AFI Top 100 Films

What do the following movies have in common: Wuthering Heights, Rebel Without a Cause, The Manchurian Candidate, The Birth of a Nation, My Fair Lady, From Here to Eternity, and Frankenstein? They are seven of the 23 movies that were dropped from the American Film Institute's newly updated list of Top 100 American Films.

Other jaw-dropping boots from the list include: Doctor Zhivago, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Third Man, Stagecoach, The Jazz Singer, A Place in the Sun, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

I know it's all a matter of taste. And sure, I'm happy that Robert Altman's epic Nashville made the cut this time, along with Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show. And who doesn't love Bladerunner or Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf getting a deserved nod? But come on, there are some glaring headscratchers in the updated list, especially when you remember we're talking about the Top 100 American films E-V-E-R!

• Toy Story coming on board as Fantasia disappears?
• Adding Do the Right Thing and Saving Private Ryan while booting Mutiny on the Bounty and Giant?

Too weird my friends, too weird. But at least most of the ranking made as much sense as possible. Citizen Kane is still #1, followed by The Godfather and then Casablanca. You should check out the list yourself and see a) how many of the movies you've seen; and b) if you disagree with the order or any that are on the list. AFI has the new list with ranking changes and new additions marked. Strangely, they have not listed any of the movies that were dropped. Maybe they're trying to skirt criticism.

Being the Ultimate Washington Insider

My friend Scott Shrake is not nearly as cute as my neice Addie, but he does have a new blog entry on Huffingtonpost.

Addie Pic of the Day

Frankie from Real World Dies

Realityblurred.com is reporting that Frankie Abernathy from Real World San Diego has died of complications from cystic fibrosis.

You can see the pic of Frankie above, but she was the skinny redhead with all the piercings. Always kind of goth. I have to admit that at the time of the show, I thought Frankie's health problems were about as grave as former Seattle cast member Irene and her lyme disease. Frankie was such a drama queen and was always playing the martyr.

But I was officially wrong, I guess. I don't know a thing about cystic fibrosis, but with her health issues it was actually quite remarkable that she chose to do a reality tv show. Or maybe she did it just so she could take her mind off her health. In any event, though I never knew the real Frankie, it's strange that a "character" from one of my most longterm shows has died. After like 16 Real Worlds, Frankie is only the second cast member to have passed away--the first being Pedro Zemora.

Sopranos Finale

I just read an interesting article which talks about the phenomenal ratings of The Sopranos finale last Sunday. Evidently the episode was the 2nd highest rated show on television that week, even though only 30 million American homes have HBO. A staggering 11.9 million people tuned in.

I'm not sure how many of you watched, but I thought the show was completely back in form. It reminded me of the early Sopranos, funny, tension-filled, and compelling. For me, the show's only real problem (aside from breaks that were sometimes over a year long) has been the widely inconsistent tone. I get that the show's a mob drama, but there were a number of episodes that were so obsessively dark, and so awkwardly horrible, that they weren't worth watching to me--they became cartoonish. Just as there were other episodes that wandered into complete writerly masturbation--David Chase making a clear choice to see just what he could actually get away with.

But all in all, I can't think of show with more painstakingly crafted characters. We witnessed moments in these peoples' lives--ha, these character's lives--that ranged from the mundane to the extraordinary, and so many were completely moving, and terrifyingly genuine. That is why I was completely satisfied with the series finale last Sunday.

The humor, the paranoia--it felt right to me. I'm not always the biggest fan of David Chase--he can be as heavy handed as anyone I've ever read, pounding out the obvious--but the last scene in the diner was pitch perfect. Did Tony die? Was it just a dinner as usual? Could Meadow be the only one spared? We'll never know. But I think I'd rather not know. People who say the ending was a cop out are wrong. Stopping mid-scene with a jarring black screen and no music--for me, that was a risk. The obvious thing would have been for there to be a bloodbath in the last few minutes, and The Sopranos rarely ever worked toward the obvious.

Sex and the (WTF?) City!

E Online is reporting that finally a new Sex in the City movie is in the works. I had this idea filed under "when pigs fly." Who knew?

Waitress and Knocked Up

In the past few weeks I've been able to see two fairly good summer movies, both small (or smallish) compared to the newest Pirates and Spider-Man. My expectations for both Waitress and Knocked Up were too high. Both movies were good, but neither was great.

Waitress is quirky and fun. And what's not to love about Keri Russell and Nathan Fillon? It's just that for as fun as the movie was, it did feel a bit too precious--a bit too clever for its own good. But I enjoyed the film overall, and there were some really touching moments. It's a real tragedy to think that director Adrienne Shelly won't get to hone her craft and make more movies (she was murdered last year in New York). Waitress can be laugh-out-loud funny at times and really does comed together pretty cohesively. And for a director's first movie that's an incredible feat.

