Mego’s blog

I'm surprised to find myself saying this, but I'm really excited about Diablo Cody's next film. I always thought Juno was just a fluke, but her second film looks like it's slated to be a cult classic in the vein of Heathers and Teeth. Also, I just recently finished Cody's memoir Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper and I really enjoyed it (although the pop culture references, even for me, were wearing thin by the end of the book).

I think this trailer looks pretty classic (and if you're really into it, check out the red band trailer which is even better).

ABC Family aired the series finale of the Gilmore Girls yesterday (for the very first time since the series ended in 2007). In the final episode, Rory gets a job at a web magazine where she's set to cover Barack Obama's campaign.

Two years after the fact, I can't help but wonder what Rory Gilmore is doing now. I find it strangely omniscient that the writers of Girls would decide that our little Yale grad would follow Obama rather than other Democratic presidential hopeful Clinton. I wonder if they had a feeling he would become President someday.

Where is Rory Gilmore now? Is she feeling the pains of the recession, jobless and broke and living in a cardboard box? Or is she flourishing as a reporter ala her hero Christiane Amanpour? Or is she back at Star's Hollow, living at home like so many other college grads her age?

I smell a new ABC Family spin-off series.

While watching the Michael Jackson Memorial yesterday, I wasn't surprised to see Mariah Carey covering "I'll Be There," as she did for her MTV Unplugged special nearly twenty years ago. However, I was surprised to see Trey Lorenz reemerge for a cameo in the song.

Carey even did the, "Trey Lorenz. Sing," bit in the middle just like she did in the original Unplugged (personally, I always found this demeaning for Lorenz, almost like a command for a dog).

Trey Lorenz looked great! I know Lorenz had a solo album back in the early 90's that didn't do as well as planned and that he's been doing background work in the music business ever since, but maybe this is the second coming for the guy. I personally was excited to see him appear in the song -- since I remember thinking he was cool when the Unplugged album came out. My vote is for more collaborations between Carey and Lorenz, as I think they are a great pair for duets. 

I got to see Jenny Lewis in concert Sunday night, and she was simply amazing.

Jenny Lewis at Mr. Small's in Millvale

Lewis was one of the best performers I've ever seen, and I couldn't help but wonder why she was playing a smaller venue rather than to a pavillion or an arena (although naturally I prefer the more intimate setting). When the concert was first announced, I was taken aback that it was at a standing-room-only club. I suppose she's still growing in popularity as an artist, but in all seriousness -- why aren't more people in love with her?

Songs like "Carpetbaggers" and "Trying My Best to Love You" are catchy and poppy enough to get radio airplay, but they don't. She just as charismatic and lovely (if not more so) as Gwen Stefani and has a strong female fan base to boot, yet she's still hasn't reached household name status. I find this strange.

Don't get me wrong. I don't necessarily want to be seeing her from nose-bleed seats in section Z, but Jenny definitely needs some more recognition. Liz Phair once said that Madonna is the speedboat, and the rest of us are just the Go-Go's on waterskis. I think that music needs a new speedboat.  

I got to see Camera Obscura last night at Mr. Small's theatre in Millvale, Pa. Mr. Small's was the final stop on their tour in support of My Maudlin Career.

I experienced music nirvana three times: once, when they covered Bruce Springsteen's "Tougher than the Rest" (two of my favorite artists together at last); secondly, when they performed "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken," with the celestial organ sounds reverberating in Mr. Small's (a church converted into an Indie Rock venue); thirdly, when I snagged the set list.

Truly, the Sweetest Thing

Here's the group playing "Lloyd" on a stop in Mexico City:

Lately, I've noticed that the powers-that-be who create movie titles are just getting lazy. Case in point, Fast & Furious  as opposed to The Fast and the Furious. These are two different movies with nearly the same title.

Just when I thought it was just a blip on the movie radar, here comes The Final Destination. Here's a sample conversation on how people will distinguish between this movie from its original, Final Destination:

"Hey, did you see the new previews for The Final Destination?"

"Uh, yeah. About nine years ago."

"No -- The Final Destination. New title -- it has 'The' ."

"Oh, THE Final Destination. Wow. This must be THE final one then! Awesome."

Basically, the "The" in the title is about as subtle as Clark Kent's glasses.

Here's a clip of THE Final Destination. I'm really glad to see that horror films are venturing into Racetrack territory. I hope there's a cameo by Danica Patrick!

Like everyone else, I was deeply saddened by Michael Jackson's death last week. He has influenced everyone from late 80's boy bands like New Kids On the Block and New Edition to modern-day "Michael's" like Justin Timberlake and Rhianna. While Don McLean wrote "American Pie" as a way to commemorate "The Day the Music Died" when Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash, I truly believe that Jackson's death marked the day that all of pop music died -- especially that of the music video.

MTV and VH1 are now networks filled with reality television and other throwaway entertainment. If an artist does release a music video, it usually has a story and a budget -- something we can credit Michael Jackson with having a hand in after the release of "Thriller." But something else Jackson managed to do with music videos that no other artist really can do is take something basic and make it entertaining.

Case in point, the video for "Rock with You." This video has no story line or angle; it's just Jackson clad in sequins and belting his heart out. Yet, this video is a million times more entertaining then anything I've seen in the last ten years. Plus, even though he is wearing sequins, he is pretty damn cute! Something else most male performers can't pull off.

They say that the true test of a great singer is when he or she is singing by his or herself with no accompaniment. While Jackson revolutionized the music video by making it epic, at his core, he really didn't need all the special effects and makeup: he was rather brilliant when the video only consisted of himself. 
 

While I was in Florida, in the area where the show Nip/Tuck was supposed to take place (before they jumped the shark and moved to L.A.), I discovered that even the mannequins are bigger and more "beautiful."

I'm just busting here in Florida!

Last week, I went on a Carnival Cruise to Key West and the Bahamas. Once on board the ship, I realized that everything I knew about Carnival Cruises came from the "If You Could See Me Now" theme song, as sung by Kathie Lee Gifford.

I knew there would be a spa, swimming pool, and "fancy food." I also expected some bad 80's hairdos and leotards. . .

However, these commercials failed to show me an overcrowded pool filled with 40 people, weird old men cutting in front of people in buffet lines, and children in rat tails. Wouldn't that had been an interesting commercial? Seeing Kathie Lee cannonball onto a few kids, push her way to the front of the line, and have little Cody don a rat tail? I would have still totally wanted to go on the cruise. Probably more so, actually. 

Detroit and Pittsburgh are involved in two battles: one on the ice and one at the bakery! The Cupcake Station in Birmingham, Michigan and Coco's Cupcake Cafe in Pittsburgh are in an epic challenge to see who has the most fans by who sells the most cupcakes. Whoever wins will be the winner of "The Stanley CUPcake." Here's a look at the Penguin cupcakes I bought from Coco's.

Pens Cupcakes!