In Things I Have Been Waiting Forever For News: The Killing Returns!

It's hard to believe that I have been waiting to find out who killed Rosie Larsen even longer than I have been waiting to see Katniss and Peeta kiss in the cave in the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games. But I have. Once again, the wait is finally over! If you watched The Killing last season, you may have been a little miffed that the killer was not revealed in the season finale. Well, it's been a year and it's time to get over that. Showrunner Veena Sud has promised that Rosie Larsen's killer will be revealed (and apprehended?) by the close of the second season, set to premiere on Sunday at 8 (with a 2-hour season premiere!) on AMC. Need more reasons to watch? The Killing was nominated for 6 Emmy Awards for its freshman season, including Outstanding Lead Actress (Mireille Enos), Outstanding Supporting Actress (Michelle Forbes), Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Veena Sud), and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Patty Jenkins).

If you did not watch last season, fear not. AMC released this handy little teaser that recaps the high points of the first season investigation.  
Catch a predator this Sunday at 8 p.m. on AMC (right before a new episode of Mad Men at 10!). Pin It

What I'm Running To: I Call it Love by Lionel Richie

Okay, just kidding. I'm not really running to this song, I just love Nicole Richie's clothes in the video! For the record, however, I am not above post break-up run-crying to "Say You, Say Me." Don't judge. Pin It

Mad Men Returns Tonight! Say What?!

In things-Jon-Hamm-can-do-that-you-can't news, Jon Hamm can say the word "what" 965 different ways.

Mad Men is back tonight! Tonight's two-hour Don Draperfest  Mad Men Season 5 premiere begins at 9 on AMC! The wait is finally over, friends! Pin It

Guess Who's Back?

5 days until the Season 5 premiere of AMC's Mad Men. Catch the two hour season opener on Sunday, March 25th at 9 p.m. Style is back, y'all! Forget where we left the men and women of Madison Avenue? This fan-made video will tell you everything you need to know about the first four seasons in 15 minutes. And by telling you everything, I mean, it will tell you absolutely nothing about what is actually going on in the show. NOTE: parts of this video are both NSFW and NSBL (Not Suitable Before Lunch). Enjoy! Pin It

What I'm Running To: Sydney (I'll Come Running) by Brett Dennen

An esteemed lawyer friend likes to create iTunes playlists with unfortunate names like: Patriot Mix, Super Patriot Mix, and Shame Mix. When she decided to create a Lawyer Mix, I was more than happy to offer up some legally inspired song titles for her attorney pop hit list. And by "some legally inspired song titles," I mean, one legally inspired song title: "Lawyers in Love" by Jackson Browne. But had I been aware of "Sydney (I'll Come Running)" by Brett Dennen, I totally would have offered it up in tribute to the almighty attorney playlist. If you are the process of compiling a similar list, you would not go wrong by including "Sydney." And if you are not compulsively organizing your music into themes, you can just run to it, like I plan to. Yes, I am aware that this song has the vague odor of "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" by Paul Simon. And no, I don't see any problems with that. Happy Monday!
Pin It

HG Black Carpet Winners and Losers

As we inch closer to the magical March 23rd theatrical release of The Hunger Games, my HG hysteria grows ever stronger. Last night the cast hit the black carpet for the Los Angeles premiere. Guess who obsessively watched the Yahoo! Movies live feed and squealed like a 12-year old girl when Josh Hutcherson arrived? Yep, that would be me. But let's not stand on circumstance. Let's talk winners and losers!

Winner: Jennifer Lawrence in Prabal Gurung

Photo courtesy of FabSugar

Jennifer Lawrence is a tough girl not to like. For starters, she's absolutely gorgeous. She's also sassy, sarcastic, incredibly talented, and crazy smart. And then she laughs. And she kind of sounds like Beavis from Beavis and Butthead. Love that! So I may be a bit biased, but I thought she hit this look out of the park. I wish she wasn't slouching in this picture because her posture makes the dress look like it was pulling across her hips, which it wasn't (quick tip: stand up straight when someone is taking your picture!). Jennifer's dress is both on trend (Prabal Gurung sent a lot of gold down the runway this February in NY's Fall Fashion Week) and reminiscent of the Mockingjay pin Katniss wears on her tribute outfit in the arena. Foreshadowing Katniss' impending transformation into the Mockingjay, perhaps? My HG partner-in-obessession, F, found Jennifer's hair to be a bit on the prom-y side. I thought it tied into the cutouts in her dress perfectly. To each her own. Jennifer Lawrence's red carpet fashion history has been admittedly spotty; she either gets it entirely right or entirely wrong, but she goes all-in and I appreciate a girl who commits. Last night was JLaw's night, and she got it entirely right.

