Woke with much excitement this morning; off to the Isle of Skye today.   Had breakfast and packed a picnic lunch and set off real early. We wanted to make good progress as the island is over 50 miles away and would take about an hour or so to get there.   Hahaha! Little did we know!

On the way out I stopped at reception to ask for a new kettle; ours had died and to take a photo of the reception area.   This set the tone for the day!    Everything is so gorgeous and we didn’t stop once or twice, we stopped dozens of times!

We barely left the grounds of the park when we made or first stop!   At Laggan Swing Bridge.   The day was absolutely glorious and the water on the Loch such a beautiful blue, it just begged for a photo or two.

Laggan Swing Bridge

part of the bridge mechanisms

The valley we are in is just breathtakingly gorgeous and yet we had no idea of the splendour that waited ahead.   The next stop was hardly a mile down the road and so it went.   We eventually got to Invergarry where we were to turn left for the Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye.

Invergarry Hotel

Of course we stopped once again in Invergarry to take photos of the wonderful hotel

the bridge with river running swiftly below

the beautiful stone bridge we had just driven over and the river that rushed by in the ravine below.

colours too gorgeous to imagine

The colours of the forest are just too gorgeous to imagine.

We did not linger too long and soon made our way towards Skye.   Oh my word!   The scenery was absolutely spectacular.  We hardly got anywhere at all with the frequent stops along the way.   Driving through hills of Glen Quoich was such a treat.  We gasped with disbelief when we rounded a bend and there before our eyes was Loch Garry! 

Loch Garry

Stupendous is just insufficient to describe the beauty.   The Loch is huge and stretches for mile upon mile, a massive expanse of beautiful blue water snug amongst the steeply sloping tree covered hills.

wooded slopes leading down into glacial valley; Loch Garry

A left-over from the glaciers that formed these valleys 12,000 years ago, the water is a flat expanse of icy-blue.

mile upon mile of blue water

We spent ages just looking, reluctant to leave, but time was fleeting and we still had quite a way to go.

The road twists and winds, up and steeply down through towering hills and wooded glacial valleys,

gushing waterfalls everywhere you look

gushing waterfalls round every corner and rushing headlong down the mountain sides.

rushing, gurgling down the mountainsides

At one spot where we stopped, right at the top of the mountain, we were greeted by a really strange spectacle: a large flat expanse of ground with countless little cairns dotting the area. Really bizarre.

hundreds of little cairns dotted the hilltop

countless cairns, blue glacial waters of Loch Garry in the backround

We kept saying: ‘Ok, no more stops now till we get to Eilean Donan Castle’!   Pointless words, every corner revealed another view, another waterfall,    

another bridge, and we screamed to a stop so many times that it eventually became a joke.

welcome to Skye and Lochalsh

Welcome to Skye and Lochalsh

Nearing Kyle of Lochalsh we passed through a tiny village situated right on the edge of the Sound of Sleat, a massive stretch of water on the left and on the right a valley cut in the cleft of the mountains we had just driven through.

The village of Dornie in the background, the Sound of Sleat on the right

As we passed through the village I noticed a statue high on top of a hill and a ramshackle church in the middle of an ancient graveyard.  

roofless church in graveyard

We screamed to a stop once again (I am sure I wore the brakes out!) and parking the car snug against the hedges, walked along a winding dirt path that took us up the steep sides of the hill and eventually to the top and behold: the statue.   It was actually a memorial erected by the clan Macrae and friends in memory of Macrae’s home and abroad who fell at home and abroad in the Great War of 1914-1918. 

Memorial inscription

the stone memorial and statue

The stone edifice of a man in uniform with the family crest carved into  the stone; has a view second to none, as far as the eye can see,

a view as far as the eye can see

across the hills and along the valleys far, far away. 

me on the hillside

There are a couple of benches atop the crest and even though the wind was attempting to blow us off our feet we sat and tarried for a while in the peace and quiet. 

CJ sitting on the bench atop the hill

Then we clambered back down through slushy mud and peat, ever mindful of holes and uneven ground just waiting to twist an unwary ankle!

Thence to the graveyard; to explore the tumble down roofless church, with

tumble down church

new memorials alongside ancient gravestones and memorials; I love those old cemeteries, the stories they tell.  

As we clambered about the sun broke through the clouds and shone down in a stream of silver light onto the loch and hills. 

sun touching the mountains

What is quite amazing is that these two photos were taken within minutes of each other from slightly different angles!

Not long and just after we had said no more stopping till we get to the castle, we rounded a bend and there it was!

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle perched on its island at the head of Loch Duich.

