The Boob Tube

I had a completely delightful tv watching experience on Tuesday night. Glee was back and I really enjoyed the episode (no, the show isn't perfect but it still makes me chuckle and Darren Criss' It's Not Unusual was terrific.) After that, there was a half hour of Zooey Deschenel playing a version of herself and even though the previews for The New Girl basically revealed the entire episode, I still found it enchanting. Finally, Raising Hope was messed-up funny as usual.

I was not as lucky last night. Sure, Survivor was good and I got really into the immunity challenge when Ozzy's team came from behind to win, but MY GOD, there is one contestant who is probably the most reprehensible character I've ever seen.

His name is Brandon Hantz. He is the nephew of Russell Hantz, who is known as a villain on the show. He is 19 years old, married and, of course, a "good Christian". Honestly, I have no idea why these "good Christians" keep coming on a show that basically forces your to treat people poorly. Oh yeah, 1 million dollars! I mean, I get it. In order to win you may have to do some things that, in the real world, would be horrible. But it is a game. So many of them don't seem to understand that.

Anyway, this Brandon person is such a Christian that he decides he needs to get rid of an attractive, strong woman who is an asset at camp and in challenges. Not because she is a threat, but because she flaunts her body (no more than anyone else on the show and less than most) and he is a married man. What? That's your problem, dude. Not hers. She hasn't been flirting with him (which is probably the problem) or anyone for that matter.

Thank goodness for the awesome editing of this show. Whenever they have voice-over of Brandon complaining about this girl, they show multiple clips of him leering at her! He's just so skeezy. I really can't stand it.

As if that weren't enough, I then flipped to Lifetime to watch Project Runway only to find it had been preempted by a marathon of Dance Mom's. I was so annoyed. Yeah, I watched a couple hours of Dance Mom's. So what? I didn't even realize until this morning that Runway isn't on until tonight and that I had missed ANTM! ARGH!

Aunt Pittypatt at German Fest

Today I went to the German American Festival with some friends of mine. I was excited to get out after my incredibly boring Labor Day Weekend. I wanted to make sure I did it right. I looked at the weather (it was supposedly 74degrees) and decided to dress in jeans, a short sleeved blouse and my Hannover sweatshirt I got in Germany. Appropriate, no?

We got there around 2:30 and I almost immediately went to get a sausage with cole slaw and potato salad. Everything was going well, I enjoyed my food and the four of us were just standing around and talking for a while.

I noticed that it was getting really warm. My face was seriously "glowing" (not sweating, glistening) but I was trying to play it cool. Rather quickly, my brain went a bit fuzzy around the edges, I felt lightheaded and couldn't quite figure out why. I thought it would pass, but it didn't. Instead, everyone I was with seemed to float away like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. Luckily, our party had one chair which was being occupied by a sweater and a purse. I had the fortitude to say (probably a bit weakly) "Kathryn, I think I need to sit down or I'll..."

The next thing I knew, I felt vice-grip like fingers in my arm, I was sitting in the chair, and everyone was saying "Sara, Sara, are you okay?" My understanding is that when I stopped speaking I kind of hunched over the table where we were standing. Kathryn thought I was demonstrating what I would do if I didn't sit down, but then quickly realized we had passed beyond the demonstration state right into the actual doing! She said it was just a matter of a few seconds, but that my eyes were open the whole time. Totally creepy! Nothing like this has ever happened to me before, and I'm sure it was a result of the heat and possible dehydration (although I had a bottle of water earlier in the day).

In the end, I felt better almost immediately and I got some water to drink. All I can say is that it was the strangest sensation, and thank goodness my friends were there to help me!

Flightmare Part 2

Have you ever noticed how, in the movies of the 50s and 60s, when people are disembarking from a plane, it is always nice an sunny out? I'm thinking of movies like "Daddy Longlegs" and "The Parent Trap". Back then they didn't have these big planes with the connecting bridge so you just walk from gate to cabin without stepping outside. Well, that's how the planes in Erie roll.

This would all be fine if it weren't for the torrential downpour that greeted us in Philadelphia! we had to run, with our bags, from the steps of our airplane to the airport. It was probably at least a 30 yard dash. The two of us were drenched and the airport was about 10 degrees below freezing!

In Philly, they have all the small planes come into Gate F, but if you are transferring to a larger plane (as we were) you have to go to one of the other gates. We were headed for Gate B. Unfortunately, in order to get there (unless you want to go through security again) you have to take a bus. So, it was out into the elements for us once more!

I'll spare my dear readers all the gory details. Suffice it to say that, after at least one further gate change and a delay, it turned out that our flight to Charlotte wasn't going to make it in time for our final connection to Jacksonville.

Again we waited in line, this time to find out how we would get to our destination. We were given the option of just delaying our flight to Jacksonville until 6:45pm (awesome!) Fortunately we had a Plan B...get us to Wilmington. They did book us on a flight to Wilmington leaving, of course, from Gate F!

There was much scrambling to get my car rental reservation moved from Jacksonville to Wilmington and, after a quick bite, we made our way back to the small plane area. It was probably ridiculous to think that we would leave on time for this flight, I guess, because when our boarding time was near, we heard otherwise. A woman, speaking English but doing so as if she had a mouthful of marbles, informed us that our plane was ready, we were just wanting a crew. About an hour later Marbles told us that we had a plane, a crew and a lightning storm that would not be safe for the ground workers. Another half hour and they were getting us onto the plane.

We finally arrived in Wilmington and headed straight for the Budget car rental. A man, looking suspiciously like my mother's long-lost cousin, brusquely greeted us and asked for our confirmation number. I tried to explain our situation as I pulled out my laptop to get the confirmation number I had emailed to me when I made the change. That took too long for him so he deigned to look it up based on my last name. He found the reservation, but when we asked if we could return it to Jacksonville rather than Wilmington he told us we would need to step aside to make a new reservation!

I figured it would be fine to just say "screw it" and return the car to Wilmington and get a ride when we were leaving. However, when he saw my Driver's License, he asked me if it was my current address. I (stupidly) answered honestly that it wasn't and he told me he couldn't rent me a car. He directed us to the next desk down and said they would probably do it.

We shuffled ourselves to the next desk down where the woman was happy to rent me a 16 passenger van! We shuffled again. Finally, at Alamo we met with some aid. The manager was there training a new staff member and he rented us a car AND allowed us to return it to Jacksonville without charging us the exorbitant 1 way fee.

