Henley Monday -

Henley Monday - 

Coming at you hot and fresh at the 11th hour CT we've got your weekly dose of henley hunk. If it's possible for there to be a henley I didn't like, this one would be in contention: short sleeve - good, extra long placard - good, white - great, but the ribbing? BAD. Ribbing is very very bad and yet somehow I still love old Bumbleding Candlehat in it. Same goes for the goatee.

Here lies our empirical evidence that Benedict Cumberbatch can do no wrong.

Henley Monday -

Summer time has finally come and come to stay! The sun is shining and birds are chirping and trees are budding and the lilacs smell INCREDIBLE.

So here's Alexander Skarsgard on that lovely summer staple, the beach! He looks very rugged like a field photographer for National Geographics of yore. Thumbs up.

The return of summer also means another TV staple will return to our lives. True Blood starring the Skarsgard here will be back on June 16th with all it's insane and completely bazoo plotlines. Until then enjoy this trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGgt_jllHcA&feature=player_embedded

What We Can Learn from Ewan McGregor's Instagram

It has very recently come to my attention that the great Ewan McGregor has an Instagram account that he uses with regularity. And it is a thing of beauty. Are you thinking, "Oh, I don't know. I like his movies, but do I really want to see his big celebrity life in photos?" The answer is YES YOU DO. Why? Because these are the things we have to learn from him.

Ewan loves motorcycles.

Ewan especially loves his vintage 1929 motorcycle.

Ewan loves his dog Sid Smith.

Ewan loves his "bonnie" Scotland home.

Like, a lot.

Sometimes he loves Scotland and his dog at the same time.

Ewan wore a kilt to receive his OBE.

Ewan has an intricate half-sleeve tattoo that was done by Kat Von D.

Ewan really, really, really loves Sid Smith and misses him whenever they are twain. Going so far as to dedicate pictures to him. 

EWAN IS INCREDIBLY HANDSOME, BUT THIS IS NOT NEW INFORMATION JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER.

And for even more great Ewan pics just follow him on Instagram already!

Oh Sandra...Sandra, Sandra, Sandra Lee. This might be the single worst item of food ever prepared on the Food Network.

Initially I thought my only commentary for this was a hearty "What the F$%&?", but after several viewings, I actually have a lot of words and thoughts in my confused brain about this abomination.

Here are some highlights:

1) What we're making for desert is a Baked Potato Sundae. Again, in case you missed it: a baked potato sundae (no potato involved).

2) For being "super simple" there is a lot of molding and cling wrap wrangling involved.

3) Not once have I ever sat thinking to myself "Huh, that pesky lid to my butter dish is always around with no purpose. Whither shall I make best use of it?" BECAUSE ITS USE IS PRETTY EXPLICIT. IT'S THE LID-TO YOUR BUTTER-DISH- SANDRA.

4) Plain powdered coco has a horrible texture, does not taste great, and coats the inside of your mouth which totally makes it a great candidate for a key desert component, no?

5) "Fancy spray stuff" the fancy stuff...from a can...that sprays...

6) When it's complete, the flavors going into that sundae are as follows: vanilla, raw coco powder, lemon, pistachio.

7) Why? Just...WHY???

Henley Monday -

hahaha yes that's right, Henley Monday is returned. We were on an unofficial, unannounced hiatus but we are back. And we are just as good as ever. And we are super excited to be moving towards the two year anniversary of this most beloved feature here at the blog.

We're doing a kick off with Colin Ferrell. He is a renowned "bad boy" with some serious issues for which we hope he's receiving therapy and working towards happiness and all the while LOOKING SO SEXY. He's getting older and his scruff is getting some salt mixed in with the pepper, and he is wearing the crap out of a henley under a sportcoat!

Stay well, Colin! Stay well, all of you! Until next Monday!

The Bachelor - Episode 4 Recap

  Here we are at week four already. Already we’re hearing proclamations that Sean is the man a woman can envision spending the rest of her life with. Hoo buoy. Yup. I mean buoy. I need something to hold onto in the turbid seas of the Bachelor. If Tierra was just a tad crazy last week, it looks like she’s diving into straight up psycho. And we’re all going with her. Shall we dive? We shall.

