Do you know how many minutes there are in a year?  If you answered 525,600, then you probably know Jonathan Larson’s musical Rent and its signature song, “Seasons of Love.”  I myself am a fan of the Chris Columbus movie from 2005, but I know there are others (no doubt more obsessed Rentheads than I am) who aren’t.  Those folks should be glad to know that Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway, which played in theaters in 2008 is now on DVD and Blu-ray.  As Broadway fans know, very few stage productions are commercially released, and often the shows get made into mediocre movies that make some people wonder what the fuss is about.  Face it, we’re fortunate that we’ll have both a pretty-darn-faithful movie and a stage production on both DVD and Blu-ray DVD, and in my mind the fact that the movie has almost all the original principals sets it apart from most other Broadway-based movies.  To see Anthony Rapp leading “La Vie Boheme,” or to see the cast singing “Seasons of Love” or “No Day but Today” is incredibly moving.  On the other hand, this new version gives us a talented young cast in a live stage environment, singing all the music that was cut out of the movie (watch the first 8.5 minutes below). It’s an embarrassment of riches!  Then again, few musicals would deserve the double treatment better than Rent, which defined Broadway for an entirely new generation.

You know how when people ask you what you watch on TV, and the talk turns to acclaimed and well-made stuff that you’re proud to be associated with: Battlestar Galactica, 30 Rock, Breaking Bad, Lost … you know what I’m talking about.

Well, I’m going to own it: I’m watching the just-launched season of Make Me a Supermodel, and it’s awesome! (See it free here.) It’s a “reality” show, so there are no pesky scripts — just beautiful people who have to frequently disrobe, make and endure Zoolander-ish statements and lust after/loathe their competition. You know, ’cause that’s what models do, right? As I write this, I’m streaming an episode called “Eye Candy” from Amazon Video On Demand, and it’s literal: the contestants must “embody” sugary delights with the help of body paint, glitter and attitude. In the previous episode, they had to create intimate (but not too intimate) moments in a giant clear cube elevated by a crane. Last season, they had to pose underwater with giant snakes (I am not making this up!), so I can only imagine what the future holds.

Come on, admit it: What’s your guilty pleasure? (American Idol counts, as far as I’m concerned.) – Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon Video On Demand

Whether you are a Netflix customer who prefers the disc through the mail approach, the streaming content service through your computer or other devices, or a combination of both, in my opinion the one thing that customers can probably agree on is that browsing for movies on the Netflix site leaves something to be desired. I’m sure that the powers that be over at ‘Little Red’ are aware of this, at least I hope that they are. You would think that they would have done something about it already, but not really. Personally I resorted a long time ago to using other sites to browse for movies, then when I have a title I want I search Netflix by name. This is just a guess on my part, but with the jump in subscriptions that Netflix has seen due to the expansion of their streaming functionality it looks as if they have decided to rely on other sites to help customers as well. The following from Michael Hart, Director of Engineering at Netflix on the Netflix blog:
Read more…

What it is: The 22nd 007 film, Quantum of Solace which picks up just minutes after the death of Bond’s love, Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. Through an on-the-edge-of-your-seat, heart-racing car chase involving the Italian countryside and a beautiful Aston Martin, we are introduced to a very different, very dark Bond. Magnificently played once again by Daniel Craig, James Bond is hell bent on revenge as he tracks down the people who were responsible for Vesper’s death. After capturing and interrogating, Mr. White; M and Bond make a startling discovery involving the secret organization, Quantum. This leads him to Haiti where he meets the mysterious Camille (Olga Kurylenko) whose motives for revenge are one in the same with Bond. He is ultimately forced to abandon M’s (Judi Dench) orders and act on his own accord. With MI6 following his every move as he is now considered a major threat to friend and foe; the trail takes Bond to Bolivia and finally Russia where he learns the truth behind Quantum and the death of Vesper.

Read more…

So the most fun part about watching the Oscars is of course scrutinizing the fashion choices of those much richer and more beautiful than the rest of us. Following are thoughts on the hits and misses of fashion on Hollywood’s biggest night.

