Vegas Baby

Yep - they even have one of these over here! And a l'arc de triomphe....just so wrong, yet it seems to work......
Vegas is a weird town. We drove from LA to Vegas across the flat moonscape desert dotted with Joshua trees, and then, out of the middle of no-where, BAM! You're in Vegas, Baby! She looks haggard and well worn in the harsh light of day. Even the people look dumpy and depressed. But, when the lights come on, Vegas turns out in all her glory ('Cept the people still look dumpy and depressed)
I played 'Corporate Wives' with some of the other women whose men who were attending NAB - the big exhibition/conference that Dean was attending. We had a blast lunching in grand hotels, drinking mojitos & shopping -the outlet malls in Vegas are fab!

Dean and I caught David Spade's show at the MGM Grand - he was good but not great - I still prefer the English comedians to the Americans. Danny Bhoy is my fave of all times and Yeah, I know he's not English he's Scottish!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B38amF_uKJM

Three days in this adult disneyland are enough for me - specially as I don't like to gamble. My luck is non-existant and I can't even win at the slots. Probably just as well as I'm not earning any money yet!

Pictured - My friend, the Lovely and Charming Alexis in the Conservatory of the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas.

Movies I have seen so far....

As my days are free from work at the moment, I'm enjoying taking myself off to the movies for a couple of hours.
I'll keep updating this posting with my comments - Feel free to add yours! Here's a run-down of the movies I've seen to date :

MARCH/APRIL

* 21 - Based on a true story of MIT students ripping off Vegas casino's. Kevin Spacey never fails to turn out a great performance. Very watchable.

* Enchanted - Ok, so this was on the plane on the way to LA, but it did star McDreamy so what's a girl to do but watch it! Cute Disney-esque, sugar coated lght entertainment. Cute!

* Jumper - future 'suspense/thriller'. OK - got a bit motion sick watching this one - will be interesting to see the sequel...If I can be bothered

* Semi-Pro - another non-funny Will Ferrell 'comedy'. Woody Harrelson was the only saving grace for this sorry excuse for a movie

*Smart People - Featuring SJP (Sarah Jessica Parker - the working girl's goddess), Ellen Page (The chick out of Juno) and Denis Quaid (ex hunk). Witty, caustic dialogue an interesting film that kept my attention.

* The Other Boleyn Girl - A good take on the book by Philippa Gregory if you can get past Scarlett J's impossibly huge lips. Annoying film direction in some parts though & shot very dark.

* Vantage Point - A very annoyingly-shot movie. After seeing the same scene 5 times I kinda gave up trying to follow the story! Featured 'Jack' from Lost (one of my fave TV shows) as one of the 'bad guys'. Hmmm.....

MAY/JUNE

* Baby Mamma - Great comedy from Tina Fey and Amy Pohlen (they're famous comedians from Saturday Night Live) I recommend this as a great chick flick!

*Harold and Kumar - Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Dean and I went to see this on a Saturday afternoon...after a few beers and margueritas. Suggest you do the same before you watch it!

*Indianna Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Predictable, poor effects and way too long. Ok, so Harrison does a good job of being the elder, but the new kid (Shayla laBouef) is just not up to par.

*Ironman- Robert Downey Jnr totally kicks ass in this movie as the (cute!!) reluctant hero. Special effects are believable (even Dean was impressed!!) and the storyline is real and gripping. A must-see movie!!

* Juno - TOTALLY deserving of the Oscar award this year! Great story and performances. Get to see it if you havent already

*Made of Honour - I'm not a big 'Mcdreamy' fan and this movie reminded me why. A total chick flick and great for a rainy day.

* No Country for Old Men - TOTALLY deserving the Academy Award!! Fantastic story - violent, surprising and extremely well acted. Leaves you wanting more!

*SEX and the City - What can I say?? THE Most perfect chick flick of all time - and an R rated one at that! Met and exceeded all expectations - I want more!!

*What Happens in Vegas - Cameron D and Ashton Kutcher - why wouldn't this movie be fab? Something for me to watch, and something for Dean to watch... A fun, honest and appealing comedy with more than its share of 'oh no he didn't!' moments!

JULY

*Bucket List - Nicholson and Freeman join forces to deliver an emotional and yet entertaining story about two old buggers who face death together. Bring a tissue.

*Cloverfield - A classic si-fi horror flick that holds your attention even if it is filmed on a very tight budget. I jumped a few times and thought the effects were, well...effective!

* Get Smart - Having been brought up watching this with the rest of the family, I was pleasantly surprised to see the new version stayed true to the original. Agent 99 was smoking hot and Maxwell was appropriately bumbling and endearing.

Easter in the States

Easter here is celebrated with egg wreaths on the doors, plastic inflatibile bunnies in gardens, easter baskets, egg hunts and of course, chocolate. HOWEVER, the States don't have Good Friday or Easter Monday as holidays - how mean is that?!
(It also happens to be Spring Break which means drunk babes on the beach in string bikinis -too bad the weather has been crap all week!)
I decided to celebrate Easter in LA with my lovely friends Michelle (from Napier) and Sue Doris (now living in Honkers).
We all stayed with EJ (Hottie and former flatmate) in his gorgeous home in Laguna. A total riot and loads of fun. Michelle was on a mission as the shopping here is soooo much better than NZ for variety and prices. I never thought I'd say this, but if I never see another shopping mall it will be too soon (God - I think the heat is getting to me!) EJ and Morris da Dawg! We all celebrated Sue Doris's birthday by taking a trip to Santa Barbara for the weekend. Gorgeous wee town with lots of Californian style bungalows, great beaches, bars, restaurants and wineries - my favorite kind of place.