Taffy's Stuff I Like!

John Carter No Longer Of Mars

2011-06-17T11:47:00.000-04:00

Here's the not so great first poster for Disney's upcoming film John Carter formally titled John Carter of Mars. I suppose that after the Mars Needs Moms debacle, Disney marketers felt nervous about how to sell another Mars related movie. Yet it seems that no one told the poster designers that the title had changed since there's a great big M at the bottom of the image. Another problem with this poster (as far as I'm concerned) is that when your leading man looks like this:

My Vagina is Crying Right Now...

then you're making a massive error by not displaying Taylor Kitsch's obvious attributes front, center and as gratuitously as possible. Yes, I realize that it's a Disney movie and they're not big on the selling with sex angle but I'm pretty sure that this isn't going to be a G rated movie and I'm expecting shirtlessness for at least 90% of this movie because in the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter didn't even wear pants...

And Another Thing, Ummm...What Was I Talking About Again?

Oh yeah, the movie. It also stars Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, Bryan Cranston and human doorstop Lynn Collins.

Oi! John Constantine: Hellblazer Will Not Reboot In September!

2011-06-14T14:24:00.000-04:00

Despite the return of Vertigo Comics longest running ongoing title (and apparently, the longest running uninterrupted title in comic history) to the DC Universe, Hellblazer won't be rebooting from issue #1 in September. As a long time fan who has bought ever single issue of Hellblazer since it was first published in January of 1988 I'm glad to hear it but I'm not sure what to make of DC's new series in which Constantine will become part of a team, Justice League Dark:

The rest of the league will include the characters of Deadman, Shade the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu and what looks like Zatanna but what I'm wondering is how they are going to intergrate a character like Constantine, who is, at many times, a total asshole who doesn't play well with the other kids.

Hey DC Comics! What's Going On With the Super Knees?

2011-06-10T14:57:00.000-04:00

Why On Earth Would Superman's New Costume Need Knee Pads...

And Yet Supergirl's New Boots Don't Have Any Knees At All?

These are the covers for the Superman & Supergirl reboots and that is some seriously dumbass costume design going on there. At least Superman's got some action going on in his cover and is actually doing something as opposed to just lazily floating around in space and trying to look cute. Seriously, that Supergirl cover is a mind numbingly dull concept and I wouldn't be the least bit interested in even thumbing through the book if I saw it on the shelf. Covers are supposed to be the promise of an exciting tale inside, not of posing like you're struting down a red carpet! Yawn...

McFarlane Toys Walking Dead Action Figures Actually Articulate!

2011-06-09T17:53:00.000-04:00

McFarlane Toys has recently unveiled their upcoming Walking Dead line and surprisingly, it looks like these figures will actually have some points of articulation. Pictured here is Michonne: the sword swinging, Governor hacking, mega-bad ass biatch who will not hesitate to cut off your fap hand if you make the mistake of fucking with her. I haven't bothered to post any images of the other figures because I really just don't give a damn about them. It goes without saying that she's my favourite character in the series and if she doesn't show up on the AMC series, I will stop spending any time watching that show...period!

Who Wouldn't Want to Watch This Every Week?

As a black woman (don't let my pasty profile photo fool you) I lament the dearth of black female characters in comic books, both super powered and non-super powered. I know there's more than the characters I'm about to list, but only these few came off the top of my head and it should be noted that none of them have their own ongoing series:

Storm: Marvel Universe

Vixen: DC Universe

Amanda Waller: DC Universe

Martha Washington: Dark Horse Comics

Martha Washington is my favourite of this lot. She was created by comic book bigshot Frank Miller and was featured in six story lines/miniseries starting with Give Me Liberty and ending with Martha Washington Dies and for a black female character, that's a hell of a lot to have. Martha was a ghetto born misfit who defied her environment to join the army and becomes a world saving, sword swinging, Surgeon General hacking, mega-bad ass biatch who will not hesitate to cut off your fap hand if you make the mistake of fucking with her.

I spelled "where" wrong! Oopsie!

Well maybe I have a little thing for bad ass black women hacking off fascist fap hands! Anyways, here's my two cents of artwork to go towards black girls in comics, this is a detail from a larger piece I created as a gift for my cousin:

Yeah, I Know She Has Dreads. Artistic License, Man!

Yet Another Wonder Woman Reboot...

2011-06-02T17:12:00.000-04:00

But if this will be the artwork on a regular basis, I can live with it. Her previous reboot lasted how long? Just over a year I believe and yes, I realize that DC comics is rebooting everyone (but does that include John Constantine: Hellblazer?) but frankly, I'm this close to changing the name of this blog to Wonder Woman Complain-a-thon if they keep changing things as often as I change my nail polish. And I change my nail polish a lot!

I Liked Thor!

2011-05-07T15:33:00.000-04:00

Superheroes! They’re literally falling from the skies these days!

Hey Babe! Did It Hurt When You Fell From Heaven?

My sister and I went to see the latest Marvel superhero film Thor. He’s never been a character I’m that familiar with since I’m a DC girl at heart but since I’m expecting that the demand for Superhero films may wane soon just because of the recent hero glut in the market, I sort of want to see most of them before they fall out of vogue. But one thing helped to catch my interest is that Thor looks like this:

Daaaammmnnn!

My male cousin asked me what I thought of this movie while we were watching its trailer a few weeks back and the first thing that came out of my mouth was “He’s a hot piece! That’s what I think!” Even though usually, blue eyed blonds are not my thing...Damn! You’ll need a ladder to get on top of that!

But putting my bunched up panties aside, the other thing I thought was that I still hadn’t forgiven director Kenneth Branagh for 1994’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein which would easily be in my top 10 worst movies of all time (if I had ever bothered to make such a list) so I was not really excited when he was hired. If I had to sum up Branagh’s work in one word, it would be inconsistent. Well, all is forgiven because Thor turned out to be pretty good!

I liked that the filmmakers took a chance in making Thor a less than likeable character with a lot to learn about being a leader. In the first half of the film, he’s an egotistical jackass so full of himself that he spends the early part of the film bragging, fighting and not listening to anything anyone has to say because he’s Thor and he’s got the hammer.

And Two Tickets to the Gun Show...

Displaying a personality trait typical of the Y Generation, Thor's sense of entitlement is as massive as he is. Fully expecting that he’s going to be King of Asgard soon, he just does whatever he wants, regardless of the consequences or anyone else’s feelings and just shows up on the Frost Giants doorstep (The Asgardian mortal enemies) to kick some icy ass, despite the fact that the actual King told him not to. I almost cheered when Odin kicked Thor to the curb for essentially being a spoiled brat and reducing him to a powerless hobo who’s nearly overwhelmed by his new surroundings where people think he's crazy:

The Mighty Thor Has No Need of This Lithium of Which You Speak!

But to my surprise, I actually found myself on Team Loki. I understand how Thor’s little brother and nemesis would be considered as being Machiavellian but at least his deceptions take time to be revealed in comparison to Thor’s me, me, me, in your face attitude. Thor’s disrespect towards his father’s peace keeping efforts and outright rebellion are just as bad as Loki’s trickery.

I’m far from an expert on Niccolò Machiavelli’s work but Thor is a rightful Prince (by birth) and as such his friends follow him because that’s what’s expected of them. Loki doesn’t have this kind of advantage and because of this, he has to establish himself as ruler by defiance of custom or more bluntly, by being one sneaky motherfucker!

And Deliverer of Cuteye!

What really helps the film is how the filmmakers avoided portraying Loki as moustache twirler and depicted him as a man with real internal pain at having to stand in Thor’s big ass shadow despite his own efforts at trying to maintain Odin’s sense of propriety.

Everybody Hurts...

Loki gets no reward (or even much of a reaction) from Odin for trying to reign in Thor’s impulsiveness and at different points during the film, both brothers find themselves as princes without kingdoms: Thor is banished and impotent on Earth (he can’t use his Hammer!)

And by Hammer, I Mean His Penis.

and Loki finds himself a victim of deception with no real sense of place.

Unless That Place Is in This Dude's Wake!

I really liked was the actor playing Loki. I had never heard of Tom Hiddleston before and now I want to see everything he’s ever been in. If he’s this good this good in his other roles, he’s going to give Jeremy Renner a run for his money as my favourite actor and I love me some Jeremy Renner but look at this guy’s face...

