Girls!

No better birthday present than the new trailer for Season 2 of Girls.  I've watched it an embarrassing amount of times.

Also, I'm 30!

Hey, hey, the Emmys!

 

Surprising myself I have to say that this is my favorite dress of the evening.  I would never have expected to favor this color, but it just looked so bright and fresh and really stood out to me.  Julianne Moore also pulled off the color, but I loved the shape and ruching of this Monique Lhuillier dress more.

 

Kat Dennings looks so beautiful in this J. Mendel and the red is a perfect pairing for her milky skin and dark hair, but, and I hate to say it, her body is just not meant for this cut.  I can speak for the larger-chested ladies and I know what it feels like to lose weight and fit into dress shapes you've only looked at from afar for years, BUT that doesn't mean you should wear them.  I'll give her a pass, but I won't stop staring at her boobs.

 

Relaxed and radiant, Claire Danes can do wrong.   Even while saying "holler" and "baby daddy" in Lanvin. 

 

 What a terrible picture and I'm afraid I have to say Sarah Paulson looks better as a blonde, yet I still loved this Reem Acra gown.  It looked striking on my tv screen and like something any girl would love to wear.

And DAYUM did Tina Fey not look bangin' in this Carolina Herrera custom gown.  Girl really stepped it out. 

Here are all of the notes I took during the ceremony before giving up and living vicariously with strangers on Twitter:

• Julie Bowen - Don’t make a speech saying how ridiculously easy your job is.  It’s embarrassing.  
• Amy Poehler’s bit during Julia’s win.  So funny and great to get a real feeling that these ladies are all rooting for one another.  
• Connie Britton’s hair is a lesson in not knowing yourself.  I understand wanting to do something different.  But NO. 

If you want the rest of my own personal peanut gallery you can check it out on Twitter.

all images via Instyle

Non-Friday Links.

(via teabythesea)

Fair warning: this post is a hodge podge of thoughts.  A hodge podge.  How are you supposed to spell that because the red squiggly lines tell me I am very, very wrong.  Whatever, I am dancing in the wind, folks.

Anyway.

*  I'm gonna be in and out of here for the foreseeable future.  Because that is what I am wont to do.  If you want someone more stable and FANTASTIC to read in the meantime go read Girls of a Certain Age!!  Go.  NOW.  Stop looking at me.  Go.

Okay.  See?  Kim France is not only the former Editor-in-Chief and founder of the lovely and adored Lucky Magazine,  but the curator (too much?) of my new favorite blog.  It's super nice to get a different (and knowledgeable) point of view and who doesn't love watching a fresh start at the age of 48!  A certain age exactly.  She's funny, you see? 

*  My dear friend Moni sent me this link and I don't care what Gawker thinks, I'm obsessed with it!! [And not just because she paid Catherine Keener $10 to slap her.]  Gawker just hates life.  And love. 

*  I haven't been blogging because I am now OBSESSED with this television show.  Instant Netflix is my kryptonite.  I just can't say no!  But seriously, it's sooooooo good. I love Sid!  And Cassie!  And Jal!  And, wow, even Chris!

* I bookmarked this article around three months ago and still read it from time to time.  It makes me feel recognized and hopeful and sad all at the same time.

* Just read Gone Girl. Anyone else??  What did you think??  I'm a bit meh on the matter; at least the second half.  

So, there it is.  My Friday Links... not on a Friday.

Be Brave.

I could stand to be a bit more brave in my life.  Couldn't we all? 

Who watched the HBO show Girls?  I was OBSESSED with Girls, like I'ma-gonna-stalk-Lena-Dunham obsessed with Girls.  I'ma also gonna talk about the last episode, so if you haven't seen it yet skip on ahead.  One of my favorite parts was during the fight between Adam and Hannah and she screams that she is more scared than anyone and he tells her she's not allowed to be.  I love that!  Who hasn't felt more scared than everyone else around them?  At least, I know I have.  For sure.  And I'm definitely not allowed to be more scared; life isn't harder for me than other people.  In fact, it is most decidedly easier.

Be brave, Laura.  Otherwise life is gonna pass you by.  This print is a beautiful and in your face reminder I could get behind.        

