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5=An open-ended plane ticket and no budget.
4=A fully stocked rent-free beachhouse.
3=The beach, a bonfire, s’mores and no one singing.
2=A backyard, a BBQ and Slip N’ Slide.
1=A kiddie pool, a bucket of KFC and tall fan.
MOVIES
The Proposal: Awful. But incredibly watchable. Sandra Bullock is at her best, although Ryan Reynolds phones it in. Read Mali’s and my review (register for free).
Rating: 3 - Karen
Surveillance: A nice little fucked up thriller by Jennifer Lynch. Some genuinely creepy cop on tourist scares in this “everyone is morally bankrupt in a small town” pieces. Rating 4
Dead Snow: Beware if backpacking in Norway! There are some Nazi Zombies in the woods! A funny zom-com that goes for the jugular well, really the large intestine. Rating 3.5
The Hangover: Maybe I waited too long to see this one, because it didn’t quite live up to the hype. Zack Galifinakis, Bradley Cooper, and Ed Helms do breathe new life into the oddball friend, studly friend, and nerdy friend stereotypes respectively, but the Asian guy – seriously?! That joke ended after Long Duck Dong. But the movie made me laugh (made my boyfriend laugh harder) and I love that “wolfpack” is now part of everyone’s vocabulary. Rating: 3.5 – Lisa
UP: I waited just as long to see this one and it definitely lived up and exceeded its hype. Beautiful to look at and a beautiful story. I was crying beneath my 3-D glasses. Go now if you haven’t yet. PS When did 3-D glasses stop being made of cardboard? Rating: 5 - Lisa
TV
Hawthorne: I giggled when I saw the ads. Jada Pinkett Smith is a tough-as-nails nurse who doesn’t take any shit? Big yawn. But then I watched it and I was hooked. With the exception of Michael Vartan, who can’t find a personality, Jada and the rest of the cast are likeable enough to check in with once a week. I’m hooked. Rating: 3.8 – Karen
DVD
Karen: Somebody tell me what TV show I should Netflix for the summer!
Dave: Uh, Karen Mad Men Season 2 out on July 14 and for those us dying to know what happened in that bank—THE NINE!
Lisa: Greek, How I Met Your Mother, and Friday Night Lights are my go-to Netflix recommendations if you haven’t seen them yet.
Mali: I agree with Dave about Mad Men especially since Season 3 starts in August. I’ve also become a recent convert to In Treatment, season 1 on DVD. You have to be in the mood for the talking but it’s surprising how quickly you forget that it’s all taking place in one room. There’s also an off the beaten track Australian series called Rain Shadow, with manly Aussie drovers. It’s a good show too but I’m just saying, fyi. Also, if you haven’t seen Dirty Sexy Money, it’s worth catching the best show kicked off the air in the last 5 years.
WEBSITES
Best Recession Ever! A type pad blog that continues to crack me up. Rating 4
www.thewrap.com: Hollywood insider mixed with pop culture. Shameless plug: I’m writing for them too . Rating: 4 - Mali
BOOKS
“How I Became a Famous Novelist” By Steve Hely – An underachiever discovers the formula to having a best seller and getting even with his ex.-- write touchy feely crap and they will come. Written by a Family Guy, American Dad and 30Rocker alum this is a great read to whip through in a weekend. Rating: 4
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult: I bought this recently because I wanted to read it in case the movie was good (which apparently it was and wasn’t). Picoult’s writing is filled to the gills with obvious metaphors and heart-wrenching decisions and family turmoil, so I’m glad it was a quick read – it was very emotionally taxing. The twist ending was a TOTAL cop-out, so I’m kind of glad (SPOILER ALERT) that the movie changed it. The book is a good beach or airplane read, but it’s not high quality literature. Rating: 3 – Lisa
Anything by Madeline Wickham: She also writes the Shopaholic series under Sophie Kinsella, which I haven’t read. Under Wickham, it’s chick lit for women, not girls, with wry, understated Brit humor and strong writing. Sleeping Arrangements and The Gatercrasher are especially good. Rating: 5 - Mali
MUSIC
The Essential Michael Jackson: I bought this after the Gloved One’s passing because I was astounded at the scant MJ selections on my iPod. Thirty-eight jams, from ABC to Rock With You, make it easy to appreciate what an amazing performer he was. My biggest surprise – his voice is so pretty on Heal the World, a song my friends and I used to mock in middle school. And now I really understand what Man In The Mirror means, since I used to think it was Man In The Middle. Rating: 5 - Lisa
CHEAP OR FREE
Tuesday at Laemelles on Sunset: $6 admission $1-$2 popcorn. Total bargain.
Michael Jackson’s Funeral: Admission is FREE and plenty of quality “people” watching. Yes, I used those quotes correctly.
Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi at any Coffee Bean, the Chateau Miramont (which reaches all the way to Fairfax) and Barney’s Beanery! You’re Welcome.
Zeke’s BBQ: Doggone Hard Days Menu features a LOT of BBQ for under $10.. plus $1 and $2.50 beers!
NY’s Time Square: You know those sci-fi movies where Times Square is empty? Well, that’s not happening (thanks, tourists from Palermo!) but for the next few months, it is empty of cars. Instead, the city has put those old man plastic beach chairs so that you can tan by the light of the neon.
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