Above is the super sleek Sundance mug that Boaz sent me from Park City Utah!! I could smell Utah as I opened the white box and unwrapped the mug wrapped in orange tissue paper. I currently have it on display at my desk and have been using it for tea. It is my favorite mug!
Did you hear that Ikea built a village? I would never want to see the visual instructions for that project! Yikes!
Do you remember Smurfs? Well, of course you do. I used to collect those little blue creatures and this should stir up some memories:
Now check out this smurf related story. Hundreds of Croatians painted themselves blue and put on silly hats to beat a world record - only to find they were too late...
Did you hear about this??? Pretty neat stuff. Scientists performing experimental brain surgery stumbled upon a mechanism that could unlock how memory works and help those suffering with Alzheimer's.
Did you see Sean Young's outburst at the DGA awards? Here's the footage for those of you who didn't see it or even care.
I had class last night and I am really enjoying it. I think I'm really going to like grad school.
And now it's time once again for Evan's Mailbag! That's right, I get hundreds of letters a week from around the world asking me questions and I answer them right here on this blog. Let's take a look at the first letter from...oh...it's actually from one of my coworkers, Noemi. Thanks for writing Noemi! Noemi writes:
"Hey Evan, How's eveything going? Did you go to Sundance? How did your interview with Tom Cruise go?"
I completely forgot to blog about my interview with Tom Cruise. I thought it went well but I'm not sure Tom liked me afterwards.
Our next letter comes from Luis in Peru! Thanks for reading Luis! Luis writes, "Buenos días Evan! I love reading your blog. I hope you answer my question. I also like movies and since you get movies first in the USA, I was hoping you could let me know if I can expect any good movies here soon?
Great question Luis!! I'm so glad you asked. Well there's only one movie that really comes to mind and I hope you'll rush to the theater to see this one. As you know we have this really big movie star in the US, Paris Hilton. Well she's in a new movie and it is fantastic. I've posted a trailer for you below so you can see what I'm talking about. Two words, Luis... Academy Award.
Let me start off this Tuesday with an interesting article that will have German nudists jumping for joy.
I know Mardi Gras is around the corner and Brazil is getting ready to celebrate Carnival and the government is urging its people to practice safe sex and is handing out condoms. This reminds me of probably my favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger movie...have you seen it? You can search for clips on Youtube and I highly recommend trying to find a copy. It really outshines my other favorite Arnold movie, Jingle All The Way.
Last night I went to see Elissa's middle school basketball team, The Lady Dodgers play against the Whippany Vikings in the tournament. Unfortunately, the Lady Dodgers lost to Whippany, a very agressive team with a coach who yelled at the players like you wouldn't believe. Come on, this is middle school! I'm glad I was able to go to show some support and some of the middle school kids from Whippany were so annoying I had the sudden urge to spray them with a hose. Okay, maybe I shouldn't be a middle school teacher.
Here are my picks of this week's best new DVD releases:
1) King of California 2) The Invasion 3) Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Sixth Season 4) The Nines 5) Rocket Science
That's right, today is National Kazoo Day!! So wherever you are, in the car, at home, at work...grab a kazoo and make some noise!! In honor of National Kazoo Day, check out the following clips from the days of Clips and Quips....
And so you can prepare for tomorrow...Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!!!
So another weekend has gone by and another week has begun. Elissa, Justine, Jon and I went to dinner on Saturday and saw Cloverfield. Have you seen it? I thought it was really clever in how it combined handheld footage with great special effects but really didn't care for the movie as a whole. I didn't care at all about the characters and was disturbed by the way the movie enjoys playing on our fears of 9/11. We went to the Morristown NJ movie theater which is part of the Hyatt. There was a ticket taker there who apparently is very well known in town and he was very nice and had a very unique way of taking the tickets. I don't quite know how to explain it. You'll just have to make a trip to this theater to see for yourself!
I'm sure you know how fond I am of Vermont. Well this just makes me that much fonder of the Green Mountain State! According to the article:
Brattleboro residents will vote at town meeting on whether President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should be indicted and arrested for war crimes, perjury or obstruction of justice if they ever step foot in Vermont.
