Drove the boys nuts. Bonkers. The way she walked down the hall. Tight jeans and tank top. Tight curves. Pouty lips. Breasts at full mast.

She had it all and she knew it. Not too bright but didn’t matter. Boys hung on her every word. Puddle at her feet.

The lucky few got some. The vast majority didn’t.

She knew early on that men were dogs. Animals in perpetual rutting season. Drooled at sound of bell.

She loved every minute of it. The role, the attention. Mostly the teasing. Offered up a show of flesh, then took away and laughed. As if to say - You’re never going to get this.

Knew what to do right out of high school. Shuck the townies. Why cast pearls before swine?

Off to Hollywood in a blistering July. Greyhound bus.

Took acting class. Glamour pix. Looked terrific. Dead on hot starlet. Agent off the bat. Small parts in teen movies. Off and running.

Rising star on B-party list. Snorted coke with Robert Downey. Guest roles on episodic television. Two lines in a feature with Tom Hanks.

Maybe not a Meryl Streep. But hot in line as next Jaime Pressly. Or Mena Suvari. Jennifer Biel. Kristen Dunst.

Dropped out of acting class. Starlet didn’t need it. Acting classes filled with out of work losers. She was in work.

Hollywood routine on club circuit. Episodics, commercials, bit parts in features. Blowing casting directors par for business. Short flings with actor studs before they moved on to the next dollop.

Sex got her noticed and accepted. Body paid the bills. No need for talent or intellect. People talked to her boobs.

But success only fleeting. Bright flash, then gone for months.

Men were animals. Always wanted sex. Starlet thought she knew life. She was dumb as a brick.

Parts were getting scarce. New girls on the scene. Sex pot roles went to fresh meat. Twenty seven was old in this town.

Her face in the mirror was lined. Years of drink and drugs. Features set in permanent scowl. Mask of disgust. Youth gone.

Dated a rich guy in his late thirties. Attorney. Porsche. Mansion in Hollywood hills. Relationship got serious.

Could have been her ticket out. Gave him great sex, great body. But yakked at him constantly. Lack of intellect a killer.

Hit him up for fifteen large. Short film. Showcase of her talents. Final shot for the big time. Attorney paid out of blindness of love. The film was a disaster.

Starlet lashed out. Blamed him for crashing her career. Temper tantrum in front of his friends. Attorney called off engagement.

Rent due. No money. Crappy one-room studio. Pimps and drug dealers. Neighbor was shot dead. Girl down the hall was raped.

Worked stint as call girl. Hated herself. Answer in a whiskey bottle and a slug of pills. Woke up in the hospital after an overdose.

Starlet finally wised up she was washed up. Shucked the career and went home. Greyhound bus in shame.

Pimple face at hardware store asked her to marry him. Broken soul took the only deal she had. Settled for a life of hometown mediocrity.

Bright lights were gone forever.

Deadly Angel author Andrew Cofrin 

I went to see the film of the stage musical Mamma Mia - which seems to re-use every ABBA song ever.

In some ways, this is long ad. for Mamma Mia the stage musical ! I will certainly go if given a chance !! I might even buy the sound track if it comes out.

Let me first say that I am open to learning about the opposite sex, and not in a dumb how do I know she likes me? kind of way.  A few years ago I went to a local production of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues, where women talk discuss in rather frank terms about what makes them...women.  I was shocked--do women really talk that way when men aren't around?--but I sat through it.  My female friends appreciated my tolerance (it was very crude) and assured me that not all women talk about lady business.  

Last summer I attended a women-only improv workshop at a national improv competition.  It was refreshing to see how women perceive how men perceive women.  I've even read He's Just Not That Into You.  Sure, women still frighten me a bit, but at least I'm trying my darndest to understand them.

Mamma Mia! is a movie about women, starring women, made by women (first time film director Phyllida Lloyd and screenwriter Catherine Johnson) and made for women.  Being a straight dude, I bravely entered into the theater with my date, knowing full well that I fall nowhere near the film's target demographic.  I had weathered the Monologues and an improv exercise called--no joke--The Womb, and survived.  Two hours of singing and dancing to ABBA tunes won't kill me, right?

Mamma Mia! produced a new level of discomfort for me.  I have no doubt that to enjoy this film, I would have had to have unholy doses of estrogen sashay through my veins.  I could actually feel my body physically reject this movie.  This is not a slam on the quality of the movie (that'll come later); I'm simply saying that there are certain places I shouldn't go, and this was one of them.  The whole time I was in the theater my soul whispered, you shouldn't be here.  Never ignore that still, small voice that tells you you're in way over your head, especially when taking a voyage to Secret Lady World. 

What's it about?  If you watched the above trailer, you know the entire story.  20 year-old Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is getting married.  She sends wedding invitations to three different men (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard) who may or may not be her father.  See, twenty-one years ago Sophie's mom Donna (Meryl Streep) had an extra hot summer, and nine months later Sophie appeared.  The only--and I mean ONLY--problem is that nobody knows who the real father is; not Donna, not her old beaus, and not a doctor who could do a DNA paternity test, because this all takes place on a remote Greek island.

The flimsy plot is weaved through a seemingly endless array of ABBA songs (as opposed to regular musicals, where songs cater to story and character) as people dance and sing and squeal and hug and kiss and drink and run away when flustered.  (This movie could have also been titled Everybody's Running, and probably would have had ABBA wrote a song with the same name.)

What's good about it?  Seyfried has genuine charisma and a pleasing singing voice--we'll be seeing more of her in the future.  And Streep, in true form, owns her role and gives 110%.

What's bad about it?  Lloyd's direction is quite flat.  The dancing is sloppily choreographed and edited poorly.  Isn't that one of the reasons why people go to musicals?  And to see Pierce Brosnan--the former James Bond--warble through his songs made my soul die a little.  He's a good sport for doing it, but he was grossly miscast.  The supporting cast play their parts so broadly they leave no room for subtlety.  You can tell everybody had fun making the film, but after a while it just feels like they're having so much fun they forgot to invite you.  

