your addresses - mail me at my username @ gmail!! ***

STAY TUNED FOR FINAL SCORES (Saturday 7:59 p.m. EST...) You have until then to answer the last few!

As of #18, here are the points:

• @madam_mina - 13
  
• @herstorian - 10
  
• @ShayneWinters - 9
  
• @pweifenbach - 5.5
  
• @aliciamcauley - 5
  
• @j0n0p - 3
  
• @ANGRYSAM - 1
  

You can still get more with the remaining challenges!
_

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PLEASE NOTE:

[Saturday night]
Health issues have sidelined me for a day or two; apologies for the delay, and I'll do the final tally as soon as I'm able. Thanks, guys. xoxo

Intro to Twitter: A batch of April's best Tweets (of mine)

Chock full of the funniest and weirdest links, lists and pics I've been able to find over the past few days! I hope it provides some amusement. Judging by my international stats, I'm doin' an okay job of it so far. I've now got followers from every continent! If you're unfamiliar with Twitter, no worries - just click the "ow.ly" link next to whichever subjects grab your interest, and it'll take you to the article I'm discussing. Have fun, and get hooked like the rest of us!

April 29th

• 00:41 What's the measurement term I'm looking for - furlong? Furlough?? Am I even close? Text my cell if you know! Settle a bet for me! #
• 02:28 RT @atomicrose: @prettyh Furlong! [Thank you, Casey! Bonus points: How MUCH is a furlong??] #
• 06:25 @aliciamcauley I am SO EXCITED about our upcoming @chuckpalahniuk experience! So...I'll be Scotland and you'll be Ireland? ow.ly/4lNQ #
• 08:40 I have vegetarian/vegan friends. We respect each other. Possibly why this ("they forced meat on meee!! RAPE!") irks me so. ow.ly/4lHt #
• 10:20 Whoo, boy. LJ never fails to deliver ~DRAMA~. This time around it's a PostSecret about rape/not rape. See for yourselves: ow.ly/4mCi #
• 19:55 My friend Lana, who works at CBC3, posted an amusing blog entry re: Music That Makes You Dumb (I'm smart; so there!): ow.ly/4sCX #
• 20:30 RT @Carlanime: Speaking of the flu, WHO have finally raised the whatsit level to thingy. ow.ly/4sFu [LOL! Well put, Carla.] #
• 20:55 Doesn't surprise me: 60% of Twitter users quit within their 1st month. They're just not as good at link-hunting as I am! ow.ly/4sP2 #

April 28th

• 16:17 Too much to dissect for Twitter. Pics of Michael Jackson's Neverland auction - am laughing and shrieking at same time: ow.ly/4hLj #
• 18:29 This is just getting disgusting. Tori Stafford's mom says she had a secret meeting with a rich benefactor offering ransom: ow.ly/4iSJ #

April 27th

• 06:22 @madam_mina Shush, you! We gave the Yankees AJ Burnett for a song, and now the poor fellow's under pressure. See: ROY HALLADAY! <3 #
• 06:24 @mattgood Are there specific Vans you're seeking? I've gotten some from a shop on Queen St/Toronto if you need details. Adidas & Chucks,too. #
• 06:25 @strombo I'm overtired, probably, but I read your Chris Walken hashtag as "douchedbyabadangel". Good band name, I think. #
• 06:27 @madam_mina My beloved Jorge Posada is not that far from 40 now! I can relate to the "OMFG I'M OLD" feeling! Our teams SUCKED today. Bah. #
• 06:55 @johncmayer Also not ugly, ever: soccer (er..."football") players. It's true. Watch the World Cup sometime. Wall to wall gorgeous. #
• 07:30 "Bewitched" movie is on TV. Lazy late nite/early a.m. viewing, y'see. But it's worse than the RottenTomatoes 25% implies. ow.ly/3Z9v #
• 08:50 @ShayneWinters You should try AudioCaptcha. It's even more challenging to get right the first try. YouTube's doing it now, too. Stupid. #
• 09:30 Everyone seems fairly convinced missing girl's mom (Tara, mom of Tori Stafford)is the culprit. Interesting Facebook group: ow.ly/3Z4J #
• 10:10 Unless you love Woody Allen, AVOID "Cassandra's Dream". HORRIBLE. Even Farrell, McGregor & Wilkinson couldn't save it! ow.ly/3Z4Q #
• 10:41 @pweifenbach So envious of you being in Vegas! Have you seen the Cirque "LOVE" show? What I'd give! Beatles fans unite!! ow.ly/3ZRK #
• 11:30 Question: Is there something other than LoudTwitter I could use to have my Tweets sent to my open Blogger? Can't find another shipper! #
• 12:43 @ShayneWinters You need answers to WHAT? You only asked one question! And yes, thx, I'll take @stephenfry on "Bones". NAY to Cassie Clare!! #
• 13:25 @aerojad !!! I think, short of proposing marriage, you joining Twitter is the grandest gesture a man has ever made for me. It's fun here! #
• 14:05 I sleep with a fan on me nearly every night, and I'd NEVER heard the urban legend that it's supposedly FATAL! WTF?? ow.ly/3Z5U #
• 14:10 "I sleep with a fan on me every night" sounds more sordid than it is. I DO, however, have a Fan Club (I'm not allowed in): ow.ly/40hZ #
• 14:31 I think I'd like to be a BNF ( ow.ly/40jo ), in my own fandom. As in, I'd be the BNF of Ehch Fandom. Is that a bit too...Mussolini? #
• 14:45 One more thing re: me having fans: Why do only 19 people love me? Is it because I don't plagiarize fic??( ow.ly/40jQ )*sob*BE MY FAN! #
• 15:15 I know every word of 'Trainspotting' film, but every fan MUST buy Director's Cut. The deleted scenes? SHOCKING. ow.ly/3Z6s #
• 15:35 @Carlanime You've gotta know that a pregnant woman in a Naughty Nurse costume is some kind of niche fetish. Lemme know how it turns out. o.O #
• 16:00 Who among you has an account at Last.FM? (Aside from those already on my list.) I wanna spy on your musical tastes! Mine: ow.ly/40hK #
• 17:05 RT @MossySloth: @prettyh HOLY CRAP I didn't know Labyrinth was based on a book!!!! [See? My Tweets are educational! ~H~] ow.ly/3MyM #
• 17:50 RT @yokoono: IMAGINE PEACE:Simplest most effective peace meditation. It's a space transformer.Transforming the world as quickly as possible #
• 20:25 I have about four years' worth of laundry to do. Think that means I have too many clothes. Diabetes Assoc.'s gettin' a BIG donation this wk. #

