"It is the day of the show, y'all"

To quote one of my favorite films, Waiting for Guffman, tonight marks the opening of her majesty's ship, the HMS Pinafore. It seems weird that after 2 months of rehearsing it's finally time to perform. And wouldn't you know it, I am fighting with my vocal chords this morning. They're angry at me for singing so much and not resting enough. So I'll be speaking as little as possible today (fat chance since I'm on the phones all day) and drinking as much hot tea as I can stomach.

The Tubb has been drained

Holy Mother of Basketball! The unthinkable has happened- Tubby Smith is leaving the University of Kentucky. The story hit the press only held about an hour ago, so details are still sketcky, but it appears that Tubby left on his own volition (if for none other reason than if he didn't resign, he might have been canned). He announced that he is taking the head coaching position at the University of Minnesota. Go Gophers, Go.

I have mixed feelings- I was brought up in the Tubby era. Most of Kentucky's glory days in basketball I wasn't around to see, or too young to remember. Tubby Smith basketball is practically all I know! But I also know that our program has dwindled from the premiere basketball program in the country to a mediocre program lacking in good recruits, and failing to win championships year after year. I wish Tubby well in his new venture.

Here's all I can find on the topic right now: cbs.sportsline.com , foxsports, and a good one from espn

Yes, Virginia, there is a Tennessee

Ahh, March madness. Seriously, one of my favorite times of the year. I layed in bed reading a book on Saturday afternoon (the Kiterunner- fabulous) while watching ncaa basketball on tv and thought I'd died and gone to heaven!

I know it has to do with how I've grown up, but basketball in my house has been in the forefront since as long as I can remember. Laura and I used to swap every year siding with mom or dad when Kentucky & Indiana would play, and we have each filled out tournament brackets and hung them in the kitchen for years and years now. Dad picks Kentucky to win the thing every year. Laura and I would fight over who got to highlight the winners. I know I'm the oddball girl who actually gives a rip about sports, but I can't help but wonder what's wrong with all these men who know nothing about them! Isn't this supposed to be right up their masculine alley- The competition and tradition, and loyalty to one's team? Yet I know so many men who barely know what a basketball is, let alone care enough to fill out a bracket, or center their weekend around watching a game.

I'm currently in first place among the pool at work, but my sister is in First Place among every MTSU student who has filled out a ncaa tourney bracket on facebook. First among thousands! I bow down to her in amazement.

The title of my blog I stole from my witty father, in response to the outcome of yesterday's UVA-UT matchup. 3 out of the 4 SEC teams who made it into the tournament this year are going to the Sweet 16. Guess which team didn't make it. Yep. My beloved Wildcats ended their season with a hard-fought loss to Kansas. I wasn't shocked at this, and await the start of next season with a new coach perhaps? We'll see.

Ides say: Beware!

Beware the ides of March.

That's today. I don't know why I have always carried that quote from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar with me, but every year, on March 15th, I remember that it's the Ides of March. We studied Julius Caesar in my sophomore English class, and I always remember that line is spoken by the Soothsayer (this is for you Tadd: Sooth. I say it. I say sooth. I'm a soothsayer.) also known as a fortune teller or prophet. And he tells Caesar to watch out on March 15th, because something bad is about to happen. For example, he winds up being betrayed and murdered. I'd say our boy Julius should have listened more in English class and paid attention when March 15th rolled around. Otherwise the story might have turned out much differently.

Out of curiously ('cause I'm curious like a cat- "that's why my friends call me Whiskers")- I checked wikipedia for further info on the history if this forboding day.

A day in the Roman calendar, that marked the approximate middle of the month, i.e., the fifteenth day in the months of March, May, July, and October, and the thirteenth day in the other eight months. The word ides comes from Latin, meaning "half division" (of a month).

So now you know. Beware.

beating the system

the third blog in a triology of car blogs:

This is a little something I call beating the system. The registration for Thomas expired in March of 2006. I never got around to renewing it. So for a year now I have been driving illegally, laying low and playing it cool whenever a cop was spotted, but more amused than anything else that I never did get pulled over for it, and saved a chunk of money this year.

Now that Thomas has died and I have my new car, I have to get new tags. One would think I might just transfer the old car registration to this new one, but conveniently enough, Thomas was never technically in my name. So as far as any registration person knows, I have never owned a car nor been respoinsible for purchasing vehicle registration. I think I am off scott free and can buy my new registration, skipping the fees for 2007 completely.

This is what I proudly call beating the system.

2 cars in 2 days

When last we left our heroine, she was losing sleep over the fact that she technically owned 2 cars. Enter Tuesday morning, when Amanda drives to work in her first new car, awaiting the afternoon when she can drop it off and pick up her second new car!

I am a little more focused at work today, although there is one tiny thing she is worried about- her expired registration. Part of the money that was taken off the price of the new G6 is hingent upon them getting a copy of my old registration. What if they don't accept it because it's from 2006? But I can't worry about that right now.

