On her book tour for I Know I Am, But What Are You?, Samantha stopped by in Toronto, visiting a Chapters-Indigo to do a reading and book signing. This is not to say it was entirely surprising, considering that this was her hometown and she does come here quite often (for example, for Coopers’ Camera at The Toronto International Film Festival and her appearance on CBC’s Test the Nation). But I was giddy! Let’s not forget, at the TIFF screening of Coopers’ Camera I had enthusiastically (a.k.a. desperately) tried to meet one of my favourite comedic couples – the other being Amy Poehler and Will Arnett – and had failed miserably in doing so. Alas, I’d at least get to meet one half of the Samantha Bee/Jason Jones duo so yes, I was rather excited.

Getting there at around 5:45 pm, the store was still setting up the stage and seating area so I had some time to wander around before the 7 pm start time. At about 6:15 pm, I noticed the seats were all set up and so I grabbed the seat in the aisle right in the front row – along with another lady who was just there to listen to the reading. 7 pm rolls around and Samanth Bee, looking VERY pregnant, came on stage. First, she started off with some jokes about the ~inappropriateness~ of what she was about to read and secondly, to thank us for showing up (evidently, Leafs great, Wendel Clark, who also had a book signing that night at the Eaton Centre, had a smaller crowd show up for him and she joked about this being the sole reason for her to show up). She started reading a chapter from her book, the one about a family road trip and “carpet munching”. It was loads of laughs. Then at the end, she opened it up for audience questions. People asked, obviously, about her time on The Daily Show and how one can become a correspondent on it like her or a writer on it. She said to just apply, submit a tape, and they are always looking for new people, people who are a good fit for the show. She told us that that is exactly what she did, though they had come up to Toronto for auditions and she had gotten it (however, she suspected that she got it because she looked “news-y” or something to that extent).

When it came time to start signing books, I was basically right at the front of the stage so I was one of the first few people who got to go up. I had my copy of I Know I Am, But What Are You? (which, FYI, I had bought earlier in the day at FULL COVER PRICE! Egads, I never buy at full cover price, always taking the online route, but well, I needed it for the signing and online delivery wasn’t fast enough so I forked over the $30 + tax) and America (The Book). She said that her mother in law or aunt or somebody had the same name as me, I told her how much of a fan I was of her and Jason and that I went to see Coopers’ Camera at TIFF few years back, as I showed her my ticket stub (HA! Proof!) and a promotional postcard. She seemed genuinely happy to hear me mention the film and that I really enjoyed it. Because I was pretty much one of the first few people to go to the table, and no one ahead of me had asked for a photo with her, I was a bit nervous to ask – you know how some celebrities just don’t “do” photos at these things and asking could result in embarrassing rejection. I took a shot anyway and began with, “uhhh, would it be a huge bother if…” to which she interrupted with “no bother at all!” I probably could’ve then swayed from my original question of a photo and just asked for something completely out there, but I didn’t and I got a photo with her. Unfortunately though, the lady who had taken the photo for me had left it super zoomed (my fault, really) and it turned out kind of bad. Okay, quite bad. So for the sake of my ego and your eyes, I won’t post it here

Pictures

Get the book!

Precious Jones, the protagonist of the movie, is an obese, illiterate, abused, neglected teenager. She is verbally and physically abused by her mother, was raped by her father since she was a small child, which resulted in two pregnancies – her first child being born with down syndrome – and she is constantly teased and treated with malice at school and in her neighbourhood. She feels invisible and unloved. Yet, even with all the hardships she has and continues to endure, she still has aspirations for a better life. Even in moments of hopelessness and dire, the film cuts to sequences of her dreams of being a glamorous star, showered with loving attention by her mom, the public and a boyfriend “with real nice hair”.

