Friday, August 14, 2009

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

He can sing and dance. He just can't get the girl.

Remember when Ewan MacGregor performed his own vocals for Moulin Rouge and people thought he was the next coming of Christ? He's not the only actor who can sing. Listen to Joseph Gordon-Levitt belt out The Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man" from 500 Days of Summer.

Two people find love. Unfortunately not with each other.

Clones Vol. 15: Paige Rien & Barry Wood

This week's clones share hosting duty of HGTV's Hidden Potential show. Last week I stared in disbelief as a new host Paige Rien came onto screen. Tall, striking and gripping a laptop, she looked like old host Barry Wood, albeit in a dress. I thought HGTV had taken the progressive route of allowing Barry to keep his show while reintroducing him as "Paige." As usual, Ajumma was wrong. They're two different people.

Barry is an architect and designer who starred on Trading Spaces before hosting Hidden Potential.

Paige is an interior designer from New York City. She has a short, shaggy bob these days which makes her look even more like Barry. Paige is credited by HGTV fans for being slightly more realistic with her home renovation estimates.

I suppose if you're going to look like someone, Barry Wood's not bad.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Storm Shadow: The best thing about GI Joe

Please don't ask why I was at G.I. Joe. Long story short, know that Lee Byoung-Hun is the strongest actor in the movie. He doesn't say much, but he has an intensity in his eyes through the entire film. Lee's fight scenes, especially those with martial artist Ray Park (who plays Snake Eyes), were razor sharp and quite convincing. This is from an actor known for his emotional range, not his physical prowess. But speaking of his physique, Lee rips off his shirt at one point. I've seen Lee in numerous projects, but never have seen him in the buff. I was so impressed I wanted to do high kicks in the movie theater.

Here is Lee working his buns off for Hollywood. I enjoyed watching him sprint like Carl Lewis in white dress shoes up several floors, while holding an uzi.

I'm not giving Lee a good review because he's Korean or because he's a beefcake. Lee Byoung-Hun has a more natural screen presence using English than Jet Li. And unlike fellow Korean actor Rain, who is also breaking into Hollywood, Lee's English is nearly flawless. Hopefully we'll see more of Lee Byoung-Hun in American films. Aja aja!

I ♥ Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ajumma's coworker, Kristen, makes a mean Red Velvet Cupcake. She was nice enough to share her recipe with me. She warned me to use only one bottle of red food coloring, but I was like, 'My cupcakes must be eye-piercing red,' so I used the two bottles called for on the recipe. The result was a batter that blinded me.

Fresh from the oven.

I made a heart stencil with an exacto knife and a muffin liner.

Delicious!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

The Don Draper Effect

Where have all the androgynous male models gone? As I paged through the September 'o9 issue of Esquire magazine, I noticed a shift towards broader, darker models, most of whom wore tailored suits. These men remind me of Mad Men's main character, advertising exec Don Draper. Mad Men is currently partnered with Banana Republic selling vintage-style suits and dresses to the mass market.

Don Draper, man of style.

Androgynous male, duh

Love Crime

T-shirt by Heavy Rotation.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Daniel Henney is "Dr. Lee"

TV Guide has posted photos of the new CBS medical drama Three Rivers, in which Daniel Henney stars as Dr. David Lee. Early on it was rumored that Henney's character would be a playboy. I think Dr. Lee would get more play if he had a better hairdo.

Goodbye, John Hughes


Pretty in Pink (1986)



Sixteen Candles (1984)

HOT LIKE ME

DROP Tokyo Culture Magazine is a highly addictive site that features quirky street fashion of young Japanese people. After lurking about, I can tell you the hottest Harajuku trends among males include long Ju-On hair, straw hats, skin-tight jeans, baggy clown pants, clunky sandals, big framed glasses, and of course, shaved eyebrows. For females it's all over the board.

This guy would actually be hot if he wasn't dressed like Nels Oleson from Little House on the Prairie.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Elephant Ears & succulents

When my sister-in-law saw our front garden she said it looked "tasty." Apparently Vietnamese people eat almost anything that's green and leafy.

I'm hoping my succulents last into the winter. I have notoriously crappy luck with this type of plant.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Clive goes to lunch on Audi

Now that Laura Ling and Euna Lee have been sprung from North Korea, we can focus on other things like Clive Owen getting out of a car. Owen, who most associate with BMW, attended a private lunch hosted by Audi last week.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Knitting project for pet-loving fools

This hamster house brightened my Monday morning, though you know it would be nibbled to pieces. See more knitting projects for pets and at the L.A. Times home and garden blog.