Greed

The other day I was contacted by an L.A. Times reporter. She was doing a story on the rental housing market in Los Angeles--specifically on why rents were climbing as the housing market and overall economy in general was tanking big time. She had seen my posting on Craigslist looking for a place and e-mailed to ask if I would comment on the situation with L.A. rents. I told her it could be summed up in one word:

Greed.

I see the same ads posted over and over again on Craigslist. Obviously not many people can afford that Venice Beach studio for $2,300. I sure can't. Even if I could afford $2,300 a month--I wouldn't be spending it on a freaking studio!

This morning I went to the dry cleaner located around the corner to inquire how much they would charge for a minor alteration. I needed a pair of jeans hemmed--but I had already pulled out the old hem, cut it down to the proper length and ironed the seams. All that needed to be done was to run each leg under the sewing machine. Five minutes, tops. The owner quoted me ten dollars. I said, "You've got to be kidding me!" and walked out the door. I usually pay less than ten dollars to get pants hemmed from scratch. I've done more than 75% of the work and he wants to charge me ten dollars!

I walked down the street to another dry cleaner and showed him what I wanted. $4.50 he said. Usually they charge $8.50 (that's $1.50 less than dry cleaner number one) for hemming pants but since I've done much of the work, he'd charge me less than half what the other guy wanted. I can't even imagine how much dry cleaner number one would charge to hem a pair of pant from scratch. $20?

Greedy bastard...

In today's Washington Post, there's an article about oil futures rising above $100 a barrel--even though supply remains plentiful and demand has dropped. In textbook economics, usually when demand drops the price drops as well. But with oil companies posting obscene profits each quarter it seems the market isn't being driven by supply and demand but by corporate greed as well.

But whether it's price inflation by the Enrons and Chevrons of the world or price gouging by Cowan Cleaners, or the stingy boss who won't help you get ahead with a reference or the business associate that hogs all the good assignments for herself or the so-called friend who only offers you crumbs of their time, it comes down to the same thing:

Greed.

And with all due respect to Gordon Gekko, it's not good.

My Converse Kick Collection

Confession time: I am the Imelda Marcos of sneakers. It used to be plain white Keds or the Payless knock-offs, which I wore and wore out every day during the summer months. My sister used to take plain white sneaker and paint them with Maurice Sendak inspired illustrations. Me, I liked them unembellished. Even going so far as to throw them in the washer with bleach to keep them looking nice and clean...

But now I have a serious thing for Converse All-Stars. I currently own half a dozen pairs. I have every intention of buying more. The first ones I got are olive suede with the stars on the side (far left), the most recent acquisition are camouflage (far right)--for when I want to sneak up on people. (Sneak up, camo sneakers--get it?) My retro black kicks are my favorite pair as of now. The pair next to them is made of a tweed material--how cool is that? I actually bought a shirt to match the brown hightops. Most people buy shoes to match their outfits--I buy clothes to go with my shoes.

I missed out on an American flag pair--wrong size. And I have an eye out for a pair in my favorite color: red. At most places, a pair of Converse sneakers cost $40 or more but being the hardcore bargain shopper that I am, I get mine for under $20.

Carrie Bradshaw can have her Manolos--I'll stick with my Converse kicks!

Cleaning Up the Keywords - part 2

I get a lot of hits from people looking for naked pictures. Sorry, folks--I can't help you there! And seriously, some of you really need help! Like the guy looking for "nude slutty cheerleaders" or the the one who had a whole fantasy mapped out with "nasty slutty cheerleaders when the bus breaks down." Um, right. You and the "burqa porn" dude should get together and swap scripts...

I've had someone looking for "Joanna Cassidy topless." Okay--that makes sense, but it was pretty unusual to have someone else looking for "Louise Cliffe wearing shirt." Now that's a first! I had a run of people wanting to see "Mark Cuban shirtless" and as bad as I thought that was, I started getting hits for "Tom Bergeron shirtless" but even that was surpassed by "naked pitchers [sic] of Jon Cainer." Now the only Jon Cainer I know of it the bald, British astrologer (see pic above). Love him, but wouldn't want to see him naked!

Here's a round-up of some of the odd searches that arrive at my blog:

1. Who invented the push-tab on soda cans?

According to my research, that would be Dan Cudzik.

2. Is it legal in CA to have cameras in store dressing rooms?

This was the subject of Adam Rifkin's movie LOOK and according to a Newsweek article, "Most people don't know that hidden cameras are legal in dressing rooms and bathrooms in most states..." According to the movie's website, California Law prohibits video recording of "confidential communications," in which speakers expect that they are not being overheard or recorded, as it is considered eavesdropping and is illegal in California. But there's no mention of video taping without audio.

3. What do Travel Agents look like?

Uh, they look like anyone else--two eyes, a nose, a mouth. Or perhaps they all look like Nia Vardalos' character in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

4. How to give a Ken doll a Mohawk?

Hmmm, this presents a dilemma. Ken has molded hair, so shearing it off won't work. I'd find some flesh colored paint, paint his whole scalp area and then take a strip of fake fur and hot glue it down the center of his head. Why I or anyone would want to do this is another subject entirely. At least you're not searching for "burqa porn."

5. How do I stop my chocolate cravings?

Why would you WANT to?!!! Chocolate is awesome and if you eat the dark kind it's also good for you--with the anti-oxidants and all. I eat it almost everyday!

6. Are left-handed people sexier?

You bet your ass they are!

7. What are the pros and cons of being left-handed?

The pros are too numerous to list (see above for starters) and the cons are mainly having to deal with "righties." And the ink that smudges along your hand when you write...

8. Why do people like sucking things up in a vacuum?

You mean there are others like me? Whew! What a relief...

9. S&M scene in Pittsburgh?

Don't know. Don't want to know. I suggest posting or reading posts in the Casual Encounters sections of Pittsburgh's Craigslist.

10. How to blackmail a drug dealer?

Dude--you don't blackmail drug dealers! They blackmail YOU! Unless you're able to catch them participating in Pittsburgh's S&M scene and hold that info over them, I'd suggest NOT trying to blackmail a drug dealer.

Then I get a lot of "average" inquiries like: average rain in Los Angeles (15"), average cell phone power rating, average woman model, average Santa Claus pay, average amount of bacteria in stomach (Humans are teeming with bacteria throughout our bodies--especially in our digestive tracks! There are some estimates that only one in ten cells in our bodies is actually human...), average commission gym and average paycheck Chili's. I must remind you people, this blog is WELL ABOVE average, so we don't do just "average" here!

And finally, the last keyword search term: "Things to do if you are above average people."

Why, start a blog of course!

