He's Here, He's Weir...

During these Olympics, there's been a lot of talk about Johnny Weir. And some of it isn't even coming from him.

Earlier this week, Weir held a press conference in Vancouver, to respond to controversy that had arisen after Canadian sportscasters and other international broadcasters made negative comments about him during the men's figure skating competition.

Two Quebec sportscasters, Claude Mailhot and Alain Goldberg, laughed that Weir "should skate in the women's competition" and also suggested he should undergo gender testing, like South African runner Caster Semenya. Goldberg and Mailhot also hypothesized that Weir lost points because of his flamboyance.

Said Goldberg: "They'll think all the boys who skate will end up like him. It sets a bad example."

Additionally, Australian newscaster Eddie McGuire suggested that Weir "didn't leave anything in the closet" when he skated.

Book Review: "The Bricklayer" by Noah Boyd

If you're looking for a thriller-type of book with lots of twists and turns, here's one for you. Noah Boyd, who wrote The Bricklayer, is a former FBI agent, and he has imbued the book with lots of insider details and verbiage that makes the story seem very authentic, even if the whole thing is a little far-fetched. (And not in a bad way.)

Steve Vail is a former FBI agent (had a little trouble with authority) now working as—I bet you guessed—a bricklayer. He comes back to the FBI's attention when he foils a bank robbery, and soon the Bureau seeks out Vail's help in tracking down a group that has called themselves the Rubaco Pentad (for Ruby Ridge and Waco), which has targeted the FBI, committing murders and making demands for significant money, only to sabotage the money deliveries. Vail is aided by Kate Bannon, an FBI deputy assistant director torn between being intrigued by him and preserving her job. The book keeps the twists coming, and while the final results may not be a complete surprise, the way the story reaches its conclusion is very satisfying. Will be a fun beach read for those who like thrillers with their sand and sun.

Is It Just Me...

...or does newly-crowned ice dancing silver medalist Charlie White look surprisingly similar to Greatest American Hero William Katt?














Scary the things that run through your mind during an IV drip of Olympics coverage...

Book Review: "Love is a Mix Tape" by Rob Sheffield

Mix tapes defined my life from middle school through college. Whether it was taping songs from the radio (complete with commercials and DJ chatter), creating mixes for friends and significant others, or making mixes for particular moods or occasions, I believe it was these early days that lay the foundation for my obsession with music. And the most unbelievable thing is that 5-10 years from now, many young people will have no idea what a "mix tape" is.

Rob Sheffield's Love is a Mix Tape is easily one of the best books I've read in a long while. Part the memoir of a lifelong music lover, part a funny and heartbreaking love story, this book grabbed me at page 1 and never let me go. Not only do I want to download every song mentioned in this book, I want to find others who were as captivated by the story as I was. Sheffield's style is wry, a little sarcastic and unafraid to embrace the emotions that this boy-meets-girl, boy-marries-girl, girl-dies story brings out. I had never heard of this book before finding it at Borders but I am so glad I did. Honestly, if you love music, if you love memoirs or if you just love love, this is a book I hope you'll read and treasure.

Book Review: "The Girl Who Fell from the Sky" by Heidi Durrow

This is a beautiful book. The story of Rachel, the daughter of a Danish woman and an African-American man who moves to Portland to live with her paternal grandmother following a family tragedy, Heidi Durrow's novel is both moving and hopeful. The story is told from Rachel's viewpoint as well as those of a young neighbor who witnessed the incident and her mother's boss, who tries to figure out why what happened did happen.

Durrow did a terrific job creating two of her main characters, Rachel and Jamie/Brick. I felt completely invested in their struggles and their victories, and truthfully felt like I could have read another 100-200 more pages about both of them. And as the full story of the tragedy unfolded, it really hit me hard. If I had any criticism of the book, it's that I felt as if some of the supporting characters were drawn a little stereotypically, so I really didn't enjoy the times when they were the focus of the story. On the whole, however, this book shows that Heidi Durrow is a writer with tremendous promise, and I look forward to seeing what she creates in the future.

Hope You're Recovering Well, But Can You Stay Away a Little Longer?

