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i love emma stone

this is why.

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movie review: the help

oscars for everyone! that was my first thought after screening the help, starring emma stone, viola davis, bryce dallas howard, octavia spencer and allison janney. based on kathryn stockett's best-selling novel of the same name, the help follows recent college grad skeeter (stone) back home to jackson, mississippi, where she finds she just doesn't quite fit in anymore. all her high school friends are now married with kids and help of their own, no career aspirations in sight- and plenty of blind racism to go around. aspiring journalist skeeter can't quite stand the social inequality she's faced with on a daily basis. each days she's forced to watch the help look after less-than-appreciative families, the more an idea plants itself in her head- she needs to write a book. taking a big risk, maids aiblene (davis), reserved and respected, and the outspoken minny (spencer) join skeeter in her conquest to take down hilly hollbrook (howard), the leader of the high society pack. the movie holds onto the spirit of the book, making slight changes that work- for the better- on screen. while some dramatic moments are cut short, and some comedic moments beaten to death, the movie does not feel like a two-plus hour history lesson. instead, it's an escape to the past with stand-out performances and memorable moments you won't want to leave behind.

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movie review: crazy stupid love

crazy stupid love is the movie your mother will love. but, don't worry- you'll love it, too- crazy stupid love offers something for everyone. steve carrell stars as cal weaver, a man who's thrown one of life's curve balls when his wife of 20+ years, emily (the always great julianne moore), decides she needs a divorce. cal then tries to re-enter the dating scene- well, social scene really- to no avail. shocker: no one wants to be your friend when all you talk about it how bad your life is. luckily, for cal, ladies' man jacob (a surprisingly charismatic ryan gosling) takes him under his wing, offering advice in style, romance and sex. but what happens when their roles reverse and jacob falls in love? well, i'm not going to spoil it for you. crazy stupid love balances that fine line between drama and comedy that reads as real on screen. with a great cast, including emma stone, kevin bacon and marissa tomei, you won't want to miss it. plus, the flick offers one of the best plot twists you'll never see coming. perfect end-of-summer entertainment.

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the amazing spiderman?

um, didn't we watch this same movie not that long ago? when columbia announced it would reboot the spiderman franchise, i expected something completely new and original- not a rehashing of spidey's origin story. while the movie looks good, it's definitely too soon for a remake. we all know how spidey got his spidey senses. why not just skip to the action?

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what i love (this week)

the song

bruno mars, "the lazy song." i've been obsessed with this song since i first heard mars' full album. it's the perfect song for, well, a lazy day.

the movie

in a recurring theme, i happen to be watching this movie while i type this blog post. lifetime's william & kate delivers all you expect in a lifetime movie - bad acting, a predictable plot and that "i can't put my finger on it" factor that keeps you glued to the screen. plus, it's royal wedding week! what would my blog be without a reference to the impending nuptials between the real william and kate?

the show

it's no secret i love glee (though, i refuse to be labeled a "gleek"). while this half of season 2's been a bit of a disappointment, next week's gaga-centric episode looks like it will put me back in good graces with glee. kurt returns to mckinley. zises runs for prom queen. and we get an extra 30 minutes.

the look

ok, this is cheating a little bit, since it's a movie trailer, but here's my rationalization. i love emma stone. the way emma stone looks in the help cracks me up, and makes me even more excited to see this movie - but, first, i need to read the book. god, i have too many books to read.

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i want. now.

there's a disproportionate number of red heads in this movie. but, they're julianne moore and emma stone, so i want to see it. bad.

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what i love (this week)

so here's what i'm loving (read: basically obsessing over) this week.

the song

one of the joys of being home this past week was listening to satellite radio - and only satellite radio - in my parents' cars. satellite radio provides some real, er, gems (like duck sauce's "barbra streisand") and some of the catchiest songs no one's ever heard, like jtx's "love in america." the first time i heard the song, i assumed it was the latest from the jo bros. i was wrong. at first, i couldn't stand the song. then i grew to like it. then love it. and now, i can't get enough. it's exactly what electro-pop should sound like, and has introduced the catchphrase "hey kids here we go, heavy metal disco" into my lexicon.

the movie

if you have not seen easy a, go kill yourself. ok, don't go kill yourself. just go watch it. this could be the movie i love every week, but because i happen to be watching it as i type this post, it made it in this week. next to mean girls and clueless, easy a is the most quotable teen comedy. plus, i don't think i'll ever get sick of emma stone. ever. she's literally the only reason i can't wait for the amazing spiderman to come out next year.

tv show

two words: latoya jackson. i just can't get enough. alongside certifiable crazies like dionne warwick and gary busey, jackson makes this show worth watching. if you haven't caught onto this season, definitely tune in tonight. it'll be sooooo worth it.

the look

the long sleeve button down and shorts. i'm currently living in this, and don't plan on changing until summer ends.

