Spiderwick – Le cronache è un film del 2008 diretto da Mark Waters, adattamento cinematografico tratto dalla saga di libri fantasy Le cronache di Spiderwick, scritta da Holly Black ed illustrata da Tony DiTerlizzi.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Mark Waters | Sarah Bolger | Freddie Highmore | David Strathairn | Mary-Louise Parker

Today on Alphabet City: Jon Paul’s celebrity hatred game becomes a Thanksgiving tradition.

Since I moved to the Big Apple, Thanksgiving has become my all-time favorite holiday.  Instead of traveling to spend stress-induced time with family, I gather friends in my home for a big meal.  After we pile our plates with food and pour copious amounts of wine, we go around the table and announce the person we would most like to spit on.  That’s right, we don’t waste time being sappy and thankful.  Instead, we use it as an opportunity to vent frustration with famous faces.  The Spit List as we call it has a long and storied history, having been created by Susan and me in our days at Condé Nast.  CLICK HERE to read a full excerpt about the origins, including a peek inside the famed Condé Nast cafeteria, and a dig at Chloe Sevigny.

For those of you rushing to adopt the game as a conversation starter at your own feast and too busy to read the excerpt, let me give a quick overview of the ground rules:

• Spitting on someone is a real commitment based upon a visceral reaction; it comes from the gut.  There really is no rhyme or reason—so there’s no arguing allowed once someone announces their “spitee.”  They are allowed to give some background, but not required to defend their choice per se.
• You can only spit on famous people—someone that you might see on a red carpet.  It can’t be Bob in accounting.
• Your Spit List doesn’t have to be long, and people can move on and off the list over time.  Scarlett Johansson was on my very first list, but has moved off.

Friends who have enjoyed The Spit List game at my table report that it has become like a drug for them—they spend all year looking forward to creating their list.  If they miss Thanksgiving at my house, they phone or email in their entry.  Some have tried exporting it to their family gatherings with limited success.  My friend Aimee spent some time in Liberia but was frustrated in her attempts to explain the game to citizens of a post-war torn republic.

Over the years, we have had quite a diverse group of honorees—Jennifer Aniston has moved on and off various people’s lists; not surprisingly both Suze Orman and Oprah have appeared more than once.  I imagine at least Oprah will be back this year.

Last year, Angela tried expanding it beyond just celebrities to broader concepts like the “blogosphere.”  The judges are still out on whether pop culture concepts will be a permanent category addition to The Spit List.

This year I’m extra lucky—two of my perennial Spit List favorites have collided: the Vampires of Twilight and Dakota Fanning.  I’m already getting choked up.

Have a heartwarming holiday, and do report back on your own Spit List.

Excerpt from Alphabet City’s Episode 11: Bold Faced Names

Imagine the Bourne Identity meets Taken, with Bruce Willis as the Matt Damon – Liam Neeson kick ass and take names character. That is Red.

Based on the Warren Ellis (GI Joe Resolute) written 3 issue comic, grittingly illustrated by Cully Hammer (Mallrats-artwork), Red is a collision of realist violence and good ol’ fashion whoop ass.  Willis will play Paul Moses, a CIA hitman in retirement trying to handle the horrors he’s done in the service of his country. Newly appointed CIA Director, uncast but most likely John C. Rielly (Step Brother), wants to clean house and Moses is at the top of the list. But when the first team of assassins fails, Moses goes Jason Bourne on the CIA, tracking them down and showing them the monster that was asleep for so long.

The story is a little thin, and short, but with alot of room to build on. When you read the comic you get hit with the whole story in under 76 heavily illustrated pages. It’s basic, but effective. Most of the characters are created in the illustrations and through the violence, rather than the see-spot-run dialogue. oh and there is violence, enough to make you think that this should be a  Quentin Tarantino movie.

But this is why you should be excited about Red’s prospects – Morgan Freeman, John C. Reilly, Helen Miren (The Queen), Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremecy and X-Men 2), Ernst Borgnine (everything for the last 50 years), Julian McMahon (Fantastic Four and Nip/Tuck) and Mary Louise Parker (Weeds) , headed by Bruce Willis under the Direction of Robert Schwentke (The Time Travelers Wife). By my count that’s 4 Oscar winners supporting Die Hard with help from a few Golden Globe/Emmy/Oscar nominees. Not to bad for a comic book adaptation movie, that’s whole premise is violence with more violence wrapped in violence.

