CFC Class- A Night at the Ballet

Read: 
A Lofty Discussion on Ballet

This article on SJP's involvement with the NYC Ballet and Valentino's new costumes is one of those pieces that totally blurs the line between Sarah Jessica and Carrie Bradshaw. I mean, aren't they they same person?

Browse: 
Sarah Jessica Parker, Anne Hathaway, Martha Stewart at Valentino’s Ballet Gala

This slideshow of pics from the gala red carpet.   Anne looks wonderful!

Ponder:
Candace Bushnell Files for Divorce, Claims Husband Had an Affair

I always enjoyed how Carrie almost ended up with an artist (played by a dancer) when the real life Carrie actually ended up with a ballet man. This bit of (old) gossip makes you wonder how things could have turned out if Carrie stayed in Paris with the Russian. 

 Watch:

   

 A very young Alexander Petrovsky (okay, Mikhail Baryshnikov) during a ballet solo. I'll admit that I'm giggling over the youtube comments about his "powerful buttocks."

Sunday Morning Required Reading

When I finished grad school a lot of people asked me what I was going to do with my free time.  Besides working out more (check!) blogging more (working on it) and just loving life without homework (every.single.day) I really didn't have any concrete plans.  However I hoped that even without some sort of scholarly obligation I would still want to learn and analyze and discuss.


Lately I've been wanting everyone to read something I enjoyed or watch a movie I loved and talk about it with me.  I guess sometimes I miss the opportunity for class discussion.  Or maybe just the chance to hear myself talk.  So please indulge me for a minute and review this syllabus.


Recently everyone has been talking about working moms.  It's kind of amazing that the media is so focused on moms who work but we never, ever hear about "working dads." 


Anyways, this whole conversation got stirred up about a month ago with this piece in The Atlantic.


Why Women Still Can't Have it All


Nora Ephron passed away right after it was published and I love to think that she would have referenced her commencement address when answering the question "Can women really have it all?"


Wellesley Commencement Address 1996


I'm sure you've heard the name Marissa Mayer, the new Yahoo CEO, after this week but this NPR story is a great wrap up of the chatter surrounding her new position and pregnancy.


All Eyes Are On Yahoo's New Female CEO


And finally, please watch I Don't Know How She Does It starring SJP.  This movie made me laugh but it really made me think.  Which, except for determining outfit inspiration, I can't say about every romantic comedy.

Class dismissed!

Last Friday Night

Last Friday night I went out for dinner and drinks in Tampa with two of my favorite ladies in the world.    I wore lace shorts from Forever 21- I've wanted lace shorts since Emma Watson wore these over a year ago.

And these black heels because I felt like it was something Carrie Underwood would wear.

 Shoes like Carrie- check.  Legs like Carrie- eh, still working on it.


On our way to dinner, we had a total Carrie Bradshaw moment.  We huddled under one umbrella, carefully treading along the sidewalk and trying to keep our shoes and purses and Carly's waterfall braid, created by yours truly, out of the rain.

Suddenly a  car sped by and swerved into the gutter.  "Nooooo!" we cried in slow motion as a tidal wave of dirty street water splashed up over us.

These girls have been my friends for over 10 years and in some ways, everything is different.  Years ago we never would have ordered giant margaritas . . . and then immediately pulled out our phones to take a picture . . .  while discussing who was going to facebook, tweet, instagram, and blog about our beverages.

We wouldn't have talked about our bridesmaids dresses for Carly's wedding and Krysta wouldn't have passed on a sleepover to be home with her hubby and two boys.


But in some ways, everything is the same.  I think we will always enjoy gossiping over delicious food, attempting to avoid someone we went to high school with because we don't feel like dealing with the awkwardness, and taking photo booth pictures when the opportunity presents itself.

Which brings me to another SATC moment.  

"It would be childish of us to deny that our lives weren't changing. But for this night, none of us were going anywhere. That's the thing about really good friends and a really great Manhattan margarita."

April Madness

Oh hello . . .