Perfect for: Women.  And only women.

- our reaction to this year's Mercury Music Prize nominations
- Courtney Love gets sued, again
- Deerhoof leak new single, sort of
- new Gregory & The Hawk album in October
- Little Boots working with The Bird & The Bee's Greg Kurstin
- new wave of ABBAmania hits the UK
- Marnie Stern returns with mouthful of an album
- You Say Party! We Say Die! get remixed
- Amy Ray unveils new solo album
- new Amy Rigby album is a collaboration with Wreckless Eric
- The Duhks announce fourth album
- Eva Cassidy takes on Tupac
- YouTube video nets Avril Lavigne £1 million
- Jessica Simpson booed at debut live performance of country material

* * *

If you've seen the list of nominees for this year's Mercury Music Prize you'll probably have noticed just how many women have been included this year. Well, about bloody time. The lucky four (and a half if you count Alison Krauss, who is American) still fall short of accounting for an even 50:50 with the guys, but it's definitely progress.

After much deliberation, Wears The Trousers is putting its money behind the brilliant Laura Marling, whose debut album Alas I Cannot Swim got a five-star review from us earlier this year, with a second bet on Rachel Unthank & The Winterset - The Bairns is a great, great record. Quite what Adele is doing on the list when Portishead, PJ Harvey and M.I.A. have been overlooked is a real mystery. We couldn't even muster 500 words to say about the yawnfest that is 19 to bother with a review. I must confess I haven't listened to Estelle's album yet, but ‘American Boy' was a great first single.

Jude Rogers, one of the judges in this year's competition, wrote on her Guardian blog that, contrary to some speculation, there was no female quota to be filled. Simon Frith, the Chairman of the Prize, reiterated this saying, "All this says is that there are a lot of women making interesting music. If you look at the charts there are a lot of women there and they are crossing genres."

That's nothing new Mr Frith.

Of course, Radiohead are the favourites, along with Arctic Monkeys singer Alex Turner's side project The Last Shadow Puppets. Among the women, the partnership of Alison Krauss and Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant is currently more favoured than the others. It's been six years since a woman - Ms Dynamite - won the Prize. This year's winner will be announced on September 9th during a celeb-ridden ceremony broadcast live on BBC2.

The nominations in full:
Adele - 19
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
Burial - Untrue
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Estelle - Shine
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim
Neon Neon - Stainless Style
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
Portico Quartet - Knee Deep In The North Sea
Rachel Unthank &The Winterset - The Bairns
Radiohead - In Rainbows

* * *

Having recently launched some memorable tirades against Billy Corgan and Ryan Adams on her MySpace blog, the ever-newsworthy Courtney Love probably won't be shouting about a new lawsuit brought against her today by London & Co., a business management company based in Los Angeles, claiming that Love owes them $975,000. The Associated Press report that the company says Courtney had a verbal contract with them in which she promised to share 5% of her earnings after she sold some of her share of Nirvana's publishing rights in 2006 for $20 million.

Still no news on her long-awaited second solo album though.

* * *

Trust Deerhoof to come up with a novel, nonsensical way of avoiding premature internet leaks. With their ninth album Offend Maggie due for release on October 6th, the band has offered a free download of the first single ‘Fresh Born' to all...as sheet music. But that's where the fun comes in, because Deerhoof are inviting whomsoever fancies the challenge to take the sheet music and come up with their own versions of the song. These ‘covers' can then be uploaded to the CASH Music website for everyone to hear. 

The band have made this video to explain this latest whimsy:

Offend Maggie
01 The Tears & Music Of Love
02 Chandelier Searchlight
03 Buck & Judy
04 Snoopy Waves
05 Offend Maggie
06 Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back
07 Don't Get Born
08 My Purple Past
09 Family Of Others
10 Fresh Born
11 Eaguru Guru
12 This Is God Speaking
13 Numina
14 Jagged Fruit

* * *

Gregory & The Hawk, the musical guise of New Yorker Meredith Godreau, releases her second album Moenie & Kitchi through FatCat on October 13th. Godreau has been working independently for roughly five years now, selling over 15,000 copies of various singles and establishing an adoring fanbase who have published so many YouTube videos of them covering her songs that they span a whopping 17 pages, and this is her first release for a label.

Produced by Adam Pierce (Mice Parade) and featuring a number of Godreau's musician friends, the 11-track album will be preceded by first single ‘Ghost' on September 29th. For now, content yourself with listening to the adorable ‘Grey Weather' on her Myspace.

Moenie & Kitchi
01 Oats We Sow
02 August Moon
03 Doubtful
04 Grey Weather
05 Voice Like A Bell
06 Wild West
07 Stonewall, Stone Fence
08 Ghost
09 Super Legend
10 Harmless
11 Two Faced Twin

* * *

Ex-Dead Disco frontwoman Victoria Hesketh, who now goes by the name of Little Boots, is working on her debut album with producer Greg Kurstin (aka the Bee to Inara George's Bird) at his home studio in Los Angeles. The as-yet-untitled album will feature the established club hit ‘Stuck On Repeat' and plenty of others. Speaking to NME.com, Victoria says she has more than enough songs for the album and that narrowing them down would be the real challenge. She also revealed that Hot Chip's Joe Goddard is collaborating on a song or two and that she hopes recording will be wrapped up by the end of the autumn. A UK release is expected early next year, but fans in the US will get an EP before then. The EP will include new song ‘Meddle' and a remix of ‘Stuck On Repeat' by Fake Blood.

* * *

The soundtrack to the Meryl Streep-starring film production of the 'Mamma Mia!' stage musical has confirmed a whole new wave of ABBAmania in the UK by not only becoming the first soundtrack to top the album charts since the 'Bridget Jones' OST in 2001 but also shooting the already multi platinum-selling ABBA Gold compilation back into the top five. The soundtrack has sold almost a million copies worldwide in the last two weeks.

