The Dark Knight Rises

I saw the final Batman movie yesterday ("final" being a relative term; see: Spiderman 3), and found it overlong and disappointing. I did not enjoy images of terrorist acts being committed in New York City, or the idea of blowing up New York as entertainment. Anne Hathaway was surprisingly great, perhaps because she was the only - and I am not exaggerating, the only - actor who was entirely intelligible throughout the movie. What was up with the mumbling? And then the slightly overloud music over the mumbling? I'm sure you're all looking forward to my vicious complaints when the movie is inevitably nominated for Achievement in Sound Mixing.

Just Like Old Times, Except In 2005 These Pictures Weren't Staged

We had a Blackout Thursday LA reunion last week.

OH MY GOD WILL NOTHING EVER CHANGE?????

Basically, some people are married and our vision has gotten worse.  At least no one's gotten fat... yet.

(photos via the angry egg).

Ladies Only

At 9:27 this morning, I decided that taking pictures of makeup would be a good use of my time.  (My workday, in an office that is forty minutes from my apartment, technically starts at 9:30.  Number of times I have been there by 9:30 in the past year: 4).  That's how much I wanted you to know about Revlon's recent dominance in the awesome drugstore makeup department.

Above, clockwise from top, are Just Bitten lip stain, Photoready blush, and Colorburst Lip Butter.  You guys.  Please ignore my disgusting dinged countertop: this is awesome stuff.  The lip stain stays on for forever and ever, until you're basically licking your lips and scrubbing it off with a toothbrush, and has a lip balm on one end to counteract the drying nature of lip stains.  The lip butter is a sheer lipstick that just feels really nice, and the blush - I mean, look at that blush:

Look how bright that is!  It's like a Make Up For Ever product that you'd find for $28 in Sephora, but it's from Revlon and I got it at Duane Reade.  It looks like Cruella De Vil makeup in the packaging but I promise it goes on nice and sheer.  You'll look like you just had sex.

Later Suckers

I remember a while ago, my older sister asking me: "Seriously.  How much vacation time do you really get?"

Three weeks a year, but I game the system (summer Fridays, national holidays, leaving early/coming in late, never taking additional time for Christmas or Thanksgiving), making this my third vacation this year.  But who's counting?  The worst I deal with is my boss asking, "do you actually have enough days for this?" before saying okay.

To the Jersey Shore we go!

The Newsroom: #2

Oof.  This show makes me afraid to rewatch The West Wing.  Josh and Toby never talked like this, did they?  And what's with all the klutzy ladies?  CJ Cregg only fell over and/or resorted to histrionics once in a while and always to great comedic effect, whereas the leading ladies of TN seem to suffer from a rare form of floppy, hysterical narcolepsy.  The main character is both boring and unlikable, yet we are supposed to think otherwise - Emily Nussbaum put it perfectly:

Whenever McAvoy delivers a speech or slices up a right-winger, the ensemble beams at him, their eyes glowing as if they were cultists. The series turns Will McAvoy into the equivalent of the character Karen Cartwright, on “Smash,” the performer who the show keeps insisting is God’s gift to Broadway. Can you blame me for rooting for McAvoy’s enemies, all those flyover morons, venal bean-counters, sorority girls, and gun-toting bimbos? Like a political party, a TV show is nothing without a loyal opposition.

But back to our patented "Real?" index:


Thomas Sadoski really wants his girlfriend to come work on his new show so he can mentor her, but doesn't want to meet her parents.
Either he's smothering her or not, guys, pick one!

Mackenzie MacHale, an apparently badass news producer/reporter who has sliced and diced her way through war zones, cannot send an email to its intended recipient -
-this part seems real -

-because she keeps putting an asterik at the beginning of every email address.
That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.  Who needs to break the habit of beginning their emails with "*"?  That's not a thing.

Will changes his entire stance on immigration within an hour.
No.

The staff all meet at a shitty bar immediately after work to swig terrible $3 beers.
Has someone finally revealed that the lower rungs of television pay nothing?  Dost my eyes deceive me?  It's probably an accident, but I will take it: this rang true to me.  Ditto on making the intern go and save you a table, although realistically you'd send a PA.

John Gallagher, Jr. still hasn't burst into song.
I know.

I thought I was going to like this show.
I KNOW, RIGHT???????????????????????