Snow Day: PJs and comfort food

So, yeah, this is what constitutes a snow day in the DC area:

P.S. That's not ice; that is slush.

In my experience, snow days usually at least give kids a chance to go sledding. Not that I'm complaining. I slept in (very in) and I only got out of my PJs in order to shower and put on new PJs. I feel like Aunt Linda.

Also, I am watching season 1 of Homeland so as not to feel culturally illiterate when someone brings it up, which is all the time. (Now I will only feel culturally illiterate when people discuss Dr. Who!) I'm also enjoying some delicious comfort food, leftovers of something I made a couple days ago: Creamy chicken pappardelle.

I had some pappardelle from Trader Joe’s that I picked up because it looked so delicious and then I didn’t know what to cook with it. Then I discovered this recipe which reminded me of a pappardelle dish I had at Lidia’s in the Pittsburgh Strip District. That dish is seared in my mind as one of the most delicious, comfort-foody things I have ever eaten. Alas, it was one of Lidia’s seasonal pasta choices and I have been back several times hoping to catch them on a Roast Pork Pappardelle day and I never do.

So, when I saw this recipe and read the story about it being inspired by comfort food in the movie The Holiday, I knew my Trader Joe’s pappardelle had found its destiny, even if it did mean I’d have to handle raw chicken. (Raw chicken is the scariest of my terror meats, so you must realize how badly I wanted to try this dish that I was willing to go through the anguish of raw chicken.)

I highly recommend you check it out: The Best Pappardelle Dish You Will Have Outside of Lidia's Restaurant.

It was so delicious and the leftovers are just as good. Happy snow day!

Oscar Round-up Part II: The Show

So, yeah, the actual show. Let's just dive right in.

Things I enjoyed:

Seth MacFarlane. I thought he was a good host. Even if he did front-load most of his jokes into his bit with Captain Kirk, I enjoyed it. The Sally Field make-out thing was pretty funny, too. Good for her for being a good sport. Also, Tommy Lee Jones for laughing and not being weird about it.

See? That's what I'm talking about.

I also loved Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence being so game to make fun of themselves during Seth’s intro song.

This. I love it when unusual stuff happens.

This man. He accepted the Best Animated Film award for Brave and he looked fabulous doing it. Also, yay for Brave!

Charlize Theron and Channing Tatum

Waltzing in the opening number. It was lovely.

Seth MacFarlane as Max Detweiler.

"They're gone!"

The whole intro of Christopher Plummer mimicking The Sound of Music. It was cheesy hilarity and it made me want to go back to Salzburg. (To be fair, thinking about mountains or good potato salad also makes me want to go back to Salzburg.)

She is an utter delight.

Ben wins! I totally agree that Argo was the best film of the year. His speech was really great, too; so heartfelt.

Daniel Day-Lewis making history (first man to win three Best Actor Oscars) and being charming and funny in his speech. That bit about Meryl playing Lincoln and himself playing Margaret Thatcher—I didn’t know he had it in him.

You know, there's a lot of injustice linked to the Oscars (Gary Oldman doesn't have one, for instance.) But it's nice that the record for Best Actor Oscars should be held by this man, who is undoubtedly one of the finest actors to have ever graced the screen.

"And my man, I love you, baby." Ha! Oh, Adele.

Helena Bonham-Carter and Sacha Baron Coen looking utterly miserable as they're forced to sing their Les Mis parts in the medley. Heh.

Finally, did you know the ladies' room at the Oscars exploded just as everyone was coming in from the red carpet? This article slays me. "The poor woman came out looking like a scene from 'Carrie.'" Ha!


Things I did not enjoy:

Ben Affleck not winning Best Director in a write-in vote. (It could’ve happened!) Now Ang Lee has to take home an Oscar that wasn’t really supposed to be his. And when he looks into the mirror, he knows it.

Anne Hathaway’s speech. It felt really rehearsed and fake. A lot about her seems insincere, which is maybe why many people seem to dislike her. In fact, with all the hate heading her way, I feel kinda bad piling on. I will say she definitely deserved that Oscar. I just hated the speech. And the dress. And the... you know what? I'm just gonna stop.

Can't wait for next year!

Oscar Round-up Part I: The Clothes

So, Oscar night finally arrived. We had a delightful Oscar party with Oscar Bingo and trivia games. A good time was had by all and Eric tied with me to win the Oscar pool. No bets were lost or plastic cups eaten, although Julia was sad that the prizes were chocolate-covered pretzels and not toys and finally declared to me, "No one wants your candy prizes!" 

Let's start with the clothes, shall we?

