This Southern Belle Turns Two Years Old!

Along with Mother's Day and graduations (and of course humidity and pollen), May is a month filled with very happy celebrations -- birthdays! As May continues on, not only do my sister, my Nana, and my Sweetheart each turn a year older, but so too does my blog! Yes, today, May 16, A Southern Belle is 2 years old! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

And I mean, WOW! A lot has changed since post numero uno. When I started this blog, my adventures as a lowly intern at TCM had just begun, I still had half of my coursework left to complete, and I had a Massachusetts license in my wallet. Well, no more! After 73 posts (which I know seems like NOTHING in two years), I've watched a lot of movies (but still definitely not enough), wrote some semi-coherent papers concerning filmdom, learned how to use Final Cut Pro and After Effects (but still have TONS to learn), and have taken on the role of producer at work. You know, I do think I'm outgrowing those baby steps and maturing into a pretty healthy kid. Nonetheless, I'm very interested to see what the Terrible Twos bring...

And before I say bye-bye, I did watch a movie with the parents last night (yes, my parents are in-town until... well, I'm not quite sure when...and yes, that's why I'm up at 9AM on Sunday blogging). We watched A Serious Man -- the Coen Bros. Best Picture nominee from this last round which had very little "serious" in it. I gotta say, I really had no clue what to expect from this movie. It is a bizarre, little film with no well-known A-list movie stars, and it starts out strangely and ends just as weirdly. But you know what? A Serious Man turned out to be incredibly entertaining and I was laughing constantly. The Coen Bros. have a very distinctive style when it comes to dialogue -- fast-paced, witty, and really really funny. They also know how to cast a movie and get actors who are dead-on with delivery. The lead actor, Michael Stuhlbarg, was fantastic along with the rest of the cast which also includes Richard Kind and Adam Arkin. If you're looking for a funny, strange, and overall different movie, go with A Serious Man. You might, like my Mom, think it's utterly stupid, but just like Mom, you'll be laughing out loud.

Go Get Your Kate Stamps!

USPS Stamps On Sale Now!

Make It a Double.

As I was catching up on my NYT reading this morning, I came across this fantastic article that pairs drinks with movies, not the exact same as my idea of pairing meals with films, but close enough, and an excellent addition to complete any meal. The article is also great because it was semi-inspired by bourbon drinking Robert Mitchum in Out of the Past as well as the excessive imbibing on the show Mad Men. 

Tangent: I have to tell you, Mad Men now holds a special place in my heart because I worked with (Mass native, holla!) Robert Morse last week, otherwise known as Bert Cooper, the older partner in Sterling-Cooper who is very into Japanese culture. I'll just say, Robert Morse is quite a character -- more so than the ones he plays -- and (yes, I'm making a TCM plug) if you catch TCM the night of June 29, you'll see just how energetic he is. 

Anyhow, back to the article: I love how Wendell Jamieson focuses on the classics -- not only films but drinks, too. I'm not big into hard liquor since my constitution just can't handle it all that well, and while I appreciate the thought that goes into a lot of these drinks and the mixology that has grown in recent years, I really appreciate the simplicity that makes certain drinks classics. For instance, a martini has so many variations, yet, the 007 style has such a sex appeal to it (which might also have something to do with Sean Connery saying "Shaken, not stirred"), that those cosmos that the SATC girls drink seem so over the top and a little too, well, pink. A martini should be clear, no? Made with Gin or Vodka, whichever you prefer. For me, I love Gimlets, another take on the martini, and a drink that my Aunt Maryann introduced to me. I suppose I'll have to search my own DVD collection to see which characters drink Gimlets.

Overall, I love how movies inspire drink choices. Take for instance The Big Lebowski. Now, how many people were really into White Russians before 1998? I mean, other than moms and grandmas? Not many, and NOW there are Big Lebowski parties that go on around the country where they only serve that sweet concoction. I mean, incredible! The Dude influenced a whole generation of frat boys to drink Kahlua! Amazing! It's similar to the way Pinot Noir sales skyrocketed while Merlot sales fell after the release of Sideways. I mean, how many of us have uttered Miles classic line, "I'm not drinking any F***ing Merlot! If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving!" Apparently, people took heed and refused to order anymore Merlot. Crazy, no? Anyway, the bottom line seems to be that peoples' drink choices are influenced by the media, movies especially. Now the challenge has become: What drink shall I pair with my movie of the night? I guess I have to choose the movie first. Or the drink. Wow, it's almost like the chicken and the egg. What's a girl to do??