The movie is currently pre-production, and is slated to start filming on January 11th, 2010; release date a year from now. I’m not saying that this movie is going to blow the doors off the oscars at all, but it’s probably going to be pretty awesome…but also good. Which is pretty rare these days. You either get Michael Bay’s awesome with a side of Megan Fox; or Daniel Day-Lewis on a four hour journey into depression.  Maybe this time we can just get a good ol’ fashion serving of whoop ass in between slices of quality film making.

Find Red at a comic store near you, if you live in Boston or Massachusetts go to the Comic Stop in Watertown, they are good people there.

The body of Jesse James is photographed for the history books in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford".

(Andrew Dominik, 2007)

November 18, 2009

by Joel Crary

At the end of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance”, James Stewart has finished relaying his story of gunning down the infamous outlaw for a reporter, finally coming clean that it was John Wayne whose aim was true. It won’t fly in the press, the reporter famously asserts: “This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” In spite of its wonderful cinematography and a great performance by Casey Affleck, I was thoroughly let down by “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”. It makes the mistake of printing the facts, and too many at that.

The film stars Brad Pitt as the outlaw and he’s just fine in the role. Jesse snarls and acts kind of nuts and seems dangerously unpredictable. He’s a hero to the young Ford (Affleck), who desperately wants to join his gang. Indeed, Affleck plays the role with a pitiable brilliance – in one scene, he forks over all of the knowledge he’s gained about Jesse from the pulp paperbacks that he keeps in a shoebox under his bed, drawing comparisons to himself down to the number of letters in their respective older brothers’ names.

Jesse laughs in his face. We kind of want to see him get his due, and this is one of the film’s faults – it can’t commit to supporting either of its protagonists. There is no indication of why Jesse is the way he is. Keeping him a mystery would be fine if Ford were the focus of the narrative, but for the film’s first half, which casts its net too widely in needlessly trying to establish supporting characters, he is not. Finally, Ford jumps into action, dispatching Jesse’s cousin Wood (Jeremy Renner) in a gunfight that he had no part in. The kid might have the guts to fire on Jesse after all.

By the gunfight scene, the film had worn me down with its pacing, which is far too gradual and ultimately causes its structure as a whole to collapse from underneath itself. The last half hour offers a potentially fascinating conclusion, but compared to how the film has told the story to that point, everything ends up feeling rushed and superficial. Andrew Dominik, who based his script on the novel by Ron Hansen, would have been wiser to vary his approach with regard to timelines. All of the moments he chooses to chronicle, such as Wood and Dick Liddil’s (Paul Schneider) romp up to Jesse’s uncle’s house and Jesse’s relation of his execution of Ed Miller (Garret Dillahunt) to Robert’s brother Charley (Sam Rockwell), might have indeed been necessary, but they aren’t placed in a relation to one another that makes them seem particularly relevant to the plot.

Dominik implements a narrator to poetically describe his characters’ lives and internalized feelings to the point of absurdity. In one scene, Ford paces around Jesse’s house from room to room while the narrator details every move he makes, even though they are plainly visible, robbing Affleck of the chance to communicate his mindset physically. This exhibits only a cowardice in technique, not in Robert Ford. The narrator describes Jesse’s home life. A good thing, too, because there would be hardly any indication that he had one otherwise. Poor Mary-Louise Parker is given precious little to do in her role as Mrs. James other than to shriek in horror upon his assassination, the one plot element that holds interest when nothing else of interest really presents itself.

“Assassination” is ultimately a story about how a man like Jesse James, who masterminded nearly 30 holdups, who outsmarted many men to their deaths in the violent environment of the old West, who trusted only two men in 10,000, and then not by much, could be shot by a punk kid with a crush on him. It takes an interesting turn in depicting the aftermath, but the slow buildup to the shooting doesn’t allow the film’s conclusions regarding Ford’s character to carry much dramatic weight. Jesse and Ford’s relationship is key, but the film spends far too much time diverting from it in order to pay attention to every single facet of the historical circumstances. In the telling of a legend, that’s wholly unnecessary. In the relating of fact, it’s tedious.