Cleaning Up the Keywords

Lately the biggest hits to my blog were from people checking out pics of my tattoos. This is better than all the hits I used to get from people checking out the picture of Jason Lee and the My Name is Earl logo. But I do worry--am I going to go to a party one of these days and run into some random stranger with the EXACT same tattoo? It would be awkward to show up wearing the same dress, top--even shoes. The same tattoo would be more than awkward.

It would be weird.

My review of the King of California soundtrack has been very popular--210 hits to date! Other heavily trafficked pages include my post about the GAP class action suit and the poetic tribute to deceased Desperate Housewife character Ida Greenberg by Karen McCluskey. We are an eclectic bunch here, aren't we?

But for all those who found what they were googling for on my blog, a number went away empty-handed. Which makes me feel bad. So let's try to correct with some answers to the keyword questions:

LOST

1. How did the other mental patient see Charlie?

Several possibilities: One, he is a MENTAL PATIENT after all. Maybe he's always seeing things. Two, the other mental patient didn't specifically point to Charlie--he just told Hurley someone was staring at him. When Hurley looks over, he sees Charlie. But if you check out the screencap at Lost Easter Eggs, there is another in the background that he could have been referring to. And finally, maybe Charlie IS visible. He does tell Hurley, "I am dead. But I'm also here."

2. Who did Sayid shoot on the golf course?

That would be Mr. Avellino aka the "Italian man." We don't know why yet, but we do know Sayid has become a sort of hitman for Ben--to protect his friends (still on the island?). So most likely, Mr. Avellino was a threat that needed to be eliminated. He may or may not be "The Economist." (I sort of doubt he IS--Elsa was very agitated and warning what seemed to be her boss over the phone to find a safe house. I doubt having been warned that the Oceanic Six hitman is on to him, the Economist would breezily be chatting up swarthy strangers on the golf course.)

3. Why should Hurley have stayed with Jack?

We don't know yet. Perhaps something bad happened to the Locke group that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Or he felt bad about his self-perceived disloyalty.

4. Was Pierce Brosnan on the LOST episode "Confirmed Dead"?

Um, no. You may have mistaken the scruffy Daniel Faraday (portrayed by Jeremy Davies) at the beginning of the episode for a scruffy Brosnan. But the former Bond boy did not make an appearance.

For all LOST related question, check out Lostpedia. Everything--and I do mean EVERYTHING you ever want to know about LOST is on that site.

Ugly Betty

1. What actress played Fay Summers?

The character of Fay Summers was killed in a car crash prior to the beginning of the series. But the few recent flashbacks look to me like Becki Newton in a "Fay Summers" wig. Becki's character of Amanda Tanen is, after all, Fay Summer's illegitimate daughter so there would be a resemblance.

2. Who is Renee?

Renee (played by Gabrielle Union), aka "Rhonda", is Wilhelmina's (aka "Wanda") younger sister.

3. What food do Henry and Betty eat on their first date?

Hmm--if by their first date you mean that lunch date they went on at Halloween (Betty was dressed up as a butterfly and still dating Walter), then the answer is sushi.

4. Ugly Betty necklace

I'm not sure what this googler was searching for--but interestingly enough, when I was reading The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory made numerous mention of Anne Boleyn's necklace--a pearl choker with a gold "B" pendant. It made me think of the necklace Betty always wears and sure enough, Betty's necklace is modeled after Anne Boleyn's!

Desperate Housewives

1. Which four Scavos does McCluskey love?
I think Karen was joking when she made that comment, but if I had to guess--I'd say she wasn't loving Tom too much when she had to act as caretaker when he injured his back and there was a period when Kayla, Tom's daughter by nasty Nora, was a little witch and McCluskey did act incredulous when Lynette said they were friends--so that would leave Parker, Preston, Porter and Penny.

2. What did Dylan's father do?

We don't know yet, but thanks to the end of the WGA strike we're getting some more original DH episodes this season so perhaps we'll get that answer. My theory: he didn't do anything. Dylan, at age six, accidentally caused his death (perhaps a loaded gun lying around the house?) and her mother Katherine and Aunt Lilly covered it up so that nothing would happen to her. She has since blocked the entire incident from her memory. Katherine's cover-up is that Dylan's father left and that he was an evil and abusive man. But Aunt Lilly wrote the truth on a piece of paper before she died--which Adam found, Katherine burned but Dylan retrieved from the fireplace.

Heroes

When is "Chapter Three: Villains" being televised?
Bad news--due to the strike no more new episodes of Heroes until the 2008 Fall season.

Random Movie Questions

1. Is Michael Clayton based on fact or is it fiction?

Michael Clayton is a fictional script written and directed by Tony Gilroy based on his knowledge of law firm "fixers" and wanting to write a story about what goes on behind the scenes in that world. Here's a link to an interview he did with the Seattle Times about the script.

2. In Michael Clayton, what happens to Arthur Edens when he is injected in the toe?

Arthur is injected with a substance that causes his death and makes it look like the historically unstable attorney committed suicide. They inject it in between his toes because it won't leave an obvious track mark there.

3. There Will Be Blood + age makeup

Well, that was a problem wasn't it? There wasn't any aging makeup done in There Will Be Blood so although the story takes place over a 30 year time period, the actors--particularly Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano didn't look as though they aged a day--as evidenced by this shot of Eli Sunday to the right, who should be in his late 40s/early 50s. Looks like a teenager still, right?

4. What's the time period of There Will Be Blood?

The story begins in 1898 and spans 30 years through the late 1920s.

5. What does H. W. Plainview in There Will Be Blood stand for?

We don't know. "Herbert Walker" maybe?

6. In Cloverfield, did Lilly survive?

Lilly, one of the quartet trying to rescue Beth, took off in a separate chopper before the others went up in the helicopter that was smacked down by the monster. It is quite possible she survived. We may find out for sure--apparently Cloverfield may possibly have a sequel.

7. What was the Nirvana song that was played in Juno?

I don't believe there was a Nirvana song in Juno. The soundtrack includes a cover of The Carpenter's Superstar performed by Sonic Youth--a band that Kurt Cobain was a huge fan of and which was a Nirvana influence. Perhaps that's the song you're thinking of...

8. What neighborhood was Juno filmed in?

Like most indie films, Juno was filmed in Canada--specifically Vancouver and Burnaby in B.C. for the most part. I found this info under the filming locations section of Juno's page on IMDB.

Wikipedia and IMDB are your friends, people!

9. Was Charlie Wilson's War fact or fiction?

The Tom Hanks movie was indeed based on a true story.

10. What was the name of the Barry White song Alvin played during Dave and Claire's dinner?

Actually it was Marvin Gaye not Barry White and one of the sexiest songs EVER--Let's Get It On.

Tomorrow I'll post answers to some more non-TV/movie related searches I get--like "How long is the Santa Monica pier?"

