Successful filmmaking isn’t always about quality. Sometimes the most entertaining film can be, well, pure crap. They fail for every reason in the book – lack of character development, an obscure plot, pure illogicality – yet manage to creep their way into your life, nestle in comfortably and resonate throughout the years. Whether you’re passing the time on a rainy day or looking for a release after a stressful day at work, it’s not the Oscar winners used to fill the void, it’s guilty pleasure

Everyone has their preference when it comes to fine films, but being named a guilty pleasure is far more subjective. They give you the incentive to hate them, but there’s a little something that compels you to keep the DVD spinning or to put the remote down and watch till the end.

Don’t get too wrapped up in the pleasure part; there’s also the guilt factor. I’m not just talking about the guilt you feel about wasting your time with a subpar film rather than watching a more prestigious one; this is about the films you’re completely self-conscious about watching time and time again. The films with titles you mumble when telling a friend what you’re up to, the films that make you blush when someone walks into the room and gets a glimpse at what’s on the TV. That being said, as you read my list of the top guilty pleasures of the decade, I’m blushing and utterly embarrassed.

Click here to see the list.

FYI: Todd expects lots of “ewws” & “ahhs” over the letters that he spent part of the weekend and this week sanding and hand painting (he even did the dots)!

BOY!!! Somebody must have a sense of humor somewhere, because of course we had a girl name all figured out but we don’t have ANY boy names we can agree on and they changed my due date to April Fool’s Day. I just know that someone is laughing their butt off somewhere!

Truthfully, I was kind of hoping for a girl. Not because I don’t want a boy; I, like a lot of other people I’m sure want one of each. But I just know I will go insane if it ends up that I get stuck with all boys. Literally I will have to be committed. But he’s healthy and we’re pretty excited. One thing I wanted to get when we found out what we were having was a blue or pink piggy bank, so we ran out to Target right after our appointment and got a blue ”My first piggy bank”. I’m still trying to adjust to calling “it” a “he” now, it’s kind of hard to believe we’re at the half way point and that in just a few months he’ll be here. I’d really like to start calling him by a name, so Todd and I definitely have some work to do!! Look for a post once we’ve decided!

50 Cent was in Las Vegas and visited the champ Floyd along with Tia Kemp, Rick Ross’ son and Diddy.

Hit the jump to see some of the pics that were taken that day.

It’s coming, folks. That busy time of the holiday season…Thanksgiving! Be prepared with some awesome tips from Seriously McMillan’s book, You Suck When You’re Rude: A Guide To Traveling The Country With Courtesy. (Available On AMAZON.COM right now!)

Listen to tips that come straight from the book.  Problem solving tips that could lead you from travel disaster to travel bliss.  It starts with you.

So, take a quick listen, then download the podcast and get a refresher on the tips.

Listen to Seriously’s podcast here!

You'll love The Seriously McMillan Show on BlogTalk Radio!

Now, she’s talking!

Yes, Seriously McMillan has written the books and those mannerly looks, but what the heck is she saying in the new Seriously McMillan Show?

I just love doing radio and podcasts, goodness forbid that I have to do a video and I am not wearing the right makeup…Oh no!

It’s not vanity for Author Seriously McMillan, it’s about practicing what she preaches about using good taste in all aspect of your life, including public appearance.

I am aware of my image and sometimes I just can’t get all the bells and whistles in the right places, but, I will not let that take away from the message.  You don’t need to see my face to hear what I am saying.

So, has Seriously retired from doing videos?

“No”, she says, “But podcasts about manners, etiquette and good taste are better because if I become inspired to do a podcast in the middle of the night, I can…Without worrying about hair and makeup.”

What is Seriously talking about in her new show called About A Few Things: The Seriously McMillan Show?

She talking about a few things that are timely and savvy.  Current events and private ones.  How to live your best life while learning and applying respect, manners, etiquette, courtesy and civility.

Seriously bite-sized podcasts are the perfect inspiration to wake up to, so catch her show LIVE in the mornings or finish your evening downloading and listening to a “Seriously inspired” podcast to make the next day a great.

