Christmas Dinner

It's our first Christmas in a new house, having moved out in January this year. As such I decided maybe since my brother was busy working on Christmas eve and day we should have dinner at our house on Christmas night with my parents. I also invited 2 friends from high school who are married and have just had their first baby a few months ago.

As if having 7 animals to look after wasn't enough now I've decided to cook for everyone. Then I woke up to myself: I live in Australia, why would I even bother doing a full roast with heaps of cooking and stress, it's going to be 38C on Christmas day! So it's turned into just bringing out the ham my dad scored in his work Christmas hamper, buying a hot chicken and making a few salads. Plus now we're probably going to be doing it all at my parents house since it's going to be so bloody hot - they have a pool.

What I'm trying to share in an awkward roundabout way is the dessert I will be purchasing semi making: the pavlova.

Named after and in honour of Anna Pavlova the Russian ballerina who apparently toured Australia and New Zealand in the 1920's. It has been a source of much debate between our 2 countries which nationality actually invented it. New Zealand apparently are the more probable originator, but either way it is delicious.

One hell of a ballerina, I'm guessing

It's a meringue based dessert dish which I always choose as my birthday cake but also very popular at Christmas. It has a crispy crust and soft inner and piled on top is traditionally cream and seasonal fruits plus passion fruit.

The Cheesecake Shop here do an excellent version and unlike that place Penny works at on the Big Bang Theory actually just sells cheesecakes (and pavlovas obviously and a few cakes). It's not the prettiest dessert, although the topping does help so I'm not sure if any amount of food porn images would help but I''ll try anyway.

The Runaways

I went to a barbecue on Saturday night to see an old friend I used to work with. She now lives about a hour away up the coast near the beach with her four daughters, mum and husband.
Before dinner we were discussing films we had recently seen. My friend mentioned that she had recently watched the Runaways the night before with the whole family.
The grandmother put forth her opinion that she didn't feel comfortable watching that movie with her daughter let alone her granddaughters, that it was disgusting, shocking and they were constantly telling the daughters to cover their eyes (they range from nearly 10 - 16 years old).

They told me to not bother watching it, which of course made me want to watch it immediately, which for me was the next day. I'd bought a lot of DVDs overseas but hadn't gotten around to watching many yet particularly as I'm in the mood for something more festive. Following that glowing review though, I was eager to make up my own mind on his shocking ness. And I was a little disappointed.

First perhaps a brief synopsis: The Runaways was a 70s all girl group, the love child of a young Joan Jett (played by Kirsten Stewart). She gets together with Sandy West (Stella Maeve) a drummer and Cherie Currie is the blonde goddess singer (Dakota Fanning) who tries out last. She's only 15. Lita (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Robin (Alia Shawcat) round out the rest of the band but barely have 2 lines between them as the real band members did not give permission for their life stories to be used for the film.
This gives an odd dynamic and forces the story to focus on Jett and Curie (West also apparently gave permission but she doesn't get a note card at the end explaining what happened to her after the band disbanded).
The story follows their rise to fame and also features a very unlikeable manager in Kim Fowley (played by Michael Shannon). There's lots of drugs and the infamous seduction scene between Fanning and Stewart was very blurry and brief, so unsure what all the fuss was about there.
In truth this felt more like Fanning's film than Stewart's and when I learnt at the end that it was based on Currie's autobiography this made sense.

As a film overall it was okay, I didn't find it perverse and disgusting like some, but I didn't love it either. I enjoyed Fanning's performance but I'd be lying if I didn't find it uncomfortable watching her in her underwear-like outfit performing. Or seducing guys/girls. This must be a common problem for child stars transitioning.
But kudos for the filmmakers getting the costumes right! Actually I thought overall the set decoration was great, I loved the costumes, hair and makeup, they depicted the 70s nicely.
Stewart's performance...well I'm predisposed not to like her which isn't fair but her involvement in the awful character of Bella Swann is ingrained on my soul. She's alright here, but I couldn't help feeling like I'd seen the character before. It hit me: Shane from The L Word.

Regarding Shawcat, it felt like such a waste having her in the movie, I honestly do not remember one line from her, I realise it is because of privacy issues but she doesn't even look a lot like the band mate she is supposed to be playing so why bother?
Edit: I just looked on Wiki, and the 5th band member was actually named Jackie Fox (I need an education on indie 70s rock) so they couldn't even use her name, which still begs the question why bother hiring Shawcat if she's not going to be effectively used...
One other thing, Cherry Bomb seriously gets stuck in your heard after viewing this film.

The real Runaways

Luna and Norbit

Since I am one of a handful of people who have not read any of the Harry Potter books, I did not know one of my latest fosters is named after a baby dragon. However I have been forced to watch the films so Luna's named after that weird blonde girl right?

