Support The Arts: 'Good Grief Suicide Hotline'

Another opportunity to support the arts, by way of independent feature films, has come to my attention.

Why should you support independent feature films?  
Independent films are the backbone of the movie industry.  They allow up and coming filmmakers to make a mark in the community, show their talent, and build their resume.  Some of the biggest name directors got their start this way; it gave them an opportunity to showcase their work and get noticed.  The independent film community in many areas are tight-knit, full of dedicated, hardworking, and talented individuals working for little or no money.  Independent films are comprised of brilliant collaborating talents that truly love what they do. [taken directly from: Support the Arts: Perception]

Good Grief Suicide Hotline is an independent feature, directed by Atlanta filmmaker, Sam Carter, currently in the pre-production stage.  Carter has developed a reputation for his hilarious, yet dark, puppet hi-jinx in shorts like Shadow Puppets and Beast of Burden. 

This dark comedy is about a recent college graduate that goes to work at a crisis call center only to find out that the people doling out the advice might be more damaged than the callers themselves.  When this wholesome new employee starts dating a caller, something that is more than just frowned upon, things only get more awkward.

StoneCarter Media is currently raising funds for the project, and you can help: Help make it happen for 'Good Grief Suicide Hotline' on IndiGoGo

Check out the teaser trailer and see what you can look forward to:



You can also follow the adventure on Facebook and Twitter @goodgriefsh!

"Strumming My Pain With His Fingers - Two Times"

When you're going through a rough time, people come up with all sorts of advice to get you through it.  Unfortunately, most of that advice either doesn't apply or is cookie cutter generic - but you overlook that because these are usually people that love and support you, unless you decided to blab your problems to the whole world, and in that case I recommend you invest in therapy.  I strongly believe in honesty and sharing is caring and so forth, but its never healthy to put your pain on public display (haven't we learned anything from reality TV?).  Sometimes pretending is the only thing you have left, it's like therapy for the broke and restless. 

The best piece of advice I've gotten is the following, it's simple but direct, and implies everything without needing extra explanation, it was the end of the discussion:

Lindsay, you are not the type of girl that guys get over, you're the type of girl guys try to get past. 

*sometimes guys give the best advice.

A Working Title

Somewhere out there I really hope there is a song that starts off very The Script or Goo Goo Dolls like (Or even Backstreet Boys, I'm not too picky at this point) with "I've been waiting me whole life for someone like you" and then breaks off into a very Eminem angst-like female chorus of "and then you turned out to be an asshole."

I can settle with this sentiment for now..

Sarah Michelle Gellar Returns on 'Ringer' - The Ultimate Double Cross

Sarah Michelle Gellar is returning to television tonight, and for those of you that are hardcore 'Buffy: The Vampire Slayer' fanatics, this is an epic moment in TV history.  SMG is starring in the new drama, 'Ringer' premiering at 9/8c on the CW.  This is a drastic departure from the character she played for a decade as Buffy, fighting the likes of the demon underworld and saving the world between classes, but she's not out of danger yet. 

SMG plays twin sisters, Bridget and Siobhan, that both are trying to escape their lives.  Out of desperation, after Siobhan disappears overboard on a boat trip, Bridget makes the split-second decision to assume her identity.  She discovers that her sister may have been keeping a more dangerous secret than herself. 


Check out what SMG is going to be up to this fall on 'Ringer':  



Official Synopsis:
Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as a woman who, after witnessing a murder, goes on the run, hiding out by assuming the life of her wealthy identical twin sister – only to learn that her sister's seemingly idyllic life is just as complicated and dangerous as the one she's trying to leave behind. Bridget is six months sober and starting to turn her life around when she is the sole witness to a professional hit. Despite the assurances of her FBI protector, Agent Victor Machado, Bridget knows her life is on the line. She flees to New York, telling no one, not even her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, Malcolm. In New York, Bridget reunites with her estranged twin, Siobhan. Wealthy, pampered and married to the strikingly handsome Andrew Martin, Siobhan lives what appears to be a fairy tale life – a life where no one knows that Bridget exists. The sisters seem to be mending their frayed relationship, until Siobhan disappears overboard during a boat trip, and Bridget makes the split decision to take on her sister's identity. She discovers shocking secrets, not only about her sister and her marriage, but also about Siobhan's best friend, Gemma, and Gemma's husband, Henry. And when someone tries to kill Bridget in her sister's penthouse, she realizes she is no safer as Siobhan than she is as herself.



