Category Archives: celebrities

blogging from the dnc, day 3.

Yesterday was day 3 of the girl power hippie lovefest. And oh girl, it was a good one. I’m going to try and keep it quasi-brief. Brevity really isn’t my thing though.

I went to a tea hosted by Nancy Pelosi to honor to women in Congress. I was fairly dressed up, but some of the women looked absolutely absurd. It was like 2 p.m. and they had gotten their hair did. Whatev. The first speaking guest is introduced. The woman standing right next to me steps up onto the stage. I had been standing next to Annette Bening the entire time and didn’t even know it. Whoops. She was wearing glasses, okay?! Harder to recognize her… I don’t know. Next up to speak was Nancy. The word I always use to describe her is ‘lovely’. Really, she’s quite classy. And during her speech, she announced that Rosario Dawson and Eva Longoria Parker were there. Excuse me? Rosario is hot. Eva is pretty. Enough said about that. As if things couldn’t get any better, Idina Menzel comes out and sings an acoustic “Defying Gravity” from Wicked and a song that she had written. While she was singing, I was busy looking around for her smokin hot hubby, TAYE DIGGS. AHHH. No dice. Didn’t matter– she was amazing.

We were herded like cattle to the Pepsi Center for the delegate vote. Instead of just giving the numbers from the vote, every state made a long speech bragging about how beautiful they were. And I swear, at least three states claimed to be the first state the sun touches each morning. Somebody was lying. I bet it was Maine. I kid. Barack is getting the majority of votes, with some Hillary supporters sticking to their guns. Some states, like California and Illinois had passed. Weird. New Hampshire, New Jersey…everyone is waiting for New York…New Mexico. New Mexico yields to Illinois, Illinois yields to New York. And our girl Hilllllllz steps out to clean up the mess. How dramatic (and symbolic)! She asked that B be announced the winner. She shoots, she scores. Euphoria ensues. People are awkwardly dancing.

All the speeches were good, but some were better than others. My dad and I were discussing how DNC speeches made by unknowns are really just screen tests. I mean, Barack passed his in 2004, didn’t he? So look out for Rep. Patrick Murphy from PA. He did great.

Melissa Etheridge played, more awkward dancing occurred. You could tell people were gearing up for the Democratic savior and the Republican satan, Bill Clinton. He came out swinging for B. And it was genuine. Billy’s still got it. He focused a lot on world diplomacy during his speech. Seriously people treated him like he was Jesus.

John Kerry spoke. Some other people. And then Beau Biden came out. Beau, Joe’s son, is a complete dreamboat. Seriously foxy. RAWR. I was weeping when he talked about his mother and sister being killed in the car accident, and how Joe Biden never left their side. Of course I cried when Sen. Biden came out and hugged his son. I have cried more times in the past couple of days than in the past couple of years. By now we know Biden’s story, but every time I hear it I am convinced more and more that he will be great. And he’s really living up to his role as an attack dog. Slap old Mac around. His wife, Jill, came out at the end and said she had a surprise. Who could it be?! Joe Jonas? Ben Affleck? GEORGE CLOONEY?! And then Barack stepped out. AHHHHHH. People were having political strokes. I wish I could really convey the electricity of the convention last night.

Oh! I saw Mohammed Ali last night! Just walking around the convention with his posse. Pretty cool.

After the convention, I ended up hanging out with people Mallory went to high school with. I still miss you Mal. And now I totally get all of her Denver stories about burritos and bicycles.

The big speech is tonight. Still looking for George Clooney.

[Posted by Kathleen]

1 Comment

Filed under celebrities, crushes, news, politics, pop culture, random

blogging from the dnc, day 2.

Alright, let’s just face it. Live blogging isn’t going to happen. It’s like end of the day round ups. Haha. And this isn’t really edited.