Knocked Up isn't a small indie darling like Waitress but it is still finely crafted and overall a good movie. Following The 40 Year Old Virgin, director Judd Apatow delivers a strange mesh of a romantic comedy and a guy's guy movie. It felt like Porky's had a baby with When Harry Met Sally which worked sometimes, but other times fell flat. Katherine Heigl is as gorgeous and funny as ever, but I'm not sure Seth Rogen can carry a film. It's not just that she's a 10 and he's a 5. For me, Rogen just doesn't have the "leading man" charisma the part takes. But the movie is funny and certainly worth your $10. Curb your expectations some and both movies can be a welcome retreat from the summer weather and blockbuster fare.

It's Been a While

From my trip to Peru to getting prepared for my organization's annual convention in Vegas next week, it's been a really busy time. Sorry I haven't had the chance to blog much and address some great topics like my new niece Addison or how travelling with my mother to Machu Picchu has changed my outlook on life some.

But one thing that's quick and dirty for me to talk about is television. And I can say that though it's been a fantastic year with Brothers & Sisters, Heroes, Lost and some other shows, I really feel like some of the season finales have let me down.

Case in point--Gilmore Girls. It wasn't even a great episode. Good, but eh? You'd expect a season--and series!--finale to pull out all the bells and whistles while still staying true to its core. But GG didn't do either. I felt like the characters were a bit lost, and really I didn't get the GG love vibes I was expecting.

Heroes and Desperate Housewives left me nonplussed too. I think everyone in the world realized nearly two months ago exactly how Heroes was going to end. And Housewives? Well, it was boring as hell except for Edie kicking the bucket. (Or did she?)

Anyway...there have been two saving graces. Brothers & Sisters was amazing on Sunday. It's the only part of my Sunday television viewing where I turn off my computer, I stop folding clothes, I don't even pet the cats. It deserves my attention because it's so damn fun to watch. And the finale was just the same: funny, sappy, intriguing, and just plain feel-good. I think the show is really one of my favorites to watch and enjoy. It's no grand work of art...but it's fantastic.

And that leaves me with Lost. I keep hearing there is a game-changing thing in the works in the finale. I'll be honest, my feelings about the this year's tv season probably (unfairly) hinge on the season finale of Lost. So much is at stake, so much has changed, and for the first time in years--I'm spoiler free. I just hope the Lost team doesn't let me down.

Machu Picchu Pics

Hey y'all. You can find all my 400 pics from my trip to Peru here.

Things I Didn´t Know about Peru

While I am waiting to go out and spend some afternoon time in Lima, I thought I´d sit down and write a few surprises I´ve encountered during my trip. Yáll are probably smarter than me and knew all this, but oh well.

1) Spanish is the SECOND language spoken by most of the people outside the big cities. In Cuzco, for example, Quechua is the native tongue--though everyone does speak Spanish.

2) In Peru, people don´t flush toilet paper down the toilet. Even used toilet paper is put in a little basket by the toilet. This is true in homes and restaurants and such, but also hotels.

3) Americans use the word Inca incorrectly. Inca is the ruler of the Quechua people. So when we talk about Inca ruins, what we really mean is ruins the Quechua people built for their Inca.

4) There is still a lot of resentment toward the spanish in Peru--especially in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley towns. While the Quechua are now almost all Catholic, they resent what the Dominicans did to their native culture.

5) One US dollar is 3.2 soles in Peru. A beer is 8 soles. A Big Mac is 4.5 soles. A real steal because of the strength of our dollar. But food and flowers are two things that are cheap even for the native people in Peru. We were looking at elaborate flower arrangements in church--ones that would have cost upwards of $75 or $100 in the US. These same flowers cost about $10 in Peru.

6) All hotels in Lima, Cuzco, and the Sacred Valley seem to have outlets that support US electronics. I brought an adaptor with me, but didn´t need it.

7) Potatoes and Lima beans are indigenous to Peru. There are over 200 kinds of potatoes--black, blue, yellow, red. And the Georgia staple, the Lima Bean, came from Peru. (Yeah, the name should have given it away long ago to me)

8) Ecalyptus trees are native to Peru. I´m not sure why that surprises me, but it does. Oh, and there´s no real tree line in the Andean mountains. Mountains as high as 13, 14, and 15,000 feet never ever get snow. The snow line starts around 18,000 feet.

That´s it for now. If I bored you, sorry.

Things I Didn´t Know about Peru

While I am waiting to go out and spend some afternoon time in Lima, I thought I´d sit down and write a few surprises I´ve encountered during my trip. Yáll are probably smarter than me and knew all this, but oh well.