* * *

Marnie Stern, arguably the queen of the electric 12-string guitar, returns with her second album on October 6th. Recorded in Sacramento, California with previous collaborator Zach Hill, the 12-track album is going by the unwieldy name of This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It Is It & That Is That - phew! That's even harder to remember than Fiona Apple's poem.

TII&IAI&YAI&SIT&HII&SII&III&TIT
01 Prime
02 Transformer
03 Shea Stadium
04 Ruler
05 The Crippled Jazzer
06 Steely
07 The Package Is Wrapped
08 Simon Says
09 Vault
10 Clone Cycle
11 Roads? Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads
12 The Devil's In The Details

* * *

Shouty, exclamatory Canadians You Say Party! We Say Die! plan to release a digital-only remix album through Paper Bag Records on August 26th to tide fans over while waiting for the follow-up to last year's Lose All Time. Remik's Cube features remixes of YSP!WSD! songs by the likes of Montag and The Octopus Project.

Remik's Cube
01 5 Year Plan [vitaminsforyou 6th year remix]
02 DMG, AKR! [S-2 beatdown mayors mix]
03 Opportunity [montag's i love her remix]
04 Teenage Hit Wonder [re-styled by camp america]
05 Monster [RAC mix]
06 Like I Give A Care [the octopus project remix]
07 Poison [bocce remix]
08 Moon [wallpaper remix]
09 Giant Hands [kevvy mental's hand in hand in hands remix]
10 You're Almost There [dj rexford mix]
11 Dancefloor Destroyer [great lenin's ghost remix]
12 Quiet World [stop die resuscitate in a k-hole remix]

* * *

Continuing to plough a more roughshod furrow than her day job as one half of the Indigo Girls, the upcoming third solo album from Amy Ray sees the singer take on all subjects from sexuality (‘She's Got To Be') and teenage killing sprees (‘Who Sold The Gun') to the Mormon faith (‘SLC Radio') and global warming (‘Bus Bus'). Didn't It Feel Kinder was produced by Greg Griffith (Le Tigre, The Butchies) with guest musicians Arizona and Kaia Wilson and Melissa York from The Butchies, and is released on August 5th through Ray's own Daemon Records.

As well as a regular CD version, a limited edition 180-gram vinyl pressing with different cover art will also be available...and will include the CD too! Preorder here. 

Didn't It Feel Kinder
01 Birds of a Feather
02 She's Got To Be
03 Bus Bus
04 Cold Shoulder
05 Who Sold The Gun
06 Out On The Farm
07 SLC Radio
08 Blame Is A Killer
09 Stand & Deliver
10 Rabbit Foot

* * *

Amy Rigby, the self-styled mod housewife, has teamed up with legendary Stiff Records artist Wreckless Eric for a collaborative album that sees them bring their two-year musical partnership to the studio for the first time. Released on September 15th through Stiff Records, Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby is "a beautifully raw and touching album: vocal harmonies, crackling, buzzing atmospheres and upbeat/downbeat lyrics of a couple that have been one too many times around the dance floor" - that's the press release. We haven't heard it yet but if it's anything like as good as Amy's five solo albums (most recently 2005's Little Fugitive) then we're excited. The duo plan to tour the UK in November.

* * *

Canadian roots music quintet The Duhks (pronounced ‘ducks') have announced details of their fourth album, Fast Paced World, due for release on August 19th in the US, through Sugar Hill Records. It's their first album since original singer Jessee Havey and drummer Scott Senior left the band last year, replaced by siblings Sarah and Christian Dugas. According to a report by Chart Attack, Sarah Dugas wrote five of the 12 new songs. "We travelled from Winnipeg, locked ourselves in a Nashville basement, pooled our ideas together and invented a new sound," she told the website.

The band are also leading the way with their green approach to their craft, as laid out by The Duhks Sustainability Project launched last October. The band have committed to using only biodiesel fuel, to recycle as much as they can, and to eat more certified organic foods, among other measures. Read all about it here. 

Fast Paced World
01 Mighty Storm
02 Fast Paced World
03 This Fall
04 Adam's 3-Step
05 Toujours Vouloir
06 You Don't See It
07 Ship High In Transit
08 Magalenha
09 Sleepin' Is All I Wanna Do (Stars On A Sunny Day)
10 95 South
11 New Rigged Ship
12 I See You

* * *

Giving Tupac a run for his money in the posthumous releases stakes is the unlikely figure of Eva Cassidy, who, 12 years after her premature death from cancer, is about to issue her seventh album from beyond the grave. Somewhere, a 12-track collection of previously unreleased material, has been culled from various forgotten sessions uncovered by Eva's family and friends. These include two songs co-written by Eva and covers of classics like ‘Walkin' After Midnight' and Dolly Parton's ‘Coat Of Many Colours'. The album is released in the UK on August 18th.

Somewhere
01 Coat Of Many Colours
02 My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose
03 Ain't Doin' Too Bad [live]
04 Chain Of Fools [live]
05 Won't Be Long
06 Walkin' After Midnight
07 Early One Morning
08 A Bold Young Farmer
09 If I Give My Heart
10 Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
11 Summertime
12 Somewhere

* * *

Avril Lavigne has made a staggering £1 million through a pioneering fan-led scheme concocted by Nettwerk Management that saw her YouTube video for ‘Girlfriend' notch up to almost 100 million views in the space of a year. And how does that translate into cold hard cash? Well, where there are video views there are also advertisement impressions and clearly that's a lot more lucrative than we had thought! And Nettwerk aren't stopping there - they plan to run a similar scheme in Mandarin to allow them to tap into the Asian market, which they say accounts for 40% of Avril's intellectual property value. As Nettwerk Management head Terry McBride reportedly put it, "we will make a shitload of money". Lovely.

