SNMR 4.29: "Shopgirl"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Shopgirl" (2005, R, 106 minutes), staring Claire Danes, Steve Martin, Jason Schwartzman and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras. The film was directed by Anand Tucker.

This is another one of those DVD's I'd seen in the library for quite some time that looked interesting and never got around to watching, until recently. Steve Martin turned in to a decent actor and on his merit did I check out this film, which is based on Martin's own novella.

PLOT SUMMARY: The story follows Mirabelle, a disenchanted salesgirl and aspiring artist who sells gloves and accessories at Saks 5^th Avenue in Los Angeles. She has two men in her life: clueless, penniless and socially inept Jeremy (Schwartzman) whom she meets in a laundromat late one night and wealthy divorcee Ray Porter (Martin) whom she sells a pair of gloves to. Lonely and bored, Mirabelle goes on a date with Jeremy and they end up sleeping together. Later she discovers a package at her door - the gloves she sold to Porter, who asks her to dinner. Ray has made it clear though that he is only interested in a fling with Mirabelle. Despite that warning, Mirabelle eventually falls in love with Ray, and her lonely existence becomes a thing of the past. At the same time, Jeremy becomes friends with the members of a rock band and travels on the road with them for months, trying to find himself and his purpose. Fate takes a hand and Mirabelle and a transformed Jeremy meet in New York, where she realizes that she still has an attraction for him.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS MOVIE: Claire Danes performance keeps this movie from being a total drag. The only really amusing character in this film is Lisa the Saks perfume salesgirl (Wilson-Sampras) who is a blond bombshell that envies Mirabelle's relationships and seduces poor Jeremy, thinking he is the rich Porter. Oops.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS MOVIE: Pretty much everything. The story is boring and uneventful, and plods along for the entirety of the film. The two men in Mirabelle's life are total opposites and equally unappealing. In my opinion it's unrealistic that she would fall in love with either of them. Jeremy is a loser and Porter is old enough to be Mirabelle's father.

Go rent something else. Nothing to see here.

*1/2 out of *****

21 years later...

The last time it happened I was graduating from high school. That was the last year that there were four different digits in the year (which won't happen again until 2013 but who's counting... if you don't believe me, figure it out for yourself!).

There have been 61 previous NBA Finals. The Celtics and Lakers have won thirty of them, 16 titles in 19 trips for Boston, 14 titles in 28 trips for Los Angeles. Amazingly, they have not met in the NBA Finals since 1987. In fact, the Celtics have not even sniffed the NBA Finals since that year (the Celtics had absolutely no chance of winning the Eastern Conference Championship when they played vs. New Jersey in 2002).

Remember the 80's were the days of Bird, Parish, McHale, DJ and Danny v. Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Scott and Rambis.

Honestly, basketball has been irrelevant in Boston since the original big three retired, especially with the championship success of the Red Sox and Patriots in the last eight years. But this match-up is special. These teams are basketball royalty.

Looks like I'm gonna be watching a little more hoops in the next three weeks.

The amazing thing is that last year the Celtics were horrible. Start with Paul Pierce. Then you add Ray Allen and a man called the "Big Ticket", who at first did not want to come play in Boston and you have the new "Big Three".

WHAT?!?!?! Someone who didn't want to play for the Celtics?

Quite frankly with the recent history of that franchise, I wouldn't want to play for them either. Twenty years ago that would have been unthinkable. Unthinkable.

Forget that this will be the 11^th time these two teams have met in the Finals, (where the Celtics are 8-2 v. LA). None of that matters now. These players for both teams, were kids in 1987. Celtics forward Paul Pierce says he grew up watching Celtics v. Lakers and it was this match up that got him interested in basketball.

Even though NBA basketball has been an afterthought for me since the 1980's, I've always been a homer and have wanted the Boston teams to do well, including during the horrible ML Carr and Rick Pitino years. And lest we forget the tragedy that was Len Bias. Now all we need in this area is for the Bruins to get off the schneid. (HA!)

