Let’s face it - aside from some slight gains in security in Iraq - there wasn’t much good news in the news in the middle east in 2009. But let’s not forget that media will always show you the scary stuff (and as they sometimes should).

However, here are 2 interesting happenings that UK’s Telegraph wanted to remind us about:

Both Saudi Arabia and Iran appointed their first female ministers. (And we got all the attention for the President!) Now, we aren’t saying that these women are liberal feminists, but it is rather interesting. To learn more about each, click on their names:

Female Health Minister - Nominated by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdii

and

Deputy Education Minister for Female Education Affairs nominated by King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud:

Norah al-Fayez

Read the Telegraph’s article Middle East Review for a look back at the Middle East in 2009.

Few will argue that New York City is driving out artists and creative types with higher costs and exponential population growth. People who wish to spend more time creating and less time worrying about the rent are looking for better opportunities for living - with lower rents, cheaper eats, and more space.

Susan Saulny’s NY Time’s article, “With Detroit in Downturn, Entrepreneurs Look Up” highlights some pretty great small businesses that are picking up in the Detroit Area. Perhaps Detroiters are tired of being viewed as simply the worst-hit city in America. They are instead turning low rents into opportunity. Find creperies, low-cost cinemas and stylist shops with attitude. Torya Blanchard pays a mere $1,600 a month to rent space for her creperie, which, positioned closely to Detroit Institute of the Arts, should eventually gain flipping success.

See kids, the recession can’t be all bad. When everything you’re accustomed to diminishes, there grows  plenty of opportunites for some bright imagination.

For great photos and the article that goes with it - head to the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/us/10startup.html?hp

This from my friend Sara, who finds all zany things on the internet. The food blog - This is Why You’re Fat. Or as I might like to call it - Why We REALLY Love Food. Find photos of all wonderfully wonderful food finds and information about the upcoming book:

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

Spaghetti Loaf

 *in my humble opinion

Like many people, especially of my age, I have to say that my favorite Christmas movie is A Christmas Story which is about Ralphie and his quest for a “carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time” that will shoot his eye out. This movie, with its sweet dysfunction, really holds up over the course of time. Whether it was his cruse filled father or his gut wrenching desire for that perfect gift, I could relate to Ralphie a lot.

But over the Holidays I began to think what other Holiday movies do I still love? I, of course, still love Charlie Brown and his pathetic tree, and Rudolph with his nose so bright, but those aren’t movies; they are specials. Most  “Christmas” movies are for kids and aren’t that great. Some are just awful (see Dudley Moore’s “Santa Claus the Movie”). Most of the Holiday movies I do still love are just “kind of holiday movies” as they really could take place at anytime of year. But Christmas makes a nice backdrop, and the movie studios love to release films at Christmas time when all the kids are off.
 
So here are my Top 4 favorite (kind of) Christmas Movies:

4) Home Alone 2; Lost in New York
Ok. I know what you are saying, “Why not Home Alone 1?” Well, Home Alone 1 is still a sweet family movie and a holiday favorite of everyone. Home Alone 2 I now enjoy on a different level. Home Alone 2 shows us what a truly demented sociopath Kevin Macalister really is. This time he’s not defending his home and himself from dangerous criminals; this time, he’s conning his way into the Plaza Hotel, purposely baiting the criminals to follow him so that they can fall into numerous traps that are skull-smashing and brutally violent. All in good fun, but had this been reality and not a Tom and Jerry inspired fun family romp, he’d basically be facing serious jail time and most likely manslaughter charges as numerous concussive blows to a head will actually kill a man. [Read more →]

I’d rather lie down in a yoga corpse pose than go for a run any day of the week.  But after going for a power walk with a friend recently, something inspired me to try jogging again.  It must have been those endorphins making me feel good about exercising.

The last time I jogged was years ago and I’ve never been strongly devoted to it.  Running makes me feel like I’m about to collapse any second, usually within my first lap.  Clearly, I’m out of shape!  While I love practicing hatha yoga at home, I need some cardiovascular in my routine, so I’ve decided to give jogging a second chance.

I found a website for beginner joggers and the advice is to start slowly — just five minutes a jog for the first week, then gradually build to 30 minutes of jogging, five days a week, which is the recommended schedule.

For now, I’m doing a combination of jogging and walking a few times a week.  And I’ve applied a yoga trick that I find very helpful — I focus on my breathing.  That helps me not to pant out of control and to keep going.

To learn more about jogging for beginners, click here:  http://www.joggingforbeginners.com/.

Shaun of the Dead: Best Zombie Movie Ever

After a week of tsunamis, earthquakes, mudslides, Jon Gosselin, and David Letterman, its good to know that there is at least one school that thoroughly prepares for every possible disaster. There is still one school out there that takes the safety of it’s students very seriously. They believe in protecting them from hurricanes, and global disease, and zombies.Yes, zombies.

