Lately all I can do for these lists is to title what sweet I'm eating at the exact moment so while I'm in the high of a vegan chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing, this is what I have to offer the world -- but no, you may not have my cupcake! Mine!

Secret Life of Walter Mitty Ben Stiller Style

We all read it in high school, disillusioned man goes completely Tom Ewell in Seven Year Itch in his daydreams but instead of stress-inducing anxiety (Since Seven Year Itch was a huge headache when Marilyn wasn't in the scene) we have WW2 delusions where Mitty is the hero instead of a victim (hmm, Wilder may have been influenced by this short story...) but why tamper with Danny Kaye's performance in the 40s film version? Because this is Hollywood, and Hollywood likes to fuck up good adaptations case in point, the latest news as of early this month with Ben Stiller possibly playing Mitty. In a modern world, the movie would be degraded into every other movie Stiller has played as a loser-incarnate. (You do realize his two shining moments was The Royal Tennanbaums and Heavyweights? I love that movie...) so why mess with it? Ugh! 

While we're on the topic of movies based around WW2, I have a good question I always ask: what would have happened if Germany was still the top grossing movie nation like it used to be in the 20s without WW2 happening... would Germany be the Hollywood of today and mainstream movies wouldn't suck? Food for thought...

Get To Know Their Face

Dwindling in my Vspot Bookmark folder for so many weeks I cannot remember the source of the blog or the magazine, but someone in this world posted their soundcloud to which I support this with my face melted in a total Le Kid kind of way. This is pop music at its finest with some pretty gorgeous British women -- a fair trade.

"Turn Me On Dammit"

From beautiful British women to my favorite female ethnicity... country... whatever you want to call it, Norway has god a whole lot more sexual and we all know I'm approving this with mouth agape and eyes bulging with happiness. Thank you, Nylon Magazine! In an article that features the lead of Helene Bergsholm as Alma, a hormonal 15 year old living vicariously in her fantasies in school and at her part time job while in that high school hope "the cute boy," Artur (Mathias [Mah-tea-es] Myren) will notice. Oh he will notice her, and while the results are sad, this is the grittiest we will ever see adolescence outside of the U.S. that doesn't involve bullying. I haven't even seen a trailer but already my heart has this movie as a special place and NOT because of hot Norwegian girls masturbating (although it's a perk!) but because after watching Sweden's "Show Me Love" it's an indication that the Scandinavians know how to film adolescence in their movies instead of sticking to the similar plot and stereotypes in Hollywood teenage chick flicks.  

Uma Thurman joins Smash!! 

For the third Vspot list in a row, Smash truly has a wonderful place in my heart despite cashing in on some of the mythical Marilyn versus the Marilyn I see in my mind, although I call her Norma Jeane. (If you want to watch a great Marilyn with dramatic potential movie, watch Don't Bother to Knock, your mind shall be blown into kibble!) But moving on from her and into the TV show that pays wonderful  homage to her, there's another blond in town. Proving she has the dancing and singing chops in the musical movie version of "The Producers" Uma Thurman is coming to Smash as a star who dabbles with the thought of playing Marilyn. A little old for the Smash-version of Marilyn? Maybe. But this makes it harder to decide who should win the role, McPhee or Hilty. Don't ask me to choose!

Alphabeat Does Vacation

What's better than Danish pop band Alphabeat's song "Fascination" where they totally pull a Tom Green "say the word" in their bridge? A comeback, and a comeback that's so perfect with a single that sounds like it will be in summer commercials all over America if Alphabeat plays their cards right. Oddly and wonderfully put out on the first day of Spring Break, this is this spring/summer's anthem! Watch them sing this magic on the finale of Denmark's X Factor then Lil Anders duets with finalist Line on their huge hit, The Spell. Have I mentioned this performance includes women dancers as sexy flight attendances? Um, yeah.

Karen Walker Insect Dress

THIIIISSS!!! 

Once more... thank you Nylon!

Romeo and Juliet Goes Buckley

One of my best film crews next to Tim Burton's entourage thought they could top Romeo and Juliet as a guys with shaved heads and 90s punk rock and Radiohead rifts with William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet . Well I almost feel guilty to say that, Luhrmann, Bilcock (my favorite editor ON THIS EARTH!) be very careful because someone is taking over the Shakespeare tragedy on Broadway. Luhrmann loves his broadway so this may injure his theatrical little heart. 