He's Trying to Make Off With My MAC G3!

I also liked a lot of the little things that characters did like Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster giddy giggling when Thor would court her:

You May Swoon as Mighty Thor Returns to Asgard!

Any scene involving Thor being tased, run over, hospitalized or stuck with needles:

But mostly, this awesome hat!

If Loki ever wants to take a bride, I have a suggestion:

Insidious: Things That Go Bump In the Light

2011-04-04T22:39:00.000-04:00

I’ve seen a lot of horror movies. Hundreds of them actually, I’ll watch most horror movies even when I know they won’t be scary (because at the very least, it might be unintentionally funny) and I can absolutely say that I have been legitimately scared by 8, maybe 10 films in my entire life. I don’t get frightened by vampires & werewolves (who does these days). Slasher movies always seem to follow the same pacing and repeatedly kill the same kinds of people over and over to the point that some viewers seem to enjoy the predictability. The haunted house subgenre lost a lot of its impact thanks to the overuse of CGI that demanded that the viewer a good, long look at the thing that goes bump in the night because the special effect shots cost millions of dollars.

That This Cost Millions of $$$ is Horrifying!

An abundance of gore invokes disgust for me but never does it create a sensation of approaching dread that makes your stomach feel shrunken and cold inside. To very loosely paraphrase author Stephen King: not knowing what is behind a closed door is more terrifying than actually opening the door, because what you see in your imagination is worse than what a film maker can create. In short, the suggestion of the unknown gives you the creeps.

The last film that gave me the creeps was Kairo, a 2001 Japanese film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (which was remade, poorly, for North American audiences in 2006). It was one of the lesser known and slower moving of the j-horror films that were so popular in the 00’s but it kept me up at night, surprisingly, by opening the aforementioned closed door and showing us what was behind it. At first, you’re struck by the commonness of the surroundings until she appears:

It took me nearly two weeks to watch that scene to the end. Yes, that’s right, two weeks in the daylight and I haven’t watched that scene since. I looked over my shoulder just linking that damn clip. Now, I’m pretty sure someone has stumbled across this blog looking for pictures of Grace Park in a bikini and is thinking “That’s not scary”. To you I say, get the hell off my blog right now. What makes this scene so unwatchable is how it doesn’t meet your expectations. You expect a monster, a jump cut with a screeching noise or a headless torso when the door opens, but what’s actually seen is quite banal: a woman walking down a hallway. It’s only as she gets closer to you that you realize that something is wrong, really wrong. I couldn’t count how many nightmares I had where I found myself running from some nameless thing only to find I couldn’t get away since time itself seemed to have stopped and every step away from unending fear took a lifetime to complete, just like this scene.

Insidious found a way to tap into my nightmares as Kairo did: by tapping into my nightmares. I’m a lifelong sleepwalker and I also suffer from night terrors: a sleep disorder in which the sufferer experiences extreme terror and the temporary inability to regain consciousness. When I have a night terror, I think I’m wide awake but I’m not. I have tried to break out of my home and jump out of a second story window while experiencing night terrors. During one of my most memorable episodes with this disorder, I saw a man with pitch black skin, a blood red face and filthy yellow eyes crawl out from underneath my bed and then he screamed right in my face. I was so terrified; I jumped out of my bed and ran right into my 4 shelf bookcase. That woke me up. It happened over 10 years ago but I still remember it as if it happened yesterday. So you could imagine what my reaction was when this happened:

My Dream Man...And Patrick Wilson

After nearly bolting from the theatre convinced that he had finally come to claim my immortal soul, I was proud of Red Face Guy for working his way up from just horrifying me to causing millions of other people to crap their pants too. What got me about this scene wasn’t just the physical resemblance to my old nightmare man but the similarly mundane setting. In my nightmare, I thought it was morning, the sun was shining in my room and I thought ever thing was normal. Then I rolled over and BAM! Right into the bookcase! In Insidious, the characters are merely sitting at a kitchen table during the day and recounting past events when that thing starts leering over Patrick Wilson’s shoulder. Maybe there is a collective subconscious after all. It’s unexpected and effective to show the thing that goes bump in the light and much of the film’s better scares occur during the day, over in a corner so that one may not even notice something is off.

Insidious isn’t a perfect horror film, but it’s a pretty good one that was much better than I expected it to be. What makes it even more notable is that Insidious was made for around $800,000, a mere fraction of what Mars Needs Moms cost and will most likely end up out grossing that costly failure by its second weekend. I bet that thought makes movie producers wake up screaming...

Yet Another Change to the New TV Wonder Woman Costume!

2011-04-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

Two small changes make for a big improvement. If they would change the bustier to a darker leather, you'd hear no complaints from me anymore. Actually, I'm kind of bored by all this now, so maybe this topic is done for me!

The Kinks "Dead End Street" Unsderstands Me...

2011-03-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

Understands me so well...

Venture Bros. Renewed for Season 5 AND Season 6!!!

2011-03-22T11:48:00.000-04:00

In what is the best news I'll hear all week, Adult Swim has renewed, the animated show that I swear is written specifically for me, for 2 seasons plus a 60 to 90 minute special. They won't be starting production until this June so, there's no dates set yet for the Season 5 premiere. Although I know whatever they come up with will be awesome in my book, here's a couple of things that I'd like to see more of:


Hello, I'm David Bowie.


Vhat? I was never in de Stooges!

Make Way for the Homo Superior!

David Bowie is my all-time favourite male artist. I've seen him in concert 8 times and would still go see him even if he was pushed out onto the stage in a wheelchair and all he did was clap farts into his seat. When he showed up as the Sovereign, the head of the Guild of Calamitous Intent, I was thrilled! Not just because I love him but because when was a little kid, I used to draw my own cartoons featuring a busty redheaded super spy named Lucy Lane, whose chief nemesis was...Rod Stewart! Yeah, I made Rod Stewart a supervillian some 20 years before Bowie showed up as the Sovereign so that's just one of the ways I felt like Hammer & Publick not only on the same wavelength as me, they were also reading my mind! Now if only Bowie would agree to actually voice himself!

Did You Get Herpe From Kissing Your Wife's Ass? After I Put Herpes in it?

If I could see more of the gang from the episode Self-Medication I would be grateful! It was one of my favourite espisodes of Season 4, if not my favourite, and I would love to see the original Wonderboy, the Hale Bros, Ro-Boy and especially Action Johnny team up again. Not only was it well written and provided Dr. Venture with some significant character progression but it also included great vocal performances from Seth Green, John Hodgman and Patton Oswalt. There's nothing to hate here in my book!

Make it Stop: It's Wonder Woman's New TV Costume :(

2011-03-18T17:42:00.001-04:00

Great Hera, Suffering Sappho, Merciful Minerva, Jesus Christ & WTF!!!

If only Wonder Woman's Golden Lasso of Truth actually existed so I could beg someone to wrap me up in it and command me to forget that I ever saw this photograph! The only thing this production has done right so far was to hire Adrianne Palikci, who was great on Friday Night Lights and is a beauty, to play Wonder Woman. She's the perfect choice but for the love of Zeus! Why are they doing this to her? Why are they doing this to us, for that matter? Pleather Pants? I sort of get that the recent redo of her costume in the monthly comic book was to "update" her and make her look less like an American Flag but what exactly is the intent here? To let her enemies know when she's coming? Because that outfit is going to squeak like a bear daddy sitting in a leather chair...

Or The World's First "Analrapist"

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Hollywood types have gotten the costume wrong. Just take a look at the badly miscast blond tennis champion Cathy Lee Crosby in a 1974 TV movie that was based more or less on the WW who had no powers but was a kung-fu feminist. This was the result:

I'm Wonder Woman: Fly Me!

Surprisingly, costume designers don't always get it wrong, even when the project itself is far off the mark. A god awful pilot was produced in 1967 that featured WW as an old maid who lived in the suburbs with her shrew of a mother (and who's desperate for grandchildren). What really made this production sad was that although WW was portrayed as having power, she wasn't physically attractive. Although, at least in her own eyes she was because when the "unattractive" actress (Ellie Wood Walker) looks into a mirror, her reflection is played by a different, "hotter" one (Linda Harrison). I guess it's supposed to reflect the pre-feminist idea that if you're better than a man, they won't want you ot that beauty is all that matters. All I know for sure is that it's shit. The pilot is on YouTube and I've linked to it. Watch it and weep...

