NOAH: an honest review from a hopeful spectator

I had the chance to screen the movie Noah this weekend, and I must say it was not at all what I was expecting. Being able to travel to visit the ark on set during production last year was incredible. The sheer magnitude in size and great attention to detail made me feel like I truly was there. Since that experience, I have been nothing but excited about the movie and how it would benefit mainstream media by bringing a message from the bible.

Perhaps my expectations were a bit high, and also more influenced by previous bible film experiences. And I know, after interviewing Darren Aranofsky, that he was trying to break the mold of traditional bible films. Let me tell you, he did and then some. Right from the beginning of the movie he introduces a mythology I am entirely unfamiliar with. Perhaps it is my sheltered, flannel-board sunday school mentality, but it begins much darker than I thought. The bible really puts an emphasis on how the world was wicked and God was displeased. But it doesn't say in what way it was wicked. And I must say, this writing changes the way I perceive wicked to be. But it's true, the world had to have been so incredibly, unbelievably wicked for God to want to wipe it clean like that. I'm sure I don't want to even imagine what it was like.

But in this world of dark and different, Aranofsky brings an almost Tolkien feel to it with mythical creatures I've only ever heard whispers of. He brings them to the forefront of the story in such an interesting way that while I am pretty confident that this is not how it happened, it still intrigued me. And I'm pretty sure that the whole point of writing this story the way that it was had more to do with making the world turn their idea of what really happened to Noah on it's head.

By the third act, things take such a dramatic turn that the story is almost unrecognizable. I found myself wanting to audibly ask "Why did you do that?" Fortunately for me, I had the opportunity to ask that the very next night as I sat down at a roundtable with both writers of the film: Ari Handel and Darren Aranofsky.

They spent half an hour taking apart each section of the film and explaining why they made the choices they made. Each time they explained, I found their case to be compelling and oddly....believable. At the end of the interview I found myself almost rooting for the film, having unearthed it's secrets and understood the direction it went in. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of hearing directly from the writers why they made the story decisions that they did, and consequently, I fear that the movie will suffer with religious viewers especially because it is so very different from what we have made up bible movies to be in our collective heads.

My hope is that viewers will enter the theater with open minds and check their expectations at the door.

The Duggar Dark Place

I recently watched the season finale of 19 kids and counting where Jim Bob and Michelle lost their 20th child, Jubilee. I haven't always been a fan of the choices the Duggars have made, but this episode helped me to see exactly why God gave them a television show.

We watched as they excitedly went into the room to have their 18 week sonogram, and we saw the devistation on their faces as they found out that their daughter had passed away. Within seconds of finding out, Michelle exclaimed, "The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Words cannot describe what an amazing thing that was to hear. Someone had just lost a precious gift, a very loved, very anticipated, very wanted child and they turned around and blessed God. Over the rest of the few days, she talked about giving birth to the baby, holding her tiny hands, and knowing that those tiny eyes would only ever see Jesus. And as they lowered her body into a tiny grave, they sang Jesus Loves Me and talked about how Jubilee was in heaven and one day they would see her again.

Sometimes we don't always know why God does the things he does, sometimes it's to teach us, sometimes it's to teach others. But what I do know, is that Jubilee's impact was big. Being able to see the way her family handled that situation, praising God and knowing that she was never there's to begin with, touched my heart.

One thing I thought about and could see so clearly through all of this is that we all go through deep darkness. But it's how you walk through that darkness that defines your character and that blesses the name of the Lord. So many of us don't really think about the fact that we can bless others, touch others, help others by the way that we handle the dark waters. The thing that we don't often rememeber, but it's so good to is that everyone is
 watching and how you handle a situation or go through a hard time can deeply impact others. I thank God for the little life of Jubilee Duggar who was only here for a short time but who touched millions of lives.

Who's Hungry?

If you thought this was going to be a food blog, I'm sorry to dissapoint you. This is all about my love of Hunger Games. It all started a year and a half ago when I was at a baby shower. An old college friend and I were talking about our love of Twilight and how it actually got me into reading books. Maybe this sounds like a 1st grader, let me preface this by saying that I am perfectly capable of reading. I just preferred NOT to read, and would much rather have a People magazine in my hand than a good book. That, of course, changed with the introduction of Twilight and it's 400 paged books that I went through in a few days. And suddenly, I was looking for something equally as attention holding. That's when my friend suggested Hunger Games. I went to work getting the first book just to try it out.

