Weekly Wrap Up - Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, WeAreSC, and Rotten Tomatoes close out my 2007

As we close out 2007, here are some published goodies of mine that made their way to the web this past week.

AmericanIdol.com
- Carrie Underwood is one of Elle's Best Dressed of 2007
- Clay Aiken Helps Out During the Holidays

It'd been too long since we had a Carrie pic.

RottenTomatoes.com
- Jen Yamato pulled together the RT Editors' Best Movie Picks of 2007. My shoutout is on Page 4.

WeAreSC.com
- Student Athlete: Brad Smith

That's a lot of words, folks. This is why my blogging has slowed down, but my word vomit is still all over the web!

Joining the Marathon World

Though I haven't run "for fun" in almost a year, if not more, I went on a long run today to begin my preparation for two long runs that I hope to take on in 2008 - The Great Race of Agoura Hills Chesebro Half Marathon in April and the Disneyland Half Marathon in August.


Because it was my first time back running in a very long time, I decided not to be too ambitious and that I would start out slow. My intentions of starting out slow turned into a winding, hill-filled 4.8 mile round trip from my apartment to Fox Studios. My legs are in pain and I honestly don't know if I'm going to be able to walk at the Rose Bowl tomorrow, but I was really happy that I did it. I finished off my run with some vegan pad thai from The Vegan Joint here in Palms and I'm hoping to go to sleep as soon as the New Year hits so I can be well-rested for Rose Bowl traffic tomorrow.

As I ran with my iPod shuffle to the tunes of Carrie Underwood, 50 Cent, Rakim, Rascal Flatts, Kanye West, and Eminem, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is a really large unspoken community of runners here in Los Angeles. People gave me a thumbs up when they passed me (and people did because I wasn't going very fast) or a smile at the very least. And yes, I almost got hit by a car and I basically was jogging at the pace of a fast walk on uphills portions, but it felt really good to be part of this friendly community. It didn't matter how fast I was going or they were going, people just seemed supportive and I'm sure that this is the feeling that many people get on race day with the clapping crowd cheering along the way. It sounds stupid, but it really made me feel good and made it a lot easier for me to keep going because I felt like these people accepted me into their mobile community.

I know that you're supposed to train a solid 3 times a week, but I think I can realistically get in a short run during the week and then a long run on the weekends. If I did 4.8 miles the first time while being completely out of shape, 13.1 miles doesn't seem like it would be too bad (famous last words). I hope that I'll be able to run a full marathon one day and it'll be a huge accomplishment.

Running a half-marathon isn't really a life goal for me, but it's rather something that I want to see if I can do. It's kind of like when I went periods of time without eating red meat, or my current 3 year caffeine drought. Sometimes, you just want to see if you can do something and this is my new thing. Hopefully, I'll have cool pictures of some medals to share and it'll be one more thing that I've done that I've wondered if I could do.

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno is Nicer than I would be to Texas A&M Idiot Yell Leader

I don't know if everyone has heard this story yet, but I'll let the Dallas Morning News tell the gist of the story:

SAN ANTONIO – Penn State coach Joe Paterno was asked if he could still "do it" at a Valero Alamo Bowl news conference Friday. Coach, that is.

"Holy smokes," Paterno said. "I'm not Hugh Hefner, ya know."

Paterno thought the Texas A&M yell leader who made a disparaging remark about the 81-year-old legend during a joint pep rally was "trying to be funny." Paterno otherwise brushed off the yell leader's comment, which prompted quick apologies from A&M officials.

"Joe Paterno's on his death bed! And someone needs to find him a casket!" the yell leader screamed Thursday night in a Riverwalk auditorium filled with A&M and Penn State fans."

This came from AggieMoms.org, hope they're proud!

I'm not out to condemn someone for one thing that they said. Part of what makes this story so sad is that there's something really endearing about watching the 81 year old Paterno still coaching at Penn State after all these years AND a broken leg on the sidelines a couple years back.

Good lord, I'd retire after that.

Being mean to old people is like being mean to waiters at a restaurant who are trying really hard to be nice. There's just no reason to do it (especially if they weren't provoked) and I think that this A&M Yell Leader suffers from a problem that a lot of sports fans have - talking crap and not being funny, while also not knowing a lot about the game.

There have been way too many USC Football games that I've been to where annoying fans have caused a ruckus in the stands - mispronouncing names, calling our guys by the name of the player who wore the jersey the previous year, and cheering for penalties that actually net us fewer yards. If this Texas A & M yell leader knew more about the game of college football beyond his beloved Aggies, he would know that Joe Paterno is one of the most respected coaches in college football and a true living legend in the sport. Never EVER should a true college football fan say something like that to someone who has earned and deserves the respect that Paterno should have after his illustrious career.

If you go to a game or you're one of those loud, screaming types? Know what you're talking about or at the very least, be funny, not an asshole.

Rotten Tomatoes Editors' Best Movie Picks of 2007

Check out RT Editors' Best Movie Picks of 2007!

The Rotten Tomatoes editors and I all made lists of our favorite movies of 2007.

I'm all the way on Page 4.

Movies I've seen recently - Bratz, National Treasure, Sweeney Todd, Fast Times at Ridgemont High

From my Rotten Tomatoes blog

I'm feeling very gassy after a dinner at Mario's Peruvian Seafood here in LA. A friend of mine wants to go to Don Antonio's of The Hills fame later tonight for second dinner. We'll see if the stomach can handle it with the help of some Pepto (charming, I know. I use The Vine as my subscription-free version of Match.com, if that wasn't obvious).

