Eat, Pray, Love became a New York Times best seller with over five million copies now in print seemingly out of nowhere. In a matter of speaking, this is the coming-of-age, travel memoir that could. I have been wanting to read this book since it first hit the best seller lists and everyone was talking about it, but never did end up picking it up and it very quickly became the book that everyone in the world has read, except me. While sure, I may not be the only person in the entire world who hasn’t read the book, enough people did read it–and enjoy it–for it to be coming out this summer as a motion picture.
The first theatrical trailer for Eat, Pray, Love came out just a few days ago and I saw it for the first time last night. Since seeing it, I have ordered the book and cannot wait for it to arrive. Yes, making a movie adaptation of a book is a great way to spike book sales again; it happens all the time.
Eat, Pray, Love, the movie, looks like an incredible journey and the beauty seen in just the trailer is beyond all comprehension; from the scenery of the locations we’re brought to–Italy, India and Indonesia–to the vivid colors seen throughout. I really cannot wait for the book to arrive so I can sink my teeth into it and then come August, experience the story in theaters because from what I hear and from what I’ve read so far, Elizabeth Gilbert’s story is one every woman can relate to and crave.
Eat, Pray, Love will be in theaters August 13th and stars Julia Roberts in her first main role since last year’s Duplicity and also co-stars James Franco and Javier Bardem. You can also follow @EatPrayLove on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to keep up with all of the official information coming out up until the movie’s release. Will you be going to see Eat, Pray, Love when it comes out?
Conan O’Brien isn’t just going to take his severance check from NBC and hide behind his Twitter; albeit changing a random girl’s life while basking in the glory of his internet-based fans. Conan has officially announced the next phase of his career and he swears, it’s half-assed.
TeamCoco.com was launched to promote Conan O’Brien’s upcoming 30-city comedy show that is said to be a night of music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence. The tour will kick off in Eugene, Oregon and end in Atlanta, Georgia (at the time of writing this post.)
Are you excited about Conan going on tour? Will you be attending one of his shows?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been apologizing to the friends, family and fans of a few different well-known figures in Hollywood that had been omitted from the 2010 Oscars “in memoriam” since the awards show aired last Sunday night. Three of the biggest names that had been left out were Farrah Fawcett, Bea Arthur and Gene Barry, but the one name who continues to be a thorn in the Academy’s side is Farrah Fawcett and those who have been making the biggest ruckus are critic Roger Ebert and Oscar winner Jane Fonda.
The “in memoriam” segment first began in 1993 and since that time, the same man has been responsible for the segment–the Academy’s Bruce Davis. Davis has since released a statement, saying:
“There’s nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all. They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we’re sorry for it.”
Although people continue to be outraged over the decision to leave Farrah Fawcett out of the segment, Davis stands by his decision of omitting her, saying that he ultimately felt her “remarkable television work” would be more appropriately honored during the TV Academy’s Emmys and backed up that line of thinking to include that several notable screenwriters were not included in the tribute, either.
The Academy has also explained why Michael Jackson had been included in the “in memoriam,” which surprised quite a bit of people, even fans of Michael Jackson, saying that while he was better known for his musical accomplishments, Jackson was the subject of a successful feature documentary last year, thus earning his place.
The Academy’s apology about Farrah Fawcett not being included in the “in memoriam” sounds very much more like a non-apology; like hot air being released to the universe to get everyone to stop talking about Bruce Davis’s oversight. And on the topic of Michael Jackson being included–I think his “remarkable musical work” would be more appropriately honored during the Grammys. Oh wait, it was.
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards took place last night at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The biggest night in Hollywood was a tremendous success for filmmakers and actors alike, but the first thing we saw last night was the fashion–and there is no event bigger than the Oscars to get celebrities to go all out, putting their best (and sadly, sometimes their worst) fashion foot forward.