I saw some wacky photos of me and Elissa from Mia and Robert's wedding and I think I might just have to order some of them so I can post them for you on this blog.
Did you miss this year's Miss America Pageant? I sure didn't because Elissa recorded it on the DVR. If you want a good laugh you should watch it. The host was awful, constantly stumbling over words while reading the teleprompter and the winner, Miss Michegan couldn't sing for her life. How do they pick these women? I think they should just battle against each other and end with math, science, and history questions. Turn it into a gameshow (this year they turned it into a reality show with a pre-show on TLC). And now for a classic Miss Teen USA clip:
I got a new Wii game that lets you cook!!! Might not appeal to everyone but it's actually a lot of fun. Not only do you make a bunch of recipes but you can compete against another player to see who can finish the recipe first. Check it out:
Happy Friday everyone! And a cold Friday it is! It's going to be a great weekend to get the fireplace roaring and watch some good movies. One of the movies that premiered at Sundance and will be in theaters soon is Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind and I just found this article. There is going to be a gallery exhibit based on the movie:
The film follows two childhood friends living in Pasaic, New Jersey, trying to make ends meet. A magnetized brain, a ruined video store inventory and a D.I.Y. idea later and you've got the latest brainchild of the quirky filmmaker. The exhibit is a direct reflection of his film, where the characters begin to recreate each ruined VHS tape (remember those?) with their own versions of the erased movies. The gallery will be turned into a recreation of the video store, "complete with a back lot containing a variety of movie sets where visitors can make their own renditions of films." Gondry says he isn't trying to teach people how to make movies, he is just "hoping to create a network of creativity and communication that is guaranteed to be free and independent from any commercial institution."
The exhibit runs from February 16th through March 22nd. Deitch Projects is located at 18 Wooster Street.
I have to remember to go check this out.
Do you like salad? I sure do! And I am usually mocked when people see how carefully I wash lettuce when I make salad. Well check this out! Someone found a little frog living in a head of lettuce. That's right, so now there is good reason to carefully look over your greens before you eat them.
I'll leave you with a clip of Marth on Letterman. I love when she cooks with Dave and this segment gets sort of bloody.
I have yet to see Cloverfield, the newest of the NYC being attacked by monsters movies. With shaky cameras much like the Blair Witch Project, some viewers of the film are getting sick. I sometimes have to turn away at a shaky camera but am still looking forward to seeing this film.
It's Thursday and that means it's time for another Fox News Blooper!!!!
Do you know who Petey Greene is? It's okay, neither do I. In this clip, Petey shows us how to eat a watermelon. I love watermelon and it's good to know that there is a correct way to eat one.
and if you don't like to eat watermelon, you can do as this guy does:
I've been a little too Youtube happy on this blog recently but there are just so many wacky clips I want to share with you!!! Hope you are having a great week and please, I encourage you to leave your comments and keep on sending in your letters and questions so that I can respond on this blog.
Last night was my first class as an MA student at Gallatin. The course seems as though it is going to be really interesting although I have to get used to being a student again, especially after a long day of work. When class was over I hurried myself to port authority to try to catch the 9:00 bus back to NJ. I find a seat and before I know it the bus driver is talking very loudly into the microphone. He's very animated and tells people that there will be no cell phone conversations from your seat. If you want to make a call, go to the back of the bus to talk. Turn all cell phones to silent because there are a lot of people on this bus who worked all day and this is their time to relax.
"Hey, I like this driver" I thought to myself. About halfway through the trip the bus driver's cell phone rang loudly and he answered it. He was driving too fast and very agressivly. What is wrong with him? The driving got worse as I got closer to my destination and I just wanted off. I stood up as my stop approached. He was tailgaiting a car in the right lane, he swerved left to go around the car and then back into the right lane where he quickly applied the brakes and opened the bus doors to let me off. Good thing I was holding on to the metal pole in front of me. I stepped off the bus to the smell of burning rubber and the bus took off once again.