After that glorious introduction, I thought I would take a second to review some of the movies I've seen recently. I think one of the good parts about having an extremely addictive personality is that when you like something, you REALLY like something. There is no inbetween, no gray area, you are balls to the walls, in it to win it, in there like swim wear.

The bad part about having this kind of personality is that when you're "over" something, you're REALLY over it. Whether that's a food, person (or parent, in my case), celebrity, television show, when you declare you don't like it, you don't like it forever (this is why I don't like you, Sarah from my 11th grade science class. Call me weird again and see if I care).

A pleasant surprise to me is that my newest love is movies. I know that I haven't seen as many movies as "the next guy" (whoever he is and I'm sure he is well endowed), but with all the craziness that goes on in my underdeveloped dinosaur brain, I'm sure to catch up soon as a result of my addictive personality. As a result, I thought I'd take a second to rate some of the flicks that I've flocked (that makes no sense) over the past couple weeks.

Sweeney Todd (87% on the Tomatometer, 7/10 for me)

I'm linking to the Beta. Learn it. Love it.

Why must I SIIiiiNggGG EVERyThinGGgGgg!! AlLlLLl THe TIMeeEEeEe, as IfFFff SpeaKINg Had GOnnNNNe Out OF FasshionNN~!~!!!! I NeEedddd to Get SomE Two PLyYYyy ToiLeTTTTt PAPpEEERRR!!!!

Sweeney wasn't really what I was expecting, but it was close. For some reason, I thought it was going to be a little bit spookier, less stomach curdling, with more haircuts (Barber!! Right?? Not beard shaver!!), and more bloody. I think that everyone who said that Mr. Todd's antics were bloody disgusting (I am too much sometimes! The wit! The cheap laughs!) has never seen Hostel.

After you've seen Eli Roth's blood bath diarrhea fest (figuratively), nothing is that bloody. I did really enjoy the story because I had never seen the musical and I thought dreamboat Johnny Depp did a fantastic job as a stylist to the stars (look out, David Evangelista). There was even more singing in Sweeney than there was in Hairspray, which means it was a wee bit too much for me. I didn't find any of the songs particularly memorable, but I did really enjoy being transported into Todd's dark and dirty world courtesy of Senor Tim Burton. 'Twas good, but I was a wee bit emo after watching it, so I ate the additional $7 in parking fees so I could do the good ole' theater hop straight intooooooo....

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (35% on the Tomatometer, 4/10 for me)

So the jump from Sweeney straight into Treasure was a weird one. I'll start this out by saying that I thought that National Treasure was a National Grumper. In the first Treasure, I felt as though the dialogue was stupid (and not funny) and the things they came up with remind me ideas that small children have while they're playing with their action figures and still have an hour to burn before dinner time.

Hey, let's make some money with a crappy movie!

However, what makes me hate National as a series is that so many people LOVE IT and think that it is one of the greatest movie serieseseseses ever. I don't think it's the worst movie ever, but for people to list this movie on Facebook as one of their favorite movies of all time is worse than me listing You Got Served on my favorite movie list (which I do). So for Treasure hunting fans, have no fear! The tradition of ridiculous dialogue, semi-cool action scenes, and farfetched ideas about the history of the good ole' U S of A continues in the sequel. It is dumb, but it is dumb fun. I wouldn't watch it again, but it was watchable...but stupid.

Bratz: The Movie (7% on the Tomatometer, 1/10 for me)

B-F-F's!

Effing. Kill. Me. This thought went through my head about five times over the course of the nearly two hours that I sat through Bratz, which I had high hopes for. First, I didn't know that you could say "MySpace" so blatantly so many times during a movie ("I LOVE MYSPACE!!!" being my favorite subtle product placement line). Second, I never realized that a teen movie could be so bad that I thought it was beyond bad. Normally, I like most every teen movie because something about it is good - dancing, hotties, jokes, funny asians, pointless nudity, something! NOTHING about Bratz is good.

The girls are too good at everything. They're too smart, talented, and flawless for us to like them. They are all spoiled except for one girl who really needs a scholarship, but still has a walk-in closet (probably just a scholarship for hair products). I can't even begin to talk about this movie without getting annoyed at how incredibly bad it was. It wasn't funny, nor was anything about it cool. I will say that the movie was really colorful, which was nice to watch on my 40" LCD HDTV, but two girls one cup, this movie was awful.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (80% on the Tomatometer, 6/10 for me)

As a teen movie lover, I had to see Fast to see where a lot of the roots of teen movies came from. What I loved about Fast was seeing and hearing a lot of the phrases that people still use today being used in the movie and finally realizing where they came from! From Sean Penn's classic portrayal of a surfer "dude" to Phoebe Cates' famous boobs, there was a lot to like at Ridgemont High. I really enjoyed the movie, though nothing was particularly hilarious about it. The film was entertaining from start to finish and I'm sure that it was very edgy and "hip" in its day.

Mullet! Mullet! Mullet!

I wouldn't say it was one of my favorites, but if I saw the movie when it came out in 1982 (which would have been about a year and a half before I was conceived), I'm sure it would have been at the time. Cool movie and I'm happy that I saw it!

And now, I'm off to watch Superbad. Addictive personality for teh win!

I love IGN's Jessica Chobot

I do! I just can't help it.

Jessica Chobot writes and does video segments for IGN.com and is well-known as one of the hottest girls in tech. Charming, video game loving, with a soft spot for things that are very cute, how could anyone resist?