I am working on keeping my podcasts under 15 minutes, some special topics I will chat about for half hour.  The messages in my podcasts are food for though.  They come quick, simple and easy to apply to life.

So take a look…rather a listen to Seriously McMillan’s blog talk radio show and enjoy.

Kate (Tina Fey) har hittills valt karriär före familjebildande och när hon nu allt mer kan höra sin biologiska klocka ticka, vill hon inget hellre än att skaffa barn. Som ensamstående kvinna och dessutom med fertilitetsproblem blir det inte lätt. Till slut vänder hon sig till en förmedling av surrogatmödrar. Den tilltänkta mamman till hennes framtida barn visar sig dock vara en ganska skrupelfri och obildad kvinna (Amy Poehler) och kulturkrocken blir rejäl.

Tyvärr hade jag kanske för höga förväntningar på den här filmen. Gillar ju både fantastiska Fey och roliga Saturday Night Live-kollegan Poehler. Det är puttrigt och stundtals riktigt roligt, men nådde inte den nivå som jag hade trott och hoppats på. Jag är dock ganska övertygad om att många kvinnor och mödrar har ett större utbyte av filmen och skrattar säkert än hjärtligare åt de två väldigt olika damerna. Tänker på när jag var och såg Colin Nutleys Heartbreak Hotel med en hoper kvinnor som kved i skrattsalvor medan jag mest tyckte det var plågsamt. De får dessutom bra uppbackning i de andra mer framträdande rollerna; Steve Martin, Sigourney Weaver, Dax Shepard och Greg Kinnear.

Betyg: 3

Welcome to a weekly series on Traveling with Baby, Health Happy Round-Up that  focuses on multiple aspects of wholesome living and optimal health for the entire family.  Each weekend, Traveling with Baby will share some insightful news, recipes, and tips to help you consider fresh new perspectives on wholesome and happy health.

Kimberly Mitchell, Child Safety Expert and “professional childproofer”, recently wrote Childproofing 101 to offer parents tips on childproofing a home…beginning as early as pregnancy.

Mitchell’s got some great ideas for new parents…yet when I read her article, I can’t help, but recall a hilarious scene from Baby Mama movie where adoptive mom-to-be, Kate  (played by Tina Fey) childproof’s the toilet seat long before baby’s even arrived…and pregnant Angie (played by Amy Poehler) struggles to unlatch the toilet seat lid in time to relieve herself.  Failing that, she ends up going in the sink.

We’ve done some babyproofing with our son.  We have rubber bands around the cabinets that are accessible to my son.  However, when the rubber bands are off, he helps secure them back on–obviously they were better at keeping him out of the breakables when he was younger.

We also used child-proof gates to keep him out of the bathroom…definitely a safety concern.  I still use a gate on occasion at the office to keep him from wandering behind the front desk and turning the computer off.

Although I think child proofing is a good idea, I do think it can go overboard.

I have a curious child who wants to explore his world.

However, if there are certain things that are off limits, I’d rather make that clear by explaining it to him, and enforcing those boundaries with discipline.  My son understands when he’s not supposed to touch something or open something.

I can’t child-proof every place we visit, so I’d rather train my son to be obedient to prevent him from wandering across the street or out of plain view, and to prevent him from opening cabinets and drawers when we visit other people’s homes.

Although I can’t be everywhere at once, I can teach my son to listen and obey–far more effective and longer lasting than most child-proofing products on the market.

YOUR TURN:

What’s your approach to child proofing?  What’s been most successful for you with keeping your child safe?

Subscribe // Twitter me: drdolly

Lets take a little look back at the previous week on this blog, and other movie blogs out there.

Reviews

Dreamgirls (2006)

Baby Mama (2008)

Fame (1980)

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day (2008)

Other

FlashForward – Episode 6

Christmas?

Bonfire Night 

Cineworld 3D Price Change

Bloggers

A Journey Through Cinematic Heaven and Hell posted Top 10 Comedies of the Decade

Dark of the Matinee posted his views on Pirated Movies

Fandango posted about possible Batman Villian

I finally found my camera cord, so now I can post a picture of my sexy and classy Halloween costume. I know you’ve been holding your breath for the last week or so since Halloween, just dying to see my costume.