First things first- calling the girl at Driver's Way who sold me the white car. Yes, it was cool that I purchased my car from a girl, but I could hear her deflate over the phone when I called her that day. Hey, it's Amanda Bradley, I said to her. Heyy, how are you? Good I said, but I don't have good news for you. I explained to her that it was a great car, but just not the car from me, and that I had bought something else already. I felt awful for having to do that, but there was nothing to be done at this point. All I could do was cross my fingers that returning this vehicle and aquiring the other would go smoothly, and that I wouldn't somehow be without any car again!

That afternoon I cleaned everything out of the white car, and brought in all the paperwork into Driver's Way. Conveniently, the girl was at lunch, so another guy who had obviously been prepped on the situation handled all the paperwork for me. I sat and waited nervously inside while he made sure everything checked out. It did. Now all I had to do was drive to the other dealership and get my new car! Since all the paperwork had been done the afternoon before, I was given the keys immediately, and I knew I had made the right decision as a smile spread across my face and I showed off "my" new car to my mom who had driven me over. Trey showed me all the nifty features on my car and helped me get everything settled before I drove off in my real, new car, the one that I was certain I loved and couldn't wait to show off.

I still haven't taken any pictures yet, but will try and get that taken care of soon. Now it's time to play name that car. Thomas was such an original, and I feel pangs of guilt when I drive by my club house and see him sitting there, knowing he will never be driven again!

R.I.P Thomas (b. Nov 2, 1996- d. March 10, 2007)

Saturday I went car hunting with my good friend and car-fanatic, Andrew. I test drove several cars and he helped me narrow down my search, made sure I was asking the right questions and offered helpful advice. As a former car salesmen himself, he knew the general manager at the Pontiac dealership in Franklin, so he made a quick call, and the manager himself walked me out to the lot once we got there along with a really great salesman named Trey.

I leave overwhelmed, I drive several more cars, I get a splitting head ache and we stop so I can get some ibuprofen. I almost walk into a liquor store instead of the gas station store that was next door. Oopsy. Minutes later as I'm driving one of the cars, the most beautiful rainbow appears. God is definitely giving me a sign! Andrew and I drive back to my apartment, and I am just as confused as ever and still have a headache.

On Edmondson pike, right before we get to my street, Thomas starts to violently shake, the lights are flashing on the dashboard, and I don't know what is going on. I don't know if the car is abut the explode and we need to jump ship or What. Andrew assures me it's going to be okay, and to keep driving. I manage to steer the car almost up the apartment complex gate, but the car dies. Andrew begins to push the car barefoot (flip flops don't provide much traction) and a random guy hops out of his car and helps Andrew push. Mr. Stranger, wherever you are, thank you very much! He runs off once I get Thomas steered into a parking spot in front of the clubhouse. A guy who's in my Sunday school class happens to be dropping off a friend who lives in my same complex, and so he comes back and looks at my car with Andrew. I recognized him, and he introduced himself as Nick. Nick and Andrew determine the cause of the death of my vehicle, and perform a basic car autopsy. I threw a rod in my engine. Apparently that's really bad. They use a flashlight and show me shards of shiny metal inside my engine, which apparently you aren;t supposed to be able to see. I am slightly freaking out, but holding it together as i call my dad since I have 2 guys there with me, so I'm trying not to cry!

Pause here in between laughing at the irony that yes, I had been out looking at new cars minutes before my old car died, and recalling the conversation between my dad and me earlier that day when he asks me if I have Thomas all cleaned out, and I emphatically tell him that I'm not going out to buy a car that day, but only to look and get a better idea of what I want, and finally realizing the horrible prophesy that has come true when I joked with friends that I am needing to get a new car before my old one does on me and I'm forced to buy a car out of necessity. Yes, all these are terribly ironic. I swear, I don't make this stuff up.

Nick gives Andrew and I a ride up the hill to my place, and dad meets us at the apartment to start going over our options. I go home with dad and consume several glasses of red wine (for health reasons of course) and start to crunch numbers and figure out exactly what I can afford (thank you Lisa Thompson for that financial worksheet you set up for me months ago!!).

Sunday dad and i go look at a few cars after church. After being pressured by Driver's Way to get the 2006 Pontiac G6 I looked at earlier that day, I go back to their lot and sign the papers to purchase the car. It's one that I liked, but not necessarily the ideal car for me, nor the ideal situation and timing, but I try to convince myself it's a good deal, and a car I can be happy with.

Not so much.

I cry on my way home in my new car. I think the pressure of the past 2 days had finally caught up with me. But I wasn't happy at all with my decision. I felt physically ill, and that carried over to work Monday morning. I left at 11am to go home and work on insurance quotes (another nightmare in itself) and tried to decide if I'm having anxiety over my car dying without being able to give him aproper burial, if it's the new car I'm not satisied with, or if it's just that it's my first big-girl purchase and a lot to handle all at once. I joked with my dad on Sunday that I felt like the Slowsky's because "I felt- rushed."
After making several calls to car dealerships, my dad, and insurance people, I head back down to the Pontiac dealer in Franklin and wheel and deal my way into the car that I've decided I really want. A Kentucky-blue 2007 Pontiac G6. That was an experience I've never been in before, negotiating my way into the car I wanted, but at one point Trey was trying to get me to agree to paying $1.95 more per month.