I had a dream last night that I somehow got to go to the premiere of The Lucky One and Zac Efron invited me to an after party at his house. Unfortunately I woke up before I could go to the party, or see what was in his pockets.

It's been quite awhile since I posted and while I predicted that I wouldn't be posting much in April, I didn't anticipate the entire month. I've found that blogging, like exercise, healthy eating, and hanging up my clothes instead of throwing them in a corner on the floor, is an easy habit to fall out of when you're busy. And the longer you go without doing something, the more you get used to its absence. That was a lot of nonsense to say what I'm sure no one (except Krysta!) has commented on- I took a break, now I'm back- for a little.


So what have I been up to? Well I could bore you some more with the details but I'd rather tell you about the movies I've seen recently!


In theaters:
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen- have you even heard of this movie? Well, we went to see it and rather enjoyed it! Its an eccentric but simple movie- basically about faith and falling in love and fish that swim upstream. I always have a girl crush on Emily Blunt and I do love Ewan McGregor as a shy guy dealing with unrequited love. Christian in Moulin Rouge anyone? (side note, Moulin Rouge is over 10 years old. crazy.) This is a movie that you could watch with your parents, grandparents, or great grandparents and not be all flustered when something vaguely inappropriate comes on screen.





American Reunion- Not so much a 4th movie in the American Pie series but a nod to all of the hijinks in the first film. A few funny parts, but if this was my reunion I would have skipped the travel costs and resorted to some good old fashioned facebook stalking.

The Hunger Games- I finished the book, and loved it in the end, although Carly and Claire were spot on about the high expectations. My world wasn't changed but I'm certainly glad I read the book- and saw the movie!
What I loved- getting to see the Gamemakers create what was happening in the arena, the intensity of the first few minutes standing on the pedestals, everything about Stanley Tucci.
What I didn't love-a lack of exploration behind the real/pretend Katniss and Peeta relationship which for me was one of the most compelling points of the book. No shots of Katniss manipulating her reactions because she knew there was a camera on her. Jennifer Lawrence's gigantic boobs. She's got a great body, but I expected Katniss to be a little less bombshell, a little more Lisbeth.

New(ish) on DVD:
I Don't Know How She Does It-I finally saw this movie!! And it was GOOD. Very different than I expected, but highly entertaining and really made me think. Isn't SJP just the best? I think so.

Warrior- I remember listening to NPR this fall and someone referred to it as "Rocky meets Shakespeare." I'd say that's about accurate. Good for when your boyfriend wants to watch something violent but you'd at least like a cohesive story to go along with it.

Oldies but Goodies:
With all the renewed Marilyn Monroe buzz- My Week with Marilyn and Smash (is anyone watching?) I'm ashamed to say I'm not very familiar with the her on screen. However, I recently watched Some Like it Hot and The Seven Year Itch thanks to TCM and my DVR. Both were funny, interesting, and surprisingly modern.

Anyways, I hope to be back soon with a review of The Lucky One and more pics of Zac Efron. Anyone see any good movies in April?

A Tale of Two Shoes

Sometime between Carrie Bradshaw and Lady GaGa... normal women started wearing really tall heels. Fortunately for me, this transition took place soon after I graduated from college and start wearing heels regularly and also when I started dating a giant, therefore making some sort of platform mandatory for carrying on a conversation.

I've found that when you wear tall shoes you often elicit comments from strangers, which is fine, because no one wears metallic gladiator sandals to fly under the radar. However these comments are usually "how do you walk in those?" or " I could never walk in those." If you've ever felt compelled to say this to someone, this is your public service announcement to stop. Its not at all offensive, its just... what is the appropriate response? "Well I just put one foot in front of the other. .." or "oh, sure you could, lets try!" seem unnecessary. I usually just smile and say "oh, haha . . . they are actually comfortable!" Which is at least half of a lie. I'm not hobbling around in pain but obviously some orthopedic contraption would be a bit more soothing on my feet.

