Amazing Race 19 Teams Announced

Ok guys as of today this blog will also cover The Amazing Race. So without further ado let's reveal the teams they are

Amani and Marcus. Married

Andy and Tommy. Friends/Snowboarders.

Bill and Cathi. Married 40 years/Grandparents.

Bill and Ron. Domestic Partners/Flight Attendants

Ernie and Cindi. Engaged.

Ethan and Jenna. Dating/Survivor Winners.

Jeremy and Sandi. Dating.

Justin and Jennifer. Siblings.

Kay and Lisa. Friends/Former Vegas Showgirls.

Lawrence and Zac. Father/Son.

Liz and Marie. Twins.

Who will you be cheering for?

John's DVD Pick of the week (August 30th 2011)

Hey guys it's Tuesday. Once again I chose a little film from Sundance it's.

 Skateland.

That's right the 80's coming of age drama is my pick of the week. Other picks include The Best Foreign Language oscar winner In A Better World, The Tyler Perry starer Madea's Big Happy Family, and the Disney film Prom.

My Vintage pick is, in honor of this weeks release of Shark Night 3D I'm recommending the mother of all shark movies it's Jaws, it's a top 50 movie in my opinion so check that out.

I Spy Back to School For Grown-Ups

I ran across this cool Daily Candy list of products for "big kids" as the smaller ones get back in the academic groove.  Here are some standouts, at least from a visual perspective.

Um.  Duh.  :)  This is a magnifying glass, of all things!  Isn't it boss?  Well, I'm sad to say that the price (78 buckos) matches.  It is neat to look at, though.  And look through, I bet.

Aren't these reusable lunch bags graphically appealing?  They're normally sold in sets of 3 for $24, but you can get a deluxe set of 5 for $38, if you're so inclined.  I don't know how well these will work, as they are cotton, but they would certainly be a discussion piece at the break table.

Gotta Make That Money, Man

By now you probably know that I'm rather frugal.  But that doesn't stop me from being interested in (reading about) the higher end places in this great nation. 

I ran across an article on Time that was pretty neat; it's called The 25 Most Expensive Shops in the US.  Plus, it had a cool graphic with one of my favorite color schemes:



From Failure to Frosting

We had our August potluck today at work, and my contribution was these cupcakes with royal icing, Nigella-style.  They are one of the easiest recipes that I make on a semi-regular basis, and the icing could not be more simple or (honestly) more stunning.

If you have just a moment, take a peek at this video clip of Nigella.  My favorite, favorite thing is to hear her say in her British accent that the icing looks like white 'pay-tint' leather around 1:27-ish.  Then she says that they look ludicrously perfect, as though they had been bought at a toy shop.  I could watch her bake and cook all day, every day, I think.

Anywho, I hope you had a sweet Tuesday!



John's DVD Pick of the week (August 23rd 2011)

Hey guys once again it's Tuesday, This week I chose a film that came out of Sundance it's

Win Win

That's right the Paul Giamatti comedy/drama about a teenager going into wrestling is my pick for the week. The only other major release this week is the Jodie Foster directed The Beaver. 

My vintage pick is.. In honor of this weeks release of Our Idiot Brother, I'm recommending a handful of Paul Rudd's films, they are The 40 Year Old Virgin, I Love You Man, Knocked Up and Role Models, so see them if you haven't.

1st oscar predictions

So in honor of my 100th post I decided to post my first oscar predictions

Bold determines predicted winner

Best Picture:
A Dangerous Method
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The Ides Of March
J. Edgar
My Week With Marylin
Tinker,Tailor,Solider,Spy
The Tree Of Life
War Horse

Best Director
David Cronenberg - A Dangerous Method
George Clooney - The Ides Of March
Clint Eastwood - J. Edgar
Terrence Malick - The Tree Of Life
Steven Spielberg - War Horse


Best Actor
George Clooney - The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio - J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender - A Dangerous Method
Ryan Gosling - The Ides Of March
Gary Oldman - Tinker,Tailor,Solider,Spy

Best Actress
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Emma Stone - The Help
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marylin

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marylin
Jim Broadbent  - The Iron Lady
Armie Hammer - J. Edgar
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Ides Of March
Viggo Mortensen - A Dangerous Method

Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Chastain - The Tree Of Life
Viola Davis - The Help
Keira Knightley - A Dangerous Method
Octavia Spencer - The Help
Naomi Watts - J. Edgar

I'll  put up screenplay and technical nominations up at some later point.