1) Spanish is the SECOND language spoken by most of the people outside the big cities. In Cuzco, for example, Quechua is the native tongue--though everyone does speak Spanish.

2) In Peru, people don´t flush toilet paper down the toilet. Even used toilet paper is put in a little basket by the toilet. This is true in homes and restaurants and such, but also hotels.

3) Americans use the word Inca incorrectly. Inca is the ruler of the Quechua people. So when we talk about Inca ruins, what we really mean is ruins the Quechua people built for their Inca.

4) There is still a lot of resentment toward the spanish in Peru--especially in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley towns. While the Quechua are now almost all Catholic, they resent what the Dominicans did to their native culture.

5) One US dollar is 3.2 soles in Peru. A beer is 8 soles. A Big Mac is 4.5 soles. A real steal because of the strength of our dollar. But food and flowers are two things that are cheap even for the native people in Peru. We were looking at elaborate flower arrangements in church--ones that would have cost upwards of $75 or $100 in the US. These same flowers cost about $10 in Peru.

6) All hotels in Lima, Cuzco, and the Sacred Valley seem to have outlets that support US electronics. I brought an adaptor with me, but didn´t need it.

7) Potatoes and Lima beans are indigenous to Peru. There are over 200 kinds of potatoes--black, blue, yellow, red. And the Georgia staple, the Lima Bean, came from Peru. (Yeah, the name should have given it away long ago to me)

8) Ecalyptus trees are native to Peru. I´m not sure why that surprises me, but it does. Oh, and there´s no real tree line in the Andean mountains. Mountains as high as 13, 14, and 15,000 feet never ever get snow. The snow line starts around 18,000 feet.

That´s it for now. If I bored you, sorry.

Cuzco, Guinea Pigs, and Sexy Women

Cuzco has been a blast. Just imagine a city where most of the architecture is built on top of walls that were created in 1100 AD. Just crazy old and fantastic.

Wednesday--We saw every old church possible in Cuzco, including one that has a cross which Pisarro´s own people carried when they first came to the city in the 1500´s. We also spent a lot of time at the Temple of the Sun, probably the best, most precise Inca walls ever built. Of course the Dominicans came and put a church on top of it, so you can´t see most of the original.

Thursday--Today is only half over but it was jam-packed with sights and sounds. We started the day by going to a traditional market in Cuzco. Think of the biggest farmers´market you can imagine and then make it twice as crowded, twice as dirty, and 4 or 5 times as cheap. It was miraculous. Rows of chocolate and fresh cheeses right up against hanging dried llama fetuses and racks of fresh butchered meats.

After the market we went to Sasqyunhuaman. I spelled it wrong, but oh well. It´s an Inca ruin from the 1400´s just north of the city--three rows of huge rounded walls that you can´t wrap your head around. Some of the stones weigh up to 300 tons. It was incredible. But every time a peruvian says the name of the site, I always think they´re saying, ¨sexy woman.¨

For lunch we had some new stuff including alpacca and pork (with the skin attached). But the highlight had to have been when they brought a whole guinea pig out on a plate. Ugh. I just wasn´t brave enough to try it, though I´ve tried everything else.

Tomorrow we head to Lima. Then it´s Miami on Sat and back to DC on Sunday. More later

Machu Picchu

Well, I have just spent the past two days in Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu and want to give you all a brief rundown.

Monday--In the morning, we visited a class of 5th graders in a local school. They were so fantastic and hugging us and going nuts. Nearly all of them want to be tour guides when they grow up. I never knew the Peruvian economy was so bad, and evidently tourism has turned everything around. Then we took the train from Ollataytamba to Aguas Calientes, the small town just 25 minutes driving from the ruins.

We got to the ruins at about 230 or so and it was beautiful--more spectacular than you can imagine. We walked around for three hours taking in most of the lower level sights, though we did climb to a high tower that houses the "hitching post of the sun." We also got the classic picture of the ruins with the mountain behind.

As we were leaving, the sun was setting and we were basically the only people at the ruins. I´m not sure much can compare--even my years in Alaska. Later that night all of us went to get pizza and beer (no kidding). We played a hilarious game called Sapo where you try to throw gold coins in a metal frog´s mouth. I, of course, sucked at it.

Tuesday--we got to the ruins at 7 a.m. and my mother and I walked with a married couple on our tour, and with our tour guide, to the top of the mountain you always see in the Machu Picchu pics. Yes, the top of that f´ing tall mountain. We climbed a total of 1500 feet I think. This is fairly remarkable considering our hotel was another 2000 feet lower than the ruins!

I´ll describe the ruins in another blog. They were magical. And we saw chinchillas in the wild among the ruins. And llamas too. We took the train this afternoon and now we´re in Cuzco, the first city of the Incas. Can´t wait to explore tomorrow.