Truly a dream, even while at work, haha.

Success! Perez Hilton makes an appearance at Kitson

Perez Hilton made a bunch of us celebrity crazed fools happy by showing up on time to Kitson on Robertson today in Los Angeles. The line was filled with mostly girls who I was surprisingly much older than, but it was pretty exciting to meet one of the most prominent entertainment bloggers today.

That's a lot of blogging in one picture.

In search of Perez Hilton

I'm here at Kitson, Los Angeles, where Perez Hilton is scheduled to make an appearance from 2PM to 4PM today. I'm here early, so hopefully he doesn't show up too fashionably late because my meter runs out at 3:19!

Rotten Tomatoes Presents: 12 Days of Christmas Movies

Hi guys,

I'd love for everyone to check out my first ever feature on Rotten Tomatoes! It's a countdown of 12 of the top reviewed Christmas movies of all time. I'm really happy with the way it turned out and hope that you enjoy it!


While you're there, check out my roommate Ryan's Rotten Tomatoes Holiday Buyers' Guide, which is written about 10x better than mine because Ryan is a much better writer than I.

Christmas in LA

Some people hae asked me what Christmas in LA looks like, so here's The Grove at Christmas.

Bring It On: In It to Win It. Saw It. Loved It.

Check out my thoughts on the movie that went direct to DVD and direct to my heart on my Rotten Tomatoes blog!

Testing out some new feeds

Hey guys,

I'm going to be testing out some new feeds over the next day or so to try and bring some fun stuff to the site, so please excuse the disgusting number of "things" that will be showing up on the right side of the screen.

Greatest Two Girls One Cup Reaction Video of All Time

Whether it's 2girls1cup, two girls one cup, or 2 girls 1 cup, by any name, this disgustingly not safe for work video has sparked the funniest reactions in the history of the Internet.

This one is my favorite:

A Critical Examination of 2 Girls 1 Cup

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Hello Guitar Hero III. Goodbye Social Life

While I don't think I'll ever get good enough at Guitar Hero to do something like this:

Jordan - Expert

I did just get it on Wii and I really like it! I also got Trauma Center: New Blood, which is a lot of fun and pretty challenging! I had taken a huge break from video games, but with a few days off right around the corner, I'm excited to get back into them with these new games that are firmly taking my Wii off the unemployment line since I started my new job. I forgot how great of a release it can be to just burn some time playing games.

You were missed video games. You. Were. Missed.

Paramore's Music Video for "Misery Business"

I picked up Paramore's Riot! album today, because of its catchy single "Misery Business," which I cannot help but always hope will come on the radio while I'm getting ready in the morning.



So I know the band's lead singer Hayley Williams is 17 years old or so and a lot of their songs sound the same (which is fine because that means they're REALLY catchy), but does that automatically make Paramore a girly pop-punk band? Because I'm pretty into them after listening to the CD for the past couple hours.

Britney Spears' Newest Video - Piece of Me

After the fuzzy, dark, and weird video for "Gimme More," Britney Spears is back with her latest video for "Piece of Me," which has a paparazzi theme.

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

Say what you will about B. Spears, but she's still pretty hot! I just wish that she would dance a little more and that she would stop dressing like she was 17 and maybe go for that "I'm in my mid 20's and I'm still hot" look instead.

Either way, I'm not complaining.

Bratz: The Movie is Diaper Rash Rotten at 7%

Taken from my Rotten Tomatoes blog: A 20-Something Guy with the Movie Taste of a 14 Year Old Girl.

Bratz: The Movie. 5 Fresh reviews. 63 Rotten. 7% on the Tomatometer. $9.9 million at the box office. "Too shallow even for its target audience."

Who watches movies like this? I DO.

Keepin' it Gangsta Out Da BOX!

"[An] excruciatingly inane high-school comedy inspired by a line of sexually suggestive dolls aimed at 9-year-old girls." - Lou Lumenick, New York Post

I got interested in this green booger trainwreck based on a line of semi-successful dolls after checking out RT resident Wildcat Jen Yam's Meet a Critic with Michael Phillips. Phillips said (though I have a feeling he was joking),

JY: Who is the next breakthrough performer, director or writer on the horizon?
MP: Everyone in Bratz. Didn't you love Jon Voight in Bratz? Not since he got horked up by the snake in Anaconda have I seen such magic.

While Phillips may or may not have been joking, I figured if a movie was that memorable to the point that it was the first thing that came to his mind, there has to be some value to it.

Key to life: Money. Power. Respect. Friendship. Fashion.

7% on the Tomatometer. 11% by Cream of the Crop critics. There is hope.

With that in mind, I asked my roommate and RT Community Manager Ryan to shoot Bratz onto his Netflix queue.

Here is a rundown of the conversation:
D: So no Bratz?
R: You were serious?
D: I would watch it if it came in the mail. I'm just wondering what it does for 102 minutes.
R: Okay, I'll do it, but on one condition.
D: Of course you get to watch w/me!!
R: You have to watch it all the way to the end, even if I get bored and leave the room
D: Ok that's doable. I will watch and enjoy.
R: I'm putting it on my list right now and shooting it to the top of the queue. Is Jon Voight in this movie?? Poor man.

OMG, it's totally not that bad!

"The derivative Bratz is a great big pink marshmallow of a movie, aimed at one demographic only: tween girls into fashion and lip gloss. Anyone else, enter at your own risk." - Kit Bowen, Hollywood.com

Enter I will, Kit Bowen of Hollywood.com. Enter. I. Will. Besides, I love marshmallows.