April 26th

• 06:08 I'm laughing way too hard at this. It trumps all of the other terrible street signs. Who knew Welsh was so difficult?? ow.ly/3U2N #
• 07:05 I've long bitched about Daddy having no cell phone. Now I think I'm grateful; he wouldn't like texts about my sex life: ow.ly/3U30 #
• 08:25 Twitter can, apparently, cost you your job, reputation, relationships... Here are 5 of the "Worst Tweets Ever": ow.ly/3U4I #
• 09:25 While not impressed with the resemblance to Heath OUT of makeup, this Joker figure ( ow.ly/3U8C ) is FREAKY in face paint!!! WOW. #
• 10:50 Punk'd by the 'net: how some companies have gotten SCREWED by social media. I still wonder about the iPod rumour. ow.ly/3U9e #

April 24th

• 03:05 @MossySloth We need to sit down (er, Skype down!) & compare sleep disorders, I think. That and myriad odd subjects, like: ow.ly/3CO6 #
• 04:11 @ShayneWinters It scares me a little that you know enough about Dancing With The Stars to ask if the gymnast has been kicked off. And NO. #
• 04:25 Utterly fascinating link courtesy of @MossySloth, containing a whole lot of conspiracy theories and other überweird stuff: ow.ly/3MpH #
• 04:41 REAL JIGSAW KILLER:"Mr Howe's head, arm, leg & torso were found [...] Only his hands have not been found. " Why the hands? ow.ly/3MwM #
• 05:04 Another ex. of nature being warped: Cats in heat sound like babies crying. I hear one outside. It's creepy and makes no biological sense. #
• 05:20 Haven't yet read it, but LOVE the title of this article:"Children Don't Make You Happy, Says Expert Who Doesn't Have Any": ow.ly/3Mvb #
• 06:10 Um..good god. "Australia's Miss Universe finalist dangerously underweight". D'you THINK?? I didn't know corpses qualified. ow.ly/3MvC #
• 07:05 Just FYI, all of my Thurs/Fri tweets have been scheduled as of Wednesday, so if I'm dead by then and you're seeing these, don't panic. #
• 08:05 I can always outdo myself with weirder lists, you know. "Top 10 Greatest Floating Heads Of All Time". (Only 10?) ow.ly/3CEw #
• 10:10 @Carlanime You are the only person I've ever heard say, "I'm glad my sex life doesn't involve a speculum." It COULD! See: ow.ly/3CFq #
• 12:30 LOL!! Re: the chick who was nearly lunch: "Logic tells us that polar bears will do this type of thing in this situation." ow.ly/3Mwn #
• 13:50 "British scientists study Happy Face Spider". What the hell?? Mother Nature is sicker than I thought; this thing is SCARY! ow.ly/3Mv1 #
• 14:35 A hilarious collection of street signs and the like. This one forbids soft coconuts on hospital premises. AS IT SHOULD! ow.ly/3Mxk #
• 14:50 This should be a rule for LIFE: No obnoxious behaviour, no crying/unhappy children, or you'll be booted from the cave! ow.ly/3Mxz #
• 16:15 @foresthouse If YOU want a Dreamwidth code, ever, let me know! My beloved @jmatwood took care of me: ow.ly/3CGW #
• 18:20 Top 10 Childrens' Books For People Who Hate Their Children (I'm noticing a theme in my tweets today...): ow.ly/3MyM #
• 20:35 Another step in the neverending downward spiral of Lindsay Lohan: she's skinnier than the Aussie pageant chick. AUGH!! ow.ly/3MCa #
• 20:36 @michaelsheen1 I totally read that wrong and thought you said you just had your makeup melting. Which does indeed sound mysterious. #
• 21:15 A fresh, funny-as-hell take on Billy Bob Thornton's stupidity whilst visiting (read: forcing himself upon) my country: ow.ly/3MD2 #

Long time no update, but...TWEET!

Yes, I'm overdue for a proper entry...but for the time being, I'll be sending my Tweets here, for those of you who follow the weird goings-on in my life and who get a kick out of my bizarre collection of links. It's mainly for those who don't have access to my private blog; I keep my Tweets suitable for public consumption. Usually. Ahem. (Yes, I know, there was that one ***NSFW*** "Stages Of The Cervix" thing that got everyone all freaked out...but it got even more people offering up TMI in response!)

If you'd like to subscribe, you can do so easily: either comment to this entry (and make sure you sign your name!), or use the "Subscribe" button on the sidebar of the blog. I try not to be one of those nonsensical, pointless Twitterers whose 140 characters make NO BLOODY SENSE, so I'm hoping you'll find some enjoyment in the links I provide when I get the chance.



Please note that, with the exception of a very, very small number of people, this will be opt-in ONLY. If you don't leave a comment saying you want to read more, or if you don't subscribe to the posts, this is the last notification you'll get about it. You may have only gotten notification because your address is/was in my Gmail contacts list, so fret not - I'm not targeting anyone in particular! Don't panic and think you'll be inundated with 32,746 Tweets every day no matter what.

And no, I won't be offended if you're not into my weird links and strange conversations with celebrities. As you can see, I get a lot of traffic already...

...from all over the bloody world! The above graph only shows a slow week. My monthly stats are usually around 1,500 clicks, and I seem to get a lot of traffic from Belgium, Spain, And Poland. Haven't quite figured out why just yet.



Quite often I schedule a week's worth of links and such at a time, so I'm not actually sitting busily at my computer on a daily basis, hunting for material. I do have a life. ;) If you happen to comment, or if you're on Twitter and you reply there and don't get an answer right away, now you know why: the Tweets you're seeing on Thursday could have been scheduled on Monday, and I'm nowhere near a computer!

I'll be dropping in to do proper entries as well from time to time, of course, since sometimes 140 characters just can't say it all. But I wanted to give you guys a heads up, in case you wondered what on earth you were suddenly seeing here in place of my ranting and raving!