After being called into the principal’s office, just to be expelled from school for getting pregnant a second time, she starts class in an alternative school where she ultimately meets a teacher named Ms. Rain (played by Paula Patton). This is one of those teachers that are typical in movies about underprivileged children who just need some guidance to make something of themselves, the kind of teacher that get really involved in their students’ lives and tries to really make a difference. Each day, the students are asked to write in a journal, whether it be fictional stories or about their own lives, and Ms. Rain would write back with her thoughts. Slowly but surely, Precious comes out of her shell and a special bond quickly forms between her and Ms. Rain. It is somewhat a clichéd story plot but this isn’t to say that this aspect makes the film any less powerful and engaging. The other students in the class are definitely characters, providing much of the comedy in an otherwise dark and disturbing film.

Performance wise, newcomer Gabby Sidibe and Mo’Nique, who plays Precious’ mother, are outstanding. Their performances are raw and poignant. Even though Mo’Nique portrays a vile and abusive mother, at the end when she is explaining why she sat idly by while her husband raped her child, she’s actually able to incite some sympathy and compassion from the viewer for a character so despicable, so heinous. Mariah Carey also is in the movie, playing a case worker assigned to work with Precious. Surprisingly, especially considering the train-wreck that was Glitter, she does a pretty good job. Not being afraid to “get ugly” (i.e. not glammed up in Mariah’s case), she is almost unrecognizable in the film. Lenny Kravitz makes a cameo in the film too.

The take-away from the film is a feeling of hope. After seeing Precious persevere, in trying to get her life together for herself and her children, even with the odds stacked up against her and the significant baggage she has in her life, it made me feel empowered. And while Precious is a fictional character, there are girls like her everywhere, albeit invisible to most, and I think this ultimately serves as inspiration for anyone feeling downtrodden and pessimistic. Yes, it’s dark, it covers some really serious and upsetting issues, and it doesn’t necessarily end off on a “happily ever after” note nor it is by any means a feel good movie — but it offers a glimmer of hope and that’s just one of the reasons why I found Precious so inspiring.

Trailer

Introductions to Precious

Part 1

Part 2

Photos

Are you a fan of Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers line? Particularly the fragrances? Or are you just a big fan of Gwen and/or No Doubt in general?

Awesomeness.net is teaming up with Matchstick Marketing to give away a Harajuku Lovers Fragrance prize package to one lucky visitor!

Here’s how to win:

Below are the descriptions of the 5 different fragrances. Each bottle is designed to represent Gwen’s four real-life Harajuku Girls and the fifth one, G, the leader, is (you guessed it) Gwen.

G
The Leader of the Pack
Never one to get lost in the crowd, G leads her crew in a white, corseted top and blue miniskirt—a modern day Alice in Wonderland. Quirky, unique, and undeniably cool, G leaves a mark with delicious notes of fresh coconut, jasmine, and cotton woods.

Love
Sweet Stuff
Caring and free-spirited, Love is always off in her own little world. Stepping out in a striped mini-dress and street-chic red kicks, Love wears her heart on her sleeve. Her scent is an unforgettable bouquet of pink pomelo, rose, and creamy vanilla orchid.

Lil’ Angel
Sassy, Sexy, Cool
Lil’ Angel always has your back. In-keeping with her angelic, protective nature, this gorgeous guardian sports a classy yet sexy schoolgirl outfit, and leaves her mark with a spicy, sweet citrus floral with notes of pineapple, candied violet, and lollipop accord.

Music
Tough Cookie
Charismatic Music has no qualms telling it like it is. Stylin’ in a smocked sailor outfit and black lace-up boxing boots, Music grooves to the soundtrack of her life. She makes her entrance with the sparkling, yummy scents of pear, sweat pea, and sleek wood.

Baby
Girlie and Sweet
One bat of her lashes and Baby has all the boys in the palm of her hand. Pretty in pink, she steps out in a short baby doll dress and Mary Janes, alluring everyone with powdery floral notes of white rose, orange flower, and white musk.

To enter the contest, please leave a comment below and tell us which of the five scents best represents you and why. Are you a blunt and to-the-point kind of person like Music? Or are you a free-spirited, happy-go-lucky type like Love? Or are you a trendsetter/leader like G? Let us know below! Don’t forget to leave a VALID email so I can contact you for your mailing address!