Remember when Ben was the Bachelor and his hair was terrible? And he had little pepperoni nipples? And he was nothing to see shirtless? Sean is everything the opposite of Ben. The first shot we get of Sean in this episode is him rubbing sleep from his eyes wearing nothing but his black Calvin Klein boxer briefs. I am surprised at how ok with this I am. I am SUPER ok with this shot.

Leslie H. is constantly crying. She is crying as she anticipates the date cards and says, “I know a date will come. It’s just a matter of being patient” and weeping constantly. Keep that up. She gives a pretty good “meh” face as the first one-on-one goes to Selma. I, on the other hand, am thrilled. I love Selma! Go Selma! Cool it on immediately stating that you want to have his babies, though. Don’t go Tierra-level psycho, Selms.

Well, she’s losing me quickly. First, Sean mentions that she told him all about her struggles with people judging her because she’s so beautiful. Then in the limo she asks if he can handle “all 110 pounds of this!” in reference to them possibly dancing and her breaking his toes. Like, what woman discloses her exact weight on her first date with some guy? Why? Just in case he doesn’t think she’s tiny?

“We pull up to the airport, and I’m trying to put two and two together here!” she laughs. Well, Selma. I’m not judging you for being stupid based on your looks, but I must say that when one pulls up to an airport that is full of planes and you get out onto a tarmac where an empty plane is waiting, the math is not that hard.

They contort into the most awkward cuddling position ever as they fly to a mystery location. All the while Selma waxes poetic about how glamorous and luxurious and dream-like and princessy she feels. But the destination is a bleak desert. Selma is concerned. “He took the Iraqi to a desert,” she deadpans. She is funnier when she’s not trying.

Sean finally reveals that they will be rock climbing at Joshua Tree National Park. Selma, who keeps repeating that she “does not do well in heat”, is apprehensive. And you know what? Fair. I, personally, would love to rock climb at Joshua Tree, but that is not for everyone. If it’s actually important to Sean that she do this, then fine. But also being married isn’t about liking/being good at the same extreme sports. If it is then I am totally screwed in my plans to marry an Olympic snowboarder.

“Selma is pint sized. So she might have some issues getting up this rock today. But if she does, I can just strap her to my back and just pull us both up there,” Sean tells the camera. I want to hate this. I want to hate everything he just said, but I love it. Rude of him. Making me like him. He encourages her the entire way up, and she is real woman, real talk hauling her own ass up that rock face. They make it up as the sun is setting, and I’m pretty impressed with Selma for going HAM on that rock and Sean for being so supportive.

For the dinner portion, Sean keeps hammering home that he’s not bringing glamorous Selma somewhere glamorous. Expecting the worst, they actually come upon a little campsite with little decked out trailers in a circle. It may not be glamorous, but it’s pretty adorable and nice.

They talk about Sean’s past relationship (yes, singular), and then move right along to, you guessed it! FAMILY! Selma’s Family story is this: they are strict and Arabic and conservative. Selma is concerned her mother would have a heart attack if she saw her kiss someone on TV because they’re so conservative. Now Sean has already expressed how much he wants to kiss her, but she can’t. This is a real pickle they’re in.

He asks permission to kiss her which is ADORABLE. But she explains her whole situation and he is understanding. But oh man. That has got to SUCK for both of them. Sean makes a pretty hilarious groan to the cameras in his exasperation of not being able to kiss that lady. He gives her the rose, of course, and kisses her on the head. And then they play a GREAT Ben Taylor song for a montage.

On today’s group date we have Lindsay, Robyn, Jackie, Katherine (the girls all yay after her name because we all know how fun she is), Amanda, AshLee, Sarah, and Tierra. Tierra is PISSED about being on another group date.

No one knows what they’re doing but they sure are excited! Catherine’s excited! Amanda’s excited! Sarah’s excited! Lindsay thinks they’re going to get into those giant hamster balls and roll down a hill!

But shockingly, Lindsay is wrong. Sean practically pees his pants in excitement that they’re going to be doing roller derby. Sean is giggling. “You’re all such sweet girls, so it’ll be interesting to see you get a little aggressive.” Yeah, Sean, “interesting”. We’ll use that word to describe this blood bath. This is as bad an idea as when they went boxing on Ashlee’s season (poor Ames).

Tierra has been unleashed. Tierra is wearing green. Tierra is Hulk. Tierra “excite to knock some biatches down.” Tierra FULL PENT UP RAGE.