To see who I'm following on Twitter: http://twitter.com/prettyh/friends.

To see who's following me: http://twitter.com/prettyh/following.

Here's an example of what you'll be seeing:

• 06:08 I'm laughing way too hard at this. It trumps all of the other terrible street signs. Who knew Welsh was so difficult?? ow.ly/3U2N #
• 07:05 I've long bitched about Daddy having no cell phone. Now I think I'm grateful; he wouldn't like texts about my sex life: ow.ly/3U30 #
• 08:25 Twitter can, apparently, cost you your job, reputation, relationships... Here are 5 of the "Worst Tweets Ever": ow.ly/3U4I #
• 09:25 While not impressed with the resemblance to Heath OUT of makeup, this Joker figure ( ow.ly/3U8C ) is FREAKY in face paint!!! WOW. #
• 10:50 Punk'd by the 'net: how some companies have gotten SCREWED by social media. I still wonder about the iPod rumour. ow.ly/3U9e #

Welcome to the new age of pseudo-blogging! Enjoy your stay, and have fun clicking the strangest links I can find!

The days of the true rock concert experience are dying.

My 2009 summer concert list is getting rather unwieldy.

• Coldplay - tickets are bought (show is July 30th)
  
• Depeche Mode - tickets are bought (show is July 24th)
  
• Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction - tickets aren't on sale yet, but I have a crack team working on snatching up a few when the time comes (show is June 2nd)
  
• U2 - no onsale date yet, either (whyyyyy did they pick the lousiest possible venue??? Show is on September 16th)
  

And those are just the four major contenders; there will surely be others. Thank goodness I'm only actually paying for two of these at a time. And the Depeche Mode ones are actually a gift from my parents, which is a damn good thing, since they're $115 each. Compare that to the $50 apiece we paid for Coldplay, and it's outright despicable, really.



Oh, before I forget (and completely off-topic!), I'm putting out a call to all:
What's your favourite conspiracy theory?
Is there one (or more than one??) that you've always kinda thought had some merit to it? I'm doing a little research into some of the more popular ones, and was thinking of doing a few blog installments about them, so tell me which conspiracy theories fascinate you the most, or which ones are completely ridiculous (and why!), and I'll get around to compiling a few posts looking a bit further into 'em.


Back to the concerts thing, then.



Remember the good old days, when TRUE FANS would line up the night before or the morning of the tickets going on sale? When you'd befriend other fans in line and you'd see them again months later at the concert? Remember when people had to do more than sit on their lazy asses and click a mouse to go to a show? All of those things, that effort, really did add to the experience. Now scalpers get more tickets than fans do, and venues add an extra $20 to each ticket for "convenience charges" and so on. Mark my words: The days of the truly great rock concert are dying, my friends.

The craziest ticket-getting experience I ever had was the bitterly cold January morning when my boyfriend Doug and I lined up to buy Pink Floyd tickets. We were actually going to see Billy Joel that night at Maple Leaf Gardens (this was 1994), so having to get up that early on a Saturday morning and then make the trek in a blizzard downtown in 12 hours was...not an exciting prospect. Still, it was PINK FLOYD. It was the "PULSE" tour, in support of The Division Bell *swoon*, and nothing was going to stop us from getting those tickets. There was no such thing as Ticketmaster.Ca or .Com, but you could do it by phone, if you were a wimp. This was also before the random wristbands; you had to haul ass to prove you were worthy of those good seats, damnit. And there was also a limit of 4 tickets, EVER, per person.

What we didn't know, though, was that things were different that morning than they usually were when we'd gone to buy tickets at the record store. Usually the store employees would open the mall doors enough for us to at least wait inside for an hour or two, even while the whole place was still technically closed. So I hadn't dressed for -30°C temperatures. I had normal boots on, and a normal winter jacket, sure, but I didn't have a scarf or mittens or a hat, and the wind was bitter enough that I should have been wearing tights and extra-thick socks as well. We had to stand out there for two hours, after all...and that's enough to kill you if you're not dressed for it. (I was also a skinny little thing then - just shy of 5'6" and not even 125lbs. No natural insulation whatsoever.)

After the first hour, my feet started to hurt so badly that I actually began to cry, and my tears froze at the corners of my eyes. Doug had been holding me as close to him as possible, but that didn't help my feet, obviously. So he had to leave me there (I'd only gotten my driver's license a few weeks earlier!), drive to my house several blocks away, and ask my parents for whatever they could give him so he could rush back to me and wrap me up in layers. By now I was getting those telltale white spots on my face, and the pain in my feet....GOD, it was INDESCRIBABLE. The people in front of me in line weren't in much better shape; they were two college guys who were wearing blue jeans and their leather jackets from school. The three of us took turns shielding each other from the wind, but mostly they felt sorry for me, this pathetic little 17-year-old girl with big blue eyes and frozen tears who kept trying to sing "Comfortably Numb" along with them so none of us would pass out.

When Doug returned, he was the hero of the hour: My Dad had sent over a couple of extra sweatshirts and pairs of thermal gloves for the people around us, and my Mom had given Doug money to stop at Tim Horton's to get a whole tray of hot chocolate. Oh, it was bliss. He wrapped a scarf around my face, pulled a toque down over my ears (they hurt like a sonofabitch, too), helped me put on an extra pair of socks, and stuffed my hands into the biggest mittens I owned. He'd gotten 8 cups of hot chocolate, so everyone we'd befriended in this terrible melee was so grateful.

By the time 9:59 a.m. rolled around, and the line began to move toward the door, I could barely walk. Doug dutifully dragged me along, with the help of one of the college guys who'd gratefully taken one of my Dad's sweaters, and the normal inside temperature of the mall felt, comparatively, like we were entering the mouth of hell as we hobbled through those doors.

There was an unspoken code in those days: When you got your tickets and came back out of the record store, you would announce to everyone in line behind you which section you'd gotten, so everyone could calculate which seats were left and so on. Sometimes, if you'd spent enough time together and had become friends while you waited, you might even try your luck at getting tickets for all four of you - two and two, of course, to better the odds, but it still saved precious seconds from ticking away for those people behind you. In this case, though, we opted to go it alone. We wished the college boys good luck, and we watched like hawks as they stood at the Ticketmaster counter, trying to read the lips of the girl behind the register. As it turned out, we all got really good seats, and the guys waited for us outside the store to give back the clothes that had probably saved them from freezing to death. They promised they would remember this, and that they'd see us 7 months from now at the show and would make it up to us.

