I decided to make a separate blog for all of the pop culture shit I’ve been writing about here. I’m not sure if I’ll keep this one up or not because, let’s face it, nothing of note ever happens in my life anymore. But we’ll see! Time will tell.
So, behold! The new site is: IT’S LEXI, BITCH!
Please check it out and enjoy!
Lately:
+ “90210″ repeats on SoapNet’s “Cocktail Hour” every week day from 5-7pm. Glorious. Dylan McKay still makes me weak in the knees.
+ Gorgeous, tanktop/flip-flop weather for the last 6 days!
+Movie update: “Be Kind Rewind” was good but not great; “3:10 to Yuma” was not for me; “Michael Clayton” was interesting but not as awesome as I thought it would be (props to Clooney, though, he gets better and better and I still forget he broke through on FUCKING “ER”); and “Delicatessen” was fucking brilliant, amazing, hilarious, exciting and GORGEOUS. I fucking loved it and can’t believe it’s been out for so long and I’d never seen it. And we own it! WTF? So fucking great.
+ Apparently, the word “fuck.” (Sorry, I never realize how much I use it as a filler until I re-read everything. BOOO.)
+ Seeing Rufus this weekend in Monterey of all places! I’m glad it will be a solo show - I love his band performances, but after seeing him only in that capacity, it’ll be fun to see a different set-up.
+/- Finally started a wee p/t gig and even though the small monthly stipend is inconsequential to my expenses, it feels good to once again have some kind of responsibility and tasks to complete a few times a week. The shitty side of things, though, is that it’s been a month and three weeks and I’m still unemployed. My savings, which got me through two months of rent and other expenses, have dwindled and I am now OFFICIALLY FUCKED.
My Oscar night was spent at Julia’s house, where we looked amazing in our own Oscar makeup/outfits; ate hot dogs, mac and cheese, corn and lava cakes; got really excited when people we love won; got really bored when three motherfucking songs from “Enchanted” were performed; felt disappointed by most of the gowns, and, probably most importantly, discussed who is on our All-Star DVDA Dream Team.
Best Win of The Night:
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As I’ve recently said, I did not like “Juno.” I thought the acting and cast were good, but I couldn’t stand the dialogue. I was rolling my eyes and stifling grunts throughout the whole film. Still, I’ve been paying a lot of attention to Diablo Cody lately, who wrote the screenplay. She’s 29, a former stripper, very un-Hollywood in every facet, and “Juno” was her first screenplay. Ever since I read the following quote from her, I have been pretty much in love:
“…This is a real paradox for me: My entire life I’ve been told I wasn’t pretty enough. My entire life I was told by people that I was ugly, that I was too tall, that I was flat-chested, that I was this, that I was that. When I was a stripper I was never quite pretty enough. I was never one of the beautiful girls. I was never one of the top earners. Suddenly I achieve something in my life that is purely intellectual and purely creative, and I’m being told that it’s because I’m pretty. To me that is the weirdest, most ironic thing ever. Like all of a sudden I’m attractive when it suits people’s purposes. But in the past when I needed to be attractive I was ugly. So let’s pick. Which is it?” (Minneapolis City Pages)
To have this young woman win who has never written a screenplay before, has tattoos and dyed black hair, is unabashedly individual, outspoken and un-Hollywood has got to be one of the most inspiring and exciting accomplishments I’ve witnessed. I was pulling for her and I was so thrilled and so inspired when she won!
Fashion!
Overall, fucking BORING. How many slightly-different black or red dresses can you look at before your eyes glaze over? There were so few daring or unique looks. I definitely think black can be classic, but it’s also way too safe and stagnant. Still, there were some gorgeous looks on the red carpet.
My favorite look of the evening was Marion Cotillard wearing this unbelievably gorgeous mermaid Jean Paul Gaultier gown. My dreams when I was little - be a mermaid, win an Oscar. Marion Cotillard can now say “done and done!”
