Week Twelve. And it's a short one what with all the ancillary holiday cheer and a seemingly egregious amount of goodwill going around. Although last night at a cocktail party someone said "But don't you see? That's the point. The point is people are cheery and all in spite of the current economic climate." Which then prompted one of those Real Meaning Of Christmas Moments. That may be the case, and then again it might not but we managed to give that brief, simmering wisp of hope its due. Enough with the underbelly of it all. Did you see the Wrestler? More and more people are and they all love it. Period. I did love Milk and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Sean Penn will be nominated but really and truly, let's get back to the whole Mickey Rourke thing because you cannot take your eyes off him. It's that riveting. And this week, Valkyrie which is getting mixed reviews -- no matter, I'l be right there in front of the line on Christ mas day. Gotta love a true-story-tragic-foiled-assassination-plot drama  This is already a remarkable story and I feel, absolutely one worth knowing about hstorically. How bad can the pic be? The guy who wrote the Usual Suspects wrote and the guy what directed the Usual Suspects directed it so it's gotta be good, Im thinking. Ad so what about Tom Cruise's odd English Romantic Poet curly hair? The little movie that could is absolutely Slumdog Millionaire. And I guess the Reader opens Christmas and I would recommend catching that too. Plus -- another little movie not to miss is Rachel Getting Married which may very well earn Ann Hathaway an Oscar nod but also, there is another tremendous find here in one Rosemarie Dewitt who has the less flashy role. She is astonishing. Go see that one. I'm also told that Wendy and Lucy is a stupendous tiny little film with Michelle Williams but I cant see it because I know its about a girl and her dog and that might be too upsetting for m e because the trailer says the dog gets "lost". If someone sees it and the dog's fine, will you let me know? Thanks.
So yes it's holiday time. Christmas is here. And it turns out that yes indeed, I like me some Starbucks coffee. As in every morning. But honest to Pete, the Starbucks Gift card is really and truly and asil about the smartest thing you can give someone because EVERYONE appreciates them. If they like coffee at all, they'll want one. I dont know why something so seemingly small can mean so much but it does and I see people respond. And flexibility? You spend as much or as litle as you want. That part I love so I can rank everyone by incremental dollar amounts. Nor does it matter what you spend -- I've given people $5 Gift Cards and I've given them $25 Gift cards and they're all happy. And you and I get the credit. Then if you want to take it a step further, check out what the Green Folk in Seattle are doing with those who are in need. You go try one of their special Espresso Truffle, Gingersnap late or the Peppermint Twist Mocha and they donate 5 cents to the Global Fund. Then y ou take someone into a Starbucks and you get them a traet and you get even more credit. Who doesn't wanna feel good about that?

Basically though, I feel like we're all pretty lucky. So to you, have a Merry Christmas, a joyous Hanukkah and a very very Happy New Year. Cheers.

Week eleven. Eleven weeks from what? ‘Til what? I certainly don’t know anymore. But it’s fun chatting and Indie listeners have written me…the fella who runs our New Media Group kindly added the link below and now people write me and tell me what they like and don’t like. With opinions on any number of things. Always appreciated. Plus,  who doesn’t like Bloc Party? Let’s mention last week’s superb Indie Xmas concert. Featuring  my own personal preference (and remember, I am squarely nestled in the demo that cares about contemporary bands that harken back to another era of the Franz F./Futureheads/ Kaiser Chiefs/ Caesars variety.) --  Bloc Party.  They’re a spectacular and wildly entertaining example of the genre. And boy did they entertain last week.