"The Last Goodbye" is a musical treatment with Jeff Buckley tunes has been going on for two years now, but just recently cited in Nylon Magazine as Kristen Connolly's (Mona Lisa Smile) latest acting gig before starting on Joss Whedon's "The Cabin" which is also on my must-watch list. How did I not know about this and why didn't someone tell me about this 2 years ago? Off to youtube I go for clips..

Let's get this out of the way -- these next few weeks are going to suck hard for slowly trickling into fall. So everyone escape into the movie theater and Harry Potter your faces since I can't. In the wake of being broke, this is what is making me quiver and yes, two men after my own heart are on this list.

Josh Groban in "Crazy, Stupid, Love"

So it is a little odd that this man with the banana is my ultimate hetero-crush. But however, he is, and just happens to be coming back to acting. In case if you have forgotten, Josh Groban's acting debut was on Ally McBeal as a shy little choir boy and then ended up melting Ally's face from his first single off of his self entitled album "From Where You Are." He melted my face and a few other parts as well from that first time I saw him on the show 12 years ago... has it really been that long?

He's back as a secondary character again, but as Emma Stone's geeky lawyer fiancee who gets dumped for Ryan Gosling who he, as Groban tells US Today "He’s so cool. He’s the kind of guy you just want to just fist-bump. For no reason.” I support this Josh, as long as you come home to me.

 Darren Criss on Broadway?

 Onto the next musical and acting machine, Darren Criss, who has made men and women both swoon over his portrayal of Harry Potter in the Harry Potter musical AND as Blaine Andersen (of course) in Glee, making out with Chris Colfer's Kurt Hummel. Very hot. But swooning over those two together isn't why I'm writing about him. Turns out there will be one more parallel between Criss and Radcliffe, the role of J. Pierrepont Finch in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" which Criss will start playing in January. More info at the *click!* Nylon Blogs *click!*

RENT Revival

It's been three years since Jonathan Larson's epitaph of how to live life to its fullest -- otherwise known as RENT -- closed on Broadway, and it was a dark day... and then The Neiderlander sold its soul to Disney and practically was painted over with Mickey Mouse ears from the graffiti by loyal RENTheads. That didn't keep RENT from making a revival as of this month, hallelujah! 

I should be doing a happydance over this...

But is it worth it? 

From pictures on **click!** The Huffington Post **click!** and the short interviews of Michael Grief and the new cast at **click!** playbill.com *click!** it looks like it is made with the best intentions and I am almost curious, as both a lover of the La Boheme story, RENT, and a devoted disciple of Jonathan Larson, of seeing the video clips they intend to meld into the story. Any disappointments so far? While the costume department did fantastic (for Mark and others) but ditching the Santa outfit during Today 4 U is just sacrilege! Everything else looks fantastic.

My Little Pony

While Belle and Sebastian have always been a little lackluster to my ears, they just don't have that melt your face effect that I love to have in my music, once more I look to Norway and... Nylon? In the August 2011's Denim issue of Nylon, the article "Have it Norway" have introduced me to two new Scandinavian obsessions, Razika (more to follow) and My Little Pony, clearly taking a little from Belle and Sebastian's lo-fi sound, but making it sound a little twee.

Nothing is more twee than "A Song For You" or happier in "Capital of Norway" which is going onto the next Dance In Your Underwear Mix. Norway, you really lack the ability to suck! Have I mentioned they are great songwriters? "...and in the chorus i would use the word radio so that it could be played on the radio" there's something dorky but deep in between the lines of this magical band formed by a group of Osloians: Ola Innset, Nina Bø, Simen Herning, Marie Sneve Martiniussen and Jørgen Nordby. Have I mentioned they are hilarious?

 

Russell on Amy Winehouse

Since I have been so behind around this blog, I have neglected to give Amy Winehouse a moment of silence, but I'm giving a great shout out for Russell Brand for the beautiful eulogy he wrote on his site for this great retroress. Granted, the status of celebrity puts Amy both in "The 27 Club" joining Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix but also really questions are we glamorizing this a bit much? If it was anyone else we'd shake our heads and let it go by without a mention but because Amy had an album out, it seems people are willing to put her back up on the Itunes Charts. Is there something wrong with this picture?

**click!** "There will always be a phone call." **click!**

Razika 

Once more from the pages of Nylon, another Scandinavian band captures my ears by use of a sampling of The Beatles "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" and for once, I don't care! Marie Amdam, Maria Råkil, Marie Moe and Embla Karidotter are like the Norge Runaways except they're of age (at least three years older) and with a little bit of a pop sensitivity from "Taste my Dream" and a little Green Day in "Why Have We to Wait?" showing off their influences. I think I'm a little in love.