The series stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Bridget and Siobhan, Kristoffer Polaha as Henry, Ioan Gruffudd as Andrew Martin, Nestor Carbonell as Agent Victor Machado and Tara Summers as Gemma.
RINGER is produced by CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television in association with ABC Television Studios and Brillstein Entertainment with executive producers Pam Veasey ("CSI, NY," "The District"), Peter Traugott ("Samantha Who?") and Emmy Award-winner Richard Shepard ("Ugly Betty"). The pilot was directed by Richard Shepard.

Southern Comfort

I love rap/pop collaborations (see To Dislike or Deal: Eminem Edition for examples).  I love the mesh of styles coming together to make something enchantingly delightful to my senses.  The contrast between a ballad and a raunchy rap speaks to me, soft meeting hard, and draws me in ears first. 
There's no official music video for this dynamic collaboration of talents, but the song itself is worth listening to:

T.I. ft. Christina Aguilera - "Castle Walls"

Quotes: One Tree Hill 106

The Game - "Pot of Gold"

I heard this song on the radio this morning on the way to work, we're I'm hiding out like a ninja. 

Close your eyes, listen to the words, let the melody run its course through your soul.

"Pot of Gold" - The Game (ft. Chris Brown) -- Welcome Back, Sir!

"To Lose Youself is the Greatest Tragedy of All"

I have a dear friend who told me that you should follow your dreams, no matter how much they hurt, and I am inclined to agree.  There are bookstores (somewhere still I imagine) that carry an endless supply of guides and how-to's on life - everything from dating to career to raising kids to handling grief.  Nowhere on those shelves will it tell you that life should hurt, and not in any one way, but in every way.

There's an old saying, I'm sure you've all heard or read from time to time, that nothing worth having comes easy.  I think that person was dead on.  The hardest part is running with it, taking that pain and turning it around, hiding it from the world and even yourself at times, and continuing to chase your dreams.  Regrets are only for people that don't put everything that have into everything they want - until the very end.

There's another cliche that I find appealing, it takes on various forms, but the jist of it is: "knowing when to walk away is not the same as giving up."  You can only fight for something for so long before it is no longer the good fight, until it become deluded and chalked with ill intention.  Life is meant to challenge you, to take you to all kinds of wonderfully painful places and leave you breadcrumbs until you find you way to happy.

I'd rather be a silly girl that chases dreams, than a stupid girl who never tries. 

  

Thank you for reminding me that I'm still alive.
 

Quotes: One Tree Hill 105

Support the Arts: Perception

Director Stan Harrington is currently working on his latest feature, Perception, and he needs your help to raise funds to complete the project.

There are some questions that may have crossed your mind in the 17 seconds it took you to read the opening line, and here are the answers.

Why should I donate to an independent feature film?  Independent films are the backbone of the movie industry.  They allow up and coming filmmakers to make a mark in the community, show their talent, and build their resume.  Some of the biggest name directors got their start this way; it gave them an opportunity to showcase their work and get noticed.  The independent film community in many areas are tight-knit, full of dedicated, hardworking, and talented individuals working for little or no money.  Independent films are comprised of brilliant collaborating talents that truly love what they do.

Who is Stan Harrington and why should I donate to his feature?  Stan Harrington (see previous post:
Who is Stan Harrington?) is as dedicated a filmmaker as they come.  He has literally put everything he has into his work and despite all of his hardships is still incredibly optimistic.  He relies on his talent to pull him through and it shows in each and every scene of his films.  Stan has pulled together an incredible cast for this film: Amanda Dreschler (Altered, Creed), Kely McClung (American Ninja IV, Blood Ties), Rob Pralgo (Vampire Diaries, The Blind Side, The Joneses), and many, many more passionate and amazing talents.

What is the movie about?  Here is the teaser for your viewing pleasure!


How much of an investment do I need to make?  You can donate any amount starting at only $1.  However, there are different levels if you  are looking to invest in a more noticeable way, but literally every dollar counts.  A mere $10 will get you a mention in the 'SPECIAL THANKS' section of the credits.

