I miss you Buffy.

I'm having withdrawals. Serious withdrawals.

Currently, I'm watching the third episode of Dawson's Creek. I can't decide if this is a painful experience or sort of enjoyable? Mainly I'm watching this sex obsessed, beachy Cape Cod television show about lame teenagers with even lamer background music because the entire series is available FO FREE via OnDemand. But really, truly I'm watching this show as a terrible sad replacement for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So sad. So terrible.

It's been about 5 months since the Buffy watching journey my mom and I embarked on has ended. And I wistfully think back on that journey often. Especially when I'm homesick or missing my mom, both happen more often than not. Watching every episode (over 100!) of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with my mom for hours on end was probably one of the best times in my life. For many reasons, involving: OMG I LOVE MY MOM! Mother-daughter time is so fun. Watching all that tv also meant that I got to sit on my ass for countless hours. All good things.

Most of all, watching all episodes of Buffy, Willow, Xander and the gang making culturally dated jokes and killing vampires while wearing lots of leather was simply amazing. This show is so good! I want to live in this show! I want to talk to everyone about this show! ...Hardly anyone will partake. Will you talk to me about Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Joss Whedon made adolescence, high school, sex, comedy, life and drama entertaining and fantastical, but all the issues covered in the show were grounded in reality. Plus adding in the occult, vampires and other beastly goodies in the mix made for some exceptional television. Above all else, the audience had the absolutely thrilling opportunity to witness in chronological order all of the hairstyles of Sarah Michelle Gellar. That girl tried them all.

Oh dear Netflix how you helped us through the late nights pressing "next episode". Being able to skip commercials makes a timesaving difference that always meant more time for another one. Keep em coming Netflix! Satiate my needs for more stakes to the heart!

So having watched only three episodes of Dawson's Creek, I think I can definitively say that BUFFY RULES. DAWSON'S SUCKS! To be fair, the shows are completely different in the way that they depict teenager sagas. And I'll probably play episode four after this, because why not? The story lines are semi intriguing and I know eventually Pacey will grow into the sexy man that he is today and I get to watch that occur! Also, it's always a good time to make fun of Dawson with his flowing hair, Doc Martins, that necklace and his continually whiny attitude.

Buffy is a heroine. Although flawed in many ways, she is beyond cool. And don't even get me started on Willow. I want to be a witch because of her (and Harry Potter of course, and Hocus Pocus). Xander always provided a comforting backdrop. Giles was a great fatherly figure, until he wasn't. Dawn was annoying from day one. Angel took my breath away. Spike provided a badboy crush with some cockney laced humor. The rest of the characters, regular or drop ins, added a needed oomph to the show to keep things spicy.

Have I sold anyone yet? Will you watch the show now!?

PLEASE!

Let's Look Up To...

Queen Elizabeth I 

One of the longest reigning monarchs of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth the first, was a kickass female. As a student of history and an anglophile, Good Queen Bess really floats my boat. She inherited the throne from her philandering father, Henry VIII, who chopped off the head of her mother, Anne Boleyn. Needless to say, Elizabeth’s succession to Queendom was tumultuous.  But once she ascended that golden throne, damn did she do some good things.

Although, never expressly said, Elizabeth did a lot to calm the religious unrest that was set aflame during her half sister, Queen Mary’s reign, by famously stating that she refused to “make windows into men’s souls”, meaning she didn’t want to know what your religious affiliation was. So basically, she was like do your own thang. Elizabeth secured the Church of England during her time, a move that is generally considered as one that saved England from many of the bloody religious wars that were occurring in other European countries during the 16th century. 

Also…she never got married! How amazing is this? Coming to the throne in 1558, in a time when women were basically considered nothing without a title they got from a man, it is phenomenal that Queen Elizabeth I never took a husband. Historical reports show she felt plenty of pressure to do so, but she was steadfast in remaining a single lady and showing her critics that she could rule the kingdom by her damn self, garnering her the nickname of the Virgin Queen. (Her chasteness or lack thereof is widely hypothesized on and debated, so the nickname mainly refers to her non-married status. Get it girl.) 