It was at least 4pm at this point, and we had suffered through a good 12 hours of grueling travel. I'm pretty sure we could have driven it in about the same mount of time (Google Maps claims it would take 12.5 hours) with much fewer headaches! In the end, we were safe and sound and we did wind up having a really nice time on our vacation within a vacation!

Flightmare Part 1

I have recently been informed that it has been about "36 years" since my last post. My calculations are slightly more conservative, but I understand the sentiment. Obviously my tidbits are greatly missed by the public and who am I to deprive the world of my genius?

Last Thursday I flew (with my mother) to visit family in Wilmington, NC. It was sort of a mini vacation within a vacation. We were flying out of Erie, PA at the ungodly hour of 5am. That meant we had to be up and on the road to the airport around 4am. I had gotten in at 12am from a night out howling and my brother woke me at about 4 to get going. We had to drive to pick up my mother, but when we got there the house was pitch black. We went inside and realized that the alarm didn't go off! Even so, we were on the road fairly quickly and 30 minutes later, arrived for our flight.

Most of my readership has visited the Erie International Airport, Tom Ridge Field and you know that it is approximately the size of an anemic Kmart. There are two check in desks, one magazine stand, and one diner-type restaurant. There is also only one line to go through security and 3 gates. Now, I have never had to wait in line behind more than two or three people at security. However, this time there was a line about 10 people deep with approximately 8 TSA staff on hand staring at one screen. Honestly, it would have been quicker for each staffer to select a passenger for a complete pat-down and bag search. Meanwhile, they are announcing our flight (you can see the gate from the security line) and final boarding. Finally, my mother gets through security (after having her hands swabbed) and I quickly follow. I am waiting for my duffle bag to come out on the conveyor belt but security holds me up. I tell my mom to go on without me, I'm sure it will just be a minute while they swipe it for explosives. I suspect there isn't much opportunity for racial profiling at the EIA so they must resort to actually picking passengers at random.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just a matter of a routine swab. Something suspicious had actually shown up on the monitor. The agent was very nice when he asked me to step to the side while he went through my bags. He searched my bags and they went through the scanner two more times before he discovered a pair of scissors that were within the regulations so I could board with them.

In the meantime, according to my mother, she was told that she must board the plane. She let everyone she passed know that her daughter was "just getting her bags checked" and asked if they could hold the plane. They told her no so she morphed from a rational woman to a hysterical person in a matter of seconds. She said that she was crying and calling my father (who, oddly, has very little influence with the TSA) and she stood in the doorway to the plane, sticking her head out, waiting for me to arrive.

When I heard that, I thought she was probably lucky not to be kicked off the flight herself. They did hold the plane and I got on. We flew to Philadelphia without further incident but that is not to say that the headaches of the day were over.

To Be Continued...

Have you heard about this Marriage Vow pact that an organization in Iowa is asking Republican presidential candidates to sign? It contains the usual stuff about remaining faithful to your spouse and doing everything in your power to block all sorts of unions that don't fit the "one man, one woman" mold.

That isn't the controversial part though, this is:

Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African- American baby born after the election of the USA‟s first African-American President

It seems to be indicating that an African-American child born into slavery had a more stable home life than one born in the last 3 years.

What a horrible thing to say! The majority of the controversy, from what I've heard, revolves around the reference to slavery. While that's terrible, it totally ignores the fact that it is entirely misleading. The same statement would be true during any presidential administration since the 1960s, not just the Obama administration. (The article being referenced was written in 2005, years before Obama was elected) It would also be true of pretty much any race in the U.S.A. A white child, Asian, Indian, etc. were all more likely to be raised in a two-parent household in 1860 than in the last 50 years.

I'll give you two guesses as to which candidates did sign.

Of course it was Santorum and Bachman. Both signed the pledge before the above-mentioned passage was removed.

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The Way it Should Be

I left my Fortress of Solitude this morning at 9:30ish. My cat-minions needed food (they go through it like it's food or something1). I got into Pet Smart just a few minutes after it opened at 10am. The place was a busy as I had ever seen it! Who knew Sunday morning was the time to do all your pet shopping?

Anyway, when I got into line, there was one guy checking out, two guys waiting in line in front of me, then two women after me. The cashier called for a "backup cashier". Now, in my experience, when the additional cashier shows up, the line generally breaks in half and moves over to the second register, maintaining the original line-up.

Before we got a chance to do that, in fact, before the new teller even showed up, the last lady in line hops right over to the second register! I thought that was fairly bold, but I didn't mind too much because now there was just one guy checking out and another in front of me. I knew I didn't have long to wait.

The line hopper then has the nerve to interrupt my cashier as she's finishing up with a transaction to ask her if she can call the additional person again (because the line-hopper has "some place to be"). My cashier does, then up goes the guy in front of me. He has some sort of fish issue and is sent to the fish department. So I'm up! And the new cashier still hasn't showed! By the time I'm out of there, the new cashier is checking the woman out. She probably didn't even make it out of there before the woman behind me. I know it isn't kind, but I couldn't help but have a smile on my face as I walked out of the shop.

Red Line Hero

No, I didn't stand up to a flash mob on the train today. What I did was so much better.

About 4 stops from home, a couple and their young child got on the train. As they sat down, the mother next to me facing forward and the father holding the child on the other side of the aisle facing backwards, the little boy began to scream and sob.

I'm not good a guessing age, but I think he must have been around 3 years old. The screaming went on and on until we reached the next stops while Mom and Dad tried to calm him down. I figured he must be terrified of the train. Finally, as we got moving again, I understood the problem. The kid wanted to be by a window, not seated in the aisle! Having a window seat myself, the power to give it away, and an intense disdain for ill-behaved children, I offered my seat to the mom. Rather than gratefully accepting, she said "I don't want you to have to do that" (of course, she moved her legs so I could get up). I told her I was off in two stops and the father said "she probably just doesn't want to hear him screaming anymore." Right on the nose, Papa Bear.

Once the family was re-configured according to their little brat's desires, he shut up, thank God. In my head I imagined all the other passengers applauding my actions (that didn't happen in reality, but it would not have been out of place in this situation). My good deed for the day is now accomplished, but I sure hope those people spare the rest of the world the ear-peircing shrieks of their child in the future.

What Would Lisbeth Do?