Loser: Shailene Woodley in Honor 

Photo courtesy of FabSugar

Oh, COME ON, Shailene! Really? Are you doing this just so that I have something to write about?! I applaud you for not trying to upstage Jennifer Lawrence on her night, but that is where my applause stops. I'm not saying that you have put all of your goodies on display (Miley Cyrus, I will deal with you later!), but you don't have to wear a printed potato sack either. I'm not trying to harsh on Honor, which showcased a brightly colored, but mostly covered, collection at Fall Fashion week last month. Honor sent some beautiful dresses with sheer lace overlays down the runway, any one of which would have been perfect for this premiere and beautiful on Shailene (if you have seen The Decendants, you are well aware that Shailene's body is sick, so that's clearly not the problem here). Shailene, I understand that you are only 20-years old. We all make fashion mistakes at 20 (see that phase I went through in undergrad when I was certain that tube tops were the last word in evening attire). But please, try to find your aesthetic. And if you can't find it, hire someone to find it for you.

Winner: Elizabeth Banks in Atelier Versace

Photo courtesy of FabSugar

Representing the over-30 set, Elizabeth Banks was a winner in her orange, one-shouldered Atelier Versace mini dress with nude peep toe pumps. This dress had just the right amount of futuristic avant garde-iness for Banks, who plays Capitol fashionista and District 12 escort, Effie Trinket. Obeying the cardinal evening attire rule, that you may showcase your cleavage or your legs, but not both, and not neither, Banks elected to put the gams on display. If, like me, you have not been gifted with lengthy stems, a nude heel will provide you with the almost Copperfieldian illusion of longer legs. It's all smoke and mirrors, friends.  

Loser: Miley Cyrus in Emilio Pucci

Photo courtesy of FabSugar

Miley, we get it. You can't be tamed. You could, however, stand to be a little more covered. There is a lot of cleavage and a lot of midriff going on here. As if that were not enough, the bottom of the skirt is sheer. Cleavage or legs, but not both. And if you are not standing on the beach with your toes in the sand or in front of someone's tailgate barbecue, your midriff should not be showing. Elegant is the new black.

Winner: Amandla Stenberg (Rue) in Colette Dinnigan

Photo courtesy of FabSugar

Okay, how cute is Amandla Stenberg?! This is exactly what a 13-year old should wear to a movie premiere.  This ombre seafoam green confection is simply beautiful and has just the right amount of sparkle. Bonus points for the 40's hair and strappy kitten heels.

Loser: Kalia Prescott (District 3 Tribute Girl) in Cengiz Abazoglu

Photo courtesy of FabSugar

Why does little Kalia Prescott make my "loser" list? Because she wore white to Jennifer Lawrence's wedding, figuratively speaking. This is a beautiful, if highly involved, dress and Kalia looks stunning in it; but this is an Oscar dress. It is not particularly appropriate for this premiere, nor is it appropriate for someone playing an unnamed character in said premiere. Had this dress been cocktail length rather than full length, I probably would have been all over it. Maybe. Kalia, I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to look your best, but it was Jennifer's night. You shouldn't try to be the belle of someone else's ball.   

So there you have it. Just over 9 days until The Hunger Games is released in theaters. If you are watching in the U.K., your film will be exactly 7 seconds shorter than the U.S. release. British censors required that 7 seconds of "blood" footage be cut from the film in order for it to maintain its 12A rating (12A is the U.K. equivalent of the MPAA's PG-13 rating). 

