Croque Monsieur

You may have noticed that the sandwich featured above is not real. It is, in fact, a cartoon picture of a sandwich featured in the UK brand T-shirt line, conceptTshirts.

The reason this sandwich is not real is because my (real) sandwich was eaten hastily and with fervor in the middle of a 16-hour work day. Needless to say I worked through lunch over a keyboard and did not have time to spruce up for photographs. Tuesdays are my production day for the newspaper, which is why I originally planned for Tuesday to be leftover spaghetti day instead of a "real" meal day.

In essence, Croque Monsieur is a mix between a ham and cheese sandwich and a grilled cheese sandwich. It's delicious and the ingredients are cheap. The ingredients used for this particular lunch cost me a grand total of $12. However, that was for an entire baguette as well as all the deli ham and cheese. Those ingredients would stretch me to probably three reasonable Croque Monsieurs, so we'll say this meal cost me $4. That price can go up or down depending on the quality of the deli meat and cheese you are purchasing.

I generally like to use both muenster and Swiss cheese on mine, but there are many choices out there. The next time I make one, I will take a photo and swap out the T-shirt design for my own creation.

I also like to use a sliced baguette for mine, and I will often serve it as an open faced sandwich to cut back on all the bread. You can use any type of bread you like, of course, since there are lots of healthy and tasty sliced breads out there.

For my purposes, I did need to plan ahead a bit. I baked it the night before in the oven so that the cheese melted to the proper consistency, and then reheated it in the toaster oven. I've never tried reheating a Croque Monsieur before--it's obviously better fresh, but it wasn't too bad. I imagine it would be worse if you tried reheating in a microwave, because part of what makes this sandwich stand above the rest is its crunch.

It also goes well with french onion soup--yum!

Cheers.

A flimsy (yet tasty!) luncheon launch

Today was the first day of my brown bag project at work--aka the project where I bring a nutritious and delectable lunch with me to work so as to eat healthy and save money. I accomplished both of those things today, but with probably the easiest and least exciting meal possible: leftover spaghetti. Did it taste good? Yes. Did it provide me with much-needed midday carbs? Yes. Did it showcase my culinary prowess, of which there is some, but only a little? No.

Still, it got the job done, and cheaply. I had alternative plans for my "very first meal," but when it came to last night's dinner, Boyfriend Man had something to say about the cook time. He was hungry immediately and preferred pasta to whatever meal would require that he wait an additional twenty minutes. So I shuffled this week's meal plan a bit to accommodate him--which, by the way, is exactly why I didn't publish my meal plan yesterday, for moments such as these which I KNOW will happen.

Where this meal is lacking in originality, it makes up in cost effectiveness. Between the spaghetti noodles and the sauce components, the ingredients for this meal cost a grand total of $6, and since we ate half of it last night and I ate a quarter of it today, that means my lunch was $1.50. Score. Snacks today consisted of almonds, a clementine, and bell pepper slices to complement my grain-filled meal.

There is no preparatory strategy for today. Just reheat, serve, and enjoy. However, when it comes to meal planning strategies overall, I always like to keep noodles and sauces in stock in my kitchen for last-minute situations. It's always nice to have some pasta and garlic bread on hand when you need a quick and easy meal. I generally make sure I have a pasta dish once each week.

Cheers.

On the Eve of the Challenge

Whelp, there they are... this week's groceries. The first day of my brown bag project begins tomorrow and I had to do my grocery shopping today. That meant planning this week's lunch and dinner menus with preparation and leftovers in mind. It's going to be delicious and scrumdiddlyumptious.

Today was also my first opportunity to deal with the desire to do nothing on a Sunday--something I'm sure I'll battle on more than one occasion in the future. And then there was the blizzard that hit us... no big deal. So I trekked to my car and uncovered it from a foot of snow, thawed my door (yes, it was ACTUALLY frozen shut), and rolled to my local grocery store. I also sacrificed 25 minutes of Nanny McPhee to accomplish said shopping.

I did save my receipt, so I'll attempt to calculate the price value of my lunches, grocery-wise, so I can tell if all this delicious labor is actually saving me money.