Hello from Denver! (I hate when people say stuff like that. Aloha from Hawaii! Hola from Mexico! My apologies for being annoying). Mal, I wish you were here. I’ve had quite the Democratic day and I think I’m glowing with Democratness. Seriously glowing. I also have blisters that look like moon craters on my feet. Note to self- wearing brand new shoes in attempts to look good is not a wise idea when you’re going to be walking around and standing on your feet all friggin’ day. HOW COME I DO NOT KNOW THESE THINGS?! Anyway, day two of the convention had a few differences from day one. Yesterday appeared to be a lovefest. Today was all about policy and stickin’ it to old Johnny McCain.

Anyway, busy busy day today! A little continental brekky and we were off. A good family friend lives in Denver and offered us the use of a car during our stay in Denver. Imagine my surprise when it was a big, red 1995 Dodge Durango. I wanted to put a sign that said “this is a actually a hybrid car” on the back–I felt so un-Democratic! Ummmm, where’s my Prius with a Barack sticker? All kidding aside, it was great to have the Durango, and cruising around in the Durango was an adventure for sure. Thank the sweet lord I wasn’t driving. It’s a legitimate tank.  Oh, this is funny.  We parked the Durango and then lost it.  Yup.  We weren’t entirely sure where big red was.  But we found it.  Eventually.

Our first big event of the day was Emily’s List. I’ve never been so fired up about having two X chromosomes. Speakers wise, it was the grand trifecta of girl power. Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Michelle Obama. I know, I was giddy. People went berserk when HRC stepped out. I mean seriously cra-crazy. She was good, giving shoutouts to Barack and Michelle, and acknowledging the tragic loss of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. (STJ was a huuuuuuuuuge Hillary supporter, but was good about getting behind Obama.) It was a solid Hillary speech. Nancy came out, and I must say, she looked lovely in lavendar. During her speech, one Code Pink wacko screeched “Why aren’t you woman enough to impeach?!” She was booed. For those that don’t know who Code Pink is, they’re a group of extremist women (and every now and then a dude) who wear all pink and yell about impeachment. When the group started, they were anti-war. That’s cool. But now they are so radical and obnoxious that they are counteractive. They get kicked out of every event because they’re disruptive and rude. And to address the impeachment thing, here’s an easy way to explain it. If a house is on fire, the first thing you do is get the people out–not try and prosecute who set it on fire. Bush and Cheney are criminals, and hopefully the big book of the law will be thrown at their bums. But for now, let’s help the people of the nation. If you think Congress doesn’t get anything done now (which is false. The House passes everything. It’s the Senate’s fault. Cough LIEBERMAN cough) then imagine what it would be like with impeachment hearings. Okay. FOCUS.

So Michelle spoke next, clearly she looked impeccable. And here’s the interesting thing about her speech. On Monday night, she didn’t discuss policy at all. It seemed as if they were taking her away from that aspect of the campaign so as to soften her image. But at the Emily’s List event, she was all about policy. Education, health care, choice. You go girl. She seemed a little nervous though. Hmm.

Spotted: Gloria Allred, Chelsea Clinton, Betsy Myers (COO of Obama’s campaign/my hero)

One veterans event, and then the madness of the Pepsi Center. It felt like walking into a rock concert–a Barack concert, if you will. OHHHHHH. Sowwy. That was bad. Anyway, Mark Warner was boring. Yeah, I said it. BO-RING. It’s so obvious that man wants to be el presidente. He will run in eight years. And when I’m right, somebody please buy me a chocolate chip cookie. But there’s this new kid in town that shook things up. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer was a hoot. He got up there in his sexy, sexy bolo tie (rawr) and smacked McCain around a bit. You know how people usually get fired up at the end of their speeches? I legit thought this man was ending his speech eight separate times. He was so fired up that I couldn’t help but be excited too. New political crush, for sure. Blahdiddy blah blah Deval Patrick blah blah. He’s cool. Oh, and then this lady from New York spoke. Um yes, Hillllllz! Now you all know from my previous posting that B is my boy. But Hill deserves some R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Her speech was well-written, well-delivered, and exactly what was needed to finalize unity and end the fissure between Barack and Hillary supporters. And oh girl, she had some zingers. That line about the Twin Cities? Priceless. My favorite part was when she asked the Hillary people if they were doing it just for her or the country. That’s what it’s all about. I think that’s why Barack eventually won. His campaign has been about the volunteers, the power of the people and starting a movement. Of course people love B. He’s just so lovable. But Hillary’s supporters, while caring about the country, seemed to be obsessed with Hillary and so focused on Hillary that they forgot about themselves. Don’t freak out on me, that’s just what I noticed. Oh, and Chelsea is looking awesome. Good for her for taking a large role in last night.