45 years of navigating her country and her people through military conflicts, political scandal AND fostering the arts, Queen Elizabeth I is an iconic historical character who I think deserves to be looked up to as a powerful feminine figure. Remember how beautifully Cate Blanchett portrayed her in the movie Elizabeth? I like to think that Queen E really was that elegant. I mean she was known to stock up on brilliant jewelry and decadent clothing to take with her on her royal progresses. And she totally put in vogue painting her face with thick layers of white makeup. Fashionista. 

So let’s give a shoutout to this fancy royalty and channel her essence when times get tough or we need a little pick-me-up in knowing that we can do it, jump over that obstacle or just plain be awesome. And without a husband to boot!

Greetings from an old friend

I hope that is how you see Falling Bottoms, as an old friend who holds a special place in your heart. You feel warmth towards them. So much warmth and love that when they disappear for a few months with no note to explain their absence, no phone calls, no email or snail mail, or texts not even a damn telegraph you don't feel anger or disloyalty because you know they really do love you back and were probably super busy with some big life change or in the very least catching quite a few seriously fundamental to the story line reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 on SOAPnet.

While I have at times within the last few months been able to digest the the artful elegance of 90210 reruns (How many relationships can these people be in? How many times can Brandon propose to Kelly? How can David remain attractive even though he is an embarrassing rapper?), I have mostly been busy with  moving to Washington, D.C. to attend graduate school. I moved, I started school, I started a job, I bought a grocery stroller, I moved again and I walked to the monuments a lot. I've had a lot of things on my plate and Falling Bottoms fell by the wayside. Also, the thought of writing a blog as I was writing pages upon pages for school and my job left me with a slight aversion to writing as an extracurricular activity. Now that I had a semester to get settled, I've felt an itch to get back to blogging. My "new life" has given me so many experiences that I'd love to share. Most of them happy because D.C. is one of my favorite places ever.

Photo credit: Yours truly

 Although, I don't think it is realistic to commit to posting a few times a week I think I can manage a new blog post about every week. This semester is set to be just as busy as last with starting an internship at the British Embassy (more on that later!), keeping a part time job (get money, get paid), and going to class so I can fill my head with smarty nuggets of gold, but to me that just means lots and lots of material to share with you all.

I thought about changing the focus of the blog to I don't know what, which was not really a helpful brainstorming process. And so, I've decided to keep things pretty much the same around here with the understanding that my posts will probably revolve around the things going on in my life right now, these things will probably end up being very D.C. centric. Hopefully an exciting development for Falling Bottoms.

I would love if you trusted followers decide to stick with me because I think it will be a good time. I've watched a lot of good tv and eaten a lot of cupcakes since we've last met, which as we all know leads to quite impressive anecdotes about life, love and telling the future (my secret of being skilled in the field of Divination is finally out I guess).

*Also, I am working on a few kinks with the design of the site. I like the new layout, but want my original background and a less boring color scheme. Technology is being annoying in these matters, but I will keep trying.

Movie Marathons are the best kind of marathons

Movie marathons are one of the most under appreciated wonders of the world.

You can do so much with them! Pick a genre, pick an actor, pick a director, pick an era or put one together from scratch and you have a full days worth of cinematic escapism to tide you over.

I love the idea of marathons because it means you just let yourself sit on the couch, nibble on some nibbles and have a very productive excuse to be sedentary BUT NOT LAZY, movie marathons are NEVER LAZY.

Is it lazy to learn the nuances of comedy by having a Mike Meyers marathon? Is it lazy to experience all the facets of the world's greatest actress Meryl Streep? Is it lazy, my dear friends, to sit back and enjoy the glory that Peter Jackson presented to us with the evolution of Frodo and his little friends in the 15 million hours worth of the Lord of the Rings trilogy? The answer is a resolute no. Embrace the movie marathons, world and take in all they have to offer.

