Click!

Good light day again, so I had my camera handy, got some great shots of the boys. Their grandparents are going to be overjoyed at that. Other than that, pretty low-key Sunday for me, just fighting the frickin' cold. I'm worn out today. I was due for a cold -- it's been quite awhile since I last had one, so, I'm not really complaining. It's not in my nature to complain, anyway.

B1 has such a head for math. I can see it already, how effortlessly he processes numbers. He's got a keen insight into strategy as well -- like in games we play, I can see him thinking through things and assessing things. He's got a sharply analytic mind. I'm going to do what I can to help him with that -- both encouraging him to grow in that area (with stuff like chess and music) and also to help him emotionally, so he's able to effectively make use of his talents while remaining balanced, as well. He's going to love physics; I can tell already. I think I've mentioned that before, but as he's getting older, it's in sharper focus. That's good -- mathematics is a vital aptitude to have. It'll serve him well.

My folks saw "The Ides of March" in Santa Barbara, at some special screening, and Paul Giamatti was supposed to turn up and speak afterward, but the director had said that Giamatti couldn't make it, so they had somebody else to come speak (and the audience was like "Awwww" in disappointment), and the alternate speaker was none other than George Clooney! Can you believe it? The attendees were floored. My mom just about died. She was gushing about having seen him, said she was just a few rows back in the theater, said he actually looked younger in person than onscreen. Anyway, I'm sure that made her day.

Laundry

Doing laundry this morning. Somebody left a bunch of celebrity tabloid mags in the laundry room, which leads me to ponder this question: do you think Jennifer Aniston is supremely annoyed with the whole "Poor Jen" storyline they always run with her? She's a famous celebrity, likely makes a lot of money from residuals from "Friends" and what-not she gets from whatever movies she's in. She's at least conventionally good-looking (not my type, but I get it). But the tabloids always run the "Poor Jen" storyline when covering her. She's got to be thinking "Oh, shit, let me not have another breakup and/or something happen to me, so those pricks won't run another 'Poor Jen' story." Sandra Bullock is in that place, too. Poor Sandra. It's just weird, and has to be annoying for somebody who wanted to be famous, and was lucky enough to have found a measure of success in that respect. Poor Jen. Bahah!

Viva La France

Here's a great shot of the tiny, beautiful, late Marie-France Pisier...

Marie-France Pisier, RIP

I found out that she drowned in her swimming pool. Such a bad, sad end for such a great beauty...

Scre4m

I saw "Scre4m" (Scream 4) today, and enjoyed it. Funny moments in it, and it's crazy postmodern, meta to the bone. Wes Craven still has the right touch with his slasher movies, although it's surreal, given his long history with the genre, making movies that refer to that genre (and themselves refer to the referrals -- I can imagine college students getting high and writing dissertations on this movie, because you really could). I especially liked the rather juicy (and difficultly-named) Hayden Panettiere in it. She was stealing scenes left and right...

She wasn't dressed like this in the movie, alas.

Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

Moonshine

Man, the supermoon was a bust over here -- I didn't see squat last night, thanks to overcast skies. Sucks. B1 was all excited to see it, but there was nothing to see.

Speaking of exciting to see, I'd watched "Casino Royale" again, after a long time not seeing it, and recalled that Caterina Murino is frickin' hot in her small role as Solange, Bond's expendable girl (since there always seems to be an expendable babe in a Bond movie in the first act)...

Caterina MMMMurino.

Caterina Murino.

Virgo sun, Libra moon, so she's more than likely batshit crazy, but she's sure one fine lookin' babe.

70,000 words.

Happy 80th Birthday, James Dean

Death was likely his greatest career move.

I wonder if James Franco has kind of coattail-ridden on James Dean's ghost, the way that, say, Daniel Craig did with Steve McQueen, or Tom Cruise did with Montgomery Clift? In terms of actors who perhaps superficially resemble those earlier icons and therefore profit from it.

Hmmm....

What is Kim Kardashian famous for, anyway? What sterling qualities might she bring to garner such undeserved celebrity?

There must be something about her, right? I don't know. Something behind it all?

And then, seeing her pix, finding something compelling about them, I thought "Wait, I know what it is! I bet she's a LIBRA."

Yep.

Time and again, when a celebrity might catch my eye, odds are good that she's a Libran. Librans are natural exhibitionists, incidentally. It's why, say, Kate Winslet can't seem to be in a movie without baring her assets, so to speak. And she's definitely not the only one. The astrological equivalent of wind chimes, beware the Libran.

