My Favorite Blogs

Wow! The last time I posted was in March!!! What a blog slacker I am...

These blogs make me smile and laugh everyday, so I wanted to pass them on and give them some props here. Kind of like Oprah's Favorite Things, but online and free. :)

My absolute favorite is called Cake Wrecks. It's a blog dedicated to professional cakes that went horribly and hilariously wrong. The blogger herself is witty and has a great sense of humor, but the cakes speak for themselves.


One of my favorites is a cake where the girl was going off to college and the family wanted a cake with her favorite movie character, E.T. all over it. See what she really got:




Here are some other favorites. Guess what these people wanted on their cakes?











http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/








My second favorite blog is also absolutely hilarious! It's called FAIL and it's a blog dedicated to thing or ideas that failed. Warning: There are pages and pages of hilarity - you could be on this blog laughing for hours. My sides are still hurting from the "Dear Abby Fail" and the "Dairy Queen Billboard Fail":

http://failblog.org/

Enjoy!!!

Somewhere That's Green

"What's the poop? The scoop? The skinny?"

I LOVE the television show "Pushing Daisies." (See the 2007 Jessa Awards post - it won best new TV show.) So I was thrilled when my friend Jason invited me to the 2008 Paley Fest for the show. For those who don't know, the Paley Festival was set up by the Museum of Television and Radio and this year it was held at The CineDome theatre in Hollywood. It's pretty much like living in a special edition DVD of a television series, where you get to watch your favorite TV shows with an audience and then hear the creators, writers, producers and cast reveal secrets about the show. How fun is that!!
I was excited because, a) I love the show, b) the cast is awesome, and c) I wanted to talk to Ellen Greene again.
Ellen Greene was the first celebrity I met when I first moved out to Los Angeles. She is mostly known as the original Audrey from "Little Shop of Horrors" the musical AND the movie. I hadn't even been here a month when I went to the nail salon and she sat down next to me. She talked to me about my acting career, and her own. She was on her way to the premiere of her most recent film "The Cooler" and I was on my way to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Upon hearing this, she gave me numerous tips and advice for cooking a turkey for the first time and even gave me her telephone number! I thought that was so sweet, and I never forgot it. Since then, she played Sylar's mother on "Heroes" and then got cast as a regular (Vivian) on "Pushing Daisies."
Well, the clip show they played was great, and the panel discussion was excellent. Chi McBride definitely stole the show, making everyone laugh. When it was over, many rushed the stage trying to get Kristin Chenoweth's autograph. To everyone's surprise, the whole cast stayed to sign things and take pictures! So I got down there too. First, I got a picture with Krisin, since I was closest to her. I told her I thought she did great at the Oscars and she told me she was "so nervous!" Then I made my way towards Ellen.
When I finally reached her through the crowd, I asked to get a picture with her. While we were posing, I began to tell her that we had met before. "Tell her the turkey story!" Nick said. At that, Ellen's eyes lit up and it turns out... she absolutely remembered me! She ended up telling the other members of the cast, "I taught this girl how to cook a turkey!" and everyone looked at me. She gave me a huge hug and asked my name. It was so great to be able to thank her for being so sweet. She is just fabulous and I love her. I am so glad her career is going well. I will be a fan of hers forever.

And the Oscar goes to...

I love award shows! And of all of them, my favorite is the OSCARS. This year, I am proud to say for the first time EVER, I saw all of the nominees for Best Picture! I was actually sick that night, but I was well enough to be excited for some great moments. Here are my top 4:

4. "That's How You Know" - Kristin Chenoweth singing the song from Enchanted. I liked when John Travolta danced in the other Enchanted song, but Kristen definitely stepped up to the challenge of singing someone else's song and making it her own.

3. Best Actress - Truthfully, I haven't seen La Vie en Rose and so I wasn't really rooting for Marion Cotillard, but when she said "Thank you life, thank you love...and it is true, there are some Angels in this city," I became a fan.