I've posted about the Waleos before, and although I have some other shoes I really love, these are probably the tallest shoes that I wear to work and everyday outings. One day while wearing these royal blue pumps, I headed to the post office on my lunch break. As I left and walked to my car, a woman walking next to me said " wow! those are some crazy shoes!" "Oh, haha!" I responded (of course.) "And they're really tall!" she continued. "Yes! Just the way I like them!" I replied as I proudly stepped off the curb and twisted my ankle. I limped to my car and waited until I had driven at least a mile away to check out the damage. No bruising, just my ego.
Undeterred, I wore my leopard print kicks to work. As I headed into my office, I passed a woman who works in the same building. We exchanged hellos and then she stopped. "Oh my god your shoes!" she squealed. " I just had to say something!" "Oh, haha!" I responded (seriously what is wrong with me?) But she didn't stop there. " Those.are.HILARIOUS!!!" she howled. Really? Hilarious? Now shoes can be funny. Like these.

Or maybe these.

But are my shoes . . . hilarious? Oh well.

Now I totally understand where these women are coming from. I constantly wonder why Carrie Bradshaw must trot around NYC in her Louboutins and can't just walk like a normal person. This is especially bad in the "A Woman's Right to Shoes" episode which I used to think was so totally petty and ridiculous but now I'm all "Preach Carrie!" which just shows how old and unmarried I am. Anyways, after all that nonsense with Tatum O'Neil, Carrie has to put on her new Manolos on and play hop scotch down the street?!

Also, sometimes I am concerned about Beyonce dancing in heels. Even during the single women leotard phase I was amazed that she could lunge and squat in those things- its like a Cirque Du Solei trick.

I mentioned that Amanda Seyfriend wore some killer heels to sprint around with JT during In Time. Good for her, but I couldn't help but think that if I was literally running for my life, I might have taken off my shoes.

In fact, about a month ago I was running a half marathon in Florida. Around mile 9 a blister started to form on my left foot, and I really couldn't take it. I decided my best option was to stop, remove my shoe, adjust my sock and continue on. Well, once I stopped, it was really hard to get started again. My pace dropped, I considered vomiting, and I apparently looked so horrible when I finished that a medic called for a wheelchair. ( I politely declined.) So I probably should have left my shoe on.

I'm not really sure how to wrap up this rambling post except to say, I guess we should let women decide on whatever kind of footwear works best for them. And if you're the one wearing the highest heels (or cushiest sneakers) keep your head high and keep your shoes on. Come to think of it, the only girl who ever benefited from losing a shoe was Cinderella.

And those things were made of glass! Even GaGa doesn't go there.

New Year's Eve Review

Once in awhile, a movie comes along that completely confirms why I do this. And by "this" I mean occasionally blog about romantic comedies. New Year's Eve was universally panned by critics this weekend. One review called it "The cinematic equivalent of a glass of flat champagne." Well, guess what? I've been on a champagne high since seeing this movie on Friday- no hangover, all sweet, bubbly, holiday fun!

I've loved New Year's since I was old enough to stay up past midnight and have plans outside of the house that night. New Year's Eve is just so romantic in my opinion. Sure, Valentine's Day you're obligtated to hang out with your honey if you have one, or get bitterly drunk with your girlfriends if you don't. But on New Year's you get to party with people you know and people you've just met. At midnight you can smooch your spouse, best friend, or some random guy who you bumped into on the dance floor. Anything can happen- its a new year! It is magical and sparkly and exciting!

So considering my affection for the holiday, romantic comedies, and celebrities, is it any wonder that I adored this movie? Okay, it starts a bit slow, and I know its totally unrealistic, but my criticism ends there. I can't decide which storyline I loved the most. . . dreamy Zac Efron as a party boy/courier? Dreamy Jon Bon Jovi as a rockstar afraid of commitment?

Dreamy Josh Duhamel as a ladies man looking for love?

Sigh. Its so fun to see how all of the plot lines wrap up and as an added bonus there are even more celebrities then you see in the previews!

New Year's Eve is cute holiday magic that left me with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. What else could I want?

Well, maybe a midnight kiss from Zac Efron.

New Year's Eve, rated "PG-13," romantic comedy, starring EVERYONE (squee!!), B