Bahahah!

Silkily Spectral

I was watching "Watchmen," which I haven't watched for awhile, and I remembered that Silk Spectre I, played by Carla Gugino, is hot. She's rather yummy...

Birch Barking

I wondered what had happened to Thora Birch, since her career definitely stalled years ago. Having a bent stage dad can't help.

Dino is extinct

Aw, Dino De Laurentiis died. The man who gave us "Conan the Barbarian!"



I loved that movie as a kid (which I first saw at a drive-in with my family, long ago). The above clip amuses me. *snicker*

Mmmmmonica Bellucci

I wonder what Monica Bellucci's been up to these days? Yeah, another Libra celebrity. What can I say? At least I'm consistent....

Hungry

You know, I was thinking of my whole Libra analysis, and I forgot to include two key ones, who share billing in Tony Scott's "The Hunger" (1983) -- the stylish-yet-vacuous and almost interminably empty vampire movie -- Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve. In many ways, "The Hunger" is the ultimate Libra movie, with so much emphasis on form, and so little on substance. Keep in mind that Catherine Deneuve is definitely one of my Libra celebrity crushes, but watching these two Libra actresses court one another's characters, it's just terribly amusing. Look at the flat gazes, the studied shallowness, and so on...

"The Hunger"

As a student of Librans, it just amuses me to see them interact in this movie (and, really, this movie will make you want to claw your eyes out, because it just drags and drags and drags -- imagine, a BORING vampire movie? Yep. The only thing "The Hunger" makes you hunger for is plot, pacing, characterization). There are people who love "The Hunger," but I will contend that the fans of that movie are Librans, themselves. A movie of Librans, by Librans, for Librans: "The Hunger." Try watching it, you'll see. Long fucking movie.

Catherine Deneuve. Stunning, an almost iconic feminine beauty. And doll's eyes.

And Susan Sarandon, liberal Libra. I just included her for the cleavage! Bahah! She puts the "bra" in "Libra!"

The Abyss Also Gazes Into You

And talking about eyes, celebrities, and zodiacal silliness, I totally have to bring up Scorpios. Because Scorpios also stand out -- I can detect female Scorpio celebrities with uncanny accuracy. I'll say "I bet she's a damned Scorpio" and I'll be right. Scorpio guys are harder to detect, and I don't know why that is; I think a general fucked-upness is in play with Scorpio guys that has them maybe at odds with themselves.

And lord help the world when a Scorpio gets a bee in their bonnet, because it's never coming out. The Scorpio Gaze is different from the Libra Gaze in that there's a hardness to it (regardless of how girly and pretty the woman is, Scorpio Eyes are HARD), and the second sterling quality of the Scorpio Gaze is that it bores into you. Whereas a Libra's just gazing at you flatly, a Scorpio is bringing their searchlight eyes to bear on you, seeing through you -- I have likened it to gazing in a dark pool of water, and you know there's a sea monster in there looking back at you; you can't quite see the monster, but you know it's there, and it's looking back at you, and it will kill you, if you're not careful. Let's look at some examples...

First, let me start with an exemplar. Vivien Leigh. She masterfully put her Scorpio Eyes to work to secure all sorts of roles, and she put those headlamps to bear in shot after shot. Very memorable (and, amusingly, she channeled the archetypal Libra with Blanche DuBois, but she still had Scorpio eyes in that role).

Grace Kelly is likely one that would fool most people -- they'd think "Oh, she's a Libra, right?" Because she has those elements. Except the eyes. Grace Kelly's eyes are the "tell" with her. A "Scorpio Test" I like to do is to cover the rest of the face, revealing only the eyes. If they're the eyes of a killer, then odds are very, very good that you're dealing with a Scorpio. Try it, you'll see. Monster in the water, gazing up at you from the depths. Wanting to eat you.

And who can forget Sean Young, in her fleeting star turn in "Bladerunner?" Exemplary Scorpio Eyes (and Scorpio lifestyle, if history is any indication). Again, the eyes aren't flat; rather, they are boring into you, across space and time, and are devoid of compassion. Pretty face, killer's eyes.

What about sweet, bosomy, goofy-faced Anne Hathaway? Such a nice young woman, masterfully suited for particular roles? Mmm hmm. The eyes. Mind those deadly eyes -- they will drown you.

Kelly Osbourne? Not that plump little child of celebrity. Not her, too, surely? God, yes. Deadly eyes. Scorpio Eyes.