Where can I donate?  You can donate at IndieGoGo, a website dedicated to raising funds for independent projects.  The following link will take you directly to the Perception page: IndieGoGo - Perception Campaign

Extreme Couponing

Last night, I felt like I was on an episode of "Extreme Couponing."  Now I have to be honest and admit that I have never personally seen an episode of the show in its entirety, but I did catch the episode of "Chelsea Lately" when she made fun of the show in her opening monologue, so I feel like I got the jist of it.  And coincidentally enough, just this past weekend I was dining at the lovely Tastings Wine Bar in Indianapolis when a discussion about the show came up.

In an effort to bribe myself to go on a late night gym run, I headed first to Kohls.  Until recently, the word 'Kohls' probably would not have exited my lips, but I have been quite taken with their LC Lauren Conrad Collection.  I perused the racks until I found a few cute items and proceeded to the dressing room, much to my chagrin, but trying on items saves time in the long run.  I eliminated everything but an adorable floral number* and headed to the cash register, where the following extreme couponing style events unfolded.

1.  I checked to see if they price matched.  I had seen the dress (originally $64) at another area Kohl's on clearance for $18 (in the wrong size), whereas this store had it marked $24.  Yes, I said on clearance.  We are in a recession.  They do not normally price match, something about each store marking down based on their individual sales, however, they were nice enough to make an exception.  Score.

2.  I had a coupon for 20% that I was frugal enough to print out, which brought the subtotal down to somewhere around $14.   Planning ahead.

3.  Finally, I hit them with my $10 Kohls Cash.  Bringing the grand total with tax to something like $6.34. Like a ninja.

Not a bad day on the market.  And I got in a great cardio workout at the gym afterwards.  Que sera, sera.         

*I had my eye on this dress since I first caught a glimpse sometime mid-July, the only problem was the price, $64 is a steal if you a) make more money than I do, and b) actually have a reason to buy it.

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Quotes: One Tree Hill 101

Person of the Moment: Keith Brooks

I've had the opportunity over the last several months to meet an insane amount of incredible people.  I can't say any one of them stood out over the rest, because they were all amazingly talented and interesting in their own way.  However, that being said, one of them worth noting is actor/comedian/writer/director/jack-of-all-trades Keith Brooks.  If you've ever met Keith, then you already know this fact, he is definitely not someone you can forget easily.  And not just because he has the skills to Austin Powers mojo-seduce you over a bowl of practically stale nachos.

Keith brings out the best in people.

The first time I met Keith, I was hanging out in Gary, Indiana.  It was his second day there, and he had just returned to the production house from a very productive day.  He had scored a date with a very fertile women who took him, along with her church group, to a baseball game (Go Gary Railcats!).  I repeat, his second day there.  As always I hit him with a line of questioning that would have made many grown men sweat.  However, he was a good sport about it, and let my faux-interview proceed.  It was through this experience that I came to understand why any women would suffer from insta-attraction to this charmer.

A month later, I had the pleasure of interviewing him for my grad school project at the lovely Majestic Diner in Atlanta, Georgia.  My favorite part was hearing his epic stories which make for an entertaining time all around.  If you ever meet him, take a seat (or stand, if you prefer) and ask him to tell you the saga of Dr. Wesley Snipes - you won't be disappointed (unless you forget).  

Besides being a talented actor, he writes, produces, and directs.  He is also a philanthropist; this month he performed at an autism benefit.  And he writes rap songs.

With so much talent, there is sure to be a long and successful road ahead for this young actor. 

If laughter is medicine, then Keith Brooks is the cure.

Revlon 'Shape Your Life' Social: Recap

Last Thursday night, I had the pleasure of attending the Revlon 'Shape Your Life' Social - a collaborative effort between Revlon Cosmetics and Shape Magazine.  The invitation-only event was held at Chicago Warehouse District lounge Lumen, located near the west side.  This was the perfect venue for some late afternoon cocktails, networking, and makeovers.  My make-up artist, Megan, was a doll.  She did great work and was very personable; and my make-up looked fantastic.
     