Some spot on ladies from the past week in fashion.

1. SIENNA MILLER toughens up her floral maxi with a tough leather jacket = perfect balance

2. KATE MOSS rocks Anita Pallenberg-esque fur. That better be faux, missy…

3. MANDY MOORE goes goddess in a flattering asymmetrical cut.

4. WHITNEY PORT mixes patterns successfully with a dash of lumberjack and a bit of sailor.

5. JESSICA ALBA has been perfecting the art of the casual fall ensemble recently!

6. MARY LOUISE PARKER makes separates mod with opaque black tights and boots (my staples).

7. JOY BRYANT is pretty and boho chic with some patterns and messenger bag perfection.

8. KATE MOSS makes black interesting with fringe and moto boots. Perfect for class.

What have you been wearing this week?

Peace,

Sources: people.com, instyle.com, jessicastyle.com, justjared.buzznet

]]> http://homeshoppingista.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/beleaguered-magazines-partner-with-hsn-to-drive-circulation-and-we-were-left-off-the-guest-list-for-designer-isaac-mizrahis-qvc-party/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:49:19 +0000 homeshoppingista http://homeshoppingista.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/beleaguered-magazines-partner-with-hsn-to-drive-circulation-and-we-were-left-off-the-guest-list-for-designer-isaac-mizrahis-qvc-party/

We’re a little late to the party on this one, but we think it’s worth noting. Lucky magazine is one of several magazines — including Allure, Glamour and Self — that has been partnering with HSN.

HSN and Lucky did a “Designer Capsule Collection” that got a three-page spread in the magazine’s November issue. The apparel, jewelry and handbag designers featured all had items being sold on HSN.

That group included Shoshanna Gruss, Rebecca Taylor, Tracy Reese, Gerard Yosca, Abbe Held, Rebecca Minkoff and Helen Ficalora.

Shoshanna Dress for HSN

Why are fashion magazines partnering with HSN? Circulation and ad pages are down, leaving monthlies struggling. As part of its deals, HSN is selling inexpensive standalone subscriptions to the magazines, or packaging them as part of other product purchases. It’s a way for the magazines to add subscribers.

Speaking of parties, it looks like QVC left us off the guest list for the star-studded soiree in Manhattan for designer Isaac Mizrahi’s new collection for QVC. According to the New York Post’s Page Six Sunday, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, Mary-Louise Parker, Mira Sorvino and Ann Heche were at the shindig.

The casting for Summit Entertainment’s adaptation of the Wildstorm Comics mini-series Red is hotting up. Julian McMahon, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss and Brian Cox are in negotiations to join Bruce Willis for Flightplan director Robert Schwentke’s new feature.

Red, originally written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Cully Hamner, tells the story of a former black-ops CIA agent now living a quiet life in retirement until the day a high-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him.

McMahon would play the Vice President, who is at the very heart of a massive conspiracy. 92 year-old Borgnine will play the keeper of the CIA’s darkest records, while Dreyfuss will be a wealthy man who builds a fortune out of lucrative government contracts. Cox takes the role of a former Cold War spy and nemesis of Willis, who plays the lead character. The line-up will also include Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John C. Reilly and Mary Louise Parker.

That’s some serious talent collected there and it’s great to see Wild Bunch star Borgnine still hard at work. I’m more than a little excited by the potential in this project. The film is scheduled to begin shooting early next year, for a projected November 2010 release.

Yes I know the Jaws quote makes no sense in the context of the film about a former black ops agent (Bruce Willis) heading out of retirement, but Dreyfuss is now in it so that’s cool.

Heat Vision had the news that Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck, Fantastic Four), Ernest Borgnine (Airwolf and loads of other things), Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and Brian Cox (Trick r Treat, X-Men 2, and another film also called Red) are in negotiations to join the cast for Summit’s adaptation of the Warren Ellis Wildstorm/DC Comics miniseries being directed by Robert Schwentke.