  So…I’m getting off track. What were we talking about today? Movies. Last week: Doubt, The Reader, Revolutionary Road. Revolutionary Rd. has a super “lit” feel, probably because it’s based on a  great piece of fiction by an author who, they say, should have received more far credit in the American authors department. It shouldn’t just be all about Roth and Cheever.  It’s the whole disaffected suburbia thing, with a young attractive couple who moves out to Ct. Kate Winslet is v crazy & compelling here – looks like she had fun under the aegis of her director husband who brought all those thought provoking plays to Broadway from the Donmare Warehouse. Leonardo D is v good too and he’s working a whole new grownup angle. The clothes of course were simpatico.  I liked it …but not as much as The Reader. Which packs an undeniable wallop. Boy. You’ll think twice before taking a bath with a 15-year old German schoolboy. It’s quite gripping. And about the Holocaust, among other things. From a very curious – if powerful—angle. Again with Kate Winslet who is suitably pinched and opaque and kind mysteriously tragic, plus this astonishing kid named David Kross. And Ralph Fiennes. (Remember M. Fiennes for the Duchess come Oscar time). So if you’re in the mood for a Kate Winslet crazy-elusive-but-undeniably appealing roles set in the late ‘50s, see both of these movies and decide for yourself.

So holidays. Unavoidable, anxiety provoking, Tums-requiring and if you’re anything like me, you’re chronically late to things and kicking yourself. And then there are the presents.  Oh sure, you show up at somebody’s house and stand, graciously in their foyer waiting to present them with an oakey Chardonnay, or a grassy Sauvignon Blanc,  or maybe a jammy but nostalgic Cab …which of course your hosts appreciate until they turn around and take it to someone else’s home. Last weekend at a cocktail party my friend whispered to me that he was certain that the very same eight bottles of wine just circulated throughout holiday cocktail parties. But…here’s the what. So you know right now Starbucks is doing that good thing where they contribute 5c to the Global Fund which literally fights poverty & saves lives in Africa. Which is marvelous and you get to claim the credit for that every time you try the Peppermint Twist Mocha, The Gingersnap Latte or the Espresso Truffle. It’s a fantastic initiative. And now, let’s think about what it is – giftwise -- you might like to get (I can project because this is what I like to receive and I know for a fact that any number of my closest friends feel exactly the same way). The Starbucks Gift card. You just go in there and you pick up a few of them,  and they are awesome because 1) they’re always welcome and appreciated, 2) they’re always attractively packaged 3) you can spend as much or as little as you want on them depending upon how much you care about/need to impress your recipient and 4) when you get a couple to give,  you’re always prepared. You know those moments when someone hands you a not-quite entertaining but no-less heartfelt Joke-a-Day Desk Calendar? No, you’ll never get caught off guard again. It’s that simple. More later.

So week 10. For those of you just joining me week 10 does NOT refer to the amount of time I’ve been drinking coffee. Oh no. I’ve been doing that for several decades.  It just refers to the amount of time I’ve spent prattling on a blog. That’s right. Ten weeks of prattling. This week? Indie concert. Wreck the Halls. Did I mention I already saw the Pretenders at Live Aid when it bowed in Philadelphia in the eighties? Which means simply that now, wiser and more calcium-enriched, I am more excited than ever to repeat that viewing. Plus Bloc Party. Who doesn’t like Bloc Party?

Saw the movie Doubt yesterday. Wow. No surprise of course. But to watch Meryl Streep and P. S. Hoffman duking it out over things ecclesiastical and then over, em, a few extremely unsavory allegations. (And the hitch is,  they’re just allegations – hence the title). It’s superb. Amy Adams is quite wide (blue) eyed and earnest, and rounds out the great cast. Go see it. Streep will be nominated for an Oscar, no (D)oubt. Great film.  This week will also see Revolutionary Road the latest Leo/Kate vehicle that seems to be working that Mad Men/American Beauty good-looking disaffected suburbia thing. They say its terrific so we’ll see. Holiday season always brings the big blockbusters. (Including of course the guiltiest pleasure of all, Twilight. There, I said it. Let’s hear it for the simple pleasures. Just because it ain’t Chekhov doesn’t mean it can’t hold you in its impossibly attractive thrall for two hours.)  And now we’re supposed to get all revved up about Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. Which I’ll gladly do. Plus let’s not forget about Valkyrie. Something about a Third Reich Jackboots conspiracy movie written by the guy what brought us The Usual Suspects that says – even if you know how it ends – this may be one riveting, if devastating pic.  And am I the only one who finds Benjamin Button trailers vaguely creepy? I know I know. Brad Pitt is likely to be singled out for a bravura performance. And I certainly find him as bravura as anyone else. But the time elapse thing is almost off-putting. In a Little Big Man way. But then again, I’m overwhelmingly shallow.

