tuckergurl

Most Interesting??

Cool "trees"
Originally uploaded by tuckergurl.

Flickr tells me that this is my most interesting photo. My question is, how does it know that? How does it decide that? What is the process exactly? I wanna know. It's not my most viewed photo. So how does it decide it's the most interesting?

I am excited that I am living up to one of my 2006 resolutions: to take more pictures. I got a Flickr Pro Account as a present and it has been the best thing ever. I want to get a cool photo book made of the photos I am taking during my sabbatical. It is cool to just enjoy taking the pictures for me. It is not some endeavor that I am trying to make money out of or get any kind of artistic recognition. I am just enjoying taking pictures. It's a nice thing.

For those who are curious, this was taken at The Getty. It is really beautiful there. If you are in LA, you should check it and remember that it was someone's house. The way some people live in LA is sick!!!

Rest In Peace

As if Wendy Wasserstein's death wasn't enough, this morning I learned that Coretta Scott King died. This is a great, great loss.

I have to commend The New York Times. They always do incredible and moving tributes to people when they pass. Check out the homepage and you can find slide shows and moving op-eds. You really get an idea of who these people are, the kinds of contributions they made to this world and what they meant to their friends and family. I love the internet.

Academy Award Nominees

Newsweek did a great article with all of the directors nominated. A roundtable with George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee, Bennett Miller & Paul Haggis.

I do not have a lot to say about the nominees. Pretty predictible. I am glad that A History of Violence was able to squeeze in a few. William Hurt was really, really funny and sick in it!

My only criticism is in the Best Original Song nominations. They are:

"In the Deep" - CRASH (I LOVE this song. I just gave Bird York a shout out yesterday!)

"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" - HUSTLE & FLOW (OK, I sing this song all the time. It makes me laugh a lot. But nominating it for an Academy Award! This is kind of upsetting and I for one do not want to see Terrence Howard in his suit performing this song on Awards night. I have a big problem with this one and I think I can not watch them do this. Yikes! Friends kept yelling at me for singing this song because it was so insanely offensive but I am a sarcastic gal and cannot help myself. I somehow feel that this nomination is some strange punishment.)

"Travelin' Thru" - TRANSAMERICA (This is the WORST song ever. TERRIBLE!!!! So so so bad. When the credits were going up after Transamerica, Beebs and I looked at one another when this song came on. We thought, "What the heck is this?!" We kept singing it to each other again as a JOKE! Can't Hollywood take a joke? These songs are bad and not bad in a slang way, in a real way.)

Four Things

This is David's doing. Feel free to skim.

Four Jobs I've Had:

1. Finance Assistant/Receptionist at Lincoln Center Theater - I was there for five years. I've been at my current job for four years. Wow, I'm a creature of habit. I had a good time there. A great place to be right out of school.

2. Barista at Starbucks - I was so addicted to espresso then it was crazy! I worked the night shift until 3am and would then take the train home to the Bronx. What a nut I was!! Never work at a coffee bar on the Upper East Side. People really want their drinks made right. They really, really do.

3. Costume Shop at Wesleyan - Looking back this was a cool job. I sewed costumes for our theater department shows. It was like Project Runway without the competition or the tears. My specialties were using the overlock machine and creating patterns for period costumes. I should start sewing again.

4. Advertising - I won't say where but it sucked. Bad. I am sure there are a lot of cool people in advertising but not at this place. I made a lot of money though!

Four movies I can watch over and over:

1. Say Anything - AMC has been rerunning this film and I literally can not turn it off. Joe Lies! Joe Lies! When he cries.

2. Sixteen Candles - This movie is brilliant. Timeless.

3. Imitation of Life (the Douglas Sirk version) - I cry when Mahalia Jackson sings at the end. Oh I am just weepy thinking about it.

4. West Side Story - I watch it once a year and Natalie Wood's accent just get worse and worse and I still love it.

There are so so many more but these are the first four that come to mind.
Four places I've lived:

1. East Village, New York City

2. Brooklyn, NY

3. Middletown, CT

4. Ghana, West Africa

Four TV Shows I love:

1. Felicity

2. The Office - The British version

3. Grey's Anatomy

4. A Different World

Four Places I've vacationed:

1. London, England & Paris France (same trip)

2. Bermuda

3. New Orleans, LA

4. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. Spinach & Feta Omeletes perferably from Tom's in Brooklyn

2. Salmon, Mashed potatoes & spinach perferably from Liquors

3. Pancakes from Mike's (I'm a big breakfast person.)

4. Good Beef Burritos with guacamole, rice and beans and salsa. I'm not too picky about where as long as it's not a gross place and I can have chips!

