Girly Girl by Author Kristin Billerbeck

Ellen is my new hero for calling Ben out:

As you know, I'm no longer watching the Bachelor, but I do love this video that Ellen called Ben out for his taste. She even offers to set him up with a decent woman. Ben is his usual self and claims he was so worried about the model thing and didn't want to go Hollywood. Bahhahaa. You could have fooled us. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bom-kd2VaiU

My Internet has been out and special thanks to my lovely Comcast man who risked life and limb to get past my son's Lego collections to the Cable box.

The Artist: My Review

Okay, I didn't love it. I think I have too much history with old movies. I have loved them since I was a child. So the movie, while paying homage to those oldies, came nowhere near what surprising sparkle the oldies held. To watch Charlie Chaplin on the screen is magical. I found the lead in this a little annoying -- and kind of sniveling if I'm honest.

The heroine tried to be cute, but I wanted to smack her. I didn't think she had the star quality to pull it off. I guess neither of them did and that was the problem. Their homage to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers didn't come close. I've seen all these oldies on the big screen and when you watch their stars, you cannot take your eyes off of someone like Fred Astaire or Humphrey Bogart. I nearly fell asleep in this one.

There's also no motivation for the character not to keep trying, so I got annoyed with him really quickly. That wouldn't cut it in a novel, to have a character who was passive in their garbage. I don't know, like I said, if you haven't grown up with the oldies, this is probably fantastic. But as for me and my money? I should have stayed home and watched TCM.

Much Ado About Loving

Yesterday on the Judith Regan show, she had the authors of a new book called "Much Ado About Loving:Much Ado About Loving: What Our Favorite Novels Can Teach You About Date Expectations, Not So-Great Gatsbys, and Love in the Time of Internet Personals

If you're a book lover and that title doesn't grab you? I don't know what will. Though I do think the cover sucks, so I bought it on my Kindle. All that great literature and you give us that for a cover? THe pub should be ashamed, quite frankly. Loving great literature as I do, I'm this book's primary market, and I wouldn't have touched that book in a bookstore. If I hadn't heard the authors on Judith Regan, I would have passed it right up.

So the authors were comparing people's love lives to that of great literature. How can you not love that? If you're an Anna Karenina or a Madame Bovary? You have issues. (I'll say!)

Even more fun, they got into the real lives of Tolstoy and Dickens (they were complete dogs to their wives -- heinous, in fact) and the wonderment of how these men could create such rich, emotionally-sensitive books and in reality be such relational morons is a question for the times.

I suppose I'd be a Bathsheba Everdene from "Far from the Madding Crowd" -- which isn't all that great either. Bathsheba was a bit headstrong and didn't know what she needed/wanted. That's my story. What's your literary counterpart? Willing to share?

Food Police: Paula Deen Caught Eating a Cheeseburger

Oh my, this is disturbing. She has diabetes and she's eating a cheeseburger!!! GUARDS! GUARDS!! Next thing you know, they're going to go after obese people for eating pizza. Where are the freedoms in the world? We know Paula has Diabetes and she loves to eat what is a diabetic's nightmare -- and this is news, why?

If you're a foodie, and you have a life to live -- if you want to down a bacon burger with donut buns, it's YOUR business. Is it smart? No. But neither is buying a $500 handbag when I don't need one. People are entitled to their vices. Last time I checked, no one was perfect.

Seriously, if I could be completely healthy and had to eat/pop vitamins like Suzanne Somers? I'd take a shortened life span and down a slice of tiramisu. I just don't get why people think other people's habits are their business. If you're not married to them, why is it your business? And I'm just going to ask you. Who seems happier? The healthy chick or the one with a fryer in her kitchen?

Paula, honey, you down that cheeseburger with gusto. Next time, do it in the comfort of your own home, so you can really enjoy it.

