Weekly Us Weekly Musings

So this week's Us Weekly cover celebrates the birthdays of Shiloh and Suri, those adorable celebri-tot clones of their famous parents. Though I expected that Angelina Jolie (or her direct offspring) would make the cover soon, simply because she hadn't been on the cover for quite some time now, I was surprised that Jordin Sparks didn't make it onto the cover this week...or anyone interesting for that matter.

After all, Jordin's reps just announced last week that she was struck with an acute vocal cord hemorrhage, forcing her to cancel tour dates and rest her voice. This is the kind of stuff that ends singing careers, and this case is especially heartbreaking because Jordin is only 18 years old and worked so hard to win American Idol. Now, just as her career began taking off with the single "No Air," it's unclear what will happen to Jordin's career. I hope she recovers, and I predict that next week's Us Weekly will turn to the allegedly pregnant Ashlee Simpson or back to the usual go-to girl, Britney Spears. Happy Birthday, Shiloh and Suri, but come on, Us Weekly -- can we get some real stories next week?

Star Jones Files for Divorce from Al Reynolds

What else is new? I called this one way back in 2004, after Oprah aired her "down low" episode, right around the time that Star got engaged. But I guess Star either didn't catch that Oprah, or she chose to simply ignore it. Either way, there's no denying it...if it quacks like a gay duck, it's a gay duck. Sorry, Star.

On a More Serious Note...

A story in today's New York Times posed the question of whether the dragging out of the Democratic primary is hurting the Democrats. The story's premise is that Hillary's attacks on Obama, particularly the racially-motivated ones, are taking a toll on his electability. After all, results of a Pennsylvania exit poll show that 16 "percent of white voters said race mattered in deciding who they voted for, and just 54 percent of those voters said they would support Mr. Obama in a general election; 27 percent of them said they would vote for Mr. McCain if Mr. Obama was the Democratic nominee, and 16 percent said they would not vote at all." (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/us/politics/23assess.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin.)

I beg to differ. Obama's electability was always in question, regardless of Hillary's attacks. And if anything, at this point, I've forgotten that McCain is even a candidate, as there is absolutely no attention given to him. Meanwhile, this looong Democratic primary is great press for both Democratic candidates. It seems to me, that the longer the focus is on them, the more electable and presidential-like they become, regardless of which one of them is ultimately chosen to battle against McCain -- the unknown candidate.

Furthermore, the airing out of Obama's dirty laundry now, so far ahead of the November election, shields him from identical attacks down the road. Race will continue to be a factor if Obama becomes the Democratic candidate, but Obama will have months to shape himself into the black candidate that doesn't scare white people, and that is an advantage for Obama.

Weekly Us Weekly Musings

So I missed a weekly Us Weekly post that would have been about the Beyonce-Jay-Z wedding cover story. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Z, but we have to keep moving forward with the most recent Us Weekly, instead of getting caught up in what's old news at this point. This week, Mariah Carey graced the cover. The story is, of course, focused on Mariah's having lost 20 pounds, just in time for a new CD release, and right after Mariah's appearance on Oprah. Now here's the thing -- one of Mariah's Oprah segments was of Mariah in her NYC apartment, doing exercises in an in-door swimming pool. So I got to thinking: how many NYC residences have in-door swimming pools anyway? Am I just not with the program, or is it somewhat of a rarity? So, for a day, I was convinced, that Mariah must live in the Time-Warner Building, just a few blocks away from me. After all, the big selling point you always hear about with the Time-Warner penthouses are their swimming pools. And where else would you get an in-door pool in New York anyway? Well, today I googled it, and guess what, like every other celebrity in New York, Mariah lives in Tribeca. Yes, she has a three-story loft that, apparently, contains a swimming pool. Alas, Mariah Carey isn't my neighbor, in-door pools are seemingly not that hard to come by, and I obviously have to hang out in Tribeca more often if I'm ever going to spot a celebrity.

OJ on the Rocks: An Editorial

One thing I can't stand is when a waiter brings out orange juice with ice in it. Who the heck would want ice in their orange juice, anyhow? That just makes for watery orange juice. And once the glass with ice comes out, it’s just uncomfortable to deal with asking for a new one. One would hope that a restaurant can simply refrigerate the juice before bringing it out, for the outrageous price they charge per glass.

Because of the handful of experiences I've had with my orange juice being served with ice in it, I’ve decided to take action and preempt the situation. So, when I order orange juice, I immediately say, "no ice, please."

A month or so ago I went to brunch with the hubby and with my friend, NotanAnthony. The hubby and I both ordered orange juice, and I immediately specified to the waiter, “no ice, please,” without the waiter asking about the option of ice and before he had the chance to bring out anything with ice in it. NotanAnthony gave me a funny look and told me he’d never had anyone put ice in his orange juice, so why the clarification to the waiter? I explained. NotanAnthony scoffed (as usual), never having had the experience of getting orange juice with ice in it. As a result, I lost my boldness with my ice preemption plan.

Fast forward to last weekend. The hubby and I go for brunch to a decent place on the Upper West Side. We order orange juice. We mention nothing to the waiter about ice. Two glasses of orange juice with ice come out. We look at each other, thinking we should not have listened to NotanAnthony. We are forced to ask for two new glasses. Moral of the story: 1) Always preempt the ice when asking for OJ, and 2) Never listen to a NotanAnthony.

Ugged Out

Last December, Oprah once again unleashed her list of favorite things on the world. And on the list this year was the Ugg Classic Crochet Tall Boot (pictured above). This is the slouchy knit boot that keeps Oprah's feet comfy and cozy, with a sock lining that makes her feel like she's walking on a cloud. And, of course, the minute Oprah uttered the word "Ugg," these babies went like hotcakes.

