Doogie Howser, the awkward teenage bright bulb who became a very young doctor was nattily played by Neil Patrick Harris on the small screen.
As an adult, Neil Patrick Harris has made some of the most memorable cameo appearances on the big screen in the hilarious and irreverent Harold and Kumar comedies.
(Caption: Come laugh with me!
Photo credit: Neil Patrick Harris by Jeff Minton for ew)
An appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is the official barometer to tell if a star is truly a star in every sense of the word.
Two women whom I saw on Jay Leno who easily are the smartest and brightest actresses of their generation are Kate Winslet and Elizabeth Banks. Both women appeared on Jay Leno's show (on different occasions) and they are both eloquent, have unsurpassed sense of humor, don't take themselves too seriously (TRANSLATION: feet firmly planted on the ground!) and -- MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL! -- can tell the studio audience a good story!
(Caption: Come, wanna make a porno with me?
Photo credit (Elizabeth Banks = mugshot): picture by Jeff Vespa for Wireimage.com on http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20186838,00.html)
(Caption: Come sit with me!
Photo credit (Kate Winslet seated): picture by James White on http://images.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/060928/104125__kate_l.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1540471,00.html&usg=__341CXEmiryEKdKN2pn-lomlNN0o=&h=400&w=300&sz=27&hl=en&start=12&um=1&tbnid=Yt9W74bSqEwbrM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3DKATE%2BWINSLET%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN)
I am a great fanof all things German and I am most happy to report that Angela Merkel is the most powerful woman in the world. As leader of the third biggest economy in the world, she has held the country together very well, keeping it on its moral trajectory (yes, yes, Siemens has paid for its corruption charges), and has poise and confidence in addressing world issues.
Angela Merkel has taken Germany to places that Germany has never gone to in the modern era: to the very top of global public esteem. I salute this wonderful woman!
(Caption: Powerful in the eyes of the beholders.
Photo credit: picture from: http://nazret.com/blog/media/blogs/new/angela_merkel.jpg)
Hahaha (instead of the more Christmassy Hohoho!) -- Bernard Madoff (pronounced "made-off", the Wall Steet crook has gloriously lived up to his name indeed -- and has "Made-Off" with billions of his clients' money!
(Caption: Here's looking at your billions, kid!
Photo credit: picture from http://business.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00450/Madoff_450787a.jpg)
Quantum of Solace has put paid to the notion that Daniel Craig is a one-note actor in playing James Bond. What a disappointing film Quantum of Solace was.
Thankfully, the action quota for the year has now been wonderfully fulfilled by Transporter 3, the Jason Statham vehicle. The script is not a masterpiece, no surprises there. But the it does have many moments and the cast are good and the characters decently written and fleshed out.
What? A powerful man's daughter has been kidnapped? He shows us why he is powerful -- while cleverly buying time in abiding by the demands of the thugs, he dispatches his people to track down the baddies and comes to know who exactly is pushing the baddy buttons. The next time the baddy calls with instructions -- he refers to the baddy by name! And that's just one of the side characters!
Jason Statham, is charismatic as ever and it says a lot indeed that when the audience cares whether our hero lives or not! And in the meantime, with his signature black transporter, the gorgeous Audi, he takes action to its ridiculous heights -- one minute he is a terminator in a suit and the next he is peddling his bicycle like an ace X-gamer! Not to mention, he drives like an F1 driver who'd popped a bucketload of Ecstasy!
The car chase scenes in Transporter 3 are breathtaking and heart stopping.
It is enough to say that Jason Statham's hero is meant to transport a woman who was taken hostage by the baddies and he is hell bent on making the baddies pay the price for their bad hand. The combination of his impeccably sharp suits, beautiful cranium and the devilish Audi will take the audience for a spin they will delight in!
Oh, and the repartee between Jason Statham's Frank Martin and his pal the French Inspector Tarconi (played by the lovable Francois Berleand) about Russians and why they are always depressed is priceless and easily one of cinema's greatest highlights!
Go watch this if you like action films! Transporter 3 does not pretend to be anything it is not. It is pure adrenaline-rush fun.
(Photos: Jason Statham mugshot from http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24077310-5003420,00.html, Jason Statham in Transporter 3 movie still by Magali Bragard for Lionsgate)
Irreverence, humor, a good script, a likable cast, good (if intentionally cheesy special effects) -- there are plenty of all these on my favorite television show, Reaper.
This is a show that has classic and cult written all over it and the audience demographic is one of the most influential in TV-land (20s to 40s). The appeal of the show is global.
