Zap2It’s TV Show Rehab: 12 steps to a better ‘One Tree Hill’

"One Tree Hill" is the only one of The CW's veteran series still not picked up for the 2010-2011 season. Nearing the end of its 7th season, the show is desperately in need of a little rehab, but with a few tweaks, it does have a chance at a successful Season 8. We're just not ready to let the Tree Hill gang go quite yet.

1. Explain where Chad Michael Murray went
Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton left the show at the end of Season 6 after unsuccessful contract negotiations, but their characters never actually got written off. They just disappeared. The lack of explanation for Lucas and Peyton's disappearance has become the elephant in the room. When Lucas was M.I.A. at Haley's mother's funeral, it was the last straw. "Beverly Hills, 90210" never forgot about Brandon and Brenda Walsh, so why is "One Tree Hill" trying to erase Lucas and Peyton's existence?

2. Bring back Rachel Gatina!
We've got high hopes for Danneel Harris' NBC pilot, "Friends With Benefits," but we never got any real closure for Rachel, the manipulative redhead who shook up senior year at Tree Hill High. Alex (Jana Kramer), the new girl with the broken moral compass, feels like Rachel-Lite, and it only makes us miss Rachel more. If Dan Scott can be redeemed after murdering his brother and blaming it on a troubled teenager, Rachel deserves a redemption story of her own.

3. No more jealous Brooke
She's got a clothing line, a magazine, and a super-hot boyfriend who is completely obsessed with her. Why is she constantly jealous of the other girls, be it Peyton, Rachel, or Alex? Sophia Bush is easily the strongest actor left on the show, so we're tired of the whole "You must love her more than you love me!" routine. Give Bush a better story line to play - she deserves it.

4. Turn up Haley's music
"One Tree Hill" has always had a great soundtrack, which was only improved when Haley James Scott showed off her pipes. She sang a few songs this season, cross-promoting Bethany Joy Galeotti's record, but we want more! When Haley and Chris Keller (Tyler Hilton) dueted on "When the Stars Go Blue" in Season 2, our hearts melted. If he needs to come back for that magic to be recreated, give Tyler Hilton a call! He's got a new EP to promote.

5. Easy on the new characters
Quinn, Clay, Julian, Millicent, Victoria, Alex, Grubbs, Sara, Lauren, Miranda, Alexander, David... we've had enough new arrivals for a while. It's hard to care about the new characters when our old favorites are getting put on the back-burner over and over.

6. Girl's night, STAT
We loved the episode where Brooke and Haley hung out at home and enjoyed some, er... special brownies, but since then they've barely crossed paths. With Peyton gone, Haley is the closest thing Brooke has to a BFF, so why does Brooke spend all her time with her conniving mom and her traitorous assistant? Lately, the show has been relying too much on romance and not enough on the friendships that once made it great.

7. Shake things up in the romance department
The romantic story lines are getting excruciatingly predictable. We'd barely known Clay and Quinn for 10 minutes before it became obvious that they'd end up together. Why not stir things up a bit? Clay and Brooke would be pretty hot together, or maybe Quinn and Skills could hook up. Better yet, could one of the countless new characters be gay? Tree Hill hasn't been home to a gay character since Anna's 11-episode run in Season 2.

8. Bring Sam home
One new character we do miss is Samantha, the foster kid that Brooke welcomed home in Season 6. We loved the little makeshift family that Brooke, Sam, and Julian formed by the end of the season, and we felt cheated when Samantha left to go live with the mother who abandoned her. She hasn't even visited Brooke, which especially stings since Brooke has learned of her inability to bear biological children. Was Sam scrapped because the storyline resembled "Life Unexpected" too much?

9. Remember that whole basketball thing?
Sure, Nathan is still a basketball player, but now the sports stories revolve around contract negotiations, endorsement deals, and public relations nightmares, instead of actual sports. We miss watching the time running out during a tied game, and the camaraderie and competition within the team. Plus, the characters are really suffering without the wise old coach there to guide them with sports metaphors and withering stares.

10. Ditch Brooke's mom
Daphne Zuniga's time on "Melrose Place" made her a prime-time soap legend, so it pains us to say this, but it's time to say goodbye to Victoria. Now that she and Brooke have reconciled, she's just taking up space! We're bored by her affair with Alexander, because "One Tree Hill" has already gone down the cougar route - remember when Grandma Deb hooked up with Skills? Now it's no longer scandalous, it's just kind of sad.

