Congratulations to “The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-Milligram Containers of Fromage Frais”!

This article in today's Times about this year's winner of the Diagram Prize for oddest book title of the year had me laughing out loud http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/books/28contest.html?_r=1&hp. Enjoy and happy Friday!

Lost: So If the Past Can't be Changed...

then has Sayid inadvertently started the war that will lead to the purge? Too bad Faraday wasn't around to share his time travel theories. I correctly predicted that Sayid would think his purpose was to kill Ben but I'm guessing that Ben the child is not dead and will only be further inspired to his future evil ways. I also think that since the Dharma group will think they have yet again been directly attacked by the Hostiles, war is inevitable. This means that our band of main characters is in the 1970s to cause the historical events we have heard so much about rather than alter them - Right? But why would the island need them to set those events in motion? And why does it need some of them but not others?

Beyond the ending, there were a few more pieces of information dished out. Sayid fell out with Ben because out of the clear night sky, Ben declared their assassination scheme to be complete without any regard for Sayid and his sense of vengeance. Ben's attempt to lure him back into L.A. worked because he said Hurley was in danger but Sayid never had any attention of getting into bed with Ben again and was dragged on to the plane by a seductive bounty hunter. It seems to me that although she claimed to have been hired by the family of the golf course casualty, Ben likely engineered the "arrest" as a way to get Sayid on the plane. Which Ben knew was necessary because if Sayid didn't get on the plane then he wouldn't be back in the 1970s to try to kill Ben which Ben must remember and oy, my head hurts.

We also got a little time with our other buddies trapped in the 70s. Juliet is warning off Kate who is looking wistfully at Sawyer even though she could fall back with Jack if she wanted to. Sawyer is taking his head of security job very seriously and actually votes to kill Sayid (WTF?) rather than cross his boss. Sayid spilled the entire true story to the Dharma people but they of course didn't believe a word (no seriously, we're from the future!) Poor Jin gets knocked out in the jungle so Sayid can alter/enact the course of history. And Hurley is a cook - those waffles did look good.

So all in all, I was with them right up until Sayid said you were right about me. Hopefully next week the effect of the time travelers' actions will be clarified a bit.

In the meantime, this week's episode of ABC's Lost Untangled puts things in a humorous perspective (even if I wish they would go easy on the whole love rectangle thing). Dude!

God of Carnage: Havoc Wrought Through Hilarity

God of Carnage is certainly the funniest play I've seen on Broadway in quite some time and may be the most fun I've had with a Broadway show in the past year. It's only an hour and a half and it flies by but it's worth every penny for every moment. The cast is just so well-matched - Marcia Gay Harden and James Gandolfini start by negotiating with Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis over an incident between their sons but allegiances start changing and constantly jump around throughout the show. James Gandolfini in particular starts out as such a polite, sweet concerned father that I was amazed how un-Sopranoish his character was but as the politeness begins to crack, solely that Tony sensibility starts to seep through. The play itself touches on what lurks beneath social civility but does not dig too deep into the characters and their motivations. Despite this lack of a strong, deep message, the play crackles with some witty dialogue, expertly delivered, and some quite surprising moments. I can't imagine the stamina the actors require to keep up the pace night after night because it is quite the tour de force.

The show's web site features a short video where you can see some stage shots and hear the actors talk about the play. Check it out at http://www.godofcarnage.com/home.php and definitely use that discount offer to check it out!

Duplicity and I Love You, Man: Bring Back the Fun Movies

Yes it's that time of year where spring starts to peek its head out (although not in cold New York today) and the movies start to entertain again. After a dark winter, here we are with two new, fun movies: Duplicity and I Love You, Man.

Duplicity, which combines romantic comedy with a snappy espionage caper, kept me entertained all the way through. The cast seemed to be having fun which allows the audience to have fun as well. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen were well-matched and their scenes were well-scripted and nicely, quickly paced, as in this brief example:



Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson were also both great as warring, rival corporate executives (their "fight" in the opening credits is particularly hilarious). There were plenty of little twists and turns and a perfect ending that I did not see coming. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a smart, entertaining film.