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the city, 2008-2010

it's time to add another headstone to the tv graveyard. whitney port confirmed to ryan seacrest this morning that mtv pulled the plug on the hills spin-off, with no plans to continue the series in any way, shape or form. i can't say that i'm surprised - i had my suspicions at the end of the summer when port tweeted that she was now a homeowner in l.a. you can't exactly be in a show about life in new york if you live in l.a...well, unless it's a sitcom. the series never had the draw of its predecessor and, with lauren conrad's exit from the hills, time-slot companion the city took a big dip in the ratings. i didn't watch the city nearly as religiously as i did the hills in its heyday (i watched only the first and last episodes of the final season sans lc), but what i did see in the city's final season seemed promising - they were actually showing port's somewhat real life. they weren't hiding the fact that she was a designer, just the fact that she was famous. but let's be honest, the real star of the city was kelly cutrone and when she got her own show, kell on earth, on bravo, there was even less of a reason to watch the show. i do expect port to pop up on lauren conrad's new mtv series, which started filming this month.

i can't get this out of my head...

"hey, everybody! did you hear the news?"

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emma stone, please and thank you.

just another reason to look forward to saturday.

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spidey gets the girl

the lead female role in the new spiderman franchise has been cast. emma stone landed the part of gwen stacey - no, not mary jane watson - in the reboot opposite the social network star andrew garfield. while it was originally rumored stone would take the role of watson (played by kirsten dunst in the first series), casting took a turn when director marc webb saw "stunning" chemistry between garfield and stone. gwen is spidey's main love interest in the first film in the new series, with mary jane playing more of a supporting role. the bright side here is that stone is actually a natural blonde, not a redhead like we know her. basically, she could have played either role. the irony here? bryce dallas howard, who played gwen in spiderman 3, is a natural redhead who went blonde for the part. with stone taking the part of gwen, casting is now up in the air for the role of mary jane. names like glee's dianna agron and the kids are all right and alice in wonderland star mia wasikowska circled with stone's in the casting pool, so those two may duke it out for the role of mary jane. we'll just have to wait and see.

in other casting news, chelsea handler has reportedly grabbed the sidekick role in reese witherspoon's new flick, this means war. chelsea will be playing - shocker - the snarky best friend to reese, who is the object of affection for two cia-agent best friends (chris pine and tom hardy), hence the war.

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easy a makes the grade

back when the trailer for easy a came out, i knew i wanted to see it. so, i did. easy a follows olive (emma stone) as she navigates the world of the high school rumor mill after her chastity is called into question. the ensemble cast, which includes amanda bynes, patricia clarkson, stanley tucci, thomas hayden church, lisa kudrow, aly michalka and penn badglet amongst other, are all great comedians. the writing is sharp and on point, with plenty of pop culture references to make anyone happy. it's very sarcastic and very witty. it's mean girls meets john hughes; the film even makes flat out references to the brat pack days. definitely check easy a out as soon as possible. i will definitely be seeing it again so i can start memorizing lines to repeat. yep, it's that good.

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i haven't even seen this movie and i love it

i really cannot wait to see this movie. easy a stars emma stone and basically everyone else in hollywood. it's a modern update to the scarlet letter (which i really could have done without in high school, but that's behind us) and i laughed out loud (that's l.o.l. for those of you unfamiliar with actually spelling out phrases) multiple times during the trailer. i rarely produce laughter. it's usually more of this weird huffing noise. but i made audible noise this time. anyway, back to the movie - it's a retelling of the scarlet letter, but with a twist: no one is actually having illicit relations. emma stone's character turns into the school's pseudo slut when she fakes having sex with multiple boys who want to create non-virginal reputations. it co-stars amanda bynes (as an uber religious mean girl no less), penn badgley, that kid from cougar town, phoebe buffay (lisa kudrow)...and even more. check out the trailer above and try not to laugh.