Below I list some movie marathon ideas. I did not include my obvious favorite movie marathon choice, Harry Potter because we all know about this one and hopefully utilize it annually. Neither did I include the movie marathon idea of Indiana Jones because, again, I hope everyone has this on their go-to marathon plans. I wanted to provide some innovative movie ideas. I like to consider myself a movie marathon chef who crafts together unique and delicious ingredients movies.


Movie Marathon Recipes:

1. Movies inspired by one of the most densely populated countries in the world and a place I dream of going, India. The sights, the smells, the history, the saris!

Some recommendations:
- Monsoon Wedding. Makes me cry every time.

-Slumdog Millionaire. Duh

-Bend it like Beckham. A little bit of a stretch, but this movie is so good. Let it slide.

As an added bonus, you can order a boatload of yumilicious Indian food to compliment the movies! Mmm Chickhen Tikka Masala

2. B Horror Movies. This is a personal favorite of mine. Probably the most visited form of movie marathons I partake in. My bff and I are B Horror Movie experts. If it's a crappy scary movie, we've seen it. I can't praise the entertainment and outrageous images/plot lines/ characters/ dialogue that watching shitty horror movies give the viewer enough. Full of unforgettable times. 


Some of my absolute favorites:
- Valentine (2001). This movie probably deserves a blog post all it's own because of how much pure love I have for it. I own it. I have watched it around 30 times, which seems kind of sick because people get murdered in gruesome ways. But that is overshadowed by stellar performances from Denise Richards and David Boreanaz...Yeah it's that kind of movie. 

-April Fool's Day (1986). People on an island get murdered. 

-Last House on the Left (1972). I just IMDB'd this movie to refresh my memory and noticed that it is directed by Wes Craven; it was the first movie he directed. Ok, so this movie is actually pretty disturbing, but it makes my recommendation list because of one pivotal scene where a young girl turns the table on her evil crazy male attacker and BITES HIM WHERE IT HURTS. Yeah, the thing you think would never happen in a movie does.

 
3. Romancing the Stone/ Jewel of the Nile. Not sure if these two movies constitute a movie marathon theme, but hey we're making up the rules here so I say it does. If you're in the mood for some adventure and world travel then try out these splendid 1980's movies. Featuring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner and taking place in exotic regions such as Columbia and the Middle East, these movies follow author Joan Wilder (Turner) and her adventurous semi criminal lover Jack Colton (Douglas) getting into danger and intrigue. Danny DeVito also makes a notable appearance in the films.

4. J. Lo. This may seem like an odd choice for an actor themed movie marathon, but creativity is key. Besides it is my belief that Jenny From the Block is a better actress than singer. And alright, maybe I am little biased by the fact that I think Enough is like the most magnificent Lifetime-esque movie ever produced. 

 


Jennifer Lopez in her prime:
- ENOUGH. Short haircut? Yes. Boxing? Yes. Kicking your asshole abusive husband's ass? Yes. A funny best friend (Juliette Lewis)? Yes. A main character named Slim? Yes. How could something get any better?

- The Wedding Planner. Another one of my favorite movies. Jennifer is funny in this movie and Matthew McConaughey is at his best acting as a laid back, interested hottie. Plus, I always notice that the wardrobe Jennifer Lopez has in this movie doesn't seem ever to be dated.

- The Cell. Has anyone seen this movie? It was SO creepy. I hardly remember it. I  just remember women floating in cases they were trapped in by some creep McCreepster crazy dude... in his mind. This movie gets scientific and supernatural and freaking weird. 

5. Creature Features. You can do a lot with this genre. There are so many options out there. Of course I have some personal favorites to share, not including Jaws because everyone is aware of this classic (Jaws 3 is the best. Represent!).