Answer: According to its website, it's 1,600 feet long.

LOST - The Economist

Lots of excitement on last night's episode. It seemed like two hours worth of show. Oh, wait--I re-watched last week's episode which aired right before so it WAS two hours worth of show. Turns out pilot Seth Norris WAS the Greg Grunberg character who was the first to be eaten by the smoke monster. Those claiming Grunberg's character was the co-pilot were mistaken. Grunberg was wearing a wedding ring, while the alleged pilot shown underwater was not--which lends more credence to the conspiracy cover-up theory. Personally, I prefer the doppelganger theory...

Last night's repeat was also "enhanced," which helped fill in some blanks. I missed what the subtitles said about Daniel Faraday before mentioning that the woman was not his wife, but his caretaker. Something about having been somewhere before? Did anyone catch that? I wish they had done more subtitles. But I guess they're trying not to tip their hands too much. It would spoil all the fun...

So here's what we know:

1. Sayid is the fourth member of the Oceanic Six. It also appears that Ben gets off the island, but since he wasn't on Flight 815, he wouldn't be included as part of the "six."

2. Sayid continues to have a soft spot for tall, gorgeous blondes. He meets a woman named Elsa who works for an economist in Berlin. Elsa, by the way, was played by Thekla Reuten who had a role in In Bruges. Unfortunately she meets the same fate as Shannon--a fatal bullet wound in her abdomen administered by Sayid himself. She had it coming, though--she shot him first.

3. After leaving the island, Sayid becomes some sort of hit man, working for none other than Benjamin Linus. It is Ben who treats the wounded Sayid in some sort of kennel or laboratory. At the end of the episode Ben asks Sayid, "Do you want to protect your friends or not?"

4. Speaking of Ben, apparently he HAS been off the island--he has a secret closet filled with suits, all sorts of currency and a variety of passports under assumed names. Is it possible that he IS the man in the coffin then? Maybe John Lantham is one of his aliases...It would certainly explain why Kate wouldn't want to go to the funeral.

5. Sayid's hair is not as curly without the island humidity.

6. Daniel Faraday discovers some time-shifting properties of the island when he asks Regina to launch a payload from the freighter and it arrives with a 31 minute time difference.

7. John needs someone (Walt, Jacob, Ann Landers) to tell him what to do. Some leader he is!

Things we don't know:

1. Who was Mr. Avellino--the man Sayid shot on the golf course? And why did Sayid shoot him? I'm pretty sure it wasn't because Sayid is a sore loser over 100 euros...

2. Why do Elsa and Naomi have the same bracelet? And who was the "R.G." inscripted on Naomi's? Possibly Regina who is still on the boat?

3. Why did Naomi have the picture of Desmond and Penny? Desmond goes with Sayid on the chopper back to the freighter to find out. Charlotte and Daniel stay on the island to continue their "work."

4. Is Minkowski Ben's spy? (Minkowski is being played by Fisher Stevens--I guess we'll actually get to see him when Des and Sayid arrive on the freighter...)

5. Who is the Economist? Is it perhaps the Matthew Abbadon character? (The "enhanced" subtitling on the repeated Confirmed Dead mentioned that "Abbadon" meant "keeper of the abyss."

6. Who are the final two members of the Oceanic Six? Sawyer was trying to convince fellow convict Kate to stay on the island, but we know Kate leaves. Did she convince Sawyer to come with her?

7. What happened to the rest of the Others? The ones that weren't in on the failed beach raid, including the mysterious Richard Alpert...

Best line was from Hurley,who, after duping Sayid and company, keeps his distance as Rosseau escorts Sayid to one of the barracks at gunpoint. Sayid tells Hurley he isn't going to hurt him and Hurley replies, "I saw you snap that guy's neck with that break dancing thing you do with your legs. I think I'll hang back here..."

As usual, check out the recap at Lostpedia, the screencaps at Lost Easter Eggs and the Dueling Analyses at Celebritology.

Lovers in a Dangerous Time - Bruce Cockburn

Being Valentine's Day and all, I thought it would be appropriate to post one of my favorite love songs. One of my favorite Bruce Cockburn songs. Heck, it's one of my favorite songs PERIOD. The verse "gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight" is my personal mantra.

Enjoy!




Lovers in a Dangerous Time

Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by
You never get to stop and open your eyes
One day you're waiting for the sky to fall
And next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time...

These fragile bodies of touch and taste
This vibrant skin this hair like lace
Spirits open to the thrust of grace
Never a breath you can afford to waste

{Refrain}
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time

When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime
Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
Got to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight

Happy V-Day!

Well, I don't have a Valentine this year to give me roses or take me out to dinner or present me with a heart-shaped box of chocolates, but my sister sent me this very pretty heart necklace for Valentine's Day! And the sun's out and I'm not working today (and LOST is on tonight--yay!), so all in all not too shabby for "Single Awareness Day"...

This is why I channel surf...

Is anyone else skeeved out by the Scope White mouthwash commercial featuring Ryan Seacrest and Josie Maran? Sexiest smile? Who voted on that?!!!

Ryan Seacrest and sexy is an oxymoron. Like jumbo shrimp or military intelligence. Or truthful advertising...

Yeeeshh!

Thom Fleming Skincare

I'm a sucker for skin care stuff, so when I got the opportunity to check out Thom Fleming Skin Care, I was all over it. Currently the line consists of three decadent body scrubs--which contain fruits, natural oils, Dead Sea salts, vitamins and minerals. The scrubs come in Lemon Soufflé, Mochanilla and (the one I got to test drive!) Rainbow Sorbet Body Scrub.

The Rainbow Sorbet is accurately named because you actually get four scrubs in one--apple, raspberry, peach and lemon layered in colorful stripes. I've tried many different body scrubs and Thom Fleming's are fairly unique in a number of ways:

1. It comes in a tube--how brilliant is THAT?!!! Most of the scrubs I've used are packaged in big ol' jars or tubs. A squeeze tube makes it that much easier to get the product out and only use the amount you need.

2. It doesn't separate. I always have to dig into the jar and mix the salt or sugar back up with the oil before I can use it to exfoliate in the shower. It's messy and bothersome--not to mention just a bit unsanitary. The formula of the Thom Fleming scrubs is such that the Dead Sea salts don't separate from the natural oils. So there's no digging in to mix it back up. Did I mention that you can just squeeze it out of a tube?

3. The gentle lather. With most scrubs, I end up using a bodywash first, and then exfoliating with the scrub after. The Rainbow Sorbet Body Scrub worked up into a gentle lather, eliminating that extra step.