11. No more mysterious women for Nathan
How many times has some strange new woman come into Nathan and Haley's life, threatening their relationship? And how many times has Nathan proven that he's not going to cheat on Haley with any of them? The fans love "Naley," and since the couple has been together since their junior year of high school, they've proven their staying power despite promiscuous cheerleaders, crazy nannies, and lying groupies. The parade of random creepy girls can end now.

12. Make the characters relatable again
"One Tree Hill" started off as a drama about estranged half-brothers on the same high school basketball team. Now it's about an NBA player, a sports agent, a famous designer, a model/actress, a movie producer and a touring singer. (Okay... and a seven-year-old.) Is there something in the water in Tree Hill that instantly makes everyone super-successful? And what are these people still doing living in a small town in North Carolina?

I personally think the only one I DON'T agree with is ditching Brook's Mom - she is the one person who is creating some drama. I never through I would see her with the male Alex... that makes things a little more funny and interesting on the sexy side of things. I think the show could be spiced up if there is a new season, but I fear this will be the last one!

Source: http://www.zap2it.com/news/pictures/zap-one-tree-hill-12-steps-gallery,0,5887253,showall.photogallery

Movie Reviews!

I saw THREE new movies lately... and I wanted to share what I thought about them!

Date Night: This movie had me laughing from start to finish! If I was the type to wet my pants, I probably would have! LOL Tina Fey and Steve Carrell have some serious comedy chemistry and I hope to see these two on screen again soon! Mark Walberg plays fantastic eye candy, of course! I love the "For the love of God, put an effing shirt on" scene... made me laugh so hard! But I think my favorite part was the end - during the credits they showed like the longest kiss ever, and some bloopers. It's worth sitting and watching, that's for sure! :)

Crazy Heart: I never thought I would love Jeff Bridges so much... he played Bad Blake so well. The movie was dramatic and the cast was amazing! It was a little predictable, but comparably better than many other dramas I have seen in my twenty five years. I think this was a good depiction on his character, and I like that at the end, he was sober. Maggie Gyllenhaal was phenomenal of course! I love her so much already, and her kid in the movie was ADORABLE! (I hear he is from GA and I hope to see him become a rising star one day.)

Kick Ass: This one was TONS better than I thought it would be! There was a lot of fake blood thrown around, but the story was well written and acted! I am a total Hit Girl fan and Red Mist can eat my shorts! I love that in the end, Kick Ass teamed up with Hit Girl to take down the bad guys! Not sure how I feel about that young actress though, using all that adult language. It wasn't really that necessary! I would recommend it to all my adult friends that don't mind the language/violence. There were some awesome fight scenes!

Book Recommendation: Wintergirls

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Genre: Young Adult/Teen
Pages: 288
Themes: Physical/Mental Illness, Eating Disorders

Summary: “Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

Review: I personally have read EVERYTHING that this author has written, and I love all her books! They are all about teen girls, much like Sarah Dessen's books. Every book touches on the HOT teen issues and problems in today's society! The need to be skinny, popular and other hot button issues in today's high schools.

This particular book was hard for me to read, and I found myself tearing up for most of it! The teasing and the disorders - Lia's emotions hit me kind of hard and I felt like I could actually FEEL her pain and misery in this book. I suggest it to anyone who can handle reading about this kind of thing. Some people can't.

Chocolate Nachos

ingredients

* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 8 6-inch flour tortillas
* 1/4 cup butter (no substitutes), melted
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
* 2 teaspoons shortening

directions

1. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush one side of each tortilla with melted butter; sprinkle with sugar mixture. Cut each tortilla into eight wedges. Arrange half of the wedges in a single layer on a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned (wedges will crisp upon standing).
2. Meanwhile, melt chocolate pieces and shortening in a small saucepan. Remove wedges from oven. Spread in an even layer on a serving platter; cool slightly. Drizzle with half of the melted chocolate mixture.
3. Arrange remaining wedges in a single layer on the same 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake as directed above. Spread in an even layer on a second serving platter; cool slightly. Drizzle with remaining melted chocolate mixture. Serve warm or cool. Makes 64 wedges.