I was thinking of calling to report him last night but I didn't. I probably won't get on his bus again next week though. We'll see.
Not to scare you sushi lovers but take a look at this article on tuna sushi in New York.
Here's an interesting blog which Elissa found mentioned in a magazine. They write about new products on the shelves in stores. I found a new favorite body wash from this site. Check it out!
For awhile I thought I would never have to experience the first day of school ever again...but alas, I was wrong. Tonight is my first grad school class and I still have the same feeling in my stomach I've always had on the first day of school. It's a feeling of excitement and nervousness. Will I like the professor? the class? I'll be sure to give you a full report tomorrow right here!
This past weekend really flew by! Saturday night, Elissa and I went to see a show at the Morristown Community Theater called Five Guys Named Moe. I really like the songs from the show which were all written and composed by Louis Jordan.
Louis Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician and songwriter who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as The King of the Jukebox, Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the later years of the swing era. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #59 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. - Wikipedia
It seemed like the actors had a hard time engaging the audience and there was a lot of audience participation which I must admit was more entertaining than the actors themselves.
On Sunday, Elissa took me to see the Rutgers Scarlet Knights take on the Louisville Cardinals. The game was a lot of fun and it gave me an excuse to dress up in red. The Scarlet Knights were on fire and won the game by 13 points.
Please leave Bill Clinton alone...the man is tired.
THIS JUST IN!!!
I just watched live feed of the Academy Award Nominations and here they are:
80th Academy Awards Announced Categories Performance by an actor in a leading role George Clooney in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah" (Warner Independent) Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises" (Focus Features)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.) Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War" (Universal) Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment) Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)
Performance by an actress in a leading role Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal) Julie Christie in "Away from Her" (Lionsgate) Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Laura Linney in "The Savages" (Fox Searchlight) Ellen Page in "Juno" (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There" (The Weinstein Company) Ruby Dee in "American Gangster" (Universal) Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement" (Focus Features) Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone" (Miramax) Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)
Best animated feature film of the year "Persepolis" (Sony Pictures Classics): Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud "Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Brad Bird "Surf's Up" (Sony Pictures Releasing): Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
Achievement in art direction "American Gangster" (Universal): Art Direction: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino "Atonement" (Focus Features): Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer "The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Art Direction: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount): Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Art Direction: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
Achievement in cinematography "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.): Roger Deakins "Atonement" (Focus Features): Seamus McGarvey "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Janusz Kaminski "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Roger Deakins "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Robert Elswit
Achievement in costume design "Across the Universe" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Albert Wolsky "Atonement" (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal) Alexandra Byrne "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Marit Allen "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Colleen Atwood
Achievement in directing "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Julian Schnabel "Juno" (Fox Searchlight), Jason Reitman "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.), Tony Gilroy "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Paul Thomas Anderson
Best documentary feature "No End in Sight" (Magnolia Pictures) A Representational Pictures Production: Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs "Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience" (The Documentary Group) A Documentary Group Production: Richard E. Robbins "Sicko" (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company) A Dog Eat Dog Films Production: Michael Moore and Meghan O'Hara "Taxi to the Dark Side" (THINKFilm) An X-Ray Production: Alex Gibney and Eva Orner "War/Dance" (THINKFilm) A Shine Global and Fine Films Production: Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine
Best documentary short subject "Freeheld" A Lieutenant Films Production: Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth "La Corona (The Crown)" A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production: Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega "Salim Baba" A Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production: Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello "Sari's Mother" (Cinema Guild) A Daylight Factory Production: James Longley
Achievement in film editing "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Christopher Rouse "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Juliette Welfling "Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment): Jay Cassidy "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roderick Jaynes "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Dylan Tichenor
Best foreign language film of the year "Beaufort" Israel "The Counterfeiters" Austria "Katyn" Poland "Mongol" Kazakhstan "12" Russia
Achievement in makeup "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald "Norbit" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount): Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Walt Disney): Ve Neill and Martin Samuel