Anyway this brother and sister came to me from what situation...well I'm not sure exactly, they'd been through a couple of carers. They're about 14 weeks old and just so dainty. Luna more so than Norbit but aside from that they're almost freaking identical, it makes it hard when I'm calling them (not that cats always come when you call anyway, snobs that they are) and I have to double check just which one it is.

How huge does Norbit look? He looks like he should be Luna's father not bro.

Happiness is laying between a Christmas tree and a Wii board

Sadly it is kitten season at the moment which means everyone who's dumb enough not to sterilise their female cat (no offence) has got oodles of kittens to give away. Which sounds fun in principle, yes I would like to be a crazy cat lady sometimes and have 4 kittens frolicking around the place, but in reality everyone and their dog is giving away kittens for free or cheap.
So trying to adopt out two 14 week old kittens, while still being a great price for a kitten which is vaccinated, sterilised and micro chipped, is gonna be hard.

These guys are delightful though and I love watching their crazy brother/sister antics. The boy is definitely the more sooky one but only after a week they're both getting braver with my dog who just loves and is so curious about them! The only problem is Sabrina aka Miss Grumbles, my cat who does not like them. She is evil, has no maternal instincts whatsoever. Definitely my cat!

FYI private blog hiatus is off...I just need to be more careful about what I write, particularly if my friends are going to google themselves.

Boy Crush #3



Okay maybe he has grown up



The seriousness of looking this good



Browsing through Dlisted, I discovered I am closer in age to Frankie Muniz (25!) than Nick Stahl who is 31.

This can't be right I thought, but led me to rediscover an old crush on Nick.

He's not traditionally good looking so I don't know how many would agree, he's kind of like James McAvoy and Ryan Gosling where there is an everyman quality about them which is interesting.

Admittedly a bit of an emo looking kid especially with a role in Disturbing Behaviour where Katie Holmes was also trying to shake some Joey Potter persona.

He was also an interesting choice to play John Connor in Terminator 3.

I think I first noticed Stahl in the 2001 film, In the Bedroom even though he did only have a small part, he was also good in Carnivale. I never saw Bully but I think it would be the kind of film I usually enjoy.

So am I crazy?

Look at those cute ears!

The Rocketeer

This post is unusual because it is a movie that my boyfriend recently forced me to watch.
It's not to say I didn't like it or didn't vaguely remember it from 1991 but I was in the mood for horror movies. We were contemplating a very belated Halloween themed movie marathon over the past weekend and I had picked up Triangle, Carrie (of course I have seen before but boyfriend hasn't) and some random movie whose name eludes me.

Triangle was weird but okay, we still haven't watched Carrie or the other one and he picks up Rocketeer quite excited remembering watching it when he was younger. I grunted an okay (I'm a film Nazi, he always seems to pick these B grade things which admittedly can be amusing) and a lackluster viewing ensued!

Seriously though, released in 1991 and starring Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, and Paul Sorvino it really is quite a talented line up.

Set in the 1930s Campbell plays young pilot Cliff Secord who stumbles upon a prototype of a rocket pack in his wrecked plane, (pack designed by Howard Hughes no less) which had been stolen by gangstas led by Sorvino's character, Eddie Valentine. He in turn is working for Dalton's character, Neville Sinclair, a big shot Hollywood actor. Cliff tells no one he finds it, thinking he can make money from it now that his plane is wrecked. He ends up flying the jet pack when he goes to rescue another pilot who hasn't flown in a long time at an air show and ends up being on the front page of newspapers and talk of the town as the mysterious 'rocketeer'.

But now the FBI are after the rocketeer thinking he stole the prototype as well as the gangstas working for Neville.

Connelly plays Jenny, Cliff's girlfriend (an actress with a small part in Neville's movie) who gets caught up in the mess when Neville finds out her boyfriend is the one who found the rocket pack.

Arkin is Peevee, Cliff's mentor and mechanic who helps him work out some of the kinks in the rocket pack's design and creates the weird looking helmet.

This movie is fairly enjoyable, whilst having an at times corny script. Cliff rescues the girl as well as saves America from the Nazis (well it is based on a comic book).
The kiss at the end is fairly obvious but very Disney I suppose, last lines below:

Cliff Secord: What was that line again? Oh my prince...

Jenny: ...would that you drink of my lips...
Cliff Secord: Thanks, I don't mind if I do.

The deaths of the 'bad guys' are predictably awful but in a no blood and guts way. It's all very pro America:

[siding with the FBI to fight the Nazis]
Eddie Valentine: I may not make an honest buck, but I'm 100% American...

Get lost in his dreaminess

I know gangstas aren't the most scrupulous of characters, but wouldn't they be wondering why Neville wants a rocket pack?

Turns out he's a Nazi spy, and it turns gangstas are actually very patriotic and will stand up against a Nazi spy even if they are tripling their pay.