You notice what they got right? The costume is a replica of WWII WW's shorty shorts and despite the fact that her tiara looks like it was cut out of cardboard, at least it was accurate!

Needless to say the 1970's TV with Lynda Carter did it right. Yes, it was a hokey show, but who cares? Look at her...

Pictured: Perfection

Another production that gets the costume right is, inexplicably, Justice League: A Hardcore Parody. Can someone please explain to me how Chanel Preston, a professional tramp, looks less sleazy than Palicki's pleather?

This is Depressing!

This Woman's Rework: Kate Bush to Release "Director's Cut" Album

2011-03-17T19:59:00.001-04:00

I love Kate Bush. I have loved her since 1982 when my sister and I were shopping in a now long gone record store in Montreal called Phantasmagoria. We were perusing the stacks of vinyl in the store's almost all wood interior when this song came blasting out of their sound system, shrieking and braying like a banshee warning me, not of a impending catastrophe but of the placement of a musical bar so high, I would judge every single female (and almost every male) artist I would ever listen with this one woman for the rest of my life:

My sister and I pooled our money and bought The Dreaming right on the spot. Up until that time, my knowledge of Bush was fairly limited. Having been a big Pat Benatar fan, I knew her version (which I had loved) of Wuthering Heights that was featured on Benatar's second album Crimes of Passion, was written by Bush that first appeared on her 1978 debut album The Kick Inside but I hadn't actually heard her until the above posted Sat In Your Lap but once I heard Kate, I was hooked:

But Pat Was My Gateway Drug.

I have all of Kate's albums and like just like the rest of her fans, I have to wait many, many years for her to release a new record. I had to wait 4 years from the Hounds of Love to the Sensual World and another 4 years for The Red Shoes. But that all time pales in comparison to the 12 years me and her fans waited between TRS and 2005's Aerial.

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part.

She had pretty much retreated from the public eye after she had a child in 1998 and wanted him to have a normal upbringing. As if her upbringing was normal. If being raised on an English country farm by your doctor father and your artist mother, teaching yourself to play piano by the age of 11, writing songs by 13, having David Gilmour of Pink Floyd help make your demo, getting a record deal by age 16, have your first #1 song by the age of 19 and having never, ever held a part time or 9 to 5 job is totally normal, then I and everyone I know must be freaks of nature who has strayed far, far off the path of normality.


Because Parading Around in an Outfit Like This is Totally Normal!

Especially if You're This Woman!

As much as I'm happy that she's only taking 6 years between Director's Cut and Aerial, this release is not going to contain much new material. Not unlike a director's cut DVD that re-edits or adds to a previously released film and makes it into something closer to an intended ,original vision, Kate has re-recorded songs from The Sensual World & The Red Shoes and possibly a new song but I've yet to see anything confirming that fact. Normally, I would find the retreading of old songs an iffy prospect for the majority of artists and in a very notable case, it's the worst possible thing an artist could do. When The Police recorded their hit song Don't Stand So Close To Me in 1986, the result was so unlistenable that it seemed they made it solely as their justification for disbanding:

So Awful, I Don't Dare Link It.

But in Kate's case, I'm prepared to make an exception mainly because her output in so minimal that I'm happy to accept anything she's willing to dish out. I only have one word of advice, This Woman's Work is not broken, so please don't fix it!

Jury Duty Purgatory!

2011-03-15T20:19:00.000-04:00

Sheriff's Office in Toronto

I’ve been sitting the Sheriff’s office in downtown T.O. for two days now, waiting to see if I get picked for a jury. The process is exactly like working as an extra on a film or TV show, except there are no famous people(or even the quasi famed), they don’t give you any food (not even free coffee) and at the end of a long day of waiting, they don’t pay you anything for your time. It’s frustrating because I have respected the justice system and our society’s laws all of my life and this is the thanks I get for it. Obviously, without laws we would descend into chaos. Chaos is fine for nature but for us, being natural doesn’t always come naturally and we crave order and a certain degree of conformity (even if we don’t care to admit it).

But for Christ’s sake, why do they have to waste potentially a week of my time or more to do this? I assume that my name ended up on a jury selection list because, so far in my life, I’ve been a good citizen but because of that, should I not be able to perhaps choose a time where it’s more convenient for me to do my civic duty? And that’s a phrase that I’ve been overhearing in people’s conversations in tones that ring of the highest level of sarcasm. “Civic Duty”.

Pictured: Your Civic Duty

If there’s one thing I’d like anyone reading this to understand it's that, since childhood, I’ve wanted to serve on a jury. Maybe it was too many dramatic court shows or perhaps it was because I thoguht it was really cool when my Father was called as a witness during the trial of a suspected arsonist that sparked my interest and I have dreamed of the day that I could sit in a jury box with 11 total strangers and ladle out some hot, steaming justice to a worthy party, but I don’t want to do it just right now!

My Childhood Dream: Minus All That German Expressionism!

I may not be currently employed but despite that fact, I’m just too busy. I’m looking for work every day, I’m in school part time so I’m not exactly sitting on my hands but that’s just the reason that I don’t need to be sitting around,...waiting. I have to ask, why, as a law abiding person, am I not allowed to choose the time that’s best for me? If they sent me a summons for next month, I wouldn’t be sitting here typing out complaints and trying to avoid the conversations of people who are so horribly bored because they didn’t have the hindsight to bring something to read. And what high minded travails of discourse they are! Because if there is one more thing the world needs, it’s yet another opinion about Michael Jackson’s death, sexual perversions and his child rearing skills. Here are some other exciting topics of conversation I’ve been overhearing during my tenure:

· The Weather
· When will the weather get better so that I can start gardening?
· The Weather
· Are you done with that magazine?
· The Weather
· Civic Duty
· The Weather
· Boy, this coffee sure is expensive.
· The Weather
· I’m going outside to get a coffee and enjoy the weather.

Holy shit you guys! Did you hear about the weather? It’s all anybody talked about all day!

Oh. My. God.

When I arrived here yesterday, I thought I’d be here a day at the very most and brought the book I was currently reading with me. By the time it was 1:00 PM and they let us go for lunch, my book was done and I had to find something else to bring back with me until the released us for the day (That book being Malcolm Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw) my civic duty ended up costing me nearly $30.00 that I can’t really afford to spend since I’m on EI and my income is fixed. At least today I brought my laptop and homework so that my time isn’t completely whittled away by my civic duty.

Talented Woman Wins Grammy: World Reacts In Confusion

2011-02-14T12:50:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Esperanza Spalding and her Best New Artist Grammy award. Spalding beat out Florence & the Machine, Mumford & Sons and two artists I can't stand, Drake & Justin Bieber, for the win. Sadly, her win has caused people around the world to wonder "Who the hell is Esperanza Spalding?". Well, she is a singer-song writer, plays many instruments, produces and arranges and was the youngest instructor at the Berklee College of Music and is a big seller in Jazz genre. Bonus: Look at her, she's gorgeous! What a sweet fro! Here she is performing at the White House:

It's kind of pathetic that a lot of media people can't seem to comprehend that a musician and not a brand could win this award and even worse was the reaction of Bieber's fans. Many of them threatened to kill Spalding on her Twitter account, Classy! But at least they can use the excuse that they're children. I was dismayed when I went to a cosmetic blog I regularly read today and was so disappointed to find the white bloggers making fun of her afro and calling her Esperanza Balding which doesn't even make any sense! I get the behaviour of tweens, stupid as they can be but this sort of thing coming from adults is too much. It's bad enough that many black women reject their own natural hair (I'm guilty of it too!) but it certainly isn't these bloggers place to comment on this sensitive culture issue that doesn't have anything to do with them.

So keep doing what you're doing Esperanza! Hopefully the rest of the world will come around...

RIP Lovely Lady :(

2011-02-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

Great Hera! This Is Going to Suck So Bad!