Baby Mama in the House

Yes, I rocked Halloween all kinds of classy. I’m sure some day the baby in this picture will be proud. No need to write; I think the photo speaks for itself. A picture’s worth a thousand words, right?

Kate (Tina Fey) is a high flying business woman who longs to have a baby but finds out that she is infertile so hires Angie (Amy Poehler) to be the surrogate to her baby. You can imagine the funny moments which occur when Angie ends up moving in with Kate.

This has to be a very interesting and risky topic to have a film on, surrogacy and how it can affect people in different ways. But also making it really amusing as well with so many comedy moments. Taking the serious matter into a lighter hearted moments, which actually worked better than I first thought it was going to. It was mainly due to the differences in the backgrounds of the two women which really caused the problems to begin with. This shows that people have to adapt and get along with people they would usually not talk to if they want something different.

I thought the funniest performance had to come from Steve Martin, in the hippy role he was just totally off the page which was hilarious. Talking about energy in places, but even his hairstyle with the long ponytail was amusing before he even said anything.

I have to admit that while I do know that Tina Fey is in “30 Rock” I have not seen it before. The first time I really noticed her was at the Oscar’s this year when she presented with Steve Martin and seemed very popular. I have to admit that I did actually quite like her character in this film even if she was a little psycho at times in terms of the whole things to eat etc. But played the part very well, and believable that she really wanted a baby.

Amy Poehler played the rather annoying Angie, very well really as she irritated me for most of the film. Until she eventually does the right thing and she actually ends up being good friends with Kate in the end.

Greg Kinnear always seems to play the very likeable guy, and in this film that is no exception. His character is extremely likeable and the ending is always pretty obvious as the story unfolds.

Sigourney Weaver had a rather amusing role as the woman who owns the surrogacy business yet is old and still getting pregnant which seems like pretty much all the time. Which adds more comedy value to the film, while being slightly strange.

While this is not the worst film ever made, it certainly is not the best either. Not one that I will be rushing to watch again anytime soon.

I recently witnessed a woman falling out, crying and screaming obscenities at the police for arresting her son-in-law and his brother for selling drugs and gambling.  These same two young men shoot dice and deal drugs all day, every day on the mother’s front porch.

….somehow we done got it twisted!

Now some of you may not see a problem with this, but BGT does. It has come to my attention that many black mothers have it twisted. No, actually they have it turnt upside down or bottom ways up as my grandmother would say.

Far too many black women are applauding bad behavior from the males in their family. They smile and accept baby after baby out-of-wedlock from their sons, but raise hell when their “baby boy”wants to get married. They cause all kinds of drama, hoping to save their son from marriage, BUT they had no problem when he was making those sweet little grand babies unmarried.  On other occasions they are aware of their sons criminal behavior, yet they have the audacity to get offended if the police take them to jail. They call that picking on them. Ok well maam if your son is on the corner selling drugs day in and day out, he is leaving himself open to be picked on.

It bothers me that mothers are not only gladly accepting bad behavior from their sons but they are his cheerleader and co-signer for bad behavior.  It is almost as if things have been twisted. These mothers stick up for hoodlum sons who do everything under the sun, and get upset when society labels them criminals and thugs. Maam, your son calls himself a thug in your presence, so why is it a problem when society labels him as a thug.

Somehow we done got it twisted…

I remember growing up and mothers not caring if their son was seven or seventeen. If you got out of line you would get put back in line. Nowadays grown men are living with their mothers, with their baby mama, the two children he has by her, the two children she had from a previous relationship, his best friend Clyde, Clyde’s girlfriend and their dog Rufus. They all live with the mother and she has no problem with all of these grown tale folks shackin’ at her house. She even keeps the sweet  grand babies so they can go out and party and come home high.

Again…somehow we done got it twisted….

When did it become okay to accept criminal behavior and triflingness from your children. I mean sure enough when they are grown you cannot control their actions, but you can still make sure that they know it is wrong. You can still tell them that you don’t agree with it and that you in no way support illegal activity and will have no part of it. Instead a lot of black mothers act as if society is picking on their babies and he is only doing the best he can. Oh really, is that the best he can do? Well damn, thats shameful then!