That night, while we sat at Maple Leaf gardens singing along with Billy Joel, I had to fight back tears because my feet and legs still felt like someone was stabbing them with red-hot knitting needles. But the concert was fantastic, and the fact that I enjoyed it anyway really says something.

Fast forward to July 5th, 1994. January was long forgotten, as was the miserable weather we'd endured to allow us to end up at Exhibition Stadium. It was a gorgeous summer night, and Doug and I were over the (dark side of the) moon about seeing Pink Floyd. We had watched A Delicate Sound Of Thunder on VHS so, so many times, and we were ready to have this experience firsthand. Our seats were breathtaking. And it was the final night of an annual tradition in Toronto - the Symphony of Fire - so we got to watch a most extraordinary fireworks show before the concert began. The stadium was right on Lake Ontario, and the moon was full, and it was just...idyllic.

Not long before the show started, I was startled when something landed in my lap. It felt like...clothes. I looked around and couldn't tell in the throngs of people who had thrown it. And then I lifted it up. It was the Division Bell concert t-shirt. Seconds later, Doug got hit in the face with one. And then we saw them. Our college guys! They were only about seven seats over from us, had spotted us earlier, and had gone to the concession to buy us these shirts. They hadn't forgotten the payback they'd promised. It was lovely. We convinced the couple next to us to switch with these guys, and so the four of us were able to bask in the glory of the opening notes when David Gilmour first came onstage.

It didn't hurt that they'd also brought the purest pot I have ever smelled. They offered, and we declined, but I was rip-roaringly high off the secondhand smoke, which made Doug laugh, because I kept bursting into happy tears and saying, "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" whenever the lights turned into green lasers. (The inflatable pigs with the floodlights for eyes FUCKED ME UP, though.)

There were no email addresses to exchange back then - not really - so at the end of the show, we simply thanked our new/old friends for being so generous, and they thanked us again for rescuing them on that wintry day, and we parted ways. I still have the shirt, and so does Doug.

These are the experiences we miss out on nowadays. Hiding behind our computers, selling our tickets on eBay, waking up two minutes before the onsale time hits... It may seem perfectly normal to some of the younger folks reading this, but you're missing out. You truly are.



I have always wanted to tell that story. I'm glad I have. Am I the only one who's had such a fondness for the way getting tickets used to work???

Oscar Season! Reviews, predictions, and oversights galore.

Let's talk Oscar, shall we?



Every year I do my damnedest to see as many of the big nominees as possible, and this year I have to say I'm doing incredibly well. With two weeks to go, I've knocked down one hell of a lot of 'em, and have arranged access to the four or five that still remain (two in theatre, the rest all rentable). I wish I had more friends within easier distance who are as movie-obsessed as I am, because I throw a mean Oscar party, but this year it'll just be a quiet evening, methinks. My Dad has seen several of the contenders, too (he's actually taken me to a few of them; it's been cool to have him back as my regular movie buddy on Saturday mornings), so he and I can settle in together and rob each other blind on high-stakes award show betting.

So, for those of you who are not nearby but who've seen some of these films, I shall share my thoughts and see who among you is willing to place wagers for February 22nd. (Terms to be negotiated. I say the one who guesses the highest number of winners correctly should have a movie bought for them off their WishList. I'm in if you are! But we'll hold off 'til the 21st, since there are still unseen nominees...)

Here goes: What I've seen (as of now; I'll edit as the next two weeks rack me up), what I've loved, the reviews I've written on Facebook, and what's yet to be watched. (And my bets on who'll win.) Be prepared - it's a loooong entry! (Reprinted from my private blog.)

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BEST ACTRESS

• KATE WINSLET (The Reader)
  This role, when I finally found myself invested in the movie, blew my mind. Kate was barely recognizable, and not just because of the makeup. She became Hanna, with a harsh voice and Berlin accent, with new mannerisms and expressions... I've always loved her, but this really put her up to the next level for me. My review of the movie: I spent the first hour-plus wondering why I wasn't more emotionally invested in these characters. Certainly Kate Winslet gives yet another brilliantly layered performance, and her young co-star does a good job of keeping pace...but I wasn't IN IT. There was just something putting distance between me and the screen, and aside from the vague but persistent dread in my gut, I wasn't feeling as much as I'd expect to feel about such obviously painful moments in life and history. Until the last fifteen or twenty minutes, that is. At which point my heart began to hurt, and it hasn't stopped. Complex material that'll leave you turning so much over in your mind for a long time coming. (A side note: I can't recall a movie in recent history with as much full-on nudity as this one. Goodness me.) I'm told the book is far more haunting. I don't think I could take it. The man sitting next to me in the theatre turned to me when the closing credits began and sighed, "Well, THAT was...uplifting." I could only sniffle and smile before we all scattered out into the snow with very, very heavy hearts.
  
  
• MERYL STREEP (Doubt)
  I don't think I've ever seen Meryl give a sub-par performance (of course, I've purposely avoided Mamma Mia...), but this one stands out. She managed to be brash on the surface while still keeping a few tiny nuances that let us know there was more going on underneath. My review of the film: I've been unable to stop thinking about this haunting film since I saw it a week ago. Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance was so perfectly nuanced... My loyalties were torn from the first frame to the last, and what Streep and Adams brought to the table just added to that feeling of conflict...and, well, doubt. Serious props to Viola Davis for one of the most searing, painful scenes I've witnessed in a very long time. See it.
  
  
• ANGELINA JOLIE (Changeling)
  Haven't seen in yet. It's out on DVD on the 17th. I'd wanted to see it as soon as I heard it was out, but I missed it. This may be one of two major oversights (in my opinion) involving Clint Eastwood, who directed Changeling and was the mastermind behind a completely ignored and horribly underrated Gran Torino. As for Angie's performance, I expect it'll be solid, but not enough to knock Kate or Meryl off the stage. And I feel like Cate Blanchett should have been given this slot (for Benjamin Button) instead...but, again, I can't say for sure until I've seen it.
  
