I Am Soooo Looking Forward To This!!

Here is the trailer for the new movie Leap Year that comes out on January 8th:

Okay, now on the surface this looks like any other cliche filled chick flick (not to mention that most of the plot seems recycled from other movies)……..but oh, it is so much more than that!!!

It has Amy Adams, whom I adore!  She will always be Katie (the Hot Girl) from The Office to me.  She is totally adorable and I will watch her in whatever she does.

It is set in Ireland!!!  I would pay $10 just to stare at the scenery for two hours.  There is something so romantic and magical about the UK that makes any movie 10 times better.

Ummm…speaking of scenery…Matthew Goode, anyone??  He is soooo nice to look at and his voice is amazing.  I suffer through two whole hours of Mandy Moore at least once every few months just to watch him in Chasing Liberty.  This movie will be much easier to sit through because I happen to love Amy Adams (as I previously mentioned).

I am totally going to see this when it comes out (probably more than once) and be the first in line to buy the DVD.

Jen

P.S.  If for some insane reason the movie does not end with Amy and Matthew’s characters getting together (a la Forces of Nature…..which, sorry if I spoiled anyone, but seriously that movie sucks so if you haven’t seen it, don’t bother), then I will be furious and obviously not be buying the DVD.

Target is RUINING CHRISTMAS.

Seriously, Target?!! I am so angry at you for making Christmas awkward and snotty and gloomy. I was going to not shop there anymore, but then Steve needed socks and underwear… But still, I hope Target read this and feels bad. As bad as their Electronics commercial makes me feel:

Ack! Sure this may be an example of a real family situation, but when is Christmas about reality anyway?! Christmas is about love and magic and joy and forgiveness and about seeking out those things in our lives. Even in commercials whose bottom lines may be just to sell us things (which I don’t always think is true). Also, the commercial is just painfully unsuccessful at being funny. Since it is Christmas, I won’t wish for the Target Marketing Dept. to be fired, but they better pull those ads soon because I get a little humbug everytime I see one. Thank goodness for the classic Hershey’s Kisses Bell Choir or I would be a broken soul this holiday.

Pure Joy! –Amber

It’s That Time of Year!

It’s the holiday season again!  (I swear this year has flown by sooooo fast!)  No matter how stressful this time of year can be, I always get happy little feelings in my heart when I see Christmas lights, hear Christmas music, or eat holiday treats.

There are certain things that I HAVE to do every year around this time, and the list keeps growing every year.  And I don’t mean things like shopping or sending out cards (which, I will admit I almost never get around to doing….the card part, that is).  Here are the things on my holiday to do list in no particular order:

1.  Watch Miracle on 34th Street.  I adore Natalie Wood with every fiber of my being and Edmund Gwenn is the best damn Santa ever captured on film (sorry Tim Allen).

2.  Read the Harry Potter books.  This tradition dates back to the 2001 holiday season.  I had just read the books (only the first 4 were out) back in October when I was in London, and I came home demanding that my sister read them too.  We had a contest over break to see who could read them the fastest (which wasn’t really fair because I had already read them recently, so I could go much faster).  My sister has a head start this year and is already on the 2nd book.  I need to get started!

3.  Listen to the Mariah Carey and *NSYNC holiday CDs.  I am not embarrassed to admit that these are the two best Christmas CDs ever.

4.  Watch Love Actually.  I actually just watched this last night and will probably have to watch it again before Christmas.  This movie………aaahhhh…….this movie is so dear to my heart.  Every time I watch it, I cry in a different place.  Last night it was when Carl said Merry Christmas to Sarah, during the whole school concert, and all of Jamie and Aurelia’s stuff at the end.

5.  Eat Butterfinger bells.  I don’t like regular Butterfingers because all the orange middle stuff gets stuck in my teeth, (ick) but the bells have the perfect consistency of chocolate and Butterfinger-y parts.

6.  Read Let it Snow.  This is a relatively recent addition to the list, but I have no doubts I will do it every year.  I am holding out as long as I can….but I am pretty sure I will read it either tomorrow or Tuesday.