Only one entry per person via this method.

I will choose one random comment using the Random.org integer generator, so the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win these great products! Only relevant comments will be accepted. Your Giveaway prize is always free, there is no entry fee, no shipping & handling fee.

Get extra entries:

You can get EXTRA entries daily by blogging or posting on a forum (1 extra entry) or tweeting about this giveaway on Twitter (1 extra entry). Leave a link to your post or tweet in the comments, one comment per day per post/tweet.

Example text: Win a Harajuku Lovers Fragrance prize pack! http://bit.ly/4xWbFv Enter by Sept 20

Here’s how it works:

Whether or not you were a No Doubt fan in the 90s, if you go to one of their concerts, you are guaranteed to be off your seat and having a good time – they put on an amazing show. If you were, in fact, a long-time fan, then seeing them at a stop on their reunion tour will be all the sweeter with the nostalgic factor. The set list consisted of a good mix of songs from their chart-topping (and one of my favourite albums of all time) Tragic Kingdom, as well as the “newer” albums Return of Saturn and Rock Steady, including one song, “Stand and Deliver”, from their yet-to-be-released new album set for 2010. As with reunion tours, and this was the case for the Spice Girls as well, the familiar first few beats or chords of every song is enough to get you riled up and excitedly screaming, “OMG I LOVE THIS SONG!!!”. One of the most memorable moments of the night came in the form of the first few chords of “Don’t Speak” and the entire arena getting their lights/cellphones and me with my glowstick I found at work, up and waving to the rhythm as we sang along to those familiar words. It was like a serene, collective moment we all shared together and as cheesy as that sounds, it was enthralling.

The band played in front of the backdrop of an enormous screen that showed quirky videos and visually befitting imagery, complementing the songs being played. In one part of the show, old home movies from the band were flashed on the screen, showing us just how far the band has come from the days of playing small venues to huge arenas all over the world.

Another awesome thing about the show? Gwen Stefani. So she’s turning 40 this year but from watching her, you wouldn’t even know it. Let me just say, the girl is fierce. Besides having a body that is just ridiculously fit considering the fact she’s had two children, including Zuma who was born just last year, she is one of those lively performers who can captivate an audience with her energy alone. Not only did she suddenly start doing push ups at the beginning of “I’m Just a Girl”, she was basically running from one end of the stage to the other and dancing around during the entire set. While singing live. Maybe it’s just my subconscious comparison to my recent Britney concert experience, but I was mighty impressed the entire time. She also took the time to interact with the lucky fans by the front of the stage, including bringing up two fans onto the stage (one of which even got them to play a bit of “Let’s Get Back” with the fan holding up a poster with the lyrics, albeit incorrect lyrics) and at the end, signing a poster for someone. Too bad I was nowhere near the front.

All in all, it was definitely an amazing show and not just because it made me feel warm and fuzzy with nostalgia. It truly was a great performance by the entire band and one memorable night.

Playlist of my videos from the show

13 clips in total.

Pictures from the show

Including a few of Paramore.

As for Britney herself, she pranced around, didn’t fall over, there were no costume malfunctions to speak of, and no accidental inappropriate comments said while still mic’d up so I’d call it a good performance. It was mostly songs from Circus, but also quite a few from In The Zone and Blackout — with a throwback to her first hit “Baby One More Time” toward the end. It was entirely lip-synced, obviously, but that was basically to be expected. As has always been the case with Britney, she’s more well-known for her dancing during live performances than her singing. However, the dancing was somewhat lacklustre. There were moments where you got a glimpse of the early 2000 Britney (a la the early VMA performances and definitely not the disastrous 2007 VMA performance), such as a dance break during “Toxic”, but there seemed to be a good deal of walking back and forth between the three rings and some shuffling back and forth in certain parts. One part, I caught her doing some penguin shuffle inspired type dance move.