2011-01-23T13:42:00.000-05:00

Ugh, I hardly know where to begin with this bit of news in the ongoing saga of Hollywood trying to bring Wonder Woman to the big/small screen. NBC has picked a Wonder Woman TV pilot, written by David E. Kelley, the man behind such crap, I mean shows as Boston Legal, The Practice, Girls Club and (shudder) Ally McBeal:

“The project is described as a reinvention of the iconic D.C. comic in which Wonder Woman — aka Diana Prince — is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life. "I had a lot of fun writing it," Kelley said of the script at TCA last week when the project had just been put on hold. "It's a huge project, and it was probably a bit too much to ask anyone to try to chew on it for next season. But I'm confident it will still happen. It's a very complicated piece, which is the most fun thing about it."

Via io9

Oh Yes They Did!

How can I put my feelings about this into words? Hmmm, How about... WHAT THE HELL IS THIS MOTHERFUCKING BULLSHIT?!?! Successful corporate executive? Balanced lifestyles? Modern woman? Vigilante? Except for the part about being a vigilante, that description could easily be mistaken for a pitch for a yogurt commercial! Why not throw in “single mother” while you are at it? Perhaps that bit of shark jumping can be saved for later if the pilot gets picked up.

I would assume that this stupidity is due to budget restrictions. Princess Diana (and I’ll refer to her as such, because the character hasn’t regularly maintained a secret identity for the last 20 years or so) and doesn’t fight crime in the regular sense of the word. She’s been blessed by her Gods and although she’s not as omnipotent as Superman, she is just a few rungs below him. She fights epic quests set to her by her gods, alien invasions, domestic & international terrorism and just for fun, breaking the necks of crazed billionaires.

Oh Snap!

In her free time she works as a diplomat and, as if that wasn’t enough, she’s still royalty and has to deal with conflicts that affect her people and country. She doesn’t have time for muggers but I suppose NBC doesn’t have the cash flow for her regular nemesis, Ares the God of War.

What’s even more irritating is Kelley trying to turn her into Batman/Bruce Wayne in a skirt. Their ideologies are so far removed that in the DC universe, they don‘t actually get along:

Looks Like She Doesn't Like Crazed Billionaires Very Much!

There’s already a Batgirl and a Batwoman so maybe the time and resources could have been spent on bringing either one of them to the small screen since it looks like a better fit. Or better yet, just create something new instead of reinventing an old one. Yes, The Cape sucks, but it's no worse than what Princess Diana is currently going through another shitty reinventiion in her monthly comic book.

Costume Sucks, Artwork, AWESOME!

I'm pretty sure that this costume and reinvention won't last long either but until then, why won't Hollywood just give us what we want?

POW!!!!

SpiderMeh...

2011-01-13T18:28:00.000-05:00

I've got a list of things that turns my crank, like this:

I'm Positive She's Paying Him.

And this:

He Might Be Clean, But I Feel Dirty!

And this:

Bonus Fetish: Clean White Shirt

And this:

But No Shirt Works Too.

And this:

Umm...I'll Be In My Room.

Despite suffering from archnophobia, a dude with a great body in a Spiderman suit is one of my things(ahem). I seriously flirted with a guy in a Spiderman suit who worked at the Times Square Toys 'R' Us because, really, you should have seen the can on that guy! Like two halves of a canteloupe in the back of his tights! It was epic! But this Andrew Garfield guy?

Old Photo of Whoopi Goldberg Looking Really Hot!

2010-12-09T14:42:00.000-05:00

I'm not posting this for any other reason except to say "Damn"! Whoopi looks amazing here! Seriously!

F*ck T.O.: Chef Ramsay to Open 1st CDN Restaurant in Montreal

2010-11-18T10:31:00.001-05:00

Who's got two thumbs and is a total prick?

World famous chef and total asshat Gordon Ramsay will open his first Canadian restaurant in Montreal, much to the dismay of Toronto starf*ckers. Ramsay will be slapping his name onto the Rotisserie Laurier BBQ in Outremont. I say slapping his name as the resto will now be called Rotisserie Laurier BBQ by Ramsay even though the place has been in business since 1936. Apparently, he'll be adding some new items to the existing menu, so I guess that what makes it by Ramsay.

All I have to say is good luck because Montrealers are passionate and serious about their food (there so many great restos there and it's awesome but their attitudes towards celebrity is a lot different than other places I've seen. Montreal is the kind of place where Angelina Jolie walked into a record store where I used to work and none of the employees could be bothered to help her. I watched Queen Latifah wander up an down an aisle looking for a cd for 20 minutes until an employee who didn't know who she was decided to ask her if she needed anything. Wesley Snipes came in and asked for an entire section to be closed so that he could shop in private and they laughed at him. In short, Chef Ramsay is going to have to do a lot more on the Montreal restaurant scene besides putting his name on something if he wants to make an impression. In fact I wouldn't be suprised if people avoid the place, just because!

Speaking of restaurants, I dying to go back to Au Pied de Cochon when I go home in December, even if I have to go by myself and get me some Duck in a Can. And I don't even like duck, but it's soooo gooood!


In the background: Duck in a can. In the foreground: So much sausage!


Even more sausage!

And I Thought Barack Obama had the Worst Job in the World!

2010-10-21T13:48:00.000-04:00

Meet 20-year-old criminology student Marisol Valles Garcia. She has just became the new police chief of Guadalupe, Mexico's second-most violent city because nobody else would accept the job. In an area where two local mayors were murdered in the past year and police officers are beheaded on a regular basis, this girl accepted the job. If I ever wondered if it were possible to be proud and terrified at the same time, I now know it's possible! I can't decide if Ms. Garcia has the biggest balls in Mexico or if she actually thinks that she can make a difference in the face of all the fear and despair.

And if she wasn't ballsy enough, her team will consist of 13 women with no weapons! From CNN:

"We are simply going to talk with them, with the people, with the families, giving them confidence so they will quit being afraid, so they can leave their houses," she told CNN en Español."

I am not a praying person, but I hope that the people who do pray do so for her.

And Now, For No Reason What So Ever...

2010-10-12T17:38:00.000-04:00

Hey Baby, You Got My Note!

Yeah, the one I sent you about Supernatural being really boring this season. I can tell by the look on your really hot face that sometimes the truth hurts. I know you want to make me happy and I can tell just by how things have vastly improved by the third episode, that you care. But if you value our happy, completely fantasy relationship that exists only in my mind, you'll keep it up. You should know that this new guy has been flirting with me lately and well, he's starting to look really tempting:

In a Disheveled Professor Kind of Way...

So keep up the good work, baby and we won't have to have this discussion again, ok? Thanks babe, you can go back to doing your chin ups again!

Lot's and Lot's of Chin Ups!

Taffy Did NOT Like the New Hawaii Five-O!!!

2010-09-21T13:07:00.013-04:00

So I watched the premiere of the CBS re-boot of Hawaii Five - O. Yeah, the pilot obviously cost a fortune because it looked great but it was so goddamn boring that I don't see this show as being anything but a big fat ass hit! Sure, it was impressive that the first few minutes had Norman Reedus & the awesome James Marsters (dude is 50 years old! What does he eat?) but Reedus can't do accents and Marsters shot the always dependable William Sandler in the head within the first 10 minutes. Way to blow your load too early in the game. Cliche character vendettas (you killed my father) and actors constantly blurting exposition aside, there were other problems that stuck in my craw:

1) Far too much of this:

Bros Before Hoes!

Alex O'Loughlin is an actor so charisma free, that when I looked him up on IMDB, I was baffled to find that I've seen 3 movies that he was in but I could not remember him! On a show in which I was able to link almost every principal and secondary actor to another project without having to look them up, that is not a good thing. Although I feel he is the most forgettable man alive, my sister had a higher opinion of him. She described his face as "punchable". Scott Caan is serviceable enough that I actually have nothing of note to say but my sister says that he is also "punchable". However, Dano has the exact same ring tone on his phone that I do, so I kept reaching for my cell phone every time the characters ex-wife called him on the show and that is just irritating.

2) Nowhere near enough of this:

There is NEVER Enough of This!