"This is why the terrorists hate us." - Nathan Rabin, Onion AV Club

That might be taking it too far, Mr. Rabin.

"Bratz is like being raped by MySpace." Joshua Tyler, Cinemablend.com

Then add me, baby.

Be back with a full report soon, my BFF's!

Lauren Conrad's big secret on Ths Hills Finale

I'm still trying to get a little caught up from the craziness that was the end of last week and the beginning of this one, but I posted a new blog over at Rotten Potatoes on Lauren Conrad's secret announcement on the alleged Season 3 finale of The Hills.

Mmm... I love a girl who loves Target.

Head on over there to check it out!

My Thoughts on The Golden Compass

Taken from my Rotten Tomatoes blog: A 20-Year Old Guy with the Movie Taste of a 14 Year Old Girl.

It finally arrived.

The Golden Compass (44%) hit theaters (or theatres) this weekend and I dragged myself out of my hermit-cave to see it today with next to no idea what the movie was about. I knew there were bears, a little girl, some snow, a Golden Compass, and Nicole Kidman with some very healthy blonde locks mixed together in what I'm sure New Line will hope to be a franchise to follow in the financially successful footsteps of a little series known as The Lord of the Rings.

So after a bevy of previews that all looked like they were for the same movie, which I will call "Harry Potter and the Lord of the Wrinkle in Time Chasing Stardust in Jumanjii Narnia....dot com," it was time for the epic to begin!

He roars to wake you up.

What I didn't know about the film was that I was going to be bored out of my mind for the first half of the movie with a very unclear story, annoyed at animals whose sole purpose was to repeat lines in the script while being not nearly as funny as the Dwarf or Samwise Gamgee from LOTR, and that I was going to be held hostage by the ridiculous repetition of characters' first and last names in hopes of the film making me want to care and remember these characters that I had no attachment to even by the end of the film.

Way better. Even if you can't understand any of it. More The Golden Compass? Nein danke.

Imagine Frodo saying "Oh Samwise Gamgee, isn't it wonderful that we have Gandolf the Grey and Legolas the brave elf here to protect us from the evil red eyeball?" You know why you can't imagine it? Because they didn't have to do it. Why? Because the story made sense!

Be more entertaining so the movie will make money, ok?

After discussing the film with my movie companion for the day, we still didn't really have any idea just what exactly was going on (why do I not care about "dust?"). However, I came to some conclusions and had some questions:

1) Lyra is an effing genius - For her being such a small girl with a little too much 'tude to not get slapped around a little by the baddies, she is quite the genius who comes up with escape plans that put Kevin from Home Alone to shame. Effing. Genius.

2) Daniel Craig doesn't really do a whole lot.

3) Nicole Kidman is a great actress.

4) The Bear sounds like Gandolf. The witches are all Legolases. The hot air balloon guy is the Dwarf from LOTR (but he's not funny). Daniel Craig has a beard like another human hero from LOTR. The little bugger who Lyra wants to rescue is her not cool Samwise Gamgee.

5) The movie is a little Star Wars, a little Wild Wild West, and a LOT of Lord of the Rings. If I saw Narnia, I'm sure it would be like that too, but I didn't see it. However, I'm positive they have tons of similarities.

6) Little kids won't see the holes in the story because they'll be distracted by Coca-Cola bears.

Go see The Golden Compass... Or we'll drink all your soda!

7) How the hell does the bear's armor magically go from place to place when he clearly runs without wearing it? Do the people carry it? Does that make the bear lazy?

8) The bear community is one led by a fascist dictator and the other bears have no thought, like lemmings, or teenagers when their class president is a hot girl.

9) Again, how the hell is this girl so smart??

10) Why did I, a 23 year old with a Master's Degree, have no idea what they were talking about when they were looking at some guy and some "dust" in the film's outset?

11) If you don't want to have blood in your movie, disappearing animals with glittery effects is a good way to go.

12) You want a sequel. We get it.

13) If the compass is so cool, why isn't a REAL bad guy after it?

14) How come the CGI fight scenes are so well done at the end of the film, but the real-life parts with explosions look like they were from an episode of the Original Star Trek series with Captain James T. Kirk? I thought tribbles were going to fall out of the ceiling.

15) I still don't remember anyone's name other than Lyra (who is the girl).

I AM A CGI MONSTER!! BUY THE STUFFED VERSIONS OF ME FOR YOUR CHILDREN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON AT WAL-MART!!!

The movie drags for so much of the beginning that I couldn't even enjoy the subpar finish. While I'm sure bears will come in the second movie to help little Lyra, just like the trees helped Frodo in the second LOTR movie, these little "demon"/Chicken Little/Sonic and Tails/Stuart Little suckers have got to go. Just. Not. Feeling. Them.

After a while, he gets annoying.

If it's an epic, let it be an epic without shoving cats that look like Antonio Banderas' Puss in Boots from Shrek 2 in our face to make us at least like someone (because the main character Lyra is annoying).

Shrek? Or Golden Compass?

It's hard for me to give the splat/booger, but to me, The Golden Compass was two girls one cup rotten. Ugh, I think I'm going to watch Rocky Balboa (Certified Fresh @76%) tonight to get this taste of poorly done bear out of my mouth.