-Deep Blue Sea. Another significant part of my movie collection. Deep Blue Sea is the timeless story of genetically engineered sharks who get a little too intelligent and ornery for their scientist captors and end up going ballistic and wreak havoc on a water based research lab. The sharks don't want to be tested on to cure Alzheimers, they just want to eat people. The most wonderful part in this movie that rivals any other insanely surprising scenes in other movies, is when Samuel L. Jackson literally gets bitten in half out of NOWHERE by one of those doggone fishes. Also LL Cool J, oops I mean Ladies Love Cool James, is in it. 

-Anaconda. What we have here is a little bit of a crossover. I considered including this movie under J. Lo's category but decided it needed to reside in Creature Features. I was introduced to this movie around age 10 and instantly became attached. As a 10 year old Anaconda held the secrets of adulthood. There was Jennifer Lopez's voluptuous body, there was traveling down the Amazon River, there was a psycho old dude (Jon Voight), there was Owen Wilson and some chick having sex in the forest. Basically, the plot follows a National Geographic crew floating down the Amazon doing their own professional thing when they run into Mr. Crazy (Voight) who lures them into chasing a ginormous man-eating anaconda snake. Also, Ice Cube is in it. 

-Lake Placid. Another large, man eating, vengeful creature. This time in the form of a crocodile. Oliver Platt is as always witty and snarky in his role. Also, Betty White is in it. 

Special effects aren't the best in any of these creature features, luckily that's not the point. The point is letting your mind wander to the "what ifs" of the existence of large and in charge creatures. And if you are anything like me, you probably will be scared to take a bath for a little while after watching these. 



Use these movie marathon suggestions as starting off points for your own innovative and fun movie choices. Just have fun with it, but take the wonder and power of movie marathons to heart. And always know that when you're movie marathoning you are doing something right in the world.

Union Jack and Helen Mirren

This will be the look I channel for my upcoming LONDON OLYMPICS 2012 PARTY!

I'm SO into that

I find myself saying this all the time. And usually the things I am SO into change from week to week, day to day, hour to hour. You get the point. I really love discovering or re-discovering television shows, books, movies, music, food, etc., all the joyful things in life. And so I thought what better place to share these things than on my blog!

"I'm SO into that" is going to be a re-occurring theme on Falling Bottoms. Hopefully people will share some of my new favorite things or learn about cool new stuff because if I like it, it's cool.

1. Inspector Lewis
Inspector Lewis and Hathaway are back in action strolling the streets of idyllic Oxford solving grisly murders. Alas, this isn't your average Law and Order: SUV esque horrifying and disturbing crime show, Lewis and Hathaway are great compassionate guys who really take an interest in the cases they are solving and the witnesses or victims they are working with. Not into PBS Masterpiece Mysteries? I understand that not many 23 year olds watch this British mystery tradition weekly with their parents (I live on the edge baby), but give this particular program a shot. The scenery alone makes it worthy. Also, James Hathaway aka sexy British actor Laurence Fox is indeed a fox.

2. The Daily Beast
This is a fun thing I read, while also serving as a sort of self assigned daily homework goal. I am going to grad school at GW's School of Media and Public Affairs this coming Fall so I find it very important and will soon be finding it imperative to my life to keep up to date with current/political events. It's hard to read the news every damn day, especially because it can get depressing and overwhelming. But we should! The brilliant Alec Baldwin tweeted numerous times (back when he had a twitter, I miss him deeply) that everyone should read a newspaper every day. And I agree, although I fall short of this a lot. The Daily Beast is a great remedy. It's a cool news site that mixes everything from popular culture, current events, politics, fashion, technology and sports together in a nifty little website. Subscribe via email to their "Cheat Sheet" to receive updates on the top news stories for the day to stay in the loop:  http://www.thedailybeast.com/ They've been having plenty of stories on this whole Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise + Scientology divorce deal. Which sort of irks me because I don't find that newsworthy, but obviously I read the stories anyways. 

