The Golden Globes lost their shine

I never miss the Golden Globes. Not only did I attend them each year from 1986-1998, I met my husband there in 1996 and have enjoyed watching them each year as a fond reminder of my Hollywood years and meeting my man-to-keep. Not only are the Golden Globes the annual predictor of who will take home the Oscars shortly thereafter, the Globes are also known as one of the most elegant Hollywood annual events. Plus EVERYONE attends from both TV and Film just to be in the same place as all their peers and hang out for a evening. Sadly, this year was different.

THIS year,  Ricky Gervais delivered nothing but low class and poor taste as the emcee. There is nothing classy or funny about being a crude, offensive bully ripping everyone to shreds, which is all that Gervais delivered. The producers hit the mute button several times throughout the evening and camera shots of various stars were filled with strained expressions as the stars tried to politely smile through their discomfort. My Dad always said "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Gervais clearly wasn't raised that way. After all the flack he's been given since the show, Gervais is now taking the stance on TMZ that it is his choice to not do the show ever again. You can think that Ricky, but hopefully that option won't ever be presented to you again and movie buffs can go back to enjoying an annual evening of Hollywood Glamour rather than an evening of embarrassment and disgust.

Love & Other Drugs..Hit or Miss?

LOVE & OTHER DRUGS, the Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway starring film, is an unconventional love story set during the introduction of Viagra into the marketplace, loosely based on the book HARD SELL by Pziser’s then #1 salesman Jamie Reidy. 

The seemingly perfect set up for a see-it-over-and-over-again romantic comedy, LOVE & OTHER DRUGS revolves around a handsome, ladies-man sales superstar (Gyllenhaal) falling for a jaded, seen-it-all pretty girl (Hathaway), with a major twist -- she’s sick and pushes everyone away because she’s convinced no one will stay (So why bother with false hope? She reasons). 

Here’s where I’m conflicted on my love/hate for this movie. What I liked was the emotional roller coaster of the main characters, that two lost people manage to find each other, the realistic life choices they wrestled, with and the heartwarming sensitivity to the the plight of sufferers of Parkinson’s disease. So yes, the set up, story line, and much of the film was intriguing, including a stellar cast and an award worthy performance from Anne Hathaway.

What I didn’t like was the excessive, squirm in your seats, gratuitous sex and over the top choices made by seasoned director Ed Zwick (Glory, Defiance, Legands of the Fall), leaving the audience noticeably uncomfortable on at least three occasions. Scene after scene of impulsive, aggressive, explicit sex filled much of the air-time of an otherwise well written, thought-provoking film. Here’s the deal Hollywood, I know longtime “good girl” actresses like to breakout of their stereotypes and do an “edgy role,” but America really doesn’t want to see their sweethearts naked--not Julia Roberts, not Julie Andrews, and not Anne Hathaway. 

In my one-on-one interview with the director Zwick defended his choices of excessiveness saying it would cheapen the storyline if he had his stars “pull up the sheets and cover up.” And he feels there is “nothing wrong with nudity--it’s beautiful.” 

Seriously? give me a break. Sure, the body is beautiful. But personally, I don’t want to see my boss, my friends, my family... really anyone in my life naked, other than my husband. 

As a relationship coach who has literally seen it all, the way the main characters go about finding each other is clearly NOT how lasting love is ever found. Zwick claims he was simply reflecting the way Twenty-Somethings find love these days with repeated promiscuous sex until they get it right and a relationship stick. Don’t get me wrong, promiscuity happens every day, but lasting love is not what follows those encounters. Instead broken lives become filled with more emptiness.

If you’re intrigued to see what the pharmaceutical world is like behind the scenes, with romance thrown in, see this film. But this is not director Edward Zwick’s typical masterpieces where you’ll find yourself seeing it at the theatre multiple times then rush to pick up the DVD on the day of its release. It easily could have been if there had been a few different directorial choices. The end result? A film to see once then move on to the next film. 

Is Date Night needed or overrated?

Went to see DATE NIGHT with my husband and a few other couples on our regularly schedule "date night".  My review of the film? During several scenes you'll burst out laughing a little too loud as it rings true to your life. It's a funny premise in concept, but several scenes are tacky--they didn't need to "go there". Good enough to see once, just not over and over. Take away from the movie? Have regular DATE NIGHT's with your spouse and strive to keep it as exciting as when you were dating. For more of my take on dating your spouse, read my latest article on SouthlakeMoms.com

Man do I have a story!?!

Great post by Chip MacGregor today. He's a top literary agent in the publishing world. As you may or may not know the publishing world changes constantly and in this economic downturn it is one of the hardest hit industries. .As a published author who fills my how-to books with my stories (by focusing on my readers' needs), I so get what Chip Macgregor is talking about here! Great wisdom offered for free here! If you're not already famous and you dream of publishing your life story, read MacGregor's entire post. Chip Macgregor tells it like it is! But don't let that discourage you, rather read to the end and get his wisdom on how you can STILL reach your dream--make YOUR story useful for other's struggles by helping THEM conquer what you already conquered rather than making it all about you.