Michael Vick sentenced to 23 months in jail for involvement in dogfighting ring

In what is quite possibly the most clearcut example of why people have to leave the hood behind once they have money, former Atlanta Falcons quarterback and one time NFL poster boy Michael Vick will be spending 23 months in jail for his involvement in a dogfighting ring that pretty much ruined his life as he knew it as the highest paid player in the NFL.

Since Vick has already started serving time for his crime (which I think was very smart), his sentence will actually end up being closer to 20 months. By the time Vick makes it out, he'll be about 30 years old. In comparison, the Green Bay Packers' signal caller Brett Favre is currently 38 years old and leading the Packers to their best season in decades.

What's interesting about all this is that Michael Vick will definitely still be capable of playing by the time he makes it out of jail, especially if they actually do The Longest Yard in prison. It'll be interesting to see how commissioner Roger Goodell deals with Vick because one would think that he paid the price for his actions after spending the better portion of two years in jail. Does dogfighting warrant a lifetime ban? Well Goodwell has about 20 months to think about it.

They have beaten Vick. Dogs around the world rejoice.

See ya in 2009, Senor Vick, when you'll be the closest thing to Mike Tyson the NFL has ever seen.

Human Tetris

Sometimes, people have too much time on their hands.

The Original Human TETRIS Performance
Uploaded by NOTsoNOISY

Sometimes, you're grateful for it.

Rachel McAdams is My Favorite Actress

Taken from my Rotten Tomatoes blog - A 20-Something Guy with the Movie Taste of a 14 Year Old Girl

To be honest, I had a bit of an emotionally and physically draining day yesterday. But as an eternal optimist, I always love to pretend that everything is ok, so it is. If I believe it and act it, my very soft and pliable brain (which is as smooth as a dolphin's ass) is convinced that "it" is indeed "it."

While superlatives increasingly become things of the past as we get older and are things that we rarely ever say with any kind of relative sincerity ("Best. Movie. Evarrrrr." vs. "This is my best best friend in the whole worlddddd!!!" years ago) after we've received our high school yearbooks (once upon a time, I was "Best Personality" of my 2002 high school graduating class), I thought I would take a trip back into a time when it was cool to say what were your favorite things in the world.

My favorite actress: Rachel McAdams

A perennial mainstay on my list of hottest celebrities, Rachel McAdams (and her flawless skin and shiny hair) pretty much manages to play a dreamboat in every movie that she's in, whether she's supposed to or not. I don't think the girl can help it. When people hear that R-Mac is my favorite, they tell me that it makes sense because I seem to love happy girls with "cute personalities," and brown hair, which is more rare than you'd expect.

In Wedding Crashers (Certified Fresh @ 75%), she plays Claire, the perfect woman.

Dreamboat as a brunette... Oh to be a glass on that table...

And yes, I am creepy...

In Mean Girls (Certified Fresh @ 85%), even as the "Queen Bee" Regina George, McAdams is so likable in her over-the-top bougie meanness that she is completely irresistible as an antagonist turned glorious teen queen by the movie's conclusion. LiLo, who?

I just want to lose 5 pounds...

(a little less dreamy as a blonde)

While most love story loving women would say it's her best role, R-Mac played Allie, a girl who just LOVES to make out all the time, in girl-favorite flick The Notebook (51%), a movie with no balls at all. Somehow, because of McAdams, I still own it (as I do every movie on this list other than Wedding Crashers, which I'll probably get this weekend now that I have realized this).

Dude, we effing got it. Stop.

Even in Red Eye (Certified Fresh @ 79%), a movie that I don't think that many people saw (yet, I still bought on DVD without seeing it because she was in it), McAdams plays a amazingly cool under pressure hotel concierge-ish manager / supervisor / something / hospitality goddess.

Haha, oh you're so funnyyyy... YOU PSYCHO KILLER!!

Even as she's running for her life, it turns out that R-Mac was once a (hot) field hockey player! Not only is she a girly girl who likes to make out, she's athletic too! What made McAdams so great in Red Eye is that it showed that she can play "the smart" just as well as she can play "the spoiled, bratty ditz." And clearly, by the bevy of Certified Fresh medallions that are dangling from her talented neck, at least she's in good movies!

So yes, my favorite actress is Rachel McAdams - a dreamboat by any name.

Other writings in the DaveChung.com world - Celebutantes, Kellie Pickler

I recently posted a new blog entry over on sister on-topic blog Rotten Potatoes on celebutantes.


American Idol's own Kellie Pickler is going to be joining the USO tour to perform for troops overseas and you can read my news item right here.

Check them both out!

Peer Pressure is teh new hawtness in dance

By now, most of us have probably seen the newest Internet hotness - Peer Pressure, which I think is much more fun than two girls one cup.

This a group of respectable African-American young men who gyrate their hips and imitate sexual motions (also known as "humping) to music by R&B acts like Pretty Ricky. Some people call them the "Ottoman humping gangstas" and I would say that's accurate.

While I don't really know if it's dancing or if it's a pseudo strip show, it's really entertaining. They do warn that their videos may cause panties to get wet.

On that note, enjoy Peer Pressure!

The original


Christmas Peer Pressure


And the parodies...


Political Peer Pressure


Words cannot describe...

Scene Stealers: Amanda Bynes

Taken from my Rotten Tomatoes blog: A 20-Something Guy with the Entertainment Taste of a 14 Year Old Girl

There are good actresses, hotties, good tear-shedders, dudes with big muscles, people with nice hair, eyes, guys with low voices (what up, Prison Break), well-endowed blondes who die in horror movies, and beyond. However, there are certain actors/actresses that I feel like are completely visually irresistible - whether it be as a result of their personality, looks, performances, or overall persona.

