editor.obsession

Today's Obsession: It's Oscar Time!

2008-02-22T14:51:00.002-05:00

The weekend everyone in Hollywood has been waiting for is finally here. In what almost turned into an Oscar-less awards season, the Academy Awards will take place this Sunday and will air on ABC at 8:30 p.m.

I’m all set. I have my Oscar ballot all filled out and ready to go. However, I didn’t see many of the movies nominated this year. Hey, I’m a college student on a budget. Out of all the movies nominated for an Oscar, I’ve seen “Atonement,” “Juno,” “American Gangster,” “Ratatouille,” “Lars and the Real Girl,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” “Across the Universe,” “3:10 to Yuma” and “Once.” Ok, so nine isn’t so bad I guess, but it did make picking winners a little difficult. I had to rely on reviews from friends, magazines and such to figure it out.

So here are my picks on who will take home the golden statue Sunday night:

Movie: “There Will Be Blood” – my boyfriend saw it and said it was crazy-good.

Actor: Daniel Day Lewis for “There Will Be Blood” – ditto.

Actress: I was honestly stumped, but I hear Julie Christie in “Away from Her” will take the prize.

Supporting Actor: Again, I was stumped. I need these movies to come out on DVD! Most critics saw Javier Bardem will win for “No Country for Old Men.”

Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone,” because I have a friend who went to the New York and Boston premieres for the movie who loves it.

Director: The Coen brothers should take it for “No Country for Old Men.”

Animated Feature: “Ratatouille,” duh! What a great movie.

Original Screenplay: I would really love to see Diablo Cody win for “Juno.”

Original Song: If you haven’t seen “Once” or heard “Falling Slowly,” go out right now and get the movie. My BFF Whitney got me hooked. The soundtrack is amazing.

Ok, so there you have it. Click here to check out a classic Oscar moment. Enjoy!

I’m obsessed, and you should be too.

Today's Obsession: Dexter!

2008-02-17T20:05:00.003-05:00

First off - let's all let out a sigh of relief because the WRITER'S STRIKE IS OVER! Now everyone is getting back to work to give us more episodes of the shows we love. All of the return dates of are still a little sketchy, but I'm hearing "The Office" might be back in a matter of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed!

In other exciting TV news, one of my new favorite shows is making its network debut tonight on CBS. The execs at "Dexter," whose original home is on Showtime, made a deal with CBS to bring the serial-killing awesomeness of the show to the network to fill the void left due to a) the end of the football season and b) the lack of shows because of the writer's strike.

I became obsessed with this show over winter break where I watched both seasons over the course of a few days. I mean nothing really says "Merry Christmas" than a healthy dose of serial killing, right?

So here's the deal: Dexter Morgan works as a blood-splatter specialist with the Miami Police Department. He's the one who documents everything and helps determine how the victim died. Sounds kind of CSI-ish, I know. But here's the twist: Dexter has a little hobby - killing bad guys. He uses his resources at the police department to access unsolved murder cases, hunt down the killer and give them a taste of their own medicine.

This show rocks and here's why: The cast of the show is believable in their roles. The storylines are pulled together so well that you can't wait to see the next episode. And although editor.obsession does not endorse killing of any kind, it's really interesting to see how the mind of a serial killer works.

So tune in tonight and every Sunday at 10 p.m. on CBS to catch what is arguable one of the best shows on TV these days.

Here's a trailer for the first season:

I'm obsessed and you should be too.

Today's Obsession: Yes We Can Song

2008-02-10T18:31:00.000-05:00

Now I’m not one to really get into politics. Of course I vote, and I do the research so I know who and what I’m voting for. But I don’t get wrapped up in campaign races. However, being as it is Virginia’s primary today, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you a cool video one of my friends on Facebook had on their profile.

The video, which has been spreading like wildfire across the Internet and YouTube, is by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and was inspired by a speech Obama gave after the New Hampshire primary last month.

The singer enlisted other celebrity supporters of the presidential hopeful, including Scarlett Johansson, Kate Walsh, John Legend and many more, to participate in the video.

Now, you know I love everything celebrity, and I love music, and now I’m starting to love Obama. I just think that the video is a great, creative way to get people interested in the presidential race. What do you think?

Check out the video below, and for more information, check out this article that was posted by ABC News last Friday.

I’m obsessed, and you should be too.

Today's Obsession: It's Grammy Time!