4. Not feeling like an oil slick afterwards. I love how soft and moisturized my skin is after using a scrub, but I never did like the residue of oil that remained on my skin. The Thom Fleming scrub left my skin soft without feeling greasy. Just clean and fresh!

The Thom Fleming Skin Care motto is: "When you can't get away...escape." And with these luscious body scrubs it certainly is like a mini spa getaway right in your own shower!

It Ain't Over 'til It's Over...

And thank god--it's over. The WGA strike that is. Members voted overwhelmingly to end the three month long strike. Welcome back, guys--we missed you!

As for whether or not we can expect the salvation of this television season instead of being bombarded with fill-in crap like American Gladiator, check out this show by show breakdown.

And more good news--no more Carpoolers or Cavemen!

In Bruges

From the trailer, In Bruges looked like a silly crime caper. Two hit men holed up in a picturesque town in Belgium. One whining and kvetching, the other musing over medieval architecture. But the film is much darker and more twisted that that. After a hit gone horribly awry, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are sent by boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to hide out in a tourist's paradise of canals and churches. Ken takes a liking to the historical and cultural landmarks but Ray is less than impressed saying, "If I'd grown up on a farm and was retarded, Bruges might impress me, but I didn't, so it doesn't."

When Ray complains about Bruges being "a shithole," it's easy to dismiss him as a brooding, moody spoiled prat--until the details of the botched hit are revealed and it would seem Ray's torment has little to do with being forced to sightsee. Farrell does a terrific job of conveying both the loutish boor and the troubled soul trapped inside. Gleeson likewise delivers a nicely nuanced performance as the older, wiser and more culturally inspired of the pair. The story moves a bit slowly, until Ralph Fiennes' Harry makes his appearance. Harry is a strange combination of killer rage and moral integrity and Fiennes plays him with gusto--with a characterization that was reminiscent of Ben Kingsley's Don Logan in Sexy Beast.

Martin McDonagh's well-crafted script and deft direction keep the story moving--by turns comedic, horrific, violent, touching and tragic--the plot veers and twists up rickety bell tower stairs and in and out of alcoves. This is first rate classic dramatic writing--small wonder since McDonagh comes from a playwright background. But with all the stellar performances, my favorite was Bruges itself. The film is as much a travelogue as it is a morality play. I can't help but agree with Harry--it is a fairytale kind of city.

Honeydripper Soundtrack

John Sayles latest movie portraying 1950s blues of the rural Deep South was mostly overlooked in theaters this past winter. But on February 5th, Rhino Records released the soundtrack for Honeydripper and if you're a fan of old-time R&B, you might want to check it out.

The 15 track album features three tunes by guitar phenom Gary Clark, Jr.--who makes his acting debut in the film. Also included is Goin' Down Slow--a jazzy, bluesy number performed by the film's star Danny Glover. The eclectic mix of music on the album consists of familiar classics such as Move It On Over performed by the legendary Hank Williams (with echoes of the future Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets...) and Why Don't You Do Right as interpreted by Lil Green as well as the gospel-tinged Standing by the Highway and You Got to Choose sung by the New Beginnings Ministry and soulful blues harmonica on Stack of Lee by Keb' Mo'.

According to writer/director/editor John Sayles:

American music has always had the ability to absorb and transform different traditions, to dig into the past and deal with the present, to constantly reinvent itself. Honeydripper is set at a musical crossroads, 1950, in the semi-mythic town of Harmony, Alabama. A peek at a jukebox menu from that time and place reveals a rich mixture of blues, swing, R&B, gospel, country & western, pop ballads, and something that in a few years would be labeled rock 'n' roll.

That rich mixture of musical traditions can be found on the Honeydripper soundtrack as well.

Want to lose weight? Ditch the diet cola!

I've long suspected that diet sodas and other foods sweetened with low/no calorie sweeteners had the opposite effect on those using them to cut calories. Of course there was the cyclamate cancer scare, saccharine has fallen out of vogue and aspartame is linked to everything from migraines to Alzheimer's. But it's all in name of a thinner figure, right? Turns out--maybe not.

My hypothesis was that artificially sweetened foods and beverages trigger that sweet craving without really satisfying it--thus inciting one to eat more. Turns out I was right--sort of. I read an article in the Washington Post which says sugar substitutes may contribute to weight gain by interfering with the mechanism that signals the brain that one is full. According to the story:

That process, she said, involves the body's ability to detect that it will soon be full. "We often will stop eating before we've been able to absorb all of the calories that come from a meal. One of the reasons we might stop eating is that our experience has taught in the past that, 'After I eat this food, I'll feel this full for this long,' " she explained.

It seems to be a subconscious process based on automatic estimations of how much energy certain foods will provide, she said. For example, a sweet taste might be a sign that "calories are coming, and I should prepare my body for the arrival of those calories." However, when the sweetness is not followed by a lot of calories, the body's digestive system gets confused, and the metabolism rate does not gear up as much the next time sweetness is tasted.

Very interesting...

Rediscovering Doonesbury

Forget about the stultifyingly inane Family Circus or the juvenile Hagar the Horrible, for me there are only a few comic strips that were worth reading: The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes, Boondocks. And head and shoulders above the rest: Doonesbury. More than merely humorous and topical, the sharply acerbic wit of Garry Trudeau not only captures the social and political pulse of America, but influences it as well. When the Washington Post suspended the strip for a month in 1979, even Senator Bob Dole lamented its loss saying, "We've lost our best source of what is going on in Washington." Amen to that!

I've always felt that Trudeau's "journalism" was more valid and valuable than most news reports. I'd lost track of Doonesbury for a while--the downside of not subscribing to a daily newspaper (the L.A. Times is completely unreadable and they don't deliver the Washington Post in Los Angeles...), but the must-read strip is available online via Slate. So I've signed up for it to be delivered to my e-mail inbox daily. So now I can be all caught up with the lives of Joanie and Rick, Mike and B.D., Zonker and Duke--as well as enlightened by Trudeau's insightful and incisive portrayal of current events and pop culture.

Amazingly Doonesbury has been going strong for 35 years. Here's to another 35!

Dedication

What better viewing for Valentine's Day than an offbeat romantic comedy? But hold on a minute -- Dedication starring Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore isn't your average fluffy, frothy fare. Not that I mind--I like my romcoms a bit twisted. No Kate Hudson sappy stuff for me! And Dedication is certainly twisted--and dark and edgy--due mainly to the misanthropic and neurotic nature of its male lead, Henry Roth (Crudup).

Henry is depressive, abrasive and somewhat abusive. He's also the author of children's books along with his collaborator, illustrator Rudy Holt (Tom Wilkinson). Their initials are HR and RH because Henry and Rudy complement each other perfectly. Rudy is yang to Henry's yin. He is light to Henry's dark. Day to night, up vs. down--well, you get the picture. Rudy is also Henry's best and only friend. Unfortunately, he dies.