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) "Atonement" (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli "The Kite Runner" (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics): Alberto Iglesias "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard "Ratatouille" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino "3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) "Falling Slowly" from "Once" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz "Raise It Up" from "August Rush" (Warner Bros.): Nominees to be determined "So Close" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
Best motion picture of the year "Atonement" (Focus Features) A Working Title Production: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers "Juno" (Fox Searchlight) A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production: Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) A Clayton Productions, LLC Production: Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production: Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production: JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers
Best animated short film "I Met the Walrus" A Kids & Explosions Production: Josh Raskin "Madame Tutli-Putli" (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski "Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)" (Premium Films) A BUF Compagnie Production Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse "My Love (Moya Lyubov)" (Channel One Russia) A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production Alexander Petrov "Peter & the Wolf" (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman
Best live action short film "At Night" A Zentropa Entertainments 10 Production: Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth "Il Supplente (The Substitute)" (Sky Cinema Italia) A Frame by Frame Italia Production: Andrea Jublin "Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)" (Premium Films) A Karé Production: Philippe Pollet-Villard "Tanghi Argentini" (Premium Films) An Another Dimension of an Idea Production: Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans "The Tonto Woman" A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production: Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown
Achievement in sound editing "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay "Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Randy Thom and Michael Silvers "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Matthew Wood "Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins
Achievement in sound mixing "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland "Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane "3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate): Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe "Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin
Achievement in visual effects "The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Walt Disney): John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier "Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier
Adapted screenplay "Atonement" (Focus Features), Screenplay by Christopher Hampton "Away from Her" (Lionsgate), Written by Sarah Polley "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Screenplay by Ronald Harwood "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson
Original screenplay "Juno" (Fox Searchlight), Written by Diablo Cody "Lars and the Real Girl" (MGM), Written by Nancy Oliver "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.), Written by Tony Gilroy "Ratatouille" (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Brad Bird; Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird "The Savages" (Fox Searchlight), Written by Tamara Jenkins
Watch as Michel Gondry PICKS his favorite Youtube videos live from Sundance. I'm looking forward to his new movie, Be Kind Rewind.
Silly Michel, picking is for kids.
While searching YouTube I came across a video featuring Fats Waller that I believe was made for me. If you have large feet I'm sure you will appreciate it as well.
Are you looking for an apartment in Manhattan? Like cats? This place might just be perfect for you...or not.
I just found out that Teller, of Penn and Teller has been involved in a staging of Macbeth at the Two Rivers Theater in Red Bank, NJ. I really want to go! Hope you all have a great weekend!
I came across this video on YouTube showing off The Aquaduct. It is a pedal powered vehicle that transports, filters, and stores water for the developing world. What a cool invention. Check it out!
Did you read about this Farr guy making a racial joke about changing the name of the white house if Obama is elected? He thought this was funny and all he heard were gasps. From looking at the photo of this guy and his wife, I think I could make a few jokes myself. But I won't. I'll leave it up to you.
Over winter break, Elissa and I went to Florida and on our flight I swore the flight attendant's voice sounded familiar...
She's not half bad! Apparently she made the press corps watch her favorite movie, Pootie Tang.
While we're off the topic of bad movies. I thought it would be appropriate to tell you about an audition I went on when I was a kid. I have always wanted to be on screen. One day when I was about 13, I heard on the radio that they were having an open casting call for this movie called Cop and a Half starring Burt Reynolds. I convinced my parents to take me into the city on a Saturday to audition for this movie and they were nice enough to do just that. My parents told me that they were most likely looking for someone much smaller than myself as I was probably almost as tall as Mr. Reynolds. My shoe size was definitely bigger. So I waited online with all these kids and their stage mothers and fathers. I got up to the stage and answered some questions and never heard from them. I then saw who they chose to be the kid...
It was a fun experience and I would love to keep on going on these auditions. Are you making a film? If so, let me know!!!
As a former real estate agent, I figured I would post a link to an apartment currently being sold by the owners (whom I know). You don't have to worry about dealing with sleazy brokers who try to rip you off with fees and pressure. It is a very charming building and the apartment is wonderful. Here are some details and be sure to click HERE to learn more. If you are in the market for a place or know of someone who is, check this apartment out before it is gone.
