What They're Saying About Kiki

Two posts in one day? Little guy is taking a championship-level nap, so I have some time. I check my stats today, which I haven't done in a year. It's pretty hilarious that my top links continue to be my posts on beards (best and worst) and Miley's brother (this will probably get me 800 more hits. That post is the gift that keeps on givng). The funniest referral I'm getting is from a beard forum. I got over 300 hits in the last year! Apparently, I am the antichrist in their eyes, a guy, and a beard-hating moron (eh, they got a few right I guess). I think it's funny that they're taking this so seriously. So, once and for all guys, I don't hate ALL beards -- just YOURS! Keep the referrals coming folks, (I'm talking to you, fans of Dr. Will Kirby!) I'll get that top ten list of best moles one of these days!

Kiki's Brush with the Bigtime

Way back in 2007, when I was working in advertising, I worked on a campaign for TAG Body Spray. This was by far one of the more glamorous jobs I had as a producer as I got to arrange a photo and video shoot in NYC, complete with models and swimsuits. The shoot turned into a bit of a cluster-F in 90 degree, cramped office space in a high-rise with no A/C and no swimsuits. I spent the better part of the morning riding taxis around Manhattan looking for sexy but tiny swimsuits, in July, when most stores are stocking Back to School. But that's another story. My point is the one of my models was Michaela McManus. Then, she was just a struggling model/ actress. She was quiet and lovely, and even more beautiful in person. She read a raunchy innuendo-laced script with humor and grace, wore the tacky swimsuit I bought, and stayed professional while we all sweated like Al Gore in a rain forest. It was fun working with models that day as my usual experiences as a producer involved searching for mannequins, not humans. After the shoot, Micheala hit the big time, landing stint on One Tree Hill, Law and Order SVU, and now Nomads, an Alias-like pilot for the CW. She was even called "underrated" by Entertainment Weekly. Way to go, Michaela! I wonder where that mannequin from the Talbots ad is now. . .

Kiki Comes Out of Hibernation Long Enough to Make Oscar Picks

With the Oscars tonight, I thought it was my duty to let you know what my Oscar picks are. No, I haven't seen every movie -- just Avatar and what's available on DVD. No, I have no authority. Just a well thumbed through copy of EW and several office Oscar pool wins under my belt. So here goes:

LEADING ACTOR
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” -- It's clearly his year, this being the year of "The Dude."

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” -- Woody H may have a shot, but I believe the award will go to Waltz for his turn as a charming Nazi, if ever there was such a thing.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” -- Duh. It's a given.

LEADING ACTRESS
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia” -- This is a tough one. Everyone is saying Sandra Bullock is a lock, but I feel like Streep had to work so much harder to play Julia Child than Bullock did in "The Blind Side." I think the voters will recognize that. Streep has become the Susan Lucci of this award show (partly because I think voters figure there's always next year for her and she's already won before), but I think it's her night tonight.

ANIMATED FEATURE
Up -- I think Pixar will take it yet again.

ART DIRECTION and CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar -- I think Avatar has these categories locked up.

COSTUME DESIGN
The Young Victoria -- Period pieces always get the costume award.

DIRECTING
Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker" -- I hope on this one, that history is made. James Cameron was great, but there was a lot of technical heavy lifting behind "Avatar." "The Hurt Locker" was a perfect, tight, well directed film and I think Bigelow will be rewarded tonight.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Cove -- Dolphins rule.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Music by Prudence

FILM EDITING
The Hurt Locker -- This movie was perfectly edited. "Avatar" was not (and could have been an hur shorter!)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
El Secreto de Sus Ojos -- So says the gods at EW, and so I'm going with it . . .

MAKEUP
Star Trek

ORIGINAL SCORE
Up

ORIGINAL SONG
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart”

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
A Matter of Loaf and Death

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
The New Tenants

SOUND EDITING
Avatar

SOUND MIXING
Avatar

VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Hurt Locker

BEST PICTURE
Avatar -- This should be "The Hurt Locker," but I think Avatar will upset as it is a ground-breaking film and has changed cinema as we know it.

And there you have it. I'll check back tomorrow to let you know how I did . . .

