SavvySugar

The Best Films of 2008 (According to Time Magazine)

justingirl1989 — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:47:50 -0800

This week’s Time cover story is “The List Issue”. The Time editors and writers rank the top ten everything of 2008 - top ten break-ups, top ten books, top ten scandals, top ten animal stories, under-reported stories, songs, slogans etc. The only list they forgot was the one I was really looking forward to (that they had last year) - top ten magazine covers. Oh, well.

So Time’s resident movie critic Richard Corliss ranks the top ten movies of 2008. I have no idea who Corliss is, how old he is or why he’s so cranky. In my mind he’s a bitter old coot with a shotgun, yelling at the docudramas to get off his lawn. This image of Corliss has been formed mainly by his recent rave review of Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. Only coots truly appreciate other coots.

Here’s Corliss’s top ten list, with my descriptions:

1. WALL-E

Film critics always do this. They list an animated film as number one to try to prove they’re not cranky old bastards, but kids at heart.

2. Synecdoche, New York

Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Michelle Williams. I haven’t seen it, but I seem to remember everyone hating it.

3. My Winnipeg

Obscure Canadian film. Corliss calls it “docufantasia”. *headdesk*

4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

This is that Romanian film (with subtitles) about a young girl trying to get an abortion in Communist-era Romania. It’s won a ton of film festival awards and it looks really interesting.

. Milk

Everybody thinks Sean Penn will win his second Oscar for playing gay icon Harvey Milk. Gus Van Sant directs, also starring Josh Brolin and James Franco.

6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star, David Fincher directs. This will probably sweep the technical Oscars - Best Make-up, etc.

7. Slumdog Millionaire

Everybody’s talking about this British/Indian film about a an Indian teenager trying to win the heart of his true love. Danny Boyle directs, set on location in India.

8. Iron Man

Like the shark in Jaws, you can feel Gwyneth’s dark presence on the list.

9. Speed Racer

Ugh. Seriously?

10. Encounters at the End of the World

Werner Herzog’s documentary about Antarctica. My guess for the film’s tagline is “It’s Really F@#king Cold.”

Here’s a link to Corliss’s descriptions of the films.

You can read Time’s “The List Issue” online on their website
http://www.celeb*tchy.com/26454/the_best_films_of_2008_according_to_time...

Mtv 2008 Movie Awards: Best Dressed

pinkflats — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:08:41 -0700

So after getting back from work last night I happened to catch the 2008 Mtv Movie Awards. I really could care less who won or who was there; I just wanted to see what people wore or as they like to say it, "Who are they wearing?"

Here are my top 3 in no particular order:

Ben Barnes
I don't know what else to say but this man is gorgeous. Okay that's actually beside the point of this post. Lol. I have been fascinated with menswear lately since I've discovered the coolest menswear clothing line called Public School. And so it was no surprise to me that I loved this look. What I really love about his whole outfit is how different it is from the other guys in the show. Instead of going for the typical black leather jackets or black shiny blazers, Mr. Prince Caspian is wearing a safari-inspired Gucci jacket in khaki! That choice alone made him stand out from the rest of the guys. The tailoring of the jacket is impecable too; it fitted his body so well. I also liked how he didn't go for another typical menswear item--graphic t-shirt-- to go under his jacket; instead he picked a white, horizontally striped v-neck shirt that added to the summer-cool look he has going on. The jacket is the one item I adored the best in his outfit but the overall outfit is perfect and all pieces flatter each other wonderfully. He just looked cool and understated. Perfect for an award show that is set in the beginning of the summer.

Sarah Jessica Parker
Yeah like this post wouldn't include SJP. Her L'Wren Scott dress and shoe just worked together. Individually you woud think, "Um these two pieces together? Really?" But they did. The whole look screamed, "I'm a fashionista who knows how to take risk without looking like I tried too hard." These young starlets better have taken their notepads out and took down notes on how to do it. Right.

Liv Tyler
The color of the dress might say otherwise but I think everything about this look was subtle and soft. Live it to Ms. Tyler to make that happen. Her soft waves and soft make-up allowed her dress to be the focal point and that's really how it should be. And she made the right choice not to wear any gaudy accessories. Another actress that young starlets should be looking for fashion pointers.

(One a side note: I originally had "top 5" but after going through the photos for the show I couldn't find two more so I settled for my top 3 instead. Some celebs just don't know how to dress at all.)

