Emma Thompson had one heck of a week returning to TIFF after a seven year absence. My week wasn't as quite hammered or eccentric as hers was. This semester I'm taking Basic Stagecraft, which means risking my hands in table saws every week, the back of my head to students playing around with staple guns, and trying to remember to wear my safety goggles so wooden splints don't take out my eyes. Soo, maybe I could do with getting a bit drunk this semester in an effort to survive it! On the upswing of potential injuries, I do get four comped tickets to the production of Chicago my school is producing.
+ Ellen Degeneres weighed the pros and cons of hosting the Oscars. I think if she just doesn't do an annual opening song about boobs or the best picture nominees that nobody really pays attention, she'll do great. Also, Ellen is now syndicated on FX. I remember watching this show with my mother growing up and going to the coffee shop based on her show at Disney World. Hello, Childhood!
+ Matthew McConaughey has been getting standing ovations from TIFF crowd for his performance in the upcoming film Dallas Buyers Club. As a really long time fan of his going all the way back to EdTV, I'm really excited if this picks up Oscar buzz. Like Ben Affleck, I think he's under-estimated because some of his films that have been less than stellar. Jared Leto looks amazing as well.
+ Pop culture has changed as I know it. Justin Timberlake once did a song for McDonalds. I honestly don't remember this, thus never seeing this revelation coming. What interesting tidbit did you learn this week about someone or something?
+ Benh Zeitlin's new film is wildly improbable. The new film is about a young girl who gets kidnapped onto a hidden ecosystem where a tribal war is raging over a form of pollen that breaks the relationship between aging and time. So I want to see it.
+ Like we needed more problems with 50 shades of Grey, but apparently the glue that stuck those books together now makes them non recyclable. Humanity now faces the horror of 50 Shades of Grey forever haunting thrift store bookshelves for all eternity.
From the Blogosphere
+ Shantanu from U, Me, and Films winds up his August viewings
+ Karamel Kinema shares thoughts on fashion and film
+ Margaret gets ready for American Horror Story: Coven
+ Ellen reviews The Searchers