The trailer and poster for the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo have been released with quite a bit of fanfare. In the trailer, the cast looks good, the mood seems appropriate, but there is absolutely no dialogue and the accompanying music seems a questionable choice.

It is more of a teaser, I guess, than a trailer. I just find it strange. What is stranger, however is the movie poster

What is up with this? I read that you can actually visit the movie's website and enter your age and see the picture without Daniel Craig's arm covering Rooney Mara's breasts. Really? That's necessary? Isn't the objectification of women exactly what these books didn't do? I feel like if Lisbeth Salander was a real person, she would find a way to hack into the computers of the people who log in to view the topless photo. I don't think there is anything really wrong with it (I assume the movie will show a lot of nakedness) it is just so seedy.

Maybe this is just sour grapes...why is Rooney topless, but Daniel's amazing torso is covered in at least two layers of clothing?

Someday

This is the most awful thing I have seen in ages. Seriously, I don't think it could be more ridiculous if it were actually planned as a joke. Don't look away.

Baba's Got a Brand New Bag!

My BFF's brother just opened a screen-printing shop in Oakland California. It is super exciting and I really hope he and his partner have great success. They have a blog and I saw a nice canvas bag that I could order.

Johnny was the oldest kid in the neighborhood, even so he would often play our games and come to our parties (usually dressed as the scariest monster so my little brother was too frightened to come downstairs). Things changed when he got his first set of wheels, a skateboard. His freedom was absolute and he wasn't around any more to play "bumper cars" and eat the sweet william (and have to puke it up afterwards).

As we got older, his pants got wider until the point when I'm pretty sure my friend and I could have fit in together, one in each leg! He got piercings and his hair and sideburns got longer, but he still said "hello" to my parents in public so we knew he was still a good kid.

I haven't seen him in years, but I can only imagine that Johnny has remained a good kid. I wish him the best of luck as an entrepreneur.

Oh yeah, and I LOVE my new bag!

It even came with some bonus stickers

Howl

I am not a poetry fan. I don't really care to try and winkle out the meaning of a string of seemingly unrelated words and phrases. I know all poetry isn't like that. Some is very straightforward, but I typically don't care for that either. I guess I just prefer a narrative story in prose. I do consider this to be a shortcoming of mine, but I can't help myself.

Every once in a while, I will see or hear something that piques my interest in a poet. Usually it is a movie about the writer. I liked the movie Bright Star about John Keats, and Edge of Love (which was really less about Dylan Thomas than it was about the two women he loved). These movies were entertaining and interesting, but they were much more about the poet than the poetry.

The same cannot be said about Howl. In fact, this is truly a movie about a poem and the controversy its publication created. James Franco plays Allen Ginsberg and the film flashes between interviews with Ginsberg, portions of the obscenity trial, and a reading of the poem with animation. I've never seen anything like it.

Macho

Today a co-worker announced to me that Macho Man Randy Savage died. Even though I hadn't even thought of Macho Man in about 20 years, this saddened me. MM was never my favorite wrestler, I was much more of a Jake the Snake or Brutus the Barber girl. But still, his death reminded me of the WWF and going to the Erie Civic Center with my father, brother and great-grandfather.

Only in the 80's and early 90's could this man have been described as "Macho". Sure, he was muscular by any standard, but macho? The Village People might disagree, but that would just prove my point. Maybe it was all tongue-in-cheek, but I suspect not. If it was, I don't think wrestling fans were in on the joke.

No matter what, his untimely death (in what I understand was a car accident) at 58 is a sad event for his family, friends and fans. So snap into a Slim-jim and shout out a loud "Ohhh Yeahhh" for this unabashedly macho man.

The Death of Bin Laden

When my alarm clock woke me this morning the first thing I heard was "and news about the death of Osama Bin Laden". I was definitely groggy, but the import of the announcement did not fail to reach me. However, rather than feelings of elation, my reaction was more like "okay". Admittedly there was never much of a chance of me exulting in the death of anyone or anything, but I would have expected a more visceral reaction.

That reaction didn't come until much later in the day when I was exposed to countless jokes, "boot up his ass" type Facebook posts, and scenes of celebrating (read: rioting) in the streets from New York City to State College, PA and beyond. I do not presume to question the reactions of those who lost loved ones on September 11, or the families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. But I suspect that those people were largely absent from the festivities, and while they may have felt that a sort of justice had been served, Bin Laden's death did nothing to bring back those who died before.

The fact remains that killing Bin Laden does nothing to dampen the spirit of Muslim extremists. In fact, he is now a martyr for their cause and they will probably believe that he is enjoying all the benefits of martyrdom in the afterlife. A far more fitting punishment would have been forcing him to live through the mercy of the United States and die a sick old man tried and found guilty of crimes against humanity.

I do not know what happened last night, if there was a choice between life and death, but I do know that how we react to this event is an indication of the state of our society. I believe we would do well to treat it with solemnity and circumspection otherwise we become what he and his followers believe us to be.

ANTM All Stars!

I heard a rumor that next cycle of America's Next Top Model will be an All-Star show. This both thrills and frightens me. It seems a bit unfair since most of the awesome contestants were from the earlier cycles and those were a good 5-7 years ago. That's like 20-30 model years! This puts the best personalities at a distinct disadvantage since they are far too old to begin a modeling career now if the exposure from their cycle of ANTM didn't pan out.

If I ruled the world (or the CW) these would be my picks for the contestants:

For the "Drama (aka crazy, but so entertaining)":

Jade- (Cycle 6) that beautiful bi-racial butterfly. She always had something to say.

"Posing with an elephant, it's like posing with an ancient dinosaur. And elephants are in the dinosaur family."

Natasha- (Cycle 8) the Russian mail-order bride. "What it do, Shawtie?"

Dominique- (Cycle 10) hopefully sans mom-hair. Seriously, this woman looks like she's 40, and this isn't even a photo showing the missing molar!

Lisa- (Cycle 9) the sweet "dancer". I loved how annoyed Tyra got when Lisa compared her exotic dancing to modeling.

For the "Should have gone further (or should have won)"

Ann-(Cycle 3) my girl from Erie! and she brings the drama. You best be cleaning up your nasty dishes or Ann may just knife them. That's what I call "Respieto".

Claire- (Cycle 10) she went way to early (after they dressed her up as Minnie Pearl). She wasn't long for ANTM after the crazy face-plant she did in that stupid gowns-in water-on glass-shot from below.

