S'no fun in Seattle

Okay, I'm all ready. Now where's the damn snow?

Billboard Names 50 Sexiest Songs of All Time

Unsurprisingly, this was #1:

You can find the rest here.

" And Starring Miss Susan Sarandon as Victoria Barkley"

I normally hate remakes, but I find this intriguing...

Susan Sarandon Eyeing "Big Valley"

Eyeing Barbara Stanwyck's role in film version of '60s series

By Jay A. Fernandez

Feb 10, 2010, 11:00 PM ET

Susan Sarandon is in talks to become the matriarch of the Barkley clan.

Kate Edelman Johnson is producing a feature film version of "The Big Valley," based on the TV show created by her late father, producer Louis F. Edelman, and writer A.I. Bezzerides. The Western series, which ran on ABC from 1965-69, starred Barbara Stanwyck as the matriarch of a ranching family in the 1870s San Joaquin Valley.

Sarandon would take on the part of Victoria Barkley, originated by Stanwyck.

Edelman Johnson's producing partner, Daniel Adams ("The Lightkeepers"), has written the feature screenplay and will direct. Johnson and Adams' Panther Entertainment will produce, with a May start date planned for principal photography in Michigan and New Mexico.

"I am so thrilled to be filming this project, not only to honor my father and Miss Stanwyck but to bring a great woman's part to the screen as head of this historical family saga," Edelman Johnson said.

"Etienne"

Beebo and I have been cooking at home more and more, because it doesn't seem that hard anymore, and most of time, it's more fun and cheaper than going out. Our division of labor usually goes this way: Foulard cooks meat and does the dishes; Beebo grocery-shops and does most of the other cooking.


Lately, my favorite instrument for cooking meat has been a non-stick two-burner griddle. It's very handy because it has a large surface area--you can cook meat on one side and potatoes or vegetables on the other side. You can also toast hamburger buns on it, make scrambled eggs, pancakes, or grilled cheese sandwiches. I enjoy the efficiency of cooking everything on one area--it makes me feel like a short order cook (somehow, I find this appealing).

We bought the griddle around the same time we bought an extra-larger frying pan. For some reason, we gave them names in an effort to differentiate them from each other--the griddle became 'Etienne' and the frying pan became...I forget what we called it--the name didn't stick (no pun intended).

For such a cheap item, it's been extremely useful.

Here's to you, Etienne! Or should I say, à votre santé!

Le Poster

When I was a kid, my folks got all their gasoline from Gulf gas stations--they had a charge card there. Does anybody do this anymore?

In 1971, Gulf had a tie-in with the new Steve McQueen movie, Le Mans, and were giving out a poster of him, much like the one shown above. It ended up on my bedroom wall, and in anticipation of the movie, I became a five year-old Steve McQueen fan. This was also at a time when racing was a big glamor sport, and people like Paul Newman and James Garner were playing race car drivers in movies (and sometimes racing in real life). There wasn't some over-inflated culture clash thing going on like there is now, when some people are supposed to love Nascar and some aren't. It was also before the big oil crisis, so driving like hell and using tons of gas seemed like a fine idea.

Anyhow, I was down with the program, too. I had a red nylon windbreaker that had an STP patch on one arm and a crossed racing flags patch on the other. And I think we ended up going to see the movie, though I'm not sure about that.

In the 90s, I watched it on VHS, and found it somewhat mystifying. As Wikipedia says:

"The film is today still popular among race fans as it is a relatively accurate depiction of the era, with a lot of racing but very little dialogue. Due to this, and partly to the American market's general low awareness of the Le Mans 24 Hour race, it was only a moderate success at the box office there."

The lack of plot and dialogue makes it a bit thick for someone who doesn't get really excited by racing cars.

But I thought the poster was cool!

The Man With a Plan

Tina Brown was on NPR this morning talking about recent political memoirs, and reminded us of this classic moment of the 2008 presidential campaign:

In the Wall Street Journal on Feb. 6, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson published an exerpt from his new book, On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System. It describes the scene at the White House in September 2008, after Sen. John McCain dramatically suspended his presidential campaign and flew back to Washington, calling on all political hands to join him in rescuing the collapsing U.S. economy.

"It really was, I thought, a riveting account," Brown says. "There is a great scene in here, where McCain finally gets this meeting that he's summoned. And then what Paulson gives is an account of how, in the meeting with the president, with all the players assembled including [then-candidate] Obama, McCain had absolutely nothing to say. It was like, 'I'm here to stop the fire! Uhhhhh, yeah: Well, maybe I'll just stand here and wait for a pail.' And finally Obama says loudly ... 'I'd like to hear what Sen. McCain has to say, since we haven't heard from him yet.' "

Writes Paulson:

As [McCain] spoke, I could see Obama chuckling. McCain's comments were anticlimactic, to say the least. His return to Washington was impulsive and risky, and I don't think he had a plan in mind. If anything, his gambit only came back to hurt him, as he was pilloried in the press afterward, and in the end, I don't believe his maneuver significantly influenced the TARP legislative process.