* * *

Just when it all seemed to be boding so well for Jessica Simpson's country crossover for her upcoming album, Do You Know?, the 28 year old was booed by the audience during her first live country performance at a festival in Wisconsin at the weekend. Once America's favourite hooter-voiced dumbass, Simpson was reportedly heckled even when holding off on her own new songs in favour of covering Willie Nelson's classic ‘On The Road Again' and Shania Twain's ‘Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?'. Radio reaction to the first single, ‘Come On Over' has been pretty positive, and even Dolly Parton has come out on Simpson's side, both writing and singing on the album's title track, but clearly the public have yet to be won over. Simpson defended herself against her critics by saying, "I don't know what your perception is of Jessica Simpson or what tabloid you buy, but I just want you to know that I'm just a girl from Texas; I'm just like you. I'm doing what I love and dating a boy."

Well that's that sorted.

* * *

Alan Pedder

I went to see Mamma Mia today with my lovely daughters, and it was brilliant!  Funny, heartwarming and so toe-tappingly entertaining.  Of course I grew up with the music of Abba, but they weren't a favorite of mine.  My tastes, then and now, tend to run to harder rock.  But to see Meryl Streep and Co. performing all those familiar tunes gave them new life.  She has a marvelous voice, and Colin Firth didn't do too badly either.  Pierce Brosnan's singing made us all squeal, as did his obligatory shirtless shots!  Stellan Skarsgård was a revelation.  I have never knowingly seen him in a movie, but I understand he is quite a good character actor.  In Mamma Mia he was great as one of the three potential fathers of the bride.

***

What I am listening to:  Gold/Abba

What I am not reading: :-( Thuvia/E R Burroughs

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

I'll be the first to admit I'm not always one for musicals (still haven't seen Hairspray, and Rent was a total FAIL!), but every so often one comes along that I'm excited for. *sigh* And then the disappointment sets in. I loved Meryl Streep, it was clear she had a blast making the movie, and Amanda Seyfried was a pleasant surprise... but really, instead of making crap like this... maybe she should stick to asking people why they're white. That's all.

xoxo gossip boy k

I got up, ate some fresh cantaloupe and headed over to Kadel’s Auto Repair to get stuff out of my car.  It was hard to see my Goldie Hawn left behind in an auto body shop.  The damage was about $3000, not including labor.  I would have to report the figure to the DMV, as it is Oregon law to report any accident damage starting at $1500. 

Kadels was right by Washington Square Mall, so I did the irresponsible thing and headed over for some retail therapy.  I picked up a few cute summer shirts and a dress.  Everything was on sale, so I felt good about that.  On my way home, I caught up with my sister on the phone.  She mentioned that our brother was going through a rough time and might call off his engagement. 

I got home and hung up my new stuff, made healthy nachos for a late lunch, then began working on edits for my novel, following my first writer’s group meeting on Wednesday.  I ran the dishwasher and played with India and Capri, working out some clumping on Capri’s back.  Her fur practically turns into dread locks, only short and uneven.

I talked to my mom for a bit, mostly to check in on my brother.  I talked to him briefly, long enough to be there for him as he shared that he was, in fact, going to break off the engagement at 8:00 p.m., east coast time.  I could hear the turmoil in his voice.  He loved her.  He just couldn’t go through with the wedding and marriage.  I think he knew, in his heart and in his gut, that she didn’t love him the way he loved her.

My stomach was in knots.  At 4:45 I was watching Rocky II (which might be my favorite Rocky movie - I mean, it was called 'The Rematch of the Century'!!) and he was well into his fight with Apollo Creed, getting a beating to the face, and all I could think about was the emotional beating my brother was about to endure.  He was heading over to his fiance’s house, right as I was watching the movie, and he was going to call off the wedding, end his engagement, end his relationship with a woman who has been directing the course of his life for the past year.  He has been pained over this for weeks, but the trials of looking for a place to live and dealing with the ongoing fighting, well, he realized they were not compatible and that things were not good.  I knew this was a very difficult decision for my brother.  And it pained me to know what he was going through.  My stomach was in terrible knots.

Finally, after Rocky II was over, I got on the phone and called my mom’s cell.  I was so worried about him.  My mom said to check in tomorrow.

I eventually changed and drove over to Bridgeport Village to meet the girls.  We got tickets for the 7:50 show of Mamma Mia.  We were initially going to grab noodles at Zao, but we were a bit behind schedule, so we went into a Mediterranean place near the movie theater.  I had a gyro without the bread, served with basmati rice, tomato, lemon and a cucumber salad on the side.  It was actually pretty delicious.  We got our food to go, to hasten the eating process, and found a wall to sit on with enough space to scarf down our food quickly.  Just as we were getting settled, I saw one of best friends from high school, Melanie, who has been living in Tualatin for a few years now.  We were very close in high school.  I had been meaning to reach out to her a number of times.  I met her husband, who seemed very nice.  I gave her my card and mentioned we should meet up with two other classmates who live out here.

The movie was…interesting.  As far as I’m concerned, Madame Meryl Streep can do no wrong.  I loved her in this role.  And can she sing!  She played the role of Donna, more than slightly over the top, but that was the charm.   The whole movie was over the top.  But the Grecian island setting was dreamy and fantastical, and the production reminded me a bit of Xanadu.  The music was entertaining, but at times seemed awkward.  Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth were wonderful, though their singing was on that awkward scale.  Donna’s best friends Rosie and Tanya (portrayed by Julie Walters and Christine Baranski) were a delight.  All of the scenes with these three fun-loving ladies made the film.  Often raunchy, goofy and downright hilarious, their scenes and musical numbers were the most entertaining. 

And, it should be noted the young woman who portrayed Donna’s daughter, Sophie, portrayed by Amanda Seyfried, was phenomenal.  This was probably her break-out performance.  She looked like a mermaid through out the film!  All in all, Mamma Mia was luminous and fun.  By the end, we were out of our seats clapping, dancing and singing along to “Dancing Queen” and other final numbers.