Looks I loved: 

Michelle Obama

Even though I can't see the full length, I'm going to declare Mrs. Obama the best dressed of the evening. I thought it was cool that she announced Best Picture, as it's nice to see our leaders supporting the arts. To those who thought it was a cheap political grab, I'd point out that First Lady Laura Bush and President Reagan made Oscar appearances during their respective administrations. Also, handing out Best Pic is the least of the goodies I'd request if I were First Lady. Other demands I'd make include a private concert by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, a ride on the Space Shuttle (What’s that you say? It’s retired? Not anymore, baby.), a lifetime supply of quadruple-stuffed Oreos (don't tell me the Nabisco company can't make this happen), and a life-size re-creation of Bag End.

I'm pretty sure the press would soon refer to me as "Imelda."

But the dress! Oh, the dress. The art deco sparkling magnificence. She looks like the Chrysler Building and I mean that in the best possible way.

Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain is perhaps tied for Best Dressed. The fit. The bronzey color. The shimmer. It is perfection. And my envy of her hair continues.

Naomi Watts

When I first saw it, I didn’t like it. I’m not one for cut-outs and very structured-looking gowns. But, much like Napoleon Dynamite, the more I saw it the more I liked it and now I think I love it.

Kerry Washington

Okay, she’s so gorgeous that the dress barely even matters. But even so, the color is amazing and she really stood out.

Jennifer Garner

A lot of people hated this. I think it’s lovely. The color is great, it fits like a dream, and the fabric on those ruffles makes me want to bake a cake and decorate it with buttercream (I mean that as a compliment.) I don’t know how much fun the ruffles were to sit on, but they looked lovely.

Jennifer Garner and handsome accessory

Also, I loved her necklace and her husband is so cute and can really rock a scruffy beard and wore the cutest vest with his tux and all of these things just add up to me putting her/them on the best dressed list.

Jennifer Lawrence

That skirt is ridiculous. It needs its own limo. Of course it tripped you on the stairs. How could it not? And I love it anyway. Jennifer Lawrence is such a delight, she makes this unwieldy thing work.

Jennifer Lawrence's team of dress wranglers

Jennifer Lawrence's skirt, which is, even now, planning to trip her on the stairs.

I mean, it looks like a horrendous pain to actually wear. It reminds me of Princess Di’s wedding dress in that the dress is wearing you and not the other way around. It requires a team of people to get it down the red carpet. It is madness. But it’s a pure fantasy dream dress, and that seems appropriate for an insanely likeable and talented 22 year-old who is getting a Best Actress Oscar.

Charlize Theron

Just crazy gorgeous. I also loved the dress she wore to dance with Channing Tatum in the opening. That skirt had the perfect swing for a waltz.

Halle Berry

She can rarely do wrong. This is so sparkly and so 80s-fabulous; two things I love completely.

Zoe Saldana

Love it. Love everything about it.

Quvenzhané Wallis

You guys, Quvenzhané Wallis is carrying a purse dog. She is wonderful.



Looks I loathed:

Anne Hathaway

Satin, man. Bad idea. It’s wrinkly already and you haven’t even darkened the theater’s doorstep. It looks like something that would get paraded down the Project Runway strip and then Nina Garcia would level her icy gaze upon it and say, “It looks cheap.” And that terrifying woman would be right.

Also, what is with the darting at the bust? Insert obligatory “I had a dream this dress would beeeeeeee so different from…” joke here.

Anne Hathaway's necklace, which is too good for this crap.

One thing I did love, though, was that necklace and how the diamonds dripped down the back. I'll take two, please.

Melissa McCarthy

Oh, why this color? Why this hair? I like her so much, from all the way back to the hilariously flustered Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls, but this is just no good.

Olivia Munn

This could have been so great, except that it clearly does not fit. We all know it and it’s fooling no one. Double-sided tape couldn’t even make you feel secure in this situation. I just hope she didn’t have to reach for anything during the evening.

Two young people, only one of whom owns a comb.

Kristen! Do you own a brush? Do you know how to run it through your hair? No big. This only the ACADEMY AWARDS. That crack den look does not make you an interesting person. And hike up your dress.

Naomie Harris, Bond Girl and exhibitionist

WHAT is going on here! Did the dress slit rip higher (much higher) than it was originally? Is she wearing sparkly underpants that were designed to be shown off with the dress? How is ABC not getting fined by the FCC right now?


Looks I was undecided on:

Jane Fonda

I’m not sure about this. On one hand, it fits great and looks straight out of a Dynasty catfight (I mean that in the very best way), but on the other hand I can’t really appreciate those qualities when I’m being blinded by the color.

Nicole Kidman

When I saw it onscreen I really liked it, but now I'm wondering if I was just led astray by sequins (wouldn't be the first time) and if it's perhaps not too Vegas-y for the Oscars. All that gold on the bottom is throwing me.

Fan Bingbing

I don’t know who Fan Bingbing is (but I feel like James would). A lot of people loved this dress but I am skeptical for two reasons: It is satin and thus undoubtedly looked like a hiker’s anorak by the end of the evening, and it looks remarkably similar to a dress my Barbies owned during the Reagan Administration. If you’re going to recreate a Barbie ensemble, definitely go for the Peaches and Cream gown.