Eilean Donan Castle

Only one of the most photographed castles in Scotland and on every calendar you get of castles of Scotland.   Awesome.

an island fortress

When you see photos of the castle it always looks like it is in the middle of the Loch, but although on it’s own little island, in fact it is not in the middle of the Loch.   Just a short walk over a beautiful stone bridge

the bridge leading up to the castle

and you are on the wee island that supports the structure.   The castle per se is closed from October till March, but that did not stop us exploring the outer perimeters.

CJ exploring the outer walls of Eilean Donan Castle

the bridge leading to the castle Eilean Donan

At the entrance to the castle is a family memorial carrying the family crest or arms and listing all the names of fallen Macraes from the 1914-1918 war       

Clan Macrae memorial to family members fallen during the Great War 1914-18

and alongside 2 fine cannons pointing across the Loch and along the bridge.

....down the barrel of a gun!

after exploring I then clambered down to the rocks below to look at the views from under the bridge.

view of the Loch from under the bridge at Eilean Donan Castle

Amazing views from under the bridge.

The castle is situated on a tidal Loch and the rocks were covered with seaweed, with that wonderful salty sea smell. With a long history dating back centuries, the castle is famous for many events, and more recently the film Highlander starring Sean Connery.

me and CJ at Eilean Donan Castle

The castle is a fabulous stone structure,

Eilean Donan Castle

imperious and imposing as castles are meant to be,

view across the Sound

and with an incredible view across the loch and mountains.

I can see that once the tide comes in how the castle would be inaccessible from the road.  

Very near to the Isle of Skye now and with the day waning, we decided to hotfoot it along and get there before the sun disappeared.   There is a fantastic new bridge that crosses the Firth from Kyle of Lochalsh to the isle.

bridge across the sea to Skye as seen from the car

The views are just incredible and we gasped at every turn.   As we drove over the sea to Skye and onto the island we cheered, hooray!   It had taken us 5 hours to get there!

Making a sharp turn to the left we stopped off in a wee town called Kyleakin, the gateway to Skye, with a long and proud history.

history of Kyleakin; gateway to Skye

Kyleakin is a harbour town with views to die for.

Kyleakin harbour

On a rocky outcrop near the edge of town are the remains of Castle Moil.

Castle Moil on the Isle of Skye (this is CJ's photo)

Looking across the Inner Sound we could see Scalpay Island across the water.

Scalpay Island across Inner Sound

The bridge looked magnificent against the blue sky and with the sun beginning to set, looked mystical in the soft misty air.

a soft misty look across the Sound to the bridge

We decided to explore further inland so set off along the road to Broadford.

a tiny croft, a stunning view

The views are just incredible and we saw tiny little crofts snug amongst the grass with a fabulous backdrop of sea and sky.

dusk falls on the Isle of Sky

Now it was starting to get darker so we stopped off at a hotel for tea and scones with cream.   Thence homeward bound.

crossing the bridge from the Isle of Skye to Kyle of Lochalsh

Re-crossing the bridge we pledge to return at a later date and explore the whole island.

A quick stop at the castle for some sunset photos,

night falls on Eilean Donan Castle (one of CJ's photos)

Eilean Donan Castle as dusk falls (one of CJ's photos)

then with the rain starting up again we set off for home.

Driving along the winding roads we were once again enchanted by the waterfalls that plunge down the slopes of the mountains!

plunging waterfalls

Earlier on in the day before we reached Kyle of Lochalsh we had noticed a wonderful old-fashioned stone bridge (no longer in use) along the way, but as we had no-where to park decided to stop on the way back home.   The rain was pouring down by now and we almost missed the stop when CJ happened to glance out the window and noticed it again.   I slammed on brakes and did a quick turn to the left onto the hard-shoulder and pulled into a lay-bye nearby.   Jumping out the car in the rain we splooshed and splashed along slipping and sliding in the mud and reached the crest of the road in one piece.   So far, so good!   Hahaha.   Not wanting to get soaked to the skin we ran along to the centre of the main-road bridge to get a good viewpoint. 

old stone bridge

As we ran CJ happened to glance up and noticed a huge puddle of water on the left of where we were heading and a great big truck heading our way.   As she turned to shout a warning: “Puddle!” the truck roared by and all I had time to do was duck my head and turn my back as a huge arc of dirty, greasy, black water poured over my head.   I was soaked to the skin.   Thankfully I had, had just enough time to raise my camera into the air just out of reach of the torrent as the water poured over me.    We were laughing so much that it wasn’t just the rain that was to blame for my trousers being wet .    By now we were absolutely soaked so with no further ado snapped away with the cameras (with very blurry results)

a very blurry photo

and then ran lickety-split for the car.   With no time to spare we jumped off the road and down onto the lay-bye as another stream of cars whooshed by.    What a scream.

one last photo for the day!

