Mishmash Musings

Joaquin Phoenix announced during an interview today that he’s done acting and will focus solely on his film career from now on. He’s just 34 years old, and was obviously still getting roles, so I’m not sure what this is all about. There’s a short video right here where you can check out the announcement, which led to a VERY uncomfortable “Dude, why are you laughing?” exchange between him and the reporter… yikes.

I’ve never seen Joaquin Phoenix on talk shows or in TV interviews, so I had no idea what his personality was like. He seems very abrasive, abrupt, and dismissive of people — not very friendly or approachable at all. He’s kind of scary!

Oh, well. Even though I’ve enjoyed his films in the past, it’s not as though Hollywood is losing a legend or anything. But the “It’s Casey’s turn now” part? Um, yeah, right. Casey Affleck as the next big thing in Hollywood??? LOL.

(Photo credit: RE/Westcom/starmaxinc.com)

I haven’t posted here in a few days because I’ve been fighting a bad cold. I spent most of that time in bed trying to take it easy, which is hard for me — especially when I’m pretty much forced to do it. The silver lining in all of this is that it’s happening at the end of the month, after I’ve already hit my income goals. So at least this time off isn’t hurting me financially.

Hopefully I’ll feel better soon. I really want to be able to take my boy out trick-or-treating on Friday!

I just read that Anne Pressly, the Arkansas TV anchorwoman that I wrote about last week, has died as a direct result of injuries sustained from a brutal beating in her home. Her death was announced by her former station KATV, and tributes have been pouring into the station’s website from all across the country. Moreover, mourners have set up a makeshift memorial outside Pressly’s Little Rock home, leaving notes, candles, teddy bears, and other items in memory of the 26-year-old.

Police still have no leads in the case and no real suspects. No motive has been discovered, either, so it’s a very frustrating situation for all involved. KATV has started a reward fund worth a reported $30,000 for information leading to the capture and conviction of the perpetrator.

Wow. My thoughts and condolences go out to Pressly’s family, and I certainly hope that the scumbag who did this is brought to justice. What a horrifying way to die .

I just read that U2 lead singer Bono is in talks with the New York Times to become one of their regular op-ed columnists for 2009. There aren’t many details available at this point, but apparently he would write “occasional” columns about a variety of topics.

Oh, puh-leeze!

I realize Bono is a major celebrity and has a loyal following, but come on. I would NOT be more inclined to read the NYT simply because he’s writing for them. In fact, I’m more likely to stay away.

Look, I get that Bono is some big humanitarian and believes in all these causes, blah, blah, blah — which is fine. I’m glad he’s using his celebrity in a good way. It would just be easier to take if he didn’t make a point of hyping himself and his deeds all the damn time.

As I’ve mentioned several times before on this blog, I’ve been trying to lose weight all year. Getting on a diet and workout routine was my top resolution for the New Year, and I’ve been counting calories and going to the gym three times a week since early February. Progress was slow for the first few months, but then I saw some excellent results over the summer. After losing eight pounds, however, I suddenly hit a plateau.

So I decided to start keeping a food journal to track exactly what I was putting in my mouth all day long. This has actually been very helpful and eye-opening, as I learned that part of the reason I’m no longer shedding pounds is that I’m eating way too much fat on a daily basis. Yes, my calories are under my daily limit, but when those calories are coming from potato chips, ice cream, and cookies, well, that’s a huge problem. I know this is kind of a “duh” moment, as it should have been obvious that junk food of this sort wasn’t good for me, but I honestly thought that as long as I stayed under 1,600 calories per day, I’d be fine.

Anyway, now I’m going to expand my focus to include watching my fat intake as well as calories. This should help immensely, and hopefully give me the boost I need to drop a few more pounds without having to shell out for more diet supplements.

Initially, I’m going to try to stay under 53 grams of fat per day, and then decrease it to 50, then 45, and then 40. I don’t think I need to go below that because I don’t have that much weight to lose. I’m excited to get started here!

I just read that Wil Wheaton guest starred on the CBS drama Criminal Minds tonight. I TiVo that show and usually get around to watching it on weekends, but I think I’m going to make an exception and try to fit it in early tomorrow morning before I start my day. I like Wil Wheaton from his Stand By Me days, and of course from his blog. I hope the episode is a good one and that Wil acquitted himself well in his role!

Edit: I guess the image I used here was too big for the post, so it overflowed the text box. I’m just typing this to make more space for the image, blah, blah, blah…. I never noticed this quirk in my WP theme before. I’m usually so long-winded that it’s never been a problem until tonight!

I was flipping through my cable channels the other day when I came across a rerun of The Practice. I used to love that show, and thought it was one of the best dramas on television back in its day. Remember when creator David E. Kelley won Emmys for both Best Drama (The Practice) and Best Comedy (Ally McBeal) on the same night? That was cool!

Anyway, seeing the show again made me realize how much I miss it. All the characters were great, including Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott), Ellenor Frutt (Camryn Manheim), and Helen Gamble (Lara Flynn Boyle). It’s kind of funny thinking of Manheim and Flynn Boyle on the same show, since they were at opposite ends of the spectrum on the weight issue. Remember how people were always saying that Flynn Boyle was positively skeletal and must be on alli or some other supplement even though she clearly didn’t need to be? And then there was Manheim, who won an Emmy and dedicated it to “all the fat girls”. Awesome!

Anyway, I really wish they would release the series on DVD, but as is usual with David E. Kelley productions, there’s a problem securing music rights at a reasonable price. If The Practice ever does come out on DVD though, you better believe I’ll be buying it!

I was reading the Us magazine website and came across an article about Ashton Kutcher’s football team. No, he didn’t buy into the pro sports world and become an NFL owner. Instead, Kutcher coaches a high school football team! Yep, he’s been an assistant coach on the Harvard Westlake freshman team since the beginning of the season, and has helped the Wolverines to a 4-2 record so far.

I was amazed when I read this, and even more amazed to learn that he’s actually taking the role very seriously. He goes to practice 5 days a week, shows up at all the games, etc. I happen to think this is very, very cool!

Also, since this is a regular job, Kutcher had to sit through an interview (though I highly doubt that was anything more than a formality) and actually gets paid.

In the Us article, Ashton talks about his feelings prior to taking on the gig:

“I was afraid of the time commitment,” he writes. “I was afraid that I would look stupid. I was afraid that the players wouldn’t listen to my football advice. I was afraid that the advice that I gave wouldn’t be very good.”

I know this probably sounds dumb, but hearing about Kutcher’s coaching “career” has really changed my opinion of him. How many celebrities would go and do something like this on their free time?? It’s not as though he needs the goodwill generated by this publicity, so I truly believe that this is something he’s passionate about. I wish more celebs would get out there and mingle in the real world instead of hiding out on their gated estates all the time!