Of course, there's still work to be done and prep cooking to do for the week. So until tomorrow, cheers!

Butterbeer: Most Epic of Passes EVER

My friend Stephane and I made butterbeer at work today. It was epic, and it was awesome, and it was awesomely epic. That is all. Now go watch an ABC Family HP marathon.

 

Cheers.

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Brown Bag Lunches: Pass, Yodel Dog: Fail

Oh brown bag lunches... how you remind me of my childhood. 

In an extremely optimistic attempt to maintain my healthy eating lifestyle without hampering my ability to pay rent, I've decided to bypass purchasing lunches altogether and bring a brown bag lunch with me to work each day. Not only is it extremely expensive to buy lunch downtown each day, it is also hard to keep track of what I'm putting in my face and whether or not my meal has quality ingredients.

I intend to document my progress on a new blog with much less snark and much more honesty. I will still be posting here for those more entertaining/rant-ish posts, but I'll also be posting over there. I will let you know when it is set up--which I intend to do tomorrow. I've decided that documenting the endeavor made more sense on a fresh page dedicated to the daily trials and tribulations of my efforts. And, oh, there will be tribulations. So many tribulations.

For one, a brown bag lunch requires planning ahead. This means waking up earlier to pack it, or fitting those duties into my nighttime routine the day before. It also means adjusting my shopping lists and taking advantage of store sales.

I will take pictures of my finished lunch masterpieces each day, and for the more complicated lunches I may include recipes and video/photo instructions as well.

Happy eating.

 

Now back to Pass Fail Meter duties....

Yodel Death Dog: Fail

Shame on this canine. Shame, shame...

 

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Disney Princess Politics: Fail

The new Disney movie Tangled has added a fresh face to the Disney princesses: Rapunzel herself, voiced by Mandy Moore. This got me thinking...

Has anyone ever wondered why Alice is missing? You know, the lovable and carefree wee teenager who stumbles through the rabbit hole in perhaps the most interesting Disney adaptation ever?

She is not what has been dubbed a "Disney Princess," which includes 10 different characters beginning with the first literal princess in 1937: Snow White. That black-haired beauty with the high-pitched trills was followed by Cinderalla in 1950, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) in 1959, Ariel (The Little Mermaid) in 1989, Belle (Beauty and the Beast) in 1991, Jasmine (Aladdin) in 1992, Pocahontas in 1995, Mulan in 1998, Tiana (The Princess and the Frog) in 2009, and Rapunzel (Tangled) in 2010. That means certain characters, including Tinkerbell, Alice, Wendy (Peter Pan) and Megora (Hercules) were deemed unfit to rule, so to speak.

According to the knowledge of Wikipedia, Alice from Alice in Wonderland was excluded for unknown reasons. She is even included in some of the less official Disney Princess appearances alongside the princess crew, but continues to receive the official shaft. I don't think royal heritage or marrying into a royal family is the reason, or at least it shouldn't be now, because Mulan qualifies under neither. My guess is that Alice would screw up the Disney Princess art by being a full head or two shorter than the rest of the long-limb ladies. Interestingly enough, she also is the only Disney heroine to not dabble in romance. Even Tinkerbell has the hots for SOMEONE (sorry Tink, Pan likes Wendy)... but not Alice. That isn't to say the real Disney Princesses don't have real motivations and whatnot, but they all seem to walk a picture perfect line between being independent show stoppers while also attracting and pursuing a man--who in the end is included in the final shot of the movie, smooching the lips off the Disney Princess. The only exception to the kissing rule is Mulan (again), and I have to guess it's because Disney decided to pay some respect to the culture of the characters.

So while I love Disney movies to death and will continue to keep my VHS versions stored behind lock and key, I also continue to believe that there are some real curmudgeons working behind the scenes at that place. But hey, at least they've committed to including more races in the lineup. Of the past five official Disney princesses, four of them were non-white characters. Now all we need is an Eskimo princess and a Latin princess--then our social experiment will be complete!