She only interacted with the audience twice: once to introduce “Everytime” and say “Hello Toronto!” (which abruptly ended with an awkward “great… well this next song…”) and at the end when she said goodbye to the crowd. That was it. In parts, it seemed very likely that she hasn’t completely recovered from her breakdown in 2007 and 2008 (who can forget Hostage Brituation ’08 and the shaving the hair incident?). As much as I love her, and kind of think of her as my kid in the school play who isn’t very good but being the proud parent I am, I’ll cheer loudly for them anyway, she appeared dead inside. I’ve seen her in concert before and in TV performances back in the day and this just didn’t seem like the same Britney who once revelled in being on stage performing for a crowd. After all she has been through lately, with her seemingly doing much better under her father’s conservatorship, I am not entirely sure she was ready for a big tour quite yet.

But Britney does “go through life like a Karate Kid” so maybe getting back on tour will just make her stronger and help get her back to form. Back to the Britney we knew and loved (not that we don’t love her now… c’mon, how can you not love her after the Karate Kid comment??!).

Some of my photos from the night

Videos

You can click the arrows to navigate through the playlist. Or visit the YouTube playlist page.

Dr. Andrew Bagby, depicted through numerous home videos, photos, and interviews with family and friends, was by all accounts a great guy who had a lot to live for. In 2001, after graduating Memorial University of Newfoundland Medical School in St. John’s, he was on his way to becoming a family doctor, starting his third year residency program at Latrobe Area Hospital [source]. Things were going well for Andrew. That is until his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Shirley Turner, whom he met in medical school, took it all away in one cruel act of violence. He was shot to death in the park on November 5th, 2001.

The film doesn’t really dwell on that one moment though. That moment, sad and horrific as it is, is the catalyst for the rest of the film and there is a greater focus on Andrew in life than in death. Home videos juxtaposed with interviews with family and friends make up most of the film. In particular, the footage with his adorable yet visibly heart-broken parents make the film incredibly moving, tugging at your heart strings and reaching for a tissue. You can’t help but ache for their lost of their only child and it makes you want to reach through the screen to embrace them in a hug. Ultimately, these snapshots of who Andrew Bagby paint a portrait of a guy who you’d just want to be friends with and had you been friends with him, you’d feel lucky to have him in your life.

After the murder, Shirley Turner fled the United States for Newfoundland, Canada. The family tried to lure her back to the U.S. with an invitation to the memorial service but she didn’t take the bait. Finally, on December 12, 2001, she was charged and arrested in St. John’s, Newfoundland… but let go on bail the very same day. The bail was for $75,000 — $65,000 of which was posted by her psychiatrist. The rest of the restrictions and requirements of her release included surrendering her passport, signing in once a week at the local police station, promising not to leave Newfoundland, and avoiding contact with certain people friends and co-workers’ of Andrew involved in the case investigation. Which brings me to one word: ludicrous. A person, who is charged with premeditated, cold-blooded murder, who has already fled the scene of the crime, is given such lax treatment by the Government of Canada? My own government’s judicial system? It’s quite disconcerting.

Then we find out that Shirley Turner is pregnant with Andrew’s child. The film swerves off its original course and takes on a whole new meaning. It becomes a time capsule of sorts for Andrew’s unborn son to get to know his father. Kurt Kuenne then sets off to all over the globe to interview all of Andrew’s friends and family, from all corners of the globe, intent on rescuing his friend’s history. Andrew’s parents, Kate and David, on the other hand, quit their jobs and dig into their life savings to move to Newfoundland in order to fight for their grandchild’s future. Meanwhile, Shirley is still awaiting trial, her court date constantly being adjourned and pushed back again and again. Justice hits a standstill.

On July 18th, 2002, a beautiful baby boy named Zachary, as the title references, came into the world.

Kate and David, the doting grandparents they were, try to spend as much time with Zachary as the family court allowed. Unfortunately, to spend time with their grandson, they had to fraternize with the woman who killed their only son. And yet, under such difficult and emotionally charged circumstances where an average person could easily lose it, these two people were pillars of strength — they do it all for this innocent child. A child who was their last living connection to their lost son. And so, they trudged on and kept all their meetings with Shirley civil. Zachary developed a very strong bond with his grandparents, even at times purposefully choosing Kate over his mother, thereby making Shirley incredibly jealous. On the justice front, the extradition hearing finally began and evidence presented. Everything was seemingly running smoothly but Shirley’s lawyer held it up with some legalese and so the case was on the precipice of being thrown out altogether. It didn’t get thrown out of the court, but it got delayed time and time again.

