Dissecting Grey's Anatomy

Smart, interesting television is a fairly rare thing. This season has spawned only 3 shows that have peaked my interest, Kitchen Confidential (cancelled), Project Runway (in reruns) and Grey's Anatomy. I joined Grey's in progress. Had tivo'd most of the second season and ran my own marathon one Sunday watching episode after episode. It was fascinating. The characters were layered and complex, there were no easy answers to life's questions here and most importantly, no laugh track. Now you must understand that this is an ABC show. Let me repeat that, an ABC show without a laugh track. It has done so well in the ratings this year it has surpassed their darlings Lost and desperate Housewives.

Not bad for a show whose initial order was only 9 episodes. That makes it a mid-season replacement people. Proves what quality writing and a genius marketing campaign can do. Grey's focuses on the life of Meredith Grey, a surgical intern whose mother was the famous Ellis Grey. She struggles with the hours, the emotions, her mother's Alzheimers, the tragedy of her job and with Dr. McDreamy. He is played by Patrick Dempsey, and all I can say is YUM!

The production company premiered the first season on DVD for Valentine's Day. I'm guessing to attract all those lonely hearts single girls pining for a McDreamy of their own. I blew through the first 6 episodes. I'm now shaking in anticipation of receiving the last 3. Does Meredith hook up with McDreamy? I'm dying to know!

Hawaii 5-0-0?

I caught Mark Morford's column today in the San Francisco Chronicle, and I just had to share with you all. It's entitled Obese American Tourists, Ho! I wholeheartedly agree. I was on vacation in Maui recently and the sheer size of the people I saw sunbathing was grotesque. They didn't seem to mind a bit that they were 3 times the size of an average person. Exercise? Pshaw. Diet? They're on vacation! It was absolutely daunting.

See for yourself what Mark had to say about super-sizing America...

www.sfgate.com/columnists/morford/

Mischa ma belle

I did a drive by over at Hello! magazine online today to check out the BAFTA fashions. Just a little whetting of the appetite before the Oscars darlings. Most of what I saw was completely yawn-worthy. What are those Brits thinking? It's like throw on a Pucci cocktail dress, 18 necklaces and some black tights and you're Red Carpet ready. Sienna is over already. Move on!

Then I saw her. Everything else just faded away. It was Mischa Barton in a gown to die for. She is the quintessence of the modern goddess in a half wrapped, half draped dreamy pink chiffon gown. The OC girl owned that red carpet! Other winners of the night, though few, include Michelle Williams (beautifully turned out, by far the best accessory...Heath), and Natalie Imbruglia (classic, yet clever).

Losers sadly have a new entry, Thandie Newton. Usually understated in evening wear, she looked like someone had glued a feather duster to the front of her dress. Felicity Huffman was apparently to busy to shop, pulling an old rag from her closet. Charlize Theron was dreary in a hip expanding black dress. Rachel Weitz looked like a small tugboat in a purple Vivienne Westwood. And the "I'm trying too hard award" goes to Renee Zellweger. You need to stay out of the spotlight for a while love. At least until this whole marriage thing blows over.

At least Sienna stayed home.

Project Runway - I need a 12-step program!

I can't stop watching this show! It's like fashion crack kids. Bravo has always been a dangerous channel for the Fashion Girl. I lost two seasons of my life to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Previously my only nod to the reality show phenomenon.

I caught my first episode of PR purely by accident. It was a Sunday and a laundry day. I thought I'd channel surf, then I found it. 14 would-be designers locked down in the Parsons School of Design meeting a weekly challenge and being eliminated one by one. I've always been fascinated by the process of design. Being able to see it happen is just too fabulous.

Santino, Nick, Daniel, Andrae, Zulema, Chloe, Kara were my new t.v. family. True I joined mid-season, but now I'm hooked. I checked out previous challenges on Bravo's website. Why rate the runway there, when I can tell the world how I would vote. In my humble opinion, winners to date should be:

Challenge 1 - Nick, with a shout out to Kirsten (so wearable)
Challenge 2 - Daniel V., but Kirsten is a close second
Challenge 3 - Chloe, with a shout out to Daniel F. (love the retro)
Challenge 4 - Daniel V, closely followed by Daniel F.
Challenge 5 - this was hard, Emmett had the best dress, but all needed more color!
Challenge 6 - Andrae/Daniel with Emmett/Chloe nipping at their heels
Challenge 7 - Chloe, shout out to Kara
Challenge 8 - Loved what Andrae did, but also impressed by Kara's simplicity
Challenge 9 - Daniel V., then a tie between Nick & Santino
Challenge 10 - Daniel liberated Chloe's inner hottie & then she did it for Nick
Challenge 11 - They were all amazing, but Chloe & Kara's were standouts!

Overall thoughts. What needs to go is Heidi's catch fashion, "You know in fashion one day you are in, the next day you are out". And her voice is just so irritating. What to keep is Tim, the harridan who pricks and motivates the designers. I love the panel on the runway. Michael Kors can pick anything apart. I would totally fear him!

Check it out yourselves and give me you thoughts. I'm off to watch more!

Tipple of the week...

I've been hard at work with the cocktail development team in my kitchen to create something new and different. The result of our hard work is something I like to call "The Pink Dame". Pink Lady was already taken...