I Love You, Man in contrast may not be for everyone but I thought it was hilarious. There are a few gross-out scenes but the rapport between Paul Rudd and Jason Segal was just so perfect that I let the little things slide. The movie takes a little while to get going but once Rudd meets Segal, it really takes off. There are some really great lines that I think I will be quoting for awhile and while I don't want to ruin any of them I have to say that I agree that Chocolat is delightful. While Segal steals most of the scenes he is in, Rudd is just so likeable that you can't help but smile every time he goofs around. There is a very funny running gag where he keeps trying to make up nicknames and slang with mixed results. Here are some outtakes where Rudd riffs on these, enjoy and please go watch the movie!

The End of Flight of the Conchords

The episode started out on such a cheerful note, you knew something evil had to be lurking. After getting through the song on cannibalism (I'm not a fan of anything cannibalism related), we got this very sad, unsatisfying ending in which Bret and Jemaine must return to their shepherd roots:



Although they seem happy, I'm just depressed. This is a show that has surely ended too soon.

Lost: Namaste and Welcome to 1977!

Right off the bat, my favorite thing about last night's episode had to be Jack's bemusement with finding himself as a Dharma janitor in 1977 - the smirk on his face, the way he looked in his cute seventies polo (as pictured), the way he just seemed to be having fun was such a nice change. He's been so serious and so angry for so long, that it's nice to see a little time travel loosen him up. He didn't try to debate Sawyer's critique of his leadership skills, he didn't fight to be in charge, he didn't struggle for answers to what was happening - he just sat back, explored and began to enjoy the ride. Jack seems like he will be content to let Sawyer take the reins and figure out how to get them back to the future although I am sure his bossy streak will poke its head up eventually.

That said, I am pretty confused as to what is happening and why. How come Jack, Hurley, Kate and Sayid get to take the ride through time with Sawyer and Jin but Sun has to stay in the present? How come non-Oceanics like Juliet, Miles and Faraday get to jump around the record but Lapidus has to escort Sun? I am speculating that the island must have destinies and reasons for each character and thus it may need some people and not others but it is a bit puzzling. I also was very disappointed that Jin and Sun are still thirty years apart - I was really geared up for their reunion. [A tiny little piece of me was also still hoping for Rose and Bernard info but the dearth continues - ].

I am also confused as to what effect this time travel is having on the present. Jack's dad pointed Sun and Lapidus to a 1977 recruit photo featuring Jack, Kate and Hurley but when did they pop into that photo? As EW's Jeff Jensen no relation put it was it hanging there all this time and no one ever noticed it or was it somehow Back to the Future effected when the future revealed itself? Are the characters fulfilling a preordained destiny that made the future possible or are they affecting what the future will be?

For instance, in the attractions for next week, Sayid hinted that he knew why "I am here." My guess would be that he thinks he has to get rid of future evildoer Ben in child form in order to change the evil that is perpetrated in his adult wake. Could this really be done or do the time travelers do things which lead to the coming events such as the purge? Oy, too confusing.

I also don't quite understand all the small details such as Ethan being born on the island in 1977 - according to imdb.com, the actor who played adult Ethan, William Mapother, is twelve years older than that. Also, is child Ethan somehow saved or recruited by Ben into working for the others?

Finally, most cryptically but most likely to be explained soon, Sawyer said that Faraday is no longer a part of their little time traveler group. Now I assume that has to do with his work at the Orchid station we saw in the first episode but it will be interesting to find out what caused his separation. I'm guessing that we will soon be returned to the battle between Locke and Ben, the explorations of Sun and Lapidus, life at the 1977 Dharma compound but I'm kind of hoping that we get back to Faraday first since his involvement in all of this as well as his time travel theories is what I feel is really missing from the show right now.