I must admit, the idea of a bunch of CHILDREN fighting to the death in an arena for people's entertainment sounded gorey and disturbing. I wasn't sure how I could like something like that. But I tried to have an open mind. 2 days later, I had finished the book and was well into the second one. It became like crack cocaine to me, I couldn't get enough. I enjoyed it so thoroughly that once I was done, the adrenaline rush stayed with me for the next week. I tried to get my other friends to read it, but they were stuck on the whole bloody children thing and wouldn't dare.

A while past and I heard that they were making a MOVIE of the book! I was interested in the people they had casted for the characters that existed in my head. And I started chatting about it with my friends, which of course made them curious about reading the books. And, like I predicted, they also became addicted.

Now I don't USUALLY like to be one of those pretentious people that says things like, "I loved the books way BEFORE I ever knew there was a movie" but, I find myself saying just that. I felt this way about Twilight too, but this one is different because I am most proud of my new-found reading hobby and I want to make it clear that I didn't jump on a bandwagon just because everyone else is. Why I need to say that? I really don't know, pride I guess?

Tonight is the midnight showing of The Hunger Games and I am so stinking excited to be standing in line well before midnight with a coffee in hand and 800 other excited fans. There's something amazing about going to midnight showings with die-hard fans. Half the fun is the line.

I just hope they don't go into teams again. Team Gayle or Team Peeta? Oh who are we kidding, it's going to be a whole thing.

A letter to Ms. Palin

Dear Bristol,

I have never really been a fan of your mother. But I have never let that reflect poorly on my opinion of you. When you had a baby at such a young age, I was happy with your decision. When you graduated from high school despite that obstacle, I was ecstatic. But yesterday I couldn't have been more proud of you as I watched your PSA about teen pregnancy.

Way to take your situation and use it for the good of others. I am sure that couldn't have been a decision your mom was super on board with, but I'm really impressed with your ability to be your own woman and take control of your situation. That is what makes an intelligent woman. So thank you for restoring my faith in Palins everywhere. Do you think YOU could run for vice president?

Finding the humor in healthcare.

So instead of writing a blog on the extremely controversial healthcare bill that was just passed, I wanted to address something slightly more... silly about it. That would be, people's reactions to it on facebook. Last night when it was passed, I scanned through all my friend's updates and so many of them wrote quite humorous things. Actually, they were trying to be serious, but I found them humorous.

My favorite update would have to be "Great, welcome communism" (I think they meant socialism). While I think everyone is entitled to their own political convictions, I still find humor in the way that people choose to express them. This morning I came acrossed the group " 1 million facebook users against the new healthcare plan." Like O'bama is going to sign into his facebook account, see that there are 1 million facebook users against his bill and suddenly he will see the light and withdraw the bill.

When Obama was elected I took to facebook to see people's reactions. I was susprised to hear theories about the Apacolypse and the End of Days. Now I understand when your guy loses that you're not thrilled, but Obama the anti-christ? I don't know if I'd give him THAT much credit.

I just find it funny how dramatic people can be, especially on facebook. And how, they can be worried about what this world is coming to then 10 hours later update their status about this fabulous pair of shoes they just got. Funny.

I'm With CoCo

Dear NBC:

Conan O'Brien is one of the funniest guys I know. He's made funny his business for over 20 years, 17 of those have been spent with you. It is amazing to me how you could throw that kind of relationship away over a few meesly ratings in the over 45 crowd. Integrity used to mean something to you people...what happened?

I'd personally like to thank you for alienating millions of loyal viewers ensuring abismol numbers for the former now current host. Heck, if it wasn't for The Office and 30 Rock, I'd get rid of you altogether. As it is, I am content to simply boycott all things Jay. Hope you enjoy crappy ratings and the demise of a show that's been the foundation of your network for 55 years.

As for me... I'm with Co-Co.

Sincerely, Erin Warkentin (a representative for Americans everywhere)

Congratulations Jim & Pam!