The highlight of the evening was definitely the 'Women in Action' panel featuring Nicole Williams, author of Girl on Top, a guide on how to turn dating rules into career success.  Nicole was blunt.  She knew what she was talking about and gave the ladies in attendance the truth - no sugar coating necessary.  She is a great representative of what Shape is all about.

All in all, it was a lovely evening and I left with a copy of Shape Magazine and a free Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping™ mascara. 

Disconnected

Feeling blue?

Go to the gym.

It won't really change anything in your life per say, but it's something to do with your time.  Leave your worries and your cell phone in the car; they will (probably) still be there waiting when you get back.  Set your iPod to shuffle and crank up the tunes so you can't hear your own thoughts. Let the smooth melody of Eminem's lyrical flow drown out your potential misery.

The best thing about the gym? 

No one talks to you.  Well, that's not entirely true - spend enough time there and everyone knows your life story.  But in general, headphones in, determined face on, no one bothers you.  If you have the unfortunate predicament of running into someone you know, you can easily deny them admittance to your thought process by pointing dramatically to your headphones and mouthing "sorry, this is my jam!" convincingly.

*Sidenote: The gym is pretty much the only time I allow myself to be separated from my cell phone; it's sad, but true. I sleep with my phone.  I possibly would risk taking it in the shower if I had insurance on it. My phone never enters the gym doors.  

**The gym also works wonders when you're angry, over-caffeinated, stressed, highly motivated, or just unwinding from spending a day as crowd control for 50 5-6 yr old boys on their first day of Kindergarten.

*Sidenote 2: I usually spend 5 minutes sitting in my car after working out answering text messages.  A watched phone never rings, but leave it in the car..magic.    

Day 2 back at the gym..I hurt. Everywhere.  But I love it! 

Women and Weight: The Perpetual Conundrum

There's nothing new or breakthrough about the correlation between women and weight issues.  So if you're expecting some startling new statistic to appear below: a) you will be severely disappointed, and b) you're probably new to my blog..so welcome!

Women, more often than men, have struggled with weight loss - or at least publicly so.  The self-esteem of women that don't fit the mold that is widely used by Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Vanity Fair, and Vogue - probably wouldn't win any award at the county fair (I'm assuming, I've never been to a county fair).  Although the pages of those magazines are littered with articles and factoids about women and boosting confidence levels, it's just doesn't necessarily seem to parallel reality.  When I'm reading those articles (and I do, I love them, I subscribe to all of the aforementioned magazines) the very first thought that crosses my mind is not "Oh, yea, this writer is onto something," it's "If I looked like the girl in the illustration, I would be confident about my body." Point Blank.  And the truth is, if I looked like those women, I would probably find something else wrong with my body to complain about (but I'm guessing my confidence level would most likely be pretty high anyway).

It's actually sad to say that out loud (or write it), that my confidence is tied so heavily to the shape of my body, but in some aspects - it is. 

Recently a guy called me "chunky" and it really affected me negatively.  Right before I started grad school, I went all out workout-diet crazy.  I lost a ton of weight and everything was nice and toned; I was doing things in the gym that made me look like I was straight out of Women's Health (one of my favorite magazines) - my confidence was high and my waistline was trim(mer).  The feeling of fitting into jeans that I've been hiding in boxes in the basement since undergrad was priceless.

Unfortunately, after starting back to school, my priorities shifted.  I no longer could head to the gym everyday after work, and when I managed to get there, I was unfocused and lethargic.  I was getting an "A" in all of my classes, but an "F+" on my health.  As anyone that works out on a regular basis knows, if you don't want to be at the gym, you're probably not getting a lot out of your workout - and the more into working out you get, the more you have to push yourself, thus not interested = not getting results.


So over the last 18 months as late nights, stress, and caffeine overdoses took over my life, my muscles reverted back to fat.  I didn't gain a ton of weight - but I looked like I did.  I knew that I would have to refocus my energy and get back to the gym as soon as possible i.e. when classes were over.  I was teetering at the edge of low self-esteem when it came to my body (and it's summer, which means less layers to cover up unwanted fat and more baring your insecurities to the judging eye in order to avoid heat stroke), so when this guy made that comment, it struck me as a) rude (seriously isn't it a universal rule not to mention a women's weight), and b) it stung (because I knew it was true).