Zou Bisou Bisou.

You guys!  This HAPPENED.

Did you watch?  What did you think?

ps I'm scared for Lane, though his reenactment of Meghan's performance was the most delightful thing I've seen in a long time. 

O'Brien is a FOX!

A. Stone. Cold. Fox.

Chris de Burgh must have written his song about our favorite lady to hate because, damn, lady looks gooood.  Siobhan Finneran (known to us as Baby-Killer O'Brien from Downton Abbey) is rocking that red dress above.  Who knew such a dame was hiding behind that sleeping bonnet?!

[And I have to say Lady Edith has never looked better herself.]

Soooo, how much did that last episode kill everyone?? 

• DAISY!  
• I even got a bit misty in regards to Matthew, which says a lot for me because I barely ever feel a twinge for him. (What is it you all see in him?)  
• Okay, I'm about to say something I never thought I would... breathe... I kiiiinda miss when Bates and Anna were just secretly pining for each other.  This rosy/not-so rosy garden thing is getting a bit eh for me.  (Eeep!  I'm totally going to regret saying that and you all probably hate me, too.)
• Does anyone else want to punch Branson in the face?  Lady Sybil is way too good for him and not because he's some chauffeur.  He's kinda like an emotional rapist.  Or, at the very least, some sort of emotional manipulator.
• The Dowager Countess never fails to make me laugh; I hope Maggie Smith squeals with delight each time she reads a new script. 
• I'm disoriented by the time warp -- that illegitimate Colonel Mustache baby had quite the short gestation period, dontcha think?

AND Two Bonus Points:

• If you're not following Patton Oswalt on Twitter while he live tweets the episodes you are surely missing out.
• I read that the bizarrely evil Vera Bates is the beautiful brunette from The Commitments!!  Amazing, I know! [It IS true: I just took the two seconds to IMDB it.]

image via xojane

The Globes!

It was kind of boring, yes?  My favorite moment of the night, by far, was this:

If you didn't watch the show, Amy and Tina were nominated in the same category and this is Tina stealing into Amy's shot after they announced her name.  I loved it!

I also very much enjoyed Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy's little diddy they sang while presenting.  How did they manage to make that charming and not cloying?

Ricky Gervais was more subdued, but still managed to make me laugh a few times.  Some of the speeches were super endearing and Ben Kingsley's wife oooooobviously had some champagne and was feeling a bit randy.

Now!  Onto the dresses.  The most important part, right?

I feel like there was a lot of the same thing we've always seen.  (Doesn't Kate Beckinsale always wear that dress??)  Some good, some bad, and lots in between.

Reese Witherspoon looked like Jessica Rabbit and I loved it; newlywed looks good on this girl!  Sophia Vergara Pulled. It. OUT and no one could look away.  That woman could be the devil incarnate and nobody would care.  Even Tina Fey threw on some color and poof for the party.

In the interest of brevity, here are my three favorites of the evening:

First and FOREMOST, Charlize Theron.  DAMN.  She managed to look both ethereal and fierce all at the same time.  And usually I HATE the tiara, headband thing, but she managed to even pull that off.  I don't think she's ever looked better.

Secondly, Salma Hayek who turned into a disco queen for the evening.  I loved how her ombre hair mirrored the dress and she definitely stood out from all the rest of the ballgowns on the red carpet.  Well done, Salma.  Well done.  I want to wear this dress while lounging around my apartment. 

And, lastly, Octavia Spencer.  I'm so impressed when you see a real woman's body on the red carpet dressed so well.  The ruching was perfection and the color couldn't look better on her.  And she won!  Which made Melissa McCarthy cry!  I saw her interviewed and she said last year she was collecting money for a Golden Globes pool and this year she was nominated AND WON.  Stories like that make me so happy.

 

Otherwise, I don't see what y'all see in that Angelina dress -- it looks pretty terrible to me.  I was really excited Laura Dern won (she's SO GOOD in Enlightened!) and I thought she looked lovely.  Dame Helen Mirrin looked A-MAZ-ING.  Lea Michele looked like a forty-year-old trying too hard, and she is still posing too hard, too.  It's cringe-worthy.