April- (Cycle 2) one of those who was too smart for the competition. She's probably a Brain Surgeon by now, but her photos were gorgeous.

Elyse- (Cycle 1) already a real model so no chance of returning, but awesome nonetheless. Her rant agains every single girl in the house was hilarious and true. She really should have won. I thought I'd die when Robyn and her fellow crusaders forced Elyse to pray with them.

Kim- (Cycle 5) no way would Tyra have her back but I don't think her career is suffering. Best fight ever over a granola bar.

I also think there needs to be a comeback for Janice Dickinson and Benny Ninja. Oh yeah, and Sutan should come back as Raja and teach the girls a thing or two about makeup and runway walking.

What do you think? Did I miss any of your favorite characters? Who would you like to see on ANTM All-stars?

Lumpuckaroo

I was all set to write about my big Girl's Thursday Night Out but I got hit hard by a terrible head cold and couldn't really think or do anything. Really, it began at 2:30am on Thursday. I woke up with a tickle in my throat and I couldn't sleep. I took some of my brother's left over allergy medicine and went back to bed. That day at work, I was just miserable and could tell it was only going to get worse. Undaunted, I went out with my friends from work. First to a Tapas restaurant (where I insisted they serve me my portions so I wouldn't infect them) and then on to the movie theater for a screening of Water For Elephants.

It was a great deal. For just $20 we got a ticket for the movie with drinks and appetizers beforehand and a $10 gift certificate to Amazon.com. I already spent my gift certificate on the A Song of Ice and Fire book series.

We had a good time at the screening and the movie wasn't bad. It was pretty true to the book and the sets and costumes were pretty great. I really do prefer Robert Pattison when he isn't just acting sulky and sparkly.

It was a fun evening and I was even home before 11pm (meaning I could get to bed at a reasonable time). I even took some Nyquil, but I doubt I slept more than 2 hours the whole night. Miserable. I called in sick on Good Friday and felt terrible about doing that since things are so busy. I figured it would probably be better for me to miss one day than for me to infect everyone else so we were all out sick!

This is making for a yucky Easter Weekend and I probably won't be leaving my apartment again until Monday morning.

For all of you who aren't stuffed up and coughing...Happy Easter!

Reuben

I'm in this Lunch Club at work and every three weeks or so I'm responsible for bringing in lunch for myself and 8 co-workers. We have been doing it for almost six months and I love that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I don't have to worry about packing some boring frozen meal. The only problem is that when its my turn, I am always stumped about what to bring.

I've done chickpea curry, Greek chicken with orzo, ham pie, and assorted chicken salads and sandwiches. This time around, my parents sent me a recipe for a reuben loaf. I think my dad was concerned that I wouldn't know what to do about folding over the ends. I decided to take a picture of it and post it so he can rest assured (or tell me what I did wrong).

The reuben is really tasty and I hope my lunch club likes it.

Rueben Loaf

1 loaf frozen bread dough-defrosted

¼ cup Thousand Island dressing

6 oz. thinly sliced corned beef

¼ lb. Swiss cheese

1- 8 oz. can sauerkraut (well drained)

1 egg white beaten

caraway seed – optional

on greased baking sheet roll dough to 14 x 10 inches

Spread dressing down the center third of dough

Top with layers of corned beef, cheese and sauerkraut

Cut inch-wide strips along the sides of filling out to dough edges

Alternating sides, fold strips at an angle across filling (looks like a braid)

Brush with egg white; sprinkle with caraway seed

Bake at 400° for 25 min. or until done

Cool slightly; serve warm; refrigerate leftovers: reheat to serve.

Winter's Bone

I watched Winter's Bone over the weekend. I was a little disappointed. I don't think my feeling of ennui has anything to do with anything, except that it was a bit over-hyped. It was a very dark look at a group of very dark people. What a way to live. I guess I know that there are the rural poor out there and that many of them turn to things like cooking meth to survive, but wow, that was depressing. It made me wish someone would call child protective services. Those kids needed a meal, a bath, and a real bed. They also needed to not have their relatives beat up their older sister. Even the "good guys" were more than mildly unpleasant.

I was happy to notice 3 character actors from the HBO series Deadwood pop up as various unwashed characters. I guess someone watched Deadwood and thought "gee, those people look like dirty meth heads." Whoever thought that was a bit of a casting genius.

I promised myself that I wouldn't get into another Hunger Games movie post, but it is relevant because this was Jennifer Lawrence's defining role and the one that her supporters point to when trying to persuade us doubting Thomases that she can be Katniss. I certainly won't deny that she did a good job in this movie. There was quite a bit of talking through her gritted teeth, some hunting for survival, and a good amount of beat-down taking. All of that is necessary for a Katniss, certainly. It is as if they were just looking for taciturnity and the ability to look beat-up in a movie and said "There! We can cast her!" I mean, she has basically played the part already, just on a much smaller scale. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Seeing the movie has left me no more or less comforted about what is to come from our Katniss.

My greatest takeaway from this is that I am so glad I have my family and not that one!

Another Hunger Games Post

I know I haven't written in a while and that is mostly because I haven't had anything to say. A number of my latest posts have been about the upcoming Hunger Games movie and my thoughts on casting. I don't think I'm alone when I say that I am more than a little disappointed in the choices for Katniss, Peeta, and Gale.

I am definitely not one of those people who think that an actor has to look exactly like his or her character in real life. I do think that they have to be believable once we see them on screen. Who knows, maybe makeup and lighting will be such that I can totally forget Jennifer Lawrence is in her 20s and the exact opposite of petite, olive skinned, and dark haired. I accepted her casting and figured the choice had been made based on her outstanding audition, previous work and the fact that casting older allows for a better shooting schedule. It also made the casting of my personal favorite, Hunter Parrish, as Peeta a greater likelihood since he is also in his 20s. Unfortunately, they did not go that route. Instead, they cast Josh Hutcherson (the exact opposite of Peeta in stature and coloring) another good actor, but one who is and looks significantly younger than Jennifer. I would have been okay with Josh if they had likewise gone with a younger and smaller Katniss.

I honestly cannot think of any good reason for the filmmakers to do this. Everything I have read of the reactions of fans has skewed negative. I guess we will wait and see, but so far you can color me unimpressed.