After Conan O’Brien clearly won the hearts and minds of the Internet when he announced he would be leaving NBC after they decided they had made a huge mistake by putting Jay Leno on prime time. But now that Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show is airing later and pulling in great ratings while Conan O’Brien joined Twitter to be amongst his people, the internet doesn’t seem to be letting up on Jay Leno anytime soon. Example A: Hulu.
Hulu users have added more than 441 tags to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’s page. There are more than 7 pages of adjectives to describe exactly how people feel about Jay Leno and subsequently, how people feel about Conan O’Brien no longer being on the air. Hulu users have tagged The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with terrible, unwatchable, must not see tv, go away jay, depressing, retirement home entertainment, vomit-inducing, and many other, much worse tags.
User-generated tags on Hulu for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
If anything, what this little demonstration has proven is that late night television audiences are really comprised of a few different generations who all latch onto the late night personality that best relates to their generation. This Hulu debacle really drives home the point that Jay Leno’s audience just really hasn’t caught on to how Hulu works yet and we can now all rest assured knowing that Conan O’Brien is truly with the people who loved him most now–on Twitter.
Jane Jarvis and her best friend Allison are true blue friends ’till the end who always have each other’s backs and who can confide anything in each other. Attending Saint Teresa’s Preparatory School for Girls, the two are used to sticking out in a crowd, but now in the most positive way, being quirky in both their attitudes, as well as in their looks, so when the school holds their annual Big-Little celebration where Bigs (upper classmen) pair up with Littles (lower classmen) with the means to be more or less mentors to these younger girls, super confident Jane is immediately fearful for her less-confident friend, who she knows gets very nervous in any situation, not to mention an entire school event that, in essence, is based on your popularity.
During the Big-Little celebration, Allison seems to have it all together after showing Jane that she had received a cupcake in her locker with a note asking her to be a Big to an unnamed freshman. But Jane’s initial fears for her friend are reassured after Allison, waiting for her Little to come up and introduce herself fails to show, she throws up all over one of the freshman girls coming in her direction after nearly every other senior girl had obtained a Little. After Allison runs to the bathroom, Jane runs after to be there for her best friend, giving up any chance of getting a Little of her own. While trying to console Allison, who has barricaded herself inside a stall, a new sophomore student named Lanalee asks about Allison and after Jane tells her that Allison did not get a Little, Lanalee offers herself up, saying that she wasn’t able to get a Big anyway.
Lanalee seems to have appeared on the scene at Saint Teresa’s Preparatory School for Girls just in time. She is cool, calm and collected and even the most popular of girls in the school are fascinated with her, after she tells them a story of coming from another school primarily made up of rich socialites. She instantly becomes a great friend to Allison and to Jane alike, but Allison is spending less and less time with Jane and Allison starts to worry about this girl who she thought she had known so well; especially after Allison comes to school with her usual unruly hair cut into a short, dyed-red bob and is rocking an entirely new, obviously expensive wardrobe with matching, equally expensive accessories. Allison’s entire situation becomes even hairier to Jane when she follows Allison out of a small cafe, to see her go directly to Jane’s ex-boyfriend’s Elton’s house, who is now Allison’s new boyfriend.
As a series of weird and random events take place, Jane is left wondering what has happened to her friend to have made her become this completely new person she hardly recognizes (or sees) anymore. As her curiosity grows, she meets a very strange and at first, even somewhat stalker-like freshman named Owen and after ignoring him for a while, she realizes quickly that she needs Owen–because he happens to know exactly what has happened to Allison and is one of very few links Jane has to piece everything together. It is with Owen’s help that Jane comes to find out that Allison has made a deal with the devil–literally and it all started with that single cupcake in Allison’s locker on Big-Little Day. Now, it’s up to Jane to save the best friend she knows is still hidden inside of this new, but not-so-improved Allison, even if it means sacrificing herself.