Rudy's death in the midst of a contracted collaboration due before Christmas causes publisher Arthur Planck (Bob Balaban) to assign a new illustrator to collaborate with the anxiety-ridden Henry. And that would be the hapless madcap Lucy (Mandy Moore). From there on the story follows the usual romcom formula: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back and they all lived happily ever after. Except for Rudy, who's still dead. But fortunately he haunts Henry throughout the story into coming out of his dark cave and taking a chance on life and love. (Actually it was the relationship of Henry and Rudy that was far more interesting for me...)

Other than the disappointingly formulaic story, the other major irritant for me was writer David Bromberg's choice of depicting these creative characters without ever showing us their creativity. Sure it's ironic to have a children's book author be a neurotic, depressive mess--but why not show the up side of that? The imagination, the storyteller, the bouncing of ideas in the collaboration. Wouldn't it have been more realistic to see the two coming together as a result of the exchange of creative energy? As this story goes, it's really only a result of proximity. And bad Japanese horror flicks.

It seemed to me that this device of children's book author and illustrator was under utilized due to the writer's own ignorance of that world. Bromberg is a writer of course, but the life of a screenwriter is quite different from that of an author. For example, one of the plot points has Henry being replaced from writing the latest Marty the Beaver story. While screenwriters can and often do get replaced and rewritten, Henry as an author holds a copyright to the characters he creates (screenwriters get residuals in lieu of publishing royalties in return for giving up the copyright--which is part of what is involved with the current WGA strike...). And while he could be sued for not delivering a manuscript for which he was contracted, he in turn could sue anyone who infringed on his copyright so there's no way he would be replaced as the writer. Imagine J. K. Rowling being replaced. Would never happen.

After viewing the screener, I wondered what exactly motivated me to request it. I don't dislike Mandy Moore, but I'm not a fan either. I am a fan of Billy Crudup, but still I don't think that would inspire me to watch some random romantic comedy. I would watch Tom Wilkinson read a telephone book, but I'm sure that wasn't the reason...Then as the credits rolled, I saw it. Directed by Justin Theroux! I have loved Justin Theroux's work in Inland Empire and Mulholland Drive and was intrigued to see what his directorial debut would be like. Although I felt the material was weak, the acting (which also featured appearances by Christine Taylor, Dianne Wiest, Amy Sedaris, Bobby Cannavale and Peter Bogdanovich) was top-notch, and stylistically the film was a cut above your usual romantic comedy.

Shot for $1 million in 23 days, this doesn't look like your typical low budget indie. The color palettes are exquisite. The editing is innovative in depicting the short circuits in Henry's brain. While it does appear that Theroux has been influenced artistically by his association with the uniquely talented David Lynch, he definitely puts his own stamp on this film. I am looking forward to seeing future directorial work from him--hopefully with a better script!

Dedication is available on DVD on February 12th.

Juno Backlash

After all the gushingly good reviews that Juno received, I thought I must have been mistaken to write it off as Knocked Up meets Superbad and decided to go see it.

I was underwhelmed.

It was a good movie. It was a cute movie. But all the fuss? What was that about? The San Francisco Chronicle called it "a confluence of perfection in every aspect." Good grief! Perfection in every aspect? Puh-leeze!

This hive mentality got me to thinking that movie reviewers must be participating in a version of the Emperor's New Clothes. Each lavishing more and more praise so as not to display their lack of coolness or not being hip enough.

I thought it was a bit too glib for its own good. Too self-consciously quirky and more than a little contrived. Apparently, I am no longer alone in that regard. There's an article on Slate about how the backlash against Juno started. Writer Dana Stevens asserts that Juno's Oscar noms precipitated the change in attitude. Fox is even marketing it as "the little movie that could." Hmm, maybe--but in my opinion it's no Little Miss Sunshine. I think maybe that all the overwhelmingly hyperbolic acclaim brought it down. It's hard to be the underdog when every one is fawning all over you.

LOST - Confirmed Dead

Yet another "wow" episode of LOST last night. While we didn't find out who else comprises the "Oceanic Six" (teaser for next week says we'll find out about one more member in the next episode...), we did get some info about the alleged "rescuers." And we're back to flashbacks--but with the new cast members.

Apparently, the freighter people are part of a team put together by one Matthew Abaddon (he was the guy who visit Hurley in the mental institution claiming to be an attorney for Oceanic airlines) and headed by the now deceased Naomi--who, by the way, doesn't have a sister. That was a code to warn the others from the freighter she was in danger. Anyway, we were introduced to each of the "rescuers" via flashbacks this episode. First was Daniel Faraday of Essex, MA--who was overcome when footage of the submerged Oceanic 815 wreckage was broadcast on TV. Yes, Naomi wasn't lying. They found the remains of the flight in the ocean and there were no survivors. Daniel is a bit twitchy and talkative and apparently is a physicist. Maybe he's an expert on time loops and doppelgangers.

Next up is Miles, from Inglewood, CA--a ghostbusting exorcist type who is surly and trigger-happy. Miles talks to dead people and his communion with the very much dead Naomi cleared Jack and Kate of her death--although Miles was not about to put his gun away. Jack tells him he should because his friends are pointing guns at Miles' and Daniel's heads to which Miles says, "How stupid do you think I am?" At that moment Sayid and Juliette and company appear with guns drawn and Jack replies, "I don't know. How stupid are you?"

With Miles and Daniel disarmed, the survivors start to track down the other passengers of the chopper. We flashback to Charlotte at an archaeological dig in Tunisia. But the bones are not of a prehistoric dinosaur, but instead a polar bear! Ah yes, the infamous polar bears. Digging through the rubble, Charlotte locates a collar with a DHARMA Hydra symbol on it. So now we know it's the DHARMA initiative that the "rescuers" are seeking...

It's John Locke and company who stumble upon Charlotte--while they are on their way to Jacob's cabin. (Sawyer asks Locke who he is taking his instructions from and Locke replies, "Walt." Is Walt back then? Would that mean Michael is back as well?) Charlotte seems quite innocuous but John is not convinced. He tells her she's coming with them and when she protests that they should stay put so "they can find us," John replies, "We don't want to be found." Meanwhile, Jack and company have picked up Charlotte's transponder signal on the phone. When they track it down, they find the transponder attached to Vincent's collar. Jack says, "Locke's got her."

