Let the Writers Dance!

The new lineup of Dancing with the Stars contestants released today. The better known cast members include Donny Osmond, Melissa Joan Hart, Macy Gray, Aaron Carter, and former House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Throw in there a model, some athletes, a couple more models, a chef, a bit of this, a bit of that.

But no writers.

I don't get this.

John Grisham. Stephanie Meyer. Tom Clancy. Jodi Picoult. James Patterson. Dan Brown.

All of these well-known names. Maybe slightly lesser known - Jennifer Weiner, Meg Cabot, heck - Don Miller. My point it, any one of these people are better known than, say, Joanna Krupa or Ashley Hamilton.

And a lot of these people are pretty entertaining. Meg Cabot has a hilarious blog. She loves reality TV. Perfect fit!

Not only that, but most writers could stand to get a bit more exercise. We sit and type all day, most days. What could be better than getting around and moving, while wearing sequins?

DWTS needs to be careful. Writers tend to retaliate when slighted -

Open Season

The Golden Globe nominees were announced today, which means only one thing:

Oscar Season Approach-eth.

With that bit of joy in mind, I though I would repost last year's post-Oscar blog to get us all in the mood....

Me, Myself, and the Oscars (In Case You Were Wondering) (Orig. Post date 2/29/08)

I love the Oscars.

I know I shouldn't. I'm supposed to be all about the BAFTAs, or the Independent Spirit Awards, or whatever, because the Oscars are a commercialized popularity contest.

So accept it and move on. They're still fun. I've watched every year since I was sixteen, when American Beauty won, like, everything. But I was hooked. Still am. When else are you going to see Kristin Chenowith singing with a Jamaican drummer and a Bavarian-clad backup?

This year was a little (okay, a lot) more thrown together, considering that the writers have only been on speaker terms with ABC for a short while. In my pre-game speculation, I hoped this would mean we'd get some really great material. The writers had all that time off, should have come up with a couple funny jokes, some inventive scenes. I watched the WGA shorts.



The brains were not dead on the picket lines.

The opening animation looked as though, well, the writers still had picket-elbow. But never mind.

Best Dress: Jennifer Garner. Honorable mentions go to Anne Hathaway (who made up for last year's Valentino bow-thing), Renee Zellweger, and Cameron Diaz (of whom I am not a fan, but she wore pink).

Worst Dress: Tilda Swinton. I respect her as an actress, but a black curtain? To the Oscars?

Best Moment: Falling Slowly winning the Oscar.

Worst Music Cue: Marketa Irglova getting cut off.

Best Moment Jon Stewart will EVER have: Letting Marketa Irglova give a lovely speach. You know she's nineteen? Younger than Ellen Page?

Best Surprise: Marion Cotillard for La Mome.

Best Joke: "Even Norbit got a nomination, which is great. Too often, the Academy ignores movies that aren't good."

Best Bump: Cate Blanchett, who actually looked pregnant (as opposed to between roles).

Best Idea I Had For a Joke: "If the WGA hadn't settled, Jack Black was set to re-shoot the clips for us."

Best Heals: Kristen Chenowith (who's like, 4'11" in stocking feet) in six inch platforms.

Best Flub: Cameron Diaz: Cinnamontography?

Best Hair Makeover: Javier Bardem

Best Visible Tattoo: Diablo Cody

Best Propoganda: Sid Ganis's reassurance that the Academy voters are serious, without bias, and understand butterfly ballots. Come one. We KNOW that the studios call academy members to talk up their pics.

Best Presentation: Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway.

Best moment from last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5JAPkvnyso (stupid oscar people won't let me embed the video, but it's so, so, so very worth it.)

All of this is a pleasant distraction from the writing/publishing world, which is causing me large amounts of stress at the moment.

Thank goodness for the Bavarian backup singers.

Pitter Patter of Small Army

Seriously, the babies are everywhere. I've been tooling around on facebook (code for procrastinating finishing a chapter rewrite) and commenting on pictures. Mainly baby pictures. Because that's mainly what there are pictures of.

(This particular picture is a snapshot of my husband that I'm rather partial to. Funny thing is, he still gets that look on his face, that "whadya know, that's pretty cool" look, mainly when he's reading his Popular Mechanics or his wife comes up with a fascinating new plot twist while making lasagna).

But I digress. Lots of babies, and more on the way. After two years of pregnancy speculation, Nicole Kidman is slated to deliver "any day now." Angelina's looks ready to pop, but isn't due till August. My cousins are expecting a little girl that same month. Another friend is due in September. I have a pregnancy shoot coming up in November.

At first I wondered if there was something in the water; then I thought about it. Count back nine months ago from August to November, and what do you have?

The Writer's Strike.

Case closed.