Whitney Houston Remembered

My heart is heavy as our sweet songbird is laid to rest today. In honor of her spectacular talent and all the years I've spent loving her voice, here are a few of my all-time favorites. Rest in sweet relief my dear Miss Houston.

Pinterest is the new black!

Yes, I have yet another obsession because Pinterest is as good as everyone says it is. I'm a very visual person and Pinterest is great for organizing ideas visually. Designed primarily for photos but supportive of video also, Pinterest is where it's at for sharing your image passion. Are you on? If so, leave a note with your link in the comments!! xoP

Pariah, The Movie

The buzz on this film has been brewing since its screening at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and now Pariah is available in select cities across the country. I don't usually post about films I haven't yet seen, but I'm doing it this time because I landed the voiceover for the trailer and I'm so excited! You see, most (if not all) trailers use male voices to sing the critics' praises for a film, but this time the producers went with a woman's voice and that woman is MEEEEE!! Woo hoo! Take a listen. And go see the movie!

xoP

Fall Foliage

It's Friday!! Have a great weekend!

Just For Fun - Pummelvision

I found a new toy and its name is Pummelvision. Check it out:




If you make one (or several) of your own, please share!

xoP

Red Carpet Recap - 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards®

Award season is in full swing and as you may know, I don't watch awards shows but I do watch the Red Carpet so here's who caught my eye at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards.

I like to start things off with my favorite and this year, the award goes to character actor Alan Cumming (The Good Wife, X-Men) for best dressed male.

Alan Cumming

Cumming got ripped for being a little too over-the-top but he made me giggle and aren't we sick of the same black tuxedos (and an occasional purple one) strolling the carpet year after year? Kudos to you Alan!

On to the contenders in the best dressed actress category. In no particular order are:

 Aubrey Plaza

Christine Baranski 

Claire Danes 

 Connie Britton

Evan Rachel Wood 

 Heidi Klum

 Jane Krakowski

 Kristen Wiig

 Lena Headey

 Nina Dobrev

 Rashida Jones

 Julia Stiles

Sofia Vergara

My favorites are Nina Dobrev, Christine Baranski, Heidi Klum and the unpopular Lena Headey. I'm going out on a limb and calling Lena Headey my absolute favorite. I love the mysterious, edginess of this body conscious look that's sexy without showing a bit of skin below the neck. Fantastic!

Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) 

Now, for the Terrible Two! Gwyneth Paltrow and, oh dear God, Paz de la Huerta. Ladies what are we thinking? Not good, not good!

Gwyneth Paltrow

Paz de la Huerta

That's it for me for the Emmy's. Did I miss anyone? Do tell. Who's your favorite?

xoP

Treacherous Tuesday - Just Kidding

In honor of the quake felt round the world, well ok, felt in NYC - I give you His Royal Highness ~ Prince!

Housequake!

Amy, Amy, Amy

Amy Winehouse
14 September 1983 - 23 July 2010

The news of her death has saddened me in a way that I had not predicted. Of course, I watched along with the rest of the world as this deeply gifted and deeply troubled artist unraveled. We all saw her sinking and seemingly wallowing in a pit where her personal demons traveled along with her like a bad friend you can't shake. And though many of us anticipated this tragic end to her life, I always held a deep and abiding hope that she would pull herself together and save her own life. Sadly, this was not to be.

I found Amy's music at a time of great personal turmoil. Devastated by the end of a relationship, cowed by what I perceived to be an insurmountable stall of my career, displaced from my home and unsure of who I was or how I would continue living, Amy's first album, Frank, became my touchstone. A place where I could be with my heartbreak, rage, fear and sadness and mix it all in with some small kernel of hope that things wouldn't always be so God-awful. It was the winter of 2006 and no one knew who Amy Winehouse was. She was my own personal treasure trove. The piano and the chord progressions in the jazz-influenced You Sent Me Flying were like little bits of heaven to me. I took her everywhere I went.

As winter turned to spring and I put the pieces of my life back together, having grown new parts of me where others had withered, I recalled the lessons I'd learned from my time spent with Ms. Winehouse. First, that there were indeed artists making music that spoke to me and my experience and maybe there was still a place for someone like me in an industry full of popcorn and bubblegum. She had it all: soul, irreverence, courage and of course, that voice. But most importantly, I had learned that things in your life can be terrible and you can still be okay. Okay enough to write about it, to sing about it, to lay your soul bare and live to tell the tale. There would always the other side and you would most certainly be changed. Sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. This was my Amy Winehouse experience. I loved her fiercely.

When her life took it's dreadful turn and story after story broke about her drug use, her tumultuous relationship, and her declining health I had to look away. I couldn't bear to see her that way. Today I understand that I had pinned a lot of hope for my own redemption to my hope for hers and with each piece of terrible news, both seemed more unlikely.

And so it is with a heavy heart and a deep sadness that I bid farewell to a gifted singer, a woman who helped to save my life and a kindred spirit. I will miss you. Rest in sweet relief my dear Amy.

Inspiration

I found this Ira Glass quote on Curvy In The City tonight. It's much needed inspiration at a time when I am damn near un-inspirable.

The View From Here

~ Independence Day 2011 ~