So I have to be honest and say that I get little goosebumps everytime NBC advertises Jim & Pam's wedding. Why? I dunno. It's kind of silly really. Getting all emotional over fictional characters. But they are just so darn loveable, it's hard not to.

Their love is so authentic and real and totally normal that I find myself on the edge of my seat waiting for this wedding. In fact, I think I am more excited about this wedding than most REAL weddings that are coming up.

I guess maybe it's because we've been there from the beggining; watching them flirt and send signals, and mis-read signals, and be apart from eachother and then finally get together. I love that their characters have such an authentic relationship full of ups and downs. But mostly, I love that they are best friends.

On October 8th you can bet that I will be sitting on the couch, glued to the Office waiting with anticipation for them to open the chapel doors and for Pam to walk down the aisle.

It's what you Beyon"say"

For those of you that know me well, there are 2 musicians that drive me batty, and I am never one to shy away from saying so. I have never been a fan of Beyonce or Kanye West. But last night, all of that changed.

I am sure by now you are all aware of the spectacle Kanye made of himself while jumping on the stage and stealing the microphone during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech declaring that Beyonce's video was the best. Though I am never surprised at his rash behavior, it continues to remind me why I can't stand the man.

What DID surprise me was when Beyonce won the most prestigious award of the night: Video of the Year, she graciously let Taylor finish HER acceptance speech. Now I am not a fan of Beyonce's shrill-like singing, her barely there wardrobe, or her bumping and grinding. But I can certainly appreciate someone with that much character and class. Someone who would give up their chance at glory. That is someone I can get behind.

So you can call me Miss B's number one fan now. I'll wear a Beyonce T-shirt, and wave a poster of her around for all to see.... just don't ask me to do the "Single Ladies" dance. I am not so good at that.

Jon minus Kate plus 8

Last night I, along with millions of Americans, tuned in to watch the deterioration of Jon & Kate's 10 year marriage. It was a very sad thing. But it made me think a lot about marriage. It is such a fragile thing; the relationship between a man and a woman. It's not something to be taken for granted or put on the shelf. Marriage is a commitment that takes constant maintenance and work and perseverance.

The show last night made me think of my own relationship; the ups and downs. I thought of the times that I have failed as a wife. That I hadn't encouraged him, or that I de-masculated him. If anything, last night's show made me want to work extra hard on my marriage- to fight for it.

Jon and Kate talked a LOT about how everything was for their kids and their kids were the most important thing. The problem with that is that the best thing for their kids is to have a mommy and daddy in a committed relationship, staying together and working at their marriage. When you put your kids above your relationship, it's easy to get side-tracked and to lose focus on your marriage. Too many times I have seen this happen. And while the premise of "My kids always come first" SOUNDS good, it doesn't make for happiness in the home.

I'm not an expert, especially in OTHER people's relationships. But I believe that by honoring my husband, I am loving my kids and doing what's best for them.

My kid likes Gokey

This kid would much rather play outside then watch TV.

In fact, TV is rarely on in our house. But when Idol comes on, you can find him sitting as close as he can to the screen, listening intently. I have no idea what the draw is, but it cracks me up.

Maybe next week I'll let him call in and vote.

My thoughts on Idol

Okay I just had to write about this, because it has been bothering me for too many weeks now. What is people's obsession with Adam? I understand that he is innovative and definitely very creative when it comes to his musical arrangements. There have been times when I have really enjoyed the SONG he chose, or the way he arranged it. But I can't for the life of me figure out why people like his VOICE?

I hear the judges week after week talk about what a magnificent voice he has or how wonderful his vocals are. And I can't help but wonder- Are they listening to the same person I am? I mean, the guy's falsetto sounds like a cat being hit against a wall. It is wildly out of control. I don't believe I have ever heard something so ear piercing be so popular. Has everyone gone mad?

A couple weeks back I found out before Idol he had been on Broadway, which makes total sense to me. He definitely has a flair for the drama, and some serious stage presence. I can see him going far with that. But does he have the talent for commercial success? Highly unlikely.

So I urge fans out there to please vote for the person they see actually being able to sell albums and be successful in the business. Not the person who dresses in Halloween costumes and butchers Johnny Cash classics.