He said, "come on, it's a dollar more a month."
"No it's not I said," proud of my mad math skills, "it's 2 dollars more a month, and 24 more dollars a year."

He left me for a minute to think about it. Somehow my mind wandered to this summer at the Wilson County Fair when I got mad at the vendors for not selling me 2 fried oreos instead of the prescribed 5 cookie serving size. I tried to make a deal with them and they wouldn't go for it.
"You can make $3 or you can make nothing,"
I told the girl- and I meant it- and as a result I walked away from those Oreos that I really wanted. Surely, I thought to myself on Monday afternoon, that if I can bargain on oreos and walk away when I don't get the deal that I want than I can surely walk away from something as major as a car payment I'm not comfortable with! It's the principle of the thing! So I was firm, and I ended up getting what I wanted!

So as of Monday night, I am now the proud owner of TWO new cars!!! 2 pontiac G6s- one Blue, one white!

as Lil' Jon says, ATL... don't disrespect it

Spring is here!!! Over the weekend I looked out the car window, amazed at all the bundles of daphodils blooming in people's yards, and yesterday upon leaving work, I noticed for the first time this year that the trees lining Cool Springs Blvd. have pink buds all over them. Today the high in Fabulous Nashvegas is a pleasant 70 degrees, so in honor of the warm weather, I busted out my new dress. A coworker was complimenting me on the garment this morning and asked where I got it.
The A-T-L.
I replied without missing a beat. She gave me a quizzical look.
Not Atlanta, I added, Anne Taylor Loft... that's how I roll.
I responded as several people nearby laughed. I am quite pleased with the retro-looking dress, and am looking forward to eating my lunch outdoors today!

Fifty Nifty

l

Today is the NEA's (National Education Association) Read Across America Day. It's the 10th anniversary of this, and also happens to be the 50th birthday of Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat.

To celebrate this, the NEA is sponsoring Project 236. Did you know that Dr. Seuss used only 236 different words to write The Cat in the Hat? To recognize the 50th birthday of The Cat in the Hat, students, educators, and families nationwide will all read the groundbreaking book at 2:36 p.m. ET.

(Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, where Momma B works, is one of the many schools participating in this cool event!)

From the official website:

"In the mid 1950s, many Americans were asking themselves: Why can’t Johnny read? In a Life magazine article, Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey maintained that American children couldn’t read because their classroom primers were boring and “antiseptic” and could not compete with cartoons, comics, and other more fun and interesting stimuli, so he challenged Theodor Geisel, a.k.a Dr. Seuss, to write a story “first graders wouldn’t be able to put down.” And that’s just what Dr. Seuss did, using a vocabulary of only 236 words. In 1957, Random House published The Cat in the Hat and those 236 words revolutionized the way children learn to read."

3/2/2007 a Cat in the Hat Birthday Party
Ravenwood High School Media Center1724 Wilson Pike Brentwood, TN 37027
Cake, read-aloud, activities, prizes, Cat in the Hat movie screening, contest to raise money for literacy. Event is not open to the public

To raise money for this event at Ravenwood, I believe Mom said the kids were putting in money in jars with different teachers' names on them, and the teacher with the most money in his or her jar has to dress up like the Cat in the Hat!

Getting out of my comfort zone

I have no shame. I am here for your entertainment, and so I don’t mind telling this on myself. In the middle of my spin class this morning I came to a horrible realization. I was pretty certain I had forgotten to pack a very important female undergarment. I was 99.9% sure that I didn’t remember throwing said female undergarment into my gym bag last night when I was packing. After class I get into the locker room, and sure enough, I hadn’t packed one. Well crap. Okay. Not to panic. I am not exactly a DD, so maybe with the 2 shirts and cropped sweater jacket over it I could get away with being-oh what the heck- braless- today. I called my sister on the way to work and she laughed at me and quipped, you’re pulling a “Sue Ellen Mishke.” I didn’t know what she was talking about, so she had to explain it to me, but all you Seinfeld fans out there will get a kick out of that.

I went to work, but I spent the entire morning being self-conscious of how cold I was, and sat in our morning meeting hunched down under the table as much as I could be, keeping my arms crossed. By 10:30 I couldn’t take it anymore, so I clocked out and went to the mall to make an emergency purchase. I headed straight to Vickie’s because I had a coupon for $10 off their new bra style, and you also got a free panty (that word in singular form always makes me cringe) regardless of whether you bought anything or not. So I figured I’d kill 2 birds with one stone.
I shared my dilemma with a sympathetic salesperson, and she sent me in the right direction. Several minutes later, after I had decided on a bra I liked (Not the new kind, by the way) I pushed the call button, and asked the saleslady who came over if she could take the gray sensor off the garment and hand me the sales tag so I could wear my new purchase out of the dressing room, but of course, take the tag up to the counter to pay for it.