Higher Learning: Celebrity Edition

It's back to school time again. But not just for the kiddlets -- your favorite celebs are hitting the books. Jerry O'Connell, fresh from his talk-show tour discussing the birth of his twins and his wife's pumping habits, is studying one of the oldest professions. No, not that one. He's going to become a lawyer. I guess he's not getting royalties from My Secret Identity and Kangaroo Jack these days. The new dad will be taking courses at Southwest School of Law. As the wife of a lawyer, I know Rebecca is in for some long nights alone with the kids. Hopefully, he can start pulling his weight in a few years, though. Maybe Rebecca can become a stay-at-home super-mom-del.

He's not the only one, however. Ashely Judd will be attending Haaavaaaad for her degree in public adminisitration. Lookout Beantown, here she comes! She joins other already-celebrities seeking degrees from Harvard, such as Weezer's Rivers Cuomo and Natalie Portman. Maybe this advanced degree will allow Judd to stop making such crappy movies.

Lastly, Omarosa -- that's Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth to you -- is going to -- wait for it . . . SEMINARY SCHOOL. She will be studying at the United Theological Seminary. Please, if nothing else, let her find a soul there!

All this is inspiring me. I want a reason for a new Trapper-Keeper and pencil box. Perhaps I can persue my advanced degree in blogging? Taught by Professors Perez Hilton and Arianna Huffington?

It's Over

I'm sure no one was surprised by last night's Jon & Kate Plus Eight revelation that they were going their separate ways. I certainly wasn't. Yet, it was still really a sad moment when the proverbial hammer came down. Say what you want about John's earrings or Kate's fake bake -- they are still real people, really getting divorced. And there are real kids involved. TV show or not, whether they had mutual affairs or stayed faithful, they are a family in crisis. The Hubby and I hugged each other a little tighter last night, not because their separation has anything to do with us personally, but it still made us go hmmmm . . . You see, Jon and Kate were married the day after us, ten years ago. Sure, they were thrown a major curveball, having two sets of multiples and a TV show where we just have one and no show. But I guess that means that when you're standing up at that altar saying your "I do's," you have no idea which way it's all going to go.

And, it's one less couple to hang with. The Hubby always insisted that there were certain celebrity couples that would be fun to go out with in real life. Sure, Nick and Jessica were a little dumb, but they seemed nice. We were sad when they broke up that we'd never get a chance to share margaritas at Chilli's. Jon and Kate would bicker a bit, but isn't there one couple in every group like that? I was sure that we'd have a lot to talk about. Now that they're through, that just leaves Brad and Angelina. I probably wouldn't like them in real life, though. They'd probably go on and on about international politics and blah blah blah. And they probably wouldn't want to dish about the latest installment of Big Brother. Oh well. I wonder if Tom and Gisele are available . . .

Boobs Over Broadway

I think Glee is going to be my new favorite show next fall. Those minxes at FOX teased me with one episode after the Idol finale and now I have to wait until the fall TV season starts to see another, but I like what I saw. It touched my inner theater geek, taking me back to the days of after-school play practice. We didn't have a very rich theater program at my high school (only one musical a year), but it was always the highlight of my year. Over the summers, I did "drama camp," which made those long boring summers fly right by. Even then, my inner control freak came out (I preferred to be a director than an actor). The best part about those experiences was hanging out with people I had so much in common with. I wasn't a great athlete (unless you count my other activity -- figure skating -- oy), I wasn't smart enough to be a full-blown chess club brainy-geek, and I wasn't popular enough to be in student government. If the theater was the island of misfits, I found my other toys. Of course, as in any society, there was still the hierarchy -- the diva, the male lead, the geek even the theater geeks picked on. Oh, and we had our Susan Boyle too -- a smelly girl that really needed a shower. But that's how it goes. So, if I can see myself in any show on TV, I think it's going to be this show. It's got biting humor, soaring musical numbers, and the right balance of sentiment and irony. As Lea Michelle exclaimed in the first episode "there is NOTHNG ironic about show choir!" which is funny because everything IS ironic about show choir. And why did I mention boobs in the title of this post? Oh yeah, I saw Lea Michelle's boobs when I sat front and center at Spring Awakening. That's all, just wanted to mention that . . .

And here is a little tatse of the show:

Cold Sake Jr. Est Arrive!

So this is why I haven't posted in ages. I hope to be back in action this summer. Until then, rock on . . .