The Whitby 325 West 45th Street (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues)
List price: $549,000 Maintenance: $989/month, includes heat & hot/cold water (Maintenance tax deductibility is approximately 60%) Approximately 600 square feet Co-op requires a maximum of 80% financing Must interview with board and meet board approval Great location - close to Broadway theaters and transportation Elevatored, Pre-War, Pet Friendly building See our New York Times ad: http://realestate.nytimes.com/+Comshare/VUListing.asp?Lid=253-NS8011317 See below for more details about the apartment and the building, including photos
Pre-war, 1924 architecturally-significant Emory Roth building with 11 floors plus basement, containing 215 units
24 hour Concierge with Wake-up Calls and UPS/FedEx Package Storage Live-in Superintendent Night & Weekened Security Guard Full-time Building Manager Other staff includes Porters and Handyman Modern Elevators: two passenger, one freight/service Laundry Room with 27 machines (card activated, not coin) Pet Friendly Subletting allowed Laundry & Dry Cleaning Delivery Fresh Direct friendly Community Room House Telephone Future roof deck? Friendly and famous residents including several Broadway stars Annual holiday party Luggage cart Storage Rooms with Lockers
I thought I would introduce you to my work buddy, Bobo! He's a young monkey born at the Bronx Zoo and I took him in and he lives at my desk. He just began sprouting hair so we are all very excited. Be sure to come by and meet him.
I posted some Katie Couric clips on this blog awhile back and now Harry Shearer has posted some more of her in New Hampshire recently. Take a look:
Have you seen the new MacBook Air? Oh how I want one...maybe some day soon...
And now it's time for a Wednesday news blooper!
Just about everyone I know has seen Rent on broadway. I still have yet to see it and just read that it will be closing on June 1st. I guess I should go see it eh?
That's right, The Ten is out on DVD today. I hope you will go out and purchase it or add it to your netflix queue.
It seems as though Bill Clinton still has the power to woo-zy the ladies...
I started a mail bag and I encourage you to send me your questions which I will answer every week. The first one comes from Steven in Sweden. Steven writes:
"Hello Evan. I'd like to know what you do on your lunch break everyday?"
Great question Stevo, as many of you know, I enjoy going to Whole Foods to get a salad for lunch. What you might not know is that before I go into Whole Foods, I try getting a little exercise on the sidewalk. Take a look...
Makes me tired just watching myself. Once I get back to the office I usually eat at my desk and scour the internet for interesting news and videos. Yesterday for example, I watched Boaz's new episode of Paranormal Office!
Today's second question comes from Vanessa in Hoboken. How's the weather out there Vanessa? Vanessa wants to know:
"Hi! I'm a big fan of your blog and I wanted to know what sort of hobbies you have? What do you do for fun?"
Hey Vanessa, thanks so much for your kind words! One of my favorite hobbies is making musical instruments out of fruits and vegetables. It all started one summer when I tripped and fell into a blueberry bush in Vermont. I was covered in blueberry and one lone berry was stuck in my mouth. I breathed out slowly and heard the most beautiful tone coming from the berry. Now I make a new instrument every weekend and my friend Kahin, a very accomplished musician, demonstrates each one. Here he is playing my zucchini trumpet! Oh yeah, and just for your information he starts out talking about my inventing these amazing instruments and what a swell guy I am. Kahin, you're the best.
Send in your letters! I look forward to hearing from you and your question might even be answered next week!!
So the meteorologists got me all excited last night with talk of up to 9 inches of snow in NJ. I stayed up late staring at the window, nosed pressed against the glass my eyes scanning the dark sky begging for a flake. (okay, it was more like Elissa and I stayed up late watching Stardust, which we both enjoyed).
Did you hear about Mark Malkoff? He spent a week inside the Paramus Ikea and documented it. You can watch footage of his week here. If I had to spend a week in a store I think I would pick Ikea. Everynight you can try sleeping in a different bed. And did someone say endless supply of Swedish meatballs and ligonberry juice? Sounds like a vacation to me. He had cart races with night security and his personal trainer came to work him out (using checkout belts as a treadmill can be fun!).