And so to home!  One last stop along the way in the waning light to photograph one last river

icy rivers rush headlong down the valleys (Cj's photo)

by the time we got back to the cabin we were wet and cold and still hysterical with laughter.   Next up; a hot steaming shower…of clean water accompanied by a towel.   What a brilliant day.

Looking at a map of Scotland after our adventure, I was amazed to see just how many islands are off the west coast.   There is of course Skye, then Rana, Raasay, Scalpay, Canna, Rum, Eigg, Muck, Coll, Tiree, Mull, Lismore, Colonsay, Jura, Islay, Kintyre, Arran, Bute, as well as farther northwest is Lewis, Harris, North Uist, South Uist, Barra (a tiny little island with it’s own airport), hundreds of little splotches of land with no names, and way north are the Orkney Islands (including the isle of Hoy), and even farther north are the Shetland Islands.   Awesome!”

NOTA : 7 RECOMANDAT

Download subtitrare The Rebound

Trailer The Rebound :

Good news! As of this morning we’ve just added tickets to ShowBus Tours to see Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, which begins previews tonight at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre.

Based on Ingmar Bergman’s film, Smiles of a Summer Night, A Little Night Music is a witty and urbane musical set in waltz time. The action takes place in a weekend country house in turn-of-the-century Sweden, where surprising liaisons, long-simmering passions and a taste of love’s endless possibilities are all brought to light.

Take a look at this video featuring the cast of A Little Night Music, including Catherine Zeta-Jones and the legendary Angela Lansbury:

This show is sure to draw crowds! Lock your tickets in now at ShowBus Tours.

The ShowBus Team
http://ShowBusTours.com
info@showbustours.com
(800) 882-6400

O que eu mais gosto nesse filme? A mania de fazer listas.

Top five things I miss about Laura:  1 - Sense of humor. Very dry, but it can also be warm and forgiving. And she’s got one of the best all time laughs in the history of all time laughs, she laughs with her entire body.  2-  she’s got character. Or at least she had character before the Ian nightmare. She’s loyal and honest, and she doesn’t even take it out on people when she’s having a bad day. That’s character. 3 – miss her smell, and the way she tastes. It’s a mystery of human chemistry and I don’t understand it, some people, as far as their senses are concerned, just feel like home. 4 – I really dig how she walks around. It’s like she doesn’t care how she looks or what she projects and it’s not that she doesn’t care it’s just, she’s not affected I guess, and that gives her grace. And 5; she does this thing in bed when she can’t get to sleep, she kinda half moans and then rubs her feet together an equal number of times… it just kills me. Believe me, I mean, I could do a top five things about her that drive me crazy but it’s just your garden variety women you know, schizo stuff and that’s the kind of thing that got me here.

E não é só uma mania. Tem todo o cuidado por trás (The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention.  Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don’t wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules)  e o indescritível prazer de dividir isso com os amigos:

PS1: Esse post é dedicado aos bons amigos e a todas as listas que a gente já fez em uma mesa de bar.

PS2: Eu gosto mais do Nick Hornby na telona do que nos livros. #prontofalei.

PS3: Nada de citar o slogan de Tostines. Daqui pra frente é Alta Fidelidade: What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music? 
 

PS4: O Jack pode cantar, mas eu ainda sinto vergonha alheia.

PS4: Quem viu o último American Idol pôde acompanhar a ‘performance’ do Jack com a Gladys Knight, Ben Stiller e o #1 (que, como sempre, roubou a cena né?) para promover Trovão Tropical.

ARE THE STARS OUT TONIGHT?: Yes, and most of ‘em are working on and off Broadway. Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson are currently in

JOHANSSON: room for A View

rehearsals for the revival of A View From The Bridge, still regarded in some circles as Arthur Miller’s most passionate drama. They start previews right after Christmas, then open at the Cort Theatre on Jan. 24 … Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury are the hot-ticket duo in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music down the street at the Walter Kerr Theater. Previews start tomorrow night, less than three weeks before their Dec. 13 opening … Emmy Award winners James Spader and Richard Thomas are already in previews for David Mamet’s

ZETA-JONES: opening tomorrow night

new sizzler, Race, directed by Mamet himself, for a Dec. 6 opening … veteran New York broadcaster Pat Collins calls her the funniest woman on Broadway, and audiences must agree, because Carrie Fisher’s one-woman show, Wishful Drinking, originally slated to close Jan. 3, has been held over another two weeks, to Jan. 17… Victor Garber will celebrate New Year’s Eve, then go right into previews for the revival of Noel Coward’s Present Laughter, set to premiere Jan. 21 at the American Airlines Theatre … 2001: A Space Odyssey alumnus Keir Dullea, who actually worked with Noel Coward, will return to Broadway this spring in a revival of Robert Anderson’s