Tomorrow Tiger Woods will hold his first news conference since retreating from the golfing world after his multiple extra-marital discretions came to light. While he is expected to make a public apology and perhaps announce his impending return to the PGA Tour, I'm hoping he decides to sit on the sidelines a little longer.

Like maybe the rest of the season.

I am awed by Woods' talent on the golf course. His almost-constant ability to make montage-worthy plays out of bunker shots and bad drives, and his amazing talent to bulldoze his competition is certainly exciting. Some of his wins belong rightfully in the annals of golf history.

But while all Tiger, all the time is apparently amazing for the PGA, I find it irritating. You see, I'm one of those people who doesn't like to see the same teams or players winning all the time. While athletic prowess impresses me, continued domination and dynasties make me cranky.

I don't want to take anything away from the athletes and teams who have achieved long bouts of greatness. I know the Lakers, the Bulls, Roger Federer, Serena and Venus Williams, the Yankees, the Patriots, the Duke Blue Devils and others have truly earned their places in athletic history. But it's more fun to watch someone else get the glory once in a while. I don't always root for the underdog per se (except during March Madness), but I do like to see some variety among the victors.

So while I hope Tiger Woods' recovery has gone well and he's been able to come to some detente with his estranged wife (for his children's sake if nothing else), should he choose to stay on the sidelines for a while longer, I won't complain. And I don't believe players like Steve Stricker, Bill Haas and Dustin Johnson will either, as they've been able to win without the shadow of El Tigre hanging over them.

People say that Woods's return is what professional golf needs. Maybe it's what some of the fans need. It's probably what his long-time caddy needs. But as a fan who is often surprised by how much I love golf, I'll take a pass.

Book Review: "The Unnamed" by Joshua Ferris

You may think you've got problems, but you've got nothing on Tim and Jane Farnsworth. They're living a fairly comfortable, two-career life, with the requisite sullen teenage daughter, Becka. Just one problem: Tim suffers from an unnamed (get it?) ailment that causes him, randomly, to begin walking uncontrollably at any time of day or night, until he collapses on the spot and sleeps off his exhaustion. He's already had two bouts of this illness, which disappeared as suddenly as it appeared, and when the book starts, a third bout has just begun.

This is a strange book that is simultaneously easy and hard to love. I was mystified by Tim's illness and wondered, as did other characters, if it was real, imagined or psychological in nature. Joshua Ferris created main characters with a lot of depth (even if the supporting characters were fairly stereotypical) that I cared about a great deal. But ultimately, I found myself as frustrated as the Farnsworths were with Tim's condition. While I understand some things never have a resolution, I felt as if the book dragged us along a little too much, and the plot took some (in my opinion) unnecessary turns. Ultimately, however, this is a captivating book, which in my mind, greatly surpasses Ferris' first novel, And Then We Came to the End. Definitely an intriguing read.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Wishing you and yours a Happy Valentine's Day. If nothing else, it's a society-sanctioned excuse to eat as much chocolate and candy as you want.

Yo no tengo la paciencia...

True confessions time:

My name is Larry and I have no patience.

None.

Seriously.

And sadly, with my lack of patience comes my lack of tolerance for stupid people and situations that should be controlled.

But let me explain a little. It's not that I mind waiting for something. If I go see a popular movie on opening night, I expect to wait and I'm cool with that. But if it's 3:00 pm on a non-holiday Wednesday and I go to the movies, only to be confronted with a line around the block because they only have one usher/ticket taker, my lack of patience will flare up.

Make any sense? Does it make me seem less, well, monstrous?

I don't know when it started. It probably was at a food court when I used to work in a mall, when I got stuck behind someone who had no idea what they wanted but lacked the courtesy to step aside and let others move ahead of them.

Or it may have been at the grocery store, when someone left their cart blocking an aisle completely so they could go to a different aisle and find something.

Or it may have been in a parking lot, when someone trying to back in a Yukon Denali needed about 87 tries to get into their space. (As an aside, if you can't park it, you shouldn't drive it.)