So here's the schedule:

NBA FINALS - BEST OF SEVEN (2-3-2 format). Boston wins 4-2.

Date, Time, Match-up, Network (Results updated after each game.)
Thursday, June 5 @ Boston Celtics 98, L.A. Lakers 88

Sunday, June 8 @ Boston Celtics 108, L.A. Lakers 102

Tuesday, June 10 at L.A. Lakers 87, Boston Celtics 81

Thursday, June 12 Boston Celtics 97, at L.A. Lakers 91

Sunday, June 15 at L.A. Lakers 103, Boston Celtics 98

Tuesday, June 17 (9 p.m. ET) at Boston Celtics 131, Los Angeles Lakers 92

if a picture is worth 1,000 words...

Green's top 30 sexy women, part V

I think it's so cool that I've been able to finagle five posts out of a tag that I admittedly made much more complicated because of my apparent lack of decision making skills.

Anyway, if you've been following along, here is the much anticipated top five:

5. Kate Hudson 5'6", DOB: April 19, 1979 in Los Angeles, California.
Kate is divorced with one child and is currently single, as far as I know. I first noticed Kate in "Almost Famous". She's never been in a bad movie that I've seen. Her next project, "My Best Friend's Girl" is scheduled for a mid-September 2008 release.


4. Charlize Theron 5'9 1/2", DOB: August 7, 1975 in Benoni, Gautang, South Africa.
Charlize is single. I first noticed Charlize in "The Devil's Advocate". She won the Best Actress Oscar in 2004 for her role in "Monster". Charlize's most recent film, "Sleepwalking" is playing in theaters now.


3. Reese Witherspoon 5'2 1/2", DOB: March 22, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Reese is divorced with two children. I first noticed Reese in "Pleasantville". She won the 2006 Best Actress Oscar for "Walk The Line". Reese's last film was 2007's "Rendition". Her next film "Four Christmases" is scheduled for a November 2008 release.


2. Jennifer Garner 5'9", DOB: April 17, 1972 in Houston, Texas.
Jennifer is married with one child. Jennifer starred in my favorite television series, "ALIAS", which ran for five seasons, from 2001-2006. She has proven that she can handle both dramatic roles and comedic roles with equal skill. Her last film was 2007's "Juno".

And number one is....

(really should be no surprise... if you've been paying attention.)

1. Jennifer Aniston 5'5", DOB: February 11, 1969 in Sherman Oaks, California.
Jennifer is single. I've seen most of Jennifer's films and my favorite so far has to be "The Break-Up". In most of her early films she's had supporting roles. I was a fan of hers before I saw any episodes of "Friends". She was actually the reason I watched that show at all. What kind of fan could I be if I'd never seen the show that made her a household name? Jennifer has three films in post production right now that are scheduled for release in 2008.

Holiday weekend lull

I interrupt your Memorial Day weekend for this important message.



Ok, so it's not really that important, but here goes!

I'm experiencing a lull in my normal weekend routine and I don't quite know what to do about it.

Weekends for me usually begin by picking up V and M from K after work on Friday. That didn't happen this week. V had a slumber party with three of her school friends on Friday night and because of that, we didn't make the exchange until Saturday afternoon.

Today, V, M and I were going to go to church, but for a garden variety of reasons didn't. We still had to meet K at a certain meeting place at 12:30, so they could go to a family cookout at their other grandparent's house. V and M will spend the night at K's house and tomorrow morning the three of them will participate in a 10K walk/run thing that is held in their town in memorial of some chap whose name escapes me who died way too young.

K is going to call me at some point tomorrow morning so that we can meet at our normal meeting spot, and I can reclaim V and M until Tuesday morning, so that K can go to work Monday night.

Tuesday morning this week will resemble Monday in that I'll drop them off at K's work in the morning before I myself can go to work.

Long story short, I'm experiencing this lull in my weekend because V and M are normally here now and they are not. V would have been working on her project for school which is due on Tuesday while M and I surely would have played catch this afternoon as the weather here is absolutely wonderful. Clear blue sky, high temperature in the low 80's with no humidity.