  
• ANNE HATHAWAY (Rachel Getting Married)
  Will be seeing it on Wednesday, as it's been re-released in Toronto (yay for that!). I'm impressed that Anne has made it from bubblegum Disney movies to serious indie flicks so early in her career, and I'm really looking forward to seeing this one.
  
  
• MELISSA LEO (Frozen River)
  It's on DVD, so I'll be seeing it this week sometime. I have to say, this one surprised me, mainly because I'd heard nothing about this movie before the nominations came out. Still, Leo has been a great character actress for a while now, so it's nice to see an underdog in the race.
  

Who I think SHOULD win: Based on the only two performances I've seen thus far, Kate Winslet deserves to finally get a bloody Oscar. Her role as Hanna Schmitz is jaw-droppingly convincing. I forgot it was Kate on screen, quite frankly, after only a short time - long before the makeup and costume wizards aged her so many years. She was fantastic. To be fair, Meryl Streep's turn in Doubt gave me chills, too; she managed to pack so much emotion into such a restrained performance. But between the two, Kate wins for me. I can't see that changing even after I see the other three, but you never know...

Who I think WILL win: Kate. Her only real competition, I think, is Streep, and I think the many awards Kate has already won for the role tell us that the Academy is ready to pass the torch, rather than add to Meryl's massive collection. Again, though, I have to reserve my final opinion until I see the others!

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BEST ACTOR

• FRANK LANGELLA (Frost/Nixon)
  Wow! Who woulda thunk it?? I've loved Frank for eons, so it's pretty cool to see him get nominated for his first Oscar (especially for a role that has already earned him a Tony Award). The odds of him winning are slim to none, I fear, but that's not for lack of a strong performance; the competition is just too strong this year. My review of the movie: Having been only a baby when this historical interview happened, I went into the film not knowing a whole lot. I came out thoroughly impressed with how well I was filled in, and how bizarrely sympathetic Langella's Nixon managed to be without twisting who and what the man really was. As for Michael Sheen...I was afraid this was going to be kind of like his Tony Blair impersonating David Frost, but no! He even got the speech patterns down. Truly impressive film. But I still can't get over the fact that it made the Best Picture short list over "Gran Torino". THAT I cannot abide. Even so, a worthwhile 2 hours all around.
  
  
• MICKEY ROURKE (The Wrestler)
  Augh. This one's still too fresh. I may have to cry again now. Looking at Rourke's once-beautiful face, you'd think he'd have a hard time conveying emotion because of all of that surgery...but man, that couldn't be further from the truth. Every eyebrow raise, every half-smile, it all spoke volumes about this broken man and how desperate he was to make something - anything - right again. He was brilliant, playing what he knew but never stepping over the line into parodying himself. My review of the movie: The night I saw "Slumdog...", I came out of the theatre and heard two guys - who were just leaving "The Wrestler" - saying that they wanted to kill themselves after "that experience". I had forgotten about that moment...until I saw the movie for myself last night. Mickey Rourke has officially broken my heart into about eight thousand pieces. He has my vote come Oscar night. Marisa Tomei is so good you forget she's naked for 90% of her screen time. The whole experience... Just see it, and be ready to feel a little bit shattered when the lights come up.
  
  
• BRAD PITT (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)
  As a rule, I'm not a Brad Pitt fan. That's probably a weird thing to say, coming from someone who includes Fight Club and Se7en among her favourite films, but it's true. He's okay. He's done some fine work. But I'm not a fangirl. Having said that, though, I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised at the gentle way he handled his character's evolution. It was unlike anything I've seen him do before, and he did it very effectively. I don't think he deserves to win, but I can see why he was nominated. (I just wish it hadn't been at the expense of Clint Eastwood! There I go again...) My review of the film: I started crying about 15 minutes in. I didn't stop, not for a moment, until the end credits. Even then I had to suck it up. The performances were outstanding, especially by Blanchett and Henson, and the direction and cinematography made me feel like I was there...but there were parts that dragged on a bit too long, and that yanked me out of the frame. I also felt like some of the sentimentality of it all was heavy handed and emotionally manipulative, rather than being sincere (using Hurricane Katrina as the current setting?? Ouch)...but maybe I'm just angsty because I cried for three hours in public. It doesn't deserve to win Best Picture, and I still can't believe it was nominated instead of "Gran Torino", but it IS a beautifully made film. Just make sure you bring Kleenex.
  
  
• SEAN PENN (Milk)
  Haven't seen it yet. The plan is to catch it the same night as Rachel Getting Married this week. But...it's Sean Penn. He's going to be great. Great enough to blow the other guys out of the water? Maybe, maybe not. But he's won before, which may leave room for a sentimental favourite like Mickey Rourke...
  
  
• RICHARD JENKINS (The Visitor)
  Another one I have yet to see - it's out on DVD already. I actually said aloud, "What the HELL??" when I heard he was nominated instead of Clint Eastwood?!? WTF!!?!?, but he's kind of like Melissa Leo in my mind: a solid actor who's put in a lot of great performances and has paid his dues, and it's nice to see him being recognized for the first time. I hope I enjoy the movie, even though I can't for the life of me see how he could win over Pitt, Rourke or Penn.
  

Who I think SHOULD win: OH, MICKEY, YOU'RE SO FINE... Of the performances I've seen, his moved me the most. I wasn't expecting to be as impressed as I was; I thought it would just be too easy, with him playing a character that mirrors his real life too closely. But he hit hard, and he hit deep, and for that reason I would love to see him getting a standing ovation as he walks up to accept an award he probably never imagined could be his.

Who I think WILL win: I'm kind of afraid that Sean Penn will swoop in and snatch this one up. I can't say he wouldn't deserve it, since I haven't seen his movie, but the guy is walking Oscar-bait every damn year. With the timing of Prop 8 and the buzz around the film, there's a very good chance Penn's got the cards stacked in his favour.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• TARAJI P. HENSON (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)
  This woman blew me away when I saw her in Hustle And Flow, so it's great to see her getting recognized for a very solid turn in Benjamin. But, really, as good as she was, I don't know that it was a performance that was Oscar-worthy. I think she will have a lot more chances in the future to be a winner, but there wasn't quite enough to her character, for me, to put her up against the likes of Marisa Tomei this year.
  