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Jennifer Garner’s Oscar de la Renta was one of the only black dresses that did not to put me to sleep. I am in love with this silhouette, though, so any dress with this shape would have gotten my vote. I love the different textures, the frothy bottom, and the weighty and sparkly necklace, plus her hair looks GORGEOUS.
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Things I Love: dark green on redheads, Proenza Schouler, and the fact that Amy Adams was in “Drop Dead Gorgeous.”
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If I owned this John Galliano gown, I would wear it EVERY DAY. I’d wear it to the post office, the supermarket, the track. The best part of this picture, though, is that you can’t see Heidi Klum’s extremely unfortunate hair. I hate when people wear buns that look like a second head.
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People I Love
Forest and Keisha Whitaker - they are so bew, oh my goodness. I want to be neighbors with them, and bring them cupcakes!
Jason Bateman, OBVS.
Paul Dano!
Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis - they are also frequent fantasy neighbors of mine.
These are the two people I’m most desperate to be friends with IN THE WHOLE WORLD. Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, and me! Can’t you see it? I can already visualize the photo booth pictures of us hanging on the fridge in the house we share!
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and finally……
My All-Star DVDA Dream Team
Javier Bardem
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MAKE WAY FOR THE D-D-L!!!!
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James McAvoy and Josh Brolin - best presenter pairing IN LIFE.
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The Team for 2008. Although DDL will be on it every year, Oscars or not!
P.S. What I wouldn’t give to be the cheese in THIS sandwich. George Clooney and DDL kissing. I fucking love living in this day and age sometimes.
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I went home for five days last weekend and it was GLORIOUS. When I go home I get to forget about so many shitty things! I don’t have to worry about being unemployed (it’s now been a month and ten days, for anyone who’s counting), spending money on frivolous things, avoiding the dog tikki masala that seems to be plastered all around my neighborhood, cooking, cleaning, being too loud for the neighbors, or getting yelled at by the guy who lives in the laundromat and steals everyone’s socks and takeout food.
At home, this is what I do:
-Eat bagel sandwiches for lunch that my Mom buys me.
-Watch beer commercials on YouTube with my Dad.
-Go for beach walks every single day with my Maaam (Dad can’t still because of the fake hip).
-Force my parents into watching AND LIKING films like “Knocked Up.” (Maaam the day after: “I love stoner humor!”)
-Do laundry for free, without getting yelled at, and without focusing solely on it for hours at a time. I can throw things into the washing machine and forget about them for hours if I want! It’s such a LUXURY!
-Drive without having panic attacks from all the honking, yelling and pressure of city drivers, AND without getting lost.
-Read all my old Archie comic books (I have hundreds. I was obsessed.)
-Eat fabulous dinners my parents make (Beef stew! Coconut curry shrimp soup!) and sit and talk forever and ever at the dinner table.
-Visit old friends and get the most amazing gossip EVER about all the fuckers we went to high school with who are all in a race towards mediocrity.
-Trade music with my Maaam.
-APPEAR ON UNIVISION WHILST SUPPORTING MY DAD’S CAMPAIGN!! (I’ve scoured the interwebs for the video, but they don’t put their news clips up on their site. SO. BUMMED.)
I ended up staying an extra day and a half because it was so leisurely and joyous. The ride back home to SF was a bummer, and by the time I reached the city it was raining and I couldn’t find a parking spot by the apartment. But I made it, unpacked a bunch of my favorite books that I’d been keeping at home, and the bag of groceries my parents made me take, and watched The Simple Life. It was all I could do to cope!
Q: What’s the best thing that could ever possibly happen on Valentine’s Day?
A: Queens of the Stone Age e-cards! Totally totally genius. Also you can upload a video to YouTube for their Make Out Contest to win a copy of “Era Vulgaris.” Is it any coincidence that Lucas is coming home the day before the deadline? Nope! I’m going to force him to enter the contest with me.
