Watch this video!

I watched The Artist last week (incidentally on the same night it won a bunch of Golden Globes), and absolutely loved it. I loved the unique use of sound in the film, and the way it was shot (B&W, intentional "film" blemishes, traditional 1.33:1 ratio), the lovely actors and actresses, and just the whole idea in general. Bravo to all involved!

So anyway, that got me back into old movies, and after watching lots of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire clips, I was reminded of this incredible video of the Nicolas Brothers that my friend Shweta showed me:

Those splits!! Like Shweta said, "I'm surprised they could still have kids after that!"

Then Again

I finished reading Diane Keaton's book Then Again this weekend. I really enjoyed it; it's not a typical celebrity autobiography...actually, it's more about Diane's relationship with her mother, Dorothy. It's especially interesting if you've ever had a family member with Alzheimer's, and the book does a really good job of detailing the difficulties and heartbreak of the disease.

Of course, there are also some great insights about Hollywood, LA, Woody Allen, etc. Diane Keaton seems to be all over Westwood and Brentwood - I'm bummed I've never seen her while in LA! Guess there's still time. :)

A favorite excerpt:

When I heard the D sound in a first name that became Diane, I still wasn't sure, but I got up anyway and more or less rushed to the podium. I knew winning had nothing to do with being the "best" actress. I knew I didn't deserve it. And I knew I'd won an Academy Award for playing an affable version of myself. I got it. But the fact that Annie Hall, a comedy, won best picture thrilled me. For some unfathomable reason, comedy is invariably relegated to the position of second cousin to drama. Why? Humor helps us get through life with a modicum of grace. It offers one of the few benign ways of coping with the absurdity of it all. Looking back, I'm so happy and so grateful and so proud to be in a Great American Comedy.

when evening falls so hard

This song is prone to parody, and easy to exaggerate for sure. One time Alex and I blasted it out the car windows as we drove slowly down frat row at UCLA, just to be ironic.

But tonight I'm listening to the words. Reading them, actually, from my Paul Simon lyrics book [/nerd]. Because they really are beautiful words, and need to be recognized every once in a while.

When you're weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you 
I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Sail on, silver girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.

Streets of India

Since I wasn't able to get any videos that truly capture the essence of India traffic while I was there, here's a compilation of videos taken from YouTube that hopefully show how insane the driving is there (yet somehow it works).

Also note, no one wears seatbelts in India. They don't even exist.

Crossing a street in Hyderabad (Alex and I had to do this - maybe this exact same street - several times, and it was terrifying. Feels pretty awesome after you accomplish it, though):

Haha, especially 1:15 and 1:52:

No lanes

Also, check out the Metro in Delhi (I had to squeeze in the middle of all this before realizing there was a separate car for women):

Could Art Garfunkel BE any more hipster???

And this one, because it's cool:

I'm finding it strange how...

...every film, TV show, and book that I have been obsessed with seem to have one thing in common: the city is an integral part of the story. That city is almost always New York, but it can also be LA, San Francisco, any big metropolis that can come to life and shape the way a character feels or acts.

Some examples:

"He was as tough and romantic as the city he loved..."
Annie Hall is probably my all-time favorite movie. I love the Manhattan backdrop, and the fact that Alvy is a devout New Yorker who can't stand to live anywhere else, and how amazingly beautiful the city always looks (this goes for almost all Woody Allen films, come to think of it).

As for other movies, I wouldn't consider When Harry Met Sally or You've Got Mail favorites (although they top my list of favorite chick flicks, most definitely), but the fact that the city plays a major role in those movies makes me love them. Some great LA movies, by the way, are Sunset Boulevard, Chinatown, and 500 Days of Summer. But to be honest, nothing compares to the romanticism of New York City.

From Woody Allen's Manhattan:

"If you only get one great love, then New York may just be mine."
Speaking of NYC, off the top of my head I can name at least five shows I've been obsessed with at some point, all of which take place in the Big Apple: Taxi, How I Met Your Mother, Sex and the City, Seinfeld, Friends...the list could go on but those are at the top. Just the idea of living in Manhattan and having an everyday life there makes me swoon. I am in love with the city. Also, some past guilty pleasures *coughFullHousecoughFrasier* are centered around some less-featured cities (Seattle, nice) and I'm pretty sure that's why my 10-year-old self liked them (yes, I watched Frasier when I was 10).

70s-tastic Taxi theme:

"I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York's skyline."
I'm pretty all over the place when it comes to reading, but the whole 'city life' theme has been recurrent in every book I've read recently. I especially love The Fountainhead, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Just Kids, and pretty much any autobiography that goes into detail about living in LA, SF, NYC, etc. Oh and Fitzgerald? Don't even get me started on him. Probably the greatest metropolitan writer ever.

I can't really think of a decent explanation for all this, except that I must be a city girl at heart. It's true that I'd rather live in the middle of a huge metro than in the middle of nowhere, maybe because the city has the capability of giving you anonymity while at the same time exposing you to all kinds of people and experiences. Not to mention, there's always a million things going on, so it's never boring. :) Maybe someday I'll find a way to show my love for the city like Woody Allen and F. Scott Fitzgerald did...

BEATLES LOVE

Watched the Living in the Material World documentary over the past two nights and just reaffirmed my love for the Beatles and George. I foresee a lot of Fab Four-related posts in the near future.....

For now, here are links to two of my new favorite tumblrs:

http://awkwardgeorge.tumblr.com/

http://fuckyeahbeatles.tumblr.com/

And an awkward/awesome picture to sum it up:

Not only is Paul holding a kangaroo in this photo, he is also wearing two watches. SO AWKWARD.