Black mothers need to learn to realize that loving your son does not mean co-signing on a triflin lifestyle. Regardless of what our children do, we love them. A mother’s love should be unconditional. But accepting and going along with mess is unacceptable mothers. Let’s quit babying these grown men as if they don’t know right from wrong. A mother should feel comfortable knowing that she taught her children right from wrong and if they choose to do wrong it wasn’t because they weren’t taught any better.

Other related BGT posts

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Playboy: Isn’t there an old show-business rule about not acting with children or animals?
Tina Fey: That’s right. They will upstage you because they’re adorable. The same can be said of Amy Poehler. I shouldn’t have acted with Poehler. She climbs everything and curls up in your lap, and she’s cuter than babies.
Playboy: That’s a pretty bold statement.
Tina Fey: Amy Poehler is cuter than a baby and a monkey combined.

I did not much care for the movie Baby Mama; maybe my expectations of it were too high. Trouble is, my husband and I watched it on television a few days before we separated (come to think of it, it may have been only hours), so I can’t say anything for sure about my opinions of what I viewed during that time period. Except that Forgetting Sarah Marshall is NOT a good movie to watch when you’re waiting for the right moment to ask for a split — I am pretty sure that is a unilateral truth that we were merely unlucky enough to stumble upon the actual experience of but that everyone can agree is nonetheless for-sure-solid in terms of epiphanies, without having to personally go through it.

In the past few weeks, I’ve started talking to some of my friends — specifically Miss D and Jonohs because they are tricksie and ask the tough questions in mild and genuinely curious and empathetic enough ways that I don’t get startled and run screaming down to Mexico to avoid admitting that I actually feel Ways about Things — more about the separation, more about our time together, and even have talked more to my husband, and I’d pushed aside all those things for so long that I guess I must have started to fool myself that everything was okay.

It is not.

The horrible is beginning to set in as an all new breed of horrible, and congruently the panic is a different and infinitely deeper kind of panic. And I am afraid, and sometimes lonely, though it is self-induced isolation because it’s more like a desperate last-ditch effort at avoidance than loneliness. I can’t talk to my family about it because they are involved, and also frankly very pushy and aggressive people, and I tend to approach a problem far more tentatively than they do. To them, you just snap your fingers and you should know what you think and what to do next. I’m not that way, I need time before I am able to come to any conclusions about things. My feelings freak me out and I spook easily. I need a peaceful solo drive in the country or else a boisterous day of booze and ball to work through my emotions. Thank god a) it’s Autumn and my car is running. b) that the World Series is coming up. c) for my friends and their literally ’round the clock support of me.

I first wrote this looking back over my weekend and thinking of the time I spent with Paolo, Miss D, Geo, Corinnette, and Jonohs, and right then I was checking facebook for the first time in a day and was reminded that Panda Eraser put up a Batman on my wall for me, and Milo and Cinder keep inviting me over, and then I got a message from the Gentleman saying that if we change our minds and want soup, let him know, because kidlet and I are having a Sick Day. I am so ridiculously lucky to have such wonderful friends. If I’ve been avoiding anyone reading this or you haven’t heard from me in a bit, it’s probably because I was afraid if I talked to you I’d start crying and babbling about feelings, but if you don’t like getting avoided, then remind me I can suck it and better stop it! Make me talk, people, I’m a frigging powder keg over here.

Traditional family values aren’t so “traditional” anymore.  This is a time of transition and with any time of transition, things are a bit uncomfortable.  Moms are working, dads are not in the home at all, kids raise themselves or live with grandparents, divorces, step-fathers & mothers, drugs, sex, tv, internet…AHHHHH…Families are a mess.

Teens are a mess, too, believing they are grown-ups in little bodies.

So, when we look back at these vintage videos of teen morality and how they can’t hold a candle to the debauchery the teens are delving into today, one must wonder, were things better back then?

Nevertheless, it’s still important to teach the teens these morality based lessons.  Some teens would follow the example, others wouldn’t, but they could never say they weren’t told.

I would be nice to remake some of these for this generation.

Until I get to that, because it’s on my to-do list…Enjoy this set of shorts from 1958 that are still relevant today!