This weekend was a lot of fun. Dinner with Ben and Rachel on Saturnight at Shanghai Jazz where you can eat Chinese food and hear live jazz!! Mr. Roy Meriwether tickled the keys and played some of his favorites. It was a lot of fun and a night wouldn't be complete without some Wii play. Yesterday Elissa and I drove into the city to have brunch at Asha's. The food was good and it was great seeing everyone. It had been awhile.
I hope you are excited about The Ten being released on DVD tomorrow.
I went for my afternoon walk to Union Square yesterday and stopped off in the DSW (Discount Shoe Warehouse) hoping to find some shoes in my size and maybe even in the clearance section. I've grown up not being able to find shoes easily. I can't just go into a store find a display shoe I like and try it on in my size. Nope, I have to browse through the aisles looking up and down at every box to see if there are any size 15. Now when I walked into DSW I noticed they had employess all over trying to get shoppers to sign up for some free discount card. I spotted one man who was dressed as a woman trying hard to get people to take these discount cards. I first went to the clearance section because I have learned that most of the time many of the large size shoes are put here. I didn't find anything in my size. I started looking through the large mens collection and saw a few 15s here and there but nothing I really liked. I was then confronted by the man/woman who asked me if I wanted to sign up for a DSW Card. Here's how our exchange went:
Him/Her: Would you like to sign up for a DSW discount card? Me: Um... Him/Her: It allows you to save 20% for every $50 you spend. Me: Well I don't need it because you don't seem to have many shoes in my size. Him/Her: What size do you wear (looking down at my shoes) Me: Size 15 Him/Her: (looking at my shoes) Really?? You look a lot more like a size 14.
I then completely rejected the card offer. I should have finished the conversation with, "yeah, and you look more like a man". Why do these people think they are all of sudden gods who can tell what your shoe size is just by looking at your shoes. And why would he/she even say that after I told him/her that I wear a size 15. What...you don't believe me? Here, check the tag.
Oh yeah, and continuing my fascination with bathrooms...check out the new NYC public toilet. Go quickly or the doors will open once your 15 minutes is up.
Over the break I read Steve Martin's most recent book, Born Standing Up which Jon had given me for my birthday. I really enjoyed reading about how Steve Martin got started and how he shaped his standup routine. There are some great photos spread out throughout the book of Steve at various ages. If you are looking for a fun light read I highly recommend it. You can get a copy here.
I was at the gym last night and Dean shared with me the following Youtube video. It contains some foul language so don't say I didn't warn you. It made me laugh because it reminds me of 95% of the guys I observe when Elissa and I go out to bars in NJ.
Thanks for your contribution Dean!
I think I mentioned that Elissa bought me a GPS for the holidays. I really love it. You will learn new ways to get from place to place that you never even knew existed. If you drive at all I highly recommend getting one. They had a great sale on GPS systems for the holidays and I'm sure you can still find some units on sale. So go out and make driving more enjoyable by getting one of these little devices.
I'd like to present you with a list of some of the movies that Boaz and I have seen at Sundance and I enjoyed. Some of these are already out on DVD and some will be out in the coming weeks so add them to your Netflix Queue.
1) Eagle Vs. Shark (on dvd) 2) Adams's Apples (on DVD) 3) The Monastary: Mr. Vig vs. the nun 4) Dedication 5) King of California 6) The Nines 7) On the Road with Judas
and some that were at Sundance but we didn't see:
1) Son of Rambo 2) Joshua 3) Rocket Science 4) My kid could paint that
For those of you who don't know who David Wain is, go to his website right now and find out. Watch Wainy Days online and put Wet Hot American Summer on your Netflix queue. David is a very funny and talented man who has always been so nice to Boaz and me. We like to call him a comedy genius, and he is. This post is to help David promote THE TEN, his most recent film which will be out on DVD on January 15th. Boaz and I saw this film at Sundance last year and could not stop laughing. It is very funny. So be sure to go out and buy this movie and spread the word to your friends. I must say that The Ten is the BEST comedy of 2007. That's right, step aside Knocked Up and Superbad, The Ten takes first place. Now help me spread the word about The Ten. Tell your co-workers, neighbors, friends, dealers, bosses, mistresses, family..anyone! Get the word out!!