I had Devilish sitting on my bookshelf for a little while before picking it up to read. I thought it was yet another young adult beach read; something that I would read through in a few sittings and be done with, it not really leaving such a lasting impression. Needless to say, I was wrong. The cover of the book is superb, especially since it does hold a great deal of meaning for the story itself, but you don’t know that when you first pick it, giving it that intriguing feel before you read it and a much more complex, full-circle feeling after.
It is an intelligent, fast-paced, thrilling read that will keep you turning the page again and again. This is the first book I have read by Maureen Johnson, but I am beyond intrigued and very excited to pick up another one of her books. She truly has a gift for playing with suspense and keeps you thinking and laughing throughout the entire book. Johnson’s characters, even her evil, do-no-gooders, are fun and will keep you switching sides on who to root for because you really like these diverse and very well-rounded characters.
Devilish was very much aptly-timed for me, just finishing it right after Valentine’s Day and not knowing exactly why I was craving cupcakes so much; it took my partner asking me what I expected from reading a book every day with a delicious cupcake pictured on the cover. While Devilish did initially present itself to be a not-so-remarkable read that I’ve read a thousand times before, it was anything but. I surprised even myself with how much I truly enjoyed this book.
The British Academy Film Awards, also popularly known as the BAFTAs, took place in London last night at the Royal Opera House. Check out the gorgeous stars that walked the red carpet in the season’s best fashion.
Kevin Smith boarded a Southwest Airlines flight last night from Oakland to Burbank. After his bag was up and he was seated (with the arm rests down), he was deemed a “safety risk” and thrown off the flight. While he did end up on another Southwest flight, he turned to Twitter to express his (reasonable and totally justified, in my opinion) anger.
The Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines fire storm began with one Tweet from @ThatKevinSmith:
“Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?”
And that was just the beginning. He went on to Tweet, “Dear @SouthwestAir, I flew out in one seat, but right after issuing me a standby ticket, Oakland Southwest attendant Suzanne (wouldn’t give last name) told me Captain Leysath deemed me a “safety risk”. Again: I’m way fat… But I’m not THERE just yet. But if I am, why wait til my bag is up, and I’m seated WITH ARM RESTS DOWN. In front of a packed plane with a bunch of folks who’d already I.d.ed me as “Silent Bob.”"
But that wasn’t all Southwest Airlines would hear from Silent Bob Kevin Smith. He got really, really pissed off and went on to tweet, “So, @SouthwestAir, go fuck yourself. I broke no regulation, offered no “safety risk” (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?). I was wrongly ejected from the flight (even Suzanne eventually agreed). And fuck your apologetic $100 voucher, @SouthwestAir. Thank God I don’t embarrass easily (bless you, JERSEY GIRL training). But I don’t sulk off either: so everyday, some new fuck-you Tweets for @SouthwestAir. Wanna tell me I’m too wide for the sky? Totally cool. But fair warning, folks: IF YOU LOOK LIKE ME, YOU MAY BE EJECTED FROM @SOUTHWESTAIR.”
Even though he was deemed a “safety risk,” he did end up boarding another flight with Southwest Airlines, completely disproving that whole “you’re a safety risk” sentiment, Kevin Smith still didn’t stop tweeting about his horrendous experience with Southwest Airlines and even took a picture of himself sitting on his later flight.
“Hey @SouthwestAir! Look how fat I am on your plane! Quick! Throw me off! http://twitpic.com/1340gw”
“The @SouthwestAir Diet. How it works: you’re publicly shamed into a slimmer figure. Crying the weight right off has never been easier!”
“Hey @SouthwestAir! I’ve landed in Burbank. Don’t worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised.”
Southwest Airlines did eventually start tweeting back to Kevin Smith apologizing and wanting to make it up to him in some way:
“@ThatKevinSmith hey Kevin! I’m so sorry for your experience tonight! Hopefully we can make things right, please follow so we may DM!”