Mexican-Style Chicken

ingredients

* 2 10-3/4-ounce cans reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
* 3/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 12 6- or 7-inch corn tortillas, cut into thin, bite-size strips
* 3 cups cubed cooked chicken*
* 1 8-ounce package (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
* Tomato slices (optional)
* Sliced green onions (optional)

directions

1. Combine soup, tomatoes with chiles, sweet pepper, onion, chili powder, and black pepper; set aside.
2. To assemble, sprinkle about one-third of the tortilla strips over the bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking dish or 3-quart rectangular casserole. Layer half of the chicken over tortilla strips; spoon half of soup mixture on top. Sprinkle half of the cheese and another one-third of the tortilla strips over the soup mixture. Layer with remaining chicken, soup mixture, and tortilla strips.
3. Bake, uncovered, in 350 degree F oven about 45 minutes or until bubbly around edges and center is hot. Remove from oven; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired, top with sliced tomatoes and green onions. Makes 8 servings.
4. ToTote: Cover tightly after sprinkling with cheese. Transport in an insulated carrier. If desired, trasnport tomatoes and green onions in an insulated cooler with ice packs.
5. *Note: About 1 pound boneless chicken breasts will yield 3 cups cubed cooked chicken; 1/2 pound yields about 1-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
6. For 4 Servings: Prepare using method above, except assemble in an ungreased 2-quart square baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven about 35 minutes or until bubbly around edges and center is hot.

FREE Book Giveaway!

First of all, a HUGE thank you to everyone who has joined our little book lover’s community over the past couple of months. It has been so much fun to read everyone’s recommendations and to discuss books with all of our members.

 

WE HAVE ANOTHER FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY!

This will be the community’s second giveaway, so join in to gain your chance to win these AWESOME prizes!   and   have come together to gather three books for this particular giveaway!

The Prizes:

1. A signed, first edition of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.
2. A signed, unedited, first edition of Feather by Abra Ebner
3. A copy of Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen



 

I hope you are all as excited as I am about this contest! These are some AWESOME prizes to get your hands on for FREE!

There are several ways to enter!

1. By joining the community if you are not a member already! That counts for one entry!
2. By pimping this community on your Live Journal! Post a description and link to the community and invite all of your friends to join as well! You will get ONE entry for your post and ONE additional entry for every friend you bring to the community!
3. By posting a book recommendation! We all love books, so use this opportunity to share one of your favorites! Each new recommendation post is worth ONE entry!
4. By posting a link to this contest on your Facebook or Twitter accounts. This counts as ONE entry.
5. By posting a paragraph here on the community about why YOU love to read and what type of books that you enjoy most. This counts as ONE more entry!

It’s super easy to get your name into the hat on this contest! Just do some of these things and you can win one of these great prizes!

Just remember that you MUST comment back on this post with your entries/links to any postings you've made.

Be sure to let us know in your comment which book you would most like to win.

Deadline: This contest will run until May 8th, at midnight EST. After that, all the entries will be tallied and then three winners will be chosen by a random number generator! 

Check it out here: http://community.livejournal.com/book_mosaic

Tricks to make candles last

If you are a candle burner like me, these tips might just be very helpful!

Wrap candles in foil (which keeps the wicks from getting soggy) and chill them in the freezer for a few hours to slow down the speed with which the wax melts.

Always make sure the wicks are trimmed short: ¼ inch or less. If the wick is too long, the flame gets out of control and you burn through wax really quickly. If you see smoke or flickering, it’s time to blow out the candle and give the wick a trim.

The first time you use a candle, let it burn long enough so that the wax has liquefies all across the surface to avoid tunneling, which is when the wick starts to burn and recede into the rest of the candle (which wastes a bunch of wax in the process).

Keep candles away from drafty areas, like windows or near ceiling fans. This can cause them to burn unevenly—and less efficiently.