SPADER: Race card

I Never Sang for My Father. Years ago Dullea and Coward co-starred in a London-made thriller called Bunny Lake Is Missing. After shooting a difficult scene together for director Otto Preminger, Coward turned to the young actor and chirped, “Keir Dullea, gone tomorrow!” Happily his ad-lib was not prophetic … and Tony Award owner Matthew Broderick has taken his act off-Broadway. He opens tonight at the Acorn Theatre in Kenneth Lonergan’s The Starry Messenger, about an astronomy teacher’s affair with a younger woman.  Academy Award nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace) plays the younger woman to Broderick’s married academic.

SMITH: backing B'way newbie

ANOTHER OPENING, ANOTHER ADOPT-A-SHOW: It took volunteer executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry to put Precious on the map — and did they ever. Now Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith have become first-time Broadway producers, putting their considerable showbiz weight behind the new Broadway musical Fela! which opens tonight at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre after a month of previews. Directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones, Fela! portrays the extravagant world of controversial music pioneer and Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in a hybrid of concert, dance and musical theater. Will audiences buy in? Stay tuned … and Tony winner Susan

BRODERICK: opening tonight

Stroman will direct the first-ever production of The Scottsboro Boys, an unproduced Kander & Ebb musical, off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. The show will begin previews on February 12 and open on March 10. The Scottsboro Boys explores the infamous Scottsboro case of the 1930s, in which a group of African-American teenagers were unjustly accused of attacking two white women, and the boys’ attempts to prove their innocence.

And yes, it’s a musical.

TOMORROW:

Fangs for the Memories.

The cast of "Nine"; image courtesy of newsinfilm.com

I saw Precious today and want to talk about it length, but need to process what I saw. I’d also like to get to Push, Sapphire’s book on which the movie was based at some point before the end of the year. For now, I’ll say this. I didn’t love it but I did like it, thought Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique were great, was heartened that my matinee screening had a good and diverse turnout, and think you should see it. But you may want to see it with someone and encourage your local theater to have a safe space where people can go if the movie becomes too intense or touches on frought emotions or horrible memories.

For the time being, I thought I’d mention the preview of a coming attraction. Nine, Rob Marshall’s screen adaptation of Arthur Kopit, Mario Fratti, and Maury Yeston’s musical (itself an adaptation of Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2), comes out next week. You can view the trailer here.

So, I know very little about this musical. I only recently discovered the origins of its source material, which I haven’t seen (though, based on my less-than-enthusiastic viewings of La Dolce Vita and I Vitelloni don’t hold high hopes for it, unless Fellini allowed for self-deprication in his autobiographical film the way that Bob Fosse did in All That Jazz, a movie of a similar mold that I love). Beyond that, I knew Raul Julia starred in its Broadway debut back in 1982, the original production won many Tonys, and once heard someone sing “Unusual Way” at a family friend’s wedding, which is a really cryptic song choice for such a ceremony.

As for the film adaptation, I know the players. Rob Marshall directed Chicago and is at the helm here. Daniel Day Lewis plays Guido Contini, a tortured director. The women who populate his life are considerable — Marion Cotillard plays his wife, Penélope Cruz his mistress, Nicole Kidman his muse, Stacey Ferguson (aka Duchess Fergie Ferg) a whore he once knew, and Kate Hudson a fashion writer whose character has a song that was written for the movie. Oh, and Judi Dench is Contini’s costume designer and confidant.

So, I totally suspect a two-hour version of Julio Iglesias’s “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before” with generous dashes of love for the authorial presence of male film directors. Also, I think this trailer gives you virtually no insight into what this story is about.

That said, I totally want to see this movie because:

1) I’m always interested in film musicals, whether they are good, bad, screen adaptations of stage musicals, or screen adaptations of stage musicals of feature films. Yes, this means I saw Hairspray and didn’t hate it as much as many of my movie geek friends did. But those matters should be saved for another post. 

2) Unlike many people who hated Chicago (several of whom I suspect feel Marty or Roman got robbed out of a Best Picture Oscar for Gangs of New York or The Pianist), I actually enjoyed it. I felt the adaptation stayed true to the source material, deftly staged sequences that are actually going on in the protagonist’s mind, and felt like Catherine Zeta Jones, Queen Latifah, and John C. Reilly were great. I even enjoyed Renée Zellweger and Richard Gere, actors whom I otherwise would rather not watch in a movie. My only real complaint (which Jon Stewart shares), was that Bebe Neuwirth, who won a Tony for her portrayal of Velma Kelly was replaced by Zeta Jones. Otherwise, bring it.