Kate Moss named Best Dressed of 2008 for Glamour Magazine

justingirl1989 — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:40:30 -0700

Supermodel Kate Moss has been named the best dressed woman of 2008 by British magazine Glamour.

Sienna Miller, Scarlett Johansson, Rachel Bilson, and Jennifer Aniston make up the remainder of the poll’s top five.

Source

scarlett

source: icydk.com

People Magazine's Best Of 2008

scotlandrulz — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:17:33 -0800

http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20240653_20241676,00.htm... (Drew Barrymore iand Reese ncluded)

http://www.people.com/people/package/bestof2008/0,,20240653,00.html (Main Page)

http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20240653_20245114,00.htm... (Kate Hudson included)

http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20240653_20241673,00.htm... (Nicole included)

http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20240653_20241635,00.htm... (Nicole included)

http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20240653_20241754,00.htm...

So who were the Best Dressed at the 2008 Mtv Video Music Awards?

pinkflats — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:12:13 -0700

So after catching the opening of this year's Mtv VMA I decided that I rather watch paint dry than that crap fest. My God was I the only one who thought it was a snooze, and I started getting "secondhand embarrassment" for Russell Brand, the British comedian who hosted the show. *shakes heads*

But instead of watching paint dry I came up with a better idea: making my Best Dressed list.

Here are my top three (in no order) :
Singer Nicole Scherzinger (From the Pussycat Doll)
I really can't believe I'm saying this but one of the Pussycat Doll members didn't look like she got dressed in the dark. When I saw Nicole Scherzinger go up to accept an award with her fellow members, she caught my eye...in a good way (for once, lol). I feel in love with her dress soft shade of pink. The color complimented her glowing tan skin and long black hair. The neckline was just right; it wasn't too low and it wasn't too high. And the decision not to wear a necklace just accentuated the neckline.

(A better view of the dress):

I'm drooling over the draping of the fabrics. Nicole was understated yet sensual in her long pink dress. How often can I or you say that for a Pussycat Doll? Too bad we'll probably see her in latex and leather the next morning. sigh.

Actor Chase Crawford
You gotta love a man who looks good in a suit, and Mr. Chase Crawford was wearing a fine, blue, striped suit that brought out his eyes. Dang! Look at the tailoring of the blazer. I liked that he was wearing a black tie to contrast the blue suit. I just enjoy seeing a male celeb on the red carpet who looks different from the rest of the guys yet owning it. Chase looked great and casual by leaving the blazers unbuttoned so not to look to fancy or corporate like on the red carpet.

Model Bar Refaeli
The Sport Illustrated supermodel Bar Refaeli kept it all covered up on the red carpet, and it was a good thing because Leo's girl was looking amazing. I love all the contrasting elements she had going on: 3/4 black leather jacket, Gothic-like jewelry, and long gray jersey dress. Yet everything seems to fit perfectly well with each other. Her cat-eyes and tousled bond hair gives her covered-up looks the sex appeal.

.....Well those are my top picks. What do you think? Do you agree and disagree?

Five myths about the U.S. Postal Service

liliblu — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:51:56 -0800

What are your thoughts on the United States Postal Service?
By John E. Potter
Sunday, February 28, 2010
For 235 years, the U.S. Postal Service has delivered your mail in snow, rain and dark of night. However, tough market conditions are creating new challenges for our business. Misconceptions about the future of our enterprise abound; dispelling these myths will show that we can continue to deliver the mail.