Marigold

In flipping though the channels today I happened upon an exquisite little film called Marigold. It stars the incomparable Ali Larter (of the whipped cream bikini) as an American actress who finds herself acting in a Bollywood musical. Against all odds, this is not a comedy. It seems to take itself very seriously despite including scenes like this:

Tan Man , Marigold - Hindi Song - Ali Larter @ Yahoo! Video

As luck would have it, I was going to an Indian restaurant today with a friend. What I didn't realize was that the name of the restaurant was Marigold. I can say that my experience was much more satisfactory at the restaurant than it was watching the movie. I can only hope, however, that the name of the restaurant was chosen because the owners are huge fans of Ali Larter.

Uptown Downstairs Abbey

If you are like me and adored the first season of Downton Abby, this will just kill you.

So very funny.

If you haven't seen Downton Abby, you really must watch it. It is funny and juicy, and you feel smarter for having seen it (but really it is just a soap opera). A good thing to offset the hours you spend watching America's Next Top Model or Jersey Shore.

Let the Games Begin!

So I guess 5'7", fair haired, fair skinned, and almost 21 is the new small, dark, skinny and 16!

Meet Jennifer Lawrence, your new Katniss Everdeen!

I haven't seen her Oscar nominated performance in Winter's Bone, but I hear she was good. My concern is less with her acting ability and more with vague feeling of being let down by this casting decision. At this point it is purely cosmetics for me. I guess I would have liked to see the announcement of a younger girl with an appearance more closely resembling that of (my image of) her Katniss.

That is silly, really. Let's be honest, if they had cast on looks, this girl wouldn't have ever been a contender. My only hope is that she did something amazing with the part and totally sold the director and producers. You know she's going to have to sell it to the fans!

Even though I was in favor of casting a younger actress, I can admit that Katniss and the other tributes probably would look older than their actual age. It stands to reason, since all of them have lead rough lives, they may not look like a normal teenager. Casting older also allows the filmmakers to work more quickly without having to worry about the number of hours a Haylee Steinfeld can work. (Another bonus: if they keep this up, I won't feel like a dirty old lady for being firmly "Team Peeta"!)

Also, Jennifer is from Kentucky (which is probably part of District 12). She was passed up years ago for the part of Bella Swan. That may mean we all dodged a bullet in that we don't have to watch Kristen Stewart play with her hair and fidget as she fights to stay alive as Katniss!

I guess that is it for my silver linings. And I'm sending up a prayer that this apparent disregard for the natural coloring of Katniss doesn't extend to casting a lily-white Rue!

Captain EO

Back in 1987 my family took a trip to Walt Disney World. There was an epic new movie experience to be had in the World of Imagination. It was called Captain EO.

Starring Michael Jackson, Anjelica Houston, and a robot with a mustache, it was cutting-edge 3-D movie making. You know that's true because it was produced by George Lucas and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

24 years later (a week ago) we went back and lo and behold: Captain EO was back! They could have brought it back earlier when Jackson passed away, or they could have waited for the quarter century anniversary, but no, the return of EO corresponded directly to my family's return the WDW. Coincidence? Probably.

Below is part one of the movie. Of course you can't watch it in 3-D, but you will get an idea of just how awesome it was and still is. My favorite thing about it is how unabashedly unselfconscious they all were. By the end, this film looks like a gay pride parade and I don't believe anyone involved in the production is really aware of this.

Soften All The Bones In Your Face

I feel just sick about this: Rich (from fourfour) will no longer be recapping America's Next Top Model.

Let's have a moment of silence.

I have always enjoyed the camp and absurdity of ANTM, but what has really kept me watching was Rich's hilarious, spot-on commentary every week. He actually changed the way I watched the show. I would seen an episode and think "what will Rich say about that?" This cycle is no exception.

The first "runway show" had so many elements. The runway was narrow (12 inches wide), surrounded by water, the girls had to walk inside bubbles and the bubbles were full of red petals that further obscured their vision.

I'm not really sure why they even bothered with the Alexander Wang clothes. The girls might as well have been wearing sacks (some of them looked like they were).

Two girls fell off the runway and floated around in the water nobody helped them out, they just had to crawl around like hamsters until they could move close enough to the edge to roll themselves out. It was beyond ridiculous.

Only one girl didn't look like a total mess and she's from a small town in PA! I'll be rooting for Britanni (and pretending that she doesn't spell her name in such a dumb way).

Luau

We've been in Orlando for 3 full days now, and every day has been a different park. Sunday was Epcot, Monday was the Animal Kingdom, and today we did the Magic Kingdom. So far my favorite has been the Animal Kingdom. I feel like I could have spent much more time there. There was a lot to see and do and the rides were pretty impressive.

Today, though, we went to a Luau at the Polynesian resort after a day at the Magic Kingdom. The show was a 8 so we got there about 15 minutes early. There was a bit of a SNAFU with the seating (I didn't have our confirmation ticket, but we definitely already paid). That was a bit annoying, but when we were seated, we found we had pretty great seats.

After a few minutes sitting there, my brother noticed that I was right up at the edge by the aisle. He told me to be ready because they were definitely going to single me out to dance on the stage! I thought he was right, for sure, and proceeded to get very nervous about it. As the show progressed, it didn't seem like they were going to bring people up on stage. I started to relax.

Next thing I knew, they were announcing that they were going to need the audience's help and that if a cast member asked you to dance, you had to do it! I was in a panic. I kept my eye stealthily (stealthy, so he wouldn't see me looking at him) on the guy going out to find women in the audience. The danger passed, two guys and two girls were up on stage shaking their hips, and none of them was me!

But wait! Where did SHE come from? One of the cast members snuck up on our table like a hula ninja and commanded my brother to get going! She wasn't taking "no" for an answer (mostly because she didn't give him a chance to say anything) and just kept telling him to hurry it up to get to the stage.

Poor Ryan! He was up there with just one other guy from the audience and he was surrounded by these dancers. He was a real trooper (and way better than the other guy). It was so funny I was weeping. My dad got photos (which I will post later, with any luck).

The rest of the show was pretty amazing, but I think the crowd really liked Ryan. He got a number of compliments on his dancing on the way out of the luau!

Vacation!

I am less than 48 hours away from taking my first vacation in years! I use most of my holiday time to visit my parents in beautiful St. Cloud, MN or the rest of my family in Erie, PA. The one exception (in the last 3 years) was my 4 day trip to Nashville. That was fun, but it wasn't truly a vacation in the same sense as my upcoming week-long excursion to Orlando.