Next Up: The actual show...

Isobel Crawley has posted a new soup photo to the website Soupwrecks.com

For those who have asked, the Oscar recap is on it's way. Until then, enjoy this hilarious depiction of what a Downton Abbey episode would look like if it were a Facebook interaction.

Tom Branson has posted a new photo in the album Sybil (the baby, not my dead wife).

Ha! This is brilliant. I'm going to read them all.

Documentary Shorts!

So, a couple weekends ago I went to see the Oscar nominated Documentary Short Films. I had a ball.

It's such a great crop of films, I hope they become available on Netflix because it's tough to find them outside of a major city. I managed to find a little independent theater downtown that was showing them. The whole screening, including a 15 minute intermission, ran about four hours. I was concerned that it was going to be a long slog, but the films were so good that the time just flew by. It seemed way shorter than my viewing of, say, Les Mis or Amour.

My two favorites were Inocente and Redemption. Inocente is the story of a 15-year-old homeless girl named Inocente, who is also a great artist. She, her mother, and her little brothers move about, sometimes renting a small room until they can't afford the rent anymore and get evicted, sometimes sleeping in parks or shelters. Inocente attends a summer arts program and, of the more than 5,000 students, two are chosen to put on their own art show. Inocente is chosen and we watch her create her pieces for the show as we learn about her life. It was fascinating. She has so much poise for a 15-year-old and so much hope and such awesome eye make-up. You really root for her.

Redemption is the story of people in New York City who participate in "canning," a practice that has become very common in Manhattan. These are people who collect cans and bottles from the street and trash to redeem them for the 5 cent refund at one of New York's many redemption stations. You'd think this would be the purview of the homeless, but most of the people featured were those who had just lost their jobs or couldn't make ends meet even with their jobs. One woman was a retired sales rep for IBM who found her social security and pension weren't enough to live on, so she started collecting cans. It was a really interesting look into their situations.

Other documentaries were Kings Point, a portrait of a Florida retirement community where we see that gossip and jealousy and relationship drama never stops, even at age 80, and Open Heart, the story of a group of Rwandan children who travel to Sudan for open heart surgery. Millions of children in Africa are stricken with heart disease, often because some infection such as strep throat was not properly treated and it developed into heart disease. There is one clinic in Africa that provides free open heart surgery, and children must rely on aid organizations to fly them to Sudan for life saving surgery. Finally, Mondays at Racine, the story of two sisters who lost their mother to cancer and now open their Long Island beauty salon one Monday a month to cancer patients for free beauty treatments. The women, most undergoing chemotherapy, find friendship and support in addition to the manicures and hair styling that make them feel more alive.

Ooh, these movies were all so good. Try to see them if you can.

Well, this just makes me sad.

Thrift store shoppers, hoard your irons. Production has ceased.

Apparently the iron is out and the cat is in.

RIP, iron. Also, a little bit of my childhood.

Shorts!

So, this weekend I went to see the Oscar nominated short films. I just love shorts. They are tiny, little delights. And let me tell you, the people of DC agree with me. The E Street Cinema was packed, the line for concessions snaked around the lobby, several showings sold out and people were asking around if anyone had any extra tickets. It was mayhem.

The Animated shorts were hosted by the guys who won last year for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which you may remember me mentioning. In between the shorts they talked about making their film and how shorts are such a different creative experience because they're the total vision of one or two people as opposed to a feature which is a collaboration of thousands.

My favorite animated short was Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare."  I don't watch The Simpsons, but this was a delight, very clever and funny. I also really liked Fresh Guacamole, which clocked in at 2 minutes and was a stop-motion (oh, how I love stop-motion) visual treat. You can check it out here.

The Live Action shorts were hosted by Luke Matheny, who won two years ago for God of Love, which you may recall me telling you was utterly delightful and well worth your time. It's still on my iPad if anyone wants to see it.

There were two standouts in the Live Action shorts: Curfew and Death of a Shadow. Both will soon be available on iTunes.

Death of a Shadow had a really interesting premise that I think could have been served well in a feature-length film. A WWI soldier, who died tragically, now works for a spooky "collector" of shadow deaths. The soldier time travels to the moment of a death and captures it on a special camera that allows him to view it. He then returns to the Collector and places the shadow death in the Collector's gallery. When the soldier has collected 10,000 deaths, he will be free and his own shadow released from the gallery. The art direction is great and supremely creepy. Both the story and the characters are under-developed, but in a feature-length film much could be done about that.

The one I'm rooting for is Curfew, which takes a tired premise (messed up adult + precocious child) and turns it into something heartfelt and fresh. The lead actor, Shawn Christensen, also wrote, directed, and did the music for the film. He was probably cooking lunch for everyone as well. Keep an eye out for him. I think he'll do great things in the future.