We had a very snazzy Indie company holiday party last weekend. The boys wore jackets and ties and everyone had a lovely time. Perhaps I had one too many gimlets, but isn’t that what a Sunday morning with the New York Times and my venti Latte is all about? The java keeps me alive, I tell you. And like I said last week the folks in Seattle (in their uber – self-actualized, ultra-socially responsible way) have managed to do something else very cool. And it turns out, on account of their vision, types like you and me get to feel very, very magnanimous. Because every time you get one of their (Red) products – the Peppermint Twist Mocha, the Espresso Truffle or the Gingersnap latte, they’ll donate 5 cents to the Global Fund. Which literally goes to fight poverty and disease in Africa. So they’re saving lives. And YOU contributed. You get the credit. How’s that for feeling pretty good? Go ahead, pat yourself on the back. It’s kind of genius. More later. Lady Bountiful out.

Week nine. Well I’m never going to be one of those people who says “hard to believe it’s already December” because, well, I’m not the type. Nor does it have anything whatsoever to do with belief. It’s a plain & inalienable fact. So none of that.  How about them holidays?  So yesterday my sister sent me this quote:

"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city."

Not bad,  I thought. It’s from George Burns, of all people. So there’s that.  Did I mention Cadillac Records? Fascinating movie. And true. In theatres this week. Go see it…far as I am concerned it’s Jeffrey Wright’s picture. Then of course there’s Milk which is likely a lock in for S. Penn although someone just pointed out to me that the Academy doesn’t actually like Sean Penn because he’s always mouthing off. But still. He’s aces and at this point seems to be the clear and present winner. Right?  Plus, let’s not forget about the new Clint Eastwood vehicle (as opposed to the one he directed which should garner A. Jolie an Oscar nod) called Gran Torino. That’s enroute and will likely cause buzz. Or maybe it will simply generate US car sales. Who knows. I saw Twilight. Say what you will, and then maybe you see for yourself what an honest to goodness guilty pleasure is all about these days. Turns out seventy million tweens (all avowed repeat viewers) can make a statement when they feel like it.

So next week is the Indie Xmas show – Wreck the Halls. Which I for one am looking forward to enormously. I wonder who else in the audience will have already seen & loved the Pretenders – at the original Live Aid? Hmm. There isn’t much I like about (having grown up in) Philadelphia, but that was a good day.

So I am drinking lots of coffee these days. Probably more because everyone’s tense during the holidays and I am especially happy about the Starbucks card that gets me the discount all the time. Plus, the green folks in Seattle have gone and done something else rather upstanding and forward-thinking. Check this out: every time you go and buy one of their “(Red)” products, like a Peppermint Twist Mocha, a Gingersnap Latte or an Espresso Truffle, they will donate 5c to the Global Fund, which actually saves lives and continues the fight to eradicate poverty and hunger in Africa. Who’s up for feeling good every time you do something you’re going to do anyway? Who’s up for patting yourself on the back (quietly, humbly) when you are taking even a small stand in the face of all this shiny spending? That would be me. Plus the coffee’s great. Period. I’m sold, and think it’s marvelous. Even if the holidays aren’t.