Thanks, Evan
PS. Here's the unrated trailer for you to keep on watching until you get the DVD on January 15th.
That's a view from above of current Washington Square Park which as you know is undergoing rennovation. Did you watch the Primary coverage last night? I stayed up for Hillary's speech and then went to sleep. It has been hard concentrating at work because the heat is on and combined with the warm temperatures...not good.
Wondering what movie to check out either in the theater or on dvd? Look no further, this duo will give you the lowdown on what's hot and what's not:
and for some more youtube fun..check out this guy:
While in Vermont, Elissa and I went for lunch at the Dorset Inn. We had a really good meal and we started it out with freshly squeezed cleansing juices. They were delicious and inspired me to pull out the somewhat dusty juicer that my parents bought awhile back. I used to use it all of the time to make carrot juice and I still would take it out every now and then. I even found the Juiceman book and would make some of the drinks from that. Well I think I am going to start juicing again and here are some of the recipes I have found online that look good:
Liver cleanser: 1 black radish or 6-8 red radishes 12 large green and yellow leaves curly endive 6 stalks asparagus
Kidney cleanser: 3 celery stalks 2 tomatoes 1 lemon, peeled 2 carrots 6 large green leaves endive lettuce
Vegetable Super Juice Serves 2
This juice is a popular one for breakfast as it gives your energy levels a boost, wakens your digestive system whilst giving your body a nutrition, yet gentle start to the day. 250ml mixed with 250ml of distilled water is usually enough to keep me going until lunchtime. If you are keen to get '5-a-Day' this is a pretty good start!
Ingredients:
1 whole cucumber 4 sticks of celery 2-4 handfuls of spinach 8 lettuce leaves Any other greens! Optional boosters: parsley and fresh alfalfa sprouts
Juice all ingredients and mix 50/50 with distilled water. Add optional lemon juice to taste and Prime pH to boost the alkalinity of the juice.
Healing Detox Juice Serves 2
A sweeter, more subtle juice which still packs a nutritional punch! The combination of the carrots, spinach and parsley provides an excellent source of antioxidants, while the celery lends its cleansing properties.
Ingredients:
3-4 Carrots 125g Fresh Spinach Handful of Flat Leaf Parsley 2-3 Sticks of Celery
Juice all ingredients (putting celery through last). Mix with water to taste or drink neat (your preference).
I am looking forward to trying all of these in 2008! It's the year to juice!
I just came across this article. When one pregnant student told their teacher they would be out on maternity leave he replied with " Juno you'll be missing a lot of work right?"
Due to the WGA strike it appears as though the Golden Globe Award show has been cancelled!. NBC will air various award news telecasts to fill the empty airtime.
Did you like Dave's beard? Well thanks to YouTube I can happily post the clip of him getting shaved on last night's show.
I know what you have been thinking, where is Evan? What happened? No entries for over two weeks???? That's right, I just returned to work from my winter break, one of the most relaxing breaks I've had in awhile. It started with a great 5 days in Naples, Florida where Elissa's parents invited us to stay with them. It was so nice being there and I had such a great time. We spent New Year's Eve with Jon and Justine and their relatives and friends and a good time was had by all. The next morning Justine made delicious buttermilk pancakes from scratch and we watched some Twilight Zone episodes. I really wanted to get up to Vermont to take advantage of the snow so Elissa and I went up this past weekend and Elissa went cross country skiing for the first time. It was a blast and we were both feeling it the next morning. This is a very abbreviated post and I have photos to share as well. Gotta start getting back to work. Happy New Year!!!
PS. Did anyone else see the blue man on the Today Show this morning? Freaky!