2008-02-09T16:33:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the day that everyone in the music has been waiting for: The Grammys. In general, I’m not a big fan of award shows. I really just watch them to see that everyone is wearing. But the thing with the Grammys is that they have a whopping number of performances during the show. According to grammy.com, the performers tomorrow include:

“Beyoncé and Tina Turner; Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban; Eldar; Feist; Fergie and John Legend; John Fogerty with Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard; Foo Fighters (with special guest conductor John Paul Jones); Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang (conducted by famed maestro John Mauceri); Alicia Keys; Kid Rock; Dave Koz; Brad Paisley; Keely Smith; Carrie Underwood; 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year Aretha Franklin, the Clark Sisters, Israel And New Breed, and Trin-I-Tee 5:7 in a special gospel segment; the casts of "The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil" and Across The Universe in a special Beatles segment; and Rihanna with a reunited the Time in a special 50th anniversary segment.”

John Mayer, Kanye West, BeBe Winans and frequent rehab resident Amy Winehouse were added to list just today and will perform at the award show tomorrow. However, Wino will perform via satellite from the U.K.

And now, since I always like to guess who will win, here are my picks for the winners of a few Grammy categories tomorrow:

Record of the Year: Rihanna feat. Jay-Z – “Umbrella”
Because she somehow made a device to keep one dry during a shower into something really, really sexy.
Album of the Year: Kanye West – Graduation
Although I’d kinda like to see him lose just to see how mad he gets.
Best New Artist: Amy Winehouse
The poor girl may be troubled, but her “Rehab” song is the anthem of 2007. Just ask Lindsay, Britney, or … Amy Winehouse.
Best Female Pop Vocal: Amy Winehouse – “Rehab”
See my reasoning on why she should win best new artist.

For a complete list of all the Grammy nominees, go here.

I’m obsessed, and you should be too.

Today's Obsession: Vampire Weekend

2008-02-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

In case you don’t know, I’m the arts and entertainment editor at The Breeze at James Madison University. In the last issue, we ran a CD review of Vampire Weekend’s self-titled album by a lovely writer named Alex Allenchey. You can check it out here.

Usually I’ll just edit the review, slap it on the page and be done with it. But for some reason, perhaps out of complete boredom and lack of good music on my iPod, I decided to give Vampire Weekend a listen. Thanks to that iTunes giftcard Aunt Sue gave me for Christmas, I downloaded the CD and fell in love. I even stumbled upon them in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly right as I was listening to the album. Go figure.

At first I was a little weary – the name does make them out to be some dark, demonic musical group. But their music is anything but dark. In fact, they’re pretty bright and sunny. The group is a quartet of Columbia grads singing about all things preppy, Louis Vuitton included.

Check out their Web site to listen to a couple tunes, and check out their video for “Mansard Roof” right here.

Doesn’t it make you wish for summertime?

I’m obsessed and you should be too.

Today's Obsession: Charlie Bit Me!

2008-01-22T19:53:00.000-05:00

Today’s obsession is something that I came across on YouTube. I watched it and found it hilarious. Then I showed it to some friends, who showed it to some friends, and so on. If you are having a rough day (like me, I'm a little under the weather today), this video is just the thing that will cheer you up.

What’s funnier than two little British boys, I mean really?

I’m obsessed and you should be too.

Today's Obsession: StumbleUpon

2008-01-18T18:06:00.001-05:00

Procrastinators, prepare to be introduced to your worst enemy.

Yesterday, I walked into my roommate Lauren’s room to see what she had been up to all afternoon. She told me that she had been “stumbling for the past two hours.”

Um…what?

It turns out that Lauren had been “stumbling” — or rather surfing — the Web all afternoon, using a super cool online application she heard about. Stumbleupon.com is a Web site where you download a toolbar for your Web browser, choose things you like from a list they provide you (mine include arts, cooking and travel, to name a few) and then just click the “stumble” button! Your browser will then take you to a cool Web site that has to do with your interests.

It’s kind of a crapshoot, but so far I’ve found some really cool sites, including jacksonpollock.org, which is a site that lets you create Pollock-esque creations on your computer screen. I've also stumbled upon cookingbynumbers.com, where you enter in what food you have in your fridge and it spits out all kinds of recipes you can make.

I will warn you, however, that you’ll get sucked in by this thing. It’s so tempting to click the Stumble button and see what it gives you. So if you have a paper you need to write or research to do, stay far away from that Stumble button!

I’m obsessed and you should be too.