November 4th, 2002: Shirley is sent to jail, while awaiting a decision from the Ministry of Justice to surrender her to the United States, and Kate and David got custody of Zachary. Finally. During which time, with Shirley behind bars, Kate and David made a weekly 2 hour drive to the prison to honour Shirley’s visitations rights. Rain or shine, they made that lengthy trip so she could see her son and fulfil their end of the bargain, fair or not.

January 10th, 2003: The unthinkable and truly incomprehensible happens. Again. Shirley is released from jail due largely in part to the judge who wrote back to Shirley with explicit instructions for how to write her own appeal of the decision to incarcerate her while waiting for a decision to be made to extradite her to the United States.

This judge, Judge Gayle Welsh:

This judge simply asked Shirley to promise to “behave herself” and not “attempt to flee”. She deemed her to not be a threat to public interest as the crime she allegedly committed was not directed to the public at large and there was no indication of a psychological disorder that would put the public in danger; therefore, with that, Shirley was free again. Again, she was let go with a $75,000 bail, not a cent had to be paid. The Bagbys had to give back Zachary. And again, they had to go back to the scheduled meetings with Shirley and set up a schedule to pass Zachary back and forth.

Now, I don’t want to ruin the rest of the film for you. The ending, so powerful and provoking, is best left unspoiled. Needless to say, the judicial system, as of what you’ve read so far, obviously has visible and substantial cracks in it. Who exactly is the system supposed to protect? Understandably, one is innocent until proven guilty — but in this case, there are obviously errors of judgment that have caused monumental consequences. Most shockingly, the behaviour of the judge who, according to Kate, “fawned” over Shirley and seemingly showed her preferential treatment, setting her free on bail with virtually no strings attached. This for a person charged with premeditated first-degree murder. The whole ordeal is just mind-blowing and saddening.

If you are interested in bail reform, I suggest you visit the official Dear Zachary site which includes a section for supporting bail reform.

May 30, 2008 felt ages away.

When it was finally May and pre-order tickets were available, I pounced on presale tickets like a crazy, rabid fan (reminiscent of my younger days when Spice World first came out and my friends and I insisted on going on opening day, all giddy and hyper as we counted down the days). And on the evening of May 30th, you can bet your fancy Jimmy Choos that I was lined up in front of the theatre. However, unlike some more rabid or, erm, “dedicated” fans in attendance, I did not do so while wearing stilettos.

Now I have the movie on DVD (find out how you can get the DVD for free below), a great companion to my collection of DVDs of the series. One word: FABULOUS!

Similar to other movies that draw upon the notion that the audience has some sort of background knowledge on the overall narrative, it starts off with a nostalgic flashback of where the girls were since we last saw them. Charlotte is still with Harry, Samantha is (shock!) still with Smith Jarrod, Carrie is still with, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Mr. Big and Miranda is still with Steve but seems to be in a “relationship rut” between the two. Things aren’t exactly the same though: Charlotte is now embracing family life with Harry and their adopted child (the one she broke news of to Harry in the last season of the show) and Samantha is now a one-man lady, not to say she doesn’t feel weighed down by the ball and chain of monogamy — she is, after all, still Samantha Jones. Within the last few years in the world of Sex and the City, the dynamics of their relationship with their significant others has evolved –for better or for worse, in Miranda’s case– and so has their friendship. Nonetheless, seeing the four girls together and talking over breakfast about anything from gossip to taboo topics (i.e. “colouring” which takes on a whole different meaning now), it’s just like putting on a comfy sweater… as cliché as that sounds. It’s a familiar feeling and you know I get a kick out of nostalgia.