The last member of the team is Frank Lapidus, whose flashback takes place in the Bahamas. When he sees the footage of the Oceanic 815 crash remains, he calls the survivor hotline and insists that the person identified as the pilot, Seth Norris, is not the shriveled body shown in the footage. Does that mean someone other than Seth Norris was the pilot--or that the found wreckage is part of some conspiracy hoax and those perpetrating it forgot to add details like Norris' wedding ring? (The picture of the live Seth Norris looked nothing like Greg Grunberg. Maybe without the mustache...)Also, Frank claims HE was supposed to be flying Oceanic 815 that day. Frank is the chopper pilot and, despite the electrical storms, he managed to land the chopper safely. (It occurs to me that not many survivors can fit into the chopper at one time. Could the Oceanic Six be the first and only batch of survivors who made it off the island via the helicopter?)

Frank sends up a flare that Locke's camp sees but instead gets him found by Jack and company. In a conversation with Juliette, he asks her name. When she tells him, Frank says, "You weren't on that plane." He relays that info to Miles, telling him that Juliette's name wasn't on the flight manifesto and that she's a native of the island. This is when Miles reveals the purpose of the mission--which Daniel admitted earlier that "Rescuing you and your people...can't really say it's our primary objective." Turns out their primary objective is finding Benjamin Linus.

Ben is causing a bit of trouble in John Locke's camp. Sawyer wants to get rid of him, but John tells him that "Apart from his mouth, he's harmless..." to which Sawyer replies, "His mouth put that hole in your gut?" That Sawyer--always a comeback! Later, Ben manages to wrangle a gun and shoot Charlotte. Fortunately for Charlotte, she's wearing a bullet-proof vest. When John is about to shoot Ben, Ben tells him that he shouldn't because he has information, he has answers. So Locke asks Ben about what almost every LOST fan wants to know--the smoke monster. But Ben doesn't have that answer--but he knows Charlotte's full name and the name of every team member and what they want. "And what do they want?" says a surly Sawyer. "Me, James" is Ben's answer. According to Ben, he knows this because he has a man on their boat. And who would that be? Minkowski? Regina? We know that these two remain on the boat--are there more?

So we've got a plane full of crash victims at the bottom of the ocean, a physicist, ghostbuster, archaeologist assembled as part of a team to find Benjamin Linus and six Oceanic 815 survivors who make it off the island. But, will we ever find out about the smoke monster? Hurley said in last week's episode, "It wants us back." Could "It" be the island? And is the smoke monster the manifestation of "It"? Again, check out screencaps for more details and the episode recap at Lostpedia and the Dueling Analysis over at Celebritology.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

I saw the trailer for the movie based on Philippa Gregory's bestseller a while ago. Despite the fact that it stars ubiquitous starlets Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johannson (I don't HATE them, I'm just a bit weary of seeing them in EVERYTHING!), I am curious to see the film. I have a weakness for period costume dramas in general and for this historical time period specifically. So I decided to check out the book.

First off, from the little bit of trailer I saw it would seem that the movie will deviate from the book. Which isn't a big deal since the book took some liberties with the facts itself. Just about everyone knows the story of Anne Boleyn for whom Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church and created the Church of England all so that he could divorce his wife Katherine of Aragon to marry her. Unfortunately, having set the precedence of discarding a Queen as it suits a King's fancy, Anne found herself similar overthrown--with her head divorced from her body to boot.

The book tells that story through the eyes of Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister and onetime lover of the King. Told over a period of 15 years from 1521 to Anne's beheading in 1536, it will be interesting to see how the film deals with the time span of the story. Movies generally require a more compressed time period. It will also be interesting how they balance the characterizations of the two sisters. In the book it's fairly black and white--Anne is a scheming, manipulative bitch and Mary is the good, dutiful girl. It's doubtful that either Portman or Johansson would concede to portray such one dimensional characters.

Gregory depicts Anne as being the elder sister, but according to most historians Mary was the eldest of the Boleyn children. She also lops about seven years off Mary's age, making her a mere 15 years of age when she became Henry's mistress. In fact, Mary wasn't the virginal teenager as the book makes out, but had already been mistress to the King of France before coming to Henry's bed. Gregory also seems to take perverse delight in the scurrilous rumors that were used to condemn Anne and her brother George--much in the same way George's devious wife Jane Parker is portrayed in the novel--presenting what was most certainly fictional (incest, homosexuality, witchcraft) as true. Certainly Anne Boleyn was ambitious, headstrong and opinionated. She may have even been manipulative and at times deceitful. But it's doubtful that she was evil incarnate as written by Gregory in this book. Mary, on the other hand, is depicted as a proto-feminist--ultimately defying her family and her status to marry commoner William Stafford for love.

After Mary's marriage, she was banished from court and there is no evidence that she had any contact with her sister between 1534 and 1536--much less have been an eyewitness to Anne's downfall. There is a scene in the trailer where Mary begs the King to spare Anne's life. This was not in the book, nor does it appear to have happened in real life. Ironically, both Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn were discarded by Henry for want of a son and heir to the throne--and yet Anne's daughter Elizabeth became one of the greatest monarchs England has ever known.

All in all, I enjoyed reading The Other Boleyn Girl. There are inaccuracies and anachronisms, but it paints a time and lifestyle that's exceptionally interesting to me. I'm looking forward to the movie to see how it differs (for better or worse) from the book. And for the awesome costumes...

Paper or plastic?

I do most of my grocery shopping at Trader Joes. At the checkout, I swipe my credit card and start packing the groceries into paper bags as the cashier rings them up. I do it because I hate grocery shopping and it gets me out quicker. I do it because packing a grocery bag correctly is a lost art. I do it because store employees who pack the bags tend to put two or three items into seventeen bags.

I do not double bag. When I specified this one time at TJs the cashier looked so grateful. He told me I was his favorite customer. I think double bagging is wasteful. Especially when you've got seventeen bags worth of groceries. I used to ask for plastic at checkout--ever since it was first offered. Why not? Choose plastic, save a tree. I recycled the bags to collect trash, but it soon became apparent that I didn't create enough trash to keep up with the supply. And I've come to fear garbage dumps more than carbon footprints.

So now I choose paper. Trees are renewable. Paper is biodegradable. At least that's my rationale. But according to this article in the Washington Post, plastic may not be an option much longer. Hooray for that! Now if they could just find a way to stop the gas-guzzling SUV drivers from parking in COMPACT parking spaces, my life would be complete.

Kurt Cobain About a Son

On February 20th, Kurt Cobain would have been 41 years old. 41 years old--it boggles the mind. It's almost as inconceivable to imagine the grunge icon, spokesman of Generation X, as a middle-aged man as it is to accept his untimely death 14 years ago at age 27.

To coincide with the anniversary of his birth, on February 19th Shout Factory is releasing Kurt Cobain About a Son, the acclaimed documentary about Nirvana's elusive and enigmatic frontman.