While I don't think my list will be a typical list, here's my first scene stealer:

Amanda Bynes

Say what you will about the former All That cast member and the quality of movies that she participates in, but I think that Amanda Bynes is one of the more hilarious and irresistable actresses in the industry today.

With her dorky personality, funny faces, and ability to play the same character in different movies, but still have it not get anywhere close to old, Bynes is not only one of my favorite actresses, but a Hollywood starlet and teen queen that refreshingly hasn't been arrested or undergone a custody battle with her parents.

Good morning, Baltimore

It's true. She's the Man (43%) was not nearly as good as I thought it was. Sydney White (40%) was also not nearly as good as I thought it was. And Hairspray (93%)... ok that one was pretty good AND Bynes was great in it. Despite the quality of the aforementioned flicks, the reality is that Bynes made these teen movies watchable, funny, and (with the exception of Hairspray, which was good) borderline good (many will disagree and I'm ok with that). Films seem to be made with Bynes in mind because she manages to completely take over the roles and make every character that she plays effectively and uniquely hers.

I think she's pretty hot too.

Amanda Bynes is not the hottest girl in Hollywood, but on screen, she appears to be everyone's weird, quirky, yet fun and pretty female friend that they had growing up. She's warm and can pull off physical humor in a way that doesn't feel forced or annoying (see early to mid-career Jim Carrey faces). While an Oscar doesn't appear to be in Bynes' immediate future with the roles that she ends up playing, her charm makes her movies and even the television show What I Like About You worth watching. \

When Bynes is on screen, through her teenage silliness, upbeat craziness in her voice and hilarious portrayed naiveté, it's impossible to look away. She possesses a magnetic quality that many try and achieve in teen movies, but end up failing miserably and turning to the teen hottie to carry the movie. A user reviewer on Amazon.com called Bynes "one of the funniest teen actresses since Patty Duke" and I wholeheartedly agree.

So Amanda Bynes, you're my first Scene Stealer!

New Batman = Cool. New Joker = Old Grandma

Taken from my Rotten Tomatoes blog: A 20-Something Guy with the Entertainment Taste of a 14 Year Old Girl

So I checked out one of the newest news items here on RT on The Dark Knight and I have mixed feelings about the photos.

The Good: Batman

Why good?: Because he is wearing the same suit as one of my favorite Batman action figures that I used to play with as a wee lad in my bathtub as he battled with Mr. Sinister, Juggernaut, Krang from TMNT, and other assorted baddies (clearly, this is subjective). Because this action figure had the coolest suit, he was always one of the stars of the inter-comic world Royal Rumble - less muscles, more armor. Of course, the picture cuts off before what I'm sure is an enormous codpiece on the costume, which makes me like the picture more. I do love the stylish belt and powder container for Batman's cosmetics on his left side as well.

The bad: Joker (AKA: Ethel, the scenile grandma)

Why bad?: Where is the happy Joker? Where is the green hair and stylish persona with the devilish grin? This new Joker looks like an old lady who forgot how to put on makeup and pushes a shopping cart around town while finding it impossible to cover up her grays (but still tries). While I'm sure the new Joker will be great, these pictures seem to represent a much different Joker than I'm used to. This version looks like one of the Insane Clown Posse's grandmas who got a gift certificate to a horrible thrift store and forgot how to use shampoo.

Split ends, yuck!

Enchanted is Certified Fresh and It Should Be

Taken from my Rotten Tomatoes blog: A 20-Something Guy with the Entertainment Taste of a 14 Year Old Girl

Twelve days and $70 million later, it looks like much of the world agrees with the 93% and RT Certified Fresh stamp given to the latest effort from The Mouse factory.

Baaaallinnnnn'

I was in line buying tickets to Enchanted on its November 21, 2007 release date at 10:45AM (who knew theaters opened that early?) in a theater filled with parents and excited pre-teen girls who already knew the whole plot of the movie from Intarweb spoilers before they even stepped foot in the theater.

Cha-ching!

In comparison, I knew that the movie mixed live action and animation, looked funny, starred a hot Amy Adams, was Disney's next great hope for a franchise (that Zac Efron can't stay in High School forever... I won't get started on Vanessa Anne Hudgens), and featured my favorite celebrity hottie Carrie Underwood ("Ever Ever After") on the soundtrack.

Animated Carrie...

Meet tanned and underexposed real-life Carrie...

Sorry, just one more.

Let me just say that it's been years since I've loved an animated movie that came out of the Disney studios. I didn't like fellow Certified Fresh fraternity member Ratatouille (97%)because I didn't feel like anything happened (and I thought the rats should sing a number or two, to which everyone says "THERE'S NO SINGING IN PIXAR MOVIES, STUPID!!!" It makes me sad when they say that). And while it was good, I really wasn't crazy about another Certified Fresh ballerific film The Incredibles (97%), though I attribute this to the fact that I saw it on an airplane and wasn't able to give it my full attention due to the narcolepsy I experience the second I snap on my awkward airplane seatbelt. The last Disney movie that I can remember really liking was Finding Nemo (98%), even though it had no singing fish.

Why the long intro? Because I think many dismiss people who enjoy Disney movies as being Disney fanboys who cannot live without sleeping with cuddled up next to our Pumbaa doll, listening to "Be Our Guest" a couple times a week, while wearing our Ariel-replica shell bikini top made out of two pieces of purple construction paper that resembles an elementary school Thanksgiving hand-turkey. I am not one of these fanboys.