Sex and the Kiddie

Alright, so I wanted this to remain my secret guilty pleasure, but for the sake of good story telling, I must divulge that I am a Sex in the City fan. Mostly, the TBS version that has little nudity and "fixes" all the cussing. So when the movie came out I was REALLY wanting to go see it. So my BFF Jenny and I decided to go on a much-needed girl date. No husbands, no kids, no limits to the amount of trouble we could get into.

And at said date, we decided to see our secret indulgence- the Sex movie. We busied ourselves getting the perfect seat and chatting about life while the previews were rolling. Little by little, more and more people straggled into the theatre. There were a few middle-aged women there (which I expected) and then a few moms and teenage girls. Then, just as the movie was about to start, in walked a mom and her 3-year-old daughter. At first I thought perhaps they had stumbled into the wrong theatre as I heard "Mommy I have to go pee-pee".

Surely they must be going to see Kung-Fu Panda or something.Then, sure enough, the lights dimmed, the famous theme song started playing and the 3 year old girl started rolling around in the middle aisle. Don't get me wrong, the little girl wasn't all that loud or disturbing. I think it was just that a MOTHER would bring her very small child to a rated R film. And not just any film, a film that cussed frequently and had fairly graphic sexual content.

It was odd to hear someone use the F word and then hear a tiny giggle in the background. We definitely felt uncomfortable. And as we left the theatre, it was everything I could do to hold Jenny back from giving that mom a stern lecture.I am not neccessarily condoning my guilty pleasure by any means, but I certainly wouldn't take my CHILD to see it.

Daytime television (what you're missing part 3)

For those of you who watch THE SOUP on Friday nights, you might have seen glimpses of the featured show today. For this installment of my daytime television rant I would like to draw your attention to:
THE TYRA BANKS SHOW
What is this show about you ask? A supermodel past her prime who wants to be like Oprah, but is closer to Riki Lake. At 2pm every afternoon, she goes against Judge Joe Brown and the million episodes of a Baby Story on TLC. So why did I attempt to watch this show when the choices of entertainment were clearly endless? Mostly I did it because I knew it would be some good comic relief.
The main focus of Tyra's show is supposed to be about women's issues but the ACTUAL focus always ends up being about Tyra. If a tabloid called her fat that week, she has a whole series of shows with topics like "big is beautiful" and "embrace your big butt". In fact, I find that MOST of her shows deal with being overweight. Often she asks her studio audience to write their weight on a sign across their chests, or to strip down into their underwear to prove that we are all beautiful. It's sort of like what your 7th grade hygene teacher would do, if the board would let her that is.
The guests she has on these shows are typically women who have dealt with these issues. But most of the time, she spends talking to her guests about... you guessed it, herself. Occasionally she has some famous people on and asks them off the wall questions about what kissing Halle Berry is like or if they like Tex-Mex as much as she does. And she always ends these hard hitting interviews posing a question about if they think she looks good, or can sing or dance well, or if they will grab her butt; depending on the guest.
When I was in college, I had a roomate who had some self-esteem issues. She would wake me up out of a dead sleep each morning to ask me if what she was wearing looked okay. I would, in total sleep-deprived frustration, respond to her with a thumbs up, or a "you look great" and then roll over most days. It wasn't until halfway through the semester that she even noticed I never even bothered to open my eyes when I responded. Frankly, I don't think she cared as long as someone told her she looked alright. I feel like Tyra is the same way, always looking for praise or that extra bit of self-confidence she somehow managed to not get while being a supermodel?
If you're up for a good laugh, and you don't mind the constant shameless self-promotion, I would have to say that Tyra is entertaining. But mostly in that can't-keep-my-eyes-off-the-car-accident-on-the-side-of-the-road kind of way.

Daytime Television (what you're missing part 2)

In a continueing effort to help educate the employed on the incredible array of viewing pleasure that they are missing, I give you this week's show: SNAPPED

For those of you unfortunate enough to watch this quality programming, let me just fill you in on what you're missing. This show airs on the Oxygen network usually for a full 2 hour block in the afternoons. It is a show devoted to housewives who kill their husbands. It gives in-depth interviews of family and friends and runs through the details of the trial and life behind bars.

My first real beef with the show is that it almost completely copies Dateline in it's format, and even most of it's previously aired material. Now I like Dateline don't get me wrong, but it is on EVERY weekend, and during the weekdays on the MSNBC channel. So, there are a lot of Datelines out there, and most of the time, I have already seen the story they have decided to report on.