From this promo though, it looks like next week is going to be about those at the 1977 compound including Sayid's new mission and the romantic tension between our love quadrangle SawJulKatJack. I am of the opinion (and I think Jeff Jensen no relation support this) that the person you've been with for three years is the person you should stick by and you should not be jilting them for people you pined over for a few weeks/months. Let's hope that Sawyer and Juliet stick together and Kate goes back to Jack or finds herself a new Dharma man:

It's Thursday, Let's Tango

The next installment in my ongoing oh so popular series about famous dance sequences involves the art of the tango. There are many tango moments on screen (including an entire dedicated film) but to brighten up a rainy Thursday (at least here in New York), let's count down my favorites:

#3: This is a cheat because it's really from a musical but here is the film version of the Tango Maureen - even though one learned to dance the tango with the rabbi's daughter and the other with the French ambassador's daughter, they mesh quite nicely:



#2: In Baz Luhrmann's sprawling pop amalgam that is the fabulous Moulin Rouge, the Argentinian tango version of the Police's Roxanne is quite breathtaking and keeps me glued to the screen every time:



#1: The on screen tango will never get any better than Jack Lemmon and Joe E. Brown in Some Like It Hot. Their serious demeanors and the little details like the flower transfer are priceless:

Remembering Natasha Richardson

What an absolutely horrible tragedy. From her Tony award winning performance in 1998's Cabaret which I had the pleasure of seeing:

America's Next Top Riot

I find this scene from over the weekend of would be hopeful candidates for the next edition of the reality show America's Next Top Model to be a horribly depressing statement on our society's misplaced sense of the importance of "fame" and how far some people will go in their desperate quest to achieve instant "stardom." It is also so sad that the producers of the show did so little to create order and organization - how hard would it have been to set up clearer lines and not just let a mob develop? Whatever led up to this moment, it is certainly a scary thing to watch:

Flight of the Conchords Song of the Week

Not only do I love, love, love that this week's episode began with one of the showcase musical numbers but this song was just absolutely hilarious. Keep your ears peeled for such lines she was like Shakespeare's Juliet/thirteen? and she reminded me of a morning in winter/what, frigid? - I'm still smiling today thinking about it:

Brighten Up Your Day - Watch Ricky Gervais and Elmo!

I just saw this over on Popwatch and I think I may have to watch it many more times - it's outtakes of Ricky Gervais' appearance on Sesame Street and it is hilarious:

The Completely Unnecessary File: Why Remake 2007's Death at a Funeral?

I just noticed this article on imdb.com:

Rock Gathers Stars For Funeral
9 March 2009 9:15 AM, PDT


Chris Rock is assembling an all-star comedy cast for his forthcoming movie Death At A Funeral - both Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan have signed on to the project.

The film, a remake of a 2007 British movie of the same name, revolves around a dysfunctional family which comes together for the patriarch's funeral, only to be rocked by gay revelations from the deceased's alleged former lover.

Lethal Weapon star Danny Glover, Regina Hall, Zoe Saldana, Columbus Short and James Marsden are also on board for the comedy, which will be co-written and produced by Rock and directed by Neil Labute.

Filming is due to begin this spring, reports Variety.

Now I have no idea how Neil Labute got in on this project but I really don't understand the point of it in the first place. Frank Oz's hilarious Death at a Funeral just came out in 2007, had a full run in U.S. theaters and even featured one or two actors familiar to U.S. viewers. I saw it in the theater with my dad and he was falling out of his chair laughing the entire film. It was so perfectly timed, so perfectly outrageous and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job - especially so soon! I see that there may be a different spin on things by transferring the story from a British to a mostly African-American cast but just do yourselves a favor - rent this movie on DVD and skip any imitations:

Paris 36 at the new Alice Tully Hall

I attended the screening of Paris 36 (Faubourg 36) the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema series at the newly renovated Alice Tully Hall on Thursday night. I got the sense that perhaps this movie had been chosen as the opening night film because it had the right combination of sound and visuals to show off the high quality of the new venue. The film focuses on a theater in an unnamed neighborhood of Paris in 1930s Paris and all the people that love it and try and keep it going. The movie starts out slow and is fairly predictable but really hit its high points towards the end when there are lots of fun, classic musical numbers. In particular, newcomer Nora Arnezeder was wonderful as a young singer who comes to the theater - she had a beautiful voice which was showcased well in her musical pieces. Although her signature song is one about Paris (which Arnezeder sang live and unaccompanied for the audience before the screening), my favorite of her numbers is a more emotional piece which is featured in the middle of the trailer:



All in all, I would not say Paris 36 is a great film but it was a perfectly pleasant way to pass an evening and it certainly showed off the new projection and sound equipment at Alice Tully.

