day 3.155

book review: sweet valley confidential

they're back. the twins who made it cool to read return to your bookshelf in author francine's pascal's sweet valley confidential. it's been 10 years since we last saw jessica and elizabeth wakefield- and a lot has happened. no longer bffs, the duo are now sworn enemies fighting silently from different coastlines. elizabeth's made the move to nyc, struggling to become a writer. jessica's planted herself in sweet valley, where she's playing the role of happy homemaker ... to (SPOILER) elizabeth's ex. the beach read follows the wakefields through their journey to reconnect and find themselves. if you weren't an avid fan of the original series, chances are you'll find it hard to keep up with pascal's unending onslaught of series references. the early chapters- split between the present and flashbacks- help those who aren't familiar catch up, but the stories not worth a first-timers, well, time. while just a few more than 200 pages, sweet valley confidential drags on-and-on, running in circles to a very predictable resolution. the side players seem under-developed (maybe because their histories can be found in the original books?) and the pop culture references are outdated (betsy johnson as the hottest designer? really?). unless you're a sweet valley o.g., or desperate, don't bother picking up the book- just wait for juno scribe diablo cody's big screen adaptation of the original books.

book review: bossypants by tina fey

now this is a book i can get behind. tina fey's foray into the publishing world is the perfect book to kick off summer reading season. it's short, it's fast-paced and- most importantly- it's hilarious. bossypants features a collection of essays spanning fey's (cartoonish) life, and teaches you how to raise a smart, funny, awkward, virgin daughter. no, really- fey promises that herself. fey is her self-depricating best when revisiting her childhood and early days as a struggling comedian, which make up the meat of the memoir. the book's slowest parts come near the end, but they're still peppered with funny asides and pictures (a picture book for adults!) as to not make you want to kill yourself. everyone- young, old, male, female or transgender- will find something to like (and laugh at) in bossypants.

if you're a fan of chelsea handler's book collection, then bossypants is the book for you. if you're not ... then, well, you should be.

day 3.149

what i love (this week)

the song

i cannot get enough of nicki minaj's "super bass." no, really- i even learned the first verse. i'm going to call it the song of the summer, because i'll be listening to it all summer long

the show

saturday night live returned last night with a mothers day-themed episode hosted by (second time) mommy-to-be tina fey. fey brought the funny (though not all the skits were great). above is my favorite of the night, a parody of bravo's latest docuseries, pregnant in heels. check out the rest of last night's clips here.

the movie

this movie hasn't even come out yet, but i cannot wait to see it. midnight screening, here i come- i hope bridesmaids lives up to the trailer's hype.

the look

damn. gwyneth paltrow at this year's met gala.

day 2.246

just blurbs

there really isn't anything to write about, so here are some little thoughts you can marinate on.

• lindsay lohan is officially out of jail, but don't expect to see her on the interview circuit just yet. the pretty much former actress (though, she did film a movie with the sham-wow guy...scram bracelet intact) went straight to rehab at ucla. she's reportedly being treated for bipolar disorder and meth addiction. she'll be there for at least 90 days, on her own dime, with no chance of early release.
• the only sure thing about american idol's next season is ryan seacrest. randy jackson told e news he has no clue what the next season holds. he may not even be included. the latest rumors are that randy will stick around - producer nigel lythgoe reportedly decided he didn't want to completely overhaul the show - alongside jennifer lopez and aerosmith's steven tyler. an official announcement should be out soon as preliminary auditions are going on across the country as i type.
• i'm pretty sure the kim kardashian miles austin rumors are true. why else would kim k be tweeting with candice crawford, sister to chace and girlfriend to miles' cowboys cohort tony romo?
• two big movies have been cast: sandra bullock and steve carrel will play love interests in the abstinence teacher, about an outspoken sex-ed teacher (bullock) and the conservative dad (carrel) she falls for ... meryl streep and tina fey are set to star as mother and daughter in mommy & me, directed by streep's recent constant costar stanley tucci. no word on what the plot is, but how can they screw that up?

hopefully those little bites will tide you over until something juicier comes along.

day 2.243

tina fey, back at home

last night marked tina fey's second stint as host for snl. fey delivered what has probably been the best episode this season, which isn't all that surprising. when old-snl-er's return, it's usually comedic gold because they're use to the way the show works. tina reprised her role as sarah palin, played a tiger woods ho, a teacher hot for justin bieber and so much more. check out the highlights below.

day 2.236

tina fey: dream woman?

i love tina fey. the former-snl funnywoman has teamed up with fellow must-see-tv-er michael scott (real name steve carell) for the sure to be hilarious date night, coming out next friday. i cannot wait to see this movie. i've been talking about it for a long, long, long time. like since they first announced it was being made. the cast also includes leighton meester, james franco, mark wahlberg and mila kunis. not too shabby, right? in preparation for the flick's release, tina and steve carell sat down to shoot two spots for cinemax...and hilarity ensues. check them out above and the movie in theaters april 9th. oh, and tina will be hosting snl the following night.

day 364

are you a steve carrell and/or tina fey fan?

then you're in luck. the nbc comedy duo have teamed up to star in next spring's date night. the trailer for the film premiered online last week and features only a handful of the all star cast. in addition to mark wahlberg, mila kunis and james franco, the film also stars leighton meester, ray liotta, mark ruffalo, kristen wiig, common and taraji p. henson. really, there's not an unknown in the mix. check it out above.

day 300

and the schmemmy goes to...

last night the "schmemmies," otherwise known as the creative arts emmys, were held in los angeles. this show is where all the awards not really cool or noteworthy enough to make it into the official telecast - airing next sunday, the 20th, on cbs - are handed out. this year, the show was hosted by 2-time emmy award winner kathy griffin (i'm currently reading her memoir, official book club selection, and it's hi-larious) and some big names actually showed up. kathy didn't actually pick up a 3rd statue this year for my life on the d-list (that honor went to a&e's intervention), but she did get to rub elbows with tina fey, justin timberlake, michael j fox ... and the list goes on (sort of). tina fey picked up her first emmy of the year (she's sure to add a whole lot more come next weekend as 30 rock has the most noms) for her guest work on saturday night live as sarah palin while justin timberlake was the first snl guest host to ever take home the coveted "guest actor in a comedy series" trophy. this is jt's second snl emmy, as he won last year for his collaboration with andy samberg on "dick in a box." michael j. fox took home the award for "guest actor in a drama series" for his guest stint in rescue me and ellen burnstyn took home the female trophy for her work on law and order: svu. in a sure-to-be rub-in-miley cyrus's face moment, the cast of wizards of waverly place took home the trophy for "children's program." selena gomez & co. was up against number one shows icarly and hannah montana so their win was surprising on a ratings stand-point, but not necessarily a quality standpoint. plus, an emmy is a great way to secure another season for your show. the full show will air (edited, of course) on e! september 18th at 1 p.m.

don't forget that mtv's music video awards starts tonight at 9/8c - tune in to see some sure-to-be great performances and just take in all the awkwardness that is russell brand's hosting style.