Julia

There have always been women I've looked up to, admired and respected. They haven't changed much over the years because, I like to think, I've made some good choices. They're strong women who made it because they deserved it, not because anyone ever handed it to them. They're the kind of women we need more of.

Julia Child has been one of those women for a long time.

I like to cook, I always have and I love to bake. I'm perfectly happy to spend all day working on one project while friends and family shake their heads and wonder. I love kneading bread by hand or spending two days making perfect cinnamon buns. I find something special in cookies that are all just a little different. I find an amazing comfort in the smell of freshly baked pie. And when I found this bliss, I found Julia.

When I'm at a loss for what to do, when things blow up in my face, when I'm trying to get the goddamned waxed paper to curl in to a proper piping bag for the thirtieth time, I turn to Julia. She doesn't always hold the answer or fix everything but she does make me feel like it's okay to fail. For me, that's a BIG thing.

I know that Julia isn't the best chef to have ever taken up the ladle and whisk and I think that's part of why I love her. She was fallible and readily admitted it. I've watched hours and hours of her show and it always makes me feel so much better about my efforts. I don't get that feeling from any other cooking show. They're all so perfect and clean cut, everything works out right every single time. How is that supposed to help?

Julia routinely had things go wrong, and you know what? It wasn't the end of the world. She took the opportunity to show you how to save the day, to salvage the wreck or at worst, to just carry on because sometimes shit happens.

But you want to know one of the biggest reasons I love Julia as much as I do?

She was 32 when she started cooking.

I often panic that I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I went to school and I love doing fx make-up but I know it will never be what I "do". There's nothing I can really point to and say "I want to be THAT forever and ever". I worry about reaching lots of life's milestones and I often feel like I'm so far behind that I'll never catch up.

Julia gives me hope.

I know it was never her intention and I know it's more in my head than anything. But I'm okay with that.

"Upon reflection, I decided I had three main weaknesses: I was confused (evidenced by a lack of facts, an inability to coordinate my thoughts, and an inability to verbalize my ideas); I had a lack of confidence, which cause me to back down from forcefully stated positions; and I was overly emotional at the expense of careful, 'scientific' though. I was thirty-seven years old and still discovering who I was." - Julia Child (1912 - 2004)

Why Do I Love Tim Curry?

What's not to love? Now stop asking such stupid questions.

Fact.

Goodbye, Mr. Lye

Maybe the name Les Lye is one you're not familiar with but he was a big part of my childhood. He was "the adult" on You Can't Do That On Television and I spent more time watching Les and the rest of the gang than almost anything else for years.

Les passed away yesterday. He was 84.

So, goodbye and thanks for the laughs, Les.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Stewart!

Happy birthday to the hottest star ship captain, the best Professor, the perfect King Richard and the second best Captain Ahab ever (sorry, Gregory Peck is hard to beat at anything...)!

Happy Birthday, Hugh!

A very happy birthday, handsome. Hope it's especially lovely, wonderful and all kinds of awesome!

XOX

-Gwenhwyfar

I Fought The Urge And The Urge Won

Since the whole Twilight thing became such a world wide plague and every other blog post in the entire blogosphere has either been a pro or anti Twilight post, I've been trying to avoid the subject completely. Mostly because, like so many other things I find remarkably stupid, I was hoping that maybe it was just a fad that would be gone before the end of the week.

Unfortunately I was wrong.

Apparently Stephanie Meyer has some kind of terrifying hypnotic power that has convinced scored of people that her books are complete drivel. That sparkly vampires are cool. That "vegetarian vampires" isn't the stupidest phrase ever uttered by a human being. I'm not sure how she does it but I think we should all be afraid.

But to be honest, this isn't really a rant about Twilight. They've been done to death and let's just say that I'll add my voice to the chorus of people who are booing it. This is a rant about another beast. 

Robert Pattison.

Can someone please explain to me what, exactly, all these girls are swooning about? PLEASE!? Because all I see when I look at him is a fugly, pale, effeminate, manorexic, heroin chic, douche bag. Even as far as his "acting" goes, from what I've seen of the movie he comes across as little more than a vapid, emo, airhead.

When did that become sexy? 

I don't get it.

How did we go from Brad Pitt to Robert Fucking Pattison?

I shouldn't be completely surprised, I had the exact same thought about Orlando "look at my amazing inability to grow facial hair" Bloom. Fugly, effeminate, douche.

Honestly, it's not even that I care that everyone seems to be in love with the freaks. It means more Hugh Jackman for me. Keep your girly men. If I want one for myself, I'll take David Bowie. He may be effeminate, but he's the original hot-fem. 

What gripes me is that when the world goes nuts for a couple of these freaks, Hollywood does it's damnedest to find EVEN MORE of them. They start producing more "Twilight-esque" movies, bring out the Robert Pattison 2.0 (who is already just Orlando Bloom 4.1) and suddenly a cultural phenomenon I found vaguely annoying starts seeping in to things I enjoy. 