The emergency plan for the invasion of the Undead ( “flesh-eating, apparently life impaired individuals.”) Is not quite clear, what is clear is that in the event of an outbreak, there will be “documentation of lots of strange moaning.”

The not quite complete article is here

Wouldn’t you know it? This university is in Florida, the state which simultaneously has an incredible amount of elderly people and is being invaded by Burmese pythons. So I guess they know something about effective disaster prevention.

Fame Poster from Cinematical

Most people that know me - know that #1 - I have 23 Barbra Streisand Record Albums, and #2 - I have a dance movie collection complete with accompanying soundtracks. I’m one of those  - Oh! I wish I had continued at Miss Jan Estrella’s School of Dance when I was 10 instead of dropping out to play 10 other sports kind of people. If only I’d had the opportunity to attend Performing Arts High School - oh the places I could have gone. (although my lack of vocal talent and my inate inability towards self-discipline probably would have caused some problems)

I went to a free screening of Fame last week at Loews Theater on 42nd Street. Any true dance nut knows that this movie has been in the works ever since the 1980 original version. (yes, 1980!!!) its directed by Kevin Tancharoen, who’s cut his chops on dance videos.

And indeed - the best features of the film are the moments when these talented young whippersnappers sing, rap and leap across the stage. The sheer brilliance of the dancing and choreography, the spectacular grittiness that is still New York and some beautiful Chicago-like montages make this film a must-see for anyone in entertainment. These kids have so much heart and so much talent - I got teary smack in the middle. Naturi Naughton plays a classical pianist whose real dream is to sing and Kay Panabaker plays a young actress all too eager to fall prey to creepy guys. Even though their storylines are barely fleshed out, the montage of teen angst and the spectacular dance scenes carry the energy throughout the film. [Read more →]

I don’t follow politics as much as I should, so when trying to wrap my head around it I often relate it to things I have a much better understanding of. Here’s my interpretation of Senator Arlen Spector’s defection from Republican to Democrat:

 It was quite a scene the other night as the Senate met for a sold out crowd at New York’s historic Madison Square Garden. Crowds from all sides held up signs some with jeers like; “McCain in the Ass” and “Biden’s Nuts!” but all in all it was a calm and everyone ready for a entertaining night of good ole fashion politicking.
 
Everyone was pumped for the night, but nobody was expecting the curveball Senator “The Spectacular” Arlen Spector had coming later that evening. During a Lumberjack Match between Harry Reid “My Fists” and Mitch “Machismo” McConnell, Spector interceded with a hand full of salt apparently blinding McConnell by accident.
 
After the match as Machismo verbally berated Spector in front of a sold out crowd slapping him across the face, then turned to walk away. As he did Spector became enraged and locked in his famous “Spectator” sleeper hold. As the rest of the G.O.P. attempted to stomp Spector off “Mad Man” Biden lowered from the rafters wearing his face war paint and proceeded to save Spector with the help of his Louisville Slugger.

[Read more →]

This article by Mark Walsh from Online Media Daily poses that very question. Analyst Laura Martin, who works for Soleil Securities, estimates that Hulu will cost TV networks $920 in advertising dollars.

The continued success of Hulu and others will increasingly tempt people to give up their $100 cable subscriptions and just go with what’s online. The funny thing about it, is that Hulu is owned by NBC Universal - a network which had to scrap all of its network 10pm programming for the Jay Leno show because of declining ratings.

I haven’t had cable for almost 7 years - which is incredibly funny considering that I’ve WORKED in cable for the past 7 years at Lifetime and Oxygen Media. I even have a hard time watching regular television because I will not watch a 1 hour television program that is 17 minutes of commercials (YES, 17 minutes at the very LEAST). An online program has maybe 4 commercials in it - 1 at the top and bottom, and maybe 1 if you have to refresh the screen. So yes, I missed SUnday’s VMA’s and I had to hear all the gossip from people at work.

When you pay a $100 cable bill - that money is divided between the provider (Time Warner or Cablevision i.e.) and each cable network. For instance, ESPN gets $2 a month, Lifetime -  maybe $1.00, Golf Channel - maybe .40 cents. No way I’m paying for cable channels that I have no interest in watching. I’d rather pay for the channels that I will watch.  Since the cable networks won’t allow for a scenario like that, I’d rather just watch the programming I want to watch online or even at the gym.

I’m about to catch Beyonce teaching Kanye West a lesson in respect by going online to MTV or Youtube and watching her speech at Sunday’s VMA’s. Kanye - please, stop drinking Henessey in public. Your little 10 year-old self would not be happy if someone had done that to New Edition 20 years ago.  [Read more →]