My expectations for this show were this "Hey! There are Asians in lead roles! I am going to watch this show!". Boy was I wrong on that idea, really wrong. Daniel Dae Kim is one one of the better known of Asian-American actors and yet he is still a fucking side-kick! It's been 43 years since the Green Hornet, COME ON! I can only wish that Bruce Lee is spinning in his grave! Then maybe he could spin right out of it and fucking kick the shows producers right in their junk for this bullshit! Are we in 2010 or not? It's even worse for actress Grace Park, who I know Fanboys LOVE. She is only there to fulfill the action cliche of "Hot Asian Chick Who Kicks Ass" and is given little else to do. But what else can an actress do when her characters only personality trait is punching people in fits of rage:

Maybe Her Paycheque is at the Base of His Skull.

Her dialogue was pathetically limited and her scenes required that she wear almost nothing as other people ogled her. She is practically the poster girl for Yellow Fever and that insult is not meant for her, it's meant for the men who limit themselves. Yeah, yeah, I know..."that's what she's there for" the penises of the world say. Well, my hetro vagina expects more from her but it also expects more of this:

Why Yes, I Would Like Some Sex On the Beach With You, Sir!

Do the producers think that hot Asian guys do not go to the beach? Because that photo is evidence that they do. I think that it is high time to start eroticising Asian men. It is kind of impossible to say something like that without sound like a total asshole but I cannot think of any other way to say it. They are just as hot as everyone else people! Maybe they will feature more of Kim in the future, but I am not sticking around to find out.

Martin Sheen Joins Striking Workers in T.O.

2010-09-10T14:53:00.003-04:00

Photo via the Toronto Star

Now to me, that's class! How in the world did he raise a douchbag like Charlie Sheen?

Nick Cave to Write "The Crow" Reboot!

2010-07-27T18:43:00.006-04:00

WTF!!! AWESOME!!!

Looks like sometimes the things you didn't know that you were praying for get granted. Cave is one of the most compelling storytellers out there and would certainly give the franchise the gravitas it lost in it's less that stellar sequels. Movie Gods, MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!

Girl Walks Into an Ad Agency...

2010-07-10T22:04:00.001-04:00

Good morning; Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, how may I help you?

Valentine's Day Didn't Suck!

2010-02-15T10:40:00.002-05:00

My Valentine's Day did not suck yesterday. Did I spend it doing romantic things with a boyfriend/husband? BAWHAHAHA!!! Of course not, as if that would happen.

One of the things that I really dislike about Valentine's Day is that it's sole focus is on Romantic/Sensual relationships. It's as if they are the only types of relationships that matter and other types of love are not worthy of celebration. But yesterday I had a great Valentine's Day because I got to spend it with my family. My cousin and her husband were in town for a wedding and a bunch of my family members all got together for a brunch prepared by my Aunt and a good time was had by all. See, it doesn't have to be hearts and flowers.

Jeremy Renner...Oscar Nominee!!!

2010-02-02T10:20:00.012-05:00

Who's got a thumb and an Oscar nomination?...This guy!

Yay! My favourite actor, Jeremy Renner has been nominated in the Best Actor category for his performance in "The Hurt Locker". Although I'm happy for him, I'm afraid that the "honeymoon" period of my fandom for him may be coming to an end. If there is one thing people hate, it's having an awesome thing that they love that nobody else knows about and then they lose it to the general public. Now with the Oscar nomination, I can no longer keep Renner to myself, Booo!!!

I love him but I don't think he'll win it though. He's too new in the Academy's eye and they probably think that Jeff Bridges is way overdue (and he probably is...). But for me, he'll always win the Best Butt in the Business Award!

Smack That!!!

ANTM Winner Actually Gets Hired to Model?

2010-01-28T14:00:00.004-05:00

Way to go Bloody Eyeball!!! Nicole Fox, who won "America's Next Top Model 13: Tiny Little Models Edition" has actually been hired by Alexander McQueen, no less for print and runway work. Now I'm not saying I can't believe that she got work because she is so short but what I am saying is when did you ever see any of the girls who win this competition actually, you know, work? I should go and buy a lotto ticket, seriously!

Maybe You Should Get Out More!!!

2009-11-17T17:34:00.008-05:00

Today in the Marketing Magazine daily e-newsletter, I came across this headline:

“Subaru snuggles up to the outdoors for the first phase of its latest national print and TV campaign in support of its 2010 Subaru Outback sedan.”

The article by writer Kristin Laird describes the “creative team” (quotations are mine, so is the sarcasm) at DDB Canada came up with this brilliant idea:

While we are viewing a few seconds from a “Snuggies” commercial, a crowbar appears to pull the commercial away so we see some rugged looking white guy who has shown up to remind us poor people what losers we are to be watching this, that we can’t afford to heat our homes, forcing us to wrap ourselves in whatever we have available. The white guy walks up to his Outback, which is parked in front of a picturesque mountain lakeside scene while a super tells us “Maybe you should get out more”.

Maybe he should fuck off more.

Andrew Simon, senior vice-president, creative director at DDB Toronto, Subaru’s creative agency claims that the ad is supposed to “play off the idea that people are spending more time indoors”.

Actual Photo, Seriously

Well, that’s because they can’t afford to go anywhere.

Ted Lalka, vice-president, product planning and marketing at Subaru Canada said that they “wanted to come up with something that would disrupt people”.

I'm Sensing a Trend...

Oh, I’m disrupted alright!

Rob MacLean, DDB’s vice-president of public relations and corporate communications actually thinks that “Infomercials typically run late at night you don’t expect to see them during prime time, when our TV spots are playing”

Actual Product May Vary In Hotness

Infomercials run mostly at night…mostly. Really Mr. MacLean? I guess some people are too busy being employed, wearing thick sweaters and driving around brand new sedans on top of awesome mountains that they never actually noticed that commercials, not infomercials, run all the time on TV. No, really Mr.vice-president of public relations and corporate communications. Because that’s what those Snuggies things are: commercials.

Anyone who has ever watched TV knows that infomercials are commercials that are disguised as TV shows, in effect making them even longer and more irritating than the regular 30 second format. Not only that, but they run at all hours of the day, not just at late night. If you don’t believe me, just look at the morning programming of the majority of Canadian digital channels and I can guarantee you, it will be infomercials filling up the time since broadcasters don’t seem to be able to pay for legitimate content. There’s even a channel that doesn’t show anything else but infomercials, 24 hours a day! If you had Drapered that shit, you would have at least hired someone to research that point so you wouldn't end up making a foolish quote.

It would be nice if these guys could look for a demo that was a little bit wider but I guess that turning their faces away from the reflection in their mirror was too much effort at the time. Maybe they should get out more…

WTF NBC!!!

2009-10-14T13:53:00.016-04:00

Sometimes, I think I should start a new blog, Taffy’s Stuff I Hate, since it seems that there’s a lot out there these days that is pissing me off like:

Gourmet magazine folding
Southland gets cancelled right before the second season premiere
X-Men Origins-Wolverine (Oh my lord! Don’t get me started, will blog later…) So, back to the Southland cancellation. I have a university degree in which I majored in television production and I worked at a television station for 6 years, so I’m not completely ignorant as to what’s involved in getting a television show on the air and if I know anything at all, that is you don’t waste good money on shooting half a season of episodes of a really good show and then pull the plug on it to promote what you think is a cheaper programming option that is not even performing to expectations. This means you Jay Leno:

"Who, Me?" If NBC executives knew how hard it is to get someone like me, who really mostly watches genre shows (Supernatural, Buffy, Angel, True Blood…) and the ones that are straight drama that I do like (Mad Men, Breaking Bad) should tell you that my standards for that kind of programming is extraordinarily high. Southland getting cancelled pisses me off for so many reasons, including: 1) The Loss Of A Great Black, Female Character

Regina King as Detective Lydia Adams was what drew me to the show in the first place. black women are the most underused of all actresses and that is especially true of genre shows and films (plenty of white girls, asian girls, green girls, girls with lumpy foreheads and so on. And don’t even say “Uhura is black” and “What about Storm?” Name another black woman, come on I dare you!)

Lydia was kick-ass! When a pack of uzi-welding gang-bangers busted into her house where she was guarding a teenage murder witness, she blew almost all of them away just with her shotgun.

Now get off my lawn, Bitches! Compare that with what her partner does during his time on the show, which was pretty much summed up as “he flirted with some chick and then got shot by his neighbour” and that makes it more than a crying shame that I won’t be seeing more of Lydia. 2) This Character Is Gay

What a great change it is that he doesn’t have one iota of fey and doesn’t qualify as a bear.

