SUNDANCE!

Most of you will know that I am huge fan of The Office, and more specifically, Jim. Well, would you be jealous if I told you I saw him in the flesh at Sundance? And that it was at the worldwide premiere of the movie that he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in? Yes? I thought so. Megan, Jillian, and I had quite the glitzy weekend. We went to a few concerts, saw some celebrities, went to a movie premiere. You know, the typical weekend. Some other celebs that we saw besides Mr. John Krasinski were Maeby from Arrested Development (Alia Shawkat), most of the cast from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Italian guy from Love Actually, Millie from Freaks and Geeks, Denise Richards,Robin Williams, Zooey Deschanel, Shooter McGavin, Peter Gallagher, and others for whom I will have to consult the girls to refresh my memory. A lot of them were only people that we would get excited about, but that only made it better.

Guilty Pleasure 103: Pretty Much Anything Period Or in Any Way Related to Jane Austen

Most people know my penchant for things Jane Austen already. So let me tell about a really good period drama that my good friend and fellow-period-drama aficianado, Morgan, told me about. I give you Richard Armitage in all his glory as Mr. Thornton in North and Shouth. I watched it twice in a week and have watched the ending more times than I am willing to fess up to on this blog. I have also downloaded the soundtrack and several clips to my iPod. I know. I need to get a life.

Last Movie I Saw: Slumdog Millionaire

Ok everyone, run (don't walk) and go see Slumdog Millionaire. It is without a doubt the best movie that I have seen in a long time. You at least need to see it before the Oscars so that you can be as disappointed as I will be if it does not win (but I am really thinking that it wil).
It is about a young man who had grown up in the slums of India and goes on India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? only in the hope that the love of his life will notice him. But surprising even to himself, he does extremely well. He is charged with fraud because they don't see how a kid with no education could know the answers to these questions. The film takes you through flashbacks on his life as he recounts how he knew the answers to the questions simply through life experience.
It is such a beautiful movie and (surprise, surprise) I was emotional through the whole thing. We’re talking from the opening scene to the end credits and even after I left the theatre and was on the phone with my mom telling her that she needed to see it. The children that play Jamal (the main character), his brother, and his friend are the cutest kids you will ever see. I loved this movie all the more when I found out these kids were found in the actual slums of India. They asked to be in the movie and then rather than pay them, they are putting them in school and the rest of the money is in a trust fund for them when they are older. My friends and I are also now determined to learn the Bollywood dance number that they perform at the end, especially since I now have the soundtrack. The music in this is awesome, compiled of Indian music, it is really fun. As you can see, I cannot recommend this movie enough, so go see it!

Best Show That You Are Not Watching: Pushing Daisies

I am begging you. Please watch Pushing Daisies. Wednesday nights at 8pm (7pm Central). This show is utterly delightful (not a phrase I use seriously very often, but there are no other words to describe it). It has mystery, humor, enviable costumes (I want Chuck's clothes), and heart-achingly adorable romance. It centers around Ned, a guy with an unusual power of being able to touch dead things and bring them back to life. There is a catch, however. Once he touches them he cannot touch them again or they will go back to being dead and if he keeps them alive for longer than a minute, something else dies in their place. He and a private investigator team up to bring back murder victims for a minute to ask them who killed them. This is all fine and dandy until they come across a murder victim who happens to be Ned's childhood crush. Ned decides on impulse to keep her alive but they can now never touch.
This show is in danger of being cancelled and it will literally break my heart. I honestly don't understand why it is not getting any viewers it is so charming and delightful that I would think hordes of people would love it. It was nominated for several Emmys, including a nod for dreamy Lee Pace as the "aww-shucksy" Ned. Yet despite critical acclaim and being all-around incredible, it seems like no one has even heard of this show. Well, now you have. So go watch it and save Pushing Daisies.

My Latest Obsession: 30 Rock

So there is this show that maybe you have seen. It’s called 30 Rock? It had more 17 Emmy nominations this year? It took the top three awards that night in Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Comedy? You haven’t seen it?! Shame on you. But a lot of people haven’t so I am willing to forgive.
This show is awesomely funny. I will admit that I, myself, did not become fully invested until this summer when I decided to buy the first season on a whim. I finished that in a day so I decided to preorder season 2. This has pretty much taken up my apartment’s past week. This show is great, right up there with some of my other loves like Arrested Development and The Office.
The best part of the show is without a doubt the main character, Liz Lemon, who is played to perfection by Tina Fey. My friend Megan and I decided that she is a girl after our own hearts. She gets caught wearing a one piece swimsuit instead of underwear on laundry day, she gapes when a guy asks her out on a date starting at ten, she high-fives herself after particularly good jokes, and, our favorite, she tells her ex-boyfriend that he will have to be more specific after he asks to take her to the BBQ place she threw up at. Awesome.
The show has some other really great characters (see Kenneth the Page, Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy, and a amazingly hilarious Tracy Morgan as, surprise, Tracy Jordan). Also, more celebrities stop by this show than Late Night. Last season had Steve Buscemi, Will Arnett, Matthew Broderick, Carrie Fisher, David Schwimmer, and Jerry Seinfeld. I cannot express how funny this show is, so just go watch it already.

Guilty Pleasure 102: Breaking Dawn

Did I preorder this book so that I could receive it the day of release? Yes. Did I read the book within 24 hours? Yes. Did I vocalize my shock over some plot twists while reading it in a room by myself? Yes. Did I think this was the best book of the series since the first? Yes. And did I love this book? YES!

Guilty Pleasure 101: Step Up 2: The Streets

I am a total sucker for dancing movies, but, as I was telling my friends, with dancing movies it typically necessary that you ignore story lines and acting abilities and only pay attention to the numerous dancing sequences. The climatic “street” dance is awesome (I mean, come on, it is in the RAIN). So, if like me, you can overlook all aspects that make a movie good, then you will probably like this movie, too.