3) Daniel Day Lewis can sing? The same guy who apparently prepared for There Will Be Blood by recording his character’s voice using early 20th century phonographic technology? I am there.

d) I’m fascinated by the presence of female pop stars in contemporary film musicals. As the golden age of film musicals has long since passed, it seems like the ones that do make it to the screen need a familiar face and voice, and they are almost always women with celebrated recording careers. Just as I wondered what Madonna brought to Evita, Queen Latifah brought to Chicago, and Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson brought to Dreamgirls, so too am I curious what Fergie is going to bring to Nine. While detractors might snigger that it’s fitting for the woman who sang “My Humps” and “London Bridge” to play a whore, I’ll counter that she’s the only singer we hear in the trailer. Yes, that’s her singing “Be Italian.”

e) In the movie, I’m interested in seeing a whore play a teacher to our genius director protagonist man. In real life, I advocate the decriminalization of prostitution and would like sex workers to get worker rights and benefits.

f) While I worry that these women are going to be portrayed as long-suffering, one-dimensional objects of Condini’s affection, I want to see a movie that boasts so many actresses. I haven’t seen this many women in an ensemble since I saw Cruz in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver (note: Cruz is also starring in Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces and I can’t wait for it to start playing in Austin). 

As an aside, the gossip enthusiast in me is also curious about Cruz and Kidman starring in a movie together. Ever since Tom Cruise split with Nicole Kidman and dated Cruz, I always wonder what their interactions are like every time they show up on a magazine cover together. It’s a catty curiosity, but a curiosity nonetheless. I wonder how they would be portrayed in a movie about Tom Cruise’s life, but want very much for this movie not to be made.

Vogue cover girls Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, and Kate Hudson; image courtesy of latimesblogs.latimes.com

Nicole Kidman and Penélope Cruz bookending Vanity Fair's 2001 Hollywood Issue cover; image courtesy of abc.net.au

Whether this movie is good or not remains to be seen. That said, I’ll see you at the multiplex.

Quando i film ricordano la vita reale, quando forse l’arte imita, quando mi sono ritrovato in una scena.

Qui, a dire la verità, solo una donna e il suo abbigliamento, forse di moda in quegli anni…eh si che ne avrò viste migliaia…

SPOILERS for Ocean’s 12 (not that you should care), and maybe Ocean’s 11, which is worth seeing, ahead.

Forced together by a very convenient plot device (i.e. do what the screenwriter says or you all die) which renders the ending of the last movie defunct (a common complaint in sequels), the same gang of crooks from Ocean’s 11 do some stuff to steal and make money. Yeah!

However this time they’re not after the money, unlike last time, when they were not after the money. Andy Garcia’s casino owner is replaced by a far more deadlier and noxious foe.

The Eurobag

Far too self-consciously “cute” and “witty” for its own good, this takes the essential formula of the first film and removes the drama and suspense. An example that particularly infuriated me:

A major part of the film involves Julia Roberts’ character Tess impersonating Julia Roberts. Then she meets Bruce Willis. Here’s a clip:

WHAT.

Steven Soderburgh even has the audacity to repeat a plot point from the first movie with Brad Pitt instead of George Clooney. They both chase ex-wives/ex-girlfriends, at the expense of the team, possibly putting them in danger. Except in the first film, it felt organic. The audience didn’t know about it until it was revealed to Matt Damon. Here, a clumsy prologue sequence spills all, and Brad Pitt spends the whole movie violating his own advice.

The problem is the audience knows too much and yet too little. Endless jumps in time and pointless trailing scenes don’t help, filling in character details or backstory that I don’t really care about or need to see. Again in Ocean’s 11 it was organic, and came out while they were planning the robbery (which was the plot of the film). Here it’s just a diversion.

The ticking clock plot device, designed to ramp up the tension in an inherently flat and dull story, doesn’t work. After setting up Andy Garcia as this incredible threat in the first film, he’s relegated to inciting incident duties. Once he’s given them time to give him his money back instead of killing them all as he threatened, he’s no longer bad-ass, and poses no threat at all.

In fact the only stakes in this movie is the shame of losing a stealing competition to a douchebag. Oh the shame! The big reveal – that the entire film we’ve been watching was just misdirection for the real theft, which is then shown only in flashback – is just a giant FU to the audience.