"Curiouser and curiouser..." -Alice in Wonderland

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Phallic trophies: Pass

The other day, for no reason in particular, my conversation with a few friends shifted to phallic symbols and, more specifically, trophies. A female friend mentioned the Superbowl trophy, and she said her newspaper editor (also a female) at one time refused to put the trophy on the cover of the paper because it was "disgustingly phallic." I thought that was pretty funny since, well, EVERY trophy is pretty much phallic. Last night's Spike SCREAM awards would be a good example.

Phallic symbols do not bother me. Various feminists may believe that the proliferation of these symbols in our culture give men validation for their perceived superiority to us poor females. I, however, could care less if men draw their penises everywhere. I have faith that men would find a way to promote their junk without architecture and awards shows. I'm fairly certain of that. I also think that being a strong woman doesn't necessarily mean fearing promotion of the male gender. Besides, feminists who outrage everyone and and give men an excuse to roll their eyes and label you as such a crazy feminist is about as tactful a strategy as that took by King Henry VIII while establishing the Church of England.

"Guys, it's totally NOT about the woman I'm currently trying to seduce.... but really, priests, I need a divorce ASAP because she won't have sex until we're married."

So, for my part, I'm going to embrace the hilarity of certain phallic symbols and pick my battles. Besides, how embarrassing would it be to devote your life to women's rights and then spend it talking about penises?

... and for those in the metro Detroit area who might listen to 89X in the morning with Dave, Chuck the Freak and Lisa... "Top of the morning penis to you!"

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Pass: Cute got cuter

The below posts are a little serious for this particular blog, so whaddya say we lighten things up a bit?

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Pass: Going, going, gone

Michigan defeated Connecticut, 30-10! Huzzah!

But a true season opener wouldn't be what it is without a little drama. You see that photo above? Where Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson lock arms in a buddy-buddy hug last year? Yeah, that might never happen again. Why? Because while Denard might not pout when he doesn't get to start a single game (aka last year), it turns out that Tate does not have the same emotional tolerance. Denard started and quite nearly finished on Saturday with 19 of 22 passes for 186 yards and ran for 197 yards. Not too shabby. But then the kicker came with Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez decided to play Devin Gardner, taking away his possible red shirt status. Tate didn't see a single minute of play.

Instead, Tate sat alone on a bench with a towel over his shoulders or head for the entire game. Going from starter to third in line can be tough on a 19-year-old kid, especially one who already has a track record of either talking back or not acting like a "team player." Personally, I think Tate is talented, but nothing turns off fans of a longstanding program more than pouting or behaving inappropriately. Michigan fans want someone who acts like they are fortunate to be there.

So the question is, will he transfer? Would he be better off someplace else?

Professionally, he probably would be better off elsewhere. Ryan Mallett transferred out as Rich Rod came in with Denard and Tate, and now he's the third best quarterback in the country. Tate could definitely get more guaranteed playing time someplace else. But emotionally, I think he would be a stronger player if he stays at Michigan. Sometimes a player needs to learn his place. Plus who is to say he won't be the starter later this season? I did hear rumors of Tate currently mending an injury, and with the amount of running Denard is doing it is very possible he could get hurt. I doubt Gardner would be the #1 above Tate if Denard was out of the running.

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Pass/Fail yet to be decided: U of M football program

Greetings! I know it's been a while, and I know that I almost never post about sports on this particular journal/blog/rant/website, but I was once a sports writer and football does matter to me. I hail from the maize and blue. I have been attending Wolverine match-ups since I was a toddler. Thus today will shed light on whether or not I will enjoy or abhor my Saturdays for the remainder of the fall.

People have been saying a lot of things about today's season opener against Connecticut. I'll summarize a few of them:
1. Tate will start at QB
2. Denard will start at QB
3. Connecticut will win and it will be worse than it was against Appalachian State
4. Michigan will win by 3
5. It will be a high-point game
6. Rich Rod will choke on a slice of Domino's pizza during halftime

It is my belief that Denard will start. My little birdie sources say that Tate is mending an injury and is not ready, and that Denard will take the first snap. Frankly, as far as I'm concerned that is fine with me. Tate has XP, but he's an arrogant toddler. He finished the season much worse than he started it, so I'm perfectly fine with a fresh start so long as Denard has improved his pocket presence in practice.