I know, I know, I shouldn't let stuff like this get to me. I should just be able to take it all in stride and enjoy life, be grateful for what I have. But for some reason I just can't. And I feel that my lack of patience and tolerance is growing in direct proportion to the growing number of self-absorbed people that populate our country (especially in the Northern Virginia area).

I don't think I'm smarter or more important than others. I just have very little free time to do the things I like (or need) to do, so when I run into an impediment that prevents me from doing what I need to do, I somewhat-instantly lose my patience.

I thought exercise might help—and it does—but not with this.

Maybe meditation? Maybe Xanax?

Otherwise, I'll just carry a voodoo doll and a ton of pins, and call it macaroni.

Thanks for listening.

Book Review: "Shadow Season" by Tom Piccirilli

Tom Piccirilli may very well be one of the best thriller writers that you've never heard of. With all of the publicity that writers like James Patterson, Lee Child, Stephen Hunter and others get, given the quality of his writing, a little name-recognition for Piccirilli would be well-deserved. Books like The Cold Spot, The Midnight Road and The Coldest Mile are fantastic, grab-you-by-the-throat thrillers, all of which I've devoured in one or two sittings.

That being said, I feel as if Piccirilli missed the mark with Shadow Season. The story of Finn, a brooding, blind ex-cop now teaching at a girls' private school, trots out all of the usual stereotypes—the drunk Irishman who says "shite" a lot, the crooked cop always looking for one more angle, the hillbilly "local folk," the tempestuous teenage nymphet, etc. Just before the Christmas holidays, as a blizzard is ready to strike the school, violence arrives in the form of two local "holler men" (the school is built near a holler) and they're looking for Finn, willing to leave nothing in their way until they get what they want. The action in this book is fantastic; everything else is just a little too pat for me, unlike in Piccirilli's other books. Looking at reviews from others on sites like Amazon, however, I seem to be in the minority. If you're a fan of thrillers, I'd encourage you to pick up a Piccirilli book—just read some of his others first!!

Score 1 for the Sanctity of Marriage!!

So here's a little something interesting...

In Buffalo, NY, Kitty Lambert and her longtime partner, Cheryl, attempted to apply for a marriage license yesterday. She was denied, because New York doesn't recognize same-sex marriage.

With news cameras rolling, Kitty then turned to the crowd and asked for any male who would be willing to get married to her. A gay man named Ed stepped forward and volunteered. They briefly exchanged information and presented the appropriate documents along with $40. City staff verified the information, and proceeded to give them a marriage license.

For those of you following along, Kitty was able to obtain a marriage license with a total stranger because he was male. This is that "sanctity of traditional marriage" everyone's fighting to uphold, isn't it?

Thanks to Towleroad for this little story...

Book Review: "The Theory of Light and Matter" by Andrew Porter

It's ironic—some of the best books I've read have titles that are scientific or mathematic in nature, although most of the time they have nothing to do with either subject. Add The Theory of Light and Matter to the list of best books I've read, as well as those with ironic titles. What a fantastic short story collection this was!! Andrew Porter is an absolutely phenomenal writer.

I've been reading a lot of short story collections lately, and while it appears I've gotten lucky in finding some great collections, there is not one clunker in this entire book. From the title story, which tells of a college student's not-quite infatuation with her much-older physics professor, to those that chronicle everything from realizing your parents have a far more complex relationship than you can imagine to the aftermath of a friend's death when you're younger, this book hit me on so many levels. Nearly every one of these stories could be expanded into a novel I'd love to read, and it's not often I can say that. If you're looking for a great book, look no further. And if you do read it, let me know so we can discuss it!

Book Review: "True Confections" by Katharine Weber

Have you ever imagined what it might be like to work in a candy factory? Not like the Willy Wonka-kind, or the Lucy and Ethel chocolate assembly line in I Love Lucy, but a real (albeit fictional) candy factory? Katharine Weber's True Confections provides a glimpse into that world. The book tells the story of Alice Ziplinsky, who marries into the family that owns relatively-famous Zip's Candies. Alice spends the book chronicling the history of Zip's Candies and the challenges faced in the world of confections when you're not as powerful as M&M/Mars or Hershey, as well as the personal challenges she faced through the years.