With the kids out of the picture until tomorrow, I should be motivated to do some stuff that I should be doing, that I wouldn't likely be able to do when they are here. But I am not finding the necessary mojo, if you know what I mean.

Maybe I'll watch one of the five DVD's I signed out of the library last Thursday. I did actually watch two of these DVD's tonight, which I'll either review on SNMR or maybe on the BIG SCREEN blog at some point.

====

Had my grandfather lived a few more years, he would have been 99 today.

SNMR 4.28: "Key Largo"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Key Largo" (1948, NR, 101 minutes, B&W), starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, Lionel Barrymore, Claire Trevor and Thomas Gomez. The film was directed by John Huston.

PLOT SUMMARY: Frank McCloud (Bogart) has just gotten off the bus in Key Largo to visit Nora (Bacall), the widow of his Army friend and her father-in-law James (Barrymore). They run a hotel in Largo that has been quietly taken over by gangsters, led by the notorious Johnny Rocco (Robinson). The gangsters are forced to stay at the hotel longer than they'd like thanks to a hurricane that sweeps through. After making the deal that they came for, McCloud is coerced into helping the bad guys escape by taking them out... on a boat. And take them out he does!

MY OPINION: This was a decent film, but not one of the more scintillating Bogart/Bacall pairings. There are many good, quotable lines from this film. Huston does a good job directing an unremarkable script. This film is far from the 'powerful, sweltering classic' that the blurb on the DVD case would lead you to believe. The movie drags in spots and there is not as much character development as I might have liked. Why do we care about these people?

The big thing for me, though is the weirdness that was watching Lionel Barrymore in a role other than Mr. Potter (It's A Wonderful Life) and Edward G. Robinson in a role other than Dathan (The Ten Commandments). Talk about stereotyping!

Without doing the reseach, I wonder what other actresses were nominated for Best Supporting in 1949, because nothing in Claire Trevor's part screamed to me anything having to do with Oscar. Still though, if you're a fan of Bogart or Bogart and Bacall, then this film is a must see. It's decent, old-fashioned entertainment.

**1/2 out of *****

'nuff said

Guess what we're going to see on Saturday afternoon? Even if it sucks, it's gonna be great! Nineteen years is a long time between sequels...

===========

Happy 11th Birthday, V. I love you, sweetheart.
Happy Birthday tomorrow, Dad.

Green's top 30 sexy women, part IV

We're getting down to the wire here. Aren't you excited to see who is in my top ten? Believe me, it gets harder and harder to rank these stunningly beautiful and talented women.

Ok, here goes. The next five:


10. Danica Patrick 5'2", DOB: March 25, 1982 in Beloit, Wisconsin.
Danica is married with no children. Danica is the youngest woman in my top 30 list. I first noticed Danica when I was selling mortgages briefly at the end of 2003. One of her racing sponsors then was Argent Mortgage, and we had a poster of her on the wall in the office. Danica is getting ready for this Sunday's Indianapolis 500. Danica's 4^th place Indy finish in 2005 is the highest finish for a female driver in that event.

9. Kate Beckinsale 5'8", DOB: July 23, 1973 in London, England, UK.
Kate is married with no children. My favorite film of Kate's is "Serendipity" . Kate's next film, "Winged Creatures", is due for release sometime in 2008.

8. Helen Hunt 5'8", DOB: June 15, 1963 in Los Angeles, California.
Helen is divorced and single. The first time I remember seeing Helen, she had a bit part in "When Peggy Sue Got Married". I really first noticed Helen in "Twister" because I never really watched her hit television series, "Mad About You". Ironically, I thought her worst film to date was "As Good As It Gets", for which she won the Best Actress Oscar in 1998. Helen's last film was 2007's "Then She Found Me".

7. Kate Winslet 5'6 1/2", DOB: October 5, 1975 in Reading, Berkshire, England, UK.
Kate is married with two children. I, along with most everyone else, really noticed Kate in "Titanic". Prior to that her biggest film was "Sense and Sensibility". Her next film, "Revolutionary Road", is due for a Christmas 2008 release.