“Red” tells the tale of a former black ops agent (Bruce Willis), now in retirement, who has to contend with younger, more high-tech assassins who show up to kill him.

McMahon would play a Vice President with a dark side who is at the center of a shadow conspiracy.

Borgnine will play the keeper of the CIA’s darkest records, while Dreyfuss will be a wealthy man who builds a fortune out of lucrative government contracts. Cox is a former Cold War spy and nemesis of Willis.

The actors join a cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John C. Reilly and Mary Louise Parker.

The film is scheduled to begin shooting early next year.

“Red” marks the 92-year-old Borgnine’s first role in a major feature in quite some time; the Oscar winner and Bensky Entertainment-repped actor has been appearing in Hallmark movies such as “A Grandpa for Christmas” and making TV appearances for the past decade.

Well Red is certainly getting a big name cast. I hope some of the original coolness from the comic makes it through to the big screen.

What do you think about the casting?

- por Guilherme Bakunin

Os anos noventa declaram algo importante na carreira de Woody Allen: ele está ficando velho e, progressivamente, deixará de ser tão frequente em seus próprios filmes, especialmente porque a temática de seu trabalho costuma ser invariavelmente a mesma: as neuroses do cotidiano na vida dos metropolitanos. Tem sido assim desde A última Noite de Boris Grushenko e até agora, poucos de seus filmes saem dessa alçada.

Tiros na Broadway é o segundo noventista a não contar com a presença do diretor. Aqui, não há personagem que faça paralelo com a persona de Woody. O mais próximo que temos disso é David Shayne, interpretado por Cusack, escritor de peças teatrais com um leve complexo de superioridade que geralmente acompanha autodeclarado artistas, que se vê obrigado a aceitar uma má atriz em sua peça para poder produzi-la.

O filme segue, em geral, dois caminhos: a construção da peça e pequenas cenas onde são narrados acontecimentos paralelos que de uma forma ou de outra envolvem o pessoal do teatro. Allen trabalha aqui com gângsters idealizados, retratados como figuras estereotipadas pelo cinema que o cineasta tanto admira. E se aprendemos algo vendo seus filmes, podemos dizer que os ‘mocinhos’ de Tiros na Broadway foram feitos em torno dos gângsters, e não o contrário, como pode parecer. Além das intrigas no preparo da peça e o conflito interno de auto questionamento de Shayne, o filme abre um leque pra clássica filosofia manhattiana dos filmes de Woody, indo de Nietzsche às artes, Shakespeare à Crepúsculo dos Deuses.

O texto aqui é poderoso, firme e objetivo, porém flexível o bastante para dar espaço às fantásticas reflexões de Woody Allen sobre a vida, sobre a arte, sobre o amor. Referente ao esquema do gângster ser o verdadeiro gênio, não vou corroborar com esse tipo de coisa. Woody Allen deixa sua ideia bem clara: o artista nasce pronto e ninguém pode tornar-se um. É simplista demais, cômico demais pra ser algo levado tão à sério (um tramamento mais dramático poderia ter servido melhor pra sustentar a queda de Shayne e sua arte, algo que Allen hesita em utilizar aqui).

Num universo controlado por armas e chapéus, onde as duas únicas saídas parecem ser viver uma vida ordinária ou se entregar de corpo e alma à salvação da arte, qual é o papel do homem nesse lugar? A discussão pode ir longe, e entre cães e Helens Sinclairs, nós, juntamente com Allen, descobrimos que tudo o que podemos aspirar é ao amor, ainda que jamais venhamos a ter certeza do que ele seja.

5/5

Ficha técnica: Tiros na Broadway (Bullets Over Broadway) – EUA, 1994. Dir. Woody Allen. Elenco: John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Tily, Chazz Palminteri, Mary-Louise Parker, Jack Warden, Joe Viterelli, Rob Reiner.

John C. Reilly (Walk Hard, Step-Brothers) and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) are in negotiations to join the cast of Red, Summit’s adaptation of the Warren Ellis Wildstorm/DC Comics miniseries being directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveller’s Wife).

