Arrogantly Shabby Lounge

How Irish am I?

2006-03-17T04:32:00.000-08:00

You're 55% Irish

You're very Irish, and most likely from Ireland.
(And if you're not, you should be!)

Wow!

Imagine how Irish I'd be if I actually drank! LOL

Picture yourself as a South Park character

2006-03-15T23:56:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered how you would look as a South Park character?

Now that Isaac Hayes has left the show, perhaps there's now an opening for a new character ...

A new South Park you!

The sexy name decoder...

2006-03-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

Suzer made me do it!

Spring has sprung

2006-03-12T01:36:00.000-08:00

Although it won't be officially Spring for a couple more weeks, you can't point out things like that on a calendar to Mother Nature. She makes up her own mind! The yellow snow is falling and Benedryl sales are rising.

Here, the wild Azaleas are blooming.

Annie Proulx bashes the Oscars.

2006-03-11T03:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, Annie Proulx, the author of Brokeback Mountain, is upset that the film based upon her short story was not the recipient of the Best Picture Oscar. Neither is she happy that the acting awards went elsewhere.

Hollywood loves mimicry, the conversion of a film actor into the spittin' image of a once-living celeb. But which takes more skill, acting a person who strolled the boulevard a few decades ago and who left behind tapes, film, photographs, voice recordings and friends with strong memories, or the construction of characters from imagination and a few cold words on the page? I don't know. The subject never comes up.

She critiques the show in an article for the Guardian Unlimited:

There were montages, artfully meshed clips of films of yesteryear, live acts by Famous Talent, smart-ass jokes by Jon Stewart who was witty and quick, too witty, too quick, too eastern perhaps for the somewhat dim LA crowd.

I find it rather amusing that while middle-America fusses about Hollywood being too edgy and too out of touch with American values, Annie Proulx calls Hollywood "provincial" for not selecting "her" film as the top film.

Despite the technical expertise and flawlessly sleek set evocative of 1930s musicals, despite Dolly Parton whooping it up and Itzhak Perlman blending all the theme music into a single performance ... there was a kind of provincial flavour to the proceedings reminiscent of a small-town talent-show night.

Annie also describes protesters she saw as her limo approached the theatre. I don't know why I'm surprised that protesters would show up to decry gays in movies. The Episcopal church is undergoing a schism over a gay Bishop who was ordained last year. Why shouldn't the closed minded also protest at the Oscars over the presumed win of Brokeback Mountain?

Hells Angels sue Disney... no, really!

2006-03-10T04:20:00.000-08:00

The Hells Angels "motorcycle club" is suing Walt Disney Co.. The Hells Angels suit claims that a planned movie, called "Wild Hogs", about a group of motorcycle riders infringes on its trademark name and skull logo.

Think about it... outlaw bikers sue one of the most litigious and trademark protecting companies over... trademark infringement.

You gotta laugh. :)

Have you ever seen a yeti?

2006-03-08T04:48:00.000-08:00

Betcha didn't know that yeti existed, didja?

Well, this yeti lives deep in the Pacific and it's a crab! or a lobster thingee!

It's a furry crustacean at any rate. :)

It's called Kiwa hirsute which basically means "furry goddess of shellfish."

Out of touch and proud of it...

2006-03-06T03:07:00.000-08:00

This, from his Oscar acceptance speech, is one of the reasons that George Clooney is my pretend movie boyfriend:

"And finally, I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while. I think it's probably a good thing. We're the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn't really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects. This Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I'm proud to be a part of this Academy. Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch."

Not, of course, that I agree unreservedly with his assessment. I do think Hollywood is largely out of touch with the sensibilities of a significant portion of their audience. I think there is a fundamental lack of respect and an underestimation of both the audience's intelligence and its desires.

No, what I like about Clooney's statement is the heartfelt belief that Hollywood can change things for the better; that it can be the leading edge of the nation's opinions about social and societal issues. This is optimism about what can be good about the arts and the art of filmmaking.

The bride

2006-03-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

My cousin, Holly, the lady of the hour.

Bells will be ringing...

2006-03-03T01:08:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be out of town this weekend to see my cousin and her fiance wed and blend their families together. My best wishes to Holly, Keven, Ashley, Kristen, and Bailey!

Daisy and the dog show...

2006-02-26T03:32:00.000-08:00

Daisy really got a kick watching last month's Fifth Annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Dog Show.

How am I defined in the dictionary?

2006-02-24T02:50:00.000-08:00

Stolen from Hal:

Elizabeth --

[noun]:

A poltergeist sent back in time to change the course of history forever

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Who was I in a past life?

2006-02-23T03:03:00.000-08:00

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Happy Go Lucky Belly Dancer.

Where You Lived: Tibet.

How You Died: Natural causes.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

Mmmmmm... donuts!

2006-02-22T03:35:00.000-08:00

Oh, goody, my favourite kind!

You Are a Glazed Donut

Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that.
You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness.
Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you.
And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten.

What Donut Are You?

Larry the lounging lizard?

2006-02-19T03:16:00.000-08:00

This little fellow was sunning on a sickly azalea.

Golden arches tarnished

2006-02-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Would you like fries with that tummy ache?

McDonald's has announced that it doesn't just have potatoes, vegetable oil, and various secret chemicals in its yummy French fries. The recipe for the crispy treats, formerly advertised as being gluten free, also includes wheat and milk products.