3) This Guy, In a Police Uniform

I will do anything not to get a ticket officer...

The cancellation also shows how little confidence NBC has in foreign distribution profits. Southland often made Canada’s listing of top 20 shows when the first season aired. This is remarkable when you consider that it was shown on A Channel, CTV’s poorly performing regional stations. Yes that’s right, regional. The show wasn’t even broadcast nationally and it still made Top 20.

There is some talk that the show maybe be picked up by another broadcaster but I’m not holding my breath.

Things Taffy Hates...Gourmet Magazine To Fold!!!

2009-10-05T16:01:00.006-04:00

Son of a bitch!!! I don't usually take these kind of things very seriously but I am bummed out that one of my favourite magazines, Gourmet, will soon no longer be published! I love this magazine! Even though their heavy emphasis on travel was not really my thing (because only people who have millions of dollars can stand on top of a mountain) I loved the recipes. I also read Food & Wine because the articles are great but I've never actually tried any of their recipes. Some how F&W recipes don't connect with me.

It was with Gourmet however, that I learned how to cook the baked eggs that I always make for my friends and family when they come to stay with me during the holidays, that I found out that the micro-brewery near to my apartment was defiantly worth checking out and helped me to find that one of the best restaurants in Canada was back in my home town of Montreal. Even one of their editorials featured pictures of my glamorous model cousin (who by the way, cannot cook). Gourmet helped to shape my views, my appreciation and my love of food and cooking in such a way that I'm not really sure I would have had if I didn't have the magazine to guide me on my culinary journey. I will raise a glass to their staff, who are most certainly taking this news a lot harder than I am.

And Good Riddance!

2009-09-25T12:18:00.010-04:00

No seriously! I am not usually the kind of person who can find joy in someone else's suffering nor am I the sort that rejoices at a person's passing. Except for today. Manson family member and convicted murderer Susan Aktins died yesterday of brain cancer in Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla after serving 40 years in prison (and being denied parole 13 times) for the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders in 1969. I am not going to go into details about this woman's crimes, that's been done enough, but I will say if there was any disease that could possibly be worse than brain cancer, then that's what Aktins deserved to have. Good riddance!!!

Now I must think happy thoughts! How about...

Hmmm...Not bad.

Awwwww! Sweet little chickets!

Awwwwww yeaaaaahhhh! That's the stuff!

Drag Me Back To Hell!

2009-09-10T17:03:00.003-04:00

You Know What I Like, Baby!!!

Don't Most Bands Today Just Suck!?!

2009-09-09T13:45:00.006-04:00

Suck it, Coldplay!!!

Hey you consumers! Get on out to your local record store (Hahaha! What's a record store, you say? It was a place where you went to actually pay money to own records, which is what I understand people did before the internets!) or wherever it is that you buy music...legally and do your part in providing much needed financial assistance to Michael Jackson's creditors. I'm getting Hard Day's Night!

3 More Days Until Supernatural Is Back!

2009-09-08T12:38:00.001-04:00

I Miss You Too Baby!

Nine More Days Til Supernatural Is Back!

2009-09-01T13:01:00.001-04:00

Hey Baby! You Left Your Toothbrush at My House!

Well, This Made My Day!

2009-08-27T18:56:00.003-04:00

Behold the Buff Buskers! Bonus: They're Australian! Enjoy, because I know I did!

I'm Actually Looking Forward to Dancing With the Stars!?!

2009-08-17T14:56:00.004-04:00

Yes, for once I am actually going to be looking forward to watching Dancing With the Stars this season. Usually, I can take or leave the show, as its interest to me is limited to whoever happens to be contestants at the time. Well, now I'm really interested because one of my favourite martial arts actors will be competing on DWTS. Ladies & Gentlemen: MARK DACASCOS!

I will kick your ass and I will look great while I do it!

If people know him at all, they know him as the Chairman on the American version of Iron Chef. But I know him as the Kick Ass Hot Guy in Very, Very Crappy "C" Grade Martial Arts Movies. Mind you, he has been in a couple of good movies: The Brotherhood of the Wolf and Drive but the rest of his credits are less than stellar. They include:

American Samurai

Double Dragon

The Island of Dr. Moreau

Alien Agent

Yeah, nobody saw those movies either, unless you live or have spent time in the kind of foreign country that actually shows straight to DVD movies on big screens in actual theatres because it's way cheaper than booking the big studio, high budget hollywood fare. But I still really like him and I'll watch DWTS until he gets voted off. I'm not saying that he''ll be voted off because I don't think he can dance. In fact, I have no doubt that he'd be able to dance every one else into the ground as he's probably the fittest and most co-ordinated of all of them. Frankly, if Dacascos isn't the best dancer they have this season, then he should go home and fall on that pointy sword he's swinging around up there out of shame. He's going to get sent home because nobody knows who he is! The show's supposed to be Dancing With the Stars not Dancing With Where Have I Seen That Guy Before? Good Luck Mark!

I Finally Saw The Hurt Locker

2009-07-20T19:07:00.011-04:00

After waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, I finally saw The Hurt Locker over the weekend. This film is easily Kathryn Bigelow’s best film as far as I’m concerned and definitely one of the best I’ve seen all year. Granted, I’ve never really being a fan of Bigelow’s work before. I wasn’t blown away by Near Dark, I laughed my head off all the way through Point Break and I cringed during Strange Days primarily because of the POV murder of Iris the prostitute. I had a few classes in university with the actress who played her and she was a nice girl, so looking at her in that kind of context made me want to barf (Although I didn’t like the film, I loved how the camera never stopped moving, no matter what was happening on screen). Normally, I wouldn’t have rushed out to see this film if it didn’t star Jeremy Renner, an actor I think is so good, he can make me think that: 1) Jeffrey Dahmer was just a little misunderstood!

He’s Just Lonely You Guys! (Dahmer, 2002) 2) All a neo-Nazi needs is a little brown sugar booty call to get him back on track.

Once You Go Black… (Neo Ned, 2005) 3) He never would have shot that drugstore clerk if he didn’t practically get his eye punched out of his head. Sorry! My Bad...(Take, 2007) 4) I know he's suppposed to be dead in this scene you have to see this guy’s ass?!?

Niiiiiiiiiiicccce!(The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 2007) Renner always seems to be teetering on the edge of his big break but somehow it never seems to happen and current audiences’ aversion to the Iraq War will probably keep it that way for now. And that’s too bad for him and it’s too bad for everyone involved in this film. The Hurt Locker is so suspenseful, you are gritting your teeth in stress after only 10 minutes of watching it. Although there are a few predictable scenes (deskbound soldier picks the wrong day to ride along with the troop and the “Why don’t you two macho men knock it off with punching each other in the stomach, take off your pants and start making out already!!!”) it’s difficult not to get swept up in what's progressing on the screen and really get into the fear and the adrenaline these people face on a daily basis knowing that if you make just one wrong move, you're dead and done. That includes Iraqis, not just foreign born soldiers. Critics are already screeching about Oscars but if you get the chance, go see it in a theatre because it's getting wider distribution on July 24th .

The Hurt Locker Opens July 10 in Toronto!

2009-07-02T15:46:00.004-04:00

And I'll be out of town but I am definitely going to see it when I get back. I've been waiting a looooooooooooong time for this movie and if it's any where near half as teeth gratingly horrific as Black Hawk Down I know I'm going to like it (you know, as much as some one can like teeth gratingly horrific war movies).

I Just Broke Up With Hugh Jackman!

2009-06-30T13:29:00.005-04:00

Yes, I am sad to say that after almost 10 years of imaginary dating, I have broken up with my media boyfriend, Hugh Jackman:

Oh, I loved you so...

Now I know you might be wondering "Taffy! Why would you give up on that?". Well, I sat through Kate & Leopold, Someone Like You and Swordfish and I got behind him with all of that Broadway stuff because, well, he was so damn good at it but now, I'm sorry Babe. It's not me, it's YOU! My media ex is making a movie with Miley Cyrus! That is the last straw!!! It was good while it lasted. I love you but I'm not in love with you...