6. Anne Heche 5'5", DOB: May 25, 1969 in Aurora, Ohio.
Anne will soon be divorced. She has one child. The first film I noticed Anne in was "Six Days Seven Nights". Anne starred in the recently cancelled television series "Men In Trees".

Look for the top five on Monday!

grad-yee-way-shun and a no-no

Yesterday my youngest sister graduated from college... again. This time with a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Everyone say "Oooooooh! Aaaaaaah!

Actually I'm very proud of her accomplishments. Congrats, C. All the best to you.

I have to say though that as I was listening to all the speeches and associated graduation crapola that goes along with it, I couldn't help but chuckle at the idealism, hopefulness and anticipation of going out into the "real" world that I heard laced in every speech.

Sure, some in her graduating class might make it big or make a noticeable impact on society, but more than likely most of her graduating class will struggle to make ends meet and suffer through interminable job after interminable job, like most of us inevitably do.

Gee, do you think I'm a wee bit jaded, or what??

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Unlike last time, I didn't miss this one. (hello, Esther!)

Well, at least I saw the last three innings of Jon Lester's no-hitter tonight against the Kansas City Royals.

Because I'm a sports geek, one thing that I love is all of the neat statistics that ESPN and other media outlets dig up when someone pitches a no-no, like:

The Red Sox, as a team, have thrown 18 no-hitters in their history, second only to the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Red Sox are tied with the Yankees and Marlins for the most no-hitters since 1993 with four.

Lester's no-hitter was his first complete game in his major league career. He's 24.

Lester is the first Red Sox lefty to throw a no-hitter since Mel Parnell did it on July 14, 1956.

Jon Lester's no-hitter was the first no-hitter in the majors since teammate Clay Buchholz threw one last season. The last team to have two straight no-hitters was the Angels in 1974 and 1975, when Nolan Ryan threw both.

The Royals were no-hit for only the second time in franchise history. The first time was in 1973 by the Angels' Ryan.

It was only the second time that there has been a no-hitter in consecutive seasons at Fenway Park (1916-1917).

Red Sox Catcher Jason Varitek set a major league record, catching his fourth career no-hitter with four different pitchers (Hideo Nomo in 2001, Derek Lowe in 2002, Clay Buchholz in 2007 and Lester).

SNMR 4.27: "Four Weddings and a Funeral"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1993, R, 118 minutes), starring Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet, John Hannah, Charlotte Coleman and David Bower. The film was directed by Mike Newell.

PLOT SUMMARY: Handsome, debonair and confirmed London bachelor Charles (Grant) just can't get himself to commit. The more he sees his mates tie the knot, the less he wants to be roped in himself. But all of that changes when he meets and keeps running into an attractive, free-spirited American (MacDowell). Instantly smitten, Charles begins to pursue her, only to learn that she too is ready to take the plunge... with someone else!

MY OPINION: I didn't find this film to be touching or funny and certainly not effortlessly enchanting. It will never become one of the classic romantic comedies of all time. Individually, I think Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell are fine actors and I like them in other films I've seen, but even their talent couldn't save this movie. I didn't think they got enough screen time together to build any sense of chemistry. These are paper thin characters that we have no reason to care about and root for. The story had promise but just fails. This was an incredibly weak script that, at just under two hours, was about 30 minutes too long. I found this film to be slow, boring and terribly predictable.

*1/2 out of *****

133rd Preakness Stakes

Can Big Brown, the overwhelming favorite, win the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown? We shall see if he can. Hopefully there won't be any more post race tragedies after this race.

133^rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racetrack, Baltimore, MD (post time 18:15)

Post Horse Odds
1 Macho Again 20-1
2 Tres Borrachos 30-1
3 Icabad Crane 30-1
4 Yankee Bravo 15-1
5 Behindathebar 10-1
6 Racecar Rhapsody 30-1
7 Big Brown 1-2
8 Kentucky Bear 15-1
9 Stevil 30-1
10 Riley Tucker 10-1
11 Giant Moon 30-1
12 Gayego 8-1
13 Hey Byrn 20-1

18:45 update: Well, Big Brown did it, winning the Preakness by 5 1/4 lengths. Read all about it here. Next up, the Belmont Stakes in three weeks, on June 7^th.