Walking out of the convention area was like a carnival. If carnivals included the crazies screaming in your face with aborted baby fetus pictures. Sick. If you want to talk about baby killers, talk about the Bush administration sending young men and women to fight in Iraq. They are practically just babies, and they pay the ultimate price. But I digress. My favorites were the signs and screamers condemning “homo-sex” and screaming about Jeeeeesus. Newsflash, dumb-dumbs. JC stood for love, not hating on our fellow man and woman. The vendors were pretty funny though. The best sales pitch I heard was from a guy standing next to a crazy Christian. “We’re all going to hell!,” the vendor shouted. “Might as well buy buttons!” Well put, buddy. But despite a hearty chuckle, I did not buy the buttons.

Spotted: Bill Richardson, Jack Murtha, John Kerry and some other randos.

One party later and then we went back to the hotel. No Ben Affleck or George Clooney. But I’m looking. My feet are killing me. Time for bed. Day 3: Biden speaks.

[Posted by Kathleen]

6 Comments

Filed under celebrities, crushes, news, politics, pop culture, random

blogging from the dnc, day 1.

So I wrote this yesterday, but couldn’t post it until today. Some live blogger I am.

So here I am, trying to live blog from the convention, yet I find myself live blogging from Boston Logan airport. Such is life. I was, however, lucky that my flight delay coincided perfectly with Michelle Obama’s speech (I only caught part of Sen. Ted Kennedy’s. What I did see, however, was spectacular). I was weeping openly during the video narrated by her mother. And her speech was just incredible. I think that if anybody had any questions about who she was, they were all answered. She gave us a poignant account of who she is and what she has done with her own life. Her brother spoke well when he said that they were proud of her not just because who she had married, but because she was an exemplary public servant in her own right. There was a wonderfully executed balance between showing us who Michelle is without losing sight of Barack. Ahh I love her.

As if you couldn’t already tell how I felt about M.O., here is my gchat gush fest with Caroline, college friend and the witty mastermind behind drunkinarowboat.

Caroline: SHE IS AMAZING
me: i am drooling all over myself
and weeping openly
Caroline: like she should be a movie star
me: i am a mess
Caroline: ive BAWLED LIKE FIFTEEN TIMES
me: her hair looks beautiful
Caroline: I KNOW
love the green
her in that orange dress and bow at age four???
me: oh my god i fell apart

Professional analysis for sure. CNN, yes, I will work for you. All you have to do is ask. Oh and the part with the girls? Perfect. I want the Obamas in the White House. Right. Now.

Once we got into the Denver airport (which is GIGANTIC), it was about 1:30 in the morning. Of course, there were no taxis or shuttles in sight. After calling two cabs and two shuttles, one cab eventually showed up and we finally got to the hotel around 4 a.m. (6 a.m. my time) Damnnnn.

I’m tired, but I’m fired up and ready to go. I will be just like Anderson Cooper (sigh) and let you know everything that goes on. I brought my camera, but not my camera cord, so pictures will be posted on Friday or Saturday. And I will be stalking George Clooney and all other celebrities like it’s my job. (UPDATE: I might be seeing Ben Affleck tonight!)