Four sites I visit daily:

1. imdb. com - A sickness. Truly.

2. nytimes.com

3. flickr.com

4. eonline.com - Like I said, a sickness.

Four places I would rather be right now:

I am going to them. Ask me in two months. I might feel differently.

Who's next???

1. Lauren

2. Beebs

3. Kyle

4. Quel

Today ...

I am having a hard time focusing. I was pretty jetlagged yesterday and kept falling asleep and waking up at strange times. Now, I have a ton of things to do before leaving for Africa! This morning I got the last round of shots and decided to do the malaria pills thing. I was on the fence. I refused to take larium since I had heard horror stories. (Apparently I'm not a good fit since I am "prone to depression". My question is who isn't?) So now I am taking some typhoid pills, malaria medicine AND iron. Insane!!!

Random things crossing my mind in no particular order:

-In case you were wondering why the ensemble of Crash beat out Brokeback for the SAG Award, I have a theory. (Even if you weren't wondering, just hear me out.) When I was in LA, a friend of mine who is a SAG member got a copy of Crash in the mail. It was "for his consideration". We both were pretty amazed that the producers of Crash were doing the hard sell for the SAG Awards of all things. I guess they knew that was their one shot. I guess it was money well spent since they won. I for one am fine with the ensemble winning awards as long as the film aka the writing or directing are not acknowledged. Crash has some problems. I could tell you my opinions on them but I feel like I have before and honestly, I am sick of talking about this film. Didn't it come out over a year ago? Oh, but I do like the theme song. Bird York is cool.

-Why oh why can't my landlord just finish things he starts? Yes, he put a light in the bathroom but the doorknob is still broken, aka gone! Sigh. If it's not one thing, it's another. There is a cute new super who barely speaks English but smiles a lot. Tomorrow I may have to use my sex appeal to get some stuff done. We'll see what happens.

-I read today that Wendy Wassterstein died. I had met her a few times when I was working at Lincoln Center Theater. She was a really nice lady. She was also one of America's great playwrights. Lauren and I both commiserated about the fact that American theater has lost some great, great playwrights lately. It was a pretty big blow. I am still thinking about this one.

-I met a woman in her early 20s. I almost called her a girl but she's not. She's a woman definately. She didn't laugh. She giggled. I started to miss the days that I giggled. I am not sure if I will giggle in the same way again. It made me kind of sad.

-LA is not as bad as everyone says. I wish it were hotter. Yes I'm greedy but I'm putting it out there. I have a soft spot for it now. I would miss walking if I lived there though. Oh, and people bump into each other there. People "touch". I got bumped into a lot at The Coffee Beanery in Westwood. Those UCLA kids need their caffeine.

-Forty Shades of Blue. I had wanted to see this film for a while. I rented it the other day and loved some things about it but felt a bit lackluster about it. There are a lot of brilliant moments in it. There is nothing wrong with it persay. I just never got into it. It's one of those movies where you know someone is going to get their heartbroken from the beginning and it's tough to sit through the film because you essentially are waiting for it. It looks great though and reminds me of a cool 70s film. Yet, I just couldn't get into it. Hmmm ...

-Come to think of it, I felt the same way about Kinsey, another rental. I guess there is a reason why you don't see some films in the theater. Sometimes you are just not that into it.

-I am not watching The State of the Union tomorrow. It's not like Bush is going to tell me the truth anyway. He's going to pitch his insane healthcare plan and tell us that eavesdropping is OK and that we are still in this war for some made up reason. When will this administration go away?!?!!?

-Learn where the term filibuster comes from. I honestly did not know.

-Final tip for the day: Download songs from your favorite movies. You won't be sorry.

California

Venice Beach
Originally uploaded by tuckergurl.

I have nothing insightful to say right now about my stay in LA. I'm having a great time, better than I expected. As I walk around LA, all I can hear is the theme from The O.C.

We've been on the run
Driving in the sun
Looking out for #1
California here we come
Right back where we started from

California! (california)
Here we come!

Over and over and over. It makes me laugh. More to come ...

The Dance of Sun -- The Recap

The View On The Way Up
Originally uploaded by tuckergurl.

I went to The Sundance Film Festival two years ago with Deadline. I was there for twelve days and though it was an amazing experience, it was pretty draining. I had this fantasy that with more time to roam around and not so many “responsibilities” I would enjoy the trip more than ever. It certainly was a different experience.