If Big Brown wins at Belmont, he'll be the 12^th Triple Crown winner and first in 30 years.


Photo Credit: horsephotos.com

Green's top 30 sexy women, part III

Halfway through, so let's review:

30. Christina Applegate
29. Britney Spears
28. Gwyneth Paltrow
27. Jessica Simpson
26. Dina Meyer
25. Minnie Driver
24. Christina Aguilera
23. Bonnie Bernstein
22. Jennifer Love Hewitt
21. Halle Berry
20. Julia Roberts
19. Alicia Keys
18. Renee Zellweger
17. Shania Twain
16. Rebecca Romijn

The next five:

15. Amy Adams 5'4", DOB: August 20, 1974 in Aviano, Pordenone, Italy.
Amy is single. I first noticed her in "Catch Me if You Can". Amy's popularity as an actress is growing. Her most recent film, "Mrs. Pettigrew Lives For a Day", opened in March.

14. Diane Lane 5'5 1/4", DOB: January 22, 1965 in New York, New York.
Diane is married with one child. She is a very underrated actress. Why, I'll never know. I first noticed her in "The Outsiders" and have been following her career ever since. Diane's most recent film, "Jumper", came out in February.

13. Faith Hill 5'8", DOB: September 21, 1967 in Jackson, Mississippi.
Faith is married with three children. She is another artist that is represented well in my CD collection and one who I always stop and listen for when her songs play on the radio. So far, "Cry" is my favorite of her CD's but they're all good.

12. Denise Richards 5'6", DOB: February 17, 1971 in Downers Grove, Illinois.
Denise is divorced with two children. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, what were you thinking? I first noticed Denise in "Starship Troopers". Her next film, "Jolene", is scheduled for an August release.

11. Ashley Judd 5'7", DOB: April 19, 1968 in Granada Hills, California.
Ashley is married with no children. I first noticed Ashley when she had a guest spot in episode 5.6 of "Star Trek: Next Generation", which is my favorite episode of that television series. Ashley's next film, "Crossing Over", is scheduled for an August release.



Look for #10-6 (part IV) next Tuesday.

60 Years ago today

7"Before she travailed, (S)she brought forth;
Before her pain came, (T)she gave birth to a boy.
8"(U)Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a land be born in one day?
Can a nation be brought forth all at once?
As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.
9"Shall I bring to the point of birth and (V)not give delivery?" says the LORD.
"Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?" says your God.
Isaiah 66:7-10 NASB

(S) Is 37:3; 54:1 (T) Rev 12:5 (U) Is 64:4 (V) Is 37:3



Today marks the 60^th anniversary of the modern state of Israel. Despite the annniversary, there still are issues to be dealt with. Issues with no easy solutions.

It seems like yesterday, but I went to Israel over twelve years ago. It still remains the best vacation I've ever taken. Once you visit, Israel becomes a part of you forever. There is no doubt that the Land is special, and you can feel God's presence there. I know I did, hard as that may be to explain.

The existence, history and legacy of this great nation is amazing, and so ingrained into the fabric of the Jewish culture. It is amazing to see a nation come together, as Israel does, to observe and celebrate it's sabbaths and religious holidays.

I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if you ever get the opportunity to travel to this country, do it. DO. IT. It is a journey that you'll never forget.

Green's top 30 sexy women, part II

The next five:


#20 Julia Roberts 5'9", DOB: October 28, 1967 in Smyrna, Georgia.
Julia is married with three children. I first noticed Julia, as did most of America, back in 1990 with "Pretty Woman". Her current film, "Fireflies in the Garden" is scheduled to open sometime in 2008.

