Get Ready, Cause Here I Come

I feel bad that I have been neglecting the blog as of late. I apologize, and am trying to get back into the habit of writing on a weekly (if not daily) basis. A lot has happened between today and my last post.

Marathon training is continuing to go well - we have a 14 mile group run tomorrow, which I'm a little excited about. I've ran the route once before, I've got my Powerbar Gel blasts (woo!) and I'll be bundled up -- the forecast temp at 8am? 6, but it will feel like -11. Coach Rick is bringing in a sports psychologist to talk to us before we head out. I'm looking forward to hearing him speak, as I said before, Coach Rick has told us that running is 30% physical and 70% mental. I have been having some slight anxiety about the Marathon the past week or so, I'm hoping that Dr. Grayson Kimball (that's who's coming to speak) will help quell my nerves. Expect and update either tomorrow or Sunday.

Also, after MONTHS of waiting, I finally made the big purchase I've been wanting to make since last July. Drum roll please....I'm now the proud owner of a 32G iPhone 3GS! HOORAY! It is pretty much as amazing as everyone says it is, and I would go so far as to say it's life-changing. Ok, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but it's definitely awesome. So many fun FREE apps! Plus, it's really great to have a phone, iPod and web browser all in one device. As many of you know, I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with movies and film. Next Tuesday is the announcement of the nominees for the 2010 Academy Awards. Before I get into my predictions list, I realized that I've neglected to do a Top 10 list for the year. Let's start with the honorable mentions that just missed out: (500) Days of Summer, Broken Embraces, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Hangover, I Love You, Man, In the Loop, Sherlock Holmes, Up

And now for the Top 10 (in alphabetical order)

An Education - Lone Scherfig's coming of age drama set in 1960's London is typical tale of the difficulties of growing up, but it rises above cliche thanks to the fantastic performances of Peter Saarsgard, Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson and Carey Mulligan, who gives a star-making turn as Jenny. The beautiful settings of London and Paris and the swinging soundtrack don't hurt either.

Avatar - James Cameron's follow-up to his 1997 behemoth Titanic was nothing short of exhilarating, and made everyone (well, at least me) want to move to the far-away moon of Pandora. While the story/plot may have left something to be desired, Avatar was a visual masterpiece. And the N'avi were pretty cool looking too. Seeing it in IMAX 3-D also added to the experience - if you haven't seen it, see it that way.

District 9 - Neil Blomkamp's little sci-fi movie that had an intense guerrilla marketing campaign was the sleeper hit of 2009. Sharlto Copley gives a breakout performance, and who thought you'd actually sympathize with the Prawns? Its thinly veiled commentary on actual events in Apartheid-era Johannesburg made it all the more resonant.

Inglorious Basterds - Leave it to Quinten Tarantino to re-write history where the Jews kill the Nazi's. With one of the most original screenplays of this (or any) year and a uniformly excellent ensemble (special mention goes to Christoph Waltz, who gives the performance of his career), Basterds may be a little violent, but it's a bloody (pun intended) good film.

The Messenger - This quiet, but incredibly powerful film about an Army Staff Sergeant who joins the Army Casualty Notification services. Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson give incredible performances and make a great onscreen duo, and Samantha Morton breaks your heart as an Army widow.

Nine - For the critical drubbing this movie got, I was ready to be disappointed. I wasn't. In the least. It was flashy, sexy and beautifully shot. And that cast. STUNNING. Yes, Rob Marshall used the same fantasy device for the musical numbers as he did in Chicago, but I dare you not to want to clap at the end of "Be Italian". Marion Cotillard is outstanding as the suffering wife, and Penelope Cruz couldn't be more luminous.

Precious - One of the year's most difficult films, Precious is none-the-less an uplifting film, one that inspires hope out of tragedy. But let's be honest, you saw Precious for two of the most stunning performances I've ever seen - a sensational debut from Gabourey Sidebeas the titular character and a jaw dropping, tour-de-force performance from Mo'Nique as the monstrous Mary Johnson. The final scene between Mary, Precious and Ms. Weiss is devastating.