Some people may wonder why a 31 year old

would be going to Orlando with her parents and 29 year old brother. They would probably expect Key West or some other beach-oriented destination. Well, that is just not us! We have been talking about doing this for a couple of years now and we are finally all gainfully employed with vacation time (I'm talking about myself as the late bloomer in this scenario). The only hitch in the planning had been that my gainful employment and my mother's conflicted a bit when it came time to choose dates. Luckily, this year Mom's Spring Break falls in February, when I'm not too bogged down at work to justify leaving for a whole week.

This is a pretty close approximation of my current level of excitement:

I have one request from my co-workers, though. They are adamant that I get a picture of the four of us in Mickey Ears! I don't know how likely that is, but we may be so infected by the atmosphere of Disney that my father whips his wallet out of his fanny pack to buy Ears for us all. If that happens, I PROMISE to have photographic evidence! (Also, if he insists on wearing the fanny pack, there will be evidence)

Valentine's Day Mess

I was so proud of myself for having gone out an bought some Valentines for my grandmothers and my parents. I had them addressed and ready to go in time to send out on Friday. I took them to work (because I can't send outgoing mail from my mailbox, and I wouldn't trust my mailman anyway). I totally forgot, however, to pick up more stamps!

There was no way anyone was getting their card from me on time, but I figured I buy stamps and send them out on Saturday.

Nope.

I left the cards at work! What a colossal waste. I could have kicked myself when I realized what I had done.

To further complicate my life, I also got a new pair of sneakers and I LOVE them. You may wonder why this would be so complicated...it is because these new sneakers are a replacement for my former favorite "reds". I have owned two pairs of identical red Sauconey Jazz sneakers and they are my all-time favorite shoe. The latest pair is well past prime and I have been searching for a new pair. I finally found some Roos that fit the bill, but that means my reds go into retirement. I am seriously conflicted.

A Memento Moment

Remember that movie a while back, Memento? Guy Pearce played a guy who couldn't remember what happened from one day to the next. Well, instead of having a "senior moment", I've started having "memento moments".

Today I asked Nicole, at work, if we had decided on a place to put some particular files. She told me that we did and I had made a file for it. I knew we talked about it and where it would go, but I thought we hadn't put it together. I didn't remember getting the hanging file, I din't remember writing the words, I didn't remember putting it in the file cabinet at all. It wasn't until she showed me the hanging file, with a label in my own handwriting, hanging where I thought it should go, that I actually believed her.

I was just like Guy Pearce. I couldn't remember or believe that I did it until I saw it in my own hand. Luckily, I have Nicole so I don't have to tattoo little messages all over myself.

Stada Baba...Now With EVEN More Betty White!

I meant to write about this a while ago, but never got around to it. One day, while surfing the interwebs and my favorite blogs, I came across an ad for the the DVD release of You Again. You may ask me "What the Hell is You Again?". To which I would reply: "Oh, that dumb-looking movie about a girl whose brother marries her high-school rival. I'm pretty sure nobody saw it".

It starred Kristen Bell, who I assume people must like because she keeps getting cast in movies, but I must confess that my world wouldn't be any different if she weren't in it. Also in the cast were Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver. From the trailers I know that Sigourney and her niece terrorized JLC and Kristen Bell's characters back in High School. Now there is a wedding to get ready for and these women can't be civil. There are incidents of accidental identical dresses, people get thrown into pools, and Betty White quips about being on Facebook and "The Twitter".

The thing of it is, that this ad I saw for the DVD didn't have a picture of Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, or the girl who played the High School Bully, it just had Betty White. Apparently, in order to sell this movie, some marketing geniuses got the big idea to pump up the volume by adding outtakes, bloopers, and deleted scenes with "More Betty White".

I won't deny that I have enjoyed the career of Betty White and her recent renewed popularity. After Sophia, Rose Nyland was my favorite Golden Girl. Betty was pretty much the only spark of bearability in The Proposal, so I imagine the same is true for You Again.

So, as promised, more Betty White!

Skins

Netflix has the British Teen Drama Skins available to watch instantly. As this is the show where Kaya Scodelario (one of the names I've heard most for Katniss) first started impressing people, I thought I'd give it a go. It is entertaining, though it isn't very believable. The show does a pretty good job of making you care about the characters who are generally very flawed.

In the first season, she has maybe 10 lines, and only appears in 3 episodes, I think. She plays Effie, the little sister of one of the main characters, Tony. I haven't gotten past season 1, so I think she must play a larger role in upcoming seasons.

That's not what this is really about. What it is really about is the kid who plays Tony. His name is Nicholas Hoult, and you may remember him as the weird kid in About a Boy. At that point he looked like this:

He was gawky and weird, but pretty good in the movie.

Now, however, he looks like this:

I'm thinking Gale. He's about 21 years old now, 6'2" and strikingly, if not conventionally, good looking. He has popped up in a few other movies in the last couple of years. I saw him in them (Clash of the Titans, A Single Man) and totally didn't recognize him as the boy. I also didn't realize it was the same person in each of those movies, but every time, I did think he was good.

Do it for the children

Season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race began on Monday. I know that only a couple of you watch it, but I just can't contain my excitement. I am watching it online, which means that I have to wait until Tuesday each week. This pains me, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

I am going to make it my mission to convert everyone into a RPDR believer.

Reasons to watch RPDR:

1. Religious Sensitivity

One queen (Mimi Imfurst) broke down during the first elimination challenge because she couldn't sew. When her look (a sequined take on Mary at the nativity) was actually praised, she broke down once again.

2. Vocabulary Lessons

I bet you didn't know "mop" means to steal (unless you have seen Paris is Burning, or are a Drag Queen yourself).

3. Anatomy

No amount of blurring can hide Carmen Carrera's assets.

4. Camp, Comedy, and Pathos

While "lip-synching for their lives" to a Vanessa Williams song, two queens drop their wigs and literally duke it out on stage.

If you do one thing for yourself this week, watch Drag Race.

Baby Yoanna

My friend from college just had a baby last week and I'm pretty excited about it. Baby Yoanna is the first baby to be born to any of my closest group of friends from PSU. In honor of her birth, I wanted to continue my tradition of knitting a gift. I made a yellow blanket for my cousin's baby, and I posted about the striped blanket I made for a friend at work.