Crispy Chicken Nuggets with Honey-Mustard Dip

Crispy Chicken Nuggets with Honey-Mustard Dip



Ingredients

* 1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise dressing or salad dressing
* 4 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* Dash black pepper
* 1 beaten egg
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 30 whole wheat or regular rich round crackers, finely crushed (1 1/4 cups)

Directions

1. For honey-mustard dip, in a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise dressing, mustard, and honey. Cover and chill until serving time.
2. Cut chicken into 1-1/2-inch pieces. In a plastic bag combine flour, parsley flakes, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add chicken pieces, a few at a time, to the flour mixture. Close the bag; shake to coat chicken pieces. Set chicken aside.
3. In a bowl stir together egg and milk. Place crushed crackers in another bowl. Dip coated chicken pieces, a few at a time, into the egg mixture. Roll the pieces in crackers. Place in a single layer on a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Serve with cold or warm honey-mustard dip. To warm dip, cover with waxed paper and microwave on 100-percent power (high) for 30 seconds or until heated through. (Or, transfer dip to a small saucepan; heat and stir over low heat.) Makes 4 servings.

Sandra Bullock Asked to Return Razzie Statue!

The co-founder of the Razzie Awards has taken to the media to ask Sandra Bullock to return the award she won last month for Worst Actress.

"We are ready to take the unprecedented step of asking a winner to return a Razzie," John Wilson, the awards co-founder, told the UK's Telegraph newspaper.

Lest you think this gesture has anything to do with her recent personal-life strife, think again: the Razzie judges haven't changed their mind about Bullock's performance in "All About Steve" - they just want the actual trophy back.

It seems they got so caught up in the moment that instead of giving Bullock the intentionally cheap (it's worth a whopping $4.79), spray-painted replica of the award that all winners receive, the Razzies organizers say they inadvertently handed Bullock the original 30-year-old award. Given its age and rarity, the original has much more value as a collector's item.

Mr. Wilson explained the confusion to the Telegraph: "As Sandra was in such a rush after winning Worst Actress she ran off with the original handmade prototype which has been present at ceremonies since the 1980s."

Bullock famously showed up to accept her Worst Actress award for her role in the box-office bomb, "All About Steve," bringing with her hundreds of "Steve" DVDs and promising to return the award if the Razzie judges changed their minds after watching the movie. The next day, Bullock won the Best Actress Oscar for "The Blind Side," making her the only person ever to win both an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year.

Wilson told the Telegraph that he hasn't asked Bullock personally for the award back because he wants to respect her privacy in the wake of her recent marital troubles, but that doesn't quite make sense. Wouldn't it be more respectful of Bullock's privacy to just call her on the phone and explain the mishap?

Book Recommendation: Wings

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Title: Wings
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Release date: May 5, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 294
Genre: Young adult, urban fantasy

Fifteen-year-old Laurel has always been homeschooled, but when her family moves to a new city her parents decide to enroll her in the public school. Being in public school draws attention to some of Laurel’s odd quirks: she eats only plain fruits and vegetables for every meal, she doesn’t have to wash her hair with shampoo and conditioner, and she is always warm, to the point where she likes to wear tank tops and shorts even in the chilly fall months. Just when Laurel starts to feel comfortable among her new friends and teachers, she finds a strange bump growing between her shoulder blades. Gradually the bump turns into a beautiful flower-like blossom, growing right out of her back! Soon she meets Tamani, a boy who lives on her parents’ property, who informs her that she is a faerie and was placed by her (adoptive) parents when she was young for a secret mission.

When Wings got a lot of hype last year, I was never motivated to seek it out. But it really does have a beautiful cover, and when I saw that my library has a copy of it in audio format, I decided it was the right time to pick it up. I was satisfied with the experience of reading it because I honestly didn’t have a lot of expectations. It didn’t wow me, but it did entertain me for my drives to and from work every day, so I got exactly what I was looking for.

I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, and the only book I’ve read about fairies is Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely, so I didn’t have much to compare Wings to. I think this is a good thing because I didn’t have much in the way of expectations for the novel in terms of the faerie stuff – so I have no idea how Pike’s take on the subject fares with other authors’ versions. I enjoyed reading about Laurel’s new life and about her discovery of that life. I would have liked for her to have discovered her true self a bit sooner in the book, as I don’t think enough time or attention was paid to the details of the faerie world. But I did like going on this journey with Laurel, as I found her authentic and I believed her disbelief of fairies. I also liked reading about her relationship with David (her human friend/almost boyfriend) – it was sweet and innocent and paced very nicely throughout the book. I must admit, though, that the Laurel/David/Tamani love triangle was not believable to me one bit. I just didn’t think that Laurel had a chance to get to know Tamani before she was having feelings for him – it simply felt forced and didn’t work for me.

