xtnshun's Blog

The star of Heroes, Ali Larter, is yet another woman who possesses super powers, on TV that is. In real life, however, she describes herself as more of a casual gal. Though she is not one of the brighter stars in Hollywood, she lists a couple of things that would be a must if you opt for a casual wardrobe.

Ali Larter loves to relax and have fun during summer, just like everybody else. Kicking back her shoes, raising up her toes and relaxing. And as she does so, here are the 5 things she always makes sure to have in her casual wardrobe.

1. A comfortable white shirt. This piece of clothing goes well with jeans, pencil skirt and khakis. It will virtually match anything found inside your wardrobe. If you want to be diva-ish, you can secure the shirt under your breasts and tie it with a knot. You can get a white shirt from your favorite store or from your man?s closet.

2. A pair of jeans. Your broken in jeans are the best piece of clothing that you can choose during summertime. Wear it during the day or at night, and pair it with your favorite racerback or your favorite blouse, and you?re set/

3. Bright summer dress. The hot look for this summer is a loose fitting dress that is roomy, and works great for every figure. If you want to make a waist, go wear a belt or a sash over it.

4. Tank tops. Who needs sleeves if you are under the scorching merciless heat of the summer sun. All you need is a tank top and a good sunblock to protect to protect your arms.

5. Skorts. A skort is an invention that is a cross between a skirt and short. This skort is so hot and popular right now because you get to make your legs look longer and flaunt them. They offer you a very feminine look without the risk of showing your underwear when you bend over.

Lost in Translation - 2 Stars (Average)

This was written and directed by Sofia Coppola and won enough awards to fill a grocery cart.

The independent film earned Sofia Coppola an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and also had 2003 Oscar nominations for Best Picture (won by "The Lord of the Rings, the Return of the King", bad timing for Sofia), Best Director (won by Peter Jackson for Lord of the Rings) and Bill Murray as Best Actor (won by Sean Penn in "Mystic River").

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" lost the same nomination as Murray. I would have voted for Johnny Depp as Best Actor rather than Sean Penn. Sofia Coppola's creation also won Golden Globe awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Bill Murray), and earned nominations for Best Director and Best Actress (Scarlett Johansson). The Oscar win was among 70 wins and 58 more nominations. To say Sofia Coppola's creation was lauded by the critics would be a huge understatement. Seeing this film, I would not have guessed it would have won so many awards.

Sofia Coppola wrote the lead role specifically for Bill Murray, and later said that if Murray turned it down, she would have scrapped the project. She was nothing if not persistent in recruiting Murray for the role. In 1999, Murray apparently replaced his talent agency with a voice mailbox and an 800 number he gives out sparingly. Coppola reportedly left hundreds of messages before Murray finally called back to discuss her offer to cast him as the star. Coppola apparently knows something about selecting actors who win awards.

Lost in Translation follows Bob Harris (Bill Murray), a fading American film actor with a humdrum marriage, who is in Tokyo to do a Japanese whiskey commercial. He meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a recently college graduate in philosophy and the bored wife of a photographer doing a shoot in Tokyo.

They develop an unlikely friendship when the language barrier, Japanese culture and their own discontent surfaces. When it is time for them to resume their normal lives, leaving becomes difficult. I give Sofia Coppola a lot of credit for not writing into the script a sexual relationship between the two. In Hollywood this would be like taking the financier's money and not worshipping at his or her feet.

Coppola had it her way because this independent film cost only $4 million to make, was filmed in 27 days and grossed $44.5 million at last count.

The opening of the film has a lingering shot of Scarlett Johansson (as Charlotte) lying in bed sideways in her panties. Johansson was apparently reluctant to film the shot until Sofia Coppola modeled the panties herself.

Thankfully, this opening was not a precursor to the film, which sought to explore a more important issue: the meaning of life. As two unhappy individuals in their roles, both Murray and Johansson struggle to find real meaning in their current circumstances. What happens in their exploration is really nothing special. As a viewer I was waiting to see where their relationship was going because they came to no conclusions together, or on their own.

Therein is why I gave this film an average rating rather than a good or excellent rating. I wanted real substance in this film that I could relate to in my everyday life, and I was left wanting. How odd is it that Bob and Charlotte never introduce themselves to each other despite spending days together contemplating their mutual miserable situations? This makes no sense to me whatsoever, and does not ring true in real life.

Despite winning an Oscar for her original screenplay, Sofia Coppola does not give the substance I expect. Hollywood pours out awards for her effort, and to me it only reflects why Hollywood is called Tinseltown, all show, confusion and stress without real substance.

Ultimately, both characters are seeking meaning in their lives.One viewer wrote this about the film, "Overall the film is just perfect. The acting, the direction, the soundtrack, plot, themes, humor, visuals . . . what's not to like?" What's not to like is this: People who seek true love seldom find it. People who seek the perfect mate never find the perfect mate. People who seek to find the true meaning of life seldom find it.

The reason is simple: you do not bring meaning to your life by seeking meaning in your life, you bring meaning to your life by giving meaning to your life. Life does not come to you, you come to life, or you become an unhappy, dissatisfied person. When we blame others we give up our ability to change. Lost in Translation has some great scenes of Tokyo, but like pictures in a photo album, they only reflect the meaning you bring to them.

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

What is a Backyardigan? Well, if you have children you more or less probably have at least a little bit of knowledge of this incredibly popular children's show. However, your child asking you for a Backyardigans themed birthday party may also be the first time you have ever heard the word and you may think they made it up.