I still have good news though! Meet my new media boyfriend! You guessed it, It's Jared Padalecki!!! We'll be together until he makes a stupid career killing move, like making another movie with Paris Hilton in it.

I can learn to love again

The Hurt Locker is Made With Lady Parts!

2009-06-29T16:37:00.005-04:00

One of my go to websites, http://www.jezebel.com/, has an article posted today about the how damn irritating it is to have mostly male critics question your abilities because you're a woman working in a genre that is "Male". You see, not only are critics confused because director Katheryn Bigelow is 57 years old and she's smoking hot...

On Fire Hot!!!

she's made a WAR MOVIE! What, What, What!?!? Why would a Lady with Lady Parts want to make a war movie? Surely not all of the tales of finding the one and shoe shopping have been told yet! Well, nobody ever asks why an endless parade of male directors would want to make a chick flick and men have made the majority of them since the dawn of film. They get applauded for it and get to be called a "Woman's Director" as if they have solved one of the greatest mysteries in the universe. But when faced with a woman of substance they just get fucking confused. I'm heading out to NYC next week for a wedding and I hope that I can find the time to track down a theatre that's playing The Hurt Locker because I's hoping that I don't have to knock myself out to hard to try to find it on DVD. And now for a picture of Jeremy Renner, because he's the star of this movie, and I like him. I like him a whole lot.

Pretty Ugly?

2009-06-29T16:11:00.004-04:00

Apparently, this sloppy, sweet little thing won a "World's Ugliest Dog" contest. But my heart swells up with LURVE when I look at it!!! How can that be ugly?

Umm...Yes, Yes it is.

2009-06-29T12:57:00.002-04:00

Thanks Mr. T-Pain for pointing that out.

What? WHAT???

2009-06-25T19:16:00.003-04:00

When I think of Michael Jackson, this is how I like think of him.

RIP Farrah

2009-06-25T13:28:00.003-04:00

I have to be honest, I've really never been a fan of Farrah Fawcett's acting. I grew up watching "Charlies Angels" and frankly, I'm a Kelly Garrett girl all the way. But what I did like about Fawcett was that she was an extremely talented artist and was studying at in college before she set out to try her hand at acting. I've only seen a few images of her work, which are sculptures she made in collaboration with artist Keith Edmier. Please take a look at Fawcett's work:

Wow, just Wow!

More Great Tastes That Taste Great Together...Padalecki & Puppy!

2009-06-23T12:07:00.004-04:00

Get a load of this, seriously!!!

There could not possibly be more panty dropping power in a photo than this one of Jared Padalecki and a puppy in a wheelchair!!!

Firemen & Stuntmen...Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together!

2009-06-19T13:25:00.004-04:00

Stuntman/Baker James Kellogh likes Firemen so much that he decided to bake them a special cake shaped like their new truck. Not content to just hand the cake over Kellogh presented his handwork immediately after having himself set on fire! Yikes!!! Photo via the Montana Standard.

Taffy Likes...Jared Padalecki!!!

2009-06-09T19:31:00.003-04:00

Ugh!!! This guy is haunting my dreams and in the best and worst possible ways. Not surprisingly, my dream also included applying some kind of lubricant, but it came from my tongue, not a bottle! I only recently started watching Supernatural, a show that I enjoy despite the fact that Jared Padalecki does not take his shirt off in every single episode. If I were a guy and my torso looked like this...

I would develop a severe allergy to shirts!

Finally!!!

2009-04-13T18:13:00.009-04:00

Phil Spector has finally been found guilty of the murder of Lana Clarkson and I'm sad to say it's about time. It's sad that Clarkson's family had to wait so long for justice and it's sad that despite all of his accomplishments, this will be how people will remember Spector:

Tsk...Well, instead I think I'll think of more positive things like:

Adorable Animals!

Pretty Flowers!!!

Owww!!! My Vagina!!!

Songs I Never Get Sick Of!

2009-01-14T19:16:00.008-05:00

Sparks-This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us: And it ain't me whose gonna leave! I take my hat off to the Brothers Mael because these guys have been recording together for 37 years with barely a huge selling hit single to show for it. Don't get me wrong, they have had modest hits: Beat the Clock, Number One Song In Heaven, Singing In the Shower (with Les Rita Mitsouko) and this classic culty favourite, This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us from back in 1974. And check out Ron Mael's moustache! I've only ever seen 3 people sporting that look...Charlie Chaplin, Hitler and this guy! I certainly don't have all of their records but trust me when I say that they are freaking awesome!

Taffy Likes...Paul Rudd's Dorky/Sexy Dance In "I Could Never Be Your Woman"

2009-01-13T22:42:00.008-05:00

Hooray! I have recently discovered the magic of the screen capture feature on my computer's dvd application. So I present to you for my viewing pleasure (hope that you like it too) Paul Rudd's dance face from the direct to DVD film "I Could Never Been Your Woman" starring Michelle Pfieffer and of course, Super Cutie Paul Rudd!

Ride ME Cowboy!!! Wheee!!!!

Wax On, Wax Off!!! I'm not sure what exactly that move is called but that extra in the pink tank top sure likes it!

I can't wait to get this guys pants off!!!

I picked up this dvd for $4 at my local dep and it was $4 well spent. Now that's high praise coming from me because I loathe romantic movies with the kind of passion that filmmakers think are depicted in these kind of films. It's cute, funny and look at Ms. Pfieffer up there, just as beautiful as ever. Why not just recast her as Catwoman in the Chris Nolan films? She's still got it!

Taffy Likes...The Results of The 2008 US Election!!!

2008-11-05T20:52:00.005-05:00

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never thought that I would ever live to see such an incredible moment in history! Now Afro-Americans, Afro Canadians (such as myself), and people from all walks of life, can truly look into the faces of our children and say with total truth in our hearts "Yes! You can do it!!!" and there will be no irony in that statement. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his historic 1963 speech, "I have a dream" and this event is the the starting point of that dream coming true.

That being said, I wish President Elect Barack Obama the best of luck in the next 4 years as he is going to need it! If the position of President of the United States isn't the worst job and most difficult job in the world, then I don't want to know what is! This isn't a movie where a magical negro comes and fixes everybody's problems. Let's be realistic here and remember some changes take time. Have Faith...

Songs I Never Get Sick of Hearing!

2008-10-05T19:51:00.004-04:00

Keane-Nothing In My Way: Like Muse, Keane are a British trio whose music I've been really, really into for the last couple of years. There's just something about Tom Chaplin's voice I just love. He just sounds clean, clear and very natural. Their third album, Perfect Symmetry, comes out October 14th. Until then, I keep myself happy with continuing on with my repeated listenings of Nothing in My Way from their second album, Under the Iron Sea.

Princess Sunny Has Passed Away

2008-09-30T14:39:00.003-04:00

My heart is hurting at the news that her Royal Highness, Princess Sunny, passed away unexpectedly while staying at a friends home while our place was being sprayed for bugs. We loved her so much and will miss her just as much. She was ardorable beyond compare, now you are free to fly chicklet.

Songs I Never Get Sick of Hearing!

2008-09-27T22:31:00.004-04:00

Muse-Hysteria: From their album Absolution. This album came out a few years ago but my love of this song does not wane. I listen to it at least several times a week since I first heard it. Awesome!

Taffy Likes...Piles of Sleeping Lovebirds!

2008-06-12T15:05:00.004-04:00

I was in a pet store this weekend when my friend and I spotted this super cute pile of lovebirds sleeping on a rope. She snapped this pic!....Awwwwww!

Taffy Likes...Sunny's Plans For Escape!

2008-06-10T22:07:00.003-04:00

A Bird Can Dream, Can't She?

Taffy Likes...Iron Man

2008-05-07T12:11:00.000-04:00

Being the comic book geek that I am, I checked out Marvel Studios first ever film release, Iron Man, last Thursday with my twin sister, Ms Scrappy and boy! We were surprised and relived that not only did the movie not suck, it was pretty awesome! Congratulations to Marvel for getting into to the movie production business to keep creative control over their properties and limiting the Hollywood studio tampering that devalues beloved characters and audiences.

