More on The Constant Gardner.

Salon.com: "Weisz has never been better: She's joyously expressive and alive, but there's gravity beneath that milkmaid complexion. She's grounded even when she's being flirtatious. And Fiennes has never been more moving"

Rolling Stone: "The underrated Weisz is electrifying in her richest role to date. And Fiennes plays this reluctant hero like a gathering storm, his performance growing in power as passivity ceases to be an option. His embrace of Africa, which Meirelles and his gifted cinematographer, Cesar Charlone, present as a stinging rebuke to global indifference, is his embrace of Tessa. In negotiating the slippery slope of political and personal commitment, Meirelles emerges with one of the year's best and most provocative movies. Long after it's over, you still feel its sting."

Ooo.

Look like The Constant Gardner is shaping up to be a good one. I've been dying to see this ever since I dreamt in Michigan that Ralph Fiennes asked me to marry him.

Opens tomorrow, I think.

While New Orleans Drowns.

I know, I know, I said no more, but I just can't help myself.

I realize that there isn't much he can really do, but you would think that someone near him should understand the innapropriate nature of photo-ops like this, during a time like this, and that person shoulda/coulda helped him to avoid coming off looking like such an insensitive prat.

Are you sure it wasn't a girlie scream?

The Day After.

The Day After Katrina Photo Essay.

NPR had a short interview with a man who spoke about leaving New Orleans on Sunday to stay with his sister and then having to leave that house because a tree fell on it (150 miles inland) and going to another sister's place further north. He said the devastation he's seen on TV is so overwhelming that he feels numb. But when he talked about having to leave their three cats, he started to cry, and so did I. He said he left them enough food and water for 3 wks to a month, even though he didn't think he'd be gone for more than 3 or 4 days, but he didn't think that was really going to make a difference.

No more Katrina talk from me for a while. Lets see what else is going on in the world, besides the 650 people who just died in a crushing stampede in Baghdad. I'm afraid to look.

Want to help?

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists these organizations for those seeking to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina."

Good one, Defamer: "A perfectly plotted Mametian double-cross."

The Devastation

Photos of the damage wrought by Katrina are beginning to pop up. You can click here for Yahoo!'s full coverage.

Katrina Heartbreak

Katrina kills at least 55 in Mississippi: "'I held her hand as tight as I could,' the man said. 'She told me, 'You can't hold me.' She told me to take care of the kids and the grandkids ... we ain't got nowhere to go. I'm lost. That's all I had.' "

God, why didn't these people leave town when they had the chance? It's just too sad. And you know, I'm sure the death toll will rise during the coming days, but I really think the mayor of Biloxi is stretching the analogy a bit when he says, "This is our tsunami." Get a little perspective, pal.

Good luck to everyone affected.

Hungover Pug

Hungover Pug
Originally uploaded by gina64.

Marty partied a little too hardy on Saturday night.

Is Vaughn a goner? : "Michael Vartan, co-star of ABC's spy series Alias, denied to Entertainment Tonight rumors that he has been written out of the show. The New York Post reported that Aug. 17 was Vartan's last day of shooting because he was killed off in the show. Asked if this was just a rumor, Vartan replied: 'Yes indeed.' "

I wish I could believe him.

Titty Ho!

Isn't that what all those old British guys used to say in the old movies? No, wait, that was "Tally ho!"

Check this out: "Rude Britain is a 100-long list of the country's most double entendre-riddled towns, villages and streets."

Holy Land USA

At Holy Land USA, A Vision Crumbles:

"Greco's Holy Land USA, once a vibrant miniature replica of Bethlehem and Jerusalem that drew thousands of pilgrims in the 1950s and '60s, is probably beyond repair, reduced to a cultural oddity.

All that's left of his toil on the craggy hilltop that overlooks downtown Waterbury and I-84 is rotting plywood, rusted chicken wire and overgrown brush, the victim of weather, wear and vandalism.

Even the sturdiest - and most obvious - depiction of Greco's faith is in peril. The 56-foot, lighted steel cross that stands high above I-84 is structurally unsound."

I live very close to Holy Land now and grew up with it as part of the local landscape, but the closest I have ever been is viewing the lit cross from the highway. I'd love to go and take some pictures myself some time. Maybe with an armed guard, though - it is near a pretty scary part of town.

This site has photos of Holy Land in its early days. Fascinating.