It is also my belief (because it must be!) that Michigan will win by 10 points, but I do believe it will be a high-scoring game. Don't get unnerved when Connecticut scores a ton of points, because our defense this year is young and lacking. It is also my belief, should we lose this game, the chances of rumor #6 or a version close to it increase exponentially.

Please win, please win, please win.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer: Epic pass

I can't freaking wait for the final two movies. I also attended the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios yesterday and it was both epic and emotional. More to come on that in the near future.

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Bars without free water: Fail

Obviously I've been down lately, so the idea of being sarcastic and snarky was not appealing for quite a while... leaving me very little desire to post anything here.

... but I knew, one day, something would happen that would put me over the edge... something so ridiculous and terrible that I wouldn't be able to help myself from sharing the story with the world.

that story happened while I was in Florida on Friday.

I was out with my ladies, dancing and what have you, when I discover I'm parched and could really use a break from the noise/dancing/scummies. Luckily for me, we were at a locale in Ocala where a few bars are actually connected (and themed!) so you can walk among them without going outside. We were in the club/ho area, so I decided to go to the rodeo side for some softer music and h2o. I should preface this by saying that I was wearing a wristband for free entry, and unless I forked over $10 at the door for the ladies-drink-free-all-night deal, I would have to pay as I go. I elected to do the latter. I approached the bartender and it went something like this:

Me: Three waters, please.

Mean Bartender Lady: That will be $7.50.

Me: *Confused face*
No, three WATERS.

MBL: Bottled water is $2.50.

Me: No, not bottled water. Just water. From your squirt gun. Into that cup right there.

MBL: I can't give you water. You don't have the ladies night wristband.

Me: I just want water.

MBL: I can't help you. There's a machine over there.

Peeved and confused, I told my friend Beth (who did have the glorified blue "ladies night" wristband) about the situation and asked that she attempt to get water.

Beth: One water, please.

MBL: I can't help you at this end of the bar. Ladies night drinks get taken care of at that end of the bar.

Beth: .................................. ok.

Beth (at other end of bar which is literally only three feet to her right): One water, please.

Mean Bartender Man: Bottled water is not included in ladies night.

(yes, you read that right. $7 and $10 alcohol is included. bottled water? even the free kind? no way.)

Beth: No, not bottled. I just want water.

MBM: It will be $1 extra. You don't have a cup.

Beth: I have to buy a cup for water?

MBM: You're supposed to keep your cup.

Beth and I are angry. But at this point I'm also so thirsty that I'm afraid I might pass out right there from heat stroke. In retrospect, perhaps I should have let that happen and then I could have sued this place for THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS YOU MEAN BARTENDERS. So I traveled over to the vending machine that MBL pointed me to and I paid $2.50 for a bottle of water, and not one of those full-size ones either... the really ratty small ones with the weak, crunchy plastic.

But this story is far from over.

I get back to my corner seat on a barstool with my friends and suck down half the bottle in one gulp. I set it down to regain my breath. I tell a joke. I laugh at my own joke. I look back at the table.

Me (to Beth, or whoever will hear my cry): Um, my water.... is gone.

Beth: What?

Me: I think someone stole my water.

Beth: Are you serious?

Me: My water............ is not here.

Beth: THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS.

At this point I really want to curl up in to a fetal position, suck my thumb, and just cry it out. I really do. Instead flames come out of my ears (Beth's too), my eyes go black and I turn into Janazilla.

ME: THIS IS RIDICULOUS. OH, SURPRISE SURPRISE. Water is such a hot commodity in this POS place that people are STEALING IT LIKE PRECIOUS PAINTINGS.

Beth: This should be illegal! Is this illegal? It should be illegal!!!

Rachel (another friend in company who is now aware of situation): This is the land of Disney and Mickey Mouse! Disney lets people bring water, why don't your??!?!?!

Me: I'm outraged. I'm really quite mad.

Beth: I am too.

Me: *lip quivers*
I'd like to go home now.

fin.

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A tribute to Dad

I haven't posted anything in a very long time, and I'm not likely to return to the snark today. My father passed away on June 6 after a battle with a brain tumor. I'm going to miss him every day, but it feels good to remember all the fun times we had...