It's a revealing look, Brown says, at an "amazing moment in politics, completely subsuming any real care for this crisis that the country was in at the time." Better yet, it's a startlingly direct-seeming bit of reportage — in a partisan era, from a Republican-appointed Treasury secretary — on an incident that left a Republican presidential candidate looking less than presidential.

"I think that, to me, is what's authentic about it," Brown says. "It did feel like a real piece of reporting, which I didn't expect."

Beebo's New Logo

Beebo has a new logo/masthead for her blog:What do you think of it? I think it's a bit cutesy, myself!

The Spears Family Oeuvre

It's hard to remember that there was a time when Britney Spears wasn't just considered a weird freak who keeps having strange, stunted comeback attempts. But around the turn of the last decade, she and her family were even expanding their reach into the realm of literature.

Here's a look back at some of the work of America's Pop Princess, Pre-K. Fed:
A Mother's Gift, by Britney and Lynne Spears

Holly Faye Lovell sure can sing. Everyone in Biscay, Mississippi, knows that. And when at fourteen she becomes the youngest student ever to win a scholarship to the prestigious Haverty School of Music, her dream of pursuing a singing career is on its way. But for the first time in her life, Holly must leave behind her mother, Wanda. Although they don't have much in the way of money, there's always been plenty of love . . . and there's always been Wanda's birthmark, an ugly red scar on the side of her face that makes people who don't know her turn away. Now that Holly's off with her posh new friends and new life, she's ashamed to find herself embarrassed by her mom and their humble background. And Wanda finds herself wanting to reveal a long-hidden secret . . . a secret that could destroy their bond forever.

Besides being an author, Britney is that rare phenomenon, a megastar-one who still phones her mom every night, no matter where she is. Not only is Britney the bestselling female artist during any one-week period in music history, but her debut album, . . . Baby One More Time, made her the youngest artist to hit the 10-million mark. Her second album, Oops! . . . I Did It Again, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week and to date has sold more than 17 million CDs worldwide.

Besides being the mother of the planet's biggest superstar, Lynne taught school in Kentwood, Louisiana, for several years before taking time off to be her daughter's biggest fan. She and her husband, Jamie, are the parents of Bryan, Britney, and Jamie Lynn Spears.

This is Britney and Lynne's first--but definitely not their last--work of fiction together.

A portion of the proceeds from this book will go to The Britney Spears Foundation

Britney Spears' Heart to Heart, by Britney and Lynne Spears

American singing sensation Britney Spears and her mom talk about life, love, fame, and following your dreams.

Britney Spears makes success look simple. As Brit will tell you, though, success is hard work--you need talent, belief in yourself, and someone else who believes in you. For Britney, that person has always been her mother, Lynne Spears, who is not just Britney's mama but also her best friend.

In Britney Spears' Heart to Heart, Britney and Lynne share the inspiring story of how one little girl from Kentwood, Louisiana, turned into a music phenomenon. From the days of singing at talent shows and family gatherings to recording ". . . Baby One More Time" and performing with NSYNC, Britney and Lynne share intimate details about Britney's rise to stardom. But this book is much more than just the story of Britney's life. In their own words, Lynne and Britney talk openly about the challenges facing all mothers and daughters. How do you encourage your child? How do you talk to your mom? How do you overcome obstacles? How do you put together your own "dream team" that will always be there for you? How do you deal with success--and failure? How do you talk about dating and relationships, dress codes, self-esteem, and body image?

Featuring never-before-seen photos and dozens of behind-the-scenes stories about life at home, in the studio, and on the road, Britney Spears' Heart to Heart is not only a must-have for Britney fans, it's also an honest look at what it's like for girls to grow up in today's world. Here's straight talk from the heart, from a mother and daughter who know that love, faith, and family always come first.

D'oh!

Cute Couple Alert

Martin Landau and Barbara Bain

The Great Taste of Convenience

Our local grocery store has (for the moment) an international foods section. The most interesting part (to me) is the British foods. I'm fascinated by things like HP Sauce, digestive biscuits, salad cream, and Spotted Dick. Last week, Beebo picked up some Bisto Favourite Gravy Granules, a truly weird product that made me a bit apprehensive at first.

The package we got (a sort of cardboard can) says "Aah! Wednesday", which is apparently part of some Bisto re-branding to "inspire more families to eat together on weekdays, not just Sundays", apparently by consuming a lot of sodium. Bisto has been around in England in various forms since 1908, and the granules were introduced in 1979.

The gravy 'granules' were pretty unappetizing looking in their dehydrated state, but Sunday I got suddenly hungry and was scanning the kitchen for something to eat. Beebo had also gotten a bag of frozen french fries, so I was able to have a snack I like, fries with gravy, which is a sort of casual version of poutine. You make Bisto 'gravy' by mixing a cup of hot water with four teaspoons of granules, and surprisingly, it made a pretty decent-looking gravy. I was quite pleased with my snack!