Obama Travelrama

Does it give him credibility? See how I feel at SPOTD.

RIP, Sophia. This slice is for you.

Estelle Getty, Sophia Petrillo, on the golden girls has “gone to the big lanai in the sky” (according to TMZ).  She was 84 years old, just 3 days shy of her 85th birthday.

IRF reveres our favorite Sicilian and perhaps we need to go back and review IRF’s Tribute to the Golden Girls. 

I think all of us will sit around the kitchen table tonight, in our robes, having a slice of cheesecake in your honor.

Movie Review: Dark Knight

IRF is always in the know.  Between showing you behind the scenes pictures of Oscar Parties and American Idol Backstage passes, we have also brought you pictures of important movies being filmed, such as National Treasure (at Mt Vernon) and last summer, we told you of Batman – Dark Knight being filmed outside my apartment in Chicago.

Last night, I joined in with the pack to see the film (which will have one of the most successful opening weekends of all time).  I purchased my tickets 12 hours ahead of time, and showed up an hour and a half early to get in line outside the theater.  Did I do it for my love of Christian Bale?  Was it an homage to the late Heath Ledger?  No, my urgency in seeing the film was that I knew it was chalk-full of Chicagoness and I’m painfully homesick.

The Chicago scenes did not disappoint.  I was pleased to see the scenes that included the inside pictures I shared with you last August.  It was great.  Christian Bale is delicious and when he’s dressed like batman, he talks like GOB from Arrested Development.  The whole time I was giggling about the scene when Will Arnett and Alec Baldwin were having a face off on 30 Rock and both talking in their Batman voices and Tina Fey comes up and says, “Maybe we can settle it with a talking like this contest.”

Voice and tastiness of Christian Bale aside, let me reiterate how much I adore Morgan Freeman.  He’s great, as he is in every movie.  There was a scene when a smug little lawyer was trying to blackmail Wayne Enterprises and Morgan Freeman’s smug little smile was priceless.

The acting, action, and Chicago scenes all had me happy… My only critique is that it should have ended 40 minutes earlier, in the hospital, as it would have set it up there perfectly for the next movie.  Alas, I had Swedish Fish to keep me happy, so no REAL complaints.  Go see it. If nothing else, it will remind you of the mob presence in Chicago politics as you evaluate other Chicago politicians…

Klassy with a capital K

I live in a city that is not poor.  It is the Venture Capital mecca of the world, and people with six figure incomes are considered “the needy”.  And so, when I pay what I do in rent, there are certain things I don’t expect to find on my sidewalk.

Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES was I prepared to have to hurdle over a pair of men’s brief’s on my way to my car.  Klassy with a capital K.

(Slightly redemptive to the den of sloth in which I live, my downstairs neighbor is playing Gershwin on his piano right now)

More Idol Backstage Pictures

David Johns, the Australian contestant.

David Archuleta up close and personal after the L.A. concert.

One of many side hugs of the night for David Cook. A fan has scribbled a message on his fedora.

Backstage at American Idol

Through our special correspondents in L.A., we have been privileged to bring you inside peeks at Hollywood. The latest pictures come from The Train (my sister and new sister-in-law to the dazzling newlywed Kirsten). The Train attended the American Idol concert last night and got one of 100 backstage passes. It helped that The Train’s concert companion is good friends with Brooke White and her husband. Behold, your Idols!

The tweens went crazy for David Archuleta. I still maintain he should have won.

Jason Castro is still hanging onto his dreads.

Brooke White sang “Let it Be.”

Jason Castro and Paula Abdul greet fans after the show.

Hanging out with beautiful Brooke backstage.

David Cook backstage after the concert.

Not pictured but extremely nice was Carly Smithson and her very tattooed husband.

Odd Bedfellows

Total Gym Direct is endorsed by an interesting trio of celebrities. You have Chuck Norris, a guy who has become a huge conservative, followed by Christie Brinkley, a woman in a nasty public divorce. Then to top it off, you have Wesley Snipes, a tax denier with a pending prison sentence.

Now in their defense, Mario Lopez was already taken, but c’mon marketing geniuses.

If this is wrong, I don’t want to be right!

Though JL and I were the co-captains of Team Kreme (who camped out for the opening of the Orem Krispy Kreme circa 2000), our wildest dreams could never fathom such a sandwich.  KRISPY KREME BACON CHEESEBURGERS.  Someone get the paddles.  STAT.

Guest Post: The Wheels that Keep Our Country Turning

My office carpet produces an insane amount of static electricity. I failed Physical Science. Twice. So that may not be exactly what is happening. I remember a rod being rubbed against a rabbit fur? I guess in this example I’m the rod. But I’d rather be draped in rabbit fur. That’s beside the point though. There is tons of electricity in the office. Touch the filing cabinet. POW. Grab something off the printer. ZING. I don’t know why I’m surprised every time it happens. But I am.

Since realizing the potent force of electrons, or protons, or Jimmy Neutron, I’ve had one goal. To have an intern shock his mouth on the metal door handle to our office. Why? I have no idea. But I nearly got one to do it. We locked the door, double locked in fact using a lock on the ground, to ensure that the door wouldn’t fling open and deteeth him. He chickened out. But just by getting close, the two of us have been close since he left the office, nearly two years ago.

What else makes a strong intern? Killer guest posts for one. For another, being neither heard nor seen, yet managing to keep my outbox empty of clutter. Not calling me “Bud” in the hall is a major one. You should also keep your shoes on while at the copier. Where I work, summer interns are a special level of intern. During the school year, the truly devoted are interns. Once summer hits, everyone whose Dad or Mom is owed a favor gets in. You can spot these gems by their designer duds, high heels, couture bags, too much David Yurman, and Barack Obama pins.

While we’re fondly recalling intern memories (not fondling), here are a few more.

*Telling a managing partner at the firm picnic that he was a summer associate in his second year of law school, when in reality he was an intern in his sophomore year of college.

*An 18 year old getting totally hammered at an Orioles game, having his car impounded, and being forced to stay in a hotel near the stadium. It being a work night, he drove in the next day directly from Baltimore, neglecting his hygienic duties.

*An intern who in the matter of one week had her dorm catch fire, her car blocked in on the street, and a mono scare, all which prevent her from showing up to work on time.

It is wonderful to take part in guiding these brilliant young minds that are so full of hope and promise. We are fortunate to see these rising stars who look down on the entry level jobs in the office that none of them could even hope to get. Here’s to them.

The Lamentations of Lowry – Chapter 8: La Revolución

I’m going to be a little presumptuous here, possibly trespassing on Massimo’s turf, but I wanted to outline a few things that I don’t think have any place in our society after The Revolution:

• Bathtub Cheese: Not much can be said about this.
• The Jonas Brothers: These three skinny-pants wearing brats are terrible singers. I’ve had to sit through them twice now, on two different reality results shows, and I don’t like them, at all, yet the Disney machine has thrust, thrust them upon us. At least they appear to be playing instruments.
• Skinny Jeans on women: Sorry. They don’t look good on anyone. They actually do make your butt look big. They are like this fluffy little skirts that always seem to be worn by girls with more generous proportions and that also fail to flatter 99% of the wearers. 
• Ear gauging: It never fails to give me the heebie jeebies.
• Che Guevara and anything having to do with him.
• Progressive Income Taxes
• Mandatory participation in Social Security

This is far from exhaustive. Share your thoughts below. We’ll talk about what will be part of the Revolution in a later post.