3. Outlander
Or as I like to refer to it as The Prude's 50 Shades of Grey. Romance, intrigue, the Scottish Highlands in the 18th century and yeah that's really all you need for a good night. I've only read the first book, but am ready to dig into the second and third, compliments of my sister-in-law. Check out this series!

4. Kate Nash Pandora
Throw in some Billy Joel, Elton John, Lily Allen, Lana Del Rey, Melanie Gardot and you've got a delicious music salad in your ears. Mmmm wonderful imagery. 

5. Maroon 5's new album Overexposed
I would date Adam Levine's voice. 

6. Everything Is Sound by Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz is easily my favorite recording artist of all time. He speaks to my soul and a lot of times his music helps keep me sane. This song has been on repeat recently.

7. Etsy
Not new for many people, I know, but for me Etsy opened up a whole new world like Jasmine riding on that carpet with Aladdin. I'm hooked. I already scored on a beautiful LOVE ring and have my eye on some super zen yoga clothing. Apparently Etsy is speaking to my hippie spirit.

8. Podcasts
I think I've mentioned to everyone I know my love of podcasts. I seriously can't believe I didn't tap into this free form of entertainment sooner! My favorites include: The Heatley Cliff (pretty much for girls), Comedy Bang Bang (full of laughs, the episodes with Andy Samberg and Zach Galifianakis are my favorite) and Here's the Thing (with the one and only Alec Baldwin, his voice is chilling).

9. The Book Group
Oh Netflix, the television shows you open up to me are so odd and underground I am convinced that when I am watching them I may actually be the only person in the world doing so in that very moment. Really who knew all of these shows existed and why does Netflix predict all my interests so well? The Book Group centers around a young woman who moves to Scotland totally alone and forms a book club with a bunch of randos in hopes of making friends. She's pretty much the most annoying person ever and super uptight. I find her semi hilarious though. Her mish mash of book club buddies are entertaining as well. Only two seasons long, meaning it shouldn't be too much of an investment like Buffy The Vampire Slayer has turned out to be, in a good way.

10. Kombucha
What is this weird thing I am drinking and how in the hell do I sincerely enjoy it?  A little tangy, a little fizzy and just sweet enough. I love this stuff that is referred to as fungus in other cultures. Um if that doesn't say YUM  I don't know what does!

Don't rain on my f&#@ing parade: THE Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl

I feel like the piece of information I am about to disclose is going to reveal a lot about who I am as a person, what I believe, what I love, what I fear, what kind of Pandora stations I listen to, what kind of deodorant I wear. Wait...which one doesn't fit?

But, on the real, the next sentence is pretty telling of me as a person. Drum roll please. Funny Girl the movie musical with Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif is most certainly, confidently placed in the top tier of my favorite movie strata. Quick thought, how much WORSE would this movie be if they had decided to spell "girl" "gurl"? Like why does that spelling even exist? Funny Girl is in a word, divine. It is sort of like a spiritual experience when I view it.

I have no idea if anyone reading this has seen this movie because I obviously think it is a total classic, but find people who are like "What is Funny Girl? Is it like Factory Girl that movie with Sienna Miller?" Actually NO ONE has ever asked me that because I am pretty sure that not many people would reference the movie Factory Girl in which Sienna Miller plays 60's socialite Edie Sedgwick and Hayden Christensen plays some musician that is based on Bob Dylan. Says the girl who seems to know an awful lot about the plot line of said movie. I've seen it. Maybe movies with "girl" in the title are my thing?

Ah I digress. The point I am trying to make is that I am usually surprised by the answers I get when I ask people if they have ever seen Funny Girl because either people have never heard of it, or have seen it, or love it. Which I guess is a normal variety of answers, so what is the point I am making?