Those with milk or gluten tolerance issues, such as celiac disease, may want to keep an eye out for various class action suits taking aim towards the greasy fast food giant.

Look mommy, my fries have sodium acid pyrophosphate! How yummy!

Eagles soar once again

2006-02-16T02:25:00.000-08:00

Word is that the federal Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States is taking steps to remove the American Bald Eagle from the endangered species list again.

In the continental United States, there was a total of 413 breeding pairs in 1963. Today the number of breeding pairs has risen to between 7,066 and 9,100 pairs.

The pesticide DDT, which was the chief environmental threat to the eagles, was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1972. DDT made the eagle's eggshells brittle and doomed generations of young birds before birth.

Once again, American hearts will be able to take flight at the glorious sight of the majestic Bald Eagle swooping down and snatching small children off the streets of cities and towns everywhere.

Never schtup a killer bunny

2006-02-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

An image on the facade of a Broadway theater, used to promote the hit musical "Monty Python's Spamalot," has been removed after a model filed a lawsuit claiming it showed her in a foolish and undignified manner. She further claimed that her image was used without her permission.

Producers of the show believe they have the proper rights to the image, but removed it after learning that model Carla Collins objected.

The image showed a flirty woman in an old fashioned dress playing with her hair. She was placed in one of a row of faux windows between images of two of "Spamalot's" characters: a killer rabbit and a cow.

Now, I have to say that I think she could have used this to her advantage rather than suing. Her face is on Broadway! darnit. She could have milked this for all it's worth. Heck, I'm picturing bumper stickers with her image saying, "My breasts: Appearing daily on Broadway"

Foolish and undignified?

This is Monty Python, chick. They could have had you schtupping the killer rabbit. Now THAT would be foolish and undignified!

What does your candy heart say?

2006-02-14T01:58:00.000-08:00

Bon posted this quiz on her page a couple of days ago. I decided to swipe it for that day of ultimate romance. ;)

Your Candy Heart Says "Marry Me"

For you, love is serious business. You don't take dating lightly. And even if you haven't met the right person, getting married is something you expect to do soon.

Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic picnic in the park

Your flirting style: subtle and calculating

What turns you off: short term flings

Why you're hot: you're a hopeless romantic with each new relationship

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

I got an early Valentine's Day Surprise!!!

2006-02-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

An autographed copy of Self Management For Actors by Bonnie Gillespie arrived today in the mail! I'm so excited, I could hardly wait to thumb through it.

I see so many familiar names in the index.

What?

You don't browse through the index first?

Anyway, I see so many familiar names -- not only names of the rich and famous but names I recognize from around the net. Many of the names in the book are of entertainment industry professionals who post or lurk as Cellmates Behind the Celluloid Curtain or were, likewise, Denizens of Wolfesden Actor Exchange.

I was delighted to see a forward by the divine character actor Bob Clendenin. Bob has a great, unforgetable face. :)

Heh, there's Bill Lippincott, Phil Brock, Brad Blaisdell, Billy DaMota, Bob Brody, Gary Marsh, Stephon Fuller, Kathryn Johnston, Kathryn Joosten, Steve Tom, Pamela Newlands, Karen Sewell, Anne Henry, Rob Kendt, Thomas Mills, Mark Sikes, Frances Uku, Shon Little, Jonathan Walker Spencer, Rob Ashe, Kris Burtt, Shelley Delayne, and the late Lawrence Parke, who was a darling, darling man.

This would indeed be a great gift for any actor in your life.

Be careful surfing the world wide web...

2006-02-12T23:51:00.000-08:00

You might find a spider!

This is an orchard spider who posed for me in my back yard. Other than the scary spider quotient, orchard spiders aren't harmful to humans.

What Star Trek character are you?

2006-02-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

I believe my friend Christine would probably concur with this analysis, before asking where I've hidden my Time Warping Counseling Couch:

Your results:
You are Deanna Troi
You are a caring and loving individual.
You understand people's emotions and you
are able to comfort and counsel them.

Deanna Troi - 70%
Geordi LaForge - 60%
Uhura - 50%
Will Riker - 50%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt) - 50%
Jean-Luc Picard - 45%
Spock - 44%
Data - 42%
Chekov - 35%
Beverly Crusher - 35%
Leonard McCoy (Bones) - 30%
James T. Kirk (Captain) - 30%
Mr. Scott - 25%
Mr. Sulu - 20%
Worf - 20%

Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character are you?" quiz...

Congrats to Hal and TheSpyAnts!

2006-02-10T03:55:00.000-08:00

TheSpyAnts were Nominated for two LA Weekly Theater Awards.
Hal Perry posted over on his blog:

TheSpyAnts were received two nominations for The Birds for the 27th LA Weekly Theater Awards - as a cast for Comedy Ensemble, and for Kelly Ann Ford for Comedy Direction.

Congrats to all involved with that production!

Let's go cruisin' with Lee Tamahori!

2006-02-09T23:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, boys and girls, it's time to go Cruisin' with Lee Tamahori...

no comment...
just...
no comment!

Have fun. :)

Buy this book or the actor gets it.

2006-02-07T16:46:00.000-08:00

Actually, Self Management For Actors by Bonnie Gillespie would be a great gift for any actor in your life. This book was so popular the first time around, it's now in its Second Revised Printing!

Don't miss Bonnie's other books either: Casting Qs and Acting Qs co-authored by Blake Robbins.