Amanda does a fun little thing. Amanda lies and says she’s done roller derby before to mess with the girls’ heads. How fun. She likes how psyched out they’re all getting.

Sarah, the girl with one arm that isn’t an issue, has an issue only having one arm. I feel terrible for her. She does not have the same balance as the other girls. You use your arms a lot in roller derby, so she’s just feeling embarrassed. I’m sad for her. AshLee tries to boost her confidence. AshLee, not Sean, her date.

Ok, now Sean does come over to encourage her. He’s very sweet and based on last week’s weird dog gesture, he likes her a lot. She ends up deciding to get back out there and really give it her all, despite how scary it is.

Amanda, remember how she lied? Is feeling really confident. She and Tierra Hulk are butt bumping they’re so confident. But at the height of her bragging, she bites it. Hard. On her face. They call an ambulance for her because they’re worried she broke her jaw. She looks not great, and they send her to the hospital to get it checked out.

Later (minutes? Hours?) Sean gives a strange almost coach-like prep talk to the two teams of girls all geared up for their roller derby. They all look terrified and rightly-fricking-so. Just in the nick of time, their white knight calls off the derby and decides to just have a “free skate” instead! Weeee! I bet Amanda is happy she put so much effort into lying and psyching out the other team now!

For cocktails, they arrive back at the Roosevelt. What weird ad deal did the Roosevelt pull off to be the exclusive date location for this season of the Bachelor? At the rooftop pool, all the drama gets kicked off. Sarah is adorable. Tierra SULKS. And Amanda comes back! She pretty much has a guaranteed rose at this point for going to the hospital then coming back with enough time to get cute. Amanda knows this and isn’t afraid to play dirty to get what she wants. Which is just a rose? And not Sean? Hmmm.

Back at the mansion, the date card comes. Leslie H.’s name is finally up! He sends her diamond earrings and she says, “Holy moly, Batman!” which, no. That’s not how that phrase works.

Tierra feel left out! Tierra no stoop to other girl level! Tierra no get angry like other girl want her to! Tierra get MOST ANGRY! JOKE ON THEM! Tierra ask if she can leave!

Sarah is not fighting for her to stay exactly, but she tries to level with her. She tries to have her talk to very level headed AshLee.

No! Tierra no trust NO ONE! TIERRA WANT GO HOME! Sean and Lindsay are making out in some side room, and Tierra goes stomping off to find him.

The girls are trying to puzzle out WTF is wrong with her. Lindsay suggests she and Sean get into the hot tub. Tierra ugly cry to camera! Tierra feel torture! Tierra break down inside! All hell is BREAKING LOOSE!

Tierra finally intercepts a very taken aback Sean, leaving Lindsay to fend for herself in her swimsuit. She comes tromping up the stairs like a true champ though, doing a truly hysterical face and pose as she comes up empty handed.

In talking with the producers, and now with Sean, Tierra has used the word “torture” about a million times. Now, as someone who just hyperbolized, I understand how easy it is to do. However, the victims of actual torture may have some interesting light to shed on what “literal torture” is for dear Tierra.

So, apparently this is the episode where Sean completely wins me over and makes me wish I was dating him. I mean, not really, but kind of. It’s TIERRA we’re talking about here and he is still adorable and really great at talking her down and she is PSYCHO. I was, however, screaming NO at my screen as he was comforting her and convincing her to stay.

AND THEN HE GIVES HER THE MOTHER LICKING ROSE. NO NO NO. SEAN. SO ANGRY. ALL CAPS. NOW I’M HULK. CASSIE HULK. CASSIE HULK MAD TIERRA HULK GOT HER WAY. CASSIE HULK ANGRY TIERRA HULK DO WHATEVER TIERRA HULK WANT AND TIERRA HULK STILL WIN HEART OF PRETTY SEAN MAN.

WHY HE LIKE HER SO MUCH? WHY HE LIKE THAT? SHE BAD LADY. CASSIE HULK FULL PENT UP RAGE.

Hey y’all. I ate some chocolate covered acai-blueberries and now I’ve calmed back down, just in time for Leslie H.’s date. She is a very pretty girl, but I just don’t really care about her. She cries too much, so I’m kind of hoping Sean doesn’t give her the rose.