I’m sorry. You can’t do that, the voice on the other side of the door said to me.
You’ll have to come out and pay for it and then change.
Here’s where I lost my temper a little.
Look, I said flustered. I forgot my bra today, I’m already in here, and if I have to go out there and pay for it and come back in here again, then I don’t want it. I’m trying to get back to work!
Well, she said, I’ll have to go see if I can do that.
I heard her asking another salesperson, and finally the salesperson handed me the bra over the door, sans gray-theft-sensor.
Thank you, I replied.

Minutes later when I opened the door, ready to book it up to the cash register, the saleslady who met me at the door was a girl I happen to know! I was embarrassed that I had gotten so huffy with her as she handed me the sales tag for my purchase, and so I apologetically explained my predicament to her. I’m not sure if that helped or not, because I then had to explain to the ladies at the counter all over again the situation when I handed her a tag to scan and no bra attached to it. Come on, I can’t be the only person who has gone to the gym and forgotten an undergarment! They made me feel like an idiot, so needless to say, it’s been a very, ahem, uncomfortable, day so far! Why do these crazy things always happen to me??!!

Oscar Recap part deux

Okay... so yesterday I spent the bulk of the day breaking down the fashion. Now it's time to get down to the real deal- the actual awards themselves! I truly look forward to the Oscars every year, so it was fun having a big group of people with whom to watch the show. Ellen hosted, and while I think we all miss the Billy Crystal days where he would make up songs for each of the best picture nominees, Ellen did a fine job. She wasn't too crass or controversial, which I suppose could be why everyone is giving her mediocre reviews, but she was funny and energetic-- and boy did we need the energy once it got later! Why the heck they drag this thing out into a 4-hour-long event is beyond me. We were fighting to stay awake by the end of it, and it's like, once you start watching it, you can't not watch the end, because that's when all the biggies are handed out. I certainly did not sit through Best Foreign Documentary and Best Sound Editing only to miss Best Director and Best Picture!

Of course the funniest moment of the evening was the song about the plight of the comedian at the Oscars. Why doesn't Will Ferrell get to host? I think he would do a great job. Maybe if his career holds steady he will get to at some point. I think he is witty
enough to make humorous commentary on the actors and actresses without having to revert to a joke as lame as, Jack Nicholson will be backstage with his razor.
(yawn)

So again, let's go back to this being a 4 hour network event, more if you watched any of the red carpet pre-show. There were several, and by several, I mean way too many, honorary awards given out at this year's Oscar's. I am all for honoring people in the industry who have done their part to advance in their field. But the general public could not care less about these awards. Honor the composer who was nominated 5

times but never won an Oscar at a banquet when you announce the nominees every year. If he's so wonderful, why did you never give him an Oscar? And I love Celine (she is "the best singer in the world!") and she looked amazing, but that performance was random and time-consuming.
Limit the honorary awards to one or two max per year.

Also limit the random video montages. The first few were great, then we bored quickly and were ready to move on to the next award. Come on, who won for Best Editing?? I NEED to know now!

Ironically enough, the times we were most
quiet were during the commercial breaks! We decided they were hands-down better than the Superbowl commercials. One they showed a few times was one with clips of all these people answering their phones taken from famous movies for the new Apple iphone, and for whatever reason, we were all transfixed by the oddly-intriguing J.C. Penney commercials. Then the Academy Awards came back on and we resumed our chattering.

A few of the Extras that we did enjoy were the acrobatic dancers who formed the Oscar statue, the bus from Little Miss Sunshine, and my favorite, Snakes on a Plane! The sound effects choir was also pretty incredible. I'm assuming they're the same ones who do all the sound effects for the car commercial video that has been fwd to me a billion times over email.

For the actual awards handed out that evening (the whole point of the night, even though that's the last thing I'm getting to writing about!):

Best Supporting Actor- Alan Arkin for LMS- this was a shocker since there was so much hype for Eddie Murphy to win. I picked Mark Walhburg on my guesses, so that was one strike for me.

Best Supporting Actress- Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls- the Academy and I both had her pegged to win.

Best Song- went to Melissa Etheridge for her song "I need to wake up" from An Inconvenient Truth. All 3 Dreamgirls songs were shut out. I don't agree with this one at all.

Best Actor- Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland- Again, I lose- I had picked Leo. Has anyone seen this movie? I still know nothing about it- although I did just pick up on the irony of best actor and actress going to a "king" and "queen." Conspiracy for symmetry, perhaps?

Best Actress- Helen Mirren in The Queen. I bought into the hype and picked her even though I still haven't seen this film.

Best Director- The Departed- Martin Scorsese. This was Martie's first win and I was pleased as punch that he finally got his Oscar. The man's been making movies for forever, and obviously deserved to be awarded for this film.

Best Picture- The Departed. I balked and picked Babel, but I'm glad the Departed won- it was my favorite movie that I saw last year. I'm also delighted the Academy agrees with yours truly.

This has been your officially overdue commentary on the now 3-days-old Oscars. Deal with it.