So for no other reason than to make myself feel happier/better, I'd like to share some photos from the past few years that we had together. Some of them are from our travels to Florence, Venice and Paris. Others are from U of M football Saturdays and my eventual graduation, as well as dinner parties and silly moments.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Tom Cruise helps promote MTV Movie Awards: Pass

Anytime you're thinking to yourself... self, when did Tom Cruise get so weird?... just remember that once upon a time we made out with posters of him (boys too!) from Top Gun and that he really is a great actor, not to mention hilarious as Hollywood's roughest agent, Les Grossman. So you go ahead and be crazy Mr. Cruise--I have Jerry Maguire queued up on Hulu to keep me more than satisfied.

Yeah, for once I didn't mention that other dude in the video..

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ETA Robert Pattinson balloon art: Too stupid to actually grade

This is to go along with the post below. Take a good long look at this balloon art because it is selling for $620 Euros on Ebay right here. Is that a lot in the world of Robert Pattinson collectibles? Maybe, maybe not. But it's scribbles. SCRIBBLES!

... "I want his scribbles. I want his SCRIBBLES. THEY ARE MINEEEEE!"

If he had a decent bone in his body, clearly he would sell his underwear to fund the end of world hunger.

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Edward Cullen bust: Fail

For the mere price of $1,399 (or way more than that, because this IS Ebay...), you can have your VERY OWN LIFELIKE SILICONE BUST OF EDWARD CULLEN'S HEAD.

Really? Only $1,399? If it was a bust of his package it would cost way more. Check out the bidding page here, where all the photos are posted and you can see the detail. There are actual eyebrows and eyelashes inserted into the silicone, ladies and gentleman. That is how creepy this is.

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American Idol winner Lee DeWyze: Meh, probably a fail

Don't get me wrong. I actually enjoy the voice on Lee DeWyze. He reminds me a little of Brent Smith from Shinedown... and I love Shinedown.

But here's the thing... I've been watching Idol since the very first season with Kelly Clarkson. This is the only season where I actually lost interest  at about the top 12 and stopped watching. Why? Because no one seemed that good. So anytime the judges were like "that was an amazing performance," I was turned off because it felt like they were lying to up their viewers.

But I've been saying all along, interestingly enough, that the only two contestants that really stood a chance were the two that were in the finals, Lee and Crystal Bowersox. By all measures, Crystal is a better singer AND performer. She's more comfortable on stage, more reliable with pitch, and chose better songs for herself on average.

Still, going into the final show (which I did watch because when I found out my two were in the final four I started watching the last few episodes...) I knew Crystal wouldn't win. She wouldn't win for the same reason that Adam Lambert and Bo Bice didn't win. Their primary markets just don't watch idol. So when push comes to shove, they just aren't going to stack up 1v1 in the voting. Sure, anyone could recognize her talent and want her to stick around until the end, but when it comes down to it they want to be buying the pop rock album in the end. They know they'll get that from Lee. He's basically going to be another Daughtry or David Cook.

Frankly, Crystal is better off. When idols win and they don't fit the mold... they fall off the face of the market. Look at Taylor Hicks. Remember the Silver Fox? Yeah, I barely remember him too... because even though he was a stronger singer than Katharine McPhee and ended up winning, the audience wasn't the right market for him. He ended up turning to Broadway (where he did very well) and Katharine took his momentum for herself.

Meanwhile, Adam Lambert is doing just fine and was probably able to negotiate a better contract for himself.

So congrats to Lee. Condolences to Crystal. Hopefully now she'll be able to find the right contract, the right album, and the right marketing team to treat her music like it should be treated.... and if so, we haven't seen the last of MamaSox.

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LOST finale: PASS!

(Don't read if you haven't watched the finale yet)

Ok so... there seems to be some confusion with many people about what sideways world REALLY is? As in, is it happy purgatory for everyone? Or just Jack's? Or Jack's and everyone's respectively? Who/how did they arrange this purgatory meeting place?

So after reading many, many comments in the past 30 minutes... this is my best stab at WHAT IT ALL MEANS...