Jenny McCarthy, the Joan of Arc of anti-vaccination? Yep. She might be mistaken for a Libra in the above one, if you weren't paying attention, but those eyes are boring into you, saying "Hey, don't you realize that vaccination is the greatest threat to humanity since fluoridation?" Sure, Jenny. Just try convincing a Scorpio that they're wrong. Seriously. Try it sometime.

Callista Flockhart is another exemplar. The Scorpio Gaze gives away nothing, while seeks to plumb your depths (if there). I imagine Scorpios could be good poker players, just because they'd sit across the table and freak out the other players with their killer's eyes.

Let's not forget Winon Ryder. She based a whole career on those sea monster eyes of hers. I imagine she thought she could shoplift with those eyes, like just stunning the clerks into submission.

Another 80s icon of sorts, Demi Moore. She epitomizes the Scorpio Gaze in a postmodern world. Determined, ruthless, deadly. The "tell" with Scorpio eyes is that they stand out from the face that surrounds them, and they bore into you.

Rachel McAdams is one who might fool the unwary, because of her "America's Sweetheart" kind of bearing, and her big, cartoonish smile. But she's a Scorpio, and the eyes are the Tell. She will fucking kill you, if you're not careful.

Pretty. Vacant.

I have a thing for Libra women; the rule of thumb is if a celebrity babe strikes my fancy out of the blue, odds are good that she's a Libra. I can't account for it, but it's so often true that I can usually spot them. Many of my celebrity crushes are Libra babes. A big tell is their eyes -- they have doll eyes, basically, with a flat aspect to their gaze. Here are some samples...

Naomi Watts. Hard-working actress who is generic enough that she gets a lot of work, but then people are like "It was that movie with, you know, what's her name?"

Avril Lavigne, who may or may not qualify as a celebrity, anymore. Does she still sing? I dunno. But dig those empty, empty eyes. What's she thinking about? Anything?

Gwen Stefani is one of the Libra exemplars -- pretty, fashionable, femme, stylish, but what's going on in that head? Her dark eyes help disguise it, but I bet there are ample tales behind the scenes.

Ah, Kate Winslet. Yes, yes, yes. A fine actress, and so fond of doffing her duds to reveal her delightful curves, what's not to like? And I do think she's mighty fine. And yet, those eyes, what to make of them? She's an exemplar in terms of my "Libra Eyes" meme. You can pick through any number of her shots and see them gazing out at you flatly.

It's hard to find a celebrity more "Libra-ish" than Gwyneth Paltrow. She's a true Libra exemplar, who manages the breezy flakiness and nutball trippiness with the blandly beautiful appearance and those astoundingly flat eyes (they look even emptier when she's actually acting, in motion -- her eyes are like marbles).

Another exemplar is Alicia Silverstone. She can look at you with those flat eyes and it makes you want to snap your fingers in front of her face like "Hello? Is there anybody in there?" It's not that Librans aren't smart, because I'm sure they are; it's just that their eyes have that shallow gaze that gives you absolutely no indication of what's going on in there.

And lest you think it's only female Librans who have this quality...

I mean, we know Matt Damon's a smart guy, right? But what's with those eyes? Again, the finger snap test comes into play, here.

Viggo Mortensen. Helllllooooo? Viggggo? Where you at, Holmes?

Now, Librans are usually smooth operators, socially, and can be superficially charming, even charismatic after a fashion (and who can argue with the Libran tendency toward exhibitionism?), but they all have those Libran dolls' eyes that are usually a dead-eyed giveaway, if you're paying attention. If eyes are the mirrors of the soul, then are Librans ultimately soulless? Are those mirrors two-way, or merely one-way? That proverb is never more perfect than with Librans.

Working Assets

Rest assured, it's easy to assess what Jessica Biel's greatest cinematic asset is...

Maggie Q & A

I haven't decided what I think about Maggie Q, yet. There's a bit of cognitive dissonance with her half-Asian look -- like she's equidistant between her Polish, Irish, and Vietnamese heritage, giving her an oddly hybrid appearance that makes it hard to properly evaluate. She's good-looking...kinda. Hot, and yet, confusing....

Finally

Finally got iFucko to work. Here's that amusing Clooney shot. I'm sure they were high-fiving themselves at the Redeye over this headline, or else doing some Beavis & Butthead cackles...

Simpson Looking Back

Jessica Simpson's lamenting more than her expressionless eyes, I guess...