79th Academy Awards Fashion Recap

My roommates and I hosted an impromptu Oscar party last night. Thinking the awards ceremony began at 7 and the pre-show started at 6, I crawled out of bed at 10 till 7 to a living room full of friends. (Yep, After watching Kentucky lose to Vanderbilt for the 5th time in a row- I can't even talk about it- at Jonathan's with Lana, I needed a nap before the Oscars. Yes, That sex-with-an-alligator will get you every time!) Rhonda, Joe, Amy, Sarah, Lana, Brad, and new friends from church Kevin & Jeff all made an appearance, as well as me, Nat, and Em playing the hostesses with the mostestess. The guys got a kick out of our constant commentary as the celebrities popped up on the screen. Some critical, some complimentary, but we all know that next to the actual films being awarded, the fashion is the next important thing. I am uninspired at work today and will therefore devote as much time as I can to an accurate recap of the Oscars last night- the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Best Dressed


We all agreed that Nashville native Reece Witherspoon looked amazingly fresh in her flowingmidnight blue strapless gown, and shiny straight hair. Of course, she wasn't going to top her ballgown from last year, but as a presenter this year, she looked classy to the max.






Penelope Cruz nailed it with this apricot confection by Atelier Versace

Kate Winslet played up her porcelain skin with this mint green gown. She looked elegant and well-put-together. For a curvaceous woman, she always dresses herself well.



Some have chided Naomi Watts for this pale yellow number, but I'm a fan. It's not an expected color, and I think she comes off looking cutting edge and the opposite of red carpet cookie-cutter.


This devilish Prada girl made an impact on me in a gorgeous form fitting royal blue gown. It made her noticeable without stealing the spotlight, and made her stand out among the crowds in her first big Oscar appearance. Will we be seeing more of Miss Emily Blunt? We might is she keeps dressing like that!

Finally, the always-sheik and glamorous Cate Blanchett looked classy and
elegant. Again, there are naysayers out there who have criticized her choice (I've tried to stay away from reading media opinions until I can finish this blog) but I think the dress shows off her figure and commendable posture extremely well. It's eye-catching and sparkly without being flashy, and what color do you call that? No one can say for sure, so it becomes a topic of conversation! Smart lady.

Type Casting

Helen Mirren lived up to all the hype- not only did she win accolades for her performance in the Queen, but she looked like royalty in her glittering gown. I haven't seen the movie yet, but every interview I've seen of her, she comes off very gracious, and seems very honored to have been chosen to portray the Queen mum.



George Miller appears to be channelling a real-life version of the characters for his award-winning animated film, Happy Feet

Fashion Faux Pas

Ok Gweneth. It looks like somebody said, what the ugliest color we can put on Gwen? Puke-salmon? Gwen: "oh okay, this is definitely the best Oscar dress out there- I'll take it." Even if it were in another color I'm not sure it would be redeemable. The side-swept hair that she and Nicole were both sporting is a desperate attempt to me to be "different" and fails miserably. Don't tell me that's a style that laypeople will be copying in the fall. I can assure you, it's not. We love you Gwen, but this frock has flunked.




Anne Hathaway- what were you thinking? This dress was not the White choice for you. You were in film centering around fashion, were you not?



And Cameron, we know your recent break-up with JT could not have been easy, but we beg of you, come back from Futurama, Judy Jetson, come back to reality, the one where you're a beautiful woman, deserving to look pretty.

"Listen" Jennifer: "Love you I do" but tonight is your "One Night Only" and you sure were not our "Dreamgirl" in this gold lame' jacket. We had "Patience" and you did take off the offensive jacket once inside, and we are even more glad you declared that "I am changing" into the red slinky number you donned for the big Dreamgirls song and dance number. Aside from bosoms hanging out, this dress was more up your Diva alley. Now "It's all over" and you have an Academy Award out of the deal. We're so proud of you. All's well that ends well. The Dreams all looked heavenly in their red ensembles.

Again, Kirsten's stylist must have taken her cue from Gwen's gal, because it appears that they decided to go with the most blase' of hues for the most critical of fashion events. Kirsten's always been a quirky actress, and this dress fits that persona for sure. Either that, or maybe she's becoming friends with Bjork. Look out for the full swan get-up for next year's Oscars.

Meryl, Meryl, Meryl. You're not exactly the new kid on the block. You're no stranger to Hollywood, and in fact you were even nominated for the best actress award tonight. Granted, you and I both knew that there was no chance in Hades that you would win, but come on, at least don something a little more dressy so that we don't assume you think you're headed to your kid's parent-teacher conference!





I suppose negative press is still good press, because it gets people talking about you, but I'd like to know who the risk-taker was when they decided that this sackcloth would make a positive statement on the red-carpet. No one knows much about this smoky eyed seductress (I'm too lazy to even look her name up on imdb, but I know she played Sibella in last year's Kingdom of Heaven) but she sure isn't going to gain name-recognition in a frumpy beige dress (if it can even be called that) like this one.


