"We'll stay inside 'til somebody finds us, do whatever the TV tells us, stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz." ~the national

Even though I’ve been on winter break this week and didn’t have to work, to say that I’ve been busy is a massive understatement. I bought an apartment at the beginning of this year, and this week I finally moved into it. I’ve decided that I’m never moving again. If I ever get married, the guy is moving in with me. Seriously, I’m not leaving. Moving is that stressful. Some people have said things to me like, “Well, at least you’re not moving very far away.” Let me tell you something, whether you move across the globe or down the street, it’s still a difficult process. You still have to take everything you own and move it from one space to another, and although I only moved about ten blocks away, it was not easy. I have a LOT of stuff. I bought a bunch of new furniture from Ikea, assembled it all myself (with some lifting help from Nic and Roseann), moved all my stuff, and figured out where it all should go. I did a bunch of work before moving in, because it was easier that way. I painted the apartment and hung everything on the walls in advance so I had less to do when I actually moved. Now everything is basically set up, and I’m so, so happy about it. I love how it looks. I'm having an Oscar viewing party tonight, and I love that I can host it in my new apartment. I'm serving pineapple fritters in honor of The Descendants, Minny's chocolate pie from The Help, Hemingway daiquiris for Midnight in Paris, and mini hot dogs for Moneyball (those were some of my favorite nominees this year). I'm rooting for George Clooney, The Descendants, Viola Davis (I really, really hope she beats Meryl), but I guess I'd mostly just like a good show. I try not to get my hopes up too much, and even the nominations (or the lack of nominations for a few people, like Shailene Woodley, Ryan Gosling, and Albert Brooks) disappointed me a bit, so I try not to be too invested.

I don't have internet at my apartment and probably won't for awhile, so I'm posting this from Starbucks. I don't know how often I'll get to update; I can only eat so many Starbucks pastries (I don't drink coffee).
Here are some photos, and you can see more here (as well as a video tour).



And a couple of my Oscar dishes (Minny's chocolate pie, pineapple fritters for The Descendants):

"And all of your ways and all your thunder got me in a haze running for cover, where we gonna go from here? Where we gonna go from here?" ~mat kearney


It's time for recent show reviews!

Merrily We Roll Along
Stephen Sondheim is a genius. The star of this show is the score, because nobody can write a score like Sondheim. Yes, the book is problematic, but I still found the story affecting and tragic. Although I had never seen this show before, I was already familiar with some of the music, and hearing "Not a Day Goes By" sung live (a beautiful rendition by Betsy Wolfe) was a definite highlight for me. Colin Donnell, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Lin-Manuel Miranda play the three leads. I've seen them all in shows before and I enjoy their work very much, and none of them disappointed in this show. Celia was definitely my favorite. Lin-Manuel nailed his book scenes even though his voice was weak, and Colin Donnell did his best playing a difficult, unlikeable character. The supporting cast (particularly Elizabeth Stanley and Betsy Wolfe) was stellar. This is a tricky, divisive, show, but I loved seeing this production of it.

Richard III
Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey makes just as marvelous a Richard as you could imagine. This is his show. I don't know how he puts so much energy into his portrayal for every performance; he's in almost every scene, the running time is three hours and twenty minutes, and I saw the show on a two-show day. I can't imagine spending nearly seven hours a day throwing yourself wholeheartedly into that character like he does. Mr. Brantley discusses Mr. Spacey's "all-conquering audacity" in his New York Times review. It's interesting. Anyway, the time flew by, and I loved seeing an acting genius playing this classic character. Along with Mr. Spacey's performance, I particularly enjoyed seeing Haydn Gwynne as Queen Elizabeth (I loved her in Billy Elliot).

How I Learned to Drive
This is a chilling, brilliant play (it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998), and I loved this production of it. Oh my freakin' goodness, it really is wonderfully haunting. Elizabeth Reaser (Grey's Anatomy, the Twilight movies, and most recently Young Adult) plays Li'l Bit, the main character, and I was very impressed with her ability to play the character at different ages so realistically. She captures all the nuances of the complex character. Norbert Leo Butz co-stars, and he's always a treat to see on-stage. He's a two-time Tony winner and I've seen him in a bunch of stuff, and he always impresses me with his versatility. He's absolutely perfect as Uncle Peck. The New York Times review calls him "sensational" and I agree. It's a good review to read. I absolutely love, love, love this play.