2. Best Supporting Actress - I was rooting for Tilda Swinton ever since I saw her performance in Michael Clayton and I had been very vocal about it. I thought she absolutely deserved to win above all the other nominees and so when she did I was ecstatic! Hooray to the Academy for getting this one right.

1. Best Song - Hands down, the best for me was when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won Best Song for "Falling Slowly" from Once. I really loved that film - I thought it was so important to show that a film doesn't need to cost a zillion dollars to make to be good. For this film, it just needed amazing music and chemistry. I has my fingers crossed so hard for them, and when they won I cheered. Plus Marketa's speech (after Jon Stewart let her make it, also a nice moment) was wonderful. "This song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are."

Recipes of Recent

Made a Tollhouse Cookie Pie for a dinner party. It takes an hour to bake the pie part, so you need to make sure you put foil around the edges of the crust for at least half the time you bake it so you don't burn the crust. Drizzled extra chocolate on top and served it warm with slow-churned vanilla ice cream.

Made a strawberry cake in the shape of a Wii Remote for a friend's birthday. That was just fun with candy and frosting. Next time I would do it with fondant...if I knew how to make fondant.

Made double dark chocolate cupcakes for my Super Bowl party. The cake part was actually Sprinkles cupcake mix from Williams Sonoma, but the dark chocolate frosting I made from scratch and it was deeee-licious. It was really thick at first, so the trick is to add milk until it is a spreadable consistency.

Planning on making Nick a Tiramisu Cake for his birthday. Found a recipe online that I can't wait to try!
Tiramisu Cake

6 Reviews in One!

I haven't written a lot in my blog lately, but what I HAVE done is seen some good movies. I saw:
Walk Hard
Once
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets
Cloverfield
Juno
Michael Clayton

Walk Hard - I love this genre of comedy, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed in this movie. It was hilarious, but not entirely as clever as I hoped it would be. If you've seen Ray and Walk the Line then you'll get the jokes...it's just that some of them aren't really funny. *cringe* I hate saying that because i REALLY wanted to love this movie - especially with the fact that, like, every person in comedy is in this movie (even Adam Sandler, if you look closely. He's playing the piano at the end, uncredited.) It just fell a little short for me. I didn't need to see it in the theater. I'm sure the DVDs will sell like hotcakes, though. Maybe, like Old School, it's the type of movie you have to see twice. Or when you're drunk.
Once - My friends told me that, as a rock n roll girl, I would love this film. And I did. The film is actually extremely simple - a guy and a girl meet in Dublin and spend a week making music together. What makes the story so great is the conflict between these two characters and their situation. What makes the movie so great is the music. The film is something like 80% music, and the music is fantastic. (In fact, I am thrilled that one of the songs is up for an Academy Award! Fingers crossed that they win!) But what I really love about the film was that it is yet another example that a movie doesn't have to cost $300 million and have a zillion special effects or big "name" actors to be amazing.
National Treasure 2 : Book of Secrets - I saw the first National Treasure in the theater and was surprised by how much I liked it. It was exciting and adventurous - kind of like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (which is my favorite of the Indy movies). I was worried that this one wouldn't match up to it but actually, it was good! I mean, it's totally a check-your-reality-at-door "popcorn movie" but, hey, the world needs some of those too. If you can get past Nick Cage's acting and bad hairpiece, the movie is really fun.
Cloverfield - I am a HUGE JJ Abrams fan, obsessed with "Lost," and was very excited for this movie to come out. It did not disappoint. I LOVED this movie! It was exciting and scary without being gory. Right up my alley, since I love scary movies but hate gore. It's clever and different than your average horror movie too. That's all I really can say without spoiling anything.
Juno - Hooray for comedies being up for the Best Picture Oscar! I don't think it will win, but I did really like it. The first 15 minutes of dialogue was really difficult to get used to, but once I got past that I found a movie that was so good, with such great characters, that was endearing and funny and sweet and silly all at the same time. The actors gave amazing (and, in some cases, really surprising) performances. I mean, Allison Janney and Michael Cera are always great, but Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner - who knew? They were spectacular. Director Jason Reitman really earned his nod for this.
Michael Clayton - This political suspense thriller is still swirling around my head. The script was so sharp and the acting was SO good. Tom Wilkinson is just incredible, but who really blew me away was Tilda Swinton. Her performance was so real and intense. I thought the film was very powerful and intense.