Star Trek - the major blockbuster of the summer that had fanboys all over the world geeking out months before it's release. I was dragged by my roommates to see it in IMAX, and count me as one of the converted. It was an old fashioned, audience pleasing, action-adventure flick. Sometimes I need to realize that all films aren't created to be high art.

Up in the Air - The third feature from Jason Reitman follows George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer who has a penchant for racking up frequent flyerr miles, traveling alone, and not much else. His entire world is turned upside down with the arrival of Natalie (the fantastic Anna Kendrick) and Alex (Vera Farmiga) who teach him about relationships. It's issues of unemployment and a down economy also make this great film extremely timely.

The White Ribbon - Michael Haneke's film is a Gothic thriller for grown ups. Winner of the 2009 Palm d'Or, The White Ribbon, beautifully shot in black and white, takes place in pre-WWI Germany and deals with mysterious goings on in the small village. You wonder what evils the children may be capable of later in life - say about 20 years down the road. Haneke leaves the viewer to connect the dots.

Ok, so I'm going to be a little bit like the NBR and name a #1 film and a Top 10. My number 1 film of 2009?

The Hurt Locker - Kathryn Bigelow's commentary on the current situation in Iraq is a taught thriller, and one that you can't really shake for quite some time. It's interesting that the film takes a neutral stance on Iraq, and is anything but preachy. It's a simple statement of facts, and leaves the view to draw it's own conclusions. The film is anchored by the performances of Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner and Brian Geraghty. It gives a face and human emotion to the situation in Iraq, and presents the argument that for some, combat is the place the feel most comfortable.

PHEW! That was quite an update. I'm off to the UMass/BU hockey game at Agganis, and I'll be back later this weekend to report on the run as well as give my Oscar predictions.

It's me! Snooki!

My new favorite show? Jersey Shore on MTV. I'd say it's a guilty pleasure, but it's not, ha. If you haven't seen it, check it out ondemand or on the MTV site. Here's a great spoof from SNL a couple weeks ago:

Golden Globes

2010 Golden Globe Award Winners:

Best Motion Picture - Drama: Avatar
Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy: The Hangover (SERIOUSLY?!)
Best Actor - Drama: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Actress - Drama: Sandra Bullock, The Bilnd Side
Best Actor - Musical/Comedy: Robert Downey, Jr., Sherlock Holmes
Best Actress - Musical/Comedy: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique - Precious
Best Director: James Cameron, Avatar
Best Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Best Original Song: "The Weary Kind (Theme from 'Crazy Heart')", Crazy Heart
Best Original Score: Michael Giaccino, Up
Best Animated Film: Up
Best Foreign Language Film: The White Ribbon, Germany
Best Television Series - Drama: Mad Men
Best Actor - Drama: Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Best Actress - Drama: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Best Television Series - Musical/Comedy: GLEE!!!
Best Actor - Musical/Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Actress - Musical/Comedy: Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Best Mini-Series or Television Movie: Grey Gardens
Best Actor - Mini-Series/Television Movie: Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance (hooray!!)
Best Actress - Mini-Series/Television Movie: Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
Best Supporting Actor - Drama, Musical/Comedy or Mini-Series/Television Movie: John Lithgow, Dexter
Best Supporting Actress - Drama, Musical/Comedy or Mini-Series/Television Movie: Chloe Sevingy, Big Love

14 Weeks to go

Marathon training is kicking into high gear - had a great 12 mile run yesterday, got my official B.A.A. Entry card in the mail, and I've scheduled a fundraiser for Saturday, Feb. 20 at The Point! Y'all should come - your $20 donation includes a great night of fun, friends, food, and supporting me in the Marathon. There's also going to be a raffle with great prizes like complimentary personal training sessions (not by me, from a professional), Red Sox tickets, a day of sailing, and more! There's also going to be a 50/50 raffle - Guess My Time! For $5 you can sign up for a minute (or minutes) of when you think I'll finish the Marathon. The person with the closest time get the $$!