After the movie, we walked over to Tutto Bene for some gelato.  I had a small cup of one scoop coconut and one scoop chocolate.  Delicioso!  It was getting cool out, so I had a small decaf cappuccino.  Susan, Kerry and I gabbed about dating, per usual.  We had some good laughs. 

I got home to a couple of love starved cats.  We snuggled on the sofa watching a repeat episode of SNL, with Christopher Walken as the guest host.  This was the episode when he was reading off of the cue cards to a point that it was a distraction.  Oh well.  I decided not to stay up for the whole show, and gathered up the kitties to turn in.  I was re-reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, an engaging and entertaining guilty pleasure.

The Dark Knight estréia fazendo história! Musical Mamma Mia! fatura bem, e Hellboy amarga uma queda brusca...

1º The Dark Knight - Um dos blockbusters (para não dizer o mais) esperado do ano, estreou, e como já era de se esperar, não decepcionou. Muito pelo contrário, fez história! Apenas no 1º dia em cartaz, o filme faturou excelentes US$ 66,5 milhões, e fechou o final de semana com incríveis US$ 158 milhões (deixando-o na frente do até então líder - Homem-Aranha 3 - no topo das maiores aberturas de todos os tempos)!

Só é triste que parte de todo esse sucesso estrondoso tenha custado tão caro - e de certa forma, se apoiado nessa situação (a morte do ator Heath Leadger).

2º Mamma Mia! - O musical (protagonizado por Meryl Streep) que conta com diversas músicas da banda sueca ABBA não fez feio (levando em consideração a grande estréia da semana) e fez US$ 27,8 milhões.

3º Hancock - Ainda faturando razoavemente bem, o super-herói atrapalhado (interpretado por Will Smith) segurou uma vaga no top 05, e conseguiu mais US$ 14 milhões.

4º Viagem Ao Centro Da Terra - Já a nova aventura de Brendan Fraser anda meio mal das pernas, mas ainda sim figurou no top 05 da semana faturando US$ 12,3 milhões. No saldo geral (nos E.U.A) o filme ainda não passou nem dos US$ 50 milhões.

5º Hellboy II: O Exército de Ouro - Com a grande estréia da semana, quem sofreu mesmo foi o guerreiro endiabrado Hellboy. O filme caiu do 1º direto para o 5º lugar, e faturou apenas US$ 10,1 milhões. A bilheteria geral também não está lá muita coisa... Agora que o filme passou dos US$ 50 milhões (nos E.U.A).

Var och såg filmen Mamma Mia i helgen. Filmen är baserad på musikalen med samma namn, som jag ska se på Globen i augusti. Det är en fantastisk film med fina gamla ABBA-låtar framförda av Hollywoodskådisar som Meryl Streep och Pierce Brosnan (James Bond).

Handlingen går ut på att Sophie (spelad av Amanda Seyfried) som bor med sin ensamstående mamma Donna (Meryl Streep). Mamma Donna äger ett litet hotell på ön och håller just på med förberedelserna inför dotterns bröllop. Sophie har aldrig fått veta vem hennes pappa är men har nu hittat sin mammas gamla dagbok och hittat tre kandidater. Hon bjuder in alla tre till sitt bröllop utan att berätta det för sin mamma så när de tre dyker upp blir det en stor överaskning för Donna.

Som sagt en fantastisk film att se nån dag då den svenska sommaren bjuder på regn. Filmen är etta på SF:s topplista och har slagit rekord i USA, under premiärhelgen spelade filmen in närmare 165,6 miljoner kronor. Det är rekord för en musikalfilm och Mamma Mia slog därmed Hairspray med dryga en halv miljon.

I just watched Mamma Mia with my dad. I absolutely L-O-V-E-D it!!! Hats off to Meryl Streep - what a great performance! and Pierce Brosnan is still hot :) What can i say? I like musicals! =) When we go to Las Vegas, me and my dad will watch the play if its showing there (hopefully it is!) 

 I am now officially an ABBA fan! Before, I only knew Dancing Queen and Take On Me but thanks to this movie... i love most of their songs =) 

I'm having LSS (last song syndrome), its disrupting my thoughts! "Mamma Mia! Here I go again, my my how can i resist you.. Mamma Mia! Does it show again? My my just how much i miss you!" It just repeats and repeats AND repeats. Not that i mind that much LOL. I LOVE IT! Its so upbeat and lively. har har :P

I wish I could post a video of Meryl Streep singing Mamma Mia, too bad i couldn't find a clip of it on youtube! This will have to do... enjoy! 

Here is a movie clip of "The Winner Takes It All" - this is my favorite scene. its touching!I like the lyrics =)

I give this movie 5 stars. Great family movie! I'm glad they made this play into a movie just like Phantom of the Opera! A wider audience will have a chance to enjoy it. When we were in New York a long time ago, I was able to watch the Phantom of the Opera (the Musical)! IT WAS A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! That was when i was still a kid and it left such a huge emotional impact on me. *sigh..* It would be great to watch more musicals or plays! I heard that Lea Salonga has a new musical/play about Cinderella! I want to watch that too!!! Anyway that's another blog entry.

xoxo,

Denivieve

Abba = Love + Musical + Meryl = Triple GAAAH

'Manhattan' es considerado un clásico en la historia del cine. La célebre película de Woody Allen se estreno en 1979. Una inteligente película que nos habla de las relaciones sentimentales a través de la inmadurez emocional.

La historia gira alrededor de Isaac Davis (Woody Allen). Un cuarentón neoyorquino que después de dos fracasos matrimoniales, mantiene una relación con una chica de diecisiete años (Mariel Hemingway).

Mientras, su última esposa (Meryl Streep) está apunto de publicar un libro donde cuenta las vivencias sexuales de Isaac. Por otra parte, su mejor amigo (Michael Murphy), mantiene una relación extramatrimonial con una mujer (Diane Keaton).