The Jury's Still Out

There are things I like and things I don't about Nicole's fire-engine red dress. The color is attention-grabbing, but the color combined with china doll skin and make-up is perhaps a bit too harsh. The hair, I've already made reference to, but I was annoyed by it. And finally, what's up with the bow? I suppose it dresses up and otherwise-ordinary red dress, but from fashion royalty like her, I expected more.


I can't decide about this gown. The guys agreed that the horizontally-lined neckline is not flattering to her figure. And to me this dress is copying a previous red carpet event that did a much better job of channelling the Grecian Goddess. This one has the sparkles but isn't different enough from that other gown, and definitely doesn't top the other in style and grace. It's blah, just like J-Lo has been lately.

While it's true, the girl can sing (I'd pit her up against Mary J. Blige any day) I think maybe her mom is still making her outfits? It's borderline to me. I keep going back and forth to thinking it's hideous and then admiring her originality. I'm open to be swayed one way or the other.

The Ties Have it

Leo has sure grown up, and boy, does he clean up well! Here he is posing on the red carpet with fellow Blood Diamond cast mate Djimon Hounsou, who also looked quite handsome.

One of Britain's It-Boys, Clive Owen makes a statement in his head-to-toe black .

Here's two of my favorite Latino cutie-patooties Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna smiling for the camera.

Finally, the Dreamgirls newcomer doll baby, Keith Robinson looks debonair in his black tux and silver tie.

I'm a big fan of all the men paring the ties with their tuxes. That said, Mark Walhburg sure can make a bow tie look hot!

WHEW!!! This has taken me all day to do... working with so many pictures is not an easy feat! I plan on getting around to part 2 where we talk about the actual awards show (can we say, Longest show EVER??!!) and the films that were honored, but for now, the fashion review is all you get. Discuss.

Cliche a Day: Feb 23rd

(it was) close but no cigar
nearly successfull, but not quite

"Carnival games of skill, particularly shooting games, once gave out cigars as a prize. A contestant who did not quite hit the target was close, but did not get a cigar."

Things that make you go hmm! Actually, my immediate thought was Carnies. Small hands. Smell like cabbage. There's always a movie quote lurking around the corner!

Also, following up on the latest Pac-man situation, Gerry House was talking about the situation on the radio this morning, and his co-host Mike reported that a Channel 4 news online poll revealed that 90% of the responders said that the Titans should send Jones packing. To which Gerry quipped, so it becomes a verb... "Pack, Man!" That Gerry is so witty!

I liked you better as a Pizza Hut video game.

Does anyone remember the Book It Club? In elementary school you would read a certain number of books in a month, and if you met your goal, you got a star on your bookIt button, and a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Besides my own personal pan cheese pizza (it's a long running joke in my family that like Joey, Amanda doesn't share food) the other great part about going to Pizza Hut was getting to play Ms. Pac-Man. I loved that game, and Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Sue (guess which foe was my favorite??), and wasted who knows how many quarters on that game while we waited for our pizzas.

These days, there's a different Pac-Man on the block. And just like the video game version, he's constantly getting himself stuck into corners with the bad guys coming after him, or caught unawares and just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The latest in a string of unfortunate events for everyone''s favorite Titan:

Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones witnessed, but wasn't involved in a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club that injured three, his lawyer said. This is after he allegedly spit on a woman in a nightclub here in Nashville, and after he was caught riding ATVS on George Jones' property. After Jones was supposedly laying low, and quoted saying that he wouldn't be going out, and if he did he would go to a jazz club or a place where older folk were hanging out. Apparently Vegas strip clubs are where the old fogies and jazz musicians are frequenting out these days.

Come on, Pacman, focus! Go after the bad guys (ie, the opposing team members), eat the pieces of fruit and score points when you can and take your game to the next level. Stop getting caught in a corner and blowing your chances in the NFL. One quarter only allows you 3 lives you know.

does it get any better?

I have a free night tonight, and I cooked a delicious dinner of chicken quesadillas (minus my infamous secret ingredient of dish detergent) with black beans, I've got a load of laundry going, I'm and watching Invincible with my roomies... men in mud playing football... Mark Wahlburg's muscles bulging under his t-shirt.... yummy! Sorry, but the man candy in this movie is just insanely appetizing! Ok, so picture this: Nat and I are poised on our respective couch and loveseat, both of us with our laptops, and checking our email and littering each other's myspace pages with comments. Emily walked in after the movie had started and laughed at us. My favorite myspace comment from Nat:

Seriously, a marriage proposal ecard, how lazy can you get? That's almost as lazy as sitting on the couch, checking email and myspacing people while watching a movie. Who does that?

She discovered tonight while browsing the free e-cards on American Greeting that they make e-card proposals. A woman who says yes to an e-card proposal has a life full of underwhelming expectations ahead of her, poor girl. That's even worse than Berger braking up with Carrie on a Post-it-note. Which Mia Sorvino invented by the way, Emily.

Brains Borders also was the only one of us to get the double meaning of the movie title InVINCEable, named after the protagonist and real-life Philly hero, Vince Papale. After pondering her insight I agreed, yes, I suppose they couldn't call the movie InPapaleable. (Yeah, you knew I would go there.)