Watch me be awkward and watch you love it.

However, after seeing Enchanted, I will admit that I have turned into an Enchanted fanboy. While any Disney fanboy could rattle off reason after reason why they thought the movie was "fab," I present reasons why the common man might find The Mouse's latest franchise worthwhile.

1) Amy Adams - At this point, this is a no brainer. Critics and movie watchers alike have been raving about Amy Adams' performance as Giselle, the new hottest Disney princess (dethroning Beauty and the Beast's Belle). At a time when the word "awkward..." is a favorite amongst college girls and awkward humor, situations, and silences are some of the most popular and well-received gags in television and movies today, Amy Adams personifies the idea of being lovingly awkward as Princess-to-be Giselle.

You got nothing, Belle. Get back to your books. There's a new hottie in town.

From her hilarious interactions with real life animals to her disgustingly sweet nature taking on the streets of Manhattan in a flowing princess dress, everything about Giselle is awkward and for that reason, everything about her is great. She is exactly what you would envision when you wondered, "What would happen if Cinderella/Belle/Ariel/Nala/Jasmine/Snow White ever really existed in real life?" on many a sleepless night while lying in your bed trying to figure out this mystery. Her acting is spot-on and they play with the gag just enough that it doesn't get old.

2) Eye Candy - We're done talking about Amy Adams and how I think she is hot along the same lines as Jenna Fischer from The Office (ok, tough to promise).The kind of eye candy that I'm talking about is how the musical portions of Enchanted come to life and bring all the choreographed and synchronized dancing magic of a Disney movie together in a way that is as irresistible as it is a visual feast.

Much less cheesy than this picture would indicate.

Picture all the magic of a "Be Our Guest" or a "Just Can't Wait to be King" (minus the large animals) brought to life and that is many of the scenes of Enchanted. Pair the dancing and choreography with some catchy songs and the confused expressions of those humans not participating in the Giselle-led dancing fun and you get a fantastic display of Disney showing that it really is possible to bring animation to life, instead of pseudo-life through its Pixar tag-teamed animated films. If you've ever seen Wicked, or any other musical that has some pretty big dance numbers and props, and couldn't help but smile at the spectacle of it, that's what I would compare my feelings toward many of the numbers in Enchanted.

3) Disney Poking Fun at Itself - In a way, Enchanted does its own version of B. Rabbit's final freestyle in 8 Mile by taking all the jokes and ribbing that people throw at its films and using them before anyone else can use them toward its latest effort. From the disgustingly sweet princesses to the lavish wardrobes and talking animals, Disney weaves them all into the story in a way that doesn't feel forced, nor obnoxious at any time. While you know that Disney values its franchises and wants them to remain pure (Little Mermaid boners and "SEX GRASS" from The Lion King aside), it's a lot of fun to see The Mouse making fun of itself in an upbeat way that didn't have any attitude behind it. Even if you hate Disney movies, you'll like the way that Disney addresses the idea that its movies aren't really for everyone.

4) Susan Sarandon's Refusal to Age - While this list can go on and on, this last one couldn't go without mention. The well-decorated actress plays the role of the "The Evil Stepmother" in this one and seems to have somehow gotten younger. It's weird to say it, but not only did her face look great, but her boobs looked great.

On that note, I'm out. Go see Enchanted. It's Certified Fresh and it should be.

Carrie Underwood at Movies Rock

I'm almost moved into my new place!

OMG, I can't wait to see it!

Computer is successfully set up and I should be back to normal and ready to go within a few days. For now, I'll keep you company with some of the newest Carrie Underwood goodness out there from her recent appearance at the television special Movies Rock!

Even with 1.5 eyes, still the prettiest girl at the ball.

Can't wait to be done with this move...

Blake Lewis Video Transformation - American Idol to Audio Day Dream

If you can't get enough of Seattle beatboxer and American Idol Season 6 finalist Blake Lewis while you're waiting for Audio Day Dream (A.D.D., being released on December 4, 2007), check out the video transformation that I put together on Flektor!



Enjoy!

My desktop is a floortop

Despite everyone telling me that "moving sucks," it actually hasn't been all that bad so far. I would say that I'm about 50% done after a couple days and am actually really looking forward to the less cluttered layout of my new room! I am driving boxes over and walking large furniture over, so it's definitely been a workout trying to get all this done. In the end, it'll be for the better because not only is it a cheaper place, but I'll also actually be using a desk so it'll be easier for me to type (right now, I type while sitting on the edge of my bed, which makes it really uncomfortable to do anything).

So while my computer has lost its shelf and is now sitting on the floor and my TV/monitor is now about 8 inches from my face while I type this, I'll do as much of a catch up as I can stand doing while nearly going blind looking at the screen.

1) Enchanted - A Quick Movie Review

Honestly, I thought I was done with Disney movies. I didn't like Ratatouille, nor did I really think The Incredibles was all that good (even though both got great reviews). But I saw Enchanted on its opening day and absolutely loved it. While Amy Adams (Giselle) steals the show and has been generating quite the buzz in her role as the latest (and greatest) Disney princess, I thought that Grey's Anatomy's Patrick Dempsey did a great job as well. Seeing as Dempsey is now known as "McDreamy" to a large portion of the American public, his performance was good enough that I didn't think of him that way throughout the movie and I actually watch Grey's Anatomy.