FYI, "The Scent of Rain" is official. It's at the publisher's, edited and approved. So I am celebrating this morning with a trip to the theater to see "The Artist." And I'm going to have Sour Skittles and a Diet Coke in honor of Paula. After all, tomorrow is another day and I could get hit by a bus -- then I'd really be ticked I didn't eat the Skittles.

Explosive Bouquet

One of the negatives of doing book research is that I find out how much effort goes into something and it gives me a new appreciation of that aspect of life. Case in point: well-trained hairdressers (Split Ends); what it takes to be a great esthetician and why your skin NEEDS a good facial here and again (Smitten) and my most recent discovery is the perfume business (The Scent of Rain) -- I got an email this morning and it read, "Explosive Bouquet" about a new fragrance called "Flowerbomb" -- I would have gone with the Explosive Bouquet as a name versus Flowerbomb, but that's me and my marketing background. The point is, I read the perfume's notes and I really want to get to Sephora and inhale it for myself. It has all my favorites.

Listen to this magical description:
Flowerbomb
This floral explosion releases a profusion of flowers that has the power to make everything seem more positive. Magically evocative notes immediately awaken your deepest senses, giving you the impression of living life in your own secret garden, away from reality. Sambac Jasmine, Centifolia Rose, Cattleya Orchid, and Ballerina Freesia bloom on a base of Patchouli.

It's enough to overcome a bad name. Although maybe that appeals to you youngins and I'm not cool enough. Either way, it's another reason to get lost in Sephora. Which, besides DSW, is a place I go when I need to chill. There's nothing like fresh, pretty makeup and scents to make your heart realize what's important. : ) Plus, if you go into Sephora with kids at the mall? They pick off and go elsewhere because there is something kid deterring there. Just saying.

Where's your happy place?

Rejection is Part of the Business...but at home?

So this morning, I had to do three radio interviews for Smitten. By the way, if I haven't already said so, you can enter to win some great prizes from Thomas Nelson if you visit SmittenVermont.com -- you can also read about the town and get some wonderful recipes.

So on the third interview, the publicist's patch system didn't work, so Colleen didn't get on the interview and it was just me. The guy was fabulous though. Ken Johannessen from Newstalk KPQ in Spokane, Washington.

Anyhoo, I finish my interview and the kids are all home for late start and Seth goes, "Mom, no offense, but your book sounds terrible. I mean, who wants to read about relationships and stuff?"

No offense? Really? No offense, but you suck?? Clearly, my kids have not been given the gift of encouragement, and that is wrong. I'm encouraging. Didn't I believe in your guitar abilities when you clearly had no musical talent whatsoever? I did. I kept paying for lessons until you came to the conclusion on your own.

Didn't I sit in the soccer bleachers while you played with the leaves on the field and danced? I did. So how exactly did this come to pass that my son would feel the need to encourage -- or not -- in this manner?

Two Radio Interviews Down, Three to go...

It's so much easier doing them tandem with friends. I think I may never write my own book again!

Oscar Nominations are in:

Best Picture:
The Artist
The Descendents
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris (really???)
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

I don't really think a lot of these are Oscar-worthy. Maybe the ten movies is too many, no? I mean Moneyball was good. It wasn't that good. I haven't seen the Artist or the Descendents yet, but plan too. Midnight in Paris was just a bad rom-com and it's only nominated because it's Woody Allen's. War Horse was too long and about a horse. Need I say more?

Actor:
Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
George Clooney (The Descendents) -- Doesn't he just play himself?
Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) -- It's Gary's turn.
Demian Birchir (A Better Life) ??

Actress:

Glenn Close (She plays a man. Is that fair? Anyway, she has enough.)
Viola Davis (The Help) She was fantastic in this. She gets my vote!
Mara Rooney (Dragon Tattoo) Can't see it, too violent, but she'll probably win.
Meryl Streep (Iron Lady) She has enough. Her shelf will fall over.
Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn) -- This lasted about a week in theaters. Why?