More than one storyline is interwoven throughout the movie, but the main storyline and the one that was most engrossing is about Mr. Big’s proposal to Carrie and the subsequent wedding. Just when you thought that Mr. Big simply wasn’t the committing type, he goes and proposes. This is not to say it was something done without any cajoling from external factors (it began with apartment hunting, Mr. Big’s purchasing a luxurious apartment for him and Carrie and then Carrie’s paranoia about “not sealing the deal” after hearing about another woman who was kicked to the curb after her relationship went south). Still, even if Mr. Big initially nonchalantly agrees to make it official, it’s nice to see Mr. Big is ready to commit to Carrie. Aside: I’ve always been a Mr. Big fan and while Aidan was, by all accounts, the perfect boyfriend/husband, I just never liked him with Carrie. And don’t get me started about Aleksandr Petrovsky… although I did like Jack Burger, even if he was a ginormous jerk in the end.

The other storylines involve the other girls, each dealing with their own issues: infidelity, sense of loss of self, and infertility. The movie also brings back familiar faces from the show, including Candice Bergen (Carrie’s boss at Vogue) and Willie Garson (the always entertaining Stanford Blatch). New to the Sex and the City-verse is Jennifer Hudson, who plays Carrie’s assistant. She doesn’t really add much to the story, though she has a storyline of her own, but her performance was decent.

The movie doesn’t really require the viewer to be a Sex and the City aficionado, knowing every reference to the television show and every character’s background stories. It is still enjoyable on its own merits but being a fan of the show, or at least familiar with the characters, does make the experience much more entertaining. There are parts, such as the mini fashion show Carrie puts on of memorable outfits from the show, that were surely added as a gleeful homage to the show, much to the delight of fans. But while we’re on the topic, let’s not forget the fashion. If you missed seeing the outfits fashion maven Patricia Field put together for the characters back when the show was on, the ensembles you will see in the movie will definitely not disappoint. 

Get the DVD for free! Special offer at Sears

Timeless. Feminine. Chic. An exclusive gift, available only at Sears. Beginning October 18th, visit your nearest Sears fragrance department and with the purchase of a Lovely Sarah Jessica Parker Eau de Parfum Spray 100 ml/3.4 oz, you will receive a copy of the much anticipated DVD release, Sex and the City The Movie. Limit one bonus per customer while quantities last. This gorgeous perfume is a beautiful blend of mandarin, rosewood, lavender, apple martini and bergamot. The heart is of orchid, patchouli and finishes off to cedar, white amber, woods and musk. It is a lovely, sophisticated scent that is not very overpowering. “Lovely” was also ranked the second runner-up fragrance in Glow’s Readers’ Choice 2006. Click here to view promotional poster.

DVD Special Editions And Features:

Widescreen Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Director Michael Patrick King
Full-Screen Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Director Michael Patrick King
Unrated Widescreen 2-disc Extended Edition Bonus Features:
Disc 1: Audio Commentary By director Michael Patrick King
Disc 2: Additional Scenes; A Conversation With Sarah Jessica Parker And Michael Patrick King; The Fabulous Fashion Of Sex And The City; Fergie in the Studio: The Singer recording Labels Or Love For The Soundtrack
Blu-ray Edition Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Director Michael Patrick King; Additional Scenes; A Conversation With Sarah Jessica Parker And Michael Patrick King; The Fabulous Fashion of Sex And The City; Fergie in the Studio
Blu-ray Exclusive Content: Two Interactive Features (Games): Sex and the City: The City; Dish It!

The free DVD with purchase at Sears is the Widescreen, one disc version.

As far as DVD features go, and I am a huge fan of watching special features on DVDs, a mere audio commentary track is kind of lacking — especially for those who have been anticipating the release for home entertainment. Even as a one disc DVD, I would have loved to have seen more bonuses, in the way of bloopers, deleted scenes and interviews with the cast (not just Sarah Jessica Parker) about reuniting after all these years. Perhaps even a feature about shooting in New York City, with the crowds and fans that would go to the filming locations to check out the movie in process. Maybe they are “bonus featured-out” after all the DVD releases of the show (I’m still rather bitter that season 6 was split into two parts, thereby causing me to have to pay twice to get the full season).