As a postscript, I also note that I attended a chamber music concert at Alice Tully yesterday and the acoustics for that were wonderful as well. It is nice to have the hall with all its improvements back.

It Was Thursday, Let's Tap

My whole Thursday dance plan is off to a bit of a rocky start but I've had a crazy week. Although it's one day late, let's celebrate the art of old school tap with some truly classic tap film moments. My first favorite classic tap film moments (and yes there are many) would have to be Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain (one of my favorite movies of all time):



Next would have to be Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers tap dancing on roller skates in Shall We Dance - it's not really tap dancing I know but it's still damn impressive (and I love this movie as well):



Hopefully these clips put a smile on your face for the weekend!

Things That Make Me Happy: Johnny Depp Edition

Specifically, seeing Depp finally star in a movie clean shaven and with no crazy make-up. I could watch him in this trailer over and over and over again . Oh, and the movie looks like fun too:

Lost: A Name is Manly if It's Creole

To: Carlton Cuse; Damon Lindelof
From: Heather Jensen
Subject: Please Have Mercy

Dear Mr. Cuse and Mr. Lindelof:

I am writing to ask that you have mercy on all the Rose and Bernard fans and finally tell us what has happened to them. I don't see how they could have survived alone on the island for three years and it seems unlikely they are with Richard Alpert and the others. Please end the agony and just be up front about whether they are dead. I promise, I can take it - at this point, I've lost hope anyway.

Sincerely,
Heather Jensen

Oh wait, there's no send button so I must be in blogger rather than in gmail. Apologies - I'll send that e-mail later.

Let's turn to blogging about last night's episode instead. So I have to admit I was pretty upset that Jin, Sawyer, Juliet, Miles and Daniel (and R&B?) have had to endure three years trapped in the seventies with the Dharma initiative waiting for the Oceanic escapees to return. I originally thought Locke would have stopped the time shifts when he turned the wheel but when the survivors got sucked in to what looked like a time jump I thought otherwise. My brain wouldn't allow me to think that those left behind would have to pass the same three years stuck on the island - I preferred to hope they would just jump a few more days and magically coincide with the returning buddies. Of course I see now that they would have had to pass the same time and I know that I shouldn't feel too bad for Juliet and Sawyer who seem to be having a grand old time but a part of me wept for Jin searching every day for three years with no hope of seeing Sun and Daniel mourning Charlotte (who Jeff Jensen no relation rightly points out would have been born after the three year period we saw last night - oh well). At least they're all keeping themselves nice and employed - Sawyer as head of security with Jin and Miles as his minions. Who knew Juliet knew how to fix a bus? And I assume that Daniel is working in the orchid station where we saw him in the first episode of the season although was not clear last night.

I have to say that Juliet and Sawyer make a very cute, domestic couple in their little house with their Dharma wine (and Sawyer's clean shave and glasses). Even though Sawyer got a misty look when he saw Kate return, surely after three years he is more involved with Juliet and she with Jack - I guess we'll see but I hope they don't go monkeying around with those couples too much. I can't imagine how Jin, Miles and Daniel are keeping themselves busy outside of their Dharma duties but maybe we will learn some stuff about their Dharma lives soon.

I also have to say that I don't really care too much about the Dharma people themselves. We know that they are all doomed to die but I just didn't find them all that interesting. I am intrigued about this whole pregnancy on the island phenomenon and why it may affect the Others but not Dharma or whether the purge laid a curse which then caused the deaths, etc. I am also wondering when we will see teenage/young boy (how old would he be?) Ben - he is certainly lingering somewhere and surely in three years, Sawyer et. al. have encountered him. It is also a mystery whether Goodspeed's new baby boy will grow up to be someone we know - I'm not quite sure who it could be but that's too big a plot point to lead nowhere. I am also confused as to whether Miles is a baby at that time as well (given the hints in the first episode) and what the consequences might be for co-existing in the same time as yourself.

All in all, last night did not bring a lot of revelations other than to tell us that those left behind had to kill three years with Dharma - not as exciting as I would have hoped, more depressing than I would have thought although I am glad to see Sawyer acting so responsible and happy. Let's hope the return of his old friends doesn't change his ways.