I plan on seeing all the Oscar nominated films for Best Picture before the awards air. Next week I'm going to a screening of Atonement, but I also hope to see 27 Dresses and Fools Gold soon. Time for some chick flicks!
Any opinions on some of the movies I mentioned above? Or a film I've missed that I should see?

Christmastime in Rhode Island. (Only place I wanna be.)

Although I don't think I'll ever leave California, I think I will always consider Rhode Island my home. I love going east for the holidays - and this year Nick and I toured the east coast in a big way. We spent Christmas in Rhode Island and then New Years in Buffalo, thereby getting to see both of our families for the holidays.
It was wonderful.
A lot of books, travel guides, and magazines have their "must do's" for when you are visiting Rhode Island and Buffalo. Things like touring lighthouses and visiting Niagara Falls.
But I have my own list of must do's for myself...

Rhode Island
-spend good, quality time talking to my Dad
-get to hear my brother's band play (even if it's just practice) and spend some fun time with him
-spend as much time as possible hanging out with Holly, Joanna, Jenny, Lyndsay, and Anders and take as many "Blue Steel" pictures as possible
-help throw Jenny an amazing bachelorette party that's just the right balance of classy, girlie, and fun
-organize an amazing Christmas Eve dinner for 25
-calm my Aunties down when they get upset about the food :)
-eat my once-a-year doughboys on Christmas morning without thinking about calories.
-bake as many desserts as possible in that great kitchen, including one brand new thing (see the "Night Before Christmas Mice" cookies, above. They were a huge hit! Also did my first coffee cake.)
-have some good laughs and reconnect with my Aunties, Uncles, Grandparents, and cousins
-let everyone get to know Nick a little better, and make sure Nick has a very happy Christmas
-have our yearly dinner with the Procopios and leave with my sides hurting from laughter
-see old friends at the yearly Christie's Restaurant reunion
-eat the best clam chowder in the world at the Brick Alley Pub in Newport
-order as many pumpkin muffins and gingerbread lattes at Dunkin Donuts that my belly can handle (what?? I only get them once a year!)

Buffalo
-learn about what "Beef on Weck" is (even though I'm not going to eat any)
-spend time with Nick's sisters, and make sure that he gets to spend some good time with them
-play with Nick's nephews (I love Nintendo DS battles!)
-play as much "Settlers of Catan" as possible with friends and family
-attempt to stay warm

and then there were the things that just *happened* randomly that I couldn't have planned for
-spent some good quality time with Tricia, my Dad's girlfriend, and got to know her better
-received the most thoughtful and wonderful Christmas gifts ever
-Tammy randomly showed up at Boston Billiards, making it so that the RI "Spice Girls" were officially reunited
-took Nick on a driving tour of the Newport mansions
-got some great swag from a radio station contest (I love free stuff!)
-obtained some gorgeous art from Nick's artist sister
-learned about the awesomeness that are Korean Blankets (a must-have in Buffalo)
-got to do karaoke in both RI and Buffalo. Woot!

As you can see, these aren't exactly the must-do's that you'd read about in Frommer's, but to me they made for a fantastic holiday. Can't wait until next year.