You know you love me. I love you back.
– Your SWTCTW DNC Correspondent

ps- In case you live under a rock:

[Posted by Kathleen]

2 Comments

Filed under blogging, celebrities, crushes, family, news, politics, pop culture, random, TV, YouTube

unsurprising separations and other important news.

Because I’m such a DC local now (someone even asked me for directions today! No word on whether they made it to their destination safely, but I’m optimistic…), I read the free little daily newspaper that you pick up on the street. It’s basically a dumbed down, easy-to-digest version of the Washington Post. Today there were some pretty interesting celebrity tidbits, so I thought I’d share those and other pieces of news with you, dear readers:

  • Brace yourselves for this first one, folks: Chris Kattan (or Mr. Peepers to you) has filed for separation from his way hotter model wife. They had been married for a staggering eight weeks. In fact, Kathleen posted about the nuptials back in June, and because she is such a wise, wise blogger, she was already skeptical. [People]
  • Lady rapper Da Brat was sentenced to three years in prison for — wait for it — smashing a hostess over the head with a bottle of rum last Halloween. Yo ho ho, eh? An intergalactic high five to anyone name a song she sang… [Inside Track]
  • So the Olympics are over. Thank goodness we have the DNC to casually watch now so that we don’t have to turn back to watching reruns of The Hills. Kathleen will be reporting live from MY Mile High City, and I’ll be doing world-changing things like going to class and watching the speeches on the teevee. Didn’t love Pelosi’s speech today, and didn’t get to see the Kennedys’ because I was…um…watching Jon & Kate Plus 8.
  • The Brits (the English? When I was abroad my English friends got very angry if we called them British) are the new Americans, at least when it comes to drinking heavily in foreign countries and giving your own country a bad name. Great quote from the mayor of Malia, a popular resort town in Greece: “They scream, they sing, they fall down, they take their clothes off, they cross-dress, they vomit.” Sounds like a normal Thursday to me. [New York Times]
  • So, this is kind of old news, but Tucker Max is making a movie. Now, I used to be one of those people who thought he was HI-larious and I stalked his website and maybe met him once, sober, at a sketchy bar in downtown Richmond. (And I’m ashamed to admit that not one but TWO of my acquaintances have “known” Mr. Max in a different way. I feel dirty just thinking about that.) Now that I’m a super mature college graduate, though, I’m kind of over the Tucker Max thing. I prefer to make my own embarrassing stories. Anyway, according to several people one set, Tucker is miserable to work with. [Gawker]
And just in case you thought this blog didn’t teach you anything, know this: my little sister (who, in her slight defense, has been living under the rock known as sorority rush for the past two weeks), correctly answered an extra credit question in class today because she knew the name of the new Dem VP nominee. The only reason she knew that answer? By reading this here blog. Take THAT, legitimate news sources.

[Posted by Mallory]

Leave a comment

Filed under celebrities, movies, music, news, politics, pop culture, sex, sports, TV, weddings

john mccain loses the numbers game.

Oh Johnny. It was only a simple question. Politico reporters Jonathan Martin and Mike Allen asked how many houses you have. McCain’s answer is priceless.

“I think — I’ll have my staff get to you. It’s condominiums where — I’ll have them get to you.”

What was that, buddy? You don’t know how many houses you and Cindy own? Well that can’t be good. Now I’m not good at math, but I’m pretty sure I can answer that question for myself. (Um, zero. Oh the joys of living in your parents’ house.)

Okay, so he doesn’t know how many houses he has, but here are some other basic addition questions that I hope John can answer without needing his staff to bail him out:

  • How old are you?
  • How many children do you have?
  • How many days are in a week?
  • How many states are in the union?

Hopefully those are elementary, my dear Watson.

So what did B have to say about the whole thing?

“If you don’t know how many houses you have, then it’s not surprising that you might think the economy is fundamentally strong.”

Zing! Well put. Most of us, John, can count our houses on one hand. Well, one finger. Your choice which finger you use when counting.