They did NOT all die in the original plane crash like some are being led to believe. As far as I'm concerned, all characters who died on the show died exactly how we saw. Those characters that we did not see die (aka Sawyer, Jack, Hurley, Desmond, Ben, Claire, etc.) died at later times.

Presumably, Hurley and Ben had a wonderful reign together on the island (aka "dude, you were a great No. 2... hurley you were a great No. 1") and somehow Hurley harnessed his Jacob powers to organize this entire afterlife meeting place.

Ajira flight probably made it back.

Jack died there next to Vincent (omg really lost creators? you had to throw the dog at me?), and like everyone else he experienced the life he believed he should have had without the island until someone was able to show him his real life. As the primary believer in science over God, it makes sense that he was the last survivor to come to terms with his death and his status in purgatory before moving on.

Basically this series comes down to helping one another and relationships with one another. They needed each other to survive in life and they needed one another in death as well.

I liked it. More commentary to come. Kimmel just came on.

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LOST season finale: to live blog or not to live blog?

Sometimes I live blog award shows... things like the Oscars, Grammys, Golden Globes, etc. Some people enjoy the commentary. It's sort of like watching a DVD with the audio commentary on. Sometimes you learn something you might not have noticed. But for the most part it's there as secondary entertainment during commercial breaks and after the fact.

However, I've never live blogged a season finale before.

But then again, there has never before been a season finale quite like this either. The culmination of six seasons of utter confusion and craziness will come to an end tomorrow (Sunday!) for all LOST fans. ABC is showing a two-hour recap of the first five seasons and what has happened so far in the final season. Then there will be a two-and-a-half hour series finale. After that, Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the LOST cast and airing alternative endings.

Are they overdoing it? Probably, but I think us fans that stuck it out deserve a crap load of gifts given what we've been through since 2004. You'd better believe that some crazy stuff is going to go down. Will I be right in predicting that Sawyer takes Jack's place and that the cycle of good vs. bad continues? Will Kate die? Will Locke get off the island? Will alternative-reality-Jack get to meet Island-Jack-turned-Jacob-Jack? WHO KNOWS!?

But I leave the decision to you...

Yes, live blog and throw some comedy into the experience? No, sit back and enjoy?

I should add that I'll probably be drinking a lot of wine while I do this... so by the time we reach Kimmel I'm going to be incapable of spelling correctly....

Tell me your thoughts in the comments.

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We've reached 100 for 2010...

Celebrate, everyone. Celebrate hard. This is my 100th post for 2010. It might not be my 100th post total for this blog, but that's OK.

Thanks for reading and for your comments and whatnot. According to my website tools we have quite a few readers, many of which deserve credit from coming over from Pass Fail Meter. That blog has well over 1,000 unique visitors and averages 180 views for each post.

So enjoy the afternoon and cheers to a new day!

It's been a while since I updated everyone on entertainment news, so let's catch up linkspam-style...

Hip tween/teen network the CW recently released its fall schedule. Melrose place didn't make the cut. I guess when a series banks on the star power of Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, one should worry about its longevity... but One Tree Hill fans are pleased to have an 8th season coming their way. =X

As a follow-up to the above, the CW has released trailers for its newest series launches, Hellcats and Nikita. Hellcats is a cheaper, sluttier version of Glee. Nikita is a cheaper, less sexy version of the Lara Croft movies... which I didn't even realize was possible.

MTV has an opening for a social media position. I'm posting this because its tough out there, and I want everyone to have a cool job. If you're reading this blog and/or have a Facebook and Twitter account, you're probably qualified.

A bunch of attractive stars are ready to get diced in Scream 4. I didn't realize that Scream 2 and 3 weren't enough. Shockingly, this will actually reunite director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson, as well as main trio Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox-Arquette and David Arquette. It will add Ashley Green (Twilight), Hayden Panetierre (Remember the Titans, Heroes, and a terrible cheerleading movie), and Rory Culkin. Panetierre will supposedly play a film geek... aka producers are going to try to make the hot girl look nerdy by putting some thick-rimmed glasses on her.

Harry Potter stars get first look at new Harry Potter Theme Park, courtesy of Universal Studios. I'm not going to mock this, because I'm stoked and I'm a huge HP nerd. They have the Three Broomsticks guys, oK? Do you realize what this means? This means that on June 24 when I visit the park of wonderment and awesomeness, I am going to get drunk on butterbeer in HOGSMEADE! Time to get your nerd on...