I Never Thought I Would See The Dark Knight

But I did. Twice. It's a miracle. My story begins in August. I decided the only way to see this movie was at the local IMAX theater. It had just been released and tickets were tough to come by, but I managed to secure four tickets online to the 7:00 Saturday show. The closest IMAX theater was a 1/2 hour away at the Jordan's Furniture (they of the MOM ride. Whoever decided that the ride should be called Motion Odyssey Movie ride is a genius because you can say you "rode MOM " without a hint of irony). Also in for this adventure to IMAX-ville were my parents, as my father showed a rare interest in seeing a movie in an actual theater (unlike their usual weekend of buying movie InDemand, despite having a Netflix subscription that they can't seem to comprehend they already pay for). So, we packed into their pseudo-minivan, had a caloricly ridiculous meal at Chilli's, and made our way through the furniture store to the main event. We also stopped to buy popcorn and soda for the 2 and 1/2 flick. I urged everyone to get in line as it was first-come seating. We finally get in line, present our 4 tickets, only to have the old lady movie-bouncer tell us that she can't let us in because the movie is sold out. Duh, that's why I have tickets, lady, I told her. Yeah you have tickets. For NEXT Saturday's show. What??? Though I am still reluctant to take the blame to this day, baby brains here must have clicked on the wrong weekend. As we were in a wedding that next weekend, coming back was no deal, so I managed to get 4 passes for a future film (despite my best hormonal efforts to get my money back). On the way home we contemplated swinging by the local AMC to see if there were any shows left, but it wasn't going to be the same and I'd rather stew in my own juices.

August, September, and October all fly by in a blur of weddings, vacation, and baby prep. Before I know it, The Dark Knight is gone from IMAX and the regular theater, to be replaced by Madagascar 2. I fear by the time it comes out on DVD, I will have given birth and then never seen it (as I am constantly being warned by friends to see all the movies I can now because your TV somehow implodes with parenthood). I am already aware of two major plot points in the film, though I have tried to avoid all articles related to it. Finally, a release date is announced. I move the movie to the top of my Netflix queue, though I have a sneaking suspicion something will go wrong with my past movie getting there in time and "Available" will turn into "Long Wait." Miraculously, my watched movie arrives to them Tuesday morning and the Dark Knight is on its way to my house, Nothing can go wrong, victory is mine. The Dark Knight is in my grubby little hands Thursday afternoon. I vow to watch it Friday with The Hubby, some homemade popcorn, and a mocktail. It's not IMAX, but the legroom can't be beat.

Friday morning, the unthinkable happens -- we wake to no power. Due to a major ice storm, my dad informs me that the entire town is out. Nooooooooo. I will never see this movie. The universe is trying to tell me something. But, then a miracle happens. My parents are blessed with a gas generator, and it is enough to watch a DVD. A good chunk of my family has migrated to their house throughout the day and we gather to watch. The noisy bunch has even promised to shut the hell up. So, did we watch the movie? You betcha. Did it skip every 30 seconds and especially during any action sequence? Absolutely. Either DVDs and generators don't mix or my parents have a shitty DVD player. But, I did technically see it. No, it wasn't the magical experience I set out for in June, but it was a pretty damn good movie. Heath Ledger deserves an Oscar, the cinematography was great, and it was an hour too long. For good measure, I watched it again last night, skip free, before returning it.

The moral of this story? Don't order anything online if you are hormonally influenced. And time plus dissapoinment equals lowered expectations.

P.S. If anyone wants to buy 4 IMAX passes let me know, as I am apparently never leaving the house again!

You Killed Pushing Daisies!

America! I'm deeply saddened today by the sudden loss of Pushing Daisies. And no, Ned-the-Piemaker can't even bring this corpse back from the dead. Word came down yesterday that ABC was canceling the unique show after it's 13th episode (which only makes for 22 total, barely a full season with last year's writer's strike). There's already talk of a comic book series or feature-length film to tie up loose ends, but still, that's not good enough for me. Why, why, why does this keep happening? Good shows seems to die right before my eyes, where crappola like The Bachelor is entering its 13th season. You wanna know why? It's all YOUR fault! You're not watching quality TV. Never before have I seen a show like Pushing Daisies -- great acting, witty writing, smoldering romance, and visually stunning to boot and you didn't even give it a chance. A single episode could rival any Tim Burton flick, but Gary Unmarried got twice the ratings that Daisies did this week. This is not a new problem either -- dating back to awesome shows like Relativity, Action!, and oh-my-God My So Called Life, smart TV always gets canceled before it has had a chance. Networks just don't have the patience to let you catch on (and it doesn't help when they play a shell game with the timeslot). The only reason why a show like Madmen got a second season was cable, baby. Cable will re-run the show a million times during the week (allowing viewers watch on their time) and let an audience build by buzz. Networks need instant satisfaction. I'm sure all the visual effects on Daisies weren't cheap either (whereas another episode of Nanny Jo can be slapped together on a tight budget). So, I hang my head in sadness and employ my peeps -- don't let the next good show die. TV needs you (especially if you're a Nielson Family).