Hits:

Kate Winslet
We love the way midnight blue bleeds into black and flows silkily over her form like liquid.  The added detail of net lace and black florets adds an interesting detail.

Viola Davis
A Grecian goddess in gold, Viola shimmers and shines with a plunging neckline anchored by a diamond brooch.  Totally age appropriate and gorgeous.
Read more…

“If [Confessions of a Shopaholic] is a hit, it was Isla Fisher in the movie. And if it doesn't work out, it was Amy Adams.” –Shopaholic star Isla Fisher, joking to Allure Magazine

But seriously, it didn't occur to me that these two might be mistaken for each other, until I saw them in back to back green strapless Oscar dresses with wavy locks:

Read more…

When it comes to ideal mates, it’s easy to get caught up in the pretty people on screen. After all, who can be satisfied with Mr. Darcy on the page when you can watch him right in front of you, swelling violins and all? For me, my ideal fictional mate was always a cross between Han Solo (the cocky bantering) and Mr. Knightley (played by Jeremy Northam) from Emma (I literally wanted to transcribe his proposal and hand it to my husband-to-be, saying “Read this. Don’t even come up with your own.”). Now, if I just wanted to pick a fictional date (not a mate), one of those flings you know won’t last, I would easily pick Jack Foley from Out of Sight. Or Doug Ross from ER. (Or maybe just anybody played by George Clooney).
Read more…

In celebration of the DVD release of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Amazon.com, Dreamworks Animation, and the San Diego Zoo have teamed up to bring you the Escape to Africa Elephant Cam (above).

Bad weather? No Zoo in your town? Grab the kids and sit back and watch the elephants of the San Diego Zoo live.

Enjoy!

It’ll be a while before we have new episodes of Mad Men to watch (looks like this summer). So I recommend you occupy yourself with some notable guest shots by the show’s stars. It’s a kick to see them outside the confines of the Mad Men era. I’ll start with a certain painfully handsome fellow showing his comedic side:

Jon Hamm, aka Don Draper. On the latest episode of 30 Rock, “Generalissimo,” Hamm is as funny as he is handsome, and that’s saying something. He walks into Liz Lemon’s life, and he’ll leave you saying, “I want to go to there.” He also hosted on Saturday Night Live this season (be sure to catch the Mad Men parody, featuring a number of actual cast members).

Christina Hendricks, aka Joan Holloway: Hendricks adds spice to unusual detective drama Life as  the object of desire for Adam Arkin’s character (and really, all those who see her). Must-click episode: “Did You Feel That?,” in which she helps Arkin’s character cope with an unusual post-earthquake injury. And Firefly fans will tell you that she did some of her best work on that show (must-click episode: “Our Mrs. Reynolds”)

I buy the Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue every year; I own every single one. I was a little sad that this year’s would forego the usual mishmash of actors or actresses (the latter sometimes in lingerie, sometimes in evening gowns) for an inauguration cover (I get that Obama is our most Hollywood president yet, but won’t he be on the cover about 50 more times? I want my beauty shots of everyone named Kate/Cate or Jennifer, and an Outsiders reunion shot, including C. Thomas Howell!)

But I’ll still be buying this month’s issue, because I’m a sucker for tradition, and also because Annie Liebowitz has photographed some stunning actor/director collaborative photos. Here’s a look:

Sam Mendes and Kate Winslet

Darren Aronofsky and Mickey Rourke

Gus Van Sant and Sean Penn

Danny Boyle and Dev Patel

Penelope Cruz and Woody Allen

Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann

Meryl Streep and Doubt director John Patrick Shanley

Heath Ledger and Christopher Nolan (this photo is a composite; the Ledger photo is from 2005 and the Nolan is from 2008. Still, very haunting.)

The portfolio closes with a shot of Clint Eastwood solo. You know, ’cause the man doesn’t need a muse or a leading man–he has himself.