I’m not going to rehash the plot (that’s a reviewer’s job, not mine) but I'm going to offer my observations as to what made Iron Man superior to so many of the recent super hero films:

Casting: Tony Stark couldn’t have been more perfectly cast with the choice of Robert Downey Jr., a terrific actor who more recently has been playing second fiddle in films like Good Night and Good Luck, Zodiac, Lucky You and unfortunately, The Shaggy Dog. Downey at times seems better known for his substance abuse problems than for his talents but it’s those problems that make him a natural choice for Iron Man as the Tony Stark character has dealt with the same problems in the comic. And it's in my own opinion that in this movie, I kinda think Downey’s kinda hot...

"Yo! Back That Ass UP!!!"

Keeping the Villains to a Minimum: This too many cooks approach was a huge problem with Spiderman 3. It couldn’t support the weight of Harry Osborne/The Goblin, Eddie Brock/Venom, and the Sandman without collapsing its heavy handedness. In Iron Man, Tony Stark only has to deal with Afghan terrorists and Obadiah Stone.

Picking His Fights Carefully: Audiences are thankfully spared from watching Iron Man rescue young ladies from muggers, foiling midnight bank break ins and cute kittens from trees. There are no would be convenience store robbers flying into freezers full of soft drinks with store clerks babbling their thanks to their super power savior. Nope, that’s Superman’s job. Iron Man has bigger global fish to fry with terrorists and corporate greed. Kicking ass, taking names! W Bush be damned!

Whether or not Marvel Studio can keep up their momentum with The Incredible Hulk remains to be seen but I’m hoping that they won’t jump the gun with their successes and green light movies for characters like Ant Man (Come on!) and take a look at other long lasting characters like Doctor Strange or even take a chance with female characters like Black Widow. With great power comes great responsibility, so let’s hope Marvel Studios chooses their next project wisely.

Taffy Likes...No, Loves Bauhaus

2008-03-05T13:35:00.000-05:00

This week the Led Zep of Goth released their first album in 25 years and it’s hard to believe but it seems like it was only last week that I was combing through Montreal’s independent record stores Dutchies, Rock En Stock, Phantasmagoria and last but not least, W.O.W Records to find anything that I could from the one band I thought I’d never see live. Jump forwards 24 years and by then I’d seen them twice in about six months time and it was all worth the wait. I’ll probably have to wait a few days before I can pick up the album but I don’t doubt that I’ll love it.

According to the bands website www.bauhausmusik.com “Go Away White” was recorded in only 18 days with the band playing together, live to tape and used the first takes as final cuts and will be their final collaboration. Personally, I hope this won’t be the case. How many times has David Bowie said he’d “never tour again” and “ this is the last time I’ll play these songs”?...I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

Taffy Likes...The Spice Girls!

2008-02-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

My sister and I were lucky enough to get tickets for the Spice Girls final show which took place Feb.26, 2008 at the Air Canada Center in Toronto, the city where I keep my stuff. First of all, our seats were amazing! We were just a few feet above the orchestra section just off to the right hand of the stage (always wanted to sit there but usually end up in the nose bleed section). In a surprising switch from the "No Camera" rule in which I usually end up sneaking in shots on the sly, cameras were allowed so I hope that I don't catch any flack from posting some of the photos that my sister took at the show (I filmed the opening numbers “Spice Up Your Life” & “Stop” but the file is too big for me to post.). Hope you like them!

The Spice Girls in their opening number "Spice Up Your Life".

Victoria Beckham is definately the most popular as the audiences screaming drowned out her ahem..."vocals". The crowd would go nuts even if all she did would be to burp and fart!

Baby Spice Emma Bunton looks as cute as a button.

Singing "Holla" without Geri Halliwell.

Mel C. sings "I Turn To You". This picture gives a good example of how great our seats were.

Fun had by all!!!

Taffy Likes...Best Original Song, and the Oscar Goes To...

2008-02-24T22:52:00.000-05:00

"Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova!!!! Awesome!!! And thanks John Stewart for letting Marketa come back out and give her thanks.

Taffy Likes...These Fine Feathered Friends

2008-02-21T23:11:00.000-05:00

Taffy Likes...Stuff That Gets Lost In The Translation

2008-02-15T19:21:00.000-05:00

I went grocery shopping with my friends to the newest location of an Asian supermarket chain, T & T, on Cherry Street. It’s pretty awesome in there, with a small dim sum restaurant, nice prepared food like BBQ pork & duck and very good prices on all the stuff I like to buy and eventually, like to eat. While I was checking out the aisles, it struck me just how unintentionally hilarious some of the brand names of the products were.
Clearly, if the manufacturers had known that their probably perfectly good products were going to end up on North American shelves, they probably would have thought twice before naming their cookies “Collon”….mmmmm, colons! So be careful not to eat too many colons, otherwise, you just might Pucca!!!

Taffy Likes...This Album Cover!

2008-02-15T19:11:00.000-05:00

Sixties Without Being Psychedelic!

Taffy Likes...Once

2008-02-14T17:12:00.001-05:00

While I was back in Montreal, I popped into the local Videotron store to check out the used DVD's for my train trip back to T.O. and bought the 2007 Irish Film "Once". Generally, I loathe romantic movies as I just can't swallow the typical formulas that they follow: the meet cute, at first they can't stand each other, the girl falls down a lot, the guy keeps saying stupid things, they fight, they realize that guy/girl is the "one" and everything works out in the end. God, I hate that stuff.

Thankfully, "Once" is not that kind of movie. It rises above the formula by being, at least for me, realistic in how two people can meet, form an attraction, bring out the best in each other, and create a bond that despite where life may lead them, they will alway share.

The film's leads, Guy (Glen Hansard) and Girl (Marketa Irglova) are musicians by trade, not professional actors but because so much of the film's emotional impact comes through the music they make, any experience they may lack isn't really an issue. And what music they make, it's the real heart of the film and it's what draws Guy & Girl together and sustains their connection. Both Hansard & Irglova have been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song for "Falling Slowly" and I will be watching the awards with a box of tissue paper by my side to dry my sentimental tears when they perform it.

Taffy Likes...This Little Guy!

2008-02-14T16:56:00.000-05:00

My cousin Aiden, how cute is he!?!?

Welcome & Valentine's Day = Bad Luck

2008-02-14T14:51:00.000-05:00

Hi There,welcome to anyone who may be paying attention, I'm Taffy and this is my very first blog. My intention in creating this blog will be to talk about the stuff I like, hence the name Taffy's Stuff I Like and that could be almost anything! But I have to say that my very first post will be about something I hate and I hate Valentine's Day! I don't know about the rest of the world, but for me Valentine's Day has always been the equivalent of Friday the 13th! Bad things always happens to me, or my sister on or around this date. Not sure what I mean by bad luck besides not actually receiving any V-Day gifts? Check out my greatest hits list of bad karma on February 14th:

The only V-Day gift I ever received was a used pair of Coca-Cola sneakers two sizes too big! "I just saw them and I thought of you!" said my then boyfriend. Hmmm, I'm a dirty old stinky pair of ugly-ass shoes that will never fit, a fine description of a relationship made in heaven...since this was the only time I got anything on V-Day, I actually thought it was the best V-Day gift ever! And no, we are not together anymore!
My apartment was broken into on Valentine's Day! My sister and I arrived home from a long day of watching every female co-worker get delivery after delivery of towers of flowers at both of our respective workplaces (neither of us got anything, in case you were wondering) and found our front door kicked in by God knows who leaving a splintery mess all over our living room! If one can consider it lucky, nothing was stolen, as I assume that the sight of my massive vinyl record and videotape collections was not what the would be thief was expecting to snag. So we spent our V-Day calling 911, filing police reports and watching the locksmith repair our smashed door lock while sullenly sipping beer, glumly picking at our long delayed dinners, ignoring American Idol on the TV and silently thinking back to the good old days of nothing for V-Day.
We found out our Father was going to die! I don't believe that requires any furthur explaination...

And as for V-Day 2008, my sister had to go to work today but while she was running for the bus, the strap of her bag broke and spilled everything in it into the grey, salty slush of last night's snowstorm. And in case you were wondering, she also misssed the bus.

I've learned my lesson and these days, I never leave the house on Valentine's Day. Hell, I take a vacation day and I don't even answer the phone! I'm just going to sit here in the dark with a baseball bat, the phone in my hand ready to call 911 and count the minutes until the clock strikes twelve!