So now I'm begging you, please, take a really good look at these "hot guys". Think about what you're saying. Because, believe me, if it carries on the way it seems to be carrying on, it won't be long before I snap entirely and no one really wants that. Right?

Death Of Khan

I was really hoping that this year would, at very least, start off better than last year. But no. Here I am writing yet another fairwell to one of my favourite people.
Ricardo Montalban passed away this morning. Taking with him one of the all time greatest voices, ever. No one else could have been Khan or Mr. Roarke or could have made the phrase "fine corinthian leather" so damned sexy. Really, there have been few people who could make anything sound so damned sexy.

More Sad News

I was absolutely hearbroken to read that Majel Barrett passed yesterday. Majel was always one of my all time favourite Star Trek regulars. Whether it was as Number One (however short lived the character was), Nurse Chapel or in every episode as the computer. Although I must say that no one holds a candle to Lwaxana Troi, daughter of the fifth house, holder of the sacred chalice of Rixx, heir to the holy rings of Betazed.
The final frontier just won't be the same without her.

Bye Bye, Bettie

I was saddened to hear that Bettie Page passed away earlier today.
Like so many others I've been enthralled with her for years. She's the classic, the perfect and the notorious.
So bye bye, Bettie. No one will ever replace you.

Dear Heath Ledger,

Since communication with you has become... well, difficult, I thought I'd write. There are a few things I wanted to say.
First, I should start by saying I was never a fan of yours. That sounds harsh but it's true and I don't want to lie to you. I hated your movies and I've never fallen for "the pretty boy" thing. You and Orlando and all the pretty boys that came before you make me want to wretch. As much as I know that guys like you end up being stuck in the same vapid, shallow, teeny-bopper roles in the same dime-a-dozen bullshit movies over and over again, I still can't work up much sympathy.
Second, A Knight's Tale was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I don't care what the screaming fan-girls say, it made me envious of Helen Keller. Also, I have not seen Brokeback Mountain. I probably will someday but I can't comment on any of your work in that film because after all the hype and bullshit surrounding it, I just couldn't bring myself to jump on the bandwagon.
And third, when I read the announcement that you'd been cast as the Joker I actually cried. I've been a fan of Batman forever and the Joker is my all time, hands down, no contest, favourite bad guy of all time. While, as previously stated, I'm not a fan of yours. So as the time grew near for the new Batman to hit theaters, my worry grew. (It certainly didn't help matters that the last Batman movie was a disappointment and Christian Bale rates almost as high with me as you do.)
Well, I saw Dark Knight.
I'm not going to take back everything I said before now. I'm not going to tell you that it wiped clean all that I hated before. I'm not because it's not true. What I will say though is this, you surprised me in a very good way. While there are still things about the movie that I wasn't really excited about and I still have a few complaints, none of them are very serious.
Your Joker was almost everything people had said it was. It was dark and maniacal, twisted and not a little over the top. It was everything the Joker should be. I walked away with an appreciation for your performance and the doubt that had welled up inside was relieved. I must say though, it was replaced with a lot of annoyance because I can't help but thinking that if you'd been pulling off shit like this all along I would never have gotten to hate you so much.
Anyway, I know this hasn't been the most complimentary letter but accept it for what it is, especially coming from someone who would actually avoid movies just because you were in them. Kudos, dude, you've impressed me which in and of itself is impressive.

Always,

-Gwenhwyfar

Goodbye Mr. Winston

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I just read that Stan Winston Passed away yesterday.
For those of you who don't know, Stan Winston is the FX master behind movies like Terminator, Edward Scissorhands, Jurassic Park and most recently Iron Man. He is one of the artist who inspired me to go in to make-up and fx, he made it an art form, something to aspire to. His work was constantly ground breaking and breath taking.
So goodbye, Mr. Winston. Thank you for everything. You will be missed.

Dear Robert Downey Jr.,

I just wanted to drop you a line because I have a few things I need to say. Mostly because you've been on my mind for the last little while. With the release of Iron Man, your GQ interview, the upcoming Tropical Thunder, it would be a little hard not to think about you and I have to say that I'm really excited to have so many excellent reasons to.
I've only just got back from finally seeing Iron man, by the way. It was fabulous. More than fabulous. I honestly can't even think of a word to adequately describe how awesome it was. I was never a huge Iron Man fan. I mean, I've read them, sure. But he was never one of my favourites. Now I'm starting to feel like that's going to change. You made me love Tony Stark, faults and all. You made him someone I could love. That kind of leads me to what I wanted to say.
You're wonderful, you know that? Really. You're a fantastic actor. Absolutely one of the best. (And I'm not one for saccharine flattery.)
I remember very well watching Chaplin as a child and being absolutely captivated by it. Even more recently I felt that same sense of captivation, the same sympathy, the same connection watching Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. You give the characters you play such a humanity that it's hard not to be sucked in by them.
So I'd like to say that I, for one, am so very happy to see you again. I wish only the best for you.
I know the opinion of a very unknown blogger carries, well, no weight at all but I really do think you're something special.