Talk to all of you soon. Sorry to be brief and not very detailed. It´s killing the writer in me, but I figure it´s neater to get something out while we´re actually here in Peru.

Hello from Peru

It´s late Sunday afternoon and I wanted to catch all of you up on the trip to Peru I´m taking with my mother. It´s been unbelievably beautiful here, but we´ve done so much hiking, walking, eating, and even rafting that I´m dead tired.

Wednesday--we were in Miami and didn´t do much. Simply took a boat ride around the rich islands in the bay. We had a 1 a.m. flight that night to Lima.

Thursday and Friday--we hit the ground running in Peru. There are 12 of us on the tour, mostly older married couples, as I had anticipated. We saw lots of ancient sites in the city including old Incan pyramids and visited an Gregorian monestary and its catacombs. Friday night I actually ventured out to a gay bar and met some nice new friends. More on that another time.

Saturday--we flew from Lima (which is at sea level) to Cuzco, which is 11,000 feet. I´m pretty in shape, but I can tell you that you get tired more easily, and sometimes even lightheaded. We drove down from Cuzco to the Sacred Valley and Urabamba River (a lower elevation of 9,000 feet) where we visited the ancient Incan ruins of Pisac. It was a hellish hike, but really wonderful. We visited a llama farm where we also saw alpacas and vicunyas. Of course they made us drink lots of coca tea, which is supposed to help you adjust to elevation.

Sunday--we are still in the Sacred Valley which is really amazing. Our old monestary hotel has flowers blooming everywhere, even though Peru is entering its winter season. Today we visited another Incan site, the only one where the Incans actually defeated the Spanish. The name is too long and I don´t remember. Maybe Oyatollamba? Something like that. Then we did a rafting trip down the Urabamba River. Mom and I rode in front and we were completely drenched. But eating a huge picnic lunch after made it all worthwhile. After the picnic we visited a famous ceramics studio, but the highlight for me was petting the marmoset named Bellaluci.

Tomorrow is our first day at Machu Picchu.

Off to Peru

Not sure how many of you know, but I'm headed to Peru on Wednesday for twelve days. Specifically, I'm going to see Machu Picchu, but my tour also stops in Lima and Cuzco.

The funny part of the trip is that I'm headed there with my mother. She's great, but I'm sure we'll have some knock-down-drag-outs. We'll see.

I'll try to post from Peru if any of our hotels have internet access.

Ari Gold Quote of the Week

"Don't jump to conclusions, Lloyd. He might just want a pretty Mongolian face to look at over dinner."
--Jeremy Piven's character on HBO's Entourage works to convince his gay assistant that a gay client doesn't want in his pants.

An Amazing Website

Props to MDV for passing this great, hilarious website along. I can't spoil it for you. It is truly genius!

GRINDHOUSE Review

I was able to catch Grindhouse this weekend, the new double feature by the clever directing duo of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. I whole-heartedly recommend the movie with two caveats: 1) you must be willing to take a wild, self-referential, bloody ride; and 2) you have to make it through the much-too-bloody first half by Rodriguez to uncover the real gem that is Tarantino's new movie.

Rodriguez and Tarantino should both get credit for having fun. That's what these two 90 minute movies are about. Unabashed crazy blood-and-guts wild-ass fun. From fake horror movie previews to grainy film and missing reels, the directors throw in every old school gimmick but the kitchen sink.

The first part of the movie, Rodriguez's Planet Terror, might as well be a video game. Full of fast-flying bullets and exploding zombies, the over-the-top gore finally just begins to wash over you after 45 mins or so. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, which you might expect. But who in the world could have known that Rose McGowan (of Scream and Charmed fame) could be such a kickass heroine? And cutie Freddy Rodriguez (from Six Feet Under) plays a charming, gun-toting love interest.

While Planet Terror has genuine moments of suspense, Tarantino's Death Proof is the movie that actually keeps you on the edge of your seat. You know from the movie trailer that Rose McGowan gets in Kurt Russell's "death proof" car, and he tries to kill her. But that's only about 1/4 of the movie. The rest of Death Proof is balls-to-the-wall girl power. Not since Buffy have I seen some gals kick such ass.

If you don't mind gore and you want to have some fun, Grindhouse will certainly fit the bill. You'll probably get squeamish during Rodriguez's first half, but hold tight because Tarantino's second half redeems the double feature as a whole. Now I just want Tarantino to get back to making another great drama, a la Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown. Hell, even Kill Bill would do.

Addie and Her Uncle

My Humps

Most of you have seen this already, but props to my friend Cathy for sending it along. Alanis Morisette has covered Fergie's "My Humps" in his hilarious video. It's astounding, so be sure to take a look.