Very interesting article from Entertainment Weekly where ‘Twilight’ author discusses her 12 ‘Twilight’ Inspirations.  Check it out!

From EW.com:

JANE EYRE

”I read it when I was nine,” says Meyer, ”and I’ve reread it literally hundreds of times. I do think that there are elements of Edward in Edward Rochester and elements of Bella in Jane. Jane was someone I was close to as a child — we were good friends! I think in some ways she was more real to me than any other fictional heroine.”

 

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

”The series influenced how my series turned out. Because I was never a fan of the stories where everything ends and they kiss at the wedding. Anne of Green Gables started out with her as a child, she had a very fully described adolescence, she had a book-long engagement, we got to see her wedding, we got to see her have her first child and lose her first child, we got to see her children grow up. We got the whole life, and I loved that.”

X-MEN CARTOONS

”This is crazy, but those Saturday-morning cartoons…I was always fascinated with the X-Men. I love the idea of a group of people and all of them can do something really well. They’re special, but they’re strongest when they work together. Maybe that comes from having a big family, but I always clicked into that kind of story. And I think that really came into play when I was subconsciously forming the Cullen family. Though I certainly wasn’t thinking about Cyclops when I was writing about them, I think it was there in the layers underneath.”

MUSE

”They universally work for my writing style. If I have to write a scene of despair, ‘Apocalypse Please’ will work. And if I have to write an action scene, I can put on ‘Assassin.’ If I have to write a scene about love, ‘Starlight’ will work. They have so many emotions!”

 

LINKIN PARK

”Essential to me in the beginning! Something about the tempo of their songs really kept the action in the novel. Otherwise it might have been a lot more sedate! ‘By Myself’ was a song I listened to in loops because just the sound of it, and the words of aloneness, the attackers behind you. That was really a great one for me.”

MARJORIE FAIR

”For New Moon they were absolutely essential. They can put you into a suicidal state faster than anything I know. It’s just this heartbreaking music where the pain is done so beautifully. It really got me in the zone for writing about a person who is horribly depressed and yet not at all showing it. She’s not wearing black and refusing to come out of her room and yelling at the people she loves. She is completely containing it inside herself. Their songs really made it beautiful for me.”

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

”This band is so in touch for me with Jacob’s character. This really raw, uncontrolled emotion — where it’s not about some person who’s grown up and callused over and learned how to control things. It’s someone who’s feeling it for the first time and just wants to go out and blow things up. The song ‘Famous Last Words’ is a really romantic version of Jacob saying, ‘Okay, I’m putting myself out there, and you’re probably going to break me, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m still going to make the offer.’ ”

SOMEWHERE IN TIME

”The one movie that I watched a lot as a kid. It combined music into the story. Oh my gosh, with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. The music is Rachmaninoff, and every time you hear that song, you’re poised to fall in love. The relationship there is just this impossible thing that he makes possible. That had to be an influence on me.”

BABY MAMA

”When I’m on the road, I need a comedy that is as mindless as I can find. I watched Baby Mama on tour. I love Tina Fey. I think she may be the most adorable person on the face of the planet. And Amy Poehler is a close second.”

HGTV

”When I’m not on tour, when I’m home — here comes the geek girl — what I have on almost all the time is the Home and Garden TV channel. I adore House Hunters International, I adore Designed to Sell; I just love looking at all the houses and watching people get their houses all prettied up. HGTV is a safe place, and everyone is always happy.”

ROBERT DOWNEY JR.

”Isn’t Iron Man the best superhero movie that’s ever been done? That’s how you should feel coming out of a movie. You go in, you’re excited, you come out all jazzed and pumped. The best parts of that movie are when it was only him. I’m so glad he’s back.”

 

STRANGER THAN FICTION

”There’s a scene where [the fictional character] Emma Thompson’s character created…tracks her down and walks into her living room and he goes, ‘Hey, I’m Harold Crick.’ And she collapses to the floor and says, ‘I know.’ That moment makes me cry. Imagine what that would be like! I actually did have a dream after Twilight was finished of Edward coming to visit me — only I had gotten it wrong and he did drink blood like every other vampire and you couldn’t live on animals the way I’d written it. We had this conversation and he was terrifying.”