Mom's The Word.

Well, it's a rather blegh Monday here in Atlanta, but after a very lovely weekend, I can't complain too much. Saturday and Sunday were a little cooler than I was expecting, but the sun refused to go away and the wind didn't blow too much out of control. I suppose for now I can tolerate the rain...

Of course, Sunday was the day to honor Mom. Sadly, I did not spend Mother's Day with my own Mom since she and my Dad enjoyed the day down in Florida while her daughters remained in their respective locales. But I will do my best to make it up to her next week when she's here decorating for me (I get the feeling that one of the best presents I can give her will be to stay out of her way as she does what she wishes with my apartment - but I'll make sure she takes a break). I did, however, spend the day with two very lovely mothers and their families, and I experienced first-hand (even though I was more the sous chef in this instance) the trials and joys of homemade bbq -- which by the way turned out quite delicious. Next time, I have no doubt, will go quite smoothly. Regardless, the weekend was lovely, and I just want to give a belated Happy Mother's Day shout out to all you Moms out there, and to say: Thank You Gail for being the most awesome Mom -- Thank You Nana for being the best Nana ever -- and Thank You Karen for being the coolest Godmother any kid (or adult) could ask for. I'm so very lucky to have such amazing women in my life!

Speaking of Moms: I'm here in my AVID session at work editing some pieces that will air Wednesday, May 26. This May's TCM Star of the Month is Donna Reed - a name synonymous with TV Moms - and on the 26th her daughter Mary will be talking to Robert about 4 of the films her Mom made concerning World War II. So, in case you want to set your DVRs, the films airing May 26 will be From Here to Eternity, They Were Expendable, See Here, Private Hargrove, and Faithful in My Fashion (those first two are serious dramas while the second pairing are very light and enjoyable comedies). The reason Donna Reed was picked as May's Star of the Month is because during World War II, Donna received over 300 letters from GIs, and she saved every single one of them. Just as popular as Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth were to the men in uniform, so too was Donna Reed - who knew?? So, as part of our Memorial Day tribute, Donna Reed and her letters are spotlighted this month.

Now, while I was somewhat familiar with Donna Reed before this project, I honestly hadn't seen too many of her films -- other than It's a Wonderful Life about 1,374 times. Also - being the Gilmore Girls fan I am, I love the episode all about The Donna Reed Show - if you don't know it, check out episode 14 from Season 1 titled, "That Damn Donna Reed" - great stuff! Anyhow, I have to give props to Donna Reed for all the unfairness she had to put up with from the men in her industry - including the fact that many people blamed her for the lackluster box office performance of It's a Wonderful Life - and the restrictions placed upon her just for being a woman. Well, The Donna Reed Show gave her the opportunity to take control of her career and do things her way. And that's saying a lot seeing that the show started in 1958 and lasted for eight seasons - incredibly impressive for any television series! I think of the films I've seen her in thus far, I have to say I love her in They Were Expendable - especially having to share the screen with John Wayne, not to mention being pushed around by John Ford - a director who had a reputation as being a pretty unfriendly fellow, especially with his actresses. But Donna held her own and her performance is wonderful. They Were Expendable is terribly harrowing, but for a Memorial Day film, it's perfectly fitting. 

Alright, that's my plug this post for TCM. I hope you all are able to check out at least one Donna Reed film this May. They're pretty terrific!

LOST Finale Update

News Flash LOST fans! Glenn just informed me that the LOST series finale has been extended from 2 hours to 2.5 hours, and that immediately following the show, ABC will re-air episode one, but this time with bumpers which will "prove" (Glenn's quotations) how central that episode is to the ENTIRE series and how connected it is to the final episode. So, the game is on, JJ Abrams - you have just raised the stakes. With this new information, I'm expecting to be beyond satisfied! Otherwise, the pain is headed your way. And PS: If you kill Desmond off, it'll hurt twice as much! I don't care if you sacrifice Kate (how haven't you already), but not Des. Thank you!