The comic was great. Very violent and the synopisis is as follows:

As a C.I.A. operative, Paul Moses’s unique talent for killing took him around the world, from one hotspot to another, carrying out the deadly orders of his superiors. And when he retired, he wanted to put his bloody past behind him. But when a new administration takes over the White House, the powers that be decide that Moses knows too much, forcing him back into the game against the agency that trained him.

The movie is described by Heat Vision blog as a tale of a former black-ops agent (Bruce Willis), now in retirement, who has to contend with younger, more high-tech assassins who show up to kill him.

Reilly would play a retired CIA agent who is paranoid that everyone is out to kill him.

Parker would play the romantic interest, a federal pension worker who becomes embroiled in the Willis character’s struggle to stay alive.

Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren are also starring in it.

En la página de Heat Vision, John C. Reilly y Mary-Louise Parker están viendo si se unen al proyecto de “Red”. Esta es la adaptación de la Wildstorm y DC comics.

El director creo que ya se lo saben, nada más y nada menos que Robert Schwentke.

La serie de tres volúmenes que se publicaron en el 2003 y el 2004, cuenta la historia de unos agentes de operaciones encubiertas de la CIA (Bruce Willis) que ahora viven bien a gusto ya retirados hasta que un asesino que usa la más avanzada tecnología se presenta para matarlo.

Reilly será uno de los agentes retirados de la CIA que piensa que todo mundo lo quiere matar. Mary-Louise Parker será la chica a conquistar que trabaja como una empleada en el departamento de pensiones y que se involucra con el personaje de Bruce Willies para que éste siga vivo.

Ya ayer les pusimos de que Morgan Freeman y Helen Mirren también estará en esta cinta. Los productores serán Lorenzo DiBonaventura y Mark Vahradian usando un guión de Jon y Erich Hoeber.

El actor John C. Reilly (su último trabajo es Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant) y Mary Louise Parker (la vemos cada semana en Weeds), se suman al interesante reparto del thriller de acción Red. La adaptación del cómic ideado por Warren Ellis, de la que se hace cargo Robert Schwentke contaba ya con Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren y Morgan Freeman en su reparto. La película tiene como protagonista a un viejo agente de operaciones encubiertas ya retirado, que deberá enfrentarse con tretas de su generación a un grupo de asesinos armados con alta tecnología que sus antiguos jefes han enviado para matarle. Reilly será un viejo compañero del protagonista, dando vida a un ex-agente de la CIA totalmente paranoico, mientras que Parker será una humilde trabajadora que se verá involucrada en la lucha del protagonista por sobrevivir.

1. .SWEATER WEATHER.

2. .PULLING ALL-NIGHTERS.

3. .IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA.

Is it just me, or is this season especially absurd/crossing the line? I don’t now but I don’t hate it.

4. .CUTIE MUSICIANS…LIKE EZRA KOENIG OF VAMPIRE WEEKEND & SUFJAN STEVENS.

5. .KATE MOSS’S STYLE ICON-NESS.

6. .STUDYING HERE.

How spectacular is it that this courtyard is in the middle of the Boston Public Library?

7. .HUGS.

8. .A PERFECT ARGUMENT…and READ THIS…if you want.

9. .COZY WINDOW BEDS.

10. .PRIMPING FOR A BIG NIGHT OUT.

Have a beautiful day.

Peace,

Sources: a beautiful mess, nytimes, bear , a cup of jo , that obscure object , the abbey studio

1. .THE GREAT GATSBY.

2. .CLEVER RINGS. Designed by Kiel Mead.

3. .CLASSY BLONDES.

4. .DREE HEMINGWAY. Literary offspring.

5. .THIS PHOTO. AND FAKE COUPLE. AND SHOW.

6. .EPIC MOVIE CREDIT SONGS. When the action ends and the credits roll. That song says so much.

American Beauty: “Because” covered by Elliott Smith

Lost in Translation: “Just Like Honey” by the Jesus and Mary Chain

Children of Men: ” Bring On The Lucie” by John Lennon

Romeo + Juliet: “Exit Music (For A Film)” by Radiohead [written specifically for the purpose]

7. .TRADING HALLOWEEN CANDY.