It's been a week since classes were over, and I'm suiting up for the gym (not literally, since my workout outfits consist mostly of t-shirts and yoga pants) and tweaking my diet (more protein and veggies; less sugar, bread, alcohol, wheat, fruit, well basically less everything else).  I don't like to get a big head, but I really like to hear "have you lost weight?" or "you look great!" from the women at work (and really anyone, I'm not
                                           picky).   

Stay tuned for periodic updates on the life of a temporary gym rat.

 
*I really owe my hott trainer for most of my previous success, seriously that's all the encouragement that I needed to get to the gym.





**He was really hott.

What to Expect When You're NOT Expecting

Perhaps the most famous of all "expecting" books is the cult classic: What to Expect When You're Expecting, but why isn't there a book out there dedicated to 'what to expect when you're not expecting'?  A guide book per say to sex without the intention of getting pregnant, or even just a relationship how-to.  I realize there are about a million and thirteen books on dating and relationships, and even sex (besides your standard issued textbook), but why is there not one, singular, edition of a book that is as well-circulated as the aforementioned Yoda of all pregnancy books?

Now I've never personally read that best-seller (as I've never been expecting anything of the baby variety), but I assume it makes a series of generalizations about the female body and typical baby growth and such.  I wonder why it has been deemed the guru of all 'being pregnant' literature?  If it is that easy to generalize symptoms like those, than why isn't there a definitive guide to let's say 'How you should feel when falling in L-O-V-E'?

The difference obviously is that one has scientific backing and the other, well let's face it, is a crap shoot; often a two-faced Indian coin toss, in fact (think Batman).  There's nothing definitive about being in love, or falling in love, or the steps and stages anywhere in between.  There's very few generally accepted statements that you can even make referring to it.  Women and men react so differently to the same stimulation of whatever hormones effect brain chemistry and tell you, in nothing less than flashing neon (preferably pink) signs that you have feelings for another human being and that it may or may not border on the emotion better known as love.  Just like anything involving hormones, some people are more inclined to react strongly, while others are less impacted.



Just some food for thought.  Relationships are tough cookies, tread with stilettos not flip flops. And always carry bandages.    

The Anatomy of a Summer Vacation

When you're a kid, there's nothing you look forward to more than summer vacation; three months of no homework, sunny days, adventures with your friends, family vacations (unless you're a middle child and in that case, it's a coin toss) - three months of lazy in-between.

When you grow up, those same things fall to the wayside as life takes over. No longer do you have three consecutive months to sit, roll over, and play illiterate. Long summer days are filled with responsibility and billable work hours (unless you prescribe to the freelance way of living and in that case, perhaps your days are not consecutively filled with anything of the work-related persuasion).  Deciding how to spend your limited "free time" pretty much becomes the same game that you played last month, except now you can add activities that are warm-weather related (unless you live somewhere that's warm all the time and in that case, perhaps you should just ignore the last line).


However, there's still a strange urge to play hooky (which may be spelled hookey or hookie depending on which dictionary you're relying on).  Even though I landed a j-o-b after undergrad that gave me the summers off, I've never really had the luxury of taking advantage of them in the same way I did when I was a kid.  The first two summer's I scraped by with part time jobs trying to make ends meet, and the last two summer (including this one which is coming to an end in t minus 2 days), I did the same - except I added grad school classes to the mix.

I long for a lazy summer.  One where money isn't the hindrance of my good times and responsibility isn't the backbone of my spontaneity.  I gave myself one week this summer to have an irresponsible good time, to chase something I want, to let the teenage girl in me take over my cerebellum - the whole heart over head conundrum.  I strongly recommend it.  Everything you ran away from will still be waiting when you get back (I promise); the bills and the papers and the friends you don't ever seem to have enough time for aren't going anywhere (unless you've reached the due date and in that case, don't forget that paying bills or turning in a paper late often results in a penalty).      

::insert cliche about life being short and enjoy the ride here::  Summer is once again reaching its finale and the credits are starting to roll in, but when you're an adult you have the advantage of being able to take a vacation during other seasons (unless you can't and in that case, this paragraph is not really for you).  You never get too old to have some quality kid-like time.