View Source.

We had a fun weekend enjoying the fall weather and getting out and about.  On Saturday, we went to Mayse Farm Market with the Cirino family.   After a few days of rain it made the farm quite muddy, but that didn’t prevent Rowan and Luca from stomping around and making the most of it.   

We took a hay ride, and bought some great fruit, homemade breads, and sorgum.   Rowan had fun touching all of the fruit, squash, and pumpkins.   He’s getting tall enough to reach up into the displays, and he is making the most of the growth spurt.   At one point he picked up a squash and chucked it about four feet over his head like a ball… luckily (and somehow) it did not bust!  It is so fun to see him run around investigating his surroundings.   He is definitely into everything right now.           

We planned on going to the Fall Festival after the farm trip, but Rowan wasn’t up for it after a long day without much of a nap.   We stopped at the Burger Bank on the way home and got Texas Tenderloins and corn dogs to at least enjoy some similar foods.

Yesterday we went to a 1st birthday party for Rowan’s buddy Miles.   He’s the son of our friends Chris and Carrie.    Rowan (of course) took the liberty of helping Miles unwrap his gifts, and showed him how to use them.   It was a fun afternoon with friends!   

Probably the biggest news from this weekend is that the name we’d chosen for #2 is not “the one.”     So, back to the drawing board we went… and with a vengeance.     

Jessica picked up a few name books from the library on Friday and we scoured them on Friday night.    We wrote down the contenders (about five first names total) and revisted the list on Saturday.  All weekend long I was asking Jessica, “What’s her name?  Little girl?  What’s her name….”   To which she’d reply “LEAVE ME ALONE!”

By Sunday morning there were only two.   Well, there were still variations of the two names we were exploring, but there were two “core” names.   After a long weekend of deliberation and “test drives” we’ve got it right.    It really is a big deal, and we pored over thousands of names before making the choice.  It is the perfect name for her, and I can already hear myself saying ”____, you are beautiful…” on the day she’s born.    

I assure you, the name is simple yet classy.  It’s not a super cutesie (Kylie, Mackenzie) and not overly stuffy (Mildred, Thelma).    It’s not way out there (Pilot Inspecktor) and not super popular (Emma, Emily).   I think everyone will agree that the name is perfect for our little girl.   

AND we’re still not telling…

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

SHe should have gotten that one out of a vending machine. Why would she want that on her back the rest of her flat- butted life?

Trashy-Fantastic.

I'm goin' to Disney Butt!

Yes, even people with Vampire-colored skin get tramp stamps!

That's gonna hurt when she wants that removed.

Tattoos are nothing to play with.  People frivolously get inked and as they grow up and their mood changes, they may change their mind on even having the tattoo.

I understand why one would have a tattoo.   All I am saying is that you can tell the type of person you are mingling with by their appearance.  Tattoo included.

I hope no guy took these award winners home to meet mom.

Via

TWEET ME!

]]> http://autotunes.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/sappy-pathetic-little-me/ Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:22:41 +0000 thegirlontheswing http://autotunes.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/sappy-pathetic-little-me/

Before I wanted to be Beyonce, I wanted to be Gwen.

Come on! Who wouldn’t want to be all blond and droll and perky and six-packed, hanging out with cute boys all day long?

From what I knew of her — mostly from that one “Behind the Music” episode on No Doubt — she seemed like an easygoing, funny, fun gal. The whole thing where she was in love with the bass player, then they broke up, then they hit the big time performing songs about their breakup? You have to love that.

She’s got a way with a pop tune, too, though I can’t say I enjoy the solo stuff as much as the earlier No Doubt. “Sunday Morning,” which I heard on this Tuesday morning; “Spiderwebs” — those are some good times. You can’t deny it.

Just ask Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Have you seen the Baby Mama? I highly recommend it, and not just because Amy Poehler’s character names her kid Stefani, after La Gwen.

Wow, those ladies pretty much all need to be my new best friends. Gwen and Beyonce and Tina and Amy? Awesome. We could start the world’s best book club.