Politico did some digging around (apparently the staff didn’t get to them on that?) and discovered the number is at least eight. Johnny obviously wouldn’t be able to handle adding one more (say, the White House). So let’s do Senator John McCain a huuuuuge favor and make sure we don’t rock the boat by changing the number from at least eight to at least nine. It’s the kind thing to do.

And on a sidenote: Barack, I’ve been clinging to my cell phone for dear life waiting for that text message. Please, just let me know!

Update: WashPo does a McCain house(s) tour. Check it out. It’s like MTV Cribs.

[Posted by Kathleen]

1 Comment

Filed under celebrities, humor, news, politics

gwen birthed zuma nesta rock rossdale.

Another celebrity baby is born, another crazy name. Yawn. Kidddddddding. Kind of. Another boy for Gwen Stefani! World, get ready for Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale. Interesting choice. But I do have to say that Gwen and Gavin sure know how to ensure their kids are badass. Rock as your middle name? Rock on.

UPDATE:  Read about how the name was chosen here.

[Posted by Kathleen]

2 Comments

Filed under babies, celebrities, news, pop culture

i now kinda like billy mays.

Billy Mays, the Oxi Clean and everything else you never realized that you needed guy, sympathizes with us non-infomercial making simpletons who don’t like to be yelled at. Mays is recovering from hip surgery right now, so he’s been watching a lot of TV. Here is what he said to my beloved Washington Post:

“If I see myself one more time today,” he groans, sounding genuinely weary, “I’m going to pull my hair out.”

I was sick all last week. I hear ya, buddy.

“People used to tell him, ‘Billy, you’ve got to come off the gas a little, there’s no need to shout,’ ” says Anthony Sullivan, a friend, fellow pitchman and owner of a production company where Mays has shot commercials. “He’d say ‘No problem,’ but he couldn’t stop. He has one speed, 100 miles an hour — take it or leave it.”

But after reading this article, Billy, I’ll take it. And even though he sounds like he’s been huffing Oxi Clean for too long, I find him way less grating now than I did before. Strange.

I don’t endorse Billy for Prez, but I would give him a veep nod. I can see him being fierce in foreign policy negotiations.

Teehee:

[Posted by Kathleen]

1 Comment

Filed under celebrities, crushes, pop culture, random, YouTube

youtube clip of today: rhythmic gymnasts.

Phelps Schmelps. Lochte Schmocte. Roker and Lauer are MAGICAL. If you don’t feel like listening to the witty banter (“Why don’t I just do javelin catching?” Haha.), fastforward to 3:34 and watch from there.

Ahhh! You too, Brian Williams? I love you, Brian Williams.

[Posted by Kathleen]

1 Comment

Filed under celebrities, crushes, random, sports, YouTube

on the death of leroi moore.

Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore died Tuesday from complications due to an ATV accident he had on June 30. Not many details about the cause of death have been released, but we do know that Moore had recently returned home to L.A. to start physical therapy. To me, that fact makes it a lot sadder; I hate the idea that he seemed to be doing well and that his friends and family probably got their hopes up that he would make it.

Moore had been with the band from the start. At a concert on Tuesday, Dave told the crowd about Moore’s death, acknowledging that “It’s always easier to leave than be left.” Wise words, bud.

As I’ve mentioned, I saw Dave live this summer at the Mile High Music Festival, and I remember my friend Katie was really bummed that Moore was not playing with the band that day, because he was her favorite of the band members. And we just realized that my roommate saw DMB live on June 28, which means she may have been among the last lucky ones to get to see Moore play. 

Here’s a New York Times article about Moore’s death, and DMB’s website has a nice tribute page up right now. 

[Posted by Mallory]

2 Comments

Filed under celebrities, music, news, RIP

and who said speedos weren’t allowed?

It’s a long four years between Olympic swimming competitions, but here’s a little something to get you through the barren months:

Somehow, I’m not even noticing Michael’s screwy teeth…

[Posted by Mallory]

2 Comments

Filed under celebrities, crushes, sex, sports