And here’s Week Eight. Happy Thanksgiving as we close out November and head into the bonfire of commerce otherwise known as the Holiday Season. Or December. Lots of great movies in theatres right now. First, I cannot see Twilight til the lines die down but I am quite certain that when I do,  the seventeen million tweens  returning for second viewings can’t possibly be wrong. This may be a guilty pleasure blockbuster. But what are holiday movies for? Unless of course they are serious, beautifully made and beautifully crafted films like MILK. With one Sean Penn who will win the Oscar. No question about it. Sure Mickey Rourke is extraordinary in The Wrestler but Sean Penn owns that statue this year. No question. Australia was a big, sweeping, glorious holiday epic. Go check it out and let me know what you think. And I just interviewed Jeffrey Wright who is the very very best thing about Cadillac Records, quite an interesting & fascinating movie that’s mostly being shopped as a Beyonce vehicle. Truth is, it’s Wright’s movie. He plays Muddy Waters and you may see an Oscar nod for him too. But you weren’t thinking about movies, were you? You were thinking about Black Friday and it’s confusing but stealthy cousin, Cyber Monday. Maybe everyone will do things in moderation. Maybe the American automobile industry will survive. So this year Mother says, “kids, it’s going to be a lean Christmas” which would be a grim notion indeed except that there’s never been a year since I got braces when she didn’t kick off the holidays with just that exact phrase. At which point my sister always suggests helpfully that we should do some kind of Secret Santa thing which never flies. (I am the youngest of seven children in a family that remains astonished I can walk upright and button a garment at the same time).

 

But no kidding …I cannot live without coffee. I have a skim latte every morning (what’s shocking is that I learned you could actually request skim about three years ago)  …but the point is I need it, I crave it, and I’m impossible when I don’t drink it. And now that we’re talking about the travesty of spending our holiday dollars,  it’s just plain nice to have the Starbucks gold card because you get 10% off on everything you buy. And you can get the Card today. 10 % off everything. Coffee. Tea. Snacks. Oatmeal. You name it. You save cash. That’s money Back In Your Pocket. Think of it as cash back on something you’ll get anyway. Who’s going to argue with that? More later.

And they call this week seven. I won’t even start in on the weather. Largely because it’s way too mercurial & twisty now-you-see-fall-now-you-don’t for me. Plus, someone told me at a cocktail party this party last Saturday night that people who talk about the weather –  especially people who discuss in that  can you believe it… or… it just never ceases to amaze me out here …kind of way are just plain not at all interesting. Sort of like the people with the endless comparisons between New York and Los Angeles. (Another odious trait I possessed & a comparison I made regularly – but not any more). What I will say – and this is not actually about New York it’s more about something that’s emblematic of the East Coast I guess – is that on Sunday mornings the New York Times is far easier gotten at Starbucks. That is to say that rather than brave the wilds of the grocery store on a Sunday,  wondering if you look awful when you greet the people you do want to see,  while dodging the ones you don’t, it’s just much easier to go into your quiet little coffee haven and grab the paper. Not to mention the fact that Starbucks is one of the few outlets that actually stocks the Sunday New York Times, without fail. And you’re supposed to read the Style section and the Wedding section with coffee anyway, so that’s why I just get it there.

 

And one more thing. Go see The Wrestler. Starring Mickey Rourke. In what is being called a “comeback vehicle” because you know he fell from all kinds of grace,  and now he’s got this hipster Indie film opening in December. Plus flick has additional cred on account of its director, one Darren Aronofsky.  And Rourke is indeed battle-scarred and far worse for (what must’ve been a bad decade of) wear & tear,  but the point is the movie is absolutely stunning and you cannot take your eyes off him. He looks bizarre with platinum blonde hair down to his waist and those tights the wrestlers wear (yes it’s that kind of wrestling. Were you thinking Greco Roman early Olympiad stuff? ‘Fraid not. This is pure kitsch. ) Anyway he’s a down on his luck wrestler and you see every element of his life and boy, is this a great and funny and sad and run-don’t-walk kind of movie. He will be nominated and depending upon the stuff Penn and Pitt turn in over the next two months ( w Milk & Benjamin Button) he may even walk away with it.