Using excerpts from over 25 hours of interviews recorded by journalist Michael Azerrad for his book Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, the voice of Kurt Cobain provides not the backdrop for the film, but the backbone. This is not your typical musician biopic with interviews and performance, but Cobain himself speaking about the things that influenced his journey as a human being and his development as a musician.

Illuminating the candid and intimate ramblings, directer AJ Schnack captures images of the places that Cobain lived and worked. Aberdeen, Olympia and Seattle, Washington are giving starring roles in the film--showing the influences that shaped Cobain, helping to formulate his philosophy of life and inspiring his music. The visual imagery combined with a soundtrack featuring Cobain's musical influences--which range from Creedence Clearwater Revival and Queen to Mudhoney and the Melvins--gives us a glimpse into Cobain's mind, heart, soul, life.

It was quite eye-opening to hear Cobain speaking with refreshingly honesty about all aspects of his life--from his damaged childhood to his adult drug use. He saw himself as a child of divorce and felt empathy for all the other kids of his generation who grew up in broken homes. At the same time, he considered himself a part of the last generation to grow up in a far simpler, safer--Sesame Street--time. Amazing and eerily prescience since Cobain died 7 years before 9/11. Although many have demonized his wife, Courtney Love, and even blamed her for his death, Cobain speaks quite tenderly about her and conveys the belief that they were kindred spirits.

Schnack deliberately avoid including images or performance footage of Cobain and/or Nirvana--until the last moments of the film. According to Schnack, this was one of the main themes of the film--the presence AND the absence of Kurt Cobain:

"I wanted to create a film that would show all sides of Kurt: his humor, his anger, his fear, his compassion, his sadness, his love, his paranoia and his clear-eyed assessment of the world around him. I wanted to give an audience the opportunity to sit with him, to really take him in. I wanted them to forget for a moment that the conversation they were listening to was more than a decade old and the the voice they were hearing was now silent."

14 years ago at only age 27. Hard to believe...

Halfway

I've used half of the iTunes gift certificate that my friend John gave me for my birthday. These are the songs I've purchased so far:

1. The Man Who Sold the World - Nirvana
2. Life on Mars? - David Bowie
3. Life on Mars? - Seu Jorge
4. Suffragette City - David Bowie

(Yes, I went a little bit overboard on Bowie--who wouldn't? Life on Mars? and the Seu Jorge cover of the same were inspired by my recent viewing of Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic.)

5. 1234 - Feist
6. My Moon, My Man - Feist
7. My Culture - 1 Giant Leap featuring Robbie Williams
8. Angels - Robbie Williams
9. I Turn My Camera On - Spoon

(Blame my yoga instructor, Ursula, for the previous five selections...)

10. The Only Flame in Town - Elvis Costello (Unbelievably missing from his Best of the First Ten Years album--but now I have it!)
11. Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's (Reminds me of Simon and Garfunkel's Cecilia...)
12. Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie
13. Baby, Now that I've Found You - Alison Krauss (I love this sweet cover of The Foundations pop hit...)
14. The Pretender - Foo Fighters (For some reason, whenever Dave Grohl belts out, "What if I say I'm not like the others?," I am reminded of Sesame Street's "One of these things is not like the others...")
15. Dreaming with a Broken Heart - John Mayer (Quite possibly one of the best breakup songs ever!)

The Oceanic Six

Been musing over the possibilities of who the other three members of the Oceanic Six are. We know that Jack, Kate and Hurley are three. And the last time six survivors were separated from the rest was at the end of season two when Michael lured some of his fellow survivors into The Others trap so that he could rescue Walt.

That would be: Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sawyer, Michael and Walt. Of course, Michael and Walt ostensibly made it off the island--or did they? The obituary for the man in the coffin at the end of season three said he was from New York and that he was survived by a teenage son. Michael is from New York and Walt would be a teenager in the flash forward/present day. It also makes sense that Kate wouldn't want to attend the funeral of the man who had betrayed them.

Of course, that would gobsmack my theory that Sawyer's character arc is ended and he's ripe to be killed off this season. But then again, Sawyer could be the "he" Kate refers to when she tells Jack she has to get home because "he" will be wondering where she is. I've also heard rumor that Sun and Jin make it off the island, but I think my hypothesis is better.

Just a theory...

Cheaters Never Prosper

Congratulations to the New York Giants, champions of SuperBowl XLII! Just goes to show that Bill Belichick and his slimy tactics finally have gotten their much deserved comeuppance. (Google "Patriots" and "cheaters" and you get 146,000 hits...)

Just a bit of poetic justice...god, I love that!

Cautiously Optimistic

There's all sorts of buzz about the imminent end of the WGA Strike. While no announcement has been made (the talks are still under the heading of "informal" and there's been a news blackout since they restarted a little over a week ago...), even sources as credible as the Washington Post are reporting that significant headway has been made towards a new contract. Craig Mazin hinted on his blog that something would break today or Monday and even Nikki Finke has roused herself from her deathbed (just kidding!) to report on the possibility that a deal is nearly done.

United Hollywood--a blog comprised of strike captains and other WGA members, cautions about celebrating too early, but in my opinion this is even more cause to celebrate than if the New York Giants decimate the way too full of themselves Patriots today in the SuperBowl.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Runner's Yoga 90210

Once upon a time I used to be a hardcore runner. Up at just past 5 am to do my 5 miles in rain, sleet, wind chill or even blizzards. After a while my knees started hurting, so I wore braces and kept running. But I finally came to a point where I knew continuing to run would require knee surgery, so I stopped.

Angie Stewart had a similar experience. A competitive athlete and runner for many years, she faced increasing discomfort while running--forcing her to come up with a solution in order to continue participating in a beloved activity. The solution was yoga.

According to Angie,

"I could have never imagined the impact that yoga would have on me as an athlete, especially as a competitive runner. Once I tailored the class for the specific needs of a runner's body and mentality, my own running improved, my chronic leg injuries disappeared and my long runs once again became my source of solace instead of pain."

Runner's Yoga 90210 is Angie's unique adaptation of traditional yoga poses. I was able to witness a demonstration of a class and found it more high energy than traditional yoga classes. Even more so than power yoga classes with their emphasis on building heat through constant flow. I told Angie, "I've been doing yoga for almost eight years and I think your class would kill me!" She laughed and told me that the class can be modified for any level. I asked her if the class was harder for a yoga student--used to a more traditional style and pace, or for a runner. She said without question it's harder for runners. She has one student who runs marathons in under three hours who said her 60 minute class was more strenuous than running 26 miles!

So if you really want to amp up your workout--whether you're a runner or a yogi or both--you can check out Angie Stewart's Runner's Yoga 90210 for FREE every Tuesday this month (February 2008) at lululemon athletica located at 334 N. Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. The class is held from 7:30 - 8:15 pm with an optional run prior at 6:45 - 7:30 pm. Contact Angie at angie@angiestewartfitness.com to register.