Today's Obsession: Clark and Michael

2008-01-15T19:47:00.000-05:00

After quite a hiatus (for which I apologize – hey, I was on vacation!) I’m back at my blog, sharing with you things that I find awesome. Hopefully, if I’m doing my job right, you will find them awesome as well. But here’s the thing: I am sitting at my computer writing to you - an audience that I don’t know. I have no idea what you like, so feel free to leave comments about things I’ve posted or other cool things you think people should check out.

Ok, enough business. Now back to awesomeness.

Today’s obsession must be credited to one of my best friends Whitney, who showed me this Web site over winter break. Whit’s pretty cool, just so you know.

The site is clarkandmichael.com. Haven’t heard of it? “Superbad” and “Juno” fans, prepare to be amazed. The Web site is home to an online show (called “Clark and Michael,” obviously) “written/directed/produced/edited/scored” by Clark Duke and Michael Cera. Yep, I said it. Michael Cera.

You might recognize Clark from the ABC Family series “Greek” – which, by the way, is really entertaining and an obsession for another day. Clark began this whole project as a part of his thesis for college. He enlisted his BFF Michael Cera, who just so happens to be one of the hottest — albeit awkward — young stars in Hollywood at the moment. And that's how “Clark and Michael” was born. Before anyone knew it, CBS decided to fund 10 online episodes, each being about 10 minutes long. Ah, to have connections.

Clark and Michael star as themselves, or really more of a mockery of themselves. The show follows their ups and downs as they try to pitch a script in Hollywood. It’s full of so much awkwardy goodness that will mane any “Arrested Development” fan proud.

The site also has bios for both Clark and Michael and links to their blogs and extra videos. It's perfect to explore when you're procrastinating, goofing off in class, sitting at home on a Friday night. Whatever floats your boat.

Here’s a quick preview of the show posted by Clark on YouTube. If this doesn’t make you rush over to clarkandmichael.com immediately, well, I don’t know what will.

I’m obsessed and you should be too.

Today's Obsession: Judd Apatow and his comedic gang

2007-12-05T20:10:00.000-05:00

It’s official: Judd Apatow is on top of the world – well, at least in Hollywood and at the box office.

The once-critically-acclaimed-but-under-appreciated writer/director/producer banked almost $300 million this summer with his raunchy comedies Knocked Up and Superbad, and he has another movie, Walk Hard, coming out this month. Entertainment Weekly has taken notice and mentioned him in its past two issues, first as one of the “Top 25 Entertainers of the Year” and as ranked #1 in its list of the “50 Smartest People in Hollywood.”

Why all the buzz? Well, what’s great about Apatow and his comedic gang (made up of, but not limited to, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Evan Goldberg, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) is their ability to tell stories with real heart at the base, but of course covered up with curse words, sex, drugs and alcohol. Sure, not everyone gets the appeal. Take this conversation I had with my mom yesterday on the phone:

Mom: “Superbad?” Why are you buying that movie? It looks so stupid, Kelly.
Me: Mom, 50-something-year-olds aren’t supposed to like movies like this. It’s stupid humor people my age can relate to because we’re surrounded by stupid humor every day. We find it hilarious.
Mom: Well, I don’t get it.
Me: Case in point.

And that’s the thing – teenagers and 20-somethings love how real Apatow makes the characters in his films, especially in “Superbad.” The way the characters talk to each other, dropping f-bombs and male genitalia references, is pretty much how 17-year-old guys talk to each other. Like Seth Rogen told EW about “Superbad,” which he penned with childhood friend Evan Goldberg, “The whole point was that is was honest and real. Once you’re saying fudge instead of f***, you leave that world.”

And we appreciate their honesty. All of the issues are ones teenagers face all of the time: sex, drugs and drinking. Instead of sugarcoating high school, Apatow and his crew embrace what it’s really like out there. And course they throw in hilarious hijinks and characters named McLovin. Now just imagine how different "Mean Girls" would have been if Apatow and Co. hand gotten their hands on it...

But back to my point. Am I claiming that flicks like “Superbad” will go down in the movie history books? No. But I am saying that Apatow knows his stuff, and so do his friends. And everyone will be seeing a whole lot more of them, as they have four movies scheduled for release in 2008.

What do you think? Are their movies are too rauncy? Is their comedy here to stay, or is it just a passing fad? Comment below!

DVD du jour: “Superbad,” obviously. Here's a review.
In theaters this weekend: “Atonement”

You know you love McLovin too.

Today's Obsession: Woot!