Katrina

Hurricane Katrina crushing New Orleans, Gulf Coast.


image from weather.com

It looks like Katrina, even though she's been downgraded to a Category 4 with 'only' 140 mph winds, is still whipping their butts. I've been getting little bits of info and links to local NO sites from a Fark discussion thread. I heard that one of the levees surrounding NO has broken and the 9th ward is getting hammered. Also that the roof of the Superdome, where 10,000 people are taking shelter, has started to leak. I've got a really bad feeling about that situation - God help them if that roof collapses.

While New Orleans is getting all the coverage, I guess Biloxi, MS might actually get it worse. I'm going to be following this all day.

It's a good thing it's a Monday and I didn't really feel like working anyway.

You have got to be kidding me.

Get your Lindsay Lohan doll here.

I'd say that's about a gram-sized purse, wouldn't you? *sniff*

Groton Dodges a Bullet.

In local news, the BRAC voted today to remove our Groton submarine base from its list of base closures. This comes as a major relief to thousands of CT residents, since the closure of the base would have pretty much devastated the entire southeastern region of the state, not to mention deprived the state of billions of dollars in revenue. Phew, close one.

Good work on the part of the governor and our senators.

Only The Onion.

Rumsfeld Makes Surprise Visit To Wife's Vagina: "The visit comes at a time in which controversial rumors have spread throughout Washington about low morale on the part of Mrs. Rumsfeld. Reports from confidantes indicate that her vagina is being undersupplied by the Department of Defense, and extended tours of duty have stirred up feelings of discontent. Although the two have faithfully served one another since 1954, Secretary Rumsfeld's busy schedule and demanding obligations have prevented him from visiting the fertile crescent since last November's highly publicized surprise visit. "

How do you solve a problem like Johanne?

UPDATE: Whoa, check her out! Get down, Sister Johanne!

Yeah but, did they get to keep the gifts?

Wedding sting hits smuggling ring: "The guests thought they were headed to an early afternoon wedding on a yacht docked near Atlantic City in the United States.
They ended up in jail instead, courtesy of an elaborate ruse by U.S. federal authorities hoping to bust up an international smuggling ring."

Drive-by Review.

Catwoman - Really quite bad. Once again, my estimation of Halle Berry as a highly overrated actress is proved true. Sharon Stone manages to be WAY over the top and really lifeless at the same time. When the film's not moving too slowly, the editing is so frantic during the fight scenes that I had to look away before I felt nauseous. Halle Berry looked hot in that cat suit, but Michelle Pfieffer was sexier.

I got 'sniffed': "At random intervals, or if there is reason to suspect the electronic device that someone is carrying, the security attendant quickly swipes a cloth over the device and places the cloth on the sniffer. The sniffer analyzes the cloth for any trace residue of the types of chemicals used to make bombs. "

Home again.

Just a quick note to say I've returned and I'm crazy busy! I have an insane amount of photos to sort through and choose from, and I'll be posting those soon (probably to Flickr).

We had a great time playing cards and games, eating, reading and doing a little (very little) boating. We also did the tourist thing at Mackinac City (pronounced "Mackinaw"), the Mackinac Bridge, and the Mystery Spot, a tourist-trap optical illusion that's fun, nonetheless. Hey! I just googled "the Mystery Spot", and if I had any doubt left that what we saw was an optical illusion, this has erased it.

It was a very quiet week, without many tales to tell. Oh! I did get searched for explosives before my flight to Detroit. Little old me.

I've got to get back to work, but here's a scary picture for you. Yipe!

Adios, again.

I'm leaving you again, this time for a week in Michigan. Have a wonderful week. I'll be back on Sunday, August 21.

High Praise, Indeed.

Joss Whedon: "My peeps and I just finished a crazed Veronica Marsathon, and I can no longer restrain myself. Best. Show. Ever. Seriously, I've never gotten more wrapped up in a show I wasn't making, and maybe even more than those. Crazy crisp dialogue. Incredibly tight plotting. Big emotion, I mean BIG, and charsimatic actors and I was just DYING from the mystery and the relationships and PAIN, this show knows from pain and no, I don't care, laugh all you want, I had to share this. These guys know what they're doing on a level that intimidates me. It's the Harry Potter of shows. "

Looks like I'm going to have to add Veronica Mars DVDs to my queue.