And that's all I can remember at this point.

OH WAIT.  Diana Agron -- NOOOOO.

That is all.

What did you think?? 

Downton Abbey!

Did you guys watch??  What did you think?

I am trying not to be spoilery, so I just jotted a quick list down...

Anna and Bates!!
Maggie Smith was at her best, yes?
They even managed to make O'Brien sympathetic for a minute or two.
Carson!
I kind of miss ridiculously entitled Mary.
Edith must. go. down.
My heart goes out for poor Lord Grantham.
Bates! Bates! Bates!  Sigh, Bates.

Did I miss anything that stuck out to you?  I can't wait for the next episode!

This Happened.

And put a smile on my face. 

(click to enlarge picture)

Arrested Development Returns!

OMG!  It's happening, guys!  It's really happening!!

Reports came out yesterday about not only an Arrested Development movie, but ten television episodes, too!!  This fills my heart with joy and I welcome the Bluths back with open arms. 

Go here to read something more official than my shouting. 

Weekend!

 

Happy Friday, friends!  Can you believe it's October??  I always remember when they'd say that time moves faster the older you get.  Well, Jesus: time is flying.  And I'm not even old.

That scares me. 

But what doesn't scare me is that my best gal pal is turning three zero this weekend and we are GOING DANCING!  I can't wait to sip champagne and celebrate Bridg the best way I know how (she always wants to go dancing and I always poo poo it).  

I feel very lucky that I have friends in my life that keep me grounded, keep me laughing, and always make me feel loved.  Bridgid, I found you a bit late in the game, but I couldn't be happier having you in my life; simply knowing you're there makes things better.  Thank you for being an incredible friend!

Have a great weekend, ladies!  Drink wine and dance and tell your friends you love them!

Otherwise, read Friday Links:

• A sad account of admission from the LOST writer Damon Lindelof.  Nothing is surprising and, in fact, it's kind of refreshing to hear him actually say it.  But still...
• Not the same genre of show AT ALL, but I LOVE this second season show and it seems I'm not alone!
• I heart Mindy Kaling.  
• This is a bit old, but I didn't post last Friday when I meant to post this: I also heart Miranda July. 
• The most thoroughly sweet proposal.  (Thanks, Melissa!)
• An unsolved mystery I am STILL thinking about. 
• Perhaps a bit late in the season, but doesn't this sound delicious?
• And a playlist right up my alley.  Please send some love to Kate, she has a big hurdle ahead. 

image via pinterest

Let's Talk Emmys.

Did you guys watch??  I did!  Were you as underwhelmed by the dresses as I was?  I mean, come on, ladies!  It's shocking how many bad dresses there are out there, especially when people are paying big bucks for stylists to put them in said bad dresses.  Watching the pre-show coverage was like watching a train wreck for me.  Sooooo, no pretty pictures of pretty ladies in pretty dresses.  Instead I plan on spewing a diatribe of my opinions of the show.  Let's roll...

THE GOOD:

The best part of the entire show, and really of any awards show I've seen in the recent past, was the nominated ladies of Best Actress in a Comedy!  HOW GREAT WAS THAT?!  When Amy Poehler ran up to the stage I just about died and thought it was the greatest thing ever.  But then it got better!  They all ran up to the stage to hold hands in support of one another.  [Well, they were actually parodying beauty pageant contestants, but I won't hold it against them.]  And when Melissa McCarthy won, I was one happy girl.  What a great speech that was and a deserved win for an incredibly funny woman.  I love it!

My second favorite part: COACH TAYLOR WON!!  Yayay!  I was so super excited that Kyle Chandler finally got a shout-out for his wonderful work on Friday Night Lights.  I won't hold it against him that he didn't have a Coach Taylor-esqe speech prepared.  I, too, was shocked that he actually won the award.  [Not that he doesn't completely deserve it -- he does.]

Also great: Chivalry is not dead!  When Margo Martindale won Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and tried to use her hands to crawl up the stairs to accept her award (yikes!) Ed O'Neill rushed from his seat to help her (among other gentleman I couldn't identify immediately), but Ashton Kutcher reached her first.  Thank you, gentleman!  Stay classy.  Seriously.