How is it different than other fragrances? Well, first of all, there’s the unconventional packaging. Each scent, five of them in all, has its own individual figurine atop the bottle. Actually, the hollowed out figurine itself makes up pretty much 90% of its volume and the glass bottle containing the perfume acts as a stand (so while the boxes for both sizes of Harajuku Lovers Fragrance seems large, that’s just indicative of the figurine size). This fact, that it comes in a set of five but can also be bought individually, makes them seem like collectibles a la the days when you were a kid and collected those McDonald’s Happy Meal toys in series. That is the main allure for the perfume line, it’s kind of campy yet endearingly so. And I’m sure a complete set of all the Harajuku Lovers fragrances would probably be a nice decoration for your dresser. And as any Gwen Stefani fan can easily deduce, the five figurines a.k.a. scents come in the form of her four “Harajuku Girls” (or as some ironically muse, Gwen’s “accessories”) plus Gwen. The five include G (The Leader Of The Pack), Love (Sweet Stuff), Lil’ Angel (Sassy, Sexy, Cool), Music (Tough Cookie), and Baby (Girlie and Sweet). Their respective scents also coincide with the names, or at least if you stretch your imagination a little bit.

Matchstick Marketing sent me a bunch of sample vials to give out to friends, a 10ml bottle of “Lil’ Angel”, as well as some neat extras like a bracelet, a drawstring bag and a make up case. It was like Christmas! A very scenty Christmas.

So far, Lil’ Angel, Love and Music are my favourite scents. The other two, initial sprays were not quite as pleasant as the other three (i.e. Baby smelled a bit too powder-y to me, reminiscent of some of those powder-y deodorants I’ve used) but I may try them again later on. Maybe it was because I was testing out all of them that the scents fused into one another.

I shall quote for you the summary from the book version of The Secret:

• It’s the Law of Attraction. Like attracts like — so when you think a thought, you are also attracting like thoughts to you.
• Thoughts have a frequency. When you think thoughts, they are sent out to the universe and they magnetically attract all like things that are on the same frequency.
• Everything sent out, returns to the source – YOU.
• If you want to change anything in your life, you need to change the frequency by changing your thoughts.
• Your current thoughts are creating your future life.
• What you think about the most or focus on the most will appear as your life.
• Your thoughts become things.

- Rhonda Byrne, The Secret

For some time now, I’ve been curious about this much touted Law of Attraction, which is really what The Secret is all about but without the marketable “zing factor” to it. I first heard about it from an Oprah episode where she was raving on about how great this was, how it was revolutionary and so on. I’m all about The Oprah and everything, but I had my reservations about all this hoopla over what appeared to be nothing more than a brilliant marketing ploy. I was just never really convinced about just how useful all this was and if there was even any direct correlation between one’s positive thoughts about attaining so and so goals and the actual act of attaining said goals. The most ridiculous assumption of all was the idea that The Secret can and will work in every aspect of your life: not just your career goals and personal relationships, but also can be used for “wealth enhancement”, weight loss and even as a cure for severe illness (see Wikipedia article for all other criticisms). You can’t help but be sceptical about something like this.

However, now that I am actually reading the book, while I am not ready to completely believe in all of this, I am willing to give it a shot. Reason being, there may be some truth, if not in the visualizing/thinking positive thoughts = positive things manifesting in your life, but in the opposite effect. Not too long ago, I was constantly bombarded with negative thoughts and as the Secret folks would say, these negative thoughts attracted negative things. And it did. If there is even an ounce of legitimacy to all this Law of Attraction hoopla, then I have nothing to lose (and maybe something to gain). I realize, perhaps unlike some followers of principle, that it is not the be-all, solve-all solution to making my life everything I could ever hope for it to be. What this principle sorely lacks is the importance of volition and the virtue of hard work and perseverance. But assuming I throw in positive thinking to the mix, I am willing to try out the principle behind The Secret/Law of Attraction for three months and I’ll use this blog to document the experiment.