In terms of story, yes, it's a little bit predictable. If people complain that the story was really predictable, people need to remember that at the end of the day, Enchanted IS A DISNEY MOVIE. Was anyone guessing wrong about what would happen when Simba returned to Pride Rock? Did anyone think that Sleeping Beauty was just going to sleep forever? I get annoyed when people talk about that plot lines of Disney/teen movies and complain about them being predictable because these movies are much less about the outcome and more about the journey to get there. In Enchanted, the characters take a journey from the animated world to the real life world in a story about princesses, princes, evil stepmothers, poison apples, and facing reality - same story as always, but it's a lot of fun to see the two worlds collide.

No, I didn't think the movie had a lot of laugh out loud parts, but I did think that it had a lot to like. The whole movie is very upbeat and I enjoyed watching Disney poke a little bit of fun at itself and its animated movies with this one. The movie isn't filled with singing (thank the lord that it wasn't overkill), but there is one song where they have a huge cast of people dancing around in the streets of New York City the same way that you have seen people, cookware, animals, etc., dance in other animated Disney movies. Seeing one of these HUGE dance numbers come to life was really a sight to behold and I thought it was one of the highlights of the whole movie that almost made it worth the price of admission for that part alone. I would definitely recommend the movie to anyone who needs a break from the killing sprees (I also saw Hitman last week) and just wants to sit back and enjoy what will definitely be the biggest movie this holiday season.

And of course, Carrie Underwood's "Ever Ever After" (which I'll post again, because I want to see it again) is the theme to the movie.

2) Marie' Digby and Kelly Clarkson concerts

Last weekend, I saw both Marie' Digby (Troubadour) and Kelly Clarkson (Gibson Amphitheatre) in concert. If I'm being completely honest, I actually liked Marie's show a lot more than I did Kelly's.

This guy (Dave Kim) accompanies Marie' songs on the violin and I think it's pretty fly.

Marie' was performing in front of a sold out crowd at the famed Troubadour in Los Angeles after a tour around the country and it felt good to welcome her back to her home turf. She put on a great show and her set was a bit longer than normal as she was headlining a show with two opening acts. Highlights of the show were her performance of "Beauty Walking Away" and "Spell," which was recently featured on the TV show Smallville. Her vocals are so pure and songs are just so good every time. I got to catch up with Marie' a little bit after the show and can't wait to see her again soon!

Love Marie'.

Kelly Clarkson put on a good show, though she did forget the words to "Miss Independent" and "Breakaway," which was a bit of a bummer to me! I also wish that she would have performed "A Moment Like This," but something tells me that she's trying to stay far far away from American Idol while she's on tour. Here's the best moment of the show, where she performed Miss Independent with an intro from AC/DC's "Back in Black."


3) Spice Girls Taping for BBC

In one of the more random things I've done lately, I got to see the Spice Girls perform live at CBS studios for a fundraiser that was airing on the BBC. I am not exaggerating when I say that the audience was about 90% female, 8% gay male, and 2% straight male (so probably me and about 4 other guys). It was a ton of fun, even though we had to wait outside for two hours before making it in. I can't say too much about it because I'm no Spice Girls fanatic, but I will say that I did really enjoy it and that they are all the hottest moms EVER.

4) Hell's Kitchen

I went to a taping for Hell's Kitchen: Season 5 this past Saturday, which was quite the experience. The show's set was much larger than I ever expected and seeing Gordon Ramsey in real life was a big thrill! I can't say anything about it because of the NDA I signed, but it was preeeetty sweet.

I'm going to do some writing over on Rotten Potatoes, but that's what's been going on!

Blogging returns after Hell's Kitchen

I spent much of the afternoon and evening today moving boxes to my new place, so I'm giving myself a break and I'm off to a taping for Hell's Kitchen Season 5 bright and early tomorrow morning.

Blogging will return after I return from what I hope to be a successful dinner service with Gordon Ramsey and the new cast.

For now, check out my latest post on who I believe to be the two hottest hotties on television today over at the on-topic sister blog Rotten Potatoes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
I'll be down in San Diego for the day today.

Unfortunately, real life threw me a bit of a curveball and we're being forced out of our current apartment so I've been dealing with finding a new apartment (success) and starting to get everything packed up. Because I am bitter, if anyone stumbles on here by doing a search on Lido Equities Management, know that they raised our rent by 22% spontaneously after we've been paying rent on time in this apartment for years. I understand that they want to make more money, but man, that's cold-blooded. Anyways!

Lots of fun stuff to blog about when I get back from SD. I went to a Spice Girls taping for the BBC (yes, it was fab), Marie' Digby concert, and Kelly Clarkson concert last weekend, which was all kinds of exciting. Apparently, Blogger can take video uploads now, so I tried to use it here, but it just took too long and the upload failed. What's weird is Google owns Blogger and Google owns YouTube, but Blogger just took 20 minutes of my life trying and failing to do what I just successfully did on YouTube over the course of two minutes.

Dark room + zoom = poop video.

On Wednesday, I caught the 10:45 AM showing of Enchanted, which made me believe that Giselle is now the "new Belle" (aka: Hottest animated character ever... people always give me weird looks when I say that).


I picked up Jordin Sparks' debut album, which I wrote about on Americanidol.com. In a pleasant surprise, the album is pretty good! I don't think that there's necessarily any songs that I'm going to listen to over and over, but the whole CD is pretty decent overall. Somehow, "This Is My Now" has also grown on me as well in the studio version. One way or another, the CD will be accompanying me via iPod on my way down to SD.

Again, happy Thanksgiving!