Let's hope that I can wrap up the evening with a UK win... it's the second half and it's still only a 2-point game. Is it football season yet???? Drain the Tubb! Please!

Post Script- Kentucky beat LSU tonight. That's right. Don't faint, UK has Won a ballgame.

weekend tid-bits

A nice low-key weekend has come and gone. (Today was still part of my weekend- call it a mental health day if you will). A few thoughts on the 3-day weekend:

The performances with the Nashville Symphony for the Philip Glass piece are over and done. I never thought I would say this, but I actually ended up liking the music a lot, and am sad because all that hard work and months of preparation, and I am 95% sure that i will never sing that obscure work ever again. Most of the choir never warmed up to the piece so I'm sure there were a lot of happy people once the final note had been played on Saturday. I am a self-proclaimed music geek though, so I was giddy at the fact that the composer was there, a man whom I first studied in Dr. Pen's music history class in college, a man whose music I hated, then grew to appreciate through film scores such as the Truman Show, the Hours, and then this choral work he composed for the Nashville Symphony. I even went to the lecture Philip Glass gave Saturday night and he talked about the process for composing a film score, an opera, and finally the Passion of the Ramakrishna, which was the new piece of his we were performing that night. To have a living legend of a modern American composer sitting in my midst I was, in a word, Starstruck.

Riddle me this: Nashville goes multiple days in a row where it doesn't get above the freezing temperature mark, yet when it decides to snow the better part of Saturday, it's all of sudden to warm for any of the snow to stick- what gives??!!

Vanderbilt beat Florida, and Joakim Noah got into a near-fist-fight with Vandy coach Kevin Stallings on the sideline-- I laughed my tail off! Especially humorous was when you could hear the Vandy crowd chanting "Noah Sucks" at the end of the game!

Then I sighed in frustration as my Wildcats lost their 3rd SEC game in a row to Alabama. We're not ranked anymore, and we're 3rd in the SEC east behind Florida and Vanderbilt. "Is it football season yet??"

My best-friend-Heather-from-home was in town this weekend. She, her sister Angie, and I hung out, watching the Departed (my second time to see it- man, I LOVE that movie!), we killed time in Sephora and I played with the makeup but did not purchase a single thing (major breakthrough!). Also, it is important to note that both of the new products I blogged about not too long ago on here were both front and center on the first tabel when you enter the store, I felt quite pleased that Sephora took my advice and featured these 2 items. :o)

Our blonde trio also went to see Music & Lyrics. I loved it. Angie hated it. Heather fell somewhere in between. To me, the opening sequence of the entire 80's-esque video of Hugh Grant's has-been 80's band POP was worth seeing the entire movie. The songs are catchy, I laughed a lot, and I left the movie theater after seeing a romantic comedy all warm and fuzzy and not depressed. Is it going to win an Oscar? Don't count on it, but if you are female, wanting to enjoy some feel-good, mindless entertainment, then this movie is for you. Except for Ari, who can't stand Drew Barrymore. It's unfortunate, since the movie revolves around music and songwriting, but you will hate this film if you can't put up with the leading lady. Sorry.

I am giddy because tonight was the first weeknight I've had in 3 weeks with nowhere to be. Tomorrow night promises more of the same, Hallelujah!

2 months and counting!!!

Today is February 15th- that means 2 months from today is tax day, April 15th (yes folks, she can count AND walk & chew gum at the same time!). I always put my taxes off till the last minute, but not this year. (It would be so much more impressive to say that I've already gotten mine done, but I haven't.) I am however vowing to not put them off till the last minute. I used Turbo tax last year and it was something like $9.95 for the basic plan and did take a while to go through, but I felt that it was more thorough than the Telefile I had done in previous years. My only other complaint with Turbo Tax is that you do still have to print off a document and mail it in to the IRS to complete the process, so it's not entirely simple as point and click and fill in the blanks.

Are there any accountants out there who'd like to enlighten us with some tricks of the trade, or any of you mathematically-inclined/detail-oriented gurus who have some helpful hints from Heloise on the joys of filing your income tax returns? I dread the process because it takes so long, but it's just one of those things you've gotta do as an American citizen, kind of like putting up with Everybody Loves Raymond syndicated reruns (does anyone out there actually love Raymond anyways??) or watching the Chicago Cubs blow their chances at the World Series at the end of every season.

ok, so maybe Cupid doesn't suck so much after all

I know I was channeling the "bitter, party of one" vibe last night when I composed my anti-Valentine's Day blog. The day devoted to love is about halfway over and I am a big enough person to admit that it hasn't totally sucked. In fact, it's been a really good day. And while I still maintain that Valentine's Day to me would be more fun if I were in a relationship, I appreciate and value all the citizens out there who are embracing the day regardless if they're in a relationship or not. I especially think it's great for those single gals who declare their independence for the day and affirm that they are indeed single AND fabulous (see Emo & MAB's take on Valentine's Day for a more positive outlook!), but I represent the other half.