  
• MARISA TOMEI (The Wrestler)
  Anyone who thought Marisa's Oscar for My Cousin Vinny was a fluke can set that aside now. She brought almost as much heartache to the screen this time around as Mickey Rourke did, and that's saying a lot. Extra props to her for A) having the guts to spend most of her screen time naked and grinding against a pole, and B) looking absolutely fabulous (and convincingly broken) while doing so.
  
  
• AMY ADAMS (Doubt)
  I fell in love with Amy Adams as soon as I saw Junebug. This is a woman who has a lot of nominations, and likely wins, in her future. The trouble is that Doubt was so much an ensemble piece that it seems like she had the least amount of stuff to do on screen, which makes it hard for me to see her winning this year. On the flipside, she made the most of the time she did have, and she played someone completely unlike any of her previous characters...and she was spot on with it. I'm kinda torn about this one, but she definitely deserves the nomination, and I look forward to what great things she'll be doing in the future.
  
  
• VIOLA DAVIS (Doubt)
  This goes almost completely against what I've said about Amy Adams and Taraji Henson, but considering Viola had only a single 12-minute-long scene in the whole film, I can scarcely believe the impact her few short moments made on me. Her scant dialogue with Meryl Streep cut like a knife and added something to the film that was essential in creating the entire atmosphere of it all. Truly one of the more powerful appearances I've ever seen, and she managed to stuff everything we needed to know into twelve measly minutes. Commendable.
  
  
• PENELOPE CRUZ (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
  Haven't seen it. Don't want to see it, but it's on DVD, so I'll suck it up. I loathe Woody Allen movies (the sole exception being the astonishing Match Point), and on top of that I completely disagreed with Cruz being nominated for Volver a couple of years back (overrated in a big way, IMO). But I'll give it a fair chance, since both Cruz and Allen have managed to surprise me in the past.
  

Who I think SHOULD win: Augh. This is hard! I'm gonna have to go with Viola. Even though half of my brain is rooting for Amy. Augh. (This does prove, however, that Doubt was another oversight in the Best Picture category, doesn't it?)

Who I think WILL win: I honestly don't know if it'll be Amy or Taraji. Both are fairly new-ish to the Big Time, and both have created a lot of buzz with their performances, this year and in recent years. If I had to guess, I'd say Taraji will get it.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• HEATH LEDGER (The Dark Knight)
  I really hate hearing people say that Heath only got the nod because he's not with us anymore. If you saw the film, you know bloody well that his performance was one of the greatest things to witness all year. All sentimentality aside, I'd have been pissed if he'd been left off the consideration list; his Joker blew everyone and everything away (literally and figuratively). My review of the film:
  
  
• PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN (Doubt)
  Interesting to note that Hoffman's Capote won out over Heath's cowboy in Brokeback Mountain a couple of seasons ago. And this time around, a win would be well deserved, indeed. He left me completely dumbstruck when I saw Doubt; I watched every expression on his face, every bit of body language, and I was so impressed with the complexity and depth that he gave to the priest he played. I have a feeling that he'd be a lock in this category if not for Heath.
  
  
• MICHAEL SHANNON (Revolutionary Road)
  This was another "WHAT THE HELL???" moment for me when the nominations were announced. Shannon has been one of those guys who has turned in a lot of good performances as a character actor, and I'd like to see him in more films, but...I cannot for the life of me figure out how he landed on the short list with his very brief (and not terribly consequential) role in ...Road. He did a great job with what he had, but what they gave him wasn't much, and in my world it just doesn't feel like an Oscar kind of role. If anything, Leonardo DiCaprio should have gotten this nomination for the same movie. I like Shannon, and I liked what he did in the film, but it's not even in the same stratosphere as the above-mentioned performances.
  
  
• ROBERT DOWNEY JR. (Tropic Thunder)
  Aaaaaand yet another "WTF?!?" from me. Don't get me wrong; I adore RDJ, and think he should be swimming in Oscars by now, AND I haven't even seen the film in question yet (another renter)...so maybe I should just shaddap until I see what the deal is. But...seriously?? Of all the great parts he's played...??? Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) should have gotten a shot at this instead. Or Leonardo, again. Or Colin Farrell for In Bruges! This one baffles me. Maybe it'll make more sense once I see Tropic Thunder, but I can't imagine a comedic performance in blackface alongside *shudder* Ben Stiller and Jack Black could possibly hold a candle to the other guys I mentioned.
  
  
• JOSH BROLIN (Milk)
  Again, haven't seen it yet, so I have no idea whatsoever about this one. His last few roles have impressed the hell out of me (and I kinda thought he might even get nominated for his brilliant portrayal of Dubya, actually), so I'll be waiting on this call.
  

Who I think SHOULD win: This sucks. I want Heath Ledger to get it, but knowing how much he hated award shows, plus the fact that he's not here to receive the recognition for his amazing role, I feel like Philip Seymour Hoffman should really be the one to walk away with the Oscar. I'm positive it'll be one of the two, and I know I'll be both happy and sad no matter which one wins.

Who I think WILL win: Heath. As a salute not only to the brilliance we've seen, but also to what we know we're going to miss out on.

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BEST DIRECTOR

• DANNY BOYLE (Slumdog Millionaire)
  I love Danny Boyle. He's made so many of my absolute favourite films (Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, Millions), and he's never been recognized for any of them. Now he's been nominated for something that is miles away from his most famous endeavours, which gives him points for amazing versatility. The undertaking of such a huge production with Slumdog earned him a spot at the top of this list.
  
  
• DAVID FINCHER (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)
  Another one of my favourite directors. (I've forgiven him for the atrocity that was Zodiac.) And I love that he took on a project that's so different from the films for which he's best known. He, like Danny, has proven that he's no one-trick pony, and Benjamin had to be one hell of a big job. He pulled it off and the end product was beautiful.
  
  
• STEPHEN DALDRY (The Reader)
  If I'm not mistaken, this fellow has only directed two feature films - the first being The Hours - and is therefore batting a thousand in terms of nominations. He really caught the atmosphere in this one, so I'm glad he's gotten a nod, but I think it was his direction that caused the disconnect I felt through the first chunk of the movie. I'm not sure how I feel about who got left OFF the list as a result of his nomination (Clint, again, and Darren Aronofsky). I dunno. I think we can expect more good things from this guy, but I'd sort of like to see him establish himself a bit more before he starts collecting statues.
  