La película contiene un excelente guión (ingenioso, magnifico, certero y eficaz) realizado por Woody Allen y Marshall Brickman. Pero tango que destacar la cuidada fotografía (grandes planos de una Manhattan en blanco y negro) de Gordon Willis.

Woody Allen está enamorado de Manhattan, y así lo demostró en esta gran película con un final agridulce (cosa típica tratándose de una película de Allen).

Trailer Original

Escena de apertura (declaración de amor hacia Nueva York)

Frases memorables de 'Manhattan'

''Él era tan duro y romántico como la ciudad que amaba. Tras sus gafas de montura negra se agazapaba el vibrante poder sexual de un jaguar. Nueva York era su ciudad y siempre lo sería.'' 

"Yo estoy chapado a la antigua, no creo en las relaciones extramatrimoniales. La gente debería aparearse para siempre como las palomas... o como los católicos"

"- cuando al fin tuve mi primer orgasmo el médico me dijo que no era el adecuado
- ¿Tuviste uno no adecuado? Yo nunca los he tenido así, y el peor que tuve fue uno que me costó dinero"

"Me divorcié porque mi mujer me dejó por otra mujer (...) Bueno, me lo tome bastante bien dadas las circunstancias, solo intenté atropellarlas a las dos con mi coche"

"- ¿Qué tipo de perro tienes?"
- Lo peor, un salchicha, para mí es un sustituto del pene
- Ah, pues en ese caso deberías tener un gran danés, ¿no?"

"Mi psicoanalista me advirtió de tu bisexualidad, pero eras tan guapa que cambie de psicoanalista"

"Yo creo que el cerebro es el más sobrevalorado de los órganos"

"...Y nada significan, porque nada que valga la pena puede ser entendido por la mente"

"¿Por qué la vida merece ser vivida? Bueno, supongo que hay cosas que hacen que la vida merezca la pena vivirse. Por ejemplo, Groucho Marx y Willie Says; y el segundo movimiento de la Sinfonía Júpiter; y la grabación de Potatohead blues por Louis Armstrong; y las películas suecas; y La educación sentimental de Flaubert; y Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, las fabulosas manzanas y peras de Cézanne, los cangrejos de Sam Wo, y el rostro de Tracy."

Its not that she went to see the plastic surgeon in an attempt to resolve what sounds like a complex since childhood - most of us have those moments of thinking "if only I could rectify my this that or the other my life would be sorted" moments.  Our shock is that despite the fact that she is still one of the most beautiful women to grace our screens, all those years ago she left the surgeon, devastated, with a whole list of problems; from her nose being too small to her underbite being to big and her chin too long.

Luckily for us, she saw the sense once the bill arrived and didn't go ahead with any of the procedures.

There seems to be a greater appreciation these days for natural beauties in older women, helped by the likes of Dame Helen Mirren (62) looking fantastic last week in a red bikini - and looking better than most of us here at BB Towers, despite us being 30 years her junior.

And then there's the forever beautiful Meryl Streep, who, at 59, has once again seen box office and now chart success this week for her dynamic role in the film version of Mama Mia this. She is once reported to have attributed her perfect skin to "actively not touching it with her hands" - if only we'd all listened to that tip ten years ago!

The truly marvellous thing about these actresses is that they provide a fantastic example for us 20 and 30 somethings, and an avenue of aspiration away from the nip-tuck culture we've been subjected to over the last few years. These women are all the more beautiful and distinguished for the fact they haven't had surgical intervention, and we should all take heed and not resign ourselves to a trip to the surgeon once we hit 40. Helen, Meryl and Greta - we love you!

For a little non-evasive help and advice on maintaining your natural good looks and beauty for the years ahead, check out our article on strength training for women in the Bookshelf Boyfriend sport and fitness section, and our tips to great skin.

[ASM]

(Phyllida Loyd - 2008 USA)

Mamma Mia!, celeberrimo musical teatrale basato sulle canzoni del gruppo rock ABBA, ha raggranellato milioni di spettatori in giro per il mondo ed è inevitabilmente sbarcato ad Hollywood. Si racconta della giovane Sophie, che sta per sposarsi su una splendida isola greca ed invita ad insaputa di tutti 3 ex fidanzati della madre, uno dei quali potrebbe essere il padre che non ha mai conosciuto. Seguono, neanche a dirlo, 24 ore di follia raccontate dalle hit del gruppo svedese, da "Dancing Queen" a "Take a Chance on Me". Interprete d'eccezione Meryl Streep nei panni dell'esuberante Donna, la madre di Sophie; e dopo aver visto la Streep cantare (con buoni risultati) e ballare come una ragazzina ci si chiede se esista qualcosa al mondo che questa sublime attrice non sia in grado di fare. Al suo fianco, convincente la giovane Amanda Seyfried (Sophie), ed esilaranti le vecchie amiche Julie Walters e Christine Baranski. Miscasting clamoroso invece per Pierce Brosnan (uno degli spasimanti di Donna): l'ex-007 non solo non sa cantare, ma è pure rigido come un manico di scopa. Leggermente meglio i suoi colleghi Colin Firth e Stellan Skarsgaard. Per metà film si è letteralmente trascinati dalle coreografie e dalle note degli ABBA e si giunge quasi a pensare di essere davanti al musical più divertente e frizzante dai tempi di Grease; dopo di che, come una qualunque commediola romantica, Mamma Mia comincia a girare su se stesso e tra una piroetta e l'altra si trascina stancamente verso il finale. Peccato, ma se amate il genere non fatevelo comunque sfuggire.

Uscita prevista: 3 ottobre 2008

Trailer

• Colin Firth
• Pierce Brosnan
• ABBA sing-along
• Colin Firth singing
• Pierce Brosnan in a snazzy suit

I also got:

• More ABBA singing-along
• Pierce Brosnan singing
• Colin Firth playing guitar
• Pierce Brosnan AND Colin Firth in ABBA-esque sequin-covered jumpsuits while dancing. Or doing the man-equivalent of dancing.