 

I used my Gold Card this weekend but because I was on the West side I happened to stop into a different, unfamiliar Starbucks. Used my Gold Card. Now, unlike my barista in Hollywood who always marvels at the little plastic beauty that gets me 10% off, this fellow was completely unfazed. It was like all the customers there had their own cards. And in fact I lingered to see if others did….and it turns out? I actually catch sight of a few Gold Cards. Guess they’re a little more ahead of the curve on the West Side. They know a good thing. Which it is because, as we know, the coffee that you know you’re going to get anyway is just that much tastier when its actually that much cheaper. And who doesn’t like that?

Week Six. Nor does it feel like it. Fall has kind of flown…right? Anyway it’s been a fun one. How about the new fella in the White House? Pretty exciting stuff, if you ask me. Not that anyone does. That’s why I get to make pronouncements like these, absolutely unbidden.  And guess what else happened, absolutely unbidden. They sent me a super fancy fragilistic Starbucks gold card. Just like that. And here’s what it does ….it’s quiet and low key and quite understated but it wields true power and makes quite an impact. Kind of like the Teutonic sedan I just bought. Doesn’t shout or speak much. But in fact, says volumes. So the card. So you stroll into your local shop and you greet your barista  (does that mean, actually, that barista would be a lady and that the proper term for a fella behind the counter would be baristo? Not sure on that one). Anyway you catch their eye and you wait and you glance at the pastries and sundries and the new CD’s they’ve got out and the paper. Did I mention that Starbucks is one of the seemingly few places where you can get a New York Times on a Sunday? That alone makes it a haven for those of us living out here who maybe miss a little uptight East Coast coverage and crave the chilly days and personalities that mark our birthplaces. Anyway so you order your skim latte with the extra skim (of course YOU order yours any way you please) and then here’s the good part. You produce the card. And the barista/o smiles and slides it in the cash register. And PRESTO! You save 10%. Right there and then. It’s what you want…what you know you want …only suddenly you pay a lot less for it now. I hate to say it but that’s really win-win.

So who’s up for the James Bond pic opening this week? Who saw Casino Royale? Who thinks all those naysayer’s were quieted by the cerulean-eyed never-smirking Daniel Craig? Oh sure they took an entirely different tack, but it worked, I thought.Which is my way of saying I kind of like him. This week I am seeing a screening of The Wrestler – that’s the one that’s supposed to gain Mickey Rourke his Oscar nod. And of course, it’s certainly got everyone talking about him. Then of course we have Twilight opening. Is it wrong to be fascinated by this one, and oddly curious to the point where I kind of can’t wait to see what the fuss is about? Can twenty million screaming tweens be wrong? We’ll see. I didn’t read the books or anything,  but it looks kind of intriguing. Then down the road we have Valkyrie. Looks totally engrossing. True story, too. More on that later. In the meantime, get yourself one of those Starbucks cards and see what you think. See how you save. 

Week five. And I hope everyone voted. For whom, and on whose behalf, and based on what methodology or conviction, it matters not. Just do it. Because you need the seventeenth hundred person telling you to exercise that right. Flex that legislative muscle. And turns out – and I just found this out – when you vote, and you go to Starbucks, they’ll give you a free cup of joe. Absolutely true. What’s not to like about doing something that costs nothing, that could effect change, that then gets you something else of value that costs nothing. That’s win win.

Oscar race is heating up and I just read in a (trusted, legitimate) periodical that alongside the people rumored to be considered for Academy nods – the Angelinas and the Meryls – we have not so surprisingly, Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (which also featured a startlingly good, if unsung, performance by Rosemarie DeWitt). And then it gets even more intriguing …I’ve seen Melissa Leo’s name tossed around – from Frozen River. A really marvelous film. So maybe this year they’re taking a look at the indies with a more focused eye and possibly they’re even willing to reward the genuinely great performances not everyone knows about.

Indie’s Holiday show? It’s astonishing. No way around that lineup. Pretenders and Bloc Party? Come on. That’s a must-see activiteee.

But back to the oatmeal. I like it and you might want to give it a shot for two reasons. First, because it’s good for you. Genuinely healthy. No way around that. And then – this is benefit 2 – you are filled up so you don’t eat garbage til, say, lunch. Or that’s the case with me. So something tasty (accompanied by the skim latte that unquestionably takes the edge off/cures myriad maladies) actually helps make you maybe just a teensy bit leaner. And who doesn’t want to be lean? Again, win win.