Overall, I have to say that Wings was an enjoyable book which I’m glad I had a chance to read. I don’t know if a sequel is in the works, but if it is I would probably read it as I was interested enough by this novel to want to find out more about Laurel and what happens to her now that she knows she is a faerie.

Source: Book Addiction

Television Frenzy!

I have been watching ALOT of television lately... and I don't even know where to begin!

The shows I have been watching lately are:

16 and Pregnant
19 and Counting
American Idol
Army Wives
Project Runway
The OC - Season one
America's Next Top Model
ABDC
CSI
One Tree Hill - returns April 26th
Cake Boss

I'm sure there are others that I have not mentioned, mostly because I DVR them and watch them all quickly!

I was very glad that Army Wives started back up again recently! I was missing those girls and I am excited to see what this new season will bring!

I look forward to getting the first half of Glee on DVD soon so I can watch that as well - I keep hearing good things!

There are so many updates on all the shows! I look forward to catching up on them all this year and next year!

New Movie Reviews!

Zombieland: I have now seen this movie three times and can't wait to watch it again! I love Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray in this movie! It's got a funky plot, but it's by far my most favorite Zombie movie ever made! It's funny, a little gross, and not suitable for kids under 13... but an awesome, fun movie to watch with friends and have a good laugh!

Clash of the Titans: My husband drug me to see this one yesterday - and I have to admit that it was a pretty good movie, the special effects were awesome! I have come to the conclusion I want my own pegasus! The story line was a little confusing and Wes said it would have been easier for me to understand if I had seen the first one (I plan on seeing it soon). All in all, it was entertaining and the bulk of the movie: Sam Worthington and Lian Neeson were GORGEOUS as usual!! (They look good on screen, even if they have to wear a skirt!) Also, the girl who plays Io, Gemma Arterton, is a beautiful girl, and one I hope to see again soon on the big screen. She's a talented girl and lit up the screen as Perseus's love interest!

Script Frenzy Update!

I'm only about 7 days into the month and I am pushing twenty pages on my script! I can't wait to write more and maybe one of these days I will share it with all of you! :)

It's a script version of the novel I started last fall and I can't wait to see where I can take it!

Lucasfilm plans animated 'Star Wars' series

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After two hit "Robot Chicken" parodies of "Star Wars," "Chicken" masterminds Seth Green and Matthew Senreich get to do the real thing.

"Star Wars" creator George Lucas' Lucasfilm Animation said Monday it is developing a new animated "Star Wars" series that will take a comedic and irreverent look at the characters from the sci-fi franchise and will feature creative involvement from Green and Senreich as well as writing from Brendan Hay ("The Daily Show").

"The 'Star Wars' universe is so dense and rich; it's crazy to think that there aren't normal, mundane everyday problems in a world so well-defined," Green said. "What do these characters do when they're not overthrowing empires?"

Added Senreich, "We're going to pull back the curtain of some of those behind-the-scenes shenanigans."

There is no network announced for the new series, but given Lucas Animation and Green and Senreich's close ties with Cartoon Network, a deal with Cartoon or its Adult Swim programing block appears likely.

The new comedic "Star Wars" series follows Lucasfilm Animation's series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," which airs on Cartoon Network. Meanwhile, "Chicken" buoyed by its popular "Star Wars: Episode 1 and 2" specials, is the flagship series on Adult Swim.

Save power, save money: 6 easy tips to reduce your electricity usage and bills

There are a bunch of little tricks you can employ to cut back on power consumption at home—which not only has environmental benefits but keeps you from wasting cash too—and it's highly unlikely you'll even notice a difference. Between the National Resources Defense Council's site and powerscorecard.org I found some really good tips. Here's a re-cap of six simple, painless ways to cut back:

1. Check this: refrigerators suck up a whopping 20% of your household electricity use. Time to turn them down! Aim for somewhere between 38-42 degrees in the fridge, and 0-5 degrees in the freezer. If you've got an energy saver switch, make sure it's flipped on. Doors should be sealed tight: to test, stick a dollar bill between the gaskets and close the fridge door; if the bill is hard to pull out you're in good shape. If not, it's time to replace the gaskets.

2. Wash only full loads in your dishwasher (yet another reason to learn to pack them efficiently!), and if you have time, let them air dry by turning off the drying cycle manually—this can save 20% of your dishwasher's total electricity usage.