#19 Alicia Keys 5'6", DOB: January 25, 1980 in New York, New York.
Alicia is single. Wow, what a voice! Music videos, CD's or just listening to the radio, there are few contemporary musicians that I'll just stop whatever I'm doing and listen to, and Alicia is one of them.


#18 Renee Zellweger 5'4", DOB: Katy, Texas.
Renee is single. From everything I've read about Renee, she is a star without a huge ego and as far as I can tell, just a naturally sweet person. I first noticed Renee in "Jerry Maguire" and was really impressed with her singing ability in "Chicago". Her most recent film, "Leatherheads", came out in April.

#17 Shania Twain 5'4", DOB: August 28, 1965 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Shania is married and has one child. Oy, what a voice! Shania is one of my favorite musicians and another whom I'll stop whatever I'm doing and listen when her music is played on the radio.

#16 Rebecca Romijn 5'11", DOB: Berkekey, California.
Rebecca is married with no children. I first noticed her in the tabloids when she was dating and married to John Stamos. Her best films so far, were the X-Men series. She's currently starrin gin the television series "Ugly Betty".

Look for #15-11 (part III) on Thursday!

Mother's Day 2008

I hope all of you mothers out there in blogger-land (and anywhere else for that matter) have a great, happy and safe Mother's Day. Hopefully you can spend today with your families. Let them do the cooking and cleaning up today, so you all can rest, relax and enjoy your day.

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Happy Mother's Day, Mom. You're the best.

SNMR 4.26: "Iris"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Iris" (2001, R, 91 minutes), starring Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville. The film was directed by Richard Eyre. Jim Broadbent won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2002 while Judi Dench and Kate Wnslet were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively.

PLOT SUMMARY: (from the DVD's dust case) Here's the powerful true story based on John Bayley's novels that earned Jim Broadbent an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Academy Award Nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love) and Kate Winslet (Titanic) bring to the screen one of the most extraordinary women of the 20^thcentury, celebrated English author Iris Murdoch. As told by her unlikely soul mate, husband John Bayley, Iris first became known as a brilliant young scholar at Oxford whose boundless spirit dazzled those around her. Then, during a remarkable career as a novelist and philosopher, she continued to prove herself a woman ahead of her time. Even later in life, as age and illness robbed Iris of her remarkable gifts, nothing could diminish her immense influence or weaken the bond with her devoted husband.


WHAT I THINK: The casting people did a really good job here in choosing actors to play the young and old Iris and John and the makeup people did a really great job in helping Judi Dench and Kate Winslet as well as Jim Broadbent and Hugh Bonneville look remarkably similar, so that the transitions back and forth between young and old have a seamless quality about them.

In general, stories about people suffering from Alzheimer's Disease are depressing and this movie is no exception. The story is emotional and moving, but not really my kind of film. I really don't think that Broadbent, Dench or Winslet gave particularly Oscar worthy performances, but I guess that's why (among many reasons) I don't get a real vote for the Oscar nominated performances. Still, it's a good film.

***1/4 out of *****

Eyes

The human eye is a marvelously complicated and complex organ, don't you think? I couldn't even imagine going through life without my sight. Being blind - it's my worst nightmare.

Ever since I was a kid, I've always liked going to the optometrist. I was always fascinated by all of the neat equipment they get to use. After all these years, I still am. I've worn glasses since before the start of the sixth grade, or roughly for more than 25 years. Now I get to try something totally new (for me). Something that V has dealt with since she was six months old. What's that you ask? Read on...



1: posterior chamber 2: ora serrata 3: ciliary muscle 4: ciliary zonules 5: canal of Schlemm 6: pupil 7: anterior chamber 8: cornea 9: iris 10: lens cortex 11: lens nucleus 12: ciliary process 13: conjuntiva 14: inferior oblique muscule 15: inferior rectus muscule 16: medial rectus muscle 17: retinal arteries and veins 18: optic disc 19: dura mater 20: central retinal artery 21: central retinal vein 22: optical nerve 23: vorticose vein 24: bulbar sheat 25: macula 26: fovea 27: sclera 28: choroid 29: superior rectus muscule 30: retina


I had an eye doctor appointment tonight, my first in over three years. Predictably, my eyes have gotten worse since last time I went, so I'll be getting new glasses soon.

