There’s nothing like getting an abortion on Valentine’s Day. Or finding out that you’re unemployed. Or becoming pregnant from a one night stand. It officially sucks to be Donna Stern.
Donna (Jenny Slate) has worked in an independent bookstore for over five years, but she’s anything but nerdy. She wears lots of cardigans, but she’s hardly meek. She’s just an average 28-year-old Jewish comedian living paycheque to paycheque in Brooklyn. She would rather drink with friends than worry about her future—in a totally non-alcoholic way.
Begin Again might be about relationships, but it’s hardly a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Rather, it’s a splendid love letter to New York that made me wish my last trip to NYC was longer.
After Dan (Mark Ruffalo) makes a fool of himself in a big meeting, he deals with his misery at a dive bar, where he hears Gretta (Keira Knightley) singing on stage. Gretta planned to pack her bags and return to England once she learned of her boyfriend’s infidelity, but Dan convinces her to stay and record an album with him. The film then follows Dan and Gretta around New York as they make an album on a shoestring budget.
Whether she’s on a billboard or the big screen, Miss Piggy is always larger than life.
It’s hard to adjust to the real world after a Disney World vacation. When you’re at Disney World, everything is great. Everything is grand. You’ve got the whole wide world in the palm of your hand (it’s true – just pick up something from Epcot!). Life’s a happy song when you’re at Disney World.
When Disney released Muppets Most Wanted, they presented an opportunity to enjoy the art of animation without paying for another flight to Orlando. I went to the theatre with high hopes, as I really liked the first film and its soundtrack, but I left feeling disappointed. At least the opening song of Muppets Most Wanted acknowledges “the sequel’s never quite as good.” That’s the only track worth downloading.
Disney’s new cloud movie service inspired me to return to the happiest place on earth. Now that I’m back, I’m excited to watch my favourite animated movies – especially Mary Poppins. Let’s rewind a bit, #ThrowbackThursday style, to explain the correlation between Disney’s app and my trip.
My former colleagues at Blast Radius designed creative to advertise Disney’s new streaming service and as soon as I saw a preview, nostalgia got the best of me. A few weeks later, I went to Orlando to relax and enjoy Disney’s world-class entertainment. Staying at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort only made me more eager to watch Disney movies, so I’m excited to download Disney Movies Anywhere and tackle my to-watch list.
Disney Movies Anywhere is available to PC and Mac users through iTunes and its movie catalogue has over 400 titles. Working at Future Shop tempted me to buy Apple TV and I know that when I eventually splurge on it, Disney movies will look better than when I initially watched them on VHS sans flat-screen TV.
The launch of Disney Movies Anywhere was scheduled to coincide with the release of Frozen, which is nominated for best animated feature film at the Oscars. It was fun to see replicas of Disney’s Academy Awards at the Animation Studio and Gallery in Hollywood Studios and I hope they earn more statues this weekend.
It’s a polar vortex out there, so stay in on Sunday night and cheer for Frozen. In the meantime, check out Disney Movies Anywhere. Bonus points if you make Mickey-shaped cookies to snack on instead of popcorn.
There is “so much [comedic] talent out there and not enough time to show it all,” Sandra Bullock astutely said during the People’s Choice Awards. The award-winning star of The Heat and Gravity took home four trophies on Wednesday night, while I sat at home wishing I had her brown wavy locks.
Kat Dennings, my other favourite brunette Hollywood star, dazzled in her role as co-host. When she quoted fans’ tweets and introduced which song Beth Behrs would sing next, she quickly made that segment a highlight of the 40th People’s Choice Awards. I promised my Facebook friends that I won’t blog more about the dance move Miley popularized last year, so let’s just say Beth’s rendition of Wrecking Ball was epic. Matt LeBlanc joked about singing a song too, but claimed that he couldn’t due to time constraints. The former Friends star then announced that The Big Bang Theory (the show with a Barenaked Ladies theme song) was named Favourite Network TV Comedy.
Kaley Cuoco AKA television’s sweetest newlywed accepted the award for Favourite Comedic TV Actress. She started the year with a bang by wearing a pink Vera Wang dress to her wedding, which she decorated with an upside-down cake hanging from a chandelier. Watching her in the opening sequence on the set of 2 Broke Girls was amusing. Remember, stars are just like us. They’re busy people who care about loyalty programs at Jamba Juice.
Whereas Justin Timberlake spoke about his team in the context of how they’re obligated to deal with his neuroses, Jennifer Hudson brought her sister into the spotlight to emphasize the importance of teamwork and family. “My mother always taught us that without family, you have nothing,” she said. Cover girl material right there. Sponsorship-related pun intended.
Surprisingly, last night marked the first time Britney Spears won her a People’s Choice Award. Britney celebrated her prize and comeback in a dress that screamed Las Vegas style and reminded me how much I want to return to the west coast.
I’m not afraid to admit I watch daytime talk shows when I’m home. Ellen DeGeneres graciously accepted her 14th People’s Choice Award before Queen Latifah won the title of Favourite New Talk Show Host.
Viewers enjoyed a few more laughs when Adam Sandler read a fan letter containing more grammatical errors than those found in papers on most elementary school teachers’ desks. It was supposedly written by his glowing former co-star Drew Barrymore and his wife seemed to get a kick out of it.
Other entertaining moments included Shemar Moore flirting with Malin Åkerman, The Good Wife‘s big wins and Chris Colfer’s remarks about fans following him online and offline. The Olay commercials that aired during the People’s Choice Awards are also worth mentioning because I love a cheery TV spot that references Instagram.
Let’s not forget about Stephen Colbert! He spoke about democracy’s role in the award show, noting that the PCAs feature his 3 favourite things: people, choices and awards. J. Lo knows how to stand out at award shows (we’ll be talking about her green Versace gown for years), so naturally Stephen’s speech ended once he was distracted by her impromptu off-camera appearance.
Unfortunately Zooey Deschanel didn’t win in her category, but her sister Emily represented the family onstage when she presented an award to Sarah Michelle Gellar. I couldn’t write this post without mentioning Freddie Prinze Jr.’s wife, let alone an actress who stars in a sitcom about agency life. Mad Men is one of my favourite shows and it’s cool to watch the success of a funny and contemporary version inspired by Leo Burnett. For the next few months, we’ll have to keep calm and wait patiently for the final season of Mad Men. I’ll be ready with my remote and iPad the night of its season premiere.
Photo: Forever Young Adult
Photo: WebProNews
Robert Downey Jr.’s theatrical acceptance speech confirmed that Mark Burnett can produce a sensational show and I hope he advocates for Kat and Beth to become award show hosts again. Thumbs up, ladies.