“Oh my god! I slept with these earrings underneath my pEHllow!” Ok Leslie. Take it down a notch. You and I have to get through this date alive. Then she says “holy moly, batman” again and I’m not so sure I will get through this alive.

So, they are actually having a “Pretty Woman” date which does not sound great because that makes the pretty woman in question a prostitute. Sean thinks this is the utmost in romance and class. Really, Texas? I’m sure this is a dream scenario for you, too. Taking a woman shopping for whatever she wants in Badgley Mischka.

After an excruciatingly unexciting shopping montage, we settle on an army green shiny silk taffeta strapless number. Everything about what I just described is the opposite of current fashion. But here we are.

Sean gets cleaned up and into a tux and she declares him “sah cyute” as she descends the staircase. We pop over to NEIL LANE – OFFICIAL JEWELER TO THE BACHELOR AND BACHELORETTE to meet Mr. Lane and pick out some ice for the lady’s neck.

This date has been manufactured to have the most romance possible, and Sean is hoping that something might click with Leslie now that they’re here in the perfect setting. I’m not so sure.

She is very smiley and giggly the whole time, which might just be her nerves, but it makes her seem really insincere. She doesn’t seem ready/willing to get right into it with Sean despite WEEPING over him for the last two weeks.

Sean’s not feeling it. He knows that she is a “phenomenal girl” but isn’t catching the spark. So he picks up the rose, and lets her down gently. He tells her all that he told us about not feeling the romance click. She is kinda pissed and a little cold to him. “You really didn’t see any romance at all?” she asks. But then as they’re saying good-bye she lets out one final warning to beware of some of the girls. Interesting, but I know the Bachelors too well to think they’ll give a second thought to that.

Um. Then. Sean gives a voice over that he is clearly reading because you can tell when non-actors read stuff. They played that Ben Taylor song earlier in the episode because Ben Taylor was supposed to play a private concert for them, but then obviously Sean isn’t going to dance alone to Ben “Son of James” Taylor. So they play Ben doing a gorgeous cover of “By Your Side” by Sade as Sean drops a rose dramatically because his life is hard, guys.

Time for the Rose Ceremony, bitches! The so-called bitches in question are all dolled up and feeling quick nervous as fewer and fewer girls are present for the ceremony. No one is safe. No one except Selma and Tierra, but other than that, no one!

Robyn decides to make a lasting impression on Sean, and decides that she should use pick up lines. Again, what fun! These women! Such pranksters! She asks him over and over if he likes chocolate and would like a taste of chocolate and he gives an emphatic YES. And she goes, “which chocolate do you want to taste” with such a giggle. And they decide to just kiss it out instead. Sean really likes kissing. We see his tongue too much for him to be very good (ahem, can we get Arie back up in this piece?) but he sure does like it.

Tierra is back on a rampage to get justice for her “good” name. So she pulls Robyn and Jackie the Cosmetics Consultant who has said about ten words this entire time, aside to level with them. She apologizes for being mean while also totally blaming them for being rude to her too. It’s awkward, and no one feels better at the other end. For getting hung-up on little things so much, it’s odd how frequently Tierra points out that she’s too mature to get hung-up on little things.

Catherine pops into frame just long enough to sing-song say, “Tierra-ble!!!” I haven’t seen her and Sean interact, but I really don’t want him to send Catherine our comedic relief home. And just as I ask, I receive. She and Sean sit down and have a nice chat that makes me like her even more despite the fact that she gives him a “kiss” or “imprint of her lips on paper” to keep. They are great, and I’m super behind the two of them.

Ultimately, we have nine roses, and ten girls. So that means one lonely lady will be saying good-bye this week. I cannot believe it’s just one. So rather than drag you through the ceremony like they make us, I’ll cut to the chase. It’s Amanda going home after a close call with Daniella! I am shocked. I really thought it’d be the other way around. Amanda looks like she might kill someone. I can’t say I’m sad to see her go.

Next week we are finally starting the traveling portion! Hooray! And they are bringing us episodes on both Monday AND Tuesday and promise to be FULL of romance and drama. I can’t wait. See y’all then, journeyers!

Henley Monday -A Day Late and a Dollar Short

It's finally happened. After months of consistently bringing you Henley Monday on Monday, I forgot to post yesterday. I could make an excuse about this or that, but seriously I just plain forgot until about ten minutes ago which makes me pretty awful.