This time around I wanted to expand my repetoir (I can't find this word in spell-check, so it may be misspelled). I love the idea of little pea-pods for babies as I've heard that they like to feel like they are back in the womb. I guess this is why people swaddle babies so tight. I think I found the perfect pattern.

I couldn't find the right size yarn, so I had to double up the chunky I could find. It is 100% pure merino wool and I can tell it is very soft and warm. I don't know if you'll be able to tell in the pictures, but it is a really pretty pink/red combo. I made a little matching headband that will probably not fit, but I had some extra yarn.

Here is what it will look like with a baby inside (no, I do not think my giant container of Purell wipes is a baby, but it was the best I could do).

I really hope she fits in it. As you may be able to tell, my concept of the actual size of a newborn is questionable at best. I did my best to follow the directions, so I'll just have to trust the pattern. If it doesn't work, I have a back up plan:

Sure, it makes the wearer look like a garden gnome, but I had it on for only a minute and my ears were nice and toasty!

Start Your Engines!

It's time, once again, to put your stiletto to the metal for Ru Paul's Drag Race! It will be airing on Mondays on Logo. I don't get Logo, but they post all the episodes on the logotv.com website. They also post the behind-the-scenes show, Untucked.

To get you prepared a Drag Race Primer:

Drag Queen: "A gay man who has far too much style for one gender" -Noxzeema Jackson

Shade: aspersions cast upon another, often regarding target's appearance, best when both true and funny. Also known as "reading".

Example:

Work: Has nothing to do with the traditional connotation of the word. Generally involves walking, giving face, and posing to the death. One is commanded to "Work!" when one is already looking fierce.

This season's contestants are posted on the website now, with bios and pictures.

I don't know who will be my favorite this year, maybe Mimi Imfurst (she seems funny) or Raja (one of the makeup-artists from ANTM). One thing I do know is that I'm going to love every minute of it!

Fantasy Casting: Katniss!

Our final bit of casting is probably the most important role in the whole shebang. I can't imagine a situation in which the filmmakers wouldn't cast Katniss first. The girl they pick to play her will probably determine a lot of the other roles as well.

Unfortunately I have not been able to stay away from predictions for the part of Katniss. It seems like pretty much every girl with dark hair (and some without) who is between the ages of 13 and 25 has been suggested for this role! You can't look at a red-carpet picture of a girl without someone saying "is it Katniss?"

I find this pretty funny but also interesting. Some people with suggest an actress solely because of her appearance, with no idea how good of an actress she is. Others will want someone who is a good actress, despite her appearance. (Dakota Fanning, REALLY?). I have decided to only put forward one name (I had a couple of others lined up) and if I get any other suggestions, I will write about them and put them up with a link to their imdb page. Sound good?

My pick for Katniss is Hailee Steinfeld. She just blew me away in True Grit. She was sharp, tough, and took herself very seriously (a bit like Katniss might). There is one scene, near the beginning of the movie, where she is bargaining with a businessman to sell back the horses her father had bought. The dialogue was amazing, but with a less believable actress it could have sounded a bit Dawson's Creek.

While she is not an "unknown" as many fans are wishing, she has proven herself to be able to hold her own on screen with the likes of Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. I know she is only 14 now, but by the time they start filming, she should be very close to 16.

Your suggestions:

Elizabeth Gillies, age 17

Kaya Scodelario, age 19 (she was one of my original picks, but I haven't really seen her in anything)

Fantasy Casting: Everyone Else (Except Katniss)

I feel like saving Katniss for last and doing her post tomorrow. Today I'll talk about some of the other characters, and when I have ideas about who could play them, I'll let you know!

Caesar Flickerman is the host of the Hunger Games and manages to build a rapport with each of the contestants, putting them a ease, despite the fact that the next day they are all going to try to kill each other. He changes his appearance each year, matching his hair to his suit in all the colors of the spectrum.

I imagine him to be very charismatic and probably gay. Alan Cumming is my pick.

Katniss and Prim's mother comes from the wealthier class of District 12. She was the daughter of the pharmacist and even though she now lives in the Seam with the miners, she still practices her healing on residents. It is said that Prim takes after her in appearance and healing ability. She should be fair and thin and maybe look comparatively weak next to Katniss. It should only be when someone needs her knowledge and skill that she takes matters into her own hands.

At 32, Sarah Polly is a bit young for the role, but she's a really good actress and not over-exposed.

So, are there any other character you think we should cast? Cinna? Greasy Sae? Gale?

Fantasy Casting: Rue

Probably the most beloved character in all the books, Rue was the 12 year old tribute from District 11. She is described as small and bird-like, with dark skin and eyes. Her alliance with Katniss was short-lived but memorable.

Another pivotal role that will be extremely important to cast correctly. I scoured IMDB for suitable options, but never having seen any of the actresses in roles, I had a hard time. I tried to focus more on being small, adorable, and able to sing. There were quite a few cuties who came up, but one candidate came to me as an epiphany before I went to bed last night.

Do you know who this is?

It's RUE!!!

Willow Smith! It would be genius. She is just 11 years old now, is cute as can be, AND can sing (at least I assume so since she is starting a music career). I saw her in Kit Kittridge:An American Girl, when she played a girl playing a boy.

I'm sure whoever they actually get will be great, I think the director seems to take the relationship between Katniss and Rue very seriously based on his interview in EW this week.

Thoughts?

Fantasy Casting: Peeta

So I'm really enjoying this series of blogs...I hope you are too! I love seeing where our imaginations are in sync (Prim) and where they differ (Effie, Haymitch). It is such a personal thing, to read a book, and at the same time we all share it. Then we are excited when we hear it is to be made into a movie, but we are at the mercy of the director, casting agent, etc. I think its fun to pretend we have some power!

For today, another favorite character, Peeta Mallark. He is supposed to be 16 years old, like Katniss, but fair like Prim. The son of a baker, he is more well-fed than most of the other children in district 12. Most importantly, he must be able to lift heavy bags of flour! Just kidding, he needs to be believably well-spoken, naturally humorous, and exceedingly likable. I have two candidates (and I have chosen appropriately beefcake photos):

Gentlemen, start your engines!