LOST - The Beginning of the End

Well, it may be the beginning of the end (47 episodes left!), but what a way to kick things off, huh?

The episode began with a clean-shaven Jack spicing up his morning O.J. with some vodka while watching the news. (This is how we know we're in "flash forward" mode--the pre-crash Jack NEVER would have had alcohol that early...Speaking of which--does this mean no more flash BACKS? I wonder...) On TV, the LAPD chases after a vintage Camaro. Was anyone surprised that the driver turned out to be Hurley? Me neither. What was surprising was Hurley's declaration when captured by the police, "I'm one of the Oceanic 6!"

So then there are 6...We have Jack, Kate and Hurley (I am ecstatic that it appears Jorges Garcia will be getting more screen time after 3 years of playing the lovable sidekick!)--and three more? Who are the three other Losties who made it off the island? Would Michael and Walt count? Or just those "rescued" by the freighter people? Anyway, Hurley's car chase was instigated by a freak out in a convenience store when he saw "someone he knew." Hmmm...who could that be? We didn't have to wait too long to find the answer to that--but before that was revealed, Hurley had a hallucination--a sort of reliving of Charlie's death--while being questioned at the police station. The police detective (who, in typical LOST coincidental-ness, was Ana-Lucia's former partner) threatens to send Hurley to the nuthouse to which Hurley responds sincerely, "Thanks!"

So Hurley is sent away--back to his old mental institution stomping grounds. He gets three visitors while there--the first is a tall, mysterious black man who calls himself Matthew Abbadon and claims he's an attorney for Oceanic Airlines. He offers to "upgrade" Hurley's "accommodations" at a nicer mental institution but Hurley is suspicious. When he demands to see Abbadon's business card and Abbadon has none on him, Hurley goes berserk. The mysterious man disappears, but before he leaves he asks Hurley, "Are they still alive?" Is who still alive? The Others? More Losties?

Later, another mental patient tells Hurley to watch out--someone is staring at him. And that someone would be--Charlie! Oh yes, Dominic Monagham back from the dead and looking good with newly shorn locks--if I do say so myself. Take that all you Hobbit haters! Wait--where was I was? Okay, now Charlie is having hallucinations starring Charlie's ghost. He tells Charlie, "I'm trying to buy jerky and a slushee and you're over there by the Ho-hos. You're supposed to be dead!" Charlie replies that he IS dead, but he's also here. And he slaps Hurley to prove it. He tells Hurley, "You have to do something." And, "They need you." Who's "they?" Claire and Aaron? The same "they" Abbadon was referring to when he asked "Are they still alive?"

Hurley's final visitor is Jack. They engage in casual conversation until Hurley pointedly asks, "What are you really doing here, Jack?" He tells Jack that he thinks he came to see if he went nuts and was gonna tell. Ooooh--tell what? Is that what Jack meant when he told Kate he was sick of lying? Hurley also tells Jack that he's sorry he went with Locke, "I should have stayed with you." As Jack leaves, Hurley says "I don't think we did the right thing. It wants us to go back!" which is reminiscent of Jack's plea to Kate in the last episode, "We have to go back!" (Are they getting a ton of mileage out of that line or what?!!!)

But before all this happened, the Losties were awaiting rescue on the island. Their happiness was marred when Desmond returned to the beach with news of Charlie's death and his final warning. So now Sayid, Hurley, Sawyer, Juliette, Bernard, Jin and Desmond (hereafter to be referred to as the "beach Losties") decide they must warn Jack that the freighter people (aka the other Others) are not who they say they are and trek off towards the tower to find him and the "tower Losties."

On their way there, Hurley gets separated from the group and ends up in front of Jacob's creepy house. He hears whispers and sees Jacob's empty chair rocking and freaks out and runs away. He looks back at the house and with eyes closed tight, he chants "There's nothing there." When he opens his eyes there IS nothing there--except for John Locke, who's sort of creepy in his own special way. John wants to join the beach Losties in convincing Jack that something is not right about the other Others. They reluctantly agree.

Back at the tower, while preparing to be rescued, Naomi's body disappears. Jack finds a trail of blood, but Kate finds another and, unbeknownst to Jack, relieves him of Naomi's phone and follows the second trail which leads her to a tree in the jungle from where Naomi pounces on her. I could go on about how someone with a mortal knife wound in the stomach manages to create a fake trail for Jack, then crawl into the jungle and up a tree and pounce on Kate holding the very knife used to wound her to Kate's neck, but this is LOST and strange things happen on this island and we have to accept that. So let's move on...A call from the freighter comes in while Kate is trying to explain it was all John Locke and the rest of the Losties would never hurt Naomi. Naomi takes the call, blames her injury on her parachute landing and resets the phone so the other Others can track it again. She dies saying, "Sorry, George. Just tell my sister that I love her..."

The beach Losties are reunited with the tower Losties and Hurley gives the sad news of Charlie's death to Claire. But as the tribe comes back together, the schism grows with Jack's attack on Locke. He holds a gun on Locke as Locke claims that everything he did was in the best interests of the Losties. He tells Jack that Jack won't shoot him just the way Locke couldn't bring himself to shoot Jack earlier. Jack tells him that the gun's not loaded. Hmmm, did Locke know it wasn't loaded when he pointed it at Jack? Also, it occurred to me (after three freaking years--how swift am I?) that Jack and John are essentially the same name. Sort of like Jack and Locke are two sides of the same coin--both strong, leaders but one a man of science and the other a man of faith.

It's time for the showdown and John declares he's heading for the Others' barrack since it's the only place on the island that's secure. He invites anyone who wants to join him. The first to do so is Hurley--to honor Charlie's death by heeding his warning. Claire and Aaron follow. Rose and Bernard (surprisingly since Rose's cancer might recur if she leaves the island) stay with Jack, as do Kate and Juliette. Ben asks for permission to go with John and Jack's more than happy to be rid of him. Alex and Rousseau go as well. The big surprise was Sawyer choosing to forgo rescue as he tells Kate he's "Surviving."

Obviously, Kate and Jack survived. As did Hurley who was in the other camp. So what happened next? We'll find out soon as the episode ended with a chopper from the freighter reaching the island and another parachutist landing right near Jack and Kate. The next episode is entitle "Confirmed Dead." I can hardly wait!

P.S. For anyone else who is an uber fanatic like me, check out Liz Kelly and Jen Chaney's Dueling Analysis on the Celebritology blog. Some interesting stuff I missed (It's hard to watch AND take notes!) Also, check out the Lostpedia entry on the episode and the screen caps at Lost Easter Eggs. And feel free to post your comments and theories here!