The training run yesterday went well - it was a beautiful day, and we ran from the South End, along the Charles to the Aresenal Bridge. I had a really great pace going, and was feeling pretty good until I got to our last water stop just past the BU bridge (about 3 miles to go) and I stopped for water. I feel like I shouldn't have stopped, because I never really got back into my rhythm that I had earlier. For the first time I also felt tired, so I think that in the future I'm going to bring some sport beans or gels with me. I talked to Coach Rick after, and he said that when you're at a point where you think you can't go any further, you need to push past the wall, and keep going. He says that running is 30% physical and 70% mental. I need to work on both parts. I've got 14 weeks to go, and I'm confident that I'll be able to keep up the training and finish strong.

I also changed my gym memberships to Revolution Fitness, where I was able to get a discount because of our training and Coach Rick knows the owner - sweet! Still up in the air about what to do with the PF membership - it's only $20 a month, but I don't really need two gym memberships. The nice the about Revolution Fitness is that they have personal training and classes, all of which come with my membership. The PF didn't have either of those things.

The Golden Globe awards are tonight, and in a year where there isn't a clear front-runner in major categories, tonight could put some things into prospective.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious, Up in the Air

If this was a year with only 5 Best Picture nominees at the Academy Awards, these would be it. The Hurt Locker has been cleaning up at all of the critics awards and won the BFCA on Friday night. Avatar however is a force to be reckoned with. It's going to come down to these two films tonight and at the Oscars - I think Avatar will take it tonight, but The Hurt Locker will be victorious in March. Watch out for Up in the Air as a dark horse - it leads the Globes this year with 6 nominations.

Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy
(500) Days of Summer, The Hangover, It's Complicated, Julie & Julia, Nine

When the nominees were announced, this was Nine's to loose. Now, after it was a critical and financial bomb (which I completely disagree with), it's pretty much out of the picture. Expect the quirky and charming (500) Days of Summer to be victorious.

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker, James Cameron - Avatar, Clint Eastwood - Invictus, Jason Reitman - Up in the Air, Quentin Tarantino - Inglorious Basterds

Another category where it's between The Hurt Locker and Avatar, but expect Kathryn Bigelow to make history when she becomes the first woman to win for Best Director. I'm also expecting a repeat come Oscar night.

And the new season of 24 starts tonight - Jack is back! I'm dvr-ing 24 and will play catch up with all 4 new episodes (2 tonight, 2 tomorrow) during the week - I always enjoy a good 24 binge.

Back for Real

I've been chided for a couple days and been called a "blog liar" because I didn't post about Las Vegas last Wednesday like I said that I would. I'm sorry, I promise it won't happen again, and I will no longer make statements I can't back up on the blog. There. It's over, and we can all move on.

So Vegas was indeed as ridiculous and overstimulating as everyone said it would be. My flight from Philly was delayed almost 2 hours, so I got there at 8 instead of 6. Rusty and I picked up the rental car and headed to Mike's house - we were going to meet the rest of the guys at one of the casinos. After about an hour of trying to get into Mike's house, eating In-n-Out Burger in the driveway and someone (ahem, Rusty) locking the keys in the car, we called a cab and hit the strip.

We were supposed to rendezvous at Rok at New York, New York - but by the time Rusty and I got there (around 10:30) the cover was $100...no thanks. Rusty and I took to the streets (the Strip was closed to traffic), bought some 40's and pitchers, and decided to stake out a place to watch the fireworks. A while later the guys came out and joined us to watch the fireworks in front of Bellagio. It was pretty surreal to be standing in the middle of Las Vegas, pitchers in hand, and watching fireworks explode over Bellagio and Caesar's Palace. After the celebrations died down (and we were able to pee, the casinos/hotels were closed between 11:30 and 12:30) we headed back to Rok, where the cover had dropped significantly, and partied there for a while, before leaving and once again roaming the strip. Decided to call it a night at about 4:30am, and after waiting almost an hour for a cab, we paid $150 for a limo to take us back to Henderson. Price wasn't an issue, we just wanted to get home.