I have only recently come across Hunter Parrish in watching Weeds. He is funny and, as you can see, really cute. He is 23, but despite my affinity for ABC family and the Disney Channel, my knowledge of young, blond, actors is pretty limited. I am not generally in favor of casting actors so much older, but he does have a very boyish look. Also, I won't feel quite so guilty ogling him!

Same goes for Chord Overstreet, he is 21 and very entertaining on Glee. Clearly, the boy can lift a couple bags of flour and I'm sure he can decorate one hell of a cake!

I do prefer Hunter, but I am really interested in what everyone else thinks. This one is a toughie because he has to be so many things.

What do you think?

Prescient, but is it too soon?

In the aftermath of the tragedy in Arizona, there has been much debate over the culpability of political pundits and politicians and their use of vitriolic rhetoric. Do people like Sarah Palin have a responsibility to temper her words and imagery on the chance that someone might "target" one of her "targets"?

I, for one, believe that these messages should bear some of the responsibility. Claiming that this was the act of a lone man seems dangerously naive. Maybe he wasn't influenced by Beck or Palin or others of their ilk, but that doesn't change the miasma of violence and hate created by such inflammatory speech. Even if he wasn't influenced by them or some left-wing extremist (as some have claimed), this tragedy should still cause reflection and a re-evaluation by politicians and talking heads about how they present their message. Despite Palin's denial of having any responsibility, she did immediately take down her map with targets (her aide called them surveyor's symbols) over congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford's district.

I know everyone has voiced opinions about this terrible event. I am only adding my comments because of the episode of V that I just watched. It is a hallmark of good science-fiction to hold a mirror up to society in an attempt to expose faults. I'm sure the initial intent for V was to do just that. I had no idea it would be so accurate.

For those of you who have not seen the show, it is about a small group of people who believe that the aliens who have arrived on earth are dangerous. These people are working to foil the aliens's plans. One of the humans is a priest who has been using his sermons to warn other people about the dangers of the aliens.

He likened the struggle against the aliens to a war, and that everyone in the congregation must be a soldier. He was amazed and felt extremely guilty when one of his parishioners became a suicide bomber. My guess is that Fr. Jack will definitely be amending his sermons in the future.

I'm sure it was just an amazing coincidence that this episode aired less than a week after the shooting, but I'm a little surprised that they showed it. I really wonder what the reaction will be among viewers. What a shame that we live in a world that so closely mirrors a science-fiction TV show.

Fantasy Casting: Effie

Not a character that I particularly like, Effie is still pretty important to the story. She is our first real glimpse of what someone from the Capitol looks and acts like. We don't have much of a description of her, and what we do get revolves around her various wigs. She is seen as being at best a bit silly and at worst capitalizing on the slaughter of children. She really does her best for her job, and can't really understand why anyone might resent that.

My vision for Effie has always been a naturally blond and fair woman in her late twenties or early thirties. I guess that is really up for debate, she could be any race or ethnicity and we never see her real hair color. The most important thing is that she is always trying to appear upbeat.

"Ladies first!"

Reese Witherspoon is probably my first choice. She has great comedic abilities and is almost the definition of perky. If she brought a little Elle Woods to the role, I think she could pull it off like a charm. Reese is 34.

I didn't think of Rachel McAdams on my own, I heard or read her name somewhere in relation to the part. She could do it and has worked with Robert Downey Jr. in the past. I think she's a good actress, but she has never really jumped out at me in anything. She is 32 years old.

Not originally on my list, but an intriguing thought, is Kristin Chenoweth. She is best known for her guest role on Glee, and her turn as Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked. Although a bit older than the other two contenders (she's 42), her voice might be just the ticket to convey that peculiar Capitol way of talking. I saw her listed in an Entertainment Weekly article as the favorite choice in a poll.

Fantasy Casting: Haymitch

Haymitch Abernathy is one of my favorite characters of the series. He is described as middle-aged, paunchy, and is almost always drunk. He was once sturdy and handsome (24 years ago when he won his Hunger Games). This is a delicate part, because the actor has to be (like Katniss) both very flawed and somehow endearing. To pull this off, I think it would be best to get a more established actor who has played a wide variety of roles. I think my two top choices would be very suitable.

Johnny Depp. Well, what can I say? At 47, he is just 7 years older than Haymitch would be (and with Haymitch's lifestyle, he should probably look closer to 50 than 40). Aside from that, the man can act. About 90% (or more) of the characters he has played are seriously flawed individuals, almost no classic leading man roles, and yet he is one of the most popular actors working today.

Robert Downey Jr. is right up there with Johnny. He is 45 years old and has had a career every bit a varied as Mr. Depp. He struggled for years with his own demons, and it wasn't until about 2008, when Iron Man came out, that really got noticed as a blockbuster-caliber actor. I've loved him since Heart and Souls and Only You.

For me, this one is really a toss-up. These guys are two of my all-time favorites. Both have great comedic abilities, but have also done plenty of dramatic roles. Neither one has ever seemed to have a problem with allowing himself to play a supporting role, nor do they shy away from parts that require them to behave badly and look terrible (in fact, I think they may prefer it).

What say you? Am I right on, or way off?

Fantasy Casting

The Hunger Games trilogy has been featured a couple of times on this blog. I have personally persuaded at least 4 people to read it, and each of them has really enjoyed it. The rumor is that a film version is being planned for the near future, and I think I heard that Suzanne Collins (the author) is working on the screenplay. There has been much speculation about casting, particularly for Katniss, so I thought I'd join the discussion.

We shall start off nice an easy with casting for Primrose Everdeen. In the first book she is described as: Very pretty and as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. Prim is 12 and this is her first reaping. Her skin and hair are fair like her mother's and she has a gift for healing.

Ladies, to the casting couch:

First up, Chloe Moretz, born in 1997. She is best known for her roles in Kick Ass and Let Me In. She may be a bit tough for Prim but in subsequent books, Prim really matures and becomes a lot stronger than she looks.

Next, we have Kiernan Shipka, born in 1999 and best known for her role as Sally Draper in Mad Men. She is really young and looks it, but would be able to mature with the role.

Finally, my personal choice, Elle Fanning. Most people still know her as Dakota's sister or don't know her at all. That is a mistake. She is every bit as talented as her older sister and her performance in Phoebe in Wonderland proved she could carry a movie. She was born in 1998.

Well, what do you think? Weigh in on these options (or provide your own) and I will be casting the rest of the main characters in the coming days.