Here's the concoction:

2 jiggers Ketel One Vodka
2 jiggers Whole Food Lemonade
1 jiggers Guava Juice

It's fabulous and will knock you on your ass!

Something New

Girl's movie night this week was all about color with pink lemonade martinis and the racial comedy/romance "Something New". I was excited to see this film. Sanaa Lathan is sinfully beautiful, and Simon Baker always makes my heart beat in double time. I thought, "beautiful people, romance, a little lighthearted comedy. What could be better?"

The movie is about an uptight black professional woman looking for love. She has a list of qualities that the "perfect brother" would have: (1) a job; (2) good teeth, it goes on and on. Her girlfriends encourage her to branch out and not be so rigid, so she accepts a blind date. The catch, he's a white boy! I've never seen an actress portray shock/mortification as well as she does. You can feel how badly she wants to bolt. He, of course, is the picture of charm. He even calls her on the homegirl antics she engages in to cover her embarrassment. Unfortunately she's not ready and their "date" goes nowhere. Until...she meets him again at a society function, and hires him as her landscaping architect. That's when the fun begins. He slowly woos her, 2 steps forward, 3 steps back and then they sleep together.

Now I must digress, but I think chicks should always shoot love scenes. This was some of the most erotic stuff I've seen in a long time. Not because of the skin, but because it was so intimate. It looked like this man loved everything about her from head to toe. Watch it and you will know what I mean.

The downside of this movie. Well, it's Hollywood so of course she dumps him for a perfect black man. Discovers they have absolutely no chemistry, tells herself she's blown it and prepares to live alone. Fortunately her father intervenes and drives her back into the arms of the man she loves. Happy ending ensues (gorgeous wedding gown!), and we all go home with a smile, right? The thing I had so much trouble with was one critical line. When she finds him and tells him she loves him, he says to her, "I've never stopped loving you". Cliche right? But get this, he delivers it like he's ordering off a Chinese menu. It's almost like the actor is having an out of body experience the line is so bad. What happened Simon? You were perfect, too perfect, throughout the entire movie and then you blow the most important line in the film? Was it bad direction? Indigestion? What happened?!

Now I'm not suggesting you skip this movie to avoid that one bad line. However, be prepared for a film along the lines of "Just Like Heaven". It's trite, cliche, it's all been done before. But to watch people fall in love makes me happy. Like riding a rollercoaster, I'll do it again, and again, and again.

A Post-Valentine's Ode to My Dearest Love

The fashion guy has outdone himself this Valentine's Day folks. Not only did he buy me the Banana Republic bag that I was totally lusting after (So Sienna, So Sundance!). He also sent me beautiful tulips to brighten my day. Awwww...

So in tribute to him. Not my words, but certainly what lies in my heart:

Life isn't about the breaths we take; it's about the moments that take our breath away

~ Heidi Willis

Thank you Love, for always making me breathless!

Fashion Week - NYC

Ah the first signs of Spring. Fashion Week has just concluded in New York. Paris Hilton peeked her head out of the ground and predicted 6 more weeks of winter. Kidding darlings, that wasn't Paris, it was an imposter! And all just before a bucket load of snow was dumped on my beloved Mahattan. The City must be at a standstill!

I can't stop looking at the luscious collections and dreaming of the wardrobe I would buy. A burgundy halter necked gown from Nanette Lepore, a fabulous suit by Narcisco Rodriguez, that fine feathered cocktail dress from Tuleh. Just about anything from Sass & Bide or Temperley of London. I was born to be a trophy wife! Since I can't link the pictures (thank you NY Post!), I'll do the next best thing and send you to my new favorite link. What's your designer style at Glam.com. It's fun!

Goldie Hawn redux

Seems a growing number of young actresses are taking a page from Goldie's book. Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie both made announcements last week that, while they are happily coupled-up, they will not considering marriage to their current partners. In Charlize's case this means she will share posh Malibu digs with Stuart Townsend, accept his proposal and that bling ring, but not say those 2 little words. For Angelina it's even weirder. 'You can adopt my kids, knock me up, but don't even think I'm going to Honor & Obey you!'

Now given, AJ has been burned not once, but twice by marriage I can kind of see her point. However, if you choose to marry Billy Bob Thornton, you only have yourself to blame for the outcome. It's just a little strange to hear actresses make the, "It's only a piece of paper" argument in this day and age. That's so Diane Keaton circa Annie Hall.

What is keeping these lovelies from matrimonial bliss you ask? Well, I have a theory about that. Charlize had a famously abusive father. He was shot by her mother in an act of self defense. Okay, that would be enough to put me off marriage I guess. In Angelina's case it's just a bad relationship with daddy. The fact that Jon Voight is a media whore hasn't helped at all. However, if she thinks the lack of a ring is going to shoo the paparazzi off, she's in for a surprise.

Now it may all work out in the end. Look how happy Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins are. No wedding in their future, but a strong, happy family unit none-the-less. Perhaps in Hollywood you only need the big rock if you are about to become Mrs. Tom Cruise (the third)...

Unexpected uses for everyday objects

just discovered today that my Razr phone works perfect as a mirror in which to reapply my lipstick.

Darlings, who knew?