2007-12-02T17:08:00.000-05:00

I’ve always been hesitant to partake in online shopping. I usually like to see what I’m buying before I hand over my credit card (as well as see who I’m actually handing my credit card over to – but that’s a whole separate issue). I’m not a big eBay fan, which is probably a good thing, considering I only make so much money at The Breeze. However, there is one online shopping site that has caught my college-budget attention: woot.com.

Now, I can’t take all the credit for finding this one. My boyfriend mentioned it to me once, when I wasn’t really listening. Then he brought it up again, and I actually heard him. Woot.com is a Web site that sells one product a day at a really discounted price. Each morning at 12 a.m CT, a new product is released to be sold and it will continue to be sold on the site until the product runs out or it turns into the next day. Most of the products sold on Woot are electronics, which is awesome because those are the products that happen to be most expensive in retail stores.

Today, the product was an Electrolux Pronto 2 in 1 Cyclonic Upright Bagless Vacuum. Just what I’ve been looking for! Well, not really, but Woot’s prince of $49.99 plus $5 shipping sure beats $99.99 as I found it listed elsewhere online.

Word to the wise - log on early, especially if it's an awesome item (like a DVD recorder for only $99.99) and they don't have many of them (which they never tell you).

They also have Woot-Offs, Random Bags of Crap and 2-for-Tuesdays, all of which are explained in more detail here.

While the fun and anticipation of bidding on eBay isn’t there, what’s better than finding an awesome deal on that new digital camcorder or power drill you’ve had your eye on? Keep checking the site each day, because you never know what product will be next.

You know you love a great online deal too.

Today's Obsession: The Loss of "The Office"

2007-11-29T16:06:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I love for TV. I know all the scoop on the lastest castings and storylines (thanks to TVGuide Online and E!Online). Some people follow sports, I follow TV. Call me crazy, but I can't help it if I'm addicted to the Dwight's antics on "The Office" and the football drama on "Friday Night Lights."

But now, as Thursday night nears (the best night on television), I feel, well, empty. Because of the Writer's Guild of America strike that's still going on (yes, it's still going on), there are no new episodes of "The Office" to enjoy - not to mention "The Daily Show" and "Colbert Reports" are still in repeats, as are most late-night shows. And it's only going to get worse. As December is right around the corner, most of the TV shows I love - and I'm sure you do too - will either just stop in their tracks or go into re-runs as the scripts run dry.

But wait! A beacon of light may be on the horizon. The WGA resumed talks this past Monday with producers about breaking a deal (the writers just want to be compensated for online digital shows and downloads). However, details aren't being released as to how the talks are going. Cross your fingers and hope that they can reach a deal soon.

Luckily, as of right now, "Grey's Anatomy" is still airing new episodes on Thursdays to fill the void left by the departure of "The Office." It's not much, and Meredith and McDreamy's relationship (or lack thereof?) is nothing in comparison to Jim and Pam's loving glances across the Scranton branch, but it will do for now.

TV Show du jour: "The Office" on DVD, "Grey's Anatomy" if you have to.
Download of the Day: Alicia Keys, "No One"

You know you miss "The Office" too.

Today's Obsession: This blog

2007-11-28T21:11:00.000-05:00

Everyone has an obsession, even if they don't want to believe it. The word seems to have a negative connotation, but the way I see it, to obsess is to love, and the purpose of this blog is to share things in entertainment that I love, or find interesting, or that are simply awesome.

I've attempted to blog before, but every time I sat down to write, it felt forced. Here, I am in my own element - a place where I know what I like and I'm not afraid to share it with the world. Hopefully, people who read this blog will be introduced to new things, ideas, artists, etc. that will in turn inspire them. That's my whole purpose. The world is filled with undiscovered, overlooked people and I always get excited when I stumbled upon someone or something new.

I will admit, I follow pop culture more than politics and I'd much rather read Entertainment Weekly than the New York Times. While Britney's latest troubles and Lindsay's legal woes certainly don't compare to important world issues, they are entertaining and provide water cooler gossip. Hey, you know you follow the lifestyles of the teenage trainwrecks at least a little bit, even if by accident.

So, once I get going with this blog, feel free to comment about my obsessions, as well as obsessions of your own. Whether it's a great new indie artist, an awesome Web site or anything that gets you excited (in a PG-rated way, obviously) - I'd love to hear about it.

TV show du jour: Project Runway
Download of the day: David Gray, "You're the World to Me"

You know you love it too.