Drive-By Review

Hitch - Nothing new under the sun, and just OK. Will Smith is as charming as ever, and Kevin James was funny, but it was a really bad screenplay. And a little too long, too.

Beautiful Baby Thomas

Beautiful Baby Thomas
Originally uploaded by gina64.

My new nephew. Looks alot like his Daddy did when he was a baby.

Welcome to the family, little Thomas.

"British police confirmed that after Melvyn Reed woke from his triple bypass heart operation earlier this year, his complicated marital affairs took a turn for a worse. All three of his spouses had turned up at the same time, despite his efforts to stagger their visits."

Now I've got the Benny Hill theme music running through my head.

Obnoxious.

Gimmicky Magazine Inserts Aim to Grab Page Flippers: "Next month, Rolling Stone and Us Weekly magazines will feature a new ad from the WB network that readers will have a hard time ignoring. Headlights on an illustration of a car will flicker as music plays and characters from 'Supernatural,' a new drama on the WB, offer sound bites about the spooky program."

Oh why don't you just rent out space on the inside of my eyelids for crying out loud, so you can get to me while I sleep?

Peter Jennings, 1938-2005

Rest in peace. You were my favorite.

Wheels on the ground.

Commander Eileen Collins makes a perfect landing. Well done, Discovery, and welcome home.

Photos.

The dock.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

I've uploaded more photos from our trip to Maine. Please take a look!

Hannah on our beach.

Beachcombing.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

In her own little world.

Nap time.

Oh man, this is me right now. I'm yawning so much this afternoon I think I've sucked almost all of the oxygen out of my office. I could lie down on my floor right now and sleep for days, I think.

I'm not sure why I'm so tired. Just coming down off the weekend, I guess. And I'm recovering from a hellacious bout with spyware that infected my computer a week ago, called "Look2Me", as well as a case of corrupted Outlook Express (a result, I've been told, of an upgrade to my firewall). The frustration and hours spent at my computer put my back and neck in such a state, I could barely turn my head yesterday. Add yesterday's yardwork into the mix and I am just barely keeping my butt from sliding off this chair.

Maine.

Collecting Shells on our Hike.
Originally uploaded by gina64.

This is my first time blogging a photo from Flickr! I hope it works alright.

I've posted some photos from the trip to Maine there - more to come soon.

SpyGranDaddy?

A slightly spoilery description that sets up the new 'Alias' season (which premieres, I believe, on Sep 29).

I'm very apprehensive about them incorporating JG's pregnancy into the story, but after reading that, I'm sort of getting excited about it. After all, the show has never been primarily about spying - it has always been centered around Sydney's personal life and her relationships with everyone around her. She works with her entire family, how can it not be? I am therefore going to keep an open mind about things. And if they have to shift the focus to Jack as Sydney gets further along, well, I'll have just have grin and bear it, won't I?

Drive-By Reviews

Napoleon Dynamite - You'll either love or hate this movie; either find it funny or the dumbest movie you've ever seen. I loved it. Question: was Grandma gay? Make sure you watch through to the end of the credits for a bonus scene with Napoleon riding a horse. We were laughing so hard we were crying. Check out some cool movie trivia here.

Team America: World Police - Satire at its finest. No one emerges unscathed, especially Hollywood. Rude, crude and very smart stuff. If for no other reason, you must see this movie for Kim Jong-Il:



And for some more good trivia, click here.

And she's French!

Ladies and jellyspoons, meet the future Most-Hated-Woman-On-Television-Since-Lauren.

God, please let this mean that Vaughn will be speaking more French next season. I need something to soothe my baby storyline anxiety.

I'm Your Wheelchair, Baby...

Bo breaks his foot onstage.

Jack Bauer - Real Action Hero.

For $178.00, he had better really be able to save the world in a day.

Back.

I'm back, vacation was wonderful, and I'm crazy trying to catch up on everything. There are many photos to come, I promise, as well as a rundown of the highlights of the week. Quick story: I finished "Shadowland" shortly after arriving at the cabin and then immediately dove into Harry Potter. Do you recall me saying this: "I need to read HP before I get spoiled!"? Can you believe that I got royally spoiled while standing in line ordering lunch at a sandwich place in Bar Harbor??? Oh, I was LIVID! No, I didn't say anything to the 2 geeks who were talking so loudly they probably spoiled half the patrons, but Gosh, what a couple of flippin' idiots!

Yes, we watched Napoleon Dynamite last week. Vote for Pedro!