  
• RON HOWARD (Frost/Nixon)
  I liked the movie quite a bit, but...nothing about it felt like there was a Ron Howard signature to it, if that makes any sense. Had I not known it was his film, I wouldn't have been able to pick out his style. (Does he have one?) I generally like the movies he puts out, but as I said above, I think Eastwood or Aronofsky were overlooked and deserved a shot for their films more than Howard does this time.
  
  
• GUS VAN SANT (Milk)
  Once more: haven't seen it. Gus is hit-and-miss for me. (He, at least, has a distinctive style, like the first two nominees; sometimes it works, in films like Elephant, whereas other times it misfires - Psycho and Last Days come to mind.) I'll reserve judgment.
  

Who I think SHOULD win: Danny Boyle. The way he managed to weave that story together and never lost any momentum is extraordinary. But I can't say I'd be disappointed to see David Fincher get it, for similar reasons.

Who I think WILL win: Danny. He took such a unique approach to Slumdog, and made it into something unlike anything we've ever seen before, that I'd be surprised if anyone else won.

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BEST PICTURE (my rating out of five stars)

• THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON - ****
  
• SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - *****
  
• FROST/NIXON - *** and a half
  
• THE READER - ****
  
• MILK - N/A
  

Who I think SHOULD win: Slumdog Millionaire. Hands down.

Who I think WILL win: Having not yet seen Milk, I can't be confident in saying Slumdog will get it. I'm even a little nervous about Benjamin getting in there. But I think I'd have to put my chips on Slumdog. Here's hoping I'm right.





That took me TWO AND A HALF HOURS to write.


I'll post an actual poll (on my private blog) when the date gets closer, but in the meantime, fill me in: Which ones have you guys seen? What have you loved/hated? Have any of you seen the ones I haven't (and if so, are they worthy of their nominations)? Am I on crack for being so bent out of shape about the Clint Eastwood/Gran Torino thing?? (I'm also a bit baffled about the barely-there recognition for Revolutionary Road.)



Thoughts?

A rather unique list from Nerve.Com ...

You know how much I love lists. And I've been told how much you guys love having them so you can avoid doing actual work. I know, I know - I should wait to post this until tomorrow, so it can be used and abused on a Monday morning. But I have to be up at the crack of hell myself (and I don't get 'net access in my office, thankyouverymuch), so we'll have to get an early start on this one.

I stumbled across it quite by accident while signing up for a pledge to blog about an influential woman on March 24th (an entry about that is forthcoming), and while reading the short story that inspired "Secretary", one of my favourite movies. (That, too, probably merits its own entry. Or, possibly, a fundraiser to pay for the psychotherapy I clearly need.) It's a top 40 list of pop culture icons, all of whom we know but many of whom we've completely forgotten.





Click the photo to go to the complete list (I shan't be lifting ALL of it from Nerve.Com), but first have a taste of some highlights:


We've all been there. You're yukking it up at a party and someone cracks a one-liner about Kato Kaelin over their gin and tonic. A few people chuckle, a few more ask, "Who?" and you quietly wonder: what the hell happened to that guy? Nerve's got your answer with our exhaustively researched look at the forty greatest lost icons in pop-culture history. Come on in and catch up with the walking ephemera everyone's only mostly forgotten.

I don't know that I've ever been to a party where the guests are bourgeois enough to make Kato Kaelin jokes, but..sure. I've no doubt attended a few during which at least some of the remaining 39 "lost icons" have come up, and I imagine some of you have been at those shindigs right next to me. Hell, you might've been the one making the obscure cracks yourself!

Never in a million years would I have dreamed that some intrepid journalist would track down, for our information and to satiate our Need To Know, a whole whack of Barker's Beauties from The Price Is Right. Complete with video, no less! Maybe YOU could sleep at night without knowing, but not all of us are so fortunate.

One of my favourites is the update on Michael Fay, the American kid who...well, just read this:

Michael Fay was your average American teenager: hyperactive, bored, prone to defacing property. In the early 1990s, he touched off a geopolitical firestorm when Singapore officials sentenced him to six canings for vandalizing cars and stealing street signs. The punishment so shocked Western sensibilities, President Bill Clinton himself asked for clemency, succeeding only in reducing the sentence to four canings. So it was that on May 4, 1994, Fay was stripped naked, bent over on his arms, strapped to a trestle, and struck with a half-inch rattan rod. Fay has largely disappeared from the public eye since, surfacing here and there for assorted petty crimes: reckless driving, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and sniffing butane (which he blamed on the Singapore ordeal). Four strokes clearly wasn't enough.

Remember him?? I wonder how long it took before he could sit down again.



And has it ever occurred to you to wonder whatever became of the baby who famously appeared on the cover of Nirvana's Nevermind album?? I bet it hasn't, but I know you're curious now. You've just gotta click to find out where Jessica Hahn and Joey Buttafuoco ended up. And the "Where's the beef?" lady. It's compelling stuff. Hard-hitting. Christiane Amanpour should watch her back.



Honestly, WHO THINKS UP THESE LISTS??

Whoever it is, I love them.



Enjoy your end-of-the-weekend dose of brain candy, my friends. Or save it for your dreary Monday morning. Either way, don't say I never gave you anything.

The Annual Christmas Phone Meme!

I'm reposting this from my LJ after several successful years of hilarity. The only difference is that, because this is public and searchable, I shan't be posting my number right here for the world to see. Instead, if you'd like it (or want to direct me to yours), leave a comment here with your email address (or email me), and we'll do it that way. Also: For those who are able to see my Facebook contact info, you'll find the proper number there!

Now to the post, then...

Guess what time it is?


It's time for the

Annual Christmas voicemail meme!

Get out your phones!

I don't remember who started this, but we've had so much fun with it over the past few years, I thought I'd open myself up to it again. So many of us hardly get to talk these days, and what could be more festive than a message from a friend??

THE RULES:

• post your phone number in your blog/on Facebook so your friends can call and leave goofy messages (you can identify yourself, or, as a number of you have done in the past, you can mess with the recipient's head by being anonymous and simply leaving hints about who you are). A lot of you already have your numbers posted in your contact info, so just throw it into a note for friends to see!
  
