oh my goodness, oh my goodness

hp5... yee-haw!! i can't wait to see this movie, though i've heard that possibly hermione wont come back for the next ones... which would be wrong. i'm all about loyalty to the project that made you famous, particularly when the project has not lost its quality and direction. countdown... nine months and counting!!




the pics are courtesy warner bros. pictures via comingsoon.net

complete world domination

is the only thing left for oprah to do. today, she launched her own radio channel on x-m radio. while she's only doing one weekly show by herself, it still needs her guiding hand on a regular basis, i'm sure. and even though she doesn't want to run for president, i think she's totally creating an empire that could rival the romans. i like her and all, but still i'm scared.

must-see thursdays

i think that phrase is finally true again... though sadly, not just for nbc. the office premiere was great. the whole premise of the show was funny, and as usual, very smart. of course, the pam-jim resolution was not quite what i wanted, i think it will set up some interesting stuff in the future. my favorite part - meredith taking a quick "fix" from the hand sanitizer... absolutely hilarious! and of course, grey's. no resolution for the triangle, but i think that was obvious. mcdreamy was again mcselfish, and chris o'donnell ruggedly handsome. i fear my interest in the triangle is going fall second to george and izzy. i think they both will undergo way more interesting story lines this year. i know, it's just a tv show, but it's my vicarious life.

indian maestros

one legendary indian classical musician played at carnegie hall, and i was lucky enough to volunteer for the concert. hari prasad chaurasia was absolutely wonderful. he plays the bansuri (a wooden flute), and his music was amazing. he first played a raag, which was playful and solemn at the same time. of course, the jugalbandi - the playback between the main instrument and the tabla - was a huge crowdpleaser. but my favorite was a pahadi that panditji played at the end. it was a village-countryside sort of song, and it immediately transported me back to india, to a simpler, sweeter place. i also had the opportunity to meet him, and he was extremely gracious. it was a very good evening.

a sign in the night

i volunteered at a reading during a playwrights week tonight. the reading tonight was about four people, and their exploration into language and interaction. the play used sanskrit, english and sign language as secondary characters... looking into how meaning is lost through translation. i don't know if i'm explaining it correctly, but it was very interesting, as one character said that he loved sanskrit as it was the root of most modern languages. the play's deaf character argued that sign language pre-dated sanskrit because it was based on gestures and non-verbal communication. it was an intriguing point, especially after another character said that she preferred sign language because it was very direct method of communication. she said because of it's nature, asl is forced to be very simple... with the burden of modifiers (adjectives, adverbs, phrases) falling to the gestures, facial expressions and movement of the body and face. i honestly never put much thought into it, but it was a fascinating thing to think about. because it wasn't a full production, it was a little difficult to envision the writer's final package, since it involved some multi-media aspects to convey the silent, asl conversations, but overall, a very thought-provoking piece.

ps: i think i had an arrested development sighting today... i think mama bluth or jessica walter as she is more commonly known was on my bus. it seemed somewhat unlikely, but she looked very much like her... it was fun though, i kept looking around for buster! :)

so long, old friend

so, the wb signs off tonight - ending a decade-long friendship with teen-angst-loving tv viewers... including me. the network gave us a lot of fun entertainment from the start of my college days - buffy, dawson's, felicity, gilmore, everwood, smallville and one tree.... and most importantly, who can forget the men - pacey, spike, clark, bright, and jess... oh the many memories... i know it was childish, unnecessary-drama tv, but i loved almost every minute of it!!

go slater

i LOVE dancing with the stars. luckily, i've managed not to become an addict, but if i get the chance, i'll definitely watch. last night was the premiere of the third season, and let me just say, a.c. slater totally rocks. mario lopez is on the show and he was great last night, though i admit i'm slightly prejudiced since i will always root for the boys from saved by the bell. i think he has unfair advantage, because he is a dancer, as evidenced from the many moves he busted on sbtb, in wonderful spandex glory! but still, he was fun to watch... and though i'm not sure what side he bats for, his dimples are still so cute! ;)

scenes from ireland

part of the reason i didn't update for so long was that i was luckily on a trip to ireland for a week. i'll keep it short - we had a great time and the country is absolutely beautiful. to prove my point, here are some pics from the trip:

believing, cheering, worshipping for two decades

i've been a tennis freak this past week, traveling to the us open for five sessions already. obviously the obsession centers on it being andre agassi's final tournament. i watched both of his first and second round matches and was impressed by his ability to play at a competitive level with kids so much younger than him. his enthusiasm for the game shined so brightly, as well as his emotion at being near the end. as he came out for the first match, his unshed tears nearly did me in. he played very well and the crowd was just unbelievable. you literally felt like they would will him to win with their cheering. i was also there for the final match on sunday. it was apparent from the start he just was not moving at the same speed and was in obvious pain. still, he played with all his heart, somehow pulling out a set. but in the end, amid a standing crowd, agassi lost his final game, and my heart literally broke. he sat there and cried for minutes on end, which was just too much. finally, when he got up to speak, with his voice faltering, i lost it. this is what he said:

"The scoreboard says I lost today, but what scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I have found. Over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty: you have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I have found inspiration: you have willed me to succeed, sometimes even in my lowest moments. And I have found generosity: you have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams; dreams I could never have reached without you. Over the the last 21 years I have found you and I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life."


so what i say now may seem cheesy and a bit psycho, but i have watched and loved agassi since i was 8 years old. i drove my dad crazy to get tickets to see him when we were at the 1989 french open, and that memory is one of my fondest. for me, tennis wont be the same without him. i've said it before, he's the last of my "generation" of tennis players, and he will be truly missed. thanks, andre, for all the memories.