This Sunday is the LOST season finale at 7 p.m. EST. I'm pretty addicted to LOST, actually. I watched the first three seasons as they were airing, but then I fell off the map. When Season 6 was about to start up, I decided to get caught up and finish the series with the rest of the world. AKA I spent about two solid weeks rewatching all five seasons on Hulu. And now it's about to end. Linda Holmes over at NPR has an intelligent write-up on why some are guaranteed to be disappointed and how to approach watching the finale of it all.

Did you ever wonder if Wall-E and Up were really the most profitable animated movies ever? Well neither did I, but apparently someone took the time to document the top 10 highest grossing animated movies while accounting for inflation. After all was said and done, neither Wall-E or Up made the list. Evidently you can't beat the classics, and all that hype about Pixar movies ain't got nothin' on the Disney vault. Check out the list and the gross incomes.

Everyone loves a trailer. It's about to be summer, which means that late summer and early fall movie trailers are hitting the Web. Trailers were recently released for 'Rio,' 'Love Ranch,' 'Going the Distance,' and 'Megamind.' 'Rio' is about an animated parrot or macaw or something with Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris, and George Lopez as the voices. I bet $5 that Lopez plays the Brazilian bird. 'Going the Distance' is a Drew Barrymore and Justin Long romantic comedy that got an R rating. Do you know how hard that is to do? That means there are some fierce sex scenes in this... and after they filmed them the actors hooked up in real life. I love me some Justin Long--great Mac commercials. 'Love Ranch' features the very sexy Helen Mirron and the very un-sexy Joe Pesci. 'Megamind' is an animated super hero movie featuring Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill.

Sex and the City 2 studio executives nervous about film coinciding with World Cup. This really makes me laugh. Really? World Cup soccer is what's making them nervous? Because I thought the fact that the film has Miley Cyrus in it or that the girls are practically 60 now would be worrisome enough. Don't worry, studio executives, most 50-year-old women don't watch soccer in the United States.

MacGyver will hit the big screen!!! As a huge MacGyver fan, I was actually pretty excited by this news. I mean there's no way this movie is going to be any good, but I would do anything to watch Richard Dean Anderson escape from a jail cell with nothing more than a toothpick, a lighter and some toothpaste. MacGyver was an ABS show in the 80s and early 90s that featured a special agent with engineering prowess and a really, really awesome mullet-like hairdo.

Harry Potter Theme Park: Epic Pass

I am absolutely freaking out about this. I'm a huge HP nerd, and you better believe I have plans in store to visit this place of wonder and enchantment.

Basically Universal Studios has been working with Potter series author J.K. Rowling for the past six to eight years on creating an amusement park. It officially opens in the middle of June. I will be there June 26 after I road trip it down to Orlando with a few friends. It's going to be amazing. They have Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks, a few themed rollercoasters, Hagrid's hut, and obviously Hogwarts school itself.

Let the nerd fest begin...

The actors paid the completed park a visit recently. To see stills of the actors in the finished park, go here: http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/collections/gallery/2493/harry-potter-theme-park-revealed#photo0

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James Franco cast in Planet of the Apes prequel: Fail

First there was Charlton Heston... which was a decent movie for its time...

Then there was Marky Mark Wahlberg... which I did see several times and enjoyed, even though technically that movie was weird and stuff.

Now James Franco will throw his name into the "franchise" to film a prequel, "Rise of the Apes." So it isn't their planet yet basically; they're just rising to take it. He'll play some sort of scientist in the middle of a man vs. ape war.

As far as I'm concerned, this movie will suck no matter who is cast.

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Melrose Place is no more: Pass

Melrose Place officially got the can. CW announced its lineups for the fall, and the newest drama series remake did not make the cut. But we didn't see that coming at all.... especially when the show's most famous star was Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.

One Tree Hill will return for an 8th (EIGHTH!!!) season. I stopped watching at about Season 3, but I'm sure this is what the cool kids watch these days. Me, I'm a sucker for Vampire Diaries.