3. Don't use hot water when doing the laundry. If you must, try warm water, though in most cases cold is probably just fine. Make sure that the amount of water you're using corresponds with the size of your laundry load.

4. Lower the temperature of your water thermostat to 120-130 degrees (any lower than that might backfire on you, since you might end up running out of hot water).

5. Clean your air filters regularly. Air conditioners have to work a lot harder to circulate air through filthy filters, which is a totally unnecessary electricity drain.

6. And while you're sitting in front of the computer, turn on the sleep mode, so it's less of a power drain when you're not using it. Windows users can do this via the control panel, while Mac users can find energy saving settings under system preferences in the apple menu.

By Emily Hsieh, Shine

Lack of Twilight game costing 'millions'

by Mike Smith

Hardly any big-budget movie goes by these days without an accompanying video game release -- but the absence of a game based on Stephanie Meyer's Twilight property is causing publishers to miss out on millions, according to British trade paper MCV.

"Given how hot a property it is, Twilight could easily present a seven-figure exploitation opportunity," analyst Nick Gibson told the publication, "especially if publishers look at taking it beyond retail gaming and considers network gaming."

Gibson goes on to suggest such a game would perform well with the broader audiences of the Nintendo's Wii and DS machines, and would be unlikely to be targeted at gamers with Xbox 360s or PS3s.

"The brand’s appeal could actually extend significantly beyond the expected teen girl market and into the 20- to 30-year-old female market, which has a very substantial crossover into gaming," he said.

So why have we not seen any serious attempt to bring Twilight's vampires-and-werewolves world to consoles? It could simply be that the franchise owners haven't realized what a big money-spinner it could be, Gibson told MCV.

"It may well be that the rights holders aren’t aware of the potential benefits as they haven’t explored the games market before,” he said. "It’s not unheard of – although it is increasingly unusual in this day and age."

Movie-based games often score poorly with critics, but they're a reliable hit with consumers. All the same, Twilight isn't the only recent hot property to have missed out on a video game release: you'd have thought a game based on Oscar-winning Batman flick The Dark Knight would have been an obvious move, but it was not to be. Although publisher EA was working on such a title, it was canceled in 2008; a Newsweek article put the cost of the missed opportunity at over $100 million.

Source: Yahoo

What Part of Speech are You??

You Are a Conjunction

You are a deep thinker, and you're always looking for the connections between things. You see the whole big picture as far as the world goes. You are good at developing intricate theories. In your view, we are all interconnected. The little things we do effect one another, and the results are pretty interesting. You tend to be a mix and match type of person. You like unusual pairings - in food, style, and in company.

What Part of Speech Are You?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Megan as the Dewey Decimal System!

Megan Addison's Dewey Decimal Section:

097 Books notable for ownership or origin

Megan Addison's birthday: 1/12/1985 = 112+1985 = 2097


Class:
000 Computer Science, Information & General Works


Contains:
Encyclopedias, magazines, journals and books with quotations.



What it says about you:
You are very informative and up to date. You're working on living in the here and now, not the past. You go through a lot of changes. When you make a decision you can be very sure of yourself, maybe even stubborn, but your friends appreciate your honesty and resolve.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Movie Review: The Last Song

I really enjoyed this movie. Of course, there are TONS of differences from the book, but I think the movie is good all on its own! Miley did a great job as Ronnie and I can't wait to see where this movie helps to take her acting career. She could be great one day! I would like to see her in more movies - things that aren't related to Hannah Montana.

The plot was basically the same although some history and key points were left out, the overall storyline was just like the book and I really enjoyed that the movie was filmed and set in GA. But the thing that made me laugh most was that it was filmed in South GA, around St. Simon's Island - and the aquarium Will volunteered at was the GA Aquarium - which is located downtown. That did really work well for me in the scene when she shows up in South GA still wet haired from ATL. :)

Other than that, most things were consistent! I would recommend it to any girl, couple, or family. There were a few curse words, but over all was a VERY clean movie.

Babies & The Bunny

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Happy Easter!

This is one of my favorite images when Easter time comes around... it floats through the emails at work and finds its way back to me. But Easter isn't just about egg hunts and chocolate bunnies.

