"'Cause for the first time in forever, There'll be music, there'll be light. For the first time in forever, I'll be dancing through the night." ~frozen



You may have realized I'm on a Kristen Bell kick right now, mostly because of the Veronica Mars movie. She's been doing pretty darn well over the past year; Frozen was obviously a huge success, she's had a good season on House of Lies (I think season three has actually been my favorite), she got married (to Dax Shepard), had a baby (Lincoln)...not bad, right?

I think it's funny how different these three recent roles are from each other; here's an overview for you:

First of all, she plays Anna in Frozen. You can hear her singing in "For the First Time in Forever" at the top of this post. I think most people didn't realize that she has musical theater roots. She made her Broadway debut in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 2001. She was also in the musical Reefer Madness (both the film version and the stage version), she was Fredrika in Sondheim's A Little Night Music, and she was in the workshop of the musical Heathers. She majored in musical theater at NYU. So Frozen is a natural project for her, and I love hearing her voice. Here's a video clip.

Look at that lovely ingenue above. Then look at her in House of Lies as Jeannie. She's dark and twisted and I love seeing KBell playing a character like that. Like she says below, Jeannie's got a lot of venom, and that's so much fun to watch.

Here's a video where the worlds of Frozen and House of Lies collide; it's a hilarious Don Cheadle interview (on Conan) in which he teases Kristen (and calls her Fatty).

By the way, last night's season finale of House of Lies completely broke my heart. Seriously. I don't know what will happen next season, but I don't think I can wait. Below is a season 3 promo video (season three just ended).





And then there's Veronica. KBell has said that playing this character comes easiest to her. I think it's her best role. There's so much to say about Veronica that I don't know where to begin. So I'll just say I love her and admire her, and if I really am anything like her, I'm thrilled.

 (I didn't even cheat on these.)

I. Love. Them. (And this song.)



Here's another version of it Jason Segel has done.


Something funny: There's a contest going around on a bunch of blogs right now to win a Veronica Mars prize pack (the movie DVD and a hat). I don't know how many blogs are hosting this contest, but I think I entered it on close to 50 different websites. I figured I'd have a good chance if I entered in as many places as possible. I've already won the contest four times, on four different sites. Of course I'm only allowed to win once, so I had to notify three of the websites that I've already won and am not eligible. It's a bummer I can't win more than once, but it's pretty funny. I wish I could transfer some of this extra luck to something else.

"My folks had left the TV on. I was falling in love years before I ever met someone. Like a prayer you don't expect an answer, though you ask for one. Was sure my love would come along. Like some rare bird, and only I would recognize the song. Like the actors I've seen on the television with the stage lights on." ~typhoon


I just have a random assortment of thoughts that I'm too exhausted to organize.

1. I hate iTunes 11 with a passion.

2. I love the current Broadway production of Cabaret. Alan Cumming as the emcee? Perfect. How amazing is that man? And Michelle Williams as Sally Bowles? Wonderful. Of course I knew she could act (My Week with Marilyn, Blue Valentine, Wendy and Lucy, and Brokeback Mountain feature my favorite performances of hers; she's come a long way since Dawson's Creek, and she's got three Oscar nominations at this point with more to come I'm sure). She can also sing and dance, though. Her version of the title song in Cabaret is a master class in musical theater. So that was awesome.

3. The above song is from the Veronica Mars movie soundtrack, which is, of course, fabulous (the show always featured great music).

4. The first Veronica Mars novel, The Thousand Dollar Tan Line, was released today. I started it on the subway to work this morning and finished it this evening. It featured far too little LoVe.

5. I've been reading a lot lately. Along with the Veronica Mars novel, in the past week I've read Karen Joy Fowler's We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, which made me cry way too much, and J.K. Rowling's The Cuckoo's Calling, which wasn't as good as her Harry Potter series but was better than her incredibly depressing The Casual Vacancy. I have a few books on my iPad that I'm deciding between for my next read. I think it'll be Sleep Donation by Karen Russell, even though I'm scared because I loved Swamplandia! so freakin' much that I don't see how this can compare (and I'm worried it'll make me as sad as Swamplandia! did). Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane will be on deck.

6. I don't think I wrote about my favorite books published in 2013, but I meant to. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is at the very top of the list. Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings was also wonderful, as was Kate Atkinson's Life After Life; they take second and third place. Honorable mentions go to The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, We Are Water by Wally Lamb, and The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (winner of the Man Booker Prize).

7. I hate shots. I'm now getting five allergy shots a week (for my five major allergies). This means in six months I'll get 130 shots. Did I mention I hate shots?  I'm using my Veronica Mars mug to express my feelings.

I guess that's all. I feel like there was more. Maybe I'll add more soon. I have a lot of upcoming Broadway shows I'll be writing about.

So, the Veronica Mars movie? Absolutely perfect. The above gif of Kristen is how I felt going into it (btw if you somehow haven't seen the video that the gif is from, go watch it now, it's one of the best things ever), and the movie exceeded my expectations. I saw it in a movie theater last night and it was so much fun. The theater was packed (this is the line just to get into the Veronica Mars movie, and I got there more than half an hour early):

It was great seeing it with a crowd of huge fans because the theater was full of audible reactions. Everyone came into the theater already invested in the story and knowing all the inside jokes that people who haven't seen the show won't get when they see the movie.

When I got home I watched the movie a few more times. One of the crazy original things about this movie is that it was released online the same day that it was released in theaters. It's available on iTunes, Amazon, Flickster...if it's not playing in a theater near you, go buy the video online. It's a great movie, and if it does well, hopefully this isn't the last we'll see of Veronica Mars. So please go buy it!

Leaving you with one more photo from the New York premiere. Taken by Gary Miereanu. #TeamLogan #LoVe

I am one happy Marshmallow.

Clockwise, starting in the top left corner: Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Ryan Hansen, Rob Thomas, Chris Lowell, and Percy Daggs III

The men of Veronica Mars are the nicest guys you could imagine. Seriously; they're all so, so sweet. Ryan Hansen (Dick) has a megawatt smile that just makes you feel like the happiest person in the world, and he's so open and friendly. Rico Colantoni (Papa Mars) is really good at sincere eye contact (he even winked at me). Chris Lowell (Piz) is just lovely (and he took the photo with me, which turned out to be the best one, so he's got impressive selfie skills). Percy Daggs (Wallace) seems really humble and sincere. Rob Thomas (the creator) is so grateful to the fans. And Jason Dohring (Logan). Oh, Jason Dorhing. I absolutely adore him. He seems a bit shy, but he really took his time with the fans. He thanked us, he asked for our names, and he cared. He looked at the first photo I took of the two of us and we had this exchange:
Jason: I like that filter you used.
Me: Oh, I didn't use a filter. It's just blurry.
Jason: Oh, well then do you want to take it again? Let's take it again. Snap away.
He had to get into the premiere, there was a huge crowd of fans, there were reporters and his publicist all vying for his time, and yet when he was with a fan, he truly acted like he had nothing better to do than show kindness to that fan. I've always been Team Logan, and I've always had a good impression of Jason, and he really, really impressed me today.

I was interviewed by Inside Edition at the movie premiere, so if you watch that show, keep your eyes out for me. 

Check out this fun photo of Jason and the crowd (do you see me?)

Go see the Veronica Mars movie on Friday (or whenever it comes out near you). I can't believe I've been waiting for this for seven years (because that ending was not satisfying for me).  I'm so glad Veronica and the gang are back.Oh, and watch Kristen Bell on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon tonight!