But look! Look you guys. Look at Drake. Look at how chic his ensemble is. He has his henley layered, buttoned up, and even accessorized. He knows his Christmas so that heart wants to spread love this season, and he's obviously throwing up a peace sign to bring peace and good will to all. Good will even to those bloggers who forget their weekly duties sometimes.

Peace. Love. Henleys. Merry Christmas, y'all.

Me, my 1890's hair, pearls, and Diet Coke are over on Twitter live tweeting the Oscars right now! What are you waiting for?! Join me!

Click here to join in the festivities!

Distraction 2012 -

I'm about to head out my door to cast my ballot and vote for the president of the United States. Before I go, I thought I'd leave you with a great 51 second break in your day.

This is the best fox out there. The best fox doing it. The only fox who gets so excited to see people, she literally gets paralyzed in excitement. Bless, Chuckles, bless.

Let's keep her enthusiasm in mind as the night wears on and our spirits begin to dampen, shall we?

Boo Hiss: Jingles

                    It would appear that the commercial jingle is back and back with the vengeance of a Spider-Man, a Conan the Barbarian, or a guy from any movie/show/legend in which he becomes a Gladiator.

Looking back on my childhood, the jingle that stands out most is Meow Mix. That little cat is now singing inside of your head. With one onomatopoetic word, they created something that stuck with people, across generations, for years and years. Smart.

The only other two stand out examples are products of Chicago-land's greatest carpeting and flooring rivalry: Empire vs. Luna. Here are the lyrics to these two jingles:

800-588-2300 Empiiiiire

vs.

773-202-*sound of four phone keys being pushed* Lunaaaaa

Creative. Anyone who grew up within a three hour radius of Chicago can start one of these jingles, and by the end at least two other people will have joined in. What they lack in creativity, they make up for in brevity and being memorable. Smart.

Now, all this is to say that the jingle has always seemed to me like a thing of the past to me, like something out of I Love Lucy. They're effective only to a certain point (e.g. I don't buy cat food, and I've not yet had a need for floor covering), and, most importantly, they can backfire. The recent outcropping of jingles has, I fear, done just that.

Take this piece of crap for instance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH3CshbUHZY&feature=related

This is what my brain does during that commercial:

"This song is relevant to pizza, but what's all this scrawling across the screen? It's too small then TOO BIG! And his red pants and his murdery red room and he sounds a little pitchy, dawg and the doodling's not helping. Those rocker hands look like cacti. Who is that big-nosed guy in the back? Is that Inspector Clouseau? That's a pretty big rip-off, and he doesn't have anything to do with pizza! Oh, it's over...What was he saying"

Not smart.

This commercial jingle from Post-Its though makes the Pizza Hut song sound like sweet baby cherubim: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q3DMW4e0OE

I am filled with bilious rage on hearing this song. This isn't even a jingle anymore, this is a 90s lady-singer-songwriter jam about plastic tabs. It reminds me of that episode of Friends where Phoebe's old music partner comes back, and she writes shitty jingles for stew and sells out "Smelly Cat" (fun fact: that actress also voiced Tommy Pickles!).

Look, Post-It has a brand and they are sticking to it. Their products truly make my life easier, but there are no ground breaking situations in which I'd use a "durable tab" they've presented to me there.

Where would I use "a durable tab"? Pretty much anywhere I have a plain old, REGULAR POST-IT like my planners, cookbooks, files, paper work, but for Pete's sake, if your binder dividers for a home assembled take-out book didn't come with built-in tabs, then that's your fault for being an idiot and not thinking about that at Office Depot when buying them.

NOT SMART.

I do not think these jingles are effective. I do not think they have a place on my TV or in my brain. The problem that they demonstrate is that we're moving away from the purpose of a jingle in the first place. It was quick, catchy, memorable. This latest crop are long, over-wrought, over-produced songs. They have nothing original to say, they're just statements with a tune.

It's tough to admit given their abundance, but the only people doing it right are the Free Credit Score guys. They are clever and present their information in a unique way. I'm not super pumped when one gets stuck in my head, but when it inevitably does, I don't want to kill all the things in the world (lookin' at you, Post-its).

In the end, if you're not using music as a means to disguise an otherwise boring ad, you can stick around. But if you are...then BOO HISS.