I wanted to go to Sundance this year to see some movies. I guess I wanted to “network”. Honestly, I do not have “goals” for trips like these. You are asked a hundred times what you are there to do, to accomplish. I am beginning to gather the language I need to describe myself and the projects I m working on. This trip really helped me do that.

Katy calls Sundance the ultimate Darwinian experiment. Some of us are blessed to evolve and some never make is past a sloth like state. This selection process is a random one but a process nonetheless. The thing about Sundance is it really separates the folks “in the know” versus the ones “not in the know”. These lines are not created by money. You benefit by who you know and how who you know can get you stuff.

Tom Cavanagh Just Sucks Me In

If I had a blog when Ed was on the air, you all would have heard more about Ed than you would have wanted to. You probably would've moved on and read the tales of another black girl in Brooklyn, sick of reading about my crush on Tom Cavanagh. Well, look out. I can feel it happening all over again.

I had such good intentions tonight. I was going to pack and eat my little TV dinner with my spinach salad. But then I was side tracked by Love Monkey.

I am not partial about this show at all. It has my crush, Tom Cavanagh and it takes place in New York and actually shoots in New York. I love my fair city and love watching characters getting coffee at spots that I have never been to. Just recently I went to Cafe Flourent because it was the spot where Carrie and Adrien from Sex In The City had brunch the first time she met his parents.

But back to Love Money, it employs some other nice folk: Larenz Tate (I am fascinated if he will move beyond the black friend/sidekick stereotype), Jason Priestly (who has gained some weight!), the hilarious Judy Greer from Arrested Development. You've got your hot closeted character and a different musical guest every week. Yeah, it's cheesy and if any of my friends told me they were into a show like this minus Mr. Cavanagh, I would make fun of them. But I am smitten.

I have loved other shows in the past and they have left me. This one may too but it's better to have loved and lost ...

Oh, the other hottie on Ed, Josh Randall is on the new Jenna Elfman show. I gotta say, I think I can exercise self control where that one is concerned. I think I'm gonna let that one pass me by.

The Dance of Sun

I am off to Sundance tomorrow. Hopefully the storm will not keep me grounded. From there, I am visiting friends in LA. I am sure I will have some tales to share. Right now I am having the hardest time figuring out what to wear in both warm and cold climates.

I am very invested in seeming like a gal who does not need a lot. I like to pack light, really light. This time I am just giving in and bringing two large bags. I am a grown up and since I am going to carry my own stuff, I should bring what I want.

My arm still hurts from the two shots I got for Africa (tetanus & Hep A). It turns out I am born with an immunity to Hep B. Who knew?!

The Golden Globes

On our trip home from Beebs' house via the wackass G train, Lauren and I were wondering the following:

Why were the Globes so damn boring this year?

Our main theory is that everyone was so damn prepared this year. Their speeches had been thought out and practiced far, far in advance. George Clooney was the only one who seemed caught off guard which is completely bizarre because he is the most famous man in the world right now. How self-deprecating can you be? The critics awards show on the WB ... (I can't remember the name of it but who can! There are too many damn award shows. All I know is that it is the one where Philip Seymour Hoffman won and was wearing jeans and a dirty t-shirt and he was all shocked that people were actually watching this) ... Anyway, this critics show created an award for George Clooney because they loved him so much. How could he be surprised?! And yet he seemed to be so why couldn't others have at least faked it better!

Folks just did not get drunk enough. Usually people are completely plastered and that is when the fun ensues. People seemed to hold their liquor and that is never fun. (Though Joaquin did look a bit suspect. We were unsure if he was drinking or if he wanted a drink. Something was up there. I love ya Joaquin a lot but you seem a bit troubled.)

I was happy about most of the wins. Particulary happy about Sandra Oh, Brokeback Mountain, Hugh Laurie. Eric Bana wins for HOTTIE of the night, Male. HOTTIE of the night, Female, was Katherine Heigl. Her dress was hot.

Oh, and having Queen Latifah talk at the open of the show about how incredible it was to have two films about black folk top the box office this weekend and then making some lame tie to MLK Day was pretty weak. I can see that Producers' meeting:

Producer: Hmm ... the award show is on Martin Luther King's birthday. We better get somebody black on stage to say something about being black. I like that Queen Latifah a lot. She's great.

So so lame. Oh, one other lame moment: Dennis Quaid's rhymes with "chick flick" joke for Brokeback Mountain. Are we in 7th grade? That's real classy Dennis.

Rather lackluster this year. Glad I was watching it drinking with friends.