Ad-itude: Commercials Make Kids Fat

This is going to be more rant-y than my usual posts, but I couldn't help but feel a little crazy as I sit at my local VW dealership, waiting for my car, reading the news. There was an article posted on Yahoo entitled Fast-food ad ban could cut child obesity: U.S. study. The article states that childhood obesity rates will go down if kids see less fast food commercials. Who are the idiots who came up with this theory? They are forgetting one crucial piece of information -- KIDS CAN'T DRIVE. Therefore, they are somehow getting to the local McDonalds. There is a middle man -- Mom and Dad. Someone is buying these kids triple bacon deluxes with a side of giant fries. If the kids never saw the commericals again, I doubt they would forget about Happy Meals. Plus, the reason why kids are so fat is not because of an occaisional Happy Meal -- it's the food that is stocked in their kitchens for snacks, sugary cereal breakfasts, processed food lunches (Lunchables in the lunchbox and pizza in the school cafeteria), and the fast food dinners mom and dad grab nightly on the way home. Far be it from me to defend either advertising or the fast-food industries because lord knows they are guilty of contributing. But let's remember who's really feeding our kids -- and not turning the TV off. It ain't Ronald McDonald reaching through the screen. Gotta go now, there's still some cookies left on the dealership's counter behind me. . .

Remembering Michael Crichton

During all the excitement of our new president yesterday, word came down that author Michael Crichton passed away at the young age of 66. In the company of Stephen King and Orson Scott Card, Crichton is one of my favorite authors of all time. As Michelle on BestWeekEver mentioned, Jurassic Park was her first grown-up book. I think it was mine too. I remember being glued to it in the back room of my parents' store. I wanted to read the whole thing before the movie premiered that night. I finished the book (probably when I should have been working instead) and got ready for the movie, only to find it completely sold out (this is before the days of Fandango, or even MovieFone, kids). After Jurassic Park, I became obsessed and read the The Andromeda Strain, Sphere, Congo(got right into that movie, didn't think it would suck so much). Unfortunately, Crichton also wrote Jurassic Park 2 (The Lost World) -- one of two books I chucked across the room after finishing (Contactwas the other). It was so terrible, that it was the end of Crichton's books for me. ER, which he created, was a redemption of sorts. Therefore, I will always appreciate him for introducing me (and the world) to George Clooney and for explaining chaos theory in a way a high school kid could understand. Thanks, Michael.

Happy Wonder Woman Day!

As I wait for the trick or treaters to trickle out tonight, I wanted to take time to honor the best Halloween costume of all time, and, according to Superpoke on Facebook, it's her "day," Wonder Woman. I was a fan of Wonder Woman back in the day of underoos, Linda Carter, and an awesome fashion doll (complete with a sexy pantsuit and labcoat that covered up her badass leotard). I guess it was empowering for a six year old to have her own superhero to identify with, but I never really gave it much thought. I just thought she was cool. I still love Wonder Woman, as many of my coworkers can attest. I have a mug and a poster (both given to me by coworkers. Once you show an affinity for something, people tend give you stuff) as well as a myriad of other WW crap. I'm sure it came across as some sort of alpha female power thing, but really, it just made me happy, the same way I felt when I was six. Wonder Woman is still kicking (and I'm still waiting for her turn at a summer blockbuster, despite the fact that Catherine Zeta Jones is way too old for the part!) and they have modernized her. Apparently, an animated film will be released next February (maybe a litmus test for a live action flick?). And, if you haven't already, check out the Jodi Piccoult penned graphic novel. So happy Wonder Woman Day and enjoy this clip of Kim Kardashian as Annoying Wonder Woman:

Twinies? Natasha and Leather Rock Out

Did you see Natasha Beddingfield on Ellen the other day? I feel like her new look is kind of an homage to none other than Happy Days's Leather Tuscadero (AKA Suzie Quatro, not to be confused with her sister, Pinky Tuscadero). Either way, I'm not digging the heavily feathered mullet hair thing and leather jumpsuit. Below, see her performance on Ellen, followed by a classic Leather performance.