• make sure you don't answer your phone - this is for MESSAGES, not conversations, seeing as everyone's busy at this time of year & probably can't sit still long enough to have long (and expensive!) chats with half of their friends list!
  
• if there's a good time at which to call you, specify it in your post (say, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. in your time zone, or all day Christmas Day, etc.), so people know when they'll get your voicemail/when there's no risk of waking anyone up/etc.
  
• make sure you check out your friends' blogs/Facebook notes etc. for other willing victims and call them too! Sing carols, tell jokes, ramble incessantly... Whatever you want to say or do, do it!
  

So there you have it. Ask for my number. Call me. I shan't be around my phone at all on Xmas Eve day or night, nor on Christmas Day, and there's no danger of it disturbing anyone, so you can call any time today, all night tonight (yes, even 4 a.m.), or tomorrow, if you like. It's open 24/7. And no, it's not my cell phone, because we all know that's been ALWAYS buggy.

Now have at it! Most of you already know I have the world's best outgoing message. And I'll check in on my comments and emails later to see who among you have done the same...'cos if you post this, I WILL CALL. [/Field Of Dreams moment]

LET THE MEME BEGIN. POST YER NUMBERS AN' WIN A PRIZE.

(If you consider a call from me a "prize". HAH. But I take requests, and I may sing, or recite verses. I'm like a box o' chocolates, folks. And, apparently, so are you - I get the weirdest calls from you guys... They amuse me so. Some of them are still saved from two years ago, even!)


Happy holidays, everyone!

Time to gloat: Celebs without makeup 2008

This was (and possibly still is) meant to be a post at Oh No They Didn't!, but while LiveJournal is down, you guys can ogle at the astonishing pics yourselves. (In both a good and a bad way, depending on which celeb you're ogling.) I'm hoping this will make up for the distinct lack of levity in my previous post about sexual harassment (many, many thanks to those who passed that entry around, or posted it on your own blogs, Facebook profiles, and emailed me or commented in my LJ with your responses - you're all very kind, and very brave); I need to offset that with some fluff here and there, lest I depress you all to bits.

Without further ado, then... (I should add that the commentary is NOT MINE.)

Bare (or almost) faced stars

Most of these celebs are just as beautiful without the red carpet spackle.

Admit it: sometimes it's nice to see that the glamourous ladies that have paraded across our screens and magazine covers in 2008 aren't all they're cracked up to be. Here we have a collection of 13 of those gorgeous women sans cover-up; which ones will still stand up as true untouched beauties??




Isla Fisher
Isla is seen here 'au naturel' with her little one in a park. We think she looks great with or without make up. (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)



Jennifer Garner
Jennifer is seen here on a day out with her adorable daughter. It looks like she didn’t feel the need to put on any make up, and we agree. She looks good without it. (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)


Kate Moss
It looks like the years of being an international supermodel are starting to wear on Kate, but even though she's not wearing any make up, she still looks half decent. (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)


Kim Kardashian
This curvacious lady has gotten back into her routine, and she is seen here leaving the salon after getting a mani and pedi. This is what you call a natural beauty. (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)



Heidi Klum
This supermodel looks good in and out of the ads, whether she's wearing make up or not. Heidi is one good looking momma. (credit: INF)



Mischa Barton
Mischa looks calm and relaxed as she heads out for her day. We like to think that no make up works for her. (credit: INF)


Uma Thurman
Uma is looking just like a normal mom hanging out with her son. Even though she's known for her killer good looks, Uma still looks great without make up. (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)


Jessica Biel
Jessica gave a speech in Las Vegas to support Barack Obama in his presidential campaign. If she can go in front of millions of people with little to no make up on and still look stunning, then we say all the power to her! (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)


Jessica Alba
Jessica was spotted heading to dinner with a pal and looking oh so comfortable in her natural look. This beauty doesn’t need to think twice when she decided not to wear make up, she looks great either way. (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)


Marcia Cross
This desperate house wife looks just about the same with or without make up on. In her case, going au naturel isn't a crime. (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)


Leann Rimes
Leann looks just smitten here, as she's seen leaving a medical building with her hubby. We think Leann is one of few that can pull of this look and still look fabulous while doing so. (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)


Kate Hudson
Kate is seen here at LAX en route to London, and looking a bit stressed. Maybe she should get some sleep on that flight so at least she can look more refreshed despite her lack of makeup. (credit: Most Wanted Pictures)



Madonna
Madonna is looking a little worn out and her age is starting show, with lack of make up. Maybe it's just her fast paced world tour taking a bigger toll on her than expected? (credit: Devaney/WireImage)



Saved the scariest for last!! And yep, they were right: I do feel better, and I enjoyed a gloat or two, as I hope readers/fellow ONTDers have. A Kardashian being called a natural beauty?!? Um...no. But damn you, JAlba. DAMN YOU.


[ cosmetics-free source ]

Celebrities, for better or worse.

Last night on DramaRama there was a slide show of a whole lot of before-and-after pictures, each featuring a current A-List celebrity. It's safe to say that most of these superstars have made MAJOR improvements to their looks over the years, but seeing these pics side by side makes it a whole lot more obvious just who has had what done in their plastic surgeon's office! Here's hoping this blog doesn't cut off any of the photos, so you can see them in all their spectacular...glory? Horror? Guess it depends on which one you're looking at. Check out these nightmarish flashbacks to see who's gone under the knife (and who should go back for more):

SARAH JESSICA PARKER (1990 and now)


WOLL SMOTH WILL SMITH (1990 and now)


DEMI MOORE (1984 and now)


BRAD PITT (1988 and now)


ANGELINA JOLIE (1991 and earlier this year)


KEANU REEVES (1989 and now)


TERI HATCHER (1993 and now)


LEONARDO DiCAPRIO (1993 and now)


HALLE BERRY (1992 and now)


JOHNNY DEPP (1988 and now)


JENNIFER ANISTON (1990 and now)


GEORGE CLOONEY (1990 and now)


NICOLE KIDMAN (1983 and now)




So who on this list looks like they haven't had some serious work done?? (Maybe Johnny; all he had to do was give up the drugs.)

There's your fluffy Wednesday edition of Ehch's Blatherings! We're halfway through the week... STAY STRONG.