Speaking of, that little bastard made me the best Valentine EVER. It’s a photoshopped picture of our heads on the bodies of a couple riding a horse. Every time I look at it, I laugh so hard I lose all energy in my body. Tonight the Valentine’s tradition continues (albeit with one man down. And by “down,” I mean in Nicaragua) as Julia and I will be eating hot dogs, dancing, and making and eating an entire funfetti sheet cake. I wish you and yours an equally amazing evening.
+Emma Stone
When I first saw Superbad I was instantly struck by the character Jules because she reminded me so much of one of my best girls, Claire. Jules is played with a genius and steadfast deadpan by Emma Stone, who is going to be HUGE in 2008. She has 3 movies coming out this year, including one called The Rocker with Rainn Wilson (that’s right, our beloved Dwight). Emma is also featured in this month’s Glamour looking like a regular old Audrey Hepburn. I hope she doesn’t get handed a bunch of bullshit roles just because she’s a cute 19 year old. There need to be more smart, normal roles for young women in mainstream movies!
+Be Kind Rewind
Mos Def and Jack Black play two friends who accidentally erase all of the videos in the store where Mos works, then set out to reenact all of them on film in order to keep the store’s one loyal customer, an old demented lady. The films they remake include The Lion King, Rush Hour, Ghostbusters, When We Were Kings, Back to the Future, Driving Miss Daisy, and Robocop. Michel Gondry spearheaded this badboy, which means the soundtrack will likely also be amazing.
This video shows Michel discussing some of his musical inspirations before playing a set with his musical director and the mighty Mos at Sundance. It’s amazing to hear Mos Def singing - he has an unbelievably beautiful voice which we don’t get to hear as much on his records.
(FUN FACT: When I was living in NYC I met Michel a few times and he is, unfortunately, a big sleaze. After dealing with a few unsolicited and unacceptable ass-caresses at a party, I was not surprised a couple of years later when my boss went on a date with him and dubbed him “The Octopus” because he was all over her before appetizers even arrived. She maintained it was a French characteristic, but I’ve met lots of French guys who aren’t total d-bags, so I’m not willing to excuse it so easily. Oh also he never called her back after she wouldn’t sleep with him on the first date. To sum it up: tête de merde.)
+Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Oh man. You know a movie’s going to be good when the 2-minute trailer makes you laugh like a psycho and you’re quoting it days later. I will happily give Judd Apotow my money for anything he ever does (except for Walk Hard which I heard was good but looked like shit. Anyone see it? Is it good?).
+The Gutter Twins
The Gutter Twins = Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli. Umm, DUDE. So dark and sexy and brilliant. Their record Saturnalia comes out on March 4th on Sub Pop, and they’re out on a long tour right now. Mark Lanegan’s voice is so fucking amazing it makes my catbag feel funny.
Check out “Idle Hands” as a free download on Sub Pop’s site here.
I read this book a few months ago as part of a book club I was in (it has since totally fizzled out, unfortunately), but even though I read it awhile ago, I find myself thinking about it frequently.
“A Thousand Splendid Suns” is Khaled Hosseini’s second novel (”Kite Runner” was his first, I haven’t read it yet but it will be next) and it is immediately completely engrossing. When I was reading it I was constantly late to meet people or to go to work because I kept telling myself “2 more pages.” Parts of it are really hard to read because it is so heartbreaking and unjust, and the end is very bittersweet because of that. But it’s truly incredible - he writes characters so well, and the way they all become connected is amazing.
I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about women in modern day society - our rights, our struggles, the still-rampant sexism in every day life, etc. This book exacerbated that thought pattern. These women live in a culture where they are viewed to be worth nothing, but they still know their worth and empower themselves.
Now reading: “Skinny Legs and All” - Tom Robbins
Next up: “Kite Runner,” of course, and I’m going to give “The Beauty Myth” by Naomi Wolf another shot. I tried to read it when I was way too young to understand.