The First Annual 2007 "Jessa's"

The First Annual 2007 "Jessa's"
1) OVERALL FRIEND OF THE YEAR AWARD -
I have many great friends, but this year the award goes to someone who, even though she was far away, remained my closest confidant through calls, cards, and gifts. She also helped me prepare for two family parties while I was at home.
And the award goes to: Holly Langton McMackin
2) HELPING HANDS AWARD -
This person has really been a great lifesaver numerous times this year. He's a good friend, and a great neighbor. For help with the couch, the entertainment center, the truck, moving day, and the spinning machine...
And the award goes to: Craig Morganti
3) FAMILY MEMBER OF THE YEAR -
This year the award goes to someone who was there for twice weekly phone calls and long chats over tea. She really stepped in as a mother figure and trustworthy friend for me.
And the award goes to: My Godmother, Auntie Judy Ray
4) LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD -
For always being there. For his neverending support. This was an easy one.
And the award goes to: My Dad, Thomas Gardner
5) MOST SELFLESS ACT OF THE YEAR -
After I accidentally hit a male bicyclist with my car early this year, this person was there to calm me down and help the guy, but they get this award for also GIVING their brand new mountain bike to the bicyclist so that the guy wouldn't cause me any trouble.
And the award goes to: the most wonderful boyfriend, Nicholas Brandt
6) NEWCOMER AWARD -
Tough one. Two great contenders for this award.
Runner up: Melinda Loewenstein, co-worker and good friend.
And the award goes to: Sara Durand, who I met through Sean and Will. She may actually be as big of a "Friends" geek as I am. Also shares love for shopping and chick flicks.
7) CAREER HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR -
Runner up: Auditioning for my first sitcom role (Thanks, Ally L.)
And award goes to: Becoming SAG eligible.
8) MOST EXCITING MOMENT OF THE YEAR -
Hands down...
And the award goes to: Winning the tickets to Live Earth, NYC. Roundtrip airfare, 2 nights at great Times Square hotel, getting to see Clark, and of course, tickets to the concert of the year.
9) VACATION OF THE YEAR -
And the award goes to: Vistana Orlando, March.
10) HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR -
Since Christmas this year hasn't happened yet. Taking "Nick from California" home to meet my family was something I'll never forget.
And the award goes to: Christmas in Rhode Island, 2006.
11) MUSIC DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR -
Who knew I liked country?
And the award goes to: Sugarland
12) MOVIE OF THE YEAR -
And the award goes to: Transformers
13) BOOK OF THE YEAR -
And the award goes to: Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book
14) BEST DECISION OF THE YEAR -
And the award goes to: Moving in with Nick.
15) RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR -
2nd Runner up: the hand roll place up in Van Nuys
1st Runner up: Van Rensellars, Cape Cod MA
And the award goes to: The Melting Pot, Pasadena CA
16) TV SHOW MOMENT OF THE YEAR -
And the award gos to: Jim asks Pam on a date, "The Office"
17) TV SHOW OF THE YEAR, RETURNING -
Runner Up: How I Met Your Mother
And the award goes to: Lost
18) TV SHOW OF THE YEAR, NEW -
And the award goes to: Pushing Daisies
19) CONCERT OF THE YEAR -
Runner Up: Dave Matthews Band at the Hollywood Bowl
And the award goes to: Live Earth, Giants Stadium
20) PARTY OF THE YEAR -
And the award goes to: Labor Day party at The Gardner's, Warwick, RI
21) BEST SPORTS MOMENT -
Runner up: Seeing the Red Sox sweep the Angels, LIVE (Thanks Nate!)
And the award goes to: Red Sox win the World Series
22) SHOCKING MOMENT OF THE YEAR -
This was a happy moment and good thing, but still shocking at the time.
And the award goes to: Joanna and Eric get married
23) "HALLELUJAH!" MOMENT -
And the award goes to: Nick gets hired (finally) at Dreamworks
24) SURREAL CAREER MOMENT -
Runner Up: working with Disney director Rich Correll on Hannah Montana
And the award goes to: On the set of the Forest Service video shoot, actually needing to use the phrase "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my trailer."

Feel free to comment with your own awards! Or give me ideas for more categories, I'm all out.
:)