(This is my favorite Reaper photo of the cast from http://www.tv.com/users/PKtechGirl/profile.php?action=show_blog&entry=m-100-25365766&print=1)
Can anyone honestly say that they are not instantly in love with this chunk of metal hunk? This is the BMW Z4 coupe and it has set many hearts afire! A dream car if ever there was one. Sigh!
AMERICANS MAKE THE BEST MUSCLE CARS. And that is the truth. Just look at this beauty from Dodge -- the 2009 Challenger and see the jaws drop!
Oh, besides its muscular body, the round headlights are winners. Round headlights are simply beautiful!
One look at the sheer class is each Steuben Glass piece is enough to convince you that it is all you need to make this yearend holiday complete!
Here, have a look at some of Steuben Glass' latest creations and judge for yourself!
Google is the best thing since sex. And that's the truth of it! With Google, knowledge is at everyone's fingertip. And the global map is accessible to everyone -- true democratization of knowledge and information has arrived.
Even more important than all that jazz -- you can now Google friends and see if they are on Facebook so that you can drop them a line and hook up with long lost pals.
(Google logo as interpreted by modern pop artist Jeff Koons)
Oh wow, until I got onto the Facebook bandwagon, I never realized how magnificent it really is! Facebook is a virtual behemoth that has brought long lost friends together and expanded the universe of friends for everyone and is one of the most amazing phenomena to have washed over mankind. The future is here folks!
The man who now wears more gold medallions than black hip hop stars is, officially, Michael Phelps. This young American captured the imagination of the world when he won 8 gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the swimming events.
In person and in interviews, Michael Phelps has won audiences with his charm and sweetness and gentle nature. Michael Phelps' appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno after his superhuman Olympic feat in Beijing 2008 proved that he's the real deal when it comes to America's Sweetheart.
(Photo of Michael Phelps from people.com)
Our collective imagination was set on fire by the feats of Jamaican Usain Bolt at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Usain Bolt shows that people do not care what the skin color of a person is -- TALENT IS TALENT, and great talent will be celebrated regardless of everything else.
(Photo of Usain Bolt by Anja Niedringhaus for AP, as seen on guardian.co.uk)
One of my favorite comediennes is Kathy Griffin. She is the funniest comedienne working on TV today.
Kathy Griffin has an Emmy-winning My Life of the D-List -- one of the most hilarious side-splitting shows on tv.
Kathy Griffin has appeared on Larry King and was so good that Larry King had her host an episode of his show (the topic was on paparazzi and Kathy Griffin ripped through it in the funniest manner imaginable. Does CNN have the episode stored anywhere online? I am sure people who love comedy would love to get their hands on it!) Kathy Griffin also has appeared on Jay Leno and always has the audience in stitches -- although sometimes it looks like she is just too sharp for the audience to catch some of the nuance/speed of her jokes!
She is one of the best things working on TV today and brings much needed laughter into the world.
She has her own website: http://www.kathygriffin.net/
(Photo of Kathy Griffin from EW)
Jay Leno is the most popular talk show host on the planet today.
He is a heroic celebrity interviewer to the global audience because he is witty, has a great sense of humor, has a great capacity to empathize with his guests, and displays a level of decency and morality that is in sync with people every where.
His recent kind and gloved handling of the extremely shy and modest Robert Pattinson, the star of Twilight, is a brilliant case in point. (Robert Pattinson appeared on the show along with goddess of gorgeousness Heidi Klum and her super-talented husband Seal.) And when his guests are completely confident and self-assured, like the brilliant interview with Elizabeth Banks a few weeks back (just after Halloween), he takes the interview to fun places!
(An excellent photo of Jay Leno by Peggy Sirota for Corbis Outline on ew.com)
I confess I didn't like the first Madagascar film, except for the times when Sacha Baron Cohen's King Julien appeared n screen.
But the second Madagascar film -- is a great second helping indeed! It is a case of the sequel being better than the first one. Madagascar 2 is funny, cheeky and engaging and it has the level of irreverence that the Dreamworks studio is so famous for (remember the first Shrek film?).
And the additional voice talents like Alec Baldwin (Makunga), Will.I.Am (Moto Moto) -- are insired choices indeed!
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is the perfect antidode to the sterile and nauseating animation that Pixar keeps churning out from its production line.
Over the centuries, thin has always been in! And there's good reason for it -- thin people are sexier, most are nice people, many a stylish and the most important thing is that thin people take pride in how they look and make the effort to keep the pounds off.
And the best gift that a lean/thin guy van give himself is a Levi's skinny jeans. It even comes in everybody's favorite 501 mould!
Check out this gorgeous Red 501s (picture is from the Levi's website of course!