I'm also a big fan of the first win in a long career.  Margo Martindale, congratulations!

All the Downton Abbey wins!  

THE BAD:

Let's stop highlighting the living performers during the In Memorium piece, mmkay?  I realize they messed up by not introducing them in the first place, which made for a bizarre confusion while they sang.  But I don't care about these people and I'm sure the loved ones of those who have passed this year don't either.

Also: Hallelujah is a difficult song to cover.

It pains me to say this, but I so wasn't into what they prepared for Jane Lynch.  I heart that lady and hope she gets some new material soon.

THE UGLY:

Julianna Marguilies' dress.

Enough said. 

Downton Abbey.

YOU GUYS.

Season Two.

It's coming!

Ugh.  Videos are the bane of my existence.  I KNEW it wouldn't work, so you can GO HERE to watch the bloody thing.  

I Love Ice Loves Coco.

What an unexpected feeling, who knew I would become so attached to people I know so little?

I adore Ice T.  I adore Coco.

Appearing to have the most loving and trusting relationship, they just seem to compliment each other so well!  And who knew Coco would be such a sweetheart?  She's hilarious in that I'm-so-kooky-but-don't-know-it kind of way, which is totally endearing.  It's refreshing to see someone so comfortable in their own skin and not use it in a way to be demeaning to others.  And Ice T just likes to eat sandwiches his lady prepares while making hilarious comments on the side.  This is, of course, when he's not being a total badass on Law and Order: SVU.

E Television just aired the first season finale, so I'm sure there will be thousands of reruns to watch, otherwise you can just take my word for it that these two are what love looks like.

I'm gonna say it: they are the best reality show couple ever!  Have you guys seen it?  Do you agree?

I like.

Zara is having a sale and she sure is pretty, right?!  A perfect nude with a classy tassel -- sign me up!

Random: You should follow me on Twitter because even the Discovery Channel is retweeting me (whaaaa?)!  Probably just because I was slack-jawed while watching Man vs. Wild.

Full Disclosure: I was only watching because cutey Jake Gyllenhaal was on it.  Though, cute is not quite appropriate for a man who is filmed while hacking into a dead sheep.   

Weekend!

Hey, I have a picture again.  Sweet! 

Remember how I told you it was 96 degrees in Chicago?  Well... it was 52 degrees yesterday.  Yes, that's right, a FORTY FOUR degree change in less than twenty four hours.  Chicago, you're such a crazy kook.  What are we going to do with you?

I finished the first season of Friday Night Lights.  Whoa, Landry!  I can't get over it!  (Wait, that might've happened in the beginning of Season Two -- I'm a fast mover with this thing.)  I also watched The Real Housewives of New York.  Boring, right?  Only more reason to go back to FNL.  Uh, I also found out that my co-worker knows Matt Saracen, er, Zach Gilford.  As in he went to high school with her son and they're still buddies, if you will.  I just about died, in the most embarrassing way of course.  Matt Saracen is not real.  Ma`tt Saracen is not real.  These are the things I need to remind myself.

What else?

Oh, yes!  It's Friday.  Let's have a good one, shall we? 

AND wish my sister a happy birthday for me.  It's her lucky day!!!  Happy B-day, sis!

image via pinterest

I'm Pictureless.

I've got nothing for you today because I spent last night doing two things:

1. Watching more episodes of Friday Night Lights.*

2. Making my own barbecue sauce.**

*I am OBSESSED!  My friends have been talking about FNL and Tim Riggins for quite some time now, but I finally bit the bullet and started in this weekend.  Should I admit that I've already watched seventeen episodes since Friday?!  Guess I just did.  For reals, I heart this show so much.  I fell for it immediately and was balling like a baby in the very first episode.  And, I know the ladies out there are cuckoo for Tim Riggins (and yes, he is quite dreamy in the I'm A Bad Boy And Yet Still [unrealistically] Totally Communicative About My Feelings), BUT I am a Matt Saracen girl through and through.  If anyone has a problem with that, I'm ready to draw fists.