And here is where my love for Kevin Smith goes much, much, much deeper. In fact, my heart could just about explode from Smith’s next tweet:
“Hey @SouthwestAir? Fuck making it right for me just ’cause I have a platform. I sat next to a big girl who was chastised for not buying an extra ticket because “all passengers deserve their space.” Fucking flight wasn’t even full! Fuck your size-ist policy. Rude…”
Regardless of the jokes Kevin Smith made in the bulk of his tweets, such as saying the plane was opened and he was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised, the real core issue here is a size-ist policy that is enforced not just by Southwest Airlines, but by all airlines. There is also a little thing we like to call fat phobia that exists and is the product of an increasing amount of ignorance, not just by corporations and businesses, but by the people behind them and the people who use them.
Just because a person is big, fat, plus size or any other words commonly used to describe people who do not fit within the body image standards set forth by media and advertising companies directed at all people–women, girls and men alike, does not mean that it is okay to treat them any differently than you would treat someone who does, in fact, mirror corporate beauty. What we saw go down through Twitter between Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines was not a safety risk in the least and it was not a policy being enforced due to him compromising the comfort, safety or well-being of the fellow passengers. It was a series of Southwest Airlines employees demonstrating fat phobia and casting one person on the flight out and embarrassing and fat shaming that person for no reason. This is not a one-time case; stuff like this is happening to bigger people every single day and on all flights from all airlines. If anything, Kevin Smith spoke the truth for every single big person who has ever been singled out on an airline for no reason.
Abandoned, the last film made by actress Brittany Murphy before she died in December after suffering cardiac arrest caused by pneumonia, anemia and multiple drug intoxication, has been picked up for North American distribution and is scheduled to arrive in theaters this summer.
Anchor Bay Entertainment has bought the film and President Bill Clark stated that it was an honor, but also bittersweet to be able to release Murphy’s last film, which finished filming in June of last year. Anchor Bay Entertainment has released a statement, saying:
“It was important to Anchor Bay that the timing of this release be right, because we’re sensitive to such a tragic loss. However, we also recognize that Brittany’s fans will want to see her amazing work.”
The producers of the psychological thriller, Jeffrey Schenck and Barry Barnholtz have released a joint statement, saying:
“Brittany will be deeply missed by everyone who worked on Abandoned. The film is a taut thriller which portrays Brittany’s character as smart and tough – and that’s how we all want to remember her.”
If you’re interested in the film, Murphy plays Mary Walsh who takes her boyfriend to the hospital for a routine outpatient surgery but he vanishes with no record of him left behind. Soon, however, Walsh receives a random demand. The film co-stars Dean Cain and Mimi Rogers.
The Oscars are coming up in March and nearly everyone is abuzz with their predictions for this year’s winning people and films. Vanity Fair wants to know who you think will be taking home an award this year and have launched the Vanity Fair Hollywood iPhone app.
For those of you out there, like myself, who don’t have an iPhone or iPhone Touch, the Vanity Fair Hollywood app is also available as a web-based application. So get those predictions and votes in and tune in on March 7th for the Oscars to see if you were right!
Eat, Pray, Love became a New York Times best seller with over five million copies now in print seemingly out of nowhere. In a matter of speaking, this is the coming-of-age, travel memoir that could. I have been wanting to read this book since it first hit the best seller lists and everyone was talking about it, but never did end up picking it up and it very quickly became the book that everyone in the world has read, except me. While sure, I may not be the only person in the entire world who hasn’t read the book, enough people did read it–and enjoy it–for it to be coming out this summer as a motion picture.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been apologizing to the friends, family and fans of a few different well-known figures in Hollywood that had 
Kevin Smith boarded a Southwest Airlines flight last night from Oakland to Burbank. After his bag was up and he was seated (with the arm rests down), he was deemed a “safety risk” and thrown off the flight. While he did end up on another Southwest flight, he turned to Twitter to express his (reasonable and totally justified, in my opinion) anger.