What? People pay to see this? That's funny to me!

Brad Pitt saves this movie. He is a very successful actor, somehow managing to maintain a lot of mainstream appeal while taking some really niche roles between the big fat pay-checks (like this one). He’s a great actor, no matter how many stupid Japanese coffee ads he’s done.

Another good point (I try to find at least a few) is the luscious cinematography. Each frame is beautifully composed and shot, to the point that I tuned out all the “plot” and wallowed in the visuals. More Amsterdam would have be nice – it’s one of my favourite cities.

Any good story-teller’s job is to disguise the form so theme and story can shine through. Completely the opposite is done in this movie, but I don’t mind. The story is so boring and the characters so vapid and untouchable that this is the only thing that can excite me.

Rating compared to original: The original felt fresh. It brought a new style and tone to the heist movie, and was one of those rare ensemble star-studded films that actually worked. Boy do the jokes age quickly here. The characters are annoying and outstay their welcome. There’s not even a clear heist that we can get behind. Time to ascribe an arbitrary number to it.

30% of original’s quality.

Yesterday’s New York Times has an amusing article about the complexities of cell phone pricing (ht: Carolyn):

HERE’S a consolation prize to the millions who recoil in bafflement from cellphone companies’ labyrinthine price plans, with their ever more intricate arrays of minutes, messages and megabytes: Economists don’t understand them, either.

“The whole pricing thing is weird,” said Barry Nalebuff, an economics professor at the Yale School of Management. “You pay $60 to make your first phone call. Your next 1,000 minutes are free. Then the minute after that costs 35 cents.”

I frequently use cell phone pricing to illustrate key ideas in my microeconomics class. For example, why is it often impossible to get a signal for my beloved iPhone? Because the marginal cost of downloading data is zero, and AT&T’s bandwidth is often overwhelmed. And why do cell phones usually charge a monthly fee rather than just a per-call or per-minute fee? Because they can get more revenue by offering a low (or zero) per-minute price coupled to a high monthly fee.

Still, as the article suggests, the complexity of cell phone pricing can sometimes seems inexplicable. Which reminds me of one of my favorite TV ads, starring Catherine Zeta Jones and a group of economists who are determined to explain cell phone pricing to consumers:

For my interpretation of the ad, see this post.

Un film del 2010, regia di , con Keanu Reeves / Catherine Zeta-Jones. Prodotto da ()

Drammatico / Poliziesco

Focus sulla tormentata love story tra la diva Lana Turner e il gangster Johnny Stompanato, love story che si concluderà tragicamente.

Name:
Born: 25 September 1969 (Age: 40)
Where: Swansea, Wales
Height: 5′ 8″
Awards: Won 1 BAFTA and 1 Oscar; 2 Golden Globe nominations

Born September 25, 1969 – Both exotic and classic, Wales-born actress Catherine Zeta-Jones began acting as a child. By ten she was part of the Catholic congregation’s performing troupe, and by 18 she was performing professionally in the West End.

Just the other day, we spotted CZJ out for the first time in forever and now, she’s everywhere.  Actually, she’s going to be on Broadway and I’m thinking of going to see her because I’m a huge fan of her Chicago performance.  I love her lowkey cheongsam paired with red hot accessories.  Subtle, not trying to prove anything, just letting you know that she’s CZJ and you should be careful not to hurt yourself looking at her.

Although she’s one of the most respected actresses in Holywood and succeeds every time to turn heads wherever she goes, her beauty secrets are simple and at anyone’s reach.

Admired and envied for her hair, Catherine confesses that her secret is… beer.

“I do condition my hair with honey and beer. I smell like the bottom of a beer barrel for days afterwards but it’s very good for the hair”.

I was very upset to hear that this wasn’t a film based on Danny Phantom.

In 1930s New York City, the purple-clad Phantom’s longtime effort to crush a culture of evil pits him — and his dashing alter ego, Kit Walker (Billy Zane) — against megalomaniacal villain Xander Drax (played by Treat Williams).

I have never really heard about the comic books that this film is based on, and to be truly honest I was kind of interested in reading them before I saw this movie. Now, i don’t think I need to read them at all.

The comic books are made from the 30’s and I liked how the film stayed close to the old look, rather than having it all modernized and changed up for the modern audience.

The real big problem I had with this film however, is that it’s script is really god awful. The lines in this film are so cliched and cheesy that I don’t know if they were intentional or not but I really did laugh my ass off by the stupidity of these little lines.

Also, another problem I found with The Phantom was that it’s story wasn’t different from any other superhero film, and when the action wasn’t happening I felt the film dragged on for a bit too long. The story gets weaker and weaker as it goes on, and when the film’s all said and done with you will probably forget about the story itself.