Friday was incredibly lazy, and did absolutely nothing productive - we were resting up to go to the Grand Canyon. We checked out some of the hotels and casinos at night (namely Aria at City Center, this brand new complex that had just opened 2 weeks before). Tried my luck at the slots at Luxor, but wasn't terribly successful. It was ok though, because we had an early morning on Saturday; the Grand Canyon was a 4+ hour drive from Las Vegas. There was a lot of back and forth about going, but we eventually decided that since we were there, we might as well go. We stopped at the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead along the way (actually, you have to go across the Hoover Dam to get to the Grand Canyon), which were pretty cool. The Dam is the border between Nevada and Arizona, and you also cross a time-zone, which we had no idea until we came back. The scenery along the way was pretty amazing, lots of mountains, limited towns, and not a whole lot of houses. We did manage a stop at Grasshopper Junction, a sweet roadside stop in middle-of-nowhere Arizona to use the facilities and refuel. Along the way, the road signs were a little deceiving, because once you took the exit that said GRAND CANYON, it was still 50 miles away.

It was 100% worth the drive though, even though I was surprised at how much snow there was (about 3 inches) - isn't that supposed to be the desert?! The first stop was at the visitors center and Yavapai point. Tons of people, because that's pretty much the only place the tour buses go in the winter. There were a couple of different points you could go out an look on, and after hanging out there (and having a snowball fight), we got back in the car and drove the 7 mile Hermit's Rest trail along the South Rim. There were a bunch of places along the way that you could stop and take some photos, and the views were nothing short of spectacular. I'm not one to usually gush about nature, but this was pretty freaking incredible. I also really liked that you could just drive out, park, take some pictures, and then keep going. The roads were all paved, pretty wide, and completely clear. There were also all kinds of animals, we had to stop a couple of times so that some Elk could cross the road. On the way back, we stopped at this point where there weren't any barriers, and we could sit on the ledge of the Canyon. It was pretty cool, and we were kind of by ourselves, so it was quiet, and you could hear the Colorado River in the distance.


Sunday was spent exploring the casinos along the strip. Great thing about Vegas - free valet parking. Not great thing about Vegas - they stop serving breakfast at 11am, even on Sundays. Ended up having Chipotle for breakfast (not ideal), got tickets to Cirque du Soleil's Mystere, strolled along the canals of the Venetian, rode the rides atop the Stratosphere (109 stories in up) and the roller coaster at New York, New York, which was a little painful. Once the sun went down, we were able to see "Sirens of ti" (which was as ridiculous as it sounds) that had a cool sinking pirate ship, and the volcano at the Mirage erupt. It's funny how different the strip looks at night - Casino Royale was pretty shabby looking during the day, but looked totally different at night, and actually kind of nice. Mystere was pretty awesome, even if it was a little bit out there and just kind of came to an abrupt end. The performers were incredible, and the trapeze guys were especially cool, performing probably 100 feet above the stage with not a whole lot of nets to catch them. Rusty, Nick, Jerome and I had a great dinner at the steakhouse at ti and then wandered over to the Wynn (which was absolutely stunning and cost $1.8 billion, yes, billion, to build) for some drinks and cigars at Parasol Down. Wynn was pretty classy, and probably my favorite casino/hotel we checked out during the trip.

Monday was also a pretty low-key day, started out with brunch at Bellagio (which we had tried to do the day before), and did tons of walking to explore Pairs (lame), MGM Grand (HUGE) and Mandalay Bay (also enormous, and far away). The highlight of the day though, was the Fountains at Bellagio. They did two shows, Whitney Houston's version of the National Anthem from Superbowl XXV in 1991, which was pretty spectacular, and Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bochelli's version of "Time to Say Goodbye", which was also spectacular. I took the video with my new camera - huzzah!

So that was pretty much the trip in a blog entry. Had a great time, unlike any place I had ever been, and I'm actually excited to go back in May for Nate's bachelor party (although it's going to be MUCH more expensive since we have to pay for a hotel)....perhaps this will become a yearly tradition?

The Morn

I made it back from Las Vegas unscathed, though exhausted. I'll try and have a full rundown tomorrow (with pics!) for all you readers.

An amazing time was had by all