Les Miserables

Les Mis holds a special place in my heart. When I was a wannabe actress/singer I would repeatedly recite “On My Own.” (It was a popular audition song among the JCC kid actors.) I absolutely loved the Broadway production of Les Miserables. I saw it two times: Once on a school trip, and once with my mom and brothers. We were so affected by the show that we named our golden retriever Cosette (“Cozy” for short).

When Brian (my coworker/friend/cultural compass) showed me the new Les Mis movie’s trailer, I got teary-eyed. I’ve been counting down the days until Christmas ever since, and not just because I can’t wait to indulge in some delicious Chinese food. If you somehow haven’t heard, Le Mis opens on Xmas day, and I plan to drag Justin to see it. I have a feeling we may end up having to do a double feature: Le Mis and Django Unchained…

Happy Holidays,

A

P.S. If you want a little inspiration pre-show or if you need some literature to prove to your significant other how totally cool Le Mis will be, check out this 60 Minutes segment featuring Hugh Jackman and this Vogue article on star Anne Hathaway.

P.P.S. A couple of pictures of our beloved Cossette AKA Cozy -

The News

I’ve offered my methods of escaping the scary reality of media before (here and here). But I also want to discuss tuning into what’s happening. I support people who use Facebook and other forms of social media to express their sorrow. People need outlets for their grief, and they can’t always find it in person. Some people just want to participate in the social media dialogue. I get it. I’m a blogger. But I do think it’s important to check on our sources of information before we pass on “facts” about the Newtown tragedy, or about any news story. As a Journalism major this media phenomenon of passing around any info on the web, like a big game of telephone, is especially disturbing to witness. Every media outlet wants to be the first to report an uncovered “fact.” But many times these reported “facts” are later discovered to be inaccurate. And this is scary in and of itself: False information being delivered by irresponsible media sources and then perpetrated by an unknowing public. As citizens of the great (and sometimes scary) United States we need to be checking our sources and reminding ourselves that knowledge of truth is power. The First Amendment is powerful. And of course with great power comes great responsibility. But is everyone who is spreading information being responsible? We need to be discerning individuals who trust (and share) facts reported from trustworthy news sources. Personally I trust The New York Times, PBS and 60 Minutes. Right knowledge is real power.

A

good old fashioned fun

My friend Brian recently emailed me a list of must-see movies. He knows I’m relatively film illiterate. I blame my older brothers; when we were kids they only chose movies that were totally unappealing to me, i.e. The Terminator. I, the youngest of three and the only girl, had absolutely no say. It’s no wonder I preferred playing make-believe with Barbies and Trolls. But back to the movies. Brian said to start with some oldies but goodies: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Clue, Mixed Nuts, Young Frankenstein and “anything with Madeline Kahn.” I’ve been feeling like a major homebody lately so I’m happily up for the challenge. And ‘tis the season to snuggle up and watch movies. 

First, I chose Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Justin and I watched it last weekend and it was nothing like I’d anticipated, but I really enjoyed it. (Think glamorous gold-digger meets cute gigolo neighbor.) And now I’m on an Audrey Hepburn kick. We watched Sabrina the other night. It was good but not as good as Breakfast at Tiffany's. Next we’ll watch Roman Holiday. (Justin is such a trooper!) 

We also recently watched Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. It was awesome. I’ve always been a fan of old movies and TV shows. I used to watch reruns of I Love Lucy and Mary Tyler Moore on Nick at Nite when I couldn’t sleep as a kid. These days if we must have technology on late-night I always want to “end the night” with an old film on TCM, instead of some political commentary on MSNBC. Anything to quiet my thoughts, rather than provoke them. And now especially I think we can all use even brief escapes into wholesome “good old days” media. A welcome break from the dismal reality our current news media is compelled to cover.

A

P.S. Check out the on-demand section of TCM if you want to watch some oldies but goodies. The AFI Top 100 is also a great source of film inspiration.

P.P.S. Movies make great gifts! After reading my dedication to chick flicks here my friend Jacki gave me Nights in Rodanthe as part of my Secret Santa present. She thoughtfully inscribed on its wrapping: “Because your Catch and Release DVD needs a break…” So true. So sweet :)