THE POINT HERE PEOPLE IS THAT THIS MOVIE IS EXTRAORDINARY. I advise any functioning member of society to sit down for all 150 minutes of the pure brilliance that is Funny Girl. I mean there is a 5 minute black screen, orchestra music intro and a 30 second intermission break (What can one do in a 30 second intermission? Think about going to the bathroom? Pick at a cuticle? Nothing too extensive) in a movie! I fast forward these parts because, ummm it's boring.

I love this

I understand there are a lot of Barbra Streisand haters out there. To these people I say, how is that possible? Or are you judging her solely on the size of her nose? Also, I probably have nothing to say that will change your mind dear hater of Babs so keep on keeping on.

The movie Funny Girl is based on the musical Funny Girl which is based on the life of Fanny Brice, a comedian, singer and actress who starred in the Ziegfield Follies and musicals during the early 1900's. The movie chronicles the rise of Fanny, played by Barbra Streisand in both the musical and film, as well as her romantic, yet tumultuous relationship with Nick Arstein, played by the oh so sexy Omar Sharif. Hummina hummina.

"Ahh haha I am sexy", thinks Omar Sharif/ Nicky Arnstein

As a humongous fan of Barbra and Funny Girl there are a ton of topics I'd love to analyze, but I realize not everyone would enjoy that so I have decided to simply list the 5 REASONS TO LOVE FANNY BRICE while fully acknowledging this really does the character or the movie no justice. Just watch it on your own puh-leaseee!

1. Her confidence, ambition and drive. Like the all too familiar schpeal from those actor sorts, Fanny was shot down repeatedly before she made it as a star. People were telling her she wasn't attractive enough, she'd never make it with those small boobs of hers (actually referenced to as the size of lentils in the movie)! But she keeps going because she knows she is beautiful and talented.

2. Her worship worthy one-liners.

Hands down best line of the movie: "Hello gorgeous (pronounced gaw-geous)!" Listen to it here hello gorgeous

Here are some of my other favorites:

"I'm a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls!"

"If I can't tell when you're ordering roast beef and potatoes, how will I know when you're making advances?" 

"You think beautiful girls are going to stay in style forever? I should say not! Any minute now they're going to be out! Finished! Then it'll be my turn!"

3. Her style! The colors, the fabrics, the textures, the prints, the fur hat and muff! Also, her hair does some pretty gravity defying moves in this movie. And I love it. However, I will come forth and admit that I am not the biggest fan of the length and shape of her fingernails in Funny Girl, a little too claw like for me.

4. Her humor. Barbra as Fanny is a true comedienne in this movie. She has great comedic timing and usually babbles in every situation but it works and you love her for it. Fanny is funny in the haha way. I mean the title of the movie is Funny Girl. It would kind of be the worst if Fanny funny girl was not in fact funny. She is, so whatever the world is alright. Fanny uses her humor as protection throughout the film, but that tactic takes a poignant turn at the end of the movie when (SPOILER ALERT) she has to say goodbye to Nick, her romantic interest, before he heads off to jail. Heartbroken she breaks out in song singing "Funny Girl" crying alone in a room (see video below), don't we all do this or want to do this? That's what musicals are for, to bust out in song at dramatic moments in life.

5. Her voice. It's like buttah. My favorite songs:

People

You Are Woman I Am Man

Don't Rain On My Parade

Funny Girl

I venture to say there might be a little bit of funny girl Fanny Brice in all of us. Or not. Mostly, I just completely relate to her and think "Hey, she's funny, unique and quirky. She makes it big against all odds and gets Mr. Mysterious tall dark and handsome so I'll be alright." Not that it's all about getting the man, hey hey feminism.

I urge you to watch the cinematic event of all time, or at least a really good movie, if you have not already. Funny Girl will inspire you, entertain you and put you in awe of Barbra Streisand's extensive talents. Or do I mean Factory Girl?

P.S. There is a Funny Girl sequel called Funny Lady with another fine fella, James Caan, and even more music and splendor!