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Eclipse cast on Oprah: Massive screaming

Some of you out there that read these are fans. Some of you aren't. If you are, this is my little gift to you. I've tracked them all down and put them all in one place for you to enjoy. I'm just that nice.

For those of you who aren't enjoyers of the craziness, go read another post.

http://www.youtube.com/user/EdwardBella4life18#p/u/7/b6FMJmmG9kk

You are welcome.

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Miley Cyrus can't be tamed: Pass, but let me explain

I know I tend to be pessimistic about all things teeny bopper, mostly because I hate screaming teenagers. I wasn't one, so I can't relate.

But I do find the riots they cause to be amusing. I also think it's interesting to watch child stars grow up, because the Disney kids always freak out eventually. Just look at Miley Cyrus...

No really. Just look at her in this video. I can't say for sure if this video will work on this site, because YouTube's VEVO is an advertising whore... but I think it's worth actually sending you away from me for this visual phenomenon. It's basically Miley Cyrus's desperate attempt to be grown up now. I can't remember how old she is, but I think it's around 16 or 17 now. Guys, she can't be tamed, ok? You can't tame her. All the guys be wantin' to get up on her. Cause she hot like that, yo.

Also a video leaked today of her giving a lap dance to one of the "Last Song" producers. Oh yeah, and he's in his 40s. If that doesn't scream I'm a grown up teenage stripper trying to make it on my own, then I don't know what does.

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Laziness and a Snuggie: Fail

I'm sorry for being away the past few days... several days in fact. It's been an incredibly busy week for me for various reasons that I won't go into because you don't care.. ON TO THE SNUGGIE!

So for the sake of humor, we'll just say I was doing exactly what this picture depicts. Reading a good book while tucked away in a Snuggie.

I do actually own one. My brother thought it would be funny to buy my entire family Snuggies for Christmas in different colors. Then we had to put them on for a photo, which was then tagged on Facebook. We're no longer speaking face to face.

I do find it hilarious, however, that Snuggies are always advertised with the person either having a solid interaction with another human being or reading a good book. Do you really think that someone willing to read a good book or talk to a living person would have a need for a Snuggie? No. Because they're so incredibly lazy that they need ARM HOLES built into their blankets... because they're too lazy to take their arms out of the warm hidey hole in order to click the TV remote.

... so while I wasn't actually reading a good book under a Snuggie (btw I can picture myself actually doing this on one of the many Harry Potter book release days... when I cut off communication with the outside world for 36 hours straight), I was busy doing other things.

I'm back now and ready to judge life's little moments.

I might have to have a bunch of post spamming tomorrow because OH MAN do I have some good ones lined up.

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Carlisle Cullen as Ken: Fail

Great work, makeup crew. You really did a number on this one. Carlisle's hair only looks slightly softer than Ken's.

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Brendan Fraser's career after The Mummy: Fail

This is what it all comes down to.... a bunch of wildlife animations plotting Brendan Fraser's death. Oh, how far they do fall. And I thought Bedazzled was bad...

The Mummy is still the best TNT movie marathon flick out there. I <3 u Fraser.

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Two Bel Ami stills released: Pass

Robert Pattinson is hot. That's the only reason I'm posting this. That, and I like period pieces and solid literature. Robert + super sex scenes + Guy De Maupassant + fluffy dresses and top hats = SCORE.

Can't waitttttt.

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Anchorman 2 might be made after all, HUZZAH! Pass!

Will Ferrell is saying that nothing is over until Ron Burgundy says so...

The actor is saying that everyone is still going back and forth on yes and know. Supposedly the project still needs to trim about $30 million off the budget in order to be picked up by another studio. Fingers crossed, Anchorman fans.

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Rob Pattinson Fame Comic Book: Fail

Back in February it was announced that Bluewater Productions was releasing another celeb comic. It's basically comic-ish images crafted from real life stills of Pattinson. Then they splice them together in a sort of narrative timeline. It contains absolutely no informational value whatsoever, just another collector's item for the fiercely obsessed. It's also another example of how anyone anywhere can pretty much legally make money off your image whether it's true or not and whether you like it or not.

That's life I guess.

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