What do you think?

Also, special props to Ralph Mouth on that piano . . .

Kiki Sez: Samuari Girl

For my vacation a few weeks ago, I downloaded one of itunes free offerings of the week, Samurai Girl. It was part one of a six-hour miniseries on ABC Family. I honestly wasn’t expecting much – it featured Jamie Chung of Real World San Diego fame for one, and it was a family movie after all. But, I figured, what the hell? Six hours trapped on a plane and I could spare an hour for a freebie. Also, Entertainment Weekly, my media guru, gave it a good review, so that sealed the deal. Luckily, in addition to packing my own food and drink (thanks to the cheap airlines) I packed my own fun as the movie was Jackie Chan’s Forbidden Kingdom. I tried to watch a few minutes, but it was too terrible. And I normally like Jackie Chan (Rush Hour is a great way to kill a Saturday afternoon), but this was unwatchable. So, I clicked on my ipod and settled in with my 11/2”x2” screen. I have to admit, I really dug the first hour (and not just because I was a captive audience) and the subsequent 5 hours that I DVR’d upon my return. It had some major logistical issues and was a bit convoluted, but I suppose it was tailored to a 15 year old audience. What I liked about the show was it’s earnest original soundtrack (the track played over the beginning wedding scene sounded like an Exile in Guyville-era Liz Phair) and its mix of elements from Alias (a mysterious prophecy, romance with the handler, family issues), Kill Bill (an ass kicking sword fight finale with Stacy Keibler), and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (witty, bumbling sidekicks). In the words of Julie Andrews, these are a few of my favorite things. It's also based on a young adult novel that I should have written. Based on the response the show has received (and the cliffhanger ending), I smell an ABC Family series in the works. Would I watch it? Probably not (my DVR is already 83% full after one full week of fall TV premieres). But, I’m glad we had this time together, Samurai Girl.

A Shout Out from Dr. Will

From time to time, I check out my stats on Google Analytics. I can see how many people looked at my site, where the traffic came from, and what they searched on. I never got so much traffic as the time I mentioned Metro Station and Miley Cyrus. I’ll never make that mistake again . . . whoops (as I brace for the onslaught). Mostly, I assume people just get to my blog by accident since much of my traffic comes from Google Images. Oh, and my friends and family. So, imagine my surprise when I see 41 referrals from http://willkirby.com/. Wawaweewa? I searched for coldsake and I found a whole discussion thread on Dr. Will’s site, started by Dr. Will himself (another celeb caught googling himself!) Well, this is as exciting as my comment from Chris Young. Not only does this mean that Dr. Will saw my blog, a few of his fans even said it was funny. The rest picked on my photography skills (it was really dark in there people!) If I had known he was so nice, maybe I would’ve bugged him during dinner and gotten a real photo. Oh well, that’s what I get for being polite (and secretly taking covert photos of him instead). So just remember people – if you coldsake, I can see you . . .