Always,

-Gwenhwyfar

PS - I know I'm not the first to say it and I surely won't be the last, but you have THE most incredible eyes. (Sorry, I just had to say it.)

Another Year Gone, But Never Forgotten

9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980

Jack Klugman, You're My Hero

Three days ago I picked up a copy of Quincy M.E. season 1 & 2. Since then I've only spent brief moments away from my TV between episodes. I had almost forgotten how much I love this show. And Jack Klugman.
Although I must say, after years of CSI it's really amusing watching how things used to be done. (It also makes me laugh that people bitch and moan about how far fetched some of the CSI stuff gets. They're obviously not Quincy fans.) When I sat down to watch the first episode, Quicy was talking about a suspect's blood type and I actually caught myself thinking "Blod type? What the hell is he talking about? Just run a DNA test. Duh." Then it hit me. It was the 70's... no DNA. Damn. What would Grissom do?
I love CSI and I love Grissom (coming second only to my love for Jim Brass), but there will always be a special place in my heart for Quincy.

Happy Birthday Mr. Carlin

I just want to take a second to say happy birthday Mr. Carlin. Hope it was a good one and wishing you many more. We love you, a whole bunch.
And if you haven't seen it already, here are some of his best.

You Mean It's Not Legal Yet?

Apparently Hugh Grant was arrested. No, it's not what you're thinking.
Arrested for assault. He kicked a photographer several times and threw a container of beans at him (which is hysterical, but beside the point). They're quoting the photographer talking about the incident, claiming that he verbally attacked his kids and saying that Hugh was out of line.
Now, does this dumb fucking photographer actually expect anyone to feel bad for him?
He was out of line? You're the fucking asshole who showed up in front of his private residence and started snapping pictures of him, asking him to smile like the royal cock bag you are.
I'd say that paparazzi are scum, but that's insulting to scum. Seriously. That was what I had typed first, "Paparazzi are scum" and the phone rang. It was a lawyer with a cease and desist order, saying that what I had written was slander and defamation. I asked how the paparazzi had found out what I'd written so quickly. He said no, he was defending the scum.
These assholes stalk people and harass them everytime they step out of their houses. Oh yeah, that's right. Celebrities are people. Real, live, people. If any one of you had some crazy asshole following your every move and harassing you where ever you went, you'd go to the fucking police. But some how these cock suckers justify what they're doing with the old "it's just part of being famous".
Fuck you. Because someone is famous doesn't mean you own them. It doesn't give you the right to treat them like they're a fucking exhibit at the fucking zoo (actually, I don't think you're allowed to treat animals at the zoo that badly).
I can't blame Hugh or anyone else, for that matter, who finally snap and kick some paparazzi ass. More people should do it. It shouldn't just be legal, it should be encouraged. I'd kick your fucking ass too. You better believe I'd throw something a lot harder than a container of beans too and you'd be luck to get away with just a couple of kicks.
People wonder why celebrities are so crazy. If I had to live my life in that kind of fishbowl I'd be bat shit crazy too. And it's really fucking easy to make someone look crazy when you're snapping pictures of them every second of every day.
Oh, and is this guy fucking serious? He told Hugh Grant he has two kids and Hugh attacked them?
Why the fuck would he tell him he has two kids? Like that's the first thing you should when some one kicks you? Because that justifies you being a fucking douche bag? Because that's going to make his stop and go "Oh well, in that case, please continue fucking with my morning by snapping my picture without taking the time to consider my privacy, feelings, rights or whatever. People with two kids get to take all the pictures they like. What are their names by the way? Tell them I say hi. In fact, when are their birthdays? I'll be sure to send them a nice card."? Fuckwad.

I Love Will Ferrel

And I've actually found a kid that I like. Though if I had kids they'd probably sound like that too.

Just So Everyone Is Clear...

Stephen Colbert is the greatest living American (as well as being wicked hot).
Everybody got that?
Good.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

James Doohan was the man. He was one of the biggest reasons I love Star Trek: TOS and it was a sad day when the world lost our beloved Scotty.
But wait. His story doesn't end there. No, sir. The man who was Scotty is headed back to the stars, back to space, back to where no man has ever gone before. James Doohan's cremated remains are going to be shot in to space on April 28th. (Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd write.)

Along with James Doohan’s cremated remains will also travel the ashes of one of NASA’s first space travelers, Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, aboard a privately-built rocket set to launch from New Mexico this month.
The launch of a SpaceLoft XL rocket built by the private firm UP Aerospace is scheduled for April 28. SL-2, as it has been dubbed, will lift off from Spaceport America, a state-funded launch site near Upham, New Mexico and about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of the city of Las Cruces.

Two to beam up, I guess.