1. The Postal Service wastes taxpayer dollars.
The Postal Service, reorganized in 1971 as an independent agency of the executive branch, operates as a commercial entity. We rely on the sale of postage, mail products and services for revenue.
A small annual appropriation from Congress reimburses the USPS for free mail for the blind and absentee-ballot mailing for overseas military personnel. Otherwise, we have not received taxpayer funds to support postal operations since 1982; in fact, though we're often described as "quasi-governmental," we're required by law to cover our costs.
2. The Postal Service is inefficient.
Ten years ago, it took 70 employees one hour to sort 35,000 letters. Today, in that same hour, two employees process that same volume of mail. Though the number of addresses in the nation has grown by nearly 18 million in the past decade, the number of employees who handle the increased delivery load has decreased by more than 200,000.
According to the U.N.-affiliated Universal Postal Union, we deliver nearly half of the world's mail. The World Economic Forum, host of the annual summit of global power players in Davos, Switzerland, consistently ranks the U.S. Postal Service among the top 4 percent of more than 120 nations' and territories' postal services.
But keeping operating costs down is the greatest testament to efficiency. Since 2002, the Postal Service has cut its costs by $43 billion, including by $6 billion in 2009. These savings have come through workforce and overtime reduction, the renegotiation of more than 500 supplier contracts, the consolidation of facilities, the closing of administrative offices, and cuts in travel expenses and supply budgets.
Despite such efforts, the Postal Service was added to the Government Accountability Office's "high-risk list" last July to help put it on a more sustainable financial path. The GAO assessment, with which we agree, accurately reflects the Postal Service's fiscal condition, but the announcement also noted that many of the actions we've taken to reduce costs should continue.
We've also asked Congress to eliminate the statutory requirement that we deliver mail six days a week. A switch to five-day delivery would help us save more than $3 billion a year while still devoting appropriate resources to delivering the mail.
3. Mail is not reliable.
Independent quarterly surveys conducted by IBM confirm that the Postal Service has achieved record reliability levels. In the last quarter of 2009, on-time overnight delivery of single-piece first-class mail was at 96 percent for the fifth straight quarter, an agency best.
We're not only punctual, we're trusted and secure. According to the Federal Trade Commission, as little as 2 percent of identity crimes occur through the mail. Theft of a wallet or purse is responsible for 5 percent -- meaning your documents are safer in the mail then they are in your pocket.
4. The USPS is not environmentally friendly.
There's no way around it: Delivering mail uses fossil fuels, and mail often produces paper waste. Still, the Postal Service is greener than you think. As long as consumers and businesses use physical mail, we're committed to finding ways to process it responsibly.
Our fleet of 44,000 alternative-fuel-capable vehicles is one of the largest in the world and includes electric, three-wheeled electric, hybrid electric, ethanol, fuel-cell, biodiesel and propane technology. More than a half-billion packages and envelopes that we provide free annually are recyclable and made of environmentally friendly materials. The quality of the raw materials in our packaging, including tape and labels, makes the USPS the only shipping company to meet the stringent eco-design and manufacturing standards set by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry in its Cradle to Cradle program.
Last year, we recycled more than 200,000 tons of paper, plastics and other waste -- the equivalent of saving 1.67 million barrels of oil, according to an online Environmental Protection Agency calculator. There are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified post offices, a 2.5-acre green roof on a major facility in downtown Manhattan, solar photovoltaic building systems and other sustainable building designs in use across the country.
Still, saving the environment doesn't begin and end with the Postal Service. That's why we encourage our customers to "read, respond and recycle." In 8,000 post offices nationwide, signs remind P.O. box customers to open their mail, take whatever action is necessary and place the waste in our recycling bins. The EPA reports that standard mail represents less than 2.1 percent of the material in our nation's landfills. (By comparison, disposable diapers represent 2.2 percent, glass beer and soft-drink bottles 3 percent, and yard trimmings 6.9 percent.)
5. The USPS can't compete with the private sector.
The Postal Service can and does compete. Our closest competitors, UPS and FedEx, don't threaten our business; as two of our biggest customers, they help build it. Our competition pays us to deliver more than 400 million of their ground packages every year in residential areas and on Saturdays. In turn, the USPS contracts with UPS and FedEx for air transportation to take advantage of their comprehensive air networks.
Although stamp prices have increased about 33 percent over the past 10 years, this increase is in line with inflation. By comparison, private carriers raised their prices by as much as 60 percent between 1999 and 2009. The Postal Service is, and has always been, a bargain.
It's no secret that the Postal Service has been losing money since 2007. What are not well known are the financial demands of the Postal Reform Act of 2006 -- demands not faced by the private sector. Though the USPS is self-supporting, its finances are tied to the federal budget because postal employees participate in federal retirement plans. In 2006, Congress required that the USPS prefund 80 percent of future postal retiree health benefits. This will cost more than $5 billion a year through 2016. No other federal agency or private company carries such a heavy burden.
Without the prefunding requirement, the Postal Service would have been better able to weather the recent recession. In 2008, prefunding contributed to a loss of $2.8 billion. Without it, we would have been $2.8 billion in the black.
Though we operate in a difficult legislative and economic environment, we are prepared to forge ahead. On March 2, we are releasing our plan for future financial viability and greater business flexibility -- a plan that will keep the Postal Service thriving for years to come.
John E. Potter is postmaster general of the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022504888.html?hpid%3Dopinionsbox1&sub=AR

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Princesskitty22 — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:35:00 -0700

No Country for Old Men is a 2007 American thriller film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Javier Bardem. Adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, No Country for Old Men tells the story of a drug deal gone wrong and the ensuing cat-and-mouse drama, as three men crisscross each other's paths in the desert landscape of 1980 West Texas. The film melds the themes of fate and circumstance the Coens have previously used in Blood Simple and Fargo with the novel's motifs of chance, free-will, and determinism. The film was several Academy Awards in 2008 including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director(s), Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem), and Best Picture.