I was hoping to get my hands on a pair right after Christmas, but my size in black was sold out everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I tried all the stores, all the websites. No one seemed to have it. I was even ready to get the Ugg Classic Cardy, which is actually a cute variation of the Classic Crochet with three wooden buttons on the side (pictured below). Still, nowhere could I find my size in any color I liked, even outside of black. . . . That is, until I randomly walked into a store called "David Z" on Brooklyn's Kings Highway two weeks ago. There it was, an Ugg Classic Cardy in black, staring at me. And guess what? They had plenty in size 7! And it was the real deal too -- regular price, brand new, packaged in a box, with the Ugg stamp on the back. The salesman informed me that both the Classic Cardy and Classic Crochet became limited edition boots and are no longer being made, thus the unavailability (or so he said).

I got the boots, and I love my boots. They're even better than the Classic Cardy because the wooden buttons allow them to be styled buttoned up, slouched down, slightly unbuttoned, or completely cuffed down. And yes, Oprah was right -- it's like walking on a cloud.

So if you're longing for a pair of your own in whatever size or color you can't find anywhere, have I got a tip for you! David Z sells the Classic Cardy online: http://davidzinc.stores.yahoo.net/ug5819-blk.html or in person in many of their Manhattan and Brooklyn stores: http://davidzinc.stores.yahoo.net/stores.html. You're welcome, reader. You're welcome, David Z.

Weekly Us Weekly Musings

It was a weak week for Us Weekly. Unfortunately, there's really nothing too interesting on the cover. You know, it's the usual: Britney's working on her mental illness, Heidi Montag's 15 minutes of fame are still going strong, and in a bit of a surprise, Carrie Underwood and Chace Crawford split up. But luckily, in a fascinating non-cover story called "Famous Family Trees," we finally find out why both stars and politicians are crazy: they're all inter-related. Yes, as Us Weekly reports, it turns out that Barack Obama and Brad Pitt are ninth cousins; Hillary Clinton is ninth cousin twice removed to Angelina Jolie and tenth cousin to Madonna; Britney Spears and John Edwards are seventh cousins thrice removed; and, well, poor John McCain gets no star power -- he's just related to boring ol' Laura Bush, sixth cousin. Don't you feel better about the future of our country now? Thank you, Us Weekly.

Food Wars: Battle La Focaccia

Which 'hood has better for food? In an ongoing feud between my friend (let's call him NotAnAnthony), I say Hell's Kitchen has better restaurant options (judging by taste, value, and variety) than the West Village. NotAnAnthony disagrees. Last night, in another attempt to resolve this war, we faced off on his turf: the West Village.

Place: La Focaccia.
Food: Italian/Dinner
Atmosphere: Romantic and quaint
Bill: About $50 per person (including tax, tip, and booze)

Review: Though there was quite a mix-up with my order (the waiter thought I ordered only an appetizer salad and no main course), it was quickly resolved, and I had my food within three minutes of alerting the waiter to the problem. After that, the manager kept coming up to the table and making sure everything was okay, so the restaurant redeemed itself in terms of service. As for quality of food, I was quite pleased with my main course of rigatoni with eggplant and mozzarella in a tomato sauce, though I can't say that it was anything spectacular. (I was very pleased with gnocchi I stole from someone else's plate.) However, I was disappointed with my salad. It was drenched in dressing and had no crunch to it. I've certainly had better. Overall, the atmosphere really snagged a win for this restaurant. Though the room was small and noisy, it felt very comfortable and quaint, and the windows overlooking the cute Village streets really helped.

One win for West Village.

A Tribute to the AARP?

Okay, so here's a quiz. Is this a picture of:

a) Barbara Walters with her family?
b) Barbara Walters with her bingo night buddies?
c) Barbara Walters with the new cast of the Cataractic View?
d) Barbara Walters with a bunch of really, really old people who are shockingly even older than she is?

April Showers Bring...Good Television!

It's taken months of watching agonizingly terrible reality TV and reruns and praying that it will soon stop...BUT, it's finally here -- REAL television!!! Yes, with the writer's strike over and those crews and casts back in action, our favorite shows are finally coming back to life in the next few weeks, and boy, am I excited! (Really. I am sooo excited! I have been counting down the weeks, waiting for my TV to mean something to me again. When shows like Cavemen and Carpoolers and Don't Forget the Lyrics seem appealing, you know television's in trouble.) So, without further ado, here is a list (in air date order) of when the REAL shows are coming back...[Drumroll, please]...:

Samantha Who: Monday, April 7

Boston Legal: Tuesday, April 8

30 Rock: Thursday, April 10

The Office: Thursday, April 10

Desperate Housewives: Sunday, April 13

Smallville:* Thursday, April 17 (*Okay, so you might be asking yourself, "Huh? This is what she considers to be a REAL TV show?" Well, no. I don't. It's in here for the sake of one particular reader of this blog who would, sadly enough, be interested. Hey, at least I didn't stoop low enough to include the air date for Battlestar Gallactica (April 4).)

Brothers & Sisters: Sunday, April 20

Gossip Girl: Monday, April 21

Grey's Anatomy: Thursday, April 24

Ugly Betty: Thursday, April 24

Lost: Thursday, April 24

Unfortunately, Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies will not return until next season.

As for Lipstick Jungle and Cashmere Mafia -- the shows that got me through the dreary, terrible-TV weeks of February and March -- I don't know when and if they will return. (And to tell you the truth, as long as Dirty Sexy Money and Gossip Girl are back, I frankly don't care about the other filthy rich people shows; they simply don't measure up.)

So, get your DVR's ready, get your feet up, and get back to being friends with your TV (oh, I've missed you so, TV)! ...April's never looked so good.