So, let’s see. So far I’ve got Beyonce’s thighs and Gwen Stefani’s six-pack. I wonder what other pop star parts I should put together to form the perfect whole …

PS Also there’s the part where she’s married to Gavin Rossdale. SWOON.

PPS Apparently Neil Diamond has done a cover of Adam Sandler’s “Chanukah Song.” I caught a snippet of it during this morning’s scan. Um, dear gods of FM, it is only just barely October, okay? Enough with the holiday songs. Oy.

One day last week, as I was suffering from ennuiPod (the feeling of weariness one gets from listening to the same playlists over and over), I decided to conduct a little experiment.

I contacted a small group of friends to gather their opinions.  I sent the following message by text to the chosen few:

Worst song ever.  Annnnd go.

The responses were, in some cases, surprising, but mostly solid.

My own selection(s) for worst song ever vary from day to day and includes such memorable stylings as:

Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin
Kokomo by The Beach Boys (a band I hate anyway, except for God Only Knows.)
Don Johnson’s Heartbeat
Theme from Happy Days (not the Billy Haley and the Comets original, but the one from the late 70s by Pratt & McClain)
Mmm Bop by those stringy-haired teenage flash-in-the-pan freaks brothers whose names I care not to recall and refuse to Google.
Havin’ My Baby by Paul Anka  (When I was younger I got him confused with Neil Sedaka a lot.  Because they both suck, I guess.)
Speaking of which…Bad Blood by Neil Sedaka makes my list as well. (PLEASE go watch this. The choreography alone is worth it.)
Plus any one of Bonnie Raitt’s endless, whining addrags.

On this particular occasion, however, I selected Nikita by Elton John.  In part because it had been stuck in my head for two weeks, and in part because it’s true crap.

My friends provided a diverse array of candidates as well.

In the face of all the horrible recordings of the last few decades, my friend Sara named Abracadabra by the Steve Miller Band.  Citing “repetitiveness” as the reason for her dislike, though I know in my heart it’s that she just can’t stand the …I wanna reach out and grab ya… part.

Brie, my roommate from Rx school, was the first to answer.  And, although her selection wasn’t quite the genre I had in mind when asking the question, her answer was quite valid.  Her choice?  University of Florida Fight Song.

Rachel, lover of classic rock, stalker of The Little River Band, upholder of all things decent in the world of music (read: loves Journey as much as I do) replied with the following:

When bad songs happen to good artists: Philadelphia.

I sent a follow up message to clarify whether she meant Streets of Philadelphia by Springsteen or Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John.  Her reply?

Both.

Then I heard from Chris, my coworker with the incredibly eclectic iPod.  One minute you’re listening to George Strait, the next, Fifty Cent.  Her answer?

That ‘Baby Mama’ song…

Since I was unfamiliar with this particular tune, I felt compelled to seek out the mp3.  Google results provided me with two stellar compositions:

Baby Mama by Three 6 Mafia and Baby Mama by former American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino.

Although I am a STAUNCH hater of rap, I must say, the Fantasia song is the worst of the two. It’s like the I Am Woman of the sideways cap wearing, baggy jeans sporting, throwback jersey having, Lincoln Navigator bass thumping, four-oh drinking, cap bustin’ set.  Not to mention the repeated spelling of B-A-B-Y-M-A-M-A throughout. (See also:  Bay City Rollers.)

My new old friend Buddy, with whom I attended middle school in the 80s, truly surprised me with his first response by singling out a track from one of the most unique concept albums ever.  I totally disagree with his choice, but you can’t argue with Buddy.  I mean, you can, but it’s a waste of time and energy.  He always wins, even if he is flat out wrong (e.g. the “you should pull for UT when they play UF” and “y’all v. ya’ll” debates.)

And, though it pains me to even type it, I must report that he selected Mr. Roboto by Styx.

I can’t even comment on the impertinence, the indecency, the absolute effrontery and unmitigated temerity of his choice.  I also can’t comment on Dennis DeYoung’s lavender jumpsuit.  Well, I can, but I won’t.

As I said, though, Mr. Roboto was Buddy’s first answer.