Oh, and Meryl Streep? Amazing. She sings, she dances, she ages gracefully. I want to be her (to quote Nadine).

    Okay, I did not want to go see “Mamma Mia!” Like everyone else in the world, I wanted to go see “The Dark Knight” however; when we got to the theater all the screenings were sold out. We would have had to wait over an hour, so reluctantly, I agreed to go see the other new release of the week.

    It not the hip thing to like Abba, never was, but this movie is infectious fun! It’s truly an old fashion musical with a great cast headed up by Meryl Streep who can really sing. She gave us an appetizer in Robert Altman’s “A Prairie Home Companion” and here we get the full seven courses. She is one of the most talented actresses of our generation and you are never disappointed. There is also a fine supporting cast starting with Christine Baranski who is fantastic and even has her own great musical number, and also Julie Walters, both who play old friends of Meryl’s. Newcomer Amanda Seyfried is Sophie, Meryl’s daughter who secretly invites three of her mother’s former lovers, one of who could be her father to her wedding. Seyfried is talented and charming actress with a good voice who hopefully we will here more from in the future.

    On top of all this there are some of the most beautiful scenic views of Greece I have seen in a long time.

    “Mama Mia!” is no classic. It’s not “West Side Story”, “Gypsy”, or “Chicago.”  What it is, is breezy, light, it’s summery, and it’s enjoyable.    

    So there, I admit it. I liked Mamma Mia! How uncool.     

Somebody must have incriminating photos of Meryl Streep to blackmail her to be in this movie, but the effort was wasted. Her face looks like it’s about to fall off, she sings like a dying goat, and she was obviously improperly mixing tequila and valium during filming. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellen Skarsgard were likely kidnapped drugged, and dropped on a deserted island, completely unaware that they were being filmed at all. As for budding star Amanda Seyfried, well, if you can get past the fact that her eyes take up three quarters of the screen, you might realize that she is actually in a coma, and is controlled by a complex series of wires the entire movie. But beyond the incompetent acting, I was infused with the urge to kill every time random Greek peasants broke out into song. Every character is detestable, and I was disappointed every time I saw one of the many cliffs on the Greek island with nobody hurling themselves from it. If I had been forced to sit through one more of Pierce Brosnan’s throaty, eardrum ripping ballads, I would have been looking for a cliff myself.

It's just a totally good time. Yeah, go ahead and leave your husband at home messing with the air compressor or hitting golf balls into the Sound or whatever guys do when you leave them alone.

The perfect dates for this movie are your best friend and your 11-year-old niece. If there's a better movie moment this summer than "Dancing Queen" in this movie, I will strap on my mother's platform boots!

On Friday night The Hub and I had Jess & Matt over for dinner, made roasted  chicken and veggies, and watched Kathy Griffin. Did anyone else see last week's episode? It was a little... how shall I say... off. Even for me.

Now, I love me some Kathy Griffin. Don't get me wrong. She makes me laugh like no other. But in this episode she went down to Mexico, picked a school (very close to a resort so she wouldn't be inconvenienced), and opened the "Kathy Griffin Leadership Academy". Which means that she renovated (cleaned up) a library space that the kids were not really using. And then Steve Wozniak came in and gave them 4 Macs. So, basically, Kathy cleaned up a room. And put up a sign. But the part that really made me squirm was that she was kind of condescening to the children. She was making jokes at their expense. And she was talking to them in butchered Spanish. It was... uncomfortable. Make fun of celebrities all you want, they have it coming. But leave the poor children alone. THINK OF THE CHILDREN.

On Saturday Sabrina and I met with a kitchen designer at Lowes to discuss her kitchen renovation. His name was Duane. He was incredibly nice and sweet and knowledgeable. And tiny. He was a small guy. And he had a ZZ Top beard. But here's the thing: remember my "issue" with 70's era Woody Allen (here)? Yeah - I had a little crush on Duane. Even though he could house a family of birds in his beard. Weird, no?

On Sunday I went to the movies with Hubby, Sister Kristin, and Mom. We braved the incredibly insane crowds to see Mamma Mia. Yes, I have yet to see the Dark Knight. The lines were crazy and I don't wait very well and I didn't want to be shived on the way into the movie. So, Mamma Mia. And it was great!

Meryl Streep is strangely beautiful as the Mom in the movie, who meets up with three old flames at the machinations of her sneaky daughter, all while planning her daughter's wedding to a Greek boy. And one of the three old flames just might be the daughter's father. And two of the old flames are Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. And Colin (SPOILER!) just might be gay. And Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are Meryl's two best friends. And for some reason everyone talks like a bad novella and bursts into song every two seconds. Like this:

Meryl: I can't chat with you now, you broke my heart long ago and my daughter is getting married!

Pierce: But I think perhaps we have things of which to speak and maybe we could discuss them and maybe it's love of which I would like to chat...

Meryl: But I don't want to talk. About things we've gone through. Though it's killing me. Now it's history... THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL!

Like that. And even though the singing is just ok (Pierce Brosnan is terrible. Terr. ib. ble.) and even though the acting is "eh" and the film is pedestrian, when you put it all together and add some bad dancing, it is awesome. It is a great time at the movies. I defy you to not sing or at least hum along to Dancing Queen. Yes, the movie is basically a bad 80's video. But don't bad 80's videos make you feel good? Yes. Yes they do. Plus, Colin makes out with a man.

Happy Monday, true believers.

PS - ABBA-ish Mix tape

What was your favourite part?  Mine???  hmmm there are so many but if I really had to choose then it would have to be the one for Dancing Queen.  When every woman starts to dance down the hill and ends up doing the huge musical number on the dock.  Or may be it was the Super Trooper ode to ABBA where Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, and Christine Baranski are wearing those fabulous thigh high platform boots. But there was also that tearful good bye....  Aw... man.  let's just say that it was fabulous! 