8. .ADORABLE EXES.

9. .THIS LOFT.

10. .BABY ANIMALS THAT GET TO GROW UP. Read this.

I will now enjoy my vegan Thai food tonight that much more.

Have a beautiful day.

Peace,

Sources: weheartit.com, kielmead.com, imdb.com, hippiefroufrou.blogspot.com

because they are made for catching up, chores and such but this is really just a hot lady friday blog.

laundry with anne hathaway:

doing some cooking perhaps with mary louise parker (finally caught up on weeds!)

probably continue to obsessively listen to marie antoinette soundtrack with emily blunt:

and lots of couch lounging with kate winslet:

Creo que soy de las personas que me puedo tragar cualquier cosa mientras no sea la tele basura a la que estamos completamente acostumbrados, en fin, odio la televisión ¿Por que será? quizás, por que por suerte o por desgracia trabajo en ella… y cada día me aberra más!

Bueno, a lo que vamos… me encantan las series, creo que es un invento cojonudo, lo ves cuando te apetece, con quien te apetece y te ves los capítulos que quieras uno, dos,tres! Quiero reclamar aquí, que los amantes de las series o SERIEFILOS reclama uno o varios canales de series en HD, estamos hartos de que nos cuelen calidad basura (en comparación con las calidades que hay colgadas en red) infinitos bloques publicitarios, y demás morralla!

Llevo cerca de un par de años curtiendo series como Heroes, TrueBlood, Criando malvas, A dos metros bajo tierra pero tengo mi propio Top Series, y espero que vengan muchas más, entre ellas Weeds con la estupenda Mary-Louise Parker, que tiene un morbazo de escándalo (ella y la serie), Perdidos que ¡por dios! que se estrene ya la sexta temporada, no puedo vivir con este no saber lo que pasará, Los Soprano en la que después de infinitos capítulos terminé amando al gran bastardo de Tony Soprano y por supuesto Californication con David Duchovny haciendo de Hank Moody el hombre que todos desearíamos ser, por que hace lo que quiere, cuando quiere  y se lo monta con unas pivas espectaculares aunque también tiene unos marrones que no los quisiéramos ninguno.

Ahora mismo ando con Dexter, la tercera temporada, he tenido que hacer un pequeño paron porque me embutí las dos primeras temporadas en cuestón de dos semanas, es decir, que casi se me atraganta, pero no puedo dejar a Morgan Dexter tirado, asi que prometo recuperarla y hacer un analisis completo de série y sus personajes, por que unos más que otros pero todos tienen miga.

Aunque al igual que tengo un TopSeries tengo una lista de espera que no sé cuando voy a terminarla

Y tu, que serie nos recomendarias?

Deja tu comentario

A qué poco saben los trece capítulos de la quinta temporada de “Weeds” y es que una vez vistos, a una se le quedan ganas de más, pero habrá que esperar pacientemente a que estrenen la sexta temporada en Estados Unidos, seguramente el año que viene.

Si mucho cambió la vida de la familia Botwin la temporada pasada, en esta última entrega de la serie Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) ha sido madre por tercera vez y de otro chico, Stevie Ray, fruto de su relación con el político mexicano Esteban Reyes (Demián Bichir) con el que se ha casado, en un enlace tan poco convencional como esta original serie. Andy (Justin Kirk), tras decirle a Nancy que la quería, se decide a olvidarla y le pide matrimonio a la doctora Audra Kitson (a la que da vida la cantante canadiense Alanis Morissette), que trabaja en una clínica abortista. Silas (Hunter Parrish) crea su propio negocio con Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon) pero un “pequeño” suceso hace que pierdan la droga, eso sí, esta temporada el hijo mayor de Nancy ha madurado. Lo contrario le ha pasado a su hermano Shane (Alexander Gould) al que la falta de una figura paterna (no, Andy no cuenta) y el ambiente en el que ha vivido durante los últimos meses le han convertido en una especie de sociópata, tanto que ha acabado la temporada pegándole en la cabeza con un mazo a Pilar Zuazo (Kate del Castillo) la que controla a Esteban Reyes y a la que la propia Nancy había pedido al traficante Guillermo (Guillermo Díaz) que liquidase.