Easter is a time to celebrate the life and resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for sinners like you and me. His death was so meaningful! So when Easter morning comes around, take a look in the Bible and re-read that story about the cross and remember what the day is supposed to always be about.

Spicy Cocktail Meatballs

Ingredients
For the meatballs:


* 1 pound ground beef
* 1 pound ground pork
* 1 cup plain bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
* 2 eggs
* 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
* 2 tablespoons adobe sauce (from can of chipotle peppers in adobo)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 tablespoon canola oil

For the sauce:


* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 1 cup finely chopped onion
* 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
* 2 cups ketchup
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions

To make the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients, except the canola oil. Shape heaping teaspoons of the mixture into 1-inch balls. In a Dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, wiping pan in between, saute the meatballs, turning frequently for even browning, until cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Place on a paper towel-lined plate.

To make the sauce:

Heat oil in the same Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper and cook 1 minute. Stir in the remaining ingredients and reduce heat to low.

Add the browned meatballs to the Dutch oven and toss gently to coat with sauce.

'True Blood' Star Anna Paquin Uses Surprising Medium to Reveal Sexual Orientation

Hot on the heels of Ricky Martin's announcement on his personal blog that he's gay, "True Blood" star Anna Paquin used an unusual medium of her own to announce that she is bisexual.

Alongside celebrities such as Elton John, Clay Aiken, and Wanda Sykes, Paquin declared her sexual orientation in a public service announcement for Cyndi Lauper's Give a Damn Campaign, which promotes equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Two videos were shot in Los Angeles on January 30 and were released April 1 at 9 a.m. EST.





What makes 27-year-old Paquin's spot particularly surprising is that, unlike some of the other openly gay celebrities involved in the campaign, the actor had never before discussed being bisexual. According to RadarOnline.com, even people at the shoot were surprised when Paquin made the revelation.

A second PSA features "Sex and the City" actor Cynthia Nixon (who came out in 2006), Jason Mraz, Kim Kardashian, and Sharon and Kelly Osbourne.



Paquin follows an interesting trend of celebrities forgoing the traditional "coming out" People magazine interview -- à la Clay Aiken and Lance Bass -- and instead controlling the message themselves. Ricky Martin buried his announcement at the bottom of an otherwise banal blog post, and now Paquin is using her announcement to drive attention to a cause she supports. So much attention, in fact, that servers at wegiveadamn.org crashed shortly after the news broke of Paquin's statement.

Paquin -- who at age 11 became the second-youngest Oscar winner in history when she won for best supporting actress for "The Piano" -- has been notoriously shy about discussing her private life and has never before discussed her sexuality. In 2007, she was romantically linked with actor Kieran Culkin. In August 2009, she and "True Blood" costar Stephen Moyer announced their engagement.

The Give a Damn campaign is part of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Fund (named after her popular 1986 song and album). Lauper is currently promoting the cause during her turn on the Donald Trump-judged show "Celebrity Apprentice."

Source: Yahoo

Movie Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I was actually surprised about this movie, it was cute and very funny. I went with my sister-in-law, nephews and niece to see it...the boys loved it. It has a lot of boyish prank humor in it and scary stories that older brothers tell the gullible younger ones.

It had a lot of kid public school humor in it, but some cute adult humor as well. I laughed quite a few times. But boys will be boys and there were some GROSS parts too - boogers and moldy cheese. Eww! All in all, a good movie in my opinion! It had some cute lessons learned!

Dinner Under $10: Chili Noodle Casserole

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 44 Minutes
Serves: 6
Cost per serving: $1.57

Ingredients:

1 12 oz package of egg noodles
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (or use onion powder)
1 lb ground beef
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup milk
1 1.25 oz packet taco seasoning
4 slices american cheese
3/4 cup crushed corn chips

1. Lightly mist a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until done, 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender, about 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking up into small pieces, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain beef mixture, then stir in tomato sauce, milk and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring once.
3. Stir egg noodles into skillet beek mixture; mix well. (Combine beef mixture and noodles in a large bowl if it won't fit in the skillet). Pour mixture into the casserole dish and spread evenly. Top with cheese slices, sprinkle with crushed corn chips. Bake until cheese is melted and browned and mixtre is bobbly, about 20 minutes.

Per Serving:
538 calories
24g fat (9g sat fat)
1116 mg cholesterol
3g fiber
28 g protein
53g carbs
917mg sodium