I found this book really entertaining and tremendously interesting, for while it talked about fictional candy brands, it provided a great deal of detail into the candymaking process and the business as well. But when the book veered from the story of Zip's Candies to the story of Alice or her family, the entertainment value dropped a notch or two. This book is told in the form of an affidavit from Alice, so it is tremendously detailed, almost too much so in certain areas. Bravo to Katharine Weber for creating such a unique story; I just wish the characters' stories were as interesting as the story of the candy.

The End of an Era (or: How Old Do I Feel?)...

Reality killed the video star.

So the other day, MTV announced it would drop the words "music television" from its logo. While it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's flipped channels to the network late at night looking for a music video or two only to find another episode of The Real World or The Hills, it still marks the end of a pretty significant era.

One of my friends living in East Windsor, NJ got cable before I did, so I remember going to her house and watching nonstop MTV. I remember when videos like "Leave It" by Yes and, of course, "Thriller," were considered "special events" when they premiered. To this day, when I hear certain songs, I remember some videos perfectly (like "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"...whatever) and even when there were snippets of dialogue in between verses of songs, I knew where they fit in the song.

I remember when the early VJs—Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, JJ Jackson and, of course, Martha Quinn—used to rule the airwaves. I remember when the MTV Music Awards were more about the music than the non-musical celebrities that attend now. I used to want to be a contestant on Remote Control—perhaps that was what started my quest to be on a game show. And it was MTV that introduced me to a world beyond the top 40 stuff I listened to in high school, with 120 Minutes exposing me to "alternative music."

Granted, the network had moved far, far away from its early days, with countless reality shows and versions of The Real World and MTV Cribs. But it still feels like a big deal, another reminder that I'm not as young as I used to be.

So, all together, one more time: I Want My MTV...

Book Review: "Lying with the Dead" by Michael Mewshaw

Family dysfunction is a tremendously popular subject for fiction, perhaps because it takes on so many different layers. The family in Michael Mewshaw's Lying with the Dead certainly had it tough. A physically and verbally abusive mother whose guilt grows as she grows older has summoned her three children home—Candy, the polio-stricken oldest child who has stayed in Maryland to care for her mother, sacrificing her desire for her own life; Maury, who struggles with Asperger's as well as the memories of a crime he committed when he was a teenager; and Quinn, an actor who fled to London rather than deal with his family.

As you might imagine, a number of secrets are revealed in this book, old wounds are reopened, pain is inflicted and recovery seems imminent in some cases. And yet with all of that said, I didn't care all that much. I felt as if Quinn's character, perhaps because he was the most colorful, was the one Mewshaw developed the fullest, which left the other characters as sort of shadows in the background. But this left me wanting more, and not feeling particularly fulfilled by the story. Everything unfolded as I expected it to, so while the characters were surprised by certain actions, I wasn't. And while they were moved by what was happening to them, I wasn't.

I think Mewshaw writes well and had a great premise for a story. Sadly, it went the route of paint-by-numbers soap opera rather than a fully-fleshed out story.

Book Review: "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick

A little gothic novel. Nice. It's 1907 in Wisconsin. Ralph Truitt, a wealthy pillar of the community, has advertised in the newspaper for "a reliable wife." Catherine Land, who answered the ad, is on her way to meet Truitt. She has plans of her own; however, she doesn't know what Truitt has in store for her.

I found this book really interesting. While some of the plot was predictable, Goolrick unfolded it in a way that captured my attention. And while Catherine's character—and several others—weren't particularly sympathetic, I definitely found myself interested in what transpired with them. Goolrick did tend to repeat himself several times using slightly different words, but he has a great use of language and really did a great job with building characters and creating an evocative sense of setting. If I had any criticism of the book, I found the ending a bit odd and it didn't quite resolve things for me. All in all, however, I enjoyed this book.

And the Nominees Are...

So Oscar morning dawned and brought with it a few surprises, but mostly lived up to expectations. Comparing my predictions to the actual nominations, I did fairly well:

Best Picture: 8/10
Best Actor: 5/5
Best Actress: 4/5
Best Supporting Actor: 5/5
Best Supporting Actress: 4/5
Best Director: 4/5

In retrospect, 86 percent isn't bad. And mostly I'm pretty happy with the actual nominations. So here we go:

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Analysis: Nine out of ten of these I'm happy with. The Blind Side was certainly heartwarming, but I don't think it deserved to beat out films like A Single Man or even (500) Days of Summer. There goes the Academy for you...


Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Analysis: Exactly as I figured. While some were hoping to see Viggo Mortensen sneak in for The Road or Ben Foster for The Messenger, the nominees matched the SAG Award nominees perfectly. Can't imagine Jeff Bridges won't win, both because he deserves it and it's his fifth nomination in the last 39 years.


Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia

Analysis: Well, I had hoped that Emily Blunt would make it instead of Helen Mirren. But what can you do? Some prognosticators say the Oscar is now Sandra Bullock's to lose, given the Best Picture nod for The Blind Side. I'd love to see Meryl take this one home. This is her 16th nomination, but she hasn't won since 1982!!


Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Walz, Inglourious Basterds

Analysis: These guys should like each other already, as they were all nominated for the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards. It's great to see Christopher Plummer (who was touted as a nominee in 2005 for Good Night and Good Luck) and Stanley Tucci finally get nominations, although I was hoping Alfred Molina would sneak in for An Education.


Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo'Nique, Precious

Analysis: I'm a big Maggie Gyllenhaal fan, so I'm thrilled to see her get nominated, even though I was hoping Julianne Moore and/or one of the Inglourious Basterds women (Diane Krueger or Melanie Laurent) would get a nod.


Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Analysis: Well, I thought Lee Daniels might get bumped by Clint Eastwood but I'm thrilled he didn't. Kathryn Bigelow is now only the fourth woman to be nominated for Best Director (behind Lina Wertmuller for Seven Beauties in 1976, Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993 and Sofia Coppola in 2003 for Lost in Translation). And amazingly, Lee Daniels is only the second Black man to be nominated, behind John Singleton for Boyz in the Hood in 1991.

The other nominees, after the jump.

Oscar Predictions...

Tomorrow morning at around 8:37 am (no comment on the fact I know the exact time) they'll announce the nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards. Those of you who know me are aware of how much I look forward to the Oscars each year, but somehow it's the excitement of the nominations announcement that is even more fun. There's always at least one surprise that makes me say "really?" or "wow!"

So here are my predictions for those who will hear their names called tomorrow morning. I'm never quite right in most categories, but it's fun to try. Be sure to check back and see how I did!

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Analysis: This is the one category I feel fairly confident about. While the Oscar seems to be Jeff Bridges' to lose, George Clooney, Colin Firth and Morgan Freeman gave well-praised performances, and Jeremy Renner is the standout in one of the films that will make a big splash tomorrow.


Best Actress
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia

Analysis: I'm going out on a limb and picking Emily Blunt to get an Oscar nod rather than Helen Mirren for her performance in the widely panned The Last Station, although Mirren is certainly an Oscar fave. There's a tiny possibility Abbie Cornish could surprise for Bright Star or Tilda Swinton could for Julia.


Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Walz, Inglourious Basterds

Analysis: If anyone is at risk in this category, it's Christopher Plummer. While Captain Von Trapp has never gotten a nomination, his movie has gotten a fairly tepid reaction. I still think sentimentality, which rules at the Oscars, will tip the scales in Plummer's favor, but if anyone can slip in with a surprise nomination, it's Alec Baldwin, one of this year's Oscar hosts, for It's Complicated.


Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
Mo'Nique, Precious

Analysis: Will it be Diane Krueger over her costar Melanie Laurent, or will both triumph and knock Penelope Cruz out of the running? Or will Julianne Moore get her fifth nomination for A Single Man? Time will tell.


Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Analysis: I'm hoping Lee Daniels will become the second black man to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director for Precious, but for some reason I think perennial Oscar fave Clint Eastwood might steal his slot.


Best Picture
An Education
Avatar
District 9
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Precious
Up
Up in the Air

Analysis: With 10 nominations, it could be anyone's game. Some think Star Trek could get in. Others think A Single Man or A Serious Man could get the nod. I'm hoping for (500) Days of Summer but we'll see...