This is one I would definitely recommend. It was very well acted by the entire ensemble. Javier Bardem was more than deserving of his academy award. Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones were excellent, as well. It had moments that were fairly slow moving, but when it got going, it really got going. One word of warning, however: Don’t sit down to watch this unless you’re ready to really pay attention. In several places I had to ask my dad what was going on because I wasn’t glued to the screen (Darn Sugarsites!). A lot of people complained about the ending, but that was actually my favorite part. It wasn’t…satisfying, but I feel that was the point.

Of course, not everyone is going to like this film. It’s very bleak and very harsh. There were some comic moments, but even the comedy was dark. There’s no lightness at all. It’s very violent, as well. The Cohen brothers have a style that usually results in films that you either love or you hate. However, besides it being a little slow in spots and occasionally hard to follow, I thought this was an excellent film.

We'll Always Have Paris (Suede)

CCee — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:06:19 -0800

Hi everyone,
I recently imported the OPI Matte and the OPI Suede Collections and I had to try this We'll Always Have Paris colour immediately. These collections both contain famous OPI colours only now in matte and suede finishes. The Suede finish has a silver matte foil like texture in the formulation which makes it look very pretty and not as flat as the mattes.
We'll Always have Paris is originally from La Collection de France (fall/winter 2008) even though the colour is NOTHING like the original. It's not a dark burgendy colour, it's more of a soft rose purple pinkish colour with a matte silver foil shimmer in it.
I made a glossy "French Tip" (with Nail Tek - Foundation II (intensive therapy) ) to make you see how it looks if you do wear this polish with a topcoat (that kills the Suede finish, but leaves an extremely pretty glossy polish).
Using a flash:
Lamp light:
Shade: (this picture shows the Suede finish best)
Sunlight:

Michelle Obama's anti-obesity initiative generates a childish pushback

liliblu — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:35:06 -0800

By Kevin Huffman
Saturday, February 20, 2010

Watching Shaun White drop into the halfpipe at the Vancouver Games, it's easy to forget that America is the most sedentary nation on Earth. The Daily Beast this week released the results of the Couch Potato Olympics, analyzing statistics for 24 industrialized nations in calories consumed, television watched, aversion to playing sports (yes, there's data on that) and Internet use. Congratulations, compatriots: We took home the gold!