I also think it's quite humorous the way they depict these ladies. They find the most hideous picture they can find of them and zoom the heck out of it so you can see evcry guilty little pock mark. But their families and neighbors all talk about them like they would have NEVER suspected she would have done it. Some of them say things like, "Well, she was in and out of mental institutions, but I just never would have thought she would have killed anybody." Hmmmm...
The thing that grabs me most about this show is how absolutely ignored these women are. They're a part of the PTA and do dinner parties for their husband's business associates, yet no one seems to recognize their need for love and affection. Granted, pulling out a shotgun and blowing someone's brains out aren't really the way to get that needed attention, but it sure does get them noticed. I can't help but look at those pock-mark close-ups and wonder if those women were loved just a little more, would they have gone that far? I guess no one will ever know.

My MAJOR concern with the show SNAPPED is that it is on in the afternoons when only women are watching. So it's a show for women about women who kill their husbands. Is that not disturbing to anybody else? What are we saying exactly? I mean a woman could be sitting at home, folding laundry, watching a block of 3 episodes of the show just raring to go. By the time her husband gets home and walks by the trash (which he has conveniently forgotten to take out for the last 3 days) she too SNAPS.

Really what it is telling housewives all over America is, if you're tired of your husband, get rid of him.... WE DID.

And that's what you're missing on daytime TV.

Daytime television (what you're missing part 1)

So most of you work for a living, therefor you probably don't have much time to watch daytime television. Truth be told, I RARELY sit down and watch it unless I have laundry to fold, or when the internet is down. But I have decided to start a blogging series on daytime television, so you can read about all the fabulous programming YOU'RE MISSING OUT ON!!!

The first installment is all about TRL.

Okay, first of all, I recall TRL being on when I got home from highschool each afternoon. But even as a teenager, I never quite understood the point of it. If you are unfamiliar with it, it's an MTV afternoon show where they play the top videos of the day according to what people vote for. And when I say people, I mean 12-year-olds who have nothing better to do with their time. It's broadcast live from Times Square where those annoying 12-year-olds all get together and decide to scream through the ENTIRE show. Giant flourescent pink signs exclaiming "Marry Me Pete Wentz" and "Kanye 4 President" fill the streets below as a "hip" MTV-VJ (video jockey) announces what the next top video is.

Here's the thing, they only play about 45 seconds of the video- hardly worth watching. And the whole time it's playing people are just screaming in the background. I just don't get it.

Then they usually have a guest come on the show, no doubt promoting their new movie or album release. But instead of asking them much about said movie or album, they just ask about the gossip surrounding them. "Ashley we hear you're pregnant... are you?" Ofcourse the first thing that is going to fly out of her mouth on national television is an admission that she is, in fact, pregnant. And ofcourse she would choose to give that information to the studio audience filled with teeny-boppers. So, most of the interview segment is filled with long, silent pauses or embarrassed giggles. Truly, television reporting at it's best.

Then there is the webcam part of the show, my personal favorite. Where spoiled 8-year-olds (seriously what 8-year-old do you know has a webcam?) get on TRL and ask a question. This is tricky for 2 reasons: The first is because they now have discovered they are on TV, they spend the first half of their segment screaming about how amazing it is that they're on TV. The second tricky thing is that because the internet is hardly trustworthy, the questions often cut out, or skip around so you hear one or two words like " who.....in......making.....et?". Which leaves the person answering the question speechless. This is the ONLY part of TRL that I find highly entertaining. Watching the person try to answer half a question.

The wrap-up is where they announce the number one song with a constant stream of screaming and the VJ trying to yell in his microphone above the music and the screaming about tomorrow's show. By the end of it, my ears are bleeding.

So if you are in the middle of your work day, at around 3pm and wishing you were home right now watching TV- don't, you really wouldn't want to be... trust me.

And (aaahhhhhhh) this concludes (ahhhhhhhhh- I'm on TV- ahhhhhh) the first installment (ahhhhhhh) of the Daytime TV series (ahhhhhhhh) tune in next time (ahhhhh- Cameron we love you- ahhhhh) you know where to find me. (fading screams).