So, what are the things that you have to do every December??

Jen

Ahh, What a Wonderful Week for TV

This week I watched TWO fabulous fall finales of TV shows I love.

The first — Gossip Girl, “The Debarted”

OMG, what a freaking awesome episode.  I won’t spoil anything, but let me tell you my favorite things about it.

• The storyline actually moved along!  I know, crazy, right?  It probably only happened because it was the fall finale, which I didn’t realize until I started writing this post — HUGE disappointment, but I guess I can live with it since Life Unexpected will be starting soon.  Anyway, stuff actually happened!  A lot of stuff!  There were secrets, affairs, drugs, oh snap moments, what an ass moments, wtf moments, a ghost, a flashback, a car accident, and a surprise!  Whew!
• Chuck Bass.  Ok, so I always love Chuck Bass, but in this episode, he was amazing.  Ed Westwick is incredible in this episode.
• Nate Archibald.  He’s awfully close to knocking Chuck off of the top of my favorite Gossip guys list.

Those are the highlights for me from what I can remember right now.  I’m thinking about watching the episode again soon.  And I rarely rewatch GG episodes.  *Sigh* I’m going to miss it until it returns in March.

The second amazing fall finale of the week — Glee, “Sectionals”

This episode also had a lot going on and really showed off how versatile it is.  Not only is it a musical comedy that dabbles in cheesy drama, but it also had REAL drama in the finale.  Here are a few of my favorite things about this episode.

• Cory Monteith, who plays Finn, did a great job.  You totally felt for Finn.  I’m love him a little bit more every episode.
• Emma really surprised me toward the end by doing something I didn’t think she was capable of given earlier episodes, and I was SO proud of her!  If you saw the episode, you probably know what I’m talking about.
• So, so many wonderful quotes.  I seriously laughed out loud, rewound to watch again, and then wrote them down.  Some of the best —
  “Does it have to be tonight? I have fight club.” – Puck (hilarious for so many reasons)
  “Hey buddy, I just came in to feed my Venus flytrap.” – Sue
  “I’m sorry, Sue. You have disgraced yourself and the name of William McKinley.” “A FAILED president!” – Principal Figgins and Sue
• Kurt and a few other Glee members performed part of the “Single Ladies” dance during “My Life Would Suck Without You”.  Very subtle and totally fabulous.

Did you watch either of these or see any other great episodes of TV shows this week?

– Jill

Hunger Games News And Yumminess!!!

August 24, 2010!!!!

This is a very important day to remember folks because that is the day the final book in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy will be released.  This is fantastic news!!  That is less than a year after Catching Fire‘s release date.  She must be really cranking these out.

I am assuming that since there is a release date, she has the book finished.  Since it is still really early, this bodes well for people who are interested in getting advance reader copies because they certainly seem to have plenty of time to print them.  There has been a lot of debate about whether or not they even need to do advance reader copies, since the books have become so popular (advance reader copies are generally meant to create buzz around a book, but this one will hardly need it).

Ever since I found out the exact date of the book, I have sort of decided that whether or not I COULD get my hands on the book early, I don’t think I want to.  Some of my best memories are of the midnight release parties for the Harry Potter books and that feeling of anticipation and community that comes with knowing you are about to take part in something awesome.  There are not many opportunities when things like that come along, so I want to take advantage of them whenever they do.

Also, August 23 is my Dad’s birthday, so if any store is having a midnight party, he will be there to celebrate (I got my whole family hooked on the series).  I really want to be there with him, loving every minute of it.

Now, I could totally change my mind, especially since I am going to Book Expo of America this year with Abby!!!  If they have copies of it there, I might have to get one, and then I don’t think I could wait to read it if I had it in my possession.

Anyway….today was a great day with my Twitter feed lighting up with all the people thrilled about the news.  It was Potter-esque.

Oh, and I also discovered (thanks to @tylerbreed) this very awesome post where someone had a contest to see who could bake the very best Hunger Games related cake.  My favorite is definitely the “Yes Frosting. The Final Defense of the Dying.”

Jen