Gwyneth Paltrow - Singer?

Gwyneth Paltrow was on Glee last night as a special guest. She played a substitute teacher for the Glee club while Matthew Morrison (Mr. Schuester) was out sick. Just like Mr. Schuester, she had to play a part in many of the students' songs. Now, I knew Gwyneth was a great actress, but I did not know she could sing. Frankly, I didn't think she was all that great. Her voice also did not mesh well with the other actors, especially Rachel's. Gwyneth wasn't the best dancer either, especially in the Chicago piece.

So why was she singing? My mother was able to point out that Gwyneth was promoting her new movie, "Country Strong", where she plays a country singer. I hope she sings a lot better in the movie than she did on Glee. It is going to be hard for me to see that movie anyway because I don't like country music.

I have been watching a lot of television lately but I have not seen the trailer for this movie (and it is scheduled to come out in a couple of months). However, I guess there was an article in the local paper promoting the movie. In addition, earlier, I was sitting at Arby's and I saw an advertisement for the movie. Apparently if you get a small beverage, you have a chance to win a trip to the "Country Strong" movie premiere and to meet a lead cast member (probably not Gwyneth), free music downloads from the soundtrack, or autographed movie memorabilia.

Now, we could get lucky and she could be a great singer like Nicole Kidman (in my opinion) in Moulin Rouge or terrible like Lindsey Lohan in a Prairie Home Companion. Hopefully she is a decent singer, otherwise it will wreck the movie. Not knowing what the plot of the movie is yet, it may already be ruined. I guess we'll find out.

Word count: 319

Pre Black Friday/Black Friday/Cyber Monday Kill My Bank Account

Every Black Friday I end up buying most of my Christmas gifts. Unfortunately I can't stop myself from buying discounted items for myself.

The first year that I participated in Black Friday, I got up early with my father to go to Circuit City (when it was still open). There was a huge line outside of it. I went to buy Christmas gifts for my friends/family and I ended up buying one gift for my brother and $100 worth of gifts for me. I bought a bunch of dvds and Guitar Hero for the PS2.

Definitely was not worth standing in the cold. A Christian group was giving out hot chocolate, but it still was not worth it. So from then on, I set an alarm and put my laptop next to my bed so that I could just buy items and go back to sleep.

Every Black Friday I tend to buy seasons of The Office. It is one of my favorite television shows, but it is also very expensive when it is not on sale. Often on Black Friday, it sells multiple places for $12.99. In fact, this year Season 6 is on sale at Target for $12.99.

Problem is, my family always wants me to make a Christmas list with items that I want before the holidays. I try to hold off as long as I can because I always end up buying things on the list.

This year, I'm looking at The Office (of course), 500 Days of Summer, 30 Rock Season 4, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Pushing Daisies Season 2, Party Down Season 2, How I Met Your Mother Season 5, The Proposal, Toy Story 3, Californication Seasons 1-3, Weeds Seasons 1-5, Chuck Seasons 1-3, annd Castle Seasons 1-2. I won't buy all of them cause I'd go bankrupt, but if I can get some good deals on some of those tv series/dvds, I will be happy. I am also looking to get a television that is bigger than mine so that I can have better movie nights (ones where my friends can see the tv).

Word Count: 352

Why Do People Go See Bad Movies?

Why in the hell do people see a movie trailer for a bad movie, and think that it is going to be good? Then they come out of the theater wanting their money back or complaining about the movie to their friends. How about this. Actually watch the trailer. Actually listen to the dialogue and watch the special effects. Think about what the plot is actually going to be. Look at who the directors/actors are. You will be less disappointed.

Now, I'm not going to say that I haven't been disappointed before by a movie before. One example was Where The Wild Things Are. I loved what the characters looked like and parts of the story but oh goodness I have never been so depressed after watching a movie as that one. It was just a downer. Wasn't the worst movie ever but I didn't leave happy.

Below is a list of people/directors/other things that I don't want to see in my movies. Usually I can tell by watching a trailer or looking up information on IMDB if I want to see a movie or not.

Actors/Actresses I don't like to see in movies:
- Zach Efron
- Kristen Stewart
- Miley Cyrus
- Jonas Brothers
- Nicholas Cage (sometimes)
- Keanu Reeves
- Larry the Cable Guy
- John Travolta
- Lindsey Lohan
- Steven Seagal
- Rob Schneider
- Eddie Murphy (recent movies)
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Megan Fox
- The Wayans Brothers
- Jessica Simpson
- Britney Spears
- Brendan Fraser
- Kevin James
- Woody Allen
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Tyler Perry

Film Directors:
- M. Night Shyamalan (he did a couple good films but then sucked afterwards)
- Michael Bay
- Woody Allen (okay I don't care that he's considered a great director, I find his movies terribly boring, slow moving, annoying, and he is unbearable to watch as an actor)
- Tyler Perry
- Tony Scott (recent films)

Films Sequels:
- Any Disney Sequel (Disney/Pixar sequels such as Toy Story 3 are okay)
- Saw movies
- Scary Movie/Epic Movie/Dance Flick/etc
- Direct to dvd sequels

Other things to look out for:
- Only gross humor in the trailer
- Ridiculously fake special effects
- Too many explosions
- Showing probably all of the funny parts in the trailer
- Giving away important plot elements in the trailer
- Terribly unfunny one-liners

I know that I am going to think of many more once I publish this post, but at least I have the basics down.

Of course, everyone has different movie taste. Hollywood directors wouldn't make these movies if there wasn't a market for it. The best way to find out if you'll like a movie or not is to find a friend who has similar movie taste and ask them if they liked the movie and why. Or find a movie similar and compare ratings. Or go onto IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes and find the rating.

Word Count: 495