Pin It

What I'm Running To: Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye (feat. Kimbra)

Yes, this is the alternative song du jour. No, I don't care if this means that I am not as cool as the hipsters who  are already over it. WARNING: This video may be NSFW if your office is kind of squeamish about slight nudity and body paint. But on a side note, how cute is Kimbra's chin-length bob with blunt cut bangs?! Happy Tuesday!  Pin It

Award Season Winners and Losers: Part 2, The Stars

Have you ever started an argument by saying "first . . . ," only to realize that you didn't have a "second . . . "? Happens to me all the time. I begin an argument that I am sure is multi-faceted and multi-layered only to realize that I actually only have one point. With zero facets. And no layers. And no "second . . . " So imagine my surprise when it turned out that I had a "Part 2" to my "Award Season Winners and Losers: Part 1" post. But am I really making a second point? Or is this merely a facet of my first point? You decide (because I can't!).

Winner: Michelle Williams
I was slow to jump on the Michelle Williams train. She was Jen Lindley. I was Team Joey. She made multiple suspect project choices early in her career like Dick, Halloween: H20, and Killing Mr. Griffin. I make it a policy never to trust a Kirsten Dunst movie that doesn't start with "Bring" and end with "it On." Then something miraculous happened; Michelle started making good career choices. She met the late Heath Ledger on the set of Brokeback Mountain, and became one half of the most interesting celebrity couple ever to grace that magical land called Brooklyn. She gave birth to the cutest baby ever to come out of The Creek (sorry, Suri Cruise, you have nothing on Matilda Ledger!) and started toting vintage Coach around the city rather than the newest Balenciaga. Michelle exhibited quiet grace after Heath Ledger's death in 2008, all the while continuing to stretch herself as an actress. She has been nominated for three Academy Awards in the last six years with two back-to-back nominations in the leading actress category for 2010's Blue Valentine and 2011's My Week with Marilyn. She somehow also manages to say the most beautifully insightful things. Well played, Michelle Williams. I'm now very definitely a fan.

So let's talk clothes! Michelle has one of the most defined aesthetics in Hollywood. Don't believe me? Google "Michelle Williams street style," and you'll see what I mean. Michelle favors clean lines, minimal prints, and defined, but unstructured silhouettes.

"I feel like something has changed for me, but it's a new change, so it's going to be hard to describe. Maybe it has something to do with turning 30. I don't feel as shy or nervous or self-conscious. I have more confidence that I can handle what life brings me. I don't feel scared to have an idea or express it. I feel giddy about it because it is a complete transformation. It's like I've found my voice." -Michelle Williams

Loser: Shailene Woodley
Oh Shailene, how you have surprised me. If you had asked me two years ago what I thought about Shailene Woodley, I would have told you that she had the best hair on the worst show on television (ABC Family's Secret Life of the American Teenager). But Shailene's turn as George Clooney's eldest daughter in 2011's  The Descendants was unexpected. Turns out she just may have more to contribute to modern entertainment than a great head of hair. The bar has been raised, Shailene. I'll expect more from you now. I will also expect more from  your wardrobe, because your first foray into Award Season attire has been ill-fitting, poorly conceptualized, and positively schizophrenic. You really have nowhere to go but up in that department. Get it together, Girl. You're in the big leagues now!

"I fell into this business by accident. It wasn't something I ever aspired to be: an actress. It just happened. It has evolved into an insane passion . . . a creative outlet. But nothing more. It's my hobby . . . one of the ways I express myself as an artist. And the day it becomes a job . . . a career . . . I will quit." -Shailene Woodley

Pin It

What I'm Running To: Somebody to Love by Justin Bieber

Can you keep a secret? Because I have a confession to make. Sometimes, when no one is looking, I eat Nutella straight out of the jar. By the spoonful. While standing on one foot. Like a flamingo. Carrie Bradshaw dubbed it "secret single behavior." I dub it "damn good."

Unfortunately, my secret single behavior has some not-so-secret consequences. Nutella, while delicious, is not exactly calorie free. Which leads me to my second bit of secret single behavior: I'm a Bieber Believer. Like Nutella, Justin Bieber hails from Canada. Unlike Nutella, Justin Bieber does not add inches to my hips. He does, however, move my feet. Happy Monday, friends!

Pin It