I am with the half who wants it to be okay to express a negative thought without everyone jumping down my throat, telling me I'm wrong for feeling lonely on Valentine's Day, and giving me some alternate/temporary solution to make me feel better. I appreciate more the person who can put their proverbial arm around me and say, "it's not wrong to feel this way, and it's gonna be okay-" because I know that it is. I know God's love is all that I need, and I know He loves me more than any Man ever can, but while I'm on this temporal Earth, God has given me the social desire to be paired up with a member of the opposite sex.

That said, here's my cheery, optomistic 14 things that make Valentine's Day great in the world of this DIVA!

1. snow flurries on the way to work! Like I always say, if it's going to be this dadgum cold, at least give me some white precipitation!

2. Valentine's e-cards from friends & family

3. the BBC Single Focus brunch that the guys of our Sunday school class put on for the girls this past weekend

4. an Excuse to wear pink (as if I ever need one!)

5. the anonymous person who for the past 2 years has left a single red rose on the desk of every female employee the morning of Valentine's day

6. a Chic-Fil-A chicken biscuit from my teamleader Jody. I used to eat these all the time, but since the new diet and workout plan took effect I've avoided them since August so this was a well-deserved treat!

7. Lindt chocolate truffle squares- foodgasmic- run to the store and buy these if you've never tried them!

8. I talked to a customer today whose named was Rick Crick. I kid you not. It made me smile!

9. An email from my sister Laura who offered that I could touch her weiner. Let me clarify. She has a miniature dachsund named Julius, aka, a weiner dog. It's a long-running joke that Laura loves weiners (both hotdogs & the canines)

10. a dress rehearsal tonight for some of the most difficult music I have ever sung, and now that performance time is almost here, the progress we've made as a choir has been very rewarding.

11. piggybacking on that, I get to sing tonight with the Nashville symphony in the new Symphony hall- always a treat.

12. dinner tonight after work with "my Valentine," Tadd at "our place"

13. the 3rd annual Chocolatepalooza party at our apartment, to which I will be late in arriving- save some chocolate fondue for me, girls!

14. my fabulous group of friends and family who encourage me, and remind me that God has everything in control even when I don't believe it for myself.

Curse you, Cupid!

All of my best Valentine's Days have been spent with my fabulous single girl friends. The flip side of that of course is that I have very few experiences of being in an actual relationship on Valentine's Day.

Let's start from the beginning: Daniel Weathervane made me a homemade Valentine in Kindergarten and gave me a chandelier crystal as a gift. Very sweet and flattering, but I have no idea where Daniel is today. Jumping way ahead, Thomas DeMarcus and I spent V-day together my sophomore year in high school and attended the BHS-Franklin High School basketball game together, but at that point Thomas actually hadn't gotten up the guts to ask me out yet, so that doesn't count. Junior year Owen gave me a huge stuffed Teddy Bear that came to be known in my family for many years to come as the "Owen Bear" and it actually resembeled the giver of the gift. I eventually sold the Owen Bear in a yard sale a few years later and haven't regretted the decision since. Senior year I was with Grant. Grant and I went to see a movie (Message in a Bottle) and it was seriously one of the most depressing movies I have ever seen- I think I cried- not very romantic or sweet at all. And well, college, there were zero relationships of which to speak, so we're 0 for 4 there. There was also He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named a few years later, and that was long distance and certainly not filled with happy memories because he didn't even call me on Valentine's Day till 11 o'clock that night.

And here we are in 2007. I won't claim to have low self-esteem because a Hallmark Holiday reminds me that I'm not in a relationship, but it is just that- a reminder. Pink hearts and cards are everywhere, and is it so wrong to wistfully wish that the flowers sitting on a coworker's desk were for you for a change? I'm tired of hearing about how empowering it is to be single and for a change want to be honest about this dumb holiday- it sucks to be single on Valentine's Day! It doesn't matter how many cards you get from friends, how much chocolate you consume on the day, or what fun plans you have for the evening. It's just not the same as being in a relationship and spending the day with that special person! So there's my transparent moment for the day. Sorry to be Debbie Downer, and I sincerely hope each of you have a wonderful day, but I'll just be glad when it's over for another year.

Now give three cheers and one cheer more for the hardy captain of the Pinafore!

I thought it high time I get my drama queen self back on the stage, and so I'm currently in rehearsals for H.M.S. Pinafore at Pull-Tight Theater (the same theater where I did Pirates of Penzance in 2005). One of the cast members has put together a really cool website where you can "meet the cast," read trivia about the show, and see photos of the set currently as it's under construction.

I'd love for you to come and see the show! Performance dates are as follows:

Friday March 23rd
Saturday March 24th

Thursday March 29th
Friday March 30th
Saturday March 31st
Sunday April 1st (Just kidding!) (Not!)

Thursday April 12th
Friday April 13th (my Dad's birthday!)
Saturday April 14th
Sunday April 15th (make sure your taxes are done before you come)

Thursday April 19th
Friday April 20th
Saturday April 21st