Ever since I was a kid, I've always liked going to the optometrist. I was always fascinated by all of the neat equipment they get to use. After all these years, I still am. Even before the eye doc said it, I knew what he was going to tell me about the results of my exam:

For the first time in my life, I need bifocals. You read that right: bifocals.

Fortunately the technology for bifocals has come a long way in the last 30 years or so. When you see my new glasses, you won't even be able to tell that they are bifocals since they will be blended lenses.

It will take some time getting used to them, I know, but I can handle it.


(My daughter V was born with lazy eye and has had bifocals since she was six months old. She'll be eleven in a few weeks.)

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Totally unrelated to eyes but not worthy of it's own post: Check out this from the "You've Gotta Be Kidding Me" Department. That's 13 1/2 years people!!!

Green's top 30 sexy women, part I

For me, it started here.

Then she posted this and this in consecutive posts.

Turns out she did it and so did she.

Oh, before I forget, she did it and she did it too [and tagged me to boot (which I didn't see until tonight!)]

It's a vicious circle that goes on and on and on....

So now I'm gonna {finally} do it too!

I know that you all probably will disagree with my list when all is said and done, but that's ok! It is my list after all.

Guys need eye candy too, y'know. So here goes: (Dayum, this was a hard decision! I'm gonna have to go above and beyond the fifteen (way beyond!) because I can't choose!

All this beauty is all the proof I need that there is a God and He is good!!!

#30 Christina Applegate 5'5", DOB: November 25, 1971 in Hollywood, California.
Christina is divorced as of August, 2007. Her claim to fame came as the ditsy Kelly Bundy on "Married With Children". She's currently starring in the comedy, "Samantha Who?"


#29 Britney Spears 5'4", DOB: December 2, 1981 in Kentwood, Louisiana.
Britney is divorced as of July 2007 and has two children. We know more about Britney than we probably need to thanks to her ever present appearances in the weekly tabloid magazines. She would have ranked much higher on my list, say two years ago, thanks to all the bad family related publicity that she's received, whether fair or not.


#28 Gwyneth Paltrow 5'10", DOB: September 27, 1972 in Los Angeles, California.
Gwyneth is married to Coldplay front man Chris Martin and has two children. She won the 1999 Best Actress Oscar for "Shakespeare In Love" which is one of my favorite films. Her most recent film, "Iron Man" opened in theaters on May 2^nd. She would have ranked much higher on my list several years ago.


#27 Jessica Simpson 5'3 1/2", DOB: July 10, 1980 in Abilene, Texas.
Jessica is divorced as of June 2006 and currently dating Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo. Her latest film, "The Love Guru" is scheduled to be released on June 20^th.


#26 Dina Meyer 5'7", DOB: December 22, 1968 in Queens, New York.
Dina is currently single. I first remember seeing Dina in her 12 episode guest stint on "Beverly Hills 90210" in 1994. Dina has done lots of television work in her career and a few feature films, including "Saw I-IV".


#25 Minnie Driver 5'10", DOB: January 31, 1970 in London, England.
Minnie is currently single, as far as I can tell. Her current television series is "The Riches", which has not resumed new episodes as of the End of April. My favorite Minnie Driver film so far has got to be "Good Will Hunting".


#24 Christina Aguilera 5'1 1/2", DOB: December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York.
Christina is married and has one child.
I first noticed Christina when she sang in the Disney movie "Mulan". Chiristina's first CD is one of my favorites.


#23 Bonnie Bernstein 5'3"-5'4" (my guesstimate), DOB: August 16, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York.
Bonnie is single as far as I can tell. She has been one of my favorite sports television journalists for quite a long time. She represents, to me, the beginning of the explosion of talented (and highly attractive) female sports television reporter/journalists.


#22 Jennifer Love Hewitt 5'2 1/2", DOB: February 21, 1979 in Waco, Texas.
Jennifer is engaged to Ross McCall. She got her first break with the television series "Party of Five" and is currently starring in the television series "The Ghost Whisperer".