This whole “your thoughts become things” notion reminds me of positive affirmations — except The Secret attempts to bring these affirmations into every aspect of your life and claims that the affirmations can eventually lead to actual things. And… positive affirmations don’t seem as hokey and preposterous as some of the claims about The Secret. I mean, it’s a bit out there, but it’s not sheer lunacy, right?

So alrighty then. From this day forward, I’m going to take a few moments in my day to affirm positive things about myself, think about positive things I want to happen/manifest in reality, and while I’m at it, think non-stop about ridiculous amounts of wealth. Take that Bill Gates, you have nothing on me. I HAVE POSITIVE THOUGHTS!!

photo credit: Reenie-Just Reenie

The story is told through the lens of an old school VHS camcorder, a Christmas gift purchased by Gord, the patriarch of the Cooper family. It’s with the video captured through the hand held video camera that we see just what happens with the Coopers on Christmas Day in 1985 (so yes, there is great, if not memorable, 80s fashions and hairstyles to be witnessed). As the camera switches between family members, the audience begins to uncover the family dysfunction within the family. There’s Gord (Jason Jones), the clueless, weak-willed but well-meaning father. His pregnant wife, Nancy (played by Jones’ real life wife and fellow Daily Show correspondent, Samantha Bee), appears to be in a rut, particularly when it comes to their marriage, and is just overall frustrated that Gord acts oblivious to the fact she is pregnant. Teddy is the younger son and Marcus is the older, gloomy and rather dorky teenage boy. Together, along with Nana Gert (Nancy’s surly mother, played by Jayne Eastwood), they live in what you’d expect a typical 80s suburban house to look like. Clearly, they are a family with issues but well, doesn’t every family?

The Coopers are joined by other quirky family members, including the other married in real life couple of the film and stars of Billable Hours, Mike Beaver and Jennifer Baxter who play Uncle Nick and Aunt Bev.

This particular Christmas, Gord announces that he’s invited his estranged brother Tim (Peter Keleghan) to the festivities. But the invite aside, there’s obvious tension there, between Tim and Gord. As well, there’s discernible uneasiness from Nancy about this news. Past history of epic proportions is evident by each party’s demeanour once Tim arrives. Tim is smug, righteous and overly confident — pretty much the polar opposite of Gord.

With every drink consumed, guards are let down and hijinks ensues. Drunken tobogganing being one of the more memorable and entertaining parts of the film. The drunken stupor also results in family secrets being revealed, including the truth about just what happened between Gord, Tim and Nancy.

At the heart of this film is the idea that through the good times and bad, through thick and thin, your family is your family — so deal with it. It’s a sentiment that expressed in similar films that deal with family dysfunction in a comedic way (i.e. Little Miss Sunshine). In fact, Coopers’ Camera reminded me quite a bit of Little Miss Sunshine, in terms of look and feel and the way the story arc concluded. Of course, this film used the hand held video effect and while this effect usually makes me a bit nauseated, I felt perfectly fine throughout the movie. It actually enhanced the storytelling in some parts; since the camcorder was traded between family members (though usually operated by the youngest son, Teddy), you sometimes weren’t quite sure who exactly was behind the camera and overhearing the conversations they were filming, until they were actually acknowledged by someone else. At one particular point, when Gord comes to realize his wife’s discontent, this actually creates a poignant effect and allows for the storyline to move along.

Coopers’ Camera can be a tad crude, to put it lightly (i.e. piss shots, boners, Jason Jones’ character on a toilet, vomit, underage striptease, etc). But it is an all-around laugh out loud kind of film, with plentiful gags and memorable scenes and dialogue. Not to mention the great job on making the film look as authentically 80s as possible, with the god awful haircuts and tacky sweaters. And hey, there’s also a cameo from The Kids in the Hall‘s Dave Foley’s penis — so that alone is probably worth the price of admission.

A few pictures from the Q & A session after the second screening (unfortunately, I was not able to go to the first screening which included the entire cast).