The action scenes in this film really are it’s high points. There are no use of CGI, and all of the action fighting stunts look real. When The Phantom falls and hits the ground, he looks like he hit the ground and is affected, and you don’t feel like he has that sense of cat-lives one bit.

The colors in this film make this film even better to look at. The blending of a lot of bright colors make this film very astonishing and it keeps your attention as you watch on, and adds a little more to the action scenes.

I can really tell that Billy Zane is really trying his hardest with this character but nothing good can really come out. The poor script has his character delivering cheesy lines beyond belief, and never really giving us a real look of who is the man behind the mask. The supporting cast is really well done and I found them to be sometimes more interesting than The Phantom himself.

Consensus: The Phantom is very nice to look at, but starts to overcome itself with a horrible script and a not so interesting plot when the action wasn’t going down.

5.5/10=Rentalll!!

In limbajul specialistilor in love&dating, the rebound este acea persoana cu care ai o relatie imediat dupa ce ai suferit o despartire majora. Deoarece dupa un divort sau separare de cineva cu care ai stat mai multi ani esti in mod clar ranit(a), confuz(a) si nepregatit(a) sa-ti mai deschizi inima, relatia cu the rebound este menita sa dureze foarte putin si sa fie doar un mod in care iti lingi ranile, iti repari orgoliul si de fapt te pregatesti pentru urmatoarea relatie adevarata din viata ta. Ei bine, filmul The Rebound isi propune, cred, sa demonstreze contrariul, sub forma unei comedii romantice lipsita de sare si piper.

Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones) este gospodina, sotia si mama perfecta, care n-a avut niciodata un job si pana la varsta de 40 de ani s-a preocupat numai de familie si indatoririle casnice. Cand descopera ca sotul o inseala, ea divorteaza, isi ia cei doi copii si se muta la New York, hotarata sa-si ia viata de la capat si sa-si indeplineasca visul de a deveni reporter sportiv. Numai ca a avea serviciu presupune sa aiba cu cine sa-si lase copiii, asa ca Sandy isi cauta un baby sitter pe care il gaseste sub forma unui tanar de 25 de ani, Aram (Justin Bartha), destul de suparat pe viata in urma faptului ca descoperise ca frantuzoaica ce parea iubirea vietii lui se folosise de el ca sa-si ia permisul de rezidenta in State. Pe masura ce isi cladeste o cariera si este tot mai dezamagita de barbatii cam ciudati cu care iese la intalniri, Sandy se apropie tot mai mult de Aram, mai ales ca si copiii ei il indragesc, asa ca inevitabil cei doi sfarsesc prin a avea o relatie. Relatie care devine tot mai serioasa pana intr-un punct de cotitura… pe care n-o sa vi-l spun ca altfel va stric placerea. Ideea e ca Sandy are un moment de criza si il trimite pe june la plimbare, motivand ca diferenta de varsta dintre ei este exagerat de mare si ei nu au niciun viitor. Ramane de vazut daca mai exista totusi o sansa, daca iubirea nu tine cont de varsta si daca the rebound poate sa fie, totusi, The One.

Din pacate, The Rebound e genul de film care are doar 4-5 faze mai haioase si alea sunt puse in trailer, asa ca deja ai ras la ele cand ai vazut trailerul la cinema (eventual tot de 4-5 ori). Zeta-Jones are un personaj destul de bine conturat, insa cel intruchipat de Bartha este total de pe alta planeta: un tip dragut de 25 de ani, sensibil, neafemeiat, fara vicii, caruia ii plac copiii, ba chiar refuza un super job la o corporatie ca sa stea cu ei si cu Sandy – oh, please! Pe deasupra, chiar daca ambii sunt sarmanti pe cont propriu, Zeta-Jones si Bartha nu au niciun pic de chimie impreuna pe ecran si nu se potrivesc nici fizic – ea este mai inalta si chiar un pic mai masiva decat el, iar diferenta de varsta e totusi cam mare ca relatia sa fie credibila. Asta mi-aduce aminte de The Proposal, care trata cam acelasi subiect – relatia dintre o ea mai in varsta si un el mai mic – dar unde exista o potrivire foarte buna intre actori si unde scenaristii au creat situatii si replici cu adevarat haioase. Asta e, dupa cum am mai spus si in alte randuri, unul dintre cele mai grele lucruri pe lumea asta e sa faci oamenii sa rada… Asa ca eu una nu v-as recomanda sa iesiti din casa pe frigul asta pentru The Rebound. Mai bine va inveseliti cu un pahar de vin fiert!