#21 Halle Berry 5'7", DOB: August 14, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Halle is divorced as of January 2005. She won the Best Actress Oscar in 2002 for "Monster's Ball". She made her film debut in "Jungle Fever" and her latest film, "Things We Lost in the Fire" came out in October 2007.

Look for #20-16 on Monday!

Recommended Reading List #3

This post is long overdue simply because the old sidebar is getting quite crowded again.

I seriously hope you will pick up some of these titles and enjoy reading them as much as I did.

21. To Own a Dragon

22. In Defense of Israel

23. Through Painted Deserts

24. Sound the Trumpets

25. Mosaic: Amy Grant - Pieces of My Life So Far

26. Blue Like Jazz

27. Searching for God Knows What

28. The Case for the Real Jesus

29. Evidence for Christianity

30. Evolution Exposed

SNMR 4.25: "Picture Perfect"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Picture Perfect" (1997, PG-13, 100 minutes) starring Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Jay Mohr, Illeana Douglas, Kevin Dunn and Olympia Dukakis. The film was directed by Glenn Gordon Caron.

PLOT SUMMARY: Kate (Aniston) is determined to turn her mid-level advertising job into an executive position - and equally determined to snare Sam (Bacon), the agency's ultra suave Romeo who prefers illicit affairs with attached women. She achieves both goals by pretending she's getting married to Nick (Mohr), a man she met at a wedding and barely knows. Her carefully constructed fictional life comes face to face with reality when her boss wants to meet Nick, sending Kate's personal and professional worlds spinning out of control and eventually crashing down on top of her.

MY OPINION: Here's a story that is cute, charming and has lots of potential but doesn't dazzle. The script is decent and has some funny moments but the ending is weak. Jennifer Aniston gives a good but not great performance. I thought Kevin Bacon was very good in his uncharacteristic, sleazy role. Olympia Dukakis, in her limited role, is believable as Aniston's obsessive, controlling mother. She has some of the best one liners in the film. I think Jay Mohr is excellent in this film and basically steals the movie with a heart-felt performance. This is a fun movie, plain and simple. Not the greatest romantic comedy you'll ever watch but certainly not the worst, either.

*** out of *****

134th Kentucky Derby

Today is Derby Day, with post time at 6:04 PM.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary since the last time there was a Triple Crown Winner (1978, Affirmed).

Most of the major horse racing "experts" expect this to be a wide-open race. As for me, I don't know enough about the horses, trainers and jockeys to make an educated guess as to which horse will win. And I really don't care, either.

All I know is that I enjoy watching these Triple Crown races and that I'll be rooting for the horse that wins today to win the Preakness in two weeks and the Belmont Stakes three weeks after that.

I just read an article that said that the track at Churchill Downs could be wet and muddy today, which will really mess up the horses an make an unpredictable race even more so. I'll update the post with the top three finishers later tonight.

134^th Kentucky Derby
at Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY

Post Horse Odds
1 Cool Coal Man 20-1
2 Tale of Ekati 15-1
3 Anak Nakal 30-1
4 Court Vision 20-1
5 Eight Belles 20-1 **place**
6 Z Fortune 15-1
7 Big Truck 50-1
8 Visionaire 20-1
9 Pyro 6-1
10 Colonel John 4-1
11 Z Humor 30-1
12 Smooth Air 20-1
13 Bob Black Jack 20-1
14 Monba 15-1
15 Adriano 30-1
16 Denis of Cork 20-1 **show**
17 Cowboy Cal 20-1
18 Recapturetheglory 20-1
19 Gayego 15-1
20 Big Brown 3-1 **win**

Well, Big Brown is your winner (by 4 3/4 lengths) and 2008 Triple Crown contender. Eight Belles, even though she finished second, is the tragic big loser of the day. Denis of Cork finished third. Read all the details here.

Photo credits: Big Brown from horsephotos.com and Eight Belles from Viewimages.