Google Helps Me to Relive My Modeling Career

I’ve been an absentee blogger lately as I’ve switched into full-on nesting mode lately. (Fall TV? Emmys? Who cares! I’ve got a hundred onesies to wash and fold . . .oh, that’s bad priorities, I know). But I had to post in honor of Google’s 10^th Anniversary. Really, what would the internet be if you couldn’t waste a solid hour googling yourself? In celebration of their big day, Google unveiled their oldest available index. Yeah, you can google ipods and Sarah Palin and a whole bunch of other stuff that didn’t exist yet. I, keeping with tradition, googled myself, only to find I did not exist online in 2001 (I barely exist now, so I’m not surprised). I did remember one place I would be, however. In 2001, I had just gotten laid off from my stint at startup Smarterkids.com. They were an educational online toy store. Their story seemed ripped from the script of startup.com (including an IPO that opened at a price way higher than it would ever be again which equals Kiki loses a good chunk o’ change). Somehow, I became the face of Customer Support for Smarterkids. One day, I was minding my own business in my office (yeah, I was important. Important enough to share an office) when one of the marketing folks came around and said they were taking pictures. I agreed to have a mugshot taking, thinking it would never be used. I even donned a headset to look more official. To my surprise, I later appeared on the actual web site. What’s even crazier is that they left it up for years, even placing a santa hat on me around the holidays. It was my one stint at modeling and boy did it last. Sadly, I never got paid. So, when I was booted from my job unceremoniously when they moved operations to California, I considered pointing out to them they were using my likeness, but I knew they’d just yank it down, so I might as well enjoy my 15 minutes. Years later, the site was redesigned and then eliminated entirely. But, I am lucky to have this wonderful memento from google. So, please enjoy! And don't judge. I was into dark lipsticks then. And long, flat hair.

No Famous Faces, But Famous Places?

So my star-sighting trip to L.A, was less than star-studded. But, that doesn’t mean that we didn’t see some fabulous places. Take for example our tour of The Gamble House, a lovely arts and crafts bungalow in Pasadena. Built by Greene and Greene in 1909, this house is a shining example of craftsmanship in the U.S. What we wanted to know from our tour guide? Where does Doc Brown keep the DeLorean? That’s right, it’s the same house used for exterior shots in Back to the Future. And, for your information, the garage is now the giftshop and the DeLorean is no longer there. It was a very serious tour, focusing on wood joints, stained glass, Japanese accents. We were biting our tongue because we wanted to know what kind of electricity the house is wired with – 1.21 gigawatts perhaps? In which bathroom did Doc Brown fall while hanging the clock? Oh, we could have made jokes all day. Our guide didn’t mention the house’s brush with fame (including it’s other starring roles in Zathura and Firefly), so we kept our amusement to ourselves.

For the rest of the week, we hit every US Weekly location, from the Urth Café to the Newsroom Café with the Geisha House (as seen on The Hills) in between. One place we were too afraid to venture? The Chateau Marmont, or The Chateau as they call it. This is where John Belushi o.d.’d, Adam Levine and Jessica Simpson hooked up, and Lindsay fell off the wagon many a time. Despite it’s close proximity to our hotel, we couldn’t bring ourselves to go in. First of all, I didn’t want to pay $18 valet at the bottom of the hill just to be told I’m not cool enough at the top of the hill. Plus, we didn’t want to reenact that scene from Knocked Up where the bouncer tells Katherine Heigl to go home as she should be ashamed of trying to get her pregnant self into the club. “That’s not even good parenting.” So, I took my fat ass back to the hotel, nursed a club soda in The Tower Bar, and watched Sunset Boulevard (which we were actually on) before passing out with turndown service cookie crumbs on my chest. That folks, is good parenting.

Star Stalking in L.A.

So I’ve been away for a bit. We decided (or actually I decided and The Hubby begrudgingly agreed to accompany me) to go on a “babymoon” before Cold Sake Jr. arrives at the end of the year. Being the starf@cker I am, I wanted to go to L.A. It seemed absurd that I, a pop-culture blogger, had never been there. We’ve been devotees of New York City for some time, but never made it to the left coast (except for a drunken binge in wine country last spring). Also, what better time to go to L.A. when you’ve got a reason to be fat and bloated? L.A. loves babies – they cover the pages of every gossip magazine. So, but that logic, they’d love a short pregnant girl, right? I could get away with so much more than I normally would. So, I booked my flight, made my opentable reservations, and prepared for the onslaught of celebrities I would meet. Wow, wait until you hear who I met!

-When we checked into our hotel, The Sunset Tower, the bellman informed us that Jennifer Aniston eats at the restaurant all the time. Instead of sharing a cocktail in the bar, we looked at this half done billboard of her all week.

-The first night, after our flight was delayed too long in Philly due to fog and caused us to forfeit our tickets to Jimmy Kimmel, we decided to drown ourselves in expensive food and trekked to Mirabelle, close to our WeHo hotel. It was 8pm on Thursday and the place was DEAD empty. Except for . . .Eddie Griffin, having a serious meeting in the bar with his posse. I know he was a celebrity for sure because he gave us that paranoid look when I walked by (the same look Beyonce gave us in Nobu). As I adhered to my “don’t pester the celebs” moto, I just sauntered by him looking hot in my polka dot maternity dress. Fierce!