And while Americans are most likely to celebrate White's Double McTwist 1260 with a double quarter-pounder with cheese, we're also excellent candidates for the Olympic committee's promotion: "Follow us on Twitter and you might win a cool video game!"
In this context, you'd think it would be hard to complain about Michelle Obama's childhood obesity campaign. The "Let's Move" initiative aims to improve access to healthful food and to encourage exercise. It's a good project for the first lady. She has the bully pulpit to make a difference, and it allows her to show off her guns on a regular basis -- kapow!
But if there is anything that upsets right-wingers more than Michelle Obama, it's people messing with our right to live the fat life. Combine the two, and it's on.
Michelle Malkin accused the first lady of "playing the national security card" by pointing out that one-third of our military's potential recruits are too fat and out of shape to qualify. (You can imagine how appalled Malkin must have been, since Republicans are so cautious with the national security card.)
Glenn Beck weighed in, too: "This is torn from the pages of the progressive playbook. You're too stupid. You need the government to fix your life . . . They're coming and they are slowly but surely taking away your freedom under the guise of helping you."
Sorry, guys, but someone needs to spell it out: Our kids don't eat well, they don't exercise and, just like their parents, they're getting fat.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a deeply troubling digital map showing the fattening of America over the past 25 years. You can watch the country chunk up state by state as the map flashes annually from 1985 to the present. Looking at the map, I felt the same foreboding sense I had watching tech stocks 10 years ago and housing prices five years ago. This is a human bubble. It can't be sustained. And when it pops, it's going to be ugly. We're quite literally whistling past the graveyard.
The first lady's initiative isn't going to wash away past excesses, but she's shining a spotlight on a critical issue and taking some important steps. As a parent of school-age children, I can join the amen chorus when Obama calls for more nutritious school meals, comprehensible food labels, helpful tips from pediatricians and changing the 1950s-era presidential physical fitness standards. (As long as they don't give up the rope climb. How many times in life have we all been grateful for the hard-earned lessons of the rope climb?)
Still, it's worth pausing to feel just a little sad that this is where we are as a country. This is least-common-denominator stuff, and we should all be disturbed that we need a White House initiative for basic health habits, that our aspiration is to do the obvious. Put down the Doritos. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Get off the couch. America may not be able to create "green" jobs or provide health insurance to poor people, but doggone it, we can make sure we don't have to roll our kids to school.
Beck's response typifies the childlike populist pushback to any effort to tell an unfortunate truth, particularly if resolving the problem involves a modicum of discomfort. We don't want to hear about global warming, especially if we have to give up the super-sized SUV. We don't want to hear about health-care costs -- we should be able to gorge on the diminishing returns of endless medical tests. And if the first lady wants us to eat more healthful food and hit the gym, she should mind her own beeswax. We pass on the costs and the girth to our kids, and hope it will somehow all just work out.
We're a week into the Olympics and the United States is hanging tough at the top of the medal standings. Our best athletes are clutch, and a little global butt-kicking is good for the national soul. Even better, though, would be a sustained commitment to building a healthier country, a nation with a little less watching and a little more doing.
The writer won The Post's "America's Next Great Pundit" contest.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021902169.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

U.S. Obesity Trends

Trends by State 1985–2008

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html
First lady Michelle Obama: 'Let's move' and work on childhood obesity problem
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/09/AR2010020900791.html

Michelle Obama plays the “national security” card

By Michelle Malkin http://michellemalkin.com/2010/02/10/michelle-obama-plays-the-national-security-card/

My boyfriend wants to spend the weekend with his ex aka three is a crowd

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:00:30 -0800

Hey all,
I have an almost perfect relationship with a foreign guy for 18 months now.In the beginning I wasn't sure he'd stay in my country for good due to his job, but soon the situation got stable and we both feel happy.
Last year I bought a new apartment that needed lots of remodeling work and left my old one, we stayed living together, and so we are since July 2009.Now that the apartment is almost ready, we talked and agreed about moving in, because it seems like the logical step, we get along really well, travel a lot and almost never fight...almost, there's one ongoing unsolved problem that torments our relationship: his ex.He says they're just friends, and though I truly believe that he means that, I had the impression that she still loves him.The 3 of us met in September 2008, when she met me she was almost aggressive to me and made no effort to be pleasing.I could understand she didn't like the idea of being replaced, but I wasn't aggressive in any way.
A few weeks later he went to work abroad for an entire month, and so when he came back he stayed at my place for 3 days.At the same time she came to our country to spend a few weeks in the sun, so she stayed at his place during his absence.Since she's not working for 2 or 3 years due to some kind of chronic disease, she has lots of spare time.She was offended he didn't meet her, she didn't understand we needed some time together after being apart for so long.
I thought it was only fair as on that same Monday, he was going to go back to their country to spend Christmas with her family(!)So what's wrong to have those 3 days reserved to me, since I'm his girlfriend?It was hard to let him go and having him spend Christmas with her family and leaving me behind.There was nothing I could say or do to stop him from going, and I thought several times of breaking up when he came back...I didn't.
We talked a lot, I forgave him and we agreed that he would give her some time off for her to get used to the idea of him being with me.After that time, they haven't seen each other or been together, so it's more than one year now.She didn't like the attitude and feels I'm interfering with their relationship.
He doesn't have many friends and he says she's his best friend and that he wants to meet up with her for a weekend to patch things up.I'm not invited for that weekend because it will make her feel uncomfortable and they won't have the chance to talk.
I'm uncomfortable with the fact that he thinks it's so important and wants to spend the weekend with her, but mostly I'm hurt because I feel like he's putting her before me...yet again.I think he needs to prioritize now that he's in a relationship, but am I just being unfair and insecure?He thinks I'm trying to keep him from a close friend, I don't want to be unfair...what do you think?
Anita
P.S. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and to answer