I confess that I have never really been a fan of Beyonce. But her sit-up-and-take-notice-boy! kinda performance of "Single Ladies" at the 2008 American Music Awards cannot be ignored. It was a hot and sizzling performance and everyone who enjoys a good live performance MUST look it up on youtube.com and watch it repeatedly.
(Photo of beyonce from Sports Illustrated)
In 2008, Pink came out with "So What", a catchy and memorable song that best sums up the best of the music industry. Pink has attitude, chutzpah and an in-your-face attitude that has always been infectious -- all these combined with an excellent song produced one of the biggest songs of the year!
It helps also that she is a superb live performer. Anyone who saw Pink at the American Music Award would have gone down on their knees at her solid performance! She has a voice very few singers have. Pink has the voice and range that surprised me. And when she sang with Sarah MacLachlan, the two sang flawlessly!
(Pink photo from Reuters)
Best movie of the Year 2008: Twilight.
Never has the casting for movie -- and it does not matter that this is a teen-vampire-romance flick -- been so perfect and by Jove Twiight has got it precision perfect. Robert Pattinson as the lead vampire is riveting on the screen every time he appears and his lady love Kristen Stewart is immensely watchable in Twilight with her depth of character.
Watching her, Kristen Stewart reminds me of a young Sigourney Weaver and Twilight makes it very clear that both Kristen and Robert are going to go places. It says a lot indeed about these two's star pulling power (and -- let's not be coy about it -- sex appeal!) that a vampire movie can open at the top of the box office so near around Christmas time!
The movie is simple enough to be a teen romance but the script, performances and direction combine in ways that are aces! Both Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have that rare quality amongst movie stars: global appeal.
(Photo of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart from http://www.mtv.com/movies/photos/m/2008_movie_awards/twilight/01_robert_pattinson.jpg)
Barack Obama has announced his new political team and he has gone for experienced and capable people. It is one of the best moves he can make.
Selecting Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State is the right move. She is a very capable woman and has the experience (and access to the experienced) that is crucial for her role.
Considering that Barack Obama is going into office while the economy is self-pulverized by American businessmen's misguided notion of what pure capitalism should be (i.e. unfettered and unmonitored way of making vulgar profits), he needs able and experienced hands to give ONE-TIGHT-SLAP to the system when the system (and greedy businessmen!) need it.
In life, Barack Obama knows I am sure, intervention is needed so that the less able are taken care of and looked after. Otherwise, the money-begets-money monster squad will leave the disadvantaged behind and you will have a state of union that will be absolutely unacceptable.
It is a challenging time also for Barack Obama because, disturbingly, with the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, it is also a time when the United States is reminded to be ever-vigilant against nutcases who hide behind dubious religious tenets for license to carry out their shitty, murderous work. These religious zealots should be dealt with severely and wiped off the face of this Earth.
(Photo of President-elect Barack Obama's new team by Jim Wilson for New York Times, and photo of Hillary Clinton by Chris Keane for Reuters)
One of the most remarkable persons in the Bush Administration has been Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In my opinion, she has done an incredibly admirable job as Secretary of State and deserves to be praised and celebrated.
As the first female African-American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice has tirelessly traveled around the world in her mission t broker peace and attend meeting and I am very proud of the work she has done.
She has never complained about anything, she has always maintained a dignified front and has given her all to the work she has been entrusted with. That is my perception from the sidelines anyway. And I am very sure it is an accurate observation of Condoleezza Rice.
President George W. Bush and the rest of his honchos, on the other hand, have been nothing but disappointment. President Bush's people, especially the utterly evil and remorseLESS Dick Cheney, have mostly been a curse and a bane to the world at large. All semblance of morality and accountability has been flushed down the toilet not only in the US (where the woeful state of of the corporate entities clearly bear this out!) -- but the trickle effect around the world has been profound.
Hope, as always, springs eternal, and the world again looks to the United States for leadership and it looks like great promise is held by Barack Obama!
(Photo of Condoleezza Rice by Stephen Crowley for New York Times)
(Illustration of Condoleezza Rice by Nathan Fox for New York Times)
I am an ardent fan of Angela Merkel. She is the only female politician, next to Hillary Clinton, whom I would give any respect to as a leader. (Yes, I am an uber sexist and think women should not be allowed to move up to the top of the political or corporate ladders, because they will inadvertently ruin the country or the business they are entrusted to lead.)
Anyway, Angela Merkel was re-elected as the leader of Germany's Christian Democrats with a resounding vote of more than 95 per cent.
She is a capable leader of Germany and Angela Merkel also inspires confidence amongst the global elites and observers on her potential to contribute greatly to the greater global good.
Photo of Angela Merkel by Michael Kappeler for New York Times.