Try it.

Sensational weather, suddenly. If only in a fleeting crispy quicken your stride kind of way it’s now kind of fall. Or at least it’s windy…I was pointing out that it’s one of those A.A. Milne type "blustery days" but boy, is it spectacular out now. What with all that back-to-school-pending-election-new-fall –TV-season-sense-of promise. And good movies headed our way as we make the transition from summer fluff to heartier fare at the box office (e.g. "The Changeling", "Rachel Getting Married", etc) See? People are readying the Oscar bait.

But I'm kind of getting hipped on this oatmeal from Starbucks. Oh sure it's where I go to get my daily skim latte with extra skim fix but now, I am trying to be an adult and get breakfast there too. Because it's just plain smart. So I'm opting for the oatmeal. Very into trying except all along, my chief concern was the speed with which it was prepared. When you get out of bed well before a quarter-to- five in the morning and you maybe stayed up late the night before, the last thing you want is to cool your heels while someone takes hours over a cauldron of porridge. And now, because of the alacrity demonstrated by Starbucks it’s working out that I get a cup of the oatmeal mornings --  in about two minutes. Plus it’s really tasty. And it makes you feel a lot better too. In fact, they add all sorts of goodies like dried fruit and nuts. And it fills you up, so as a side benefit you eat slightly less garbage later on. Talk about a perk. That’s win-win,  dietarily speaking. We’ll see. In the meantime, it tastes good and they get it ready, lickity-split.

Did I mention "The Changeling"? Angelina Jolie’s latest Oscar grab? I think that’s probably where she’s headed, too with this one.  True story – with John Malkovich and Jeffrey Donovan. Go watch it. More later.

I mentioned this morning that I am a miserable, confused, static being every single  morning starting at about 4:30 AM until one single thing appears in my field of vision. The Starbucks Latte. My Starbucks Latte. Tall. Then I actually top it off with skim milk and sweet & low for no apparent reason at all and I spill it on the way to the car and then I start the car and I take my first sip and POW! The edge is gone. Vision is restored. I am lucid, I am good-natured, and I am able to function smoothly and with a modicum of compassion. That’s how good it is. And I’m from the East coast and I have tried all sorts of java and believe you me, when it comes to taste, in my humble opinion the actual Starbucks coffee just plain tastes better. Period. Takes the edge off for me every day. And here’s why I know this…because I use it in more than one way: weekdays? My Latte jump starts my day and transports me into civility and consciousness. Weekends? I still have one. But that Latte is for comfort and lazy newspaper reading. If you haven’t already tried a Starbucks Latte – or if you haven’t tried one recently – whynthcha give one a whirl? They’re astonishing. For me, they’re absolutely life affirming.

 
One more thing. Starbucks has also launched new breakfast treats. Apparently, there are 6 of them. With the emphasis upon nutrition. That’s the part with the whole grains and the real fruit – the stuff you (or at least I) never remember to add to a diet. The stuff that, on the rare occasions that I have remembered, steers your whole day on a better course so you don’t eat bad food later on in the day. This week I’m trying to kick it off with their new oatmeal. Mind you, they actually put fruit in it too. (Or nuts if that’s what you’re into). I’m going to try it every day and see how I respond. See what happens when I introduce health and nutrition to my diet. At least in the morning. Who knows? Maybe it’ll work. One thing I do know…I went over to Starbucks (I like the one on Franklin and two of them on Santa Monica Blvd) and I was worried that the oatmeal would take a while. And I hate to wait.  Turns out – they had it for me all doctored up with the fruit BEFORE I even made it over to the counter to get my java. Definitely impressed.  One other thing? It tastes really really good, this oatmeal. It doesn’t taste healthy. It tastes like a treat. Not sure how they pull that off, but they do. I’m impressed.  More later.