Life on Mars is Getting Shot Off Into Space - Say Hi to Pushing Daisies For Me

Well I had been planning to write a post about how I think the American version of Life on Mars is doing and I was basically going to contrast the episodes directly based on the British version from those which the American version seemed to be adding to drag out the time. See the British show only lasted two seasons (although its spinoff series Ashes to Ashes in which a female cop is sent back to 1981 starts airing on BBC American on Saturday) and surely the American show would have to last longer than that.

Or maybe not. Apparently, according to Ausiello at EW, the American version is only going to make it one season with hopefully a pretty bow wrap-up ending http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/03/breaking-abc-ca.html. Perhaps they will use the British ending although that might need too much time to develop. In any event, I enjoyed the American version of Life on Mars when it was not trying to be like its British counterpart - when Sam Tyler was allowed to smile, loosen up and have some fun and not just try to mimic the darker tone of the original. Having Ashes to Ashes available will certainly lessen the blow of the loss as I will get the real Gene Hunt, Philip Glenister, back (sorry Harvey but he was just better) but yet again, ABC is pulling the rug out under another smart show that didn't immediately meet expectations. Let's count them shall we: Life on Mars, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money (OK so that one's not so smart but it counts), The Nine, Six Degrees, Knights of Prosperity, Help Me Help You and I'm also going to add Samantha Who which was supposed to return in January and has yet to make an appearance. In most of those cases, the shows were yanked without any real warning or closure which I think is just plain mean to all the people who did bother to tune in and try to support your programming.

Which leads us to the next dilemma: In recent weeks, I have seen commercials for four new ABC shows which will be coming out over the next month and as usual, all four seem intriguing. Castle has been the most heavily promoted (and stars Nathan Fillion, yum) and will follow Dancing With the Stars so that may be the safest bet but Better Off Ted (with Portia de Rossi), In The Motherhood (with Cheryl Hines and Megan Mullaly) and The Unusuals (with Adam Goldbert and Harold Perrineau yay!) are all more intriguing. So Heather, are you really going to be a sucker and fall for ABC's flashy ways yet again only to be disappointed yet again? I'm still mulling it over - stay tuned and find out. If you're going to let yourself be suckered by one or more of these new shows please feel free to share your reasons.

Memo to ABC: Surely investing in shows which are critical successes/award magnets (Pushing Daisies was nominated for Emmys!) and helping to grow those audiences could pay off more in the end then constantly yanking and replacing shows every few months. Then you are guaranteeing that you will never have loyal viewers. Please take a meeting with executives over at NBC and see if they will reveal their 30 Rock strategy to you.

Flight of the Conchords Keeps Rolling

Last night's episode was remarkably and wonderfully bizarre. I particularly enjoyed the riffs which grew out of Jemaine and Bret starting a Simon & Garfunkel tribute act costumes and all:



Jemaine of course gets pulled into another bad relationship, this time with an Art Garfunkel fan who makes him wear his costume when they're together. I have to admit though, I didn't imagine the relationship would end like this:



Finally, this was slightly apropos of nothing and I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at the beginning but I was hooked by the end. I do love kalbi:



Only three episodes left this season but I can't wait to see them!

They Might Be Giants at Le Poisson Rouge: Flood is a brand new record for 1990

Yes, 1990. I know, we're all getting old. But it is still fun to go back and celebrate the good times which is why I had a blast at TMBG's show at Le Poisson Rouge on Saturday night which featured a performance of the entire Flood album in order. I hadn't brushed up on my Flood knowledge before the show and since my iPod plays in random order and I never know what goes with what any more, I loved rediscovering the album and watching them riff with it. In particular, there was a kicking guitar intro to Istanbul and Birdhouse in your Soul rocked as usual. Here is a clip of Whistling in the Dark (I'm standing next to the sound board guy):



The band also played a few songs before and after the Flood sequence which also really rocked. Check out Hey Mr. DJ:



All in all, a show like this reminds me why a night out with TMBG is always a good time. While at the show, I purchased Here Comes the ABCs for my friend's children so hopefully I can do my part to keep the next generation of TMBG fans rolling.