-For lunch on Saturday, we went to star studded Robertson Boulevard, home of Kitson, Lisa Kline, and The Ivy. Here are all my shots of the paparazzi outside The Ivy (which means someone famous was totally there -- I’m just not sure who). We ate at the Newsroom Café and then shopped the neighborhood. There was a total hoopla and red carpet outside Lisa Kiline Men, but we went in and the store seemed to be littered with wayward vodka and Redbulls, blaring DJ music, and a bunch of employees all congratulating themselves. We pretended to shop for a bit, but had no idea what was going on.

-On Saturday night, I somehow landed prime seats at Geisha House, restaurant of Mike Boogie of Big Brother fame. Our table was so good, it was right next to the kitchen. I figured that’ so they could get food to us faster, right? Well, haha, I had the last laugh when I had a prime view of Evil Dr. Will Kirby, also of Big Brother and Dr. 90210 fame. I took several pictures and this one was the best. Sorta like Bigfoot, but it was totes him.

-On Monday, we had a VIP tour of the Warner Brothers lot (meaning, you get the privilege of buying a ticket off their website). Our tour guy was great and let us loiter on an empty E.R. set. We saw lots of awesome houses, like the ones from Growing Pains, Gilmore Girls, Dukes of Hazzard, you name it. And, they took us down a street, where you could see an episode of Pushing Daisies around the corner. And, I totally saw Lee Pace (The Piemaker) behind a bush. No one else did, but I saw him.

So, to sum up, a whole week in L.A. and I spotted a half-done Jennifer Aniston billboard, Eddie Griffin, a herd of paparazzi, a grainy Dr. Will, and a questionable Piemaker. Wow, I think I’ve hit the bigtime, no?

And BTW: What Happened to Estelle on itunes?

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am loving the soon-to-be-overplayed "American Boy" by Estelle, featuring Kanye West. In the previous post, I set to link to this tune in order to allow my loyal readers a sampling of it’s fabulousness. But, I couldn’t find it on itunes at all. But the strange thing was, I bought it on itunes a few weeks ago – what gives? Well, I found out through a little googling detective work that Atlantic Records has yanked it from itunes in order to boost record sales, a la Kid Rock (the strategy worked for him in spades this summer). Are you kidding me? The New York Observer nailed it on the head when they explained that with itunes, the label “actually managed to find a way to charge people for music that they probably normally wouldn't buy, except for the fact that it's so easy. We love "American Boy," but would we go out of our way to buy it in the store when it's played every sixty minutes on Z100? Of course not! We'll never buy Estelle's album (no offense Estelle, but you look like a one-hit wonder to us), so it looks like we'll never own "American Boy" unless we decide to download it illegally (or figure out how to work Amazon's MP3 store, where the single is available.)” This reeks of the greed I saw a few months back when The CW yanked episodes of Gossip Girl from the web to boost ratings on television. Yeah, they’re back online now. So, give the people what they want, folks, and stop trying to manipulate how we consume your products! Sheesh!

The James Gang’s Got Talent

I watched a John Legend concert on TV sometime back. It was to promote Legend’s new album at the time, Once Again. The concert also featured artists from Legend’s own label, HomeSchool Records. We were introduced to Estelle (who’s song American Boy is on a loop in my head), Vaughn Anthony (Legend’s brother), and The James Gang. I thought Estelle and Anthony were okay, at the time, but I really enjoyed The James Gang’s vaudeville spin on Screamin' Jay Hawkins “I Put a Spell on You”. Unfortunately, though Estelle has seemingly hit the big time with her Kanye West duet, and Anthony’s EP is available on itunes, The James Gang was no where to be found. It doesn’t help that they share a name with a 70’s funk band, making google confusing. The other day, however, during NBC’s summer pabulum America’s Got Talent, I noticed they appeared for a split second in the commercial. After some research I confirmed it was indeed them. So, then I actually had to watch the last week’s episode. Their particular performance wasn’t great as it was mired in sloppy magic, but they earned raves from the judges and have gotten through to the next round. So do I have to watch this crappy show now in order to root for my boys? Not while Youtube exists. Below is a clip of their first performance on the show. And here’s hoping to an album in the future!