He later came back with the best answer of all.  The granddaddy of all horrible songs, the epitome of effluvium, the absolute travesty of tunage, the universally hated anthem of sell-out corporate rock, We Built This City by Starship, (Which used to be Jefferson Starship which used to be Jefferson Airplane.  Pick a lane already. You too, Mellencamp.)

As you can see, the definition of worst varies a good bit, and it decidedly individual.  Also keep in mind, with the exception of The Orange and Blue, these songs were hits for these artists.

As bad as I believe a tune to be, someone, somewhere probably likes it.

Which only servers to reaffirm my belief that 75% 85% 90% of the population has no appreciable sense of musical taste.

Here is a goes folks.  One of the most popular You Tube stars, B. Scott, has a done a nice, in-depth interview with Kandi Burruss, the latest Housewife of Atlanta that has come to shake things up.

She is shaking it, alright.

Watch what she spills to B. Scott about the behind-the-scenes HWOA antics, relationships and more.

I happened upon “Ghostbusters” on AMC last night — the perfect kick-back-and-veg movie after four days of business travel.

I had forgotten how funny Sigourney Weaver is!  She is such an elegant actress that her range can be deceptive.  I mean, she wins an Oscar opening a big can of whoop ass on space creatures in  ‘Alien,’  but can also play such nuanced characters in “The Ice Storm” and “A Map of the World.”

Still…her comedies are my favorite performances.  Uh, oh — I feel a list coming on!

THE WEAVER WHACK LIST

5. Dave
Kevin Kline is amazing as both a prickly President and likable look-a-like, but Sigourney holds her own as First Lady Ellen Mitchell.  Favorite moment?  Kevin and Sigourney singing “Tomorrow” from the musical “Annie” to get out of a traffic ticket. (I hope she can sing better in real life.)

4. Baby Mama
Sigourney’s role as the head of a surrogacy center could have been fairly mundane…but she adds a touch of sunny creepiness that is a joy to watch.  Plus, she just keeps having babies at her age.  Icky.

3. Working Girl
I think Katharine Parker is pretty close to home for Sigourney.  She grew up in a very privileged, monied world; this is how I imagine her day-to-day.  Not sure she would appreciate that.

2. Ghostbusters
Panting like a dog, levitating four feet above the bed, looking for the key master while Bill Murray struggles not to break character — that’s good stuff.

1. GalaxyQuest
In this great ensemble comedy, the entire cast pokes fun at actors, sci fi films, and fans. When all is said and done, it’s the best tribute to the genre that I have ever seen.  It has a lot of heart, too, mainly due to the  begrudging romance between Sigourney’s Gwen DiMarco and Tim Allen’s Jason Nesmith.

“GalaxyQuest” snuck by a lot of folks.  If you were one of them, there are many wonderful reasons to see it.  Alan Rickman. Sam Rockwell. Missi Pyle. Tony Shalhoub. Even MAC-boy Justin Long.

And, of course, silly, superb Sigourney.

By Critic Jasper Pennies

My estranged wife Celia ran out of money, so she came back begging for some of my money. I told her, “no money without sex.” You have to keep your standards high, you know? So she said, “Okay, but you have to promise me that we go see the movie Surrogates.” I said, “fuck….okay, we can see this stupid ass chick flick!”

So I saw Surrogates and it sucked. No surprise. I don’t understand why everyone out there acts like it’s news to talk about how much Surrogates sucks as a movie. It’s a movie made for women who have their uterus out of whack. Of course the movie is going to suck!

The weird thing about Surrogates that separates it from most chick flicks was it’s inordinate amount of action, sci-fi, and Die Hard-like drama. It had Bruce Willis but no sign of Samuel L. Jackson.

Honestly, I don’t get why Bruce Willis was in this movie. If they were going to put him in the movie, shouldn’t he at least be interacting with a kid or something? I expected that with a name like Surrogates I’d find some kind of surrogate mother. But it was nothing like Baby Mama. This movie made no fucking sense whatsoever.  But then again, movies like Baby Mama never made sense either.

Like I said, “no surprise.” It’s just another hysteria film. Nothing new.

I give Surrogates -6 bucks out of the -20 possible dollars. That’s not too demanding is it? After all, I did spend $5 to go see it.