"Holland’s papa wouldn’t stay in the ground, dead and buried and he walked into town. Lord God, what is Ma to do? Mama’s so mad cause he muddied up his suit, caught in a thorn bush, blowin' on a flute. Lord God, what is Ma to do?" ~the felice brothers

I've been listening to my recording of the last Felice Brothers concert I went to, and I fall even more in love with them every time I listen to it. I wasn't crazy about their newest album (Celebration Florida) at first, but now I'm obsessed. Hearing those songs live definitely had something to do with it. At first "Fire at the Pageant" (posted above) did NOT make me happy, but now I absolutely LOVE it. It's one of my favorite songs; I could listen to it over and over. And I do. Try it; you might love it, too.

This is one of the best things I've ever seen. I can't stop watching it. Have I mentioned that I love Kristen Bell? Lately I've been getting into her new show, House of Lies. It's funny. I'm not sure if I'd watch it if she weren't in it, but I am enjoying it. Anyway, this is amazing:


I'm still recovering from the end of Chuck. My friend Leah and I are going to see The Head and the Heart at Terminal 5 in March. She wrote to me, "I'm hoping between now and then, I'll be able to listen to 'Rivers and Roads' without sobbing" (that's the song that played during the last few minutes of Chuck's finale; it's in my last blog post). I feel the same way, but I think I should be okay in a couple of months.

What else? I'm sure there's a bunch of stuff I need to write about (movies, a few shows), but I don't have time. I bought an apartment, which is crazy, and I'm in the process of packing, which is not fun. I have a LOT of stuff.

I filmed the Felice Brothers show in September, so here's the playlist if you want to revel in their awesomeness like I've been doing (you can click on the rectangle-shaped button on the bottom to scroll through the songs).

"A year from now we'll all be gone, all our friends will move away. And they're going to better places, but our friends will be gone away. Nothing is as it has been, and I miss your face like hell. And I guess it's just as well, but I miss your face like hell. Been talking 'bout the way things change, and my family lives in a different state. And if you don't know what to make of this, then we will not relate. So if you don't know what to make of this, then we will not relate. Rivers and roads, rivers and roads, rivers 'til I reach you." ~the head and the heart



Thank you for the last five years, Chuck. There really are no words to express what you mean to me.

"I think I heard you singing, 'Oh poor sky, don't cry on me. Did somebody break your heart again? Oh poor sky, don't cry on me. Are you gonna fall apart again?' My head plays it over and over. All dolled-up in straps, all colored in. Now, love, where have you been? Dolled-up in straps, all colored in. Now, love, where have you been? Where have you been?" ~the national

My 15 favorite Movies of 2011

It's that time again, time to reflect on the previous year, and for this blog that means looking at what the entertainment industry had to offer. Today I'm focusing on movies. It's too difficult for me to rank them, so I'm simply listing my fifteen favorites in alphabetical order. Though if I were forced to choose my favorite film of the year, right now I'd probably go with a tie between The Descendants and Win Win (if you ask me tomorrow I'll probably have a different answer). Anyway, here are my favorites:

Bridesmaids - pure hilarity.
The Descendants - it just seemed so real. Incredibly affecting but also very funny. Beautifully acted and directed.
Drive - stylistically gorgeous, incredibly intense, captivating.
50/50 - a lovely blend of comedy and drama, and a realistic look at a tricky subject.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - fabulously acted, thrilling.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - a wonderful close to the series.
The Help - amazing acting, a solid adaptation of the novel.
Hugo - a loving tribute to the art of film, a faithful adaptation of the book.
The Ides of March - well-adapted from the play (Farragut North) and also very well-acted.
Martha Marcy May Marlene - clever, haunting, and featuring a brilliant debut from Elizabeth Olsen.
Midnight in Paris - absolutely lovely.
Moneyball - a beautifully made intelligent film about so much more than baseball.
My Week With Marilyn - an interesting portrait of an icon with a brilliant performance by Michelle Williams.
Win Win - I love everything about this movie.
Young Adult - sharp, hilarious, and uncomfortably realistic.

And an honorable mention goes to Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. So there you have it. There are a handful of movies I still need to see (The Artist, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Iron Lady, Shame, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Albert Nobbs, and more), so obviously my picks are based on what I've seen.