Por otro lado, Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) fue secuestrada por su hija y el novio de ésta en México pero logró huir de allí para acabar viviendo en el garaje de Nancy y meterse a vendedora de cosméticos. Pero tras gastarse todo su dinero en comprar los productos y ver que no podía venderlos, consigue quedarse con la droga de Silas y Doug y hacer que su ex-marido Dean (Andy Milder) le ayude a meter un poco de hierba en cada cosmético. Así Celia se forra… hasta que la descubren y Doug, Dean y hasta su hija Isabelle (Allie Grant) deciden darle un escarmiento, para pasar a ser sus socios. Vaya que Celia se convierte en una especia de Nancy (hasta se cambia el color de pelo y se hace adicta a la cafeína para parecerse a su “amiga”) y junta a los antiguos socios de ésta, los citados Dean y Doug y Sanjay (Maulik Pancholy), su hija e Ignacio (Hemky Madera).

El mundo de Nancy se sigue desmoronando por más que quiera proteger a su familia, ¿qué pasara en la siguiente temporada? Acabo con un deseo, que esta serie se vea recompensada de una vez en alguna entrega de premios porque se lo merece y si no la serie, sus actores ya que tanto a Mary-Louise Parker como a Elizabeth Perkins ya les han privado de muchos Emmy y al resto los han ninguneado.

Mary Louise Parker

No es que la pondría en mi lista de series preferidas pero “Weeds” engancha. Da igual que hablen mal, que a veces su humor sea cruel o que haya degenerado un poco, “Weeds” tiene algo que engancha. ¿Qué es? Su originalidad, a pesar de irse un poco por las ramas, sus guionescon chispa y sarcasmo y unas interpretaciones de diez porque los que hicieron el casting se lucieron y mucho.

La quinta temporada empieza como acabó la cuarta, con Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) diciéndole a su mafioso-alcalde de Tijuana novio que estaba embarazada. A partir de ahí vemos como Esteban, el padre de la criatura, obliga a Nance a ir a un ginecólogo de su confianza, en México claro, para comprobar que el niño es suyo de verdad. Nancy cree que por esta embarazada Esteban no va a mandar a uno de sus sicarios a matarla, aunque tampoco lo tiene tan claro sobre todo porque no quiere ir con César, uno de los susodichos matarifes, en coche. ¿Esta chica se puede meter en más problemas? Pues sí, seguro que sí.

El resto de los Botwin siguen más o menos igual: Silas (Hunter Parrish) quiere hacerse vendedor de marihuana pero al final decide poner una tienda de marihuana terapeútica (todo legal) con Doug (Kevin Nealon); Shane (Alexander Gould) ha perdido toda su inocencia y su sentido común, como bien le dice Andy, y se ha hecho vendedor; y Andy (Justin Kirk)… Andy sigue siendo un desastre y se ha declarado a Nancy, aunque ella no le ha tomado muy en serio.

No me olvido de los Hodes. Isabelle (Allie Grant) sigue viviendo con su padre Dean (Andy Milder, que debería salir más) mientras que Celia (Elizabeth Perkins) es secuestrada por su hija y el novio de esta y acaba de ocupa viviendo en el garaje de la casa de los Botwin y encontrando un cadaver de un mexicano en el congelador.

Cinco capítulos del tirón me he visto y me he tenido que parar que si no soy capaz de verme la temporada completa. “Weeds” es sinónimo de humor y vaya si merece la pena verla. Eso sí, sigo echando de menos la sintonía con la canción “Little boxes”.

Note: This will be a recurring blog post. The last entry focused on pop culture articles and while this one has its fair share, there’s also more randomness and seriousness. Here are links to stuff (stories, photos, videos, etc.) I found interesting over the past few days:

• ”Grey’s Anatomy” blog entry on its Season 6 opener — ABC.com

Every night, after ”Grey’s Anatomy” airs, the scriptwriter types up a blog entry that gives us insight about the episode. For the two-hour season premiere, it’s blogging as usual, but Krista Vernoff includes 25 things viewers don’t know about the show’s ensemble cast and writing staff. Like what? “Shonda’s birthday and Patrick Dempsey’s birthday are the same day” and “Kevin McKidd plays a mean guitar.”