HE JUST DELIVERED THESE TO ME. I HAVE BEEN PSYCHOTICALLY TRACKING THEM FOR DAYS. I AM NEVER TAKING THEM OFF.
Well, trying to be! I’ve had 4 unsuccessful attempts at reaching the unemployment office so far today. The good news is that I’ve budgeted enough to go another month without having a job. So, a new list!
Things I Love Right Now
+ Going to the movies.
In a fabulous turn of events, my favorite local movie theater, Sundance Kabuki, has just undergone a massive renovation. They now have a 21+ balcony in their main theatre WHICH IS ATTACHED TO A BAR. Nice big comfy seats, no children screaming, and a shitload of martinis. This is how movies are meant to be watched.
I recommend:
Dude. DDL is of course amazing and creepy and unreal. But the real surprise is Paul Dano, who we all fondly remember as Klitzy from “The Girl Next Door.” He’s incredible, and the chemistry and tension between the two is palpable. The last scene is FUCKING INSANE.
Everyone else in the theater was a fucking emotionless robot so I had to do some serious work to hold back my tears. I ate an Abba Zabba and a box of Nerds and that distracted me just enough to not kill myself right there. This is the saddest motherfucking movie I’ve seen in ages. Also, I can’t stand Kiera Knightley but her wardrobe is BEYOND FABULOUS. Romola Garai (what up, Dirty Dancing Havana Nights!) was wonderful as 18 year-old Briony, she totes breathed life into the second half of the movie. And I think every time I see James McAvoy from now on I’ll just start bawling. He is heartbreaking and beautiful.This dress will be famous, and with good reason.
Oh also I might be one of the four people in the world who fucking HATED “Juno.” Sorry.
+Andre 3000’s style
+ Mindy Kaling
The running joke in my family is that I’m like Kelly from “The Office” in certain regards (my obsessions with clothes and celebrities). This is exacerbated by the fact that every day Lucas asks me “what’s new in the world of celebrity gossip?” and I immediately give him a 5 to 10 minute diatribe. Kind of like how Kelly Kapoor tells Jim all about Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Suri Cruise upon his return to the Scranton office and when he says “Cool, so what’s new with YOU?” and she says “…I just told you…?”
Well I’m happy to be compared in ANY WAY to Mindy Kaling, the woman who plays Kelly Kapoor, because SHE IS THE FUCKING SHIT. She’s totally brilliant and hilarious and the episodes she writes for “The Office” are always my favorites.
Her blog, Things I’ve Bought That I Love, is, of course, totally great. Word on the street is she recently sold a script to a major movie house. Stoked!
+ Virtual Makeovers
It only works on Firefox for me, but the Marie Claire Virtual Salon is fucking hilarious. I’ve been having sudden urges to bleach my hair or get bangs and now I can see that these may be horrible ideas. The Posh Spice bob: HORRIBLE on me. The Shane from the L Word: quite flattering! I just made myself look like goddamn Ava Gardner!
+ NY Times Papercuts Blog
The Papercuts Blog is part of the Books section and it is SO cool. My favorite is their Wednesday feature “Living with Music” where writers post their writing playlists. There’s lots of crossover between music and writing, so it’s like my Mecca! You can find out who your favorite authors are voting for and what books Bill Hader is reading, if you ever wanted to know. Loves it!
Well shit. 2008 is a total bummer so far, for just about everyone I know. Most of my friends became newly unemployed after the new year (me included). Stress and anxiety are running high, as is depression. Lots of deaths, getting sick and being in the hospital. The weather is ridiculous. I’m banking on February to turn some shit around.
Until then, I distract myself by looking at pretty clothes that I will never be able to afford!
Betsey Johnson
That last one reminds me of Becca!
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Nanette Lepore
Diane von Furstenberg
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D&G
Marc Jacobs
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Scrumptious!