Two of my absoloute favorite actresses are going to be starring in “A Little Night Music” which starts later this month for press viewing. Broadway Legend Angela Lansbury and making her Broadway Debut Oscar winner Catherine Zeta Jones. I would just love to be able to get to New York to see this, would be a fantastic experience. Here are a couple of pictures from a meet and great held in New York on Friday.

I am very much looking forward to reading reviews when it starts. Can you say 2010 Tony Awards?

Louise Crome probably has the great good sense to lie low and say nothing about her relationship with Rodney Hide.

This has left the gossip-hungry news media pouncing on all sorts of other people for their tittle-tattle about the unlikely libertine’s dalliance with a lass some 32 years younger.

Mrs Grumble is disappointed the news media have failed to tell us what Ms Crone finds attractive about a squat middle-aged MP with a Yul Brynner hairdo. Maybe she must wait for the Women’s Weekly or one of the other women’s magazines to tell all.

But the Herald on Sunday has tracked down Hide’s wife, whose thoughts on Rodney make for fascinating reading. The pity is she didn’t say a helluva lot more.

Dunno how much Mrs Hide is paying in taxes, but she would have cause to be pissed off about some of that money contributing to Ms Crone’s gallavanting around the world with Rodney.

The HoS tells us that some weekends Rodney and the new love of his life train together at a gym in Remuera and during the week, they fly down to Wellington where she is studying for a post-graduate degree, “and he helps run the country.”

The two have completely different, completely separate, but similarly successful, careers.

He has turned from a jovial, roly-poly opposition MP – famed for his campaign to trim public sector extravagance – into a tough, unforgiving political leader and minister.

She has spent much of her time based overseas in Amsterdam, furthering her professional squash career.

So it came as something of a surprise to many that Act leader Rodney Hide, 52, flew his 31-year-old girlfriend around the world with him at a cost of more than $25,000 to the public purse.

Then came the tid-bit that served as second best for Mrs Grumble, in the absence of an interview with the girlfriend.

No one was more surprised than his wife Jiuan Jiuan, from whom he separated 2 years ago.

“He is out of my life, and I’m pleased for that,” she said yesterday.

He may have trimmed the public purse, he may have trimmed down his waistline – but she says he’s never tidied up his affairs at home.

“I want to tell Rodney to come back and clean up the mess he has left behind,” she said.

“His entire life. He just walked out – that’s it. Just like that! It’s a shocking story.”

Others mentioned in despatches in the HoS are –

* Crome’s aunt Aileen Buscke, the sports co-ordinator at Remuera Rackets Club, who sees Hide at the club gym most weekends, and sometimes Crome works out with him. The age difference was of little concern, Buscke said. “Louise seems very settled and very happy. I don’t think she would have given that a thought really.”

* Marjorie Crome, who said her daughter’s 10-day trip to London, Toronto, Portland and Los Angeles had been very rushed, and then she had returned to intense public scrutiny. “It’s pretty tough because she is a very private person.”

And did the age gap worry her?

“Well, when you look at things on paper, things like that initially do.”

But, she laughed, there were no boundaries when it came to love.

“You can’t pick your kids’ partners can you? As long as they are happy, that’s the most important thing.

“My parents had a big age difference, but I don’t think it runs in the family,” she said. “I judge people as individuals.”

The SoH has also talked – good grief – to a bloody psychologist.

Lifestyle changes like Rodney Hide’s can be prompted by a person’s awareness of their own mortality, says psychologist Mary Farrell.

“Obviously you get to a certain point in your life and you know you’ve only got a number of years left.”

SoH readers then are treated to a rehash of Hide’s disclosure last year that, a few years earlier, he was so depressed that he didn’t care whether he lived or died.

He had been on the brink of losing his Parliamentary job, his health and his marriage.

Farrell said an awareness of mortality was not necessarily a sad feeling, but could spark a determination to get what you can out of your remaining years.

That can include making physical changes to improve your health and changes in your love life. Hide and his girlfriend Louise Crome, 31, have moved in together in Wellington.

“That might account for the weight loss,” Farrell said. “Love’s a motivational force, especially if they’re younger.”

The SoH notes that Hide is following in the footsteps of such famous older man-younger woman pairings as Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn (34 years younger), or Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones (25 years younger).

It didn’t mention veteran NewstalkZB hack Barry Soper and his young bit of crumpet, One News reporter Heather

Du Plessis-Allan. Soper, 57, and Du Plessis-Allan, 24, followed in the footsteps of Speaker Lockwood Smith and wed in the historic Grand Hall at Parliament last month.

The Grumbles were not invited.