**Why I decided to make barbecue sauce in 95 degree heat is beyond me, but I did.  I've had Let's Dish's recipe for Smoky Orange Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches in my que for quite some time and decided yesterday was the day.  I'd be lying if I didn't say I was proud of myself for making barbecue sauce from scratch, and it's the first time I've used my blender to make something other than a smoothie.  Score.

ps I am actually sans picture because after doing a preliminary google search of FNL I was too afraid the pictures were going to spoil something for me.  Must keep the hope alive.

Clear eyes, full hearts...  

Mad Men Hiatus.

Did you guys hear the news??  That Mad Men won't be coming out with a new season until 2012?!

I can't believe I won't get a proper explanation for THIS godforsaken scene until the summer of 2012!  Stop hiding, Matthew Weiner; we all want to know just what you were thinking when writing this lil' number.  AND if we start with some sort of flash forward that has the inevitable crash and burn of this relationship in the past, I am going to be pissed.

Now, I don't really think that Matthew Weiner is hiding, but I did read here that he's holding out because of a few network demands.  Uhh, holding out on a $30 million dollar deal for himself.  I say get over the lost two minutes, Weiner, and get back in the game! 

Can we say diva?  Let's all say it together...3...2...1...Deeeevaaa.

I knew it was Bad News Bears when Jon Hamm said he didn't know when it was coming back on the SAG red carpet.  I wonder if I'll even care by the time it rolls around.  (I'm sure I will, but perhaps a bit begrudgingly at first.)

Tell me, friends, what do you think?  Am I overreacting or are you just as appalled by the long hiatus?

photo credit: Michael Yarish, via amctv.com 

The Finale.

I just re-watched the Big Love series finale.  Did you see it?  I have to say that I really fell out of favor with the series near the end (more so the middle), but I really loved the final episode.  It kind of made watching the whole mess worth it.  And I definitely cried.  It made me appreciate the characters more than I had before.  I won't spoil it for you, but if you had an enjoyment or interest in the series I'd suggest watching the final episode.

What I'd really like to know is what are your favorite series finales?  I feel like they're such important episodes that can really make or break how I feel about the series. 

My ultimate has got to be Six Feet Under.  I sobbed like a little girl while watching that finale and still cry every time I see it.  It still is my favorite series to date.  Don't fight it.  You know it's the best! 

A very, very close second would be The West Wing, but come on, that finale BLEW.  I remember being so pissed when I watched it (I obviously still am).  No Toby means no love from this girl.

I still remember watching the Friends finale even though I hadn't seen much of the last few seasons.  I cried, but mostly while thinking about these six actors who had spent a decade together and how sad they must be to see it go.  When I was acting I was always de.va.stated. when a show ended and none of them lasted anywhere near ten years.

What else?

They always say that the M*A*S*H finale was the best on tv.  I'm too young for that.

The Seinfeld finale was not of much interest to me even though I know the hype and hate.

Sex and the City ended before I really got into it; the reruns and dvds have made a fan of me.

Oh, oh, oh, my god!  I can't believe I almost forgot LOST.  I was a freak for LOST and I am still pissed about the finale.

What am I missing??  What do you guys remember?   

Landslide.

 

I have to admit it: I really liked this song.  So much so, I watched it a few times after the episode was done.  Thank you, DVR!  I'm definitely a little over the saturation of Gwyneth Paltrow singing (and I heard she's close to penning a record deal.  Please god, NO, Gwyneth!  Stop the insanity.)

With all that said, I like her Glee performances.  Most likely because I like Holly Holiday, she cracks me up and adds a bit of levity to the show.  But I am mostly taken with this song because of Santana and Brittany.  I downloaded the song on iTunes and I have to say that it's just not the same without watching Santana's pretty face cry.  I'm really digging where her storyline is going and I'm happy to have a little less Quinn/Finn/Rachel drama.  Santana's voice has always been one of my favorites and I'm hoping she'll be showcased a bit more.

Also, "Landslide" ALWAYS makes me cry.  Always.  There's just something about it.

**This video is weirdly flipped, so it's the reverse of what you remember (or haven't seen yet).  Go here to watch it in full screen.