Well, there is such a thing and if you are going to have a themed party, you are going to need some ideas and some Backyardigans birthday party supplies.

First of all, a crash course in what it actually is. Essentially, it is a musical-adventure that is aimed at children between the ages of two and five. Each episode features five pre-school friends who rely on their imaginations to transform their backyard into a different world, which they explore through stories and adventures.

So, what do you do for a Backyardigans themed birthday party?

Well, first of all you should look at what the core of the television program is, which is the exploration of new worlds through a child's imagination. Understanding a child's imagination will go a long way in helping create a memorable party.

First of all, the imagination of a child is limitless, and it can be difficult to contain it in something as small as a backyard. Despite their name being Backyardigans, there is nothing stopping you from having the party in a park. In the park, you can set up a variety of large activities for the children, including egg races and other outdoor activities.

If you decide not to go to the park, another great way for children to use their imagination in the backyard is to make a play. Have the children get into groups to plan out a play in only a few minutes and put it on for everyone. Let them have fun and don't worry about plots or anything like that, it is all about imaginations.

If Shakespeare in the backyard is not your cup of tea, you can also have the children write a story or draw a collective picture for the birthday boy or girl.

Another excellent idea is to take the children on a backyard safari. This can be done with several of the birthday party supplies that are available and some cardboard and paint. You can create lions, giraffes, elephants and a wide variety of other animals that can be setup around the yard.

Then, take the children out and have them look for the wild animals. Pretend like it is an actual safari and tell the children interesting facts about the animals. "Did you know a giraffe can live on no water for a month and only five minutes of sleep a day?" or "Hippos are actually closely related with pigs!"

One of the funniest films of 2004, Mean Girls ranks among some of the best high school comedies of all time. Right up there with Clueless, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and American Pie, Mean Girls has some of the most hilarious comic scenes of the decade. Written by Saturday Night Live mainstay Tina Fey (who also stars as a teacher in the film), Mean Girls is supposed to chronicle some of the author's personal experiences in the social world of academics. Irrespective of its similarities to real life, Mean Girls is a light-hearted comedy with likeable characters, and it's just plain funny…

Lindsay Lohan plays Cady Heron, a previously home-schooled, sixteen year old daughter of two world-traveling anthropologists. When her parents decide to settle down, Cady attends public school for the first time in her life. While there, she befriends social outcasts Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese) who tell her all about the inner-workings of their high school. Cady learns about The Plastics, a group of three girls who compose the social elites of the school. The previous beneficiary of Plastics leader Regina's wrath, Janis longs for the day when she can exact revenge on her former best friend from eighth grade.

When The Plastics - Regina George (Rachel McAdams), Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert), and Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried) - take a liking to Cady and give her an exclusive invitation to eat lunch with them, Janis sees her opportunity for revenge. She concocts a plan to send Cady into the world of The Plastics as an "undercover agent," and together, Cady, Janis, and Damian work to dig up dirt on the girls. However, the line between pretend and reality starts to blur for Cady, souring her relationship with Janis. And Cady's affection for Regina's former boyfriend Aaron (Jonathan Bennett) threatens to create a permanent chasm between the two girls… Throw in a showdown between two groups of math-letes, and you've got yourself quite a movie!

As the lead character, Cady, Lindsay Lohan portrays a very likeable person, an intelligent, sweet girl who experiences her first foray into the world of public school. The audience's ability to identify with and like Cady makes it easier to enjoy a film where she alienates two groups of high school clicks and virtually everyone else around her. Meanwhile, Rachel McAdams (rising Hollywood star and lead from The Notebook) is brilliant in her performance as the socially aggressive, backstabbing Regina George.

Mean Girls is a classic Darwinian high school comedy, similar to the hit TV show Freaks And Geeks, except with a little less edge. If you enjoyed the high school comedy films of the 1980's, like Can't Buy Me Love, then you'll thoroughly enjoy Mean Girls. With a well-written screenplay and supporting appearances by Saturday Night Live regulars Tina Fey and Tim Meadows, Mean Girls is a hilarious comedy and a definite must-see film…

With all the hype about the iPhone 2.0 you would think that Apple were the only company on the planet that offer personal media players. There are options out there for people who want to try something new, and it doesn't have to be made by Apple!

If you don't like the click wheel on the iPod, the touch screen on the iPhone or some of the other options available then you should consider Microsoft's Zune.

The Zune is a media player that offers all the features of an iPod plus some more. Here is a summary of some of the advantages of the Zune:

- the screen is larger and clearer

- the navigation is more to some people's taste

- it offers Wi-Fi syncing (so you don't need to use a cable)

- there is an FM radio included

- it supports DRM-free music as standard

- the sound is better quality according to some reports

The Zune comes in a number of colors (much more than the iPod) and offers a range of storage capacities. If you're just looking to carry around your favorite songs there is a Zune for that; or if you want to have the full season of a particular TV show at hand all the time, there's also a Zune for that.

There is a wide range of accessories for the Zune, such as headphones, cases, car chargers etc. Not radios though - there is already one included!

There is plenty of capacity for music, movies and TV shows on all the Zune models. You can download from pay-per-download sites or there are a number of sites that offer unlimited downloads. This is particularly good if you're really into music or movies and want to keep up with the latest artist or releases. So if you do get a Zune it's worth looking into some of the sites that offer unlimited downloads of music, movies and more.

There is a choice out there, so next time you're thinking of buying an iPod, why not consider the Zune?