For supporting roles, I have to go with Jonah Hill in Moneyball. He was great in that movie! I didn't even know it was him at first. Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids. Come on, that woman ruled that screen and I had NO idea that she was actually a very beautiful, feminine woman. My favorite line, and please don't judge me, it was perfect delivery: "I'm gonna climb that like a tree."

All in all, I didn't think it was a great year for movies. You?

See all the nominees and some great clips here:

http://oscar.go.com/nominees

This is what happens to your soul on politics:

This is John Kerry after a "friendly" game of hockey, but it's really a metaphor isn't it? For what happens to a man's soul when he gets involved in politics. It is truly an ugly game and I think that's why we don't have any decent politicians. Who wants to run but someone who thinks they're entitled to be a leader?

There are no statesmen left. One of my son's favorites is James Polk. He was the only president who set out to accomplish four things. He accomplished them in his four years and then stepped down. He was done. According to Wikipedia he accomplished the following: Polk oversaw the opening of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Smithsonian Institution, the groundbreaking for the Washington Monument, and the issuance of the first postage stamps in the United States.

Of course, he got elected promising to annex Texas, but Mexico didn't want them either, so that didn't work out. Everyone has their failures. I for one, am glad we've still got Texas. He died three months after stepping down. Of cholera. That sucks.

Our history is full of great men who sacrificed for their country. With politicians getting rich off the backs of lobbying is anyone sacrificing anything for their country anymore? Or using it as a get rich quick scheme?

I'm tainted by politics. We just get to pick the lesser of two evils. We don't really get to pick anyone do we? Is your attitude better than mine? Does your politician's soul look better than Kerry's friendly game result?

Family Communication

Today, I folded the laundry above. Things tend to backup when I'm on deadline. Wednesday I start the radio interviews for Smitten, so I wanted to have things caught up by then. There was an all-day marathon of "The O'Neals" on OWN. It's a show about Ryan O'Neal (narcissist) and his messed-up daughter (Tatum) trying to work things out.

I can't bear to watch this show because Ryan tries to tell everyone around him how they should think about him. Everyone must tiptoe around his explosive anger (which rears it's ugly head when you get close to telling him he did anything wrong.) And he abused his children, which is more than, you left the milk out on the counter. He turns the conversation back to Tatum and her issues, the minute she gets close to anything be partly his fault. So Tatum tries to say it kindly and lovingly, but you're still saying to a man who can't take responsibility, "you did this wrong."

But you can't say that on any level and still call him daddy because he won't take any that's all in the past. And who wants to rehash the past? Well, Ryan does if he can point the finger, but if it starts to get close to him, the angry monster appears and throws more blame gasoline on the fire. He will call you a few choice names if your truth varies from his.

I feel for Tatum as her father gets up there in years and she wants to make peace. He is never going to tell her what she needs to hear, so she has to decide to forgive and accept him as a narcissist or cease and desist the relationship. Her father met Farrah Fawcett and basically left two kids at home to raise themselves.

Being a truth-teller, I know what my choice would be. I think. But then it's your dad, so would you accept what little he could give you? An example for Ryan is that he was violent with both Tatum and her mother. He says that's a lie. Which obviously it's not because he socked her when she won the Oscar at 8. I doubt an 8 year-old would forget that. If your father couldn't admit he'd hit you or had any part in the trouble in your life, could you forgive? He gets angry any time she brings up anything he doesn't want to discuss or that remotely points the finger at him. But he really did the best he could because he so doesn't get it, so do you have to let it go for health? Or get away?

My son just called me from the other room to ask me if I could go to the grocery store and get something. I came out of my office to show him that I was here. That's the kind of communication problems I hope we'll always have. But then, if I hit my kids, I'd cop to it. So what do you think? Can you support a false truth to make peace? Would you do it?

For someone who lived such a full life, it sure seems empty with him in the beach house all by his lonesome, fawning over Farrah (who he also mistreated) but of course, he doesn't remember any of that. The end of a narcissist's life is not pretty and I think we've got an excellent example here.