• Mary Louise Parker (“Weeds”) in a music video! — YouTube.com

The song’s pretty good, too. It has hints of Jason Mraz, John Mayer and the Weepies. The singer also just happens to be Parker’s current beau. I have to say though, there will always be a place in my heart for her and ex-beau, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (“Weeds,” “Grey’s Anatomy”).

• Which country should host the 2016 Olympics? — The Huffington Post

The contenders are Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro. When I read it, Chicago was in the lead. Do you agree?

• President Obama will now take your questions. — RT @JobHuntOrg @WestWingReport

E-mail your inquiries to WestWingRpt@gmail.com and it may be asked at the next White House news conference.

• A chlamydia epidemic among koala bears? — Newsweek

• Celebrities throw out their reading lists. — Oprah.com

Oprah Winfrey’s magazine, O, is actually good for something. As you can tell, I’m not a fan of Ms. Winfrey, but I found out that they have an ongoing series where various celebrities share the “books that made a difference” to them. There’s so many that even if you’re not interested in what the celebrities have to say, some of their book suggestions are so outside the box that they may be worth a look. 

Notable people who’ve appeared in the publication: journalist Anderson Cooper, rapper Jay-Z, authors  Jodi Picoult and  J.K. Rowling as well as actors who range from the acclaimed, Rachel McAdams, Natalie Portman and Laura Linney to TV heavyweights, Hugh Laurie,  Kyra Sedgwick, Lee Pace, Allison Janney, Mary Louise Parker and Amy Poehler to Academy Award winners, Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore and Julia Roberts  and countless more.

• Can a girl with black skin be the Chinese idol? — TIME

A black girl named Lou Jing recently won China’s version of “American Idol.” Jing is of Chinese descent (her mom) and speaks the language fluently, but she has received backlash from a lot of people. They argue that she’s not Chinese and therefore, shouldn’t  have competed in the Chinese contest. Is this a logical argument or deeply rooted racism? Weigh in.

• Hilarious photo blogs! — Newsweek

What better way to waste your time than looking at people’s awkward (at best) pictures? My favorites include Insanewiches, which shows crazy sandwiches, and Engrish, which displays the king of pathetic grammar usage. Special mention for orginality: Laserportraits, which showcases people’s portraits taken with a laser, Star Wars-like background. I wonder if George Lucas has one …

• ‘Til the Run Water Runs Dry … — The Huffington Post 

Typhoon Ketsana (locally known as Ondoy) struck the Philippines, resulting in floods that have reached the roofs of people’s homes. Above is a link to a photo slideshow of the typhoon and here’s a list of organizations you can make donations to if you want to help.

Junior Seau Gets Run Over by a Bull !! (Barstool Sports)
Danica Patrick Set to Appear in ESPN the magazine’s “The Body” Issue (Sports by Brooks)
Miami Dolphins to Send Big Boobed Chicks to Away Games (Busted Coverage)
Mary Louise Parker Steals Other Chick’s Guys Because She’s HOT (The Superficial)
Ice T’s Wife Coco Has a Sister With Big Boobs; And She’s Bi-Sexual!! (Hey man hustle)
A Really Strange Amateur Sex Tape (Totally NSFW)
Former Miss California Carrie Prejean is Miss October !! (Celebitchy)
Scarlett Johansson is Not Wearing Pants (Popeater)
The 10 Hottest Old School NFL WAGS (Manofest)
The 11 Most Awesome Last Words Ever Spoken (Cracked)
Anna Kournikova is Looking Yummy as Usual (Epic Carnival)
A Tribute t Hot Girls Wearing Camoflauge (Uncoached)
20 Tasteless Street Signs (I am bored)
The 10 Best Jheri Curls in Sports History (Bleacher Report)
The 15 Best Human Wrecking Balls Ever (College Humor)
The 7 Hottest Women of Food TV (Uncoached)