River

Robert Downey Jr. is one of my favorite actors.  I really enjoyed him on Ally McBeal, one of my favorite shows from the 90's.  Anyway, did you know he could sing?  This video from Ally is about his character wishing he could be with his son on Christmas.  The song is called River and was originally sung by Joni Mitchell.  I love this version -

68th Golden Globes

The Golden Globes are generally more fun to watch than the Oscars.  Maybe it's because they give awards to both movies and TV shows.  Ricky Gervais is set to host again this year and he's really funny.

Here are the television nominations and my picks for the winners -

Best Television Series Drama

Boardwalk
The Good Wife
Dexter
The Good Wife
The Walking Dead
Mad Men - there is no doubt in my mind that Mad Men should win!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama

Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire
Brian Cranston - Breaking Bad
Hugh Laurie - House
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Jon Hamm - while I'm a big fan of Michael C. Hall, Jon Hamm deserves it more!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama

Juliana Margulies - The Good Wife
Piper Perabo - Covert Affairs
Katey Sagal - Son's of Anarchy
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer
Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men - these two are my favorites but Elisabeth was really outstanding so I'd vote for her

Best Television Series Comedy

30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
The Big C
Glee
Nurse Jackie
Modern Family - 30 Rock wins a lot, Nurse Jackie is great but not really a comedy

That's all the time I have for right now.  The Golden Globes will air on Sunday, January 16th on NBC.  Here's the official website - http://www.goldenglobes.org/

The Town

I finally went to the theater to see The Town, a crime drama starring, co-written and directed by Ben Affleck.  I had heard great reviews of the movie but I must admit that I was especially motivated to see it on the big screen because Jon Hamm is in it! 

Ben Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the leader of a Boston gang of bank robbers.  They are actually from Charlestown, a tough Boston neighborhood where over 300 bank robberies occur every year.  Jon Hamm plays the lead FBI agent who pursues the team of criminals. 

Doug finds himself falling in love with the bank manager (played by Rebecca Hall) who was briefly taken hostage by the gang in their first heist in the movie.  She helps Doug realize that he wants out of this life of crime and out of town.

Jon Hamm does a great job with his supporting role and I hope this performance leads to many more movies for him.  I'm really impressed with Ben Affleck's direction and performance in this movie.  He was in virtually every scene and the movie is really well done.  The DVD will be out soon.

Next book...

I just picked up a book from the library today.  It's called Keep the Change by Steve Dublanica.  On the cover it says A Clueless Tipper's Quest to Become the Guru of the Gratuity.  I read Dublanica's first book called Waiter Rant last year and really enjoyed it.  Waiter Rant was about Steve's experiences working as a waiter in an upscale restaurant outside New York City.  It reminded me of Anthony Bourdain's bestseller Kitchen Confidential except it's about the waiter's experiences rather than the chef's. 

Here is the description of Keep the Change from Goodreads:

In America, tipping is (usually) avoidable, but not thinking about voluntary gratuities is completely impossible. Every day, we are confronted with awkward decisions about who to tip, how much to pay for different services, and even how to share our loot. There is no doubt that we succumb: Each year, we Americans spend $66 billion on tips, but as Waiter Rant author and blog keeper Steve Dublanica knows from hard experience, tipping behavior ranges widely from patron to patron and from profession to profession. To test the waters, or more specifically the outstretched palms, Dublanica traveled the continent, inquiring about handout habits everywhere he went. The venues fit almost every description; from working class bars and family restaurants to barbershops, beauty salons, public bathrooms and strip clubs. A fascinating book about a much-discussed topic that touches us all.

I hope I enjoy Keep the Change as much as Waiter Rant.  I may end up thinking twice the next time I have to leave a tip!

A Christmas Story

One of my favorite Christmas movies is the classic family film A Christmas Story from 1983.  The story takes place in Indiana in the 1940's and revolves around nine-year-old Ralphie Parker and his little brother Randy and their parents.  Ralphie's only wish for Christmas is to receive an official Red Ryder air rifle (BB gun) but is constantly told, "You'll put your eye out!"   

The film was written by Jean Shepherd based on his book In God we Trust, all others Pay Cash and the movie perfectly captured all the fun of a family Christmas.  Jean Shepherd narrates the movie from the perspective of the adult Ralphie.  Peter Billingsley is wonderful and adorable as Ralphie and Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillion are so great as the parents.  By the way, Peter Billingsley plays an elf in the movie Elf.

This is one Christmas movie I never get tired of seeing.  If by some chance you haven't seen it, TBS runs a marathon of the movie every Christmas Eve. There is now a stage play of the movie called A Christmas Story: The Musical.

Songs from Elf

One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf starring Will Ferrell in the charming role of Buddy the Elf who grew up at the North Pole.  His adopted elf father (Bob Newhart) tells him that his real father is Walter Hobbs (James Caan) who lives in New York with his wife and son.  Buddy finds his father and meets a great girl named Jovie played by Zooey Deschanel.  This fun, heartwarming movie from 2003 is sure to be a Christmas classic.

Here is a clip from the movie with Jovie and Buddy singing Baby, it's Cold Outside.

Some Good Quotes

"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."
— Elbert Hubbard
 
 
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
— Friedrich Nietzsche
 
 
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."
— Oscar Wilde
 
 
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."
— Groucho Marx (The Essential Groucho)
 
 
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."
— Charles M. Schulz