Now if for some reason you didn't happen to see Mama Mia this past weekend... well all right.  But that means that you should gather all of your girl friends, leave the boys at home and head on out to the movies.  This is one that should really be enjoyed with the company of good friends that love to have fun and be entertained because that is certainly what you'll be in for.

My My How Did I ever Let you Go?

Love Lynda.

I must admit that Gary and I intended to see Batman –The Dark Knight movie.  There seemed to be hundreds of people in line and a lot of shows were sold out.  This was a double whammy since I just came from the Apple store.  The new iPhone is still out of stock.  I will never forgive Steve Jobs for the all the hype and then now this let down about the movie.

So this was my mood when we entered the theatre to see Mama Mia.  Truthfully, I was actually looking forward to seeing the movie.  I loved Abba and their music. However, I never saw the stage musical built upon those songs (the very ones I used to dance to when I was so much younger).  The teasers looked great.

I L-O-V-E this movie!  I was amazed at the story that was woven around the songs, which centered on this young woman who unbeknownst to her mother (based on reading her mother’s diary) invited 3 men to her wedding where there is a possibility that one of them was her father.

First of all, I discovered that Meryl Streep can sing!  She really brings her consummate acting abilities to the role of Donna. There is definitely the comedic, fun part which she pulls off perfectly. However, she is able to move through several ranges of emotions through songs and dialogue that only a true artist of her stature can do.  I was awed by her.

She is not a Julie Andrews or a Jennifer Hudson, but she is in her own class.  She was performing every nuance and a very action masterfully. I was moved. The role of Donna is one of her most memorable performances.

Her chemistry with Christine Baranski and Julie Waters has got to go down as one of best threesomes on film ever!   These three gals bring Diva to a new level.  Their comedic timing, their over the top musical performances and energy were contagious. They definitely were the heart and soul of the show. The mini- concert they hold for the audience after the movie ends is priceless. 

Baranski has come a long way since playing sidekick to Cybill Shepherd in the television series, Cybill.  My favorite part of hers in the movie is when she sings “Does Your Mother Know” to the young guys on the beach. 

Julie Waters stole almost every scene she was in as “Rosie”, the wild lone wolf of the gals and apparently world famous cookbook author.  She rocks out, shakes her booty, and hangs from the legs of Stellan Skarsgard (Bill), who plays one of the potential fathers.  She sings a raucous “Take a Chance on Me.” Talk about comedic timing.  Waters has it down pack.

I would love to see Meryl, Christine and Julie in a project together again.  They just light up the screen together.

Okay, Pierce Brosnan cannot really sing. Did we expect him to?  However, it works for this movie. He and Meryl have great chemistry and play well off each other.  The scene set against the Greek landscape and with the blue ocean is perfect when Meryl sings “Winner Takes All” to him.  It is moving and  romantic, one of the real heart pulling moments of the film.  Beautiful.

Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard both bring brilliant supporting role performances showing their experience as well tuned actors skilled in their craft. Along with Brosnan, all three men have a great camadarie that comes across on the film.

I think the major discovery of Mama Mia is Amanda Seyfried who plays Sophie the daughter of Donna played by Streep. She not only sings beautifully but delivered a wonderful acting performance as a daughter in search of her real father. There is something very Dorothyish about her character but instead of going to OZ in search of her happiness she brings OZ to her along with the tornado!   That’s when the comedy starts.

I first saw Seyfried on HBO’s Big Love. However, I had no idea of her range and acting abilities. She is a talent and I look forward to her future films.

She along with Dominic Cooper, who plays Sky, her character’s fiancé, having the central wedding story line. It is peppered at the same time with both of them dealing with Sophie’s desire to find her real dad.  Both Cooper and Seyfried sizzle hot on the big screen.

The on site location and setting is beautiful.   The extras are wonderfully cast like a third character of the show.  The musical numbers made me want to hum along and dance just as the songs of Abba always have done to me.  It looked like it had the same affect on the audience.

Is it a feel good movie? Yes!  Will it make you feel like dancing? Yes!   Will it make you smile? Yes!  You have got to see it!

Thank you for the music
The songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy
They're bringing
Who can live without it
I ask in all honesty
What would life be

Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me

-Paul Clarkson-

Mama Mia

Could I have ever imagined Meryl Streep in the role of Donna?. . .nah. . .but she's good. However, Christine Baranski as Tanya steals the show and Julie Waters is just too crazy to rate. I loved them all.

Rarely described as a single-mom story, Mama Mia is exactly that until the last few minutes: free spririt (Donna--Meryl Streep) gets pregnant, has her baby (Sophie--Amanda Seyfried), flourishes as a mom and hotelier on a Greek island. Daughter decides to marry at 20, wants dad at the wedding, discovers mom's diary, and invites the three male candidates who qualify (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård, Colin Firth).

Since my daughter knows nothing about her biological parents and has a slim chance of ever meeting them, this part of the story has always intrigued me. Sophie is genuinely stuck on meeting her dad but soon realizes that solving this mystery is more complex--and possibly less rewarding--than she bargained for. Amanda Seyfried is lovely as Sophie but so young! I swear my 11-year-old is almost as tall, and the scenes in which Streep helps Sophie get ready for her wedding were so poignant I couldn't hold back the tears.

The surprise scene for me was Meryl's "The Winner Takes It All" number. First off, this song is a killer. If you've ever been dumped and seen your loved one carried off in a puff of crow feathers, then you know what I mean. But Meryl is one of the best actresses around and her rendition of this song--combined with that Greek island scenery and her swingin' that red shawl around in front of Pierce--made this the ultimate agony anthem.

Whew.

So what you really need to know: they aced the musical numbers and it's a treat to watch a bunch of women who have definitely passed menopause tear it up. Our movie theatre was FULL and people burst into song and applause during "Dancing Queen" and "Super Trouper." Go and have some fun. It's not as sharp and tingly as last sumnmer's fave--Hairspray--but you'll leave in a great mood.