Heidi R. Kling's Blog: Witch's Brew (Spellspinners 1) Launched!, page 36

I had the unique pleasure of touring the Nor Cal branch of...

I had the unique pleasure of touring the Nor Cal branch of DREAMWORKS ANIMATION STUDIOS today. What a treat. I can't say anything about what I saw, other than my buddy Po pictured here, because I had to sign a disclosure agreement, and he is in the lobby. But I will say I was entirely impressed by the blend of professionalism, magic and almost zenlike atmosphere presented there.  The way they turn an idea into a full feature film is so similar to how we turn an idea into a full-length novel. Only with more perks. Like video games. And awesome-smelling food. And TOYS.

DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT. QUIET NOW.

Anyway, if I wasn't already working in my dream job—authoring books for you all—working there would certainly be my new one.  

Timberlake con Benefits! (Pretty non-spoilery thoughts)

This is the second movie in a month that unexpectedly charmed the pants off me (well, not LITERALLY, but you know what I mean.) The first was Midnight in Paris— I had no idea the dreamy plot thread —and here, I didn't realize the Second Without Strings movie was set in both NYC and Malibu, CA.

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 The hat was not my idea. Or was it?

I'm not a hard to please movie goer. Toss me a decent script, insert some chemistry into your leads and game on, but Friends With Benefits had much more going for it than the basics—not only the awesome locations, but with rich secondary characters and a much more substantial plot than it's predecessor starring Princess Amidala and Mr. Demi Moore.

The leads in Timberlake Con Benefits felt real to me, trapped in their confused modern ways, but with classic love story tone (more in the vein of When Harry Met Sally at heart —at turns touching and funny.) JT makes the most of his hip-hop background, with his unusual movie star looks (attractive but doesn't feel as obvious as most male leads) made him feel 20-30-something real. The girl, who I don't know (I KNOW, THAT'S BAD) was likable and real too. Cute and fun without being one of those Manic Pixie Freakos we all know and want to throw corn husks at.

Loved the extended families, too. 

Anyway, if you get a chance, grab your BFF and catch this flick. It's adorbs.

Bonus points for Heidi Approved Soundtrack which includes at least two favorite gems. 

Come on. You buy me as a GQ artistic director, right?

staff:The slow-motion disaster of the food crisis in the Horn...

staff:

The slow-motion disaster of the food crisis in the Horn of Africa is truly horrifying. Last Wednesday the United Nations declared a famine in two large regions of Somalia; 3.7 million people, nearly half the country's population, are affected. The crisis is larger than just Somalia. Right now the devastating drought in the region means that more than 11 million people need food aid across Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. 

You can help by making a contribution through the Tumblr Dashboard or on the Somalia tag page, and we'll match your support up to $10,000. Proceeds will go to the United Nations World Food Programme.

What are you doing tonight? ^..^

Damon, I'm sorry my darling, but you've got some competition.

It's like a you are the love of my life kind of moment.

It's like a you are the love of my life kind of moment.

"We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already:..."

"We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."

-

JK Rowling, Speech to Harvard Alumni Association, 2008 (via myquotelibrary)

Yes. This.

still thinking about HP...

jennyhan:

This is going to sound so cheesy but I feel like the theme of Harry Potter is a mother's love. It's what saves them again and again. It saved Harry twice— the first time his own mother, the second time Narcissa's love for Draco. And Sirius, a powerful (and hot) wizard in his own right, couldn't beat Bellatrix but Molly Weasley did. Why? The power of a mother's love. "Not my daughter, you bitch!" The sheer force and ferocity of it can take down anybody!!!

I totally agree.

beautifulattempt:Ron x Hermione FOREVER. lAww.

beautifulattempt:

Ron x Hermione FOREVER. l

Aww.

"If the book is good, is about something that you know, and is truly written, and reading it over you..."

"If the book is good, is about something that you know, and is truly written, and reading it over you see that this is so, you can let the boys yip and the noise will have that pleasant sound coyotes make on a very cold night when they are out in the snow and you are in your own cabin that you have built or paid for with your work.

-Ernest Hemingway"

-

Yeah. I'd have to say I agree with that. Except the cabin part. Does a townhouse count?

There are very few books I've read multiple times, THE SUN ALSO RISES is one of them. And like our boy quoted up there says, as I flipped through the pages, alternately laughing or sighing for the millionth time, I was able to mostly drown out the screaming pool kids (not my own, I tend to watch and/or swim with my offspring.)

To me, the desperate and doomed romance between our hero Jake and Brett, his lady love never tires. Nor do the exposition and commentary about Jake's best friend Robert and his hapless existence. If you liked MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, you will definitely dig this classic. Not a YA book, certainly, but I think most young adults (and definitely people in their mid-thirties) will devour it.

That is, if you haven't already. On multiple sittings. Preferably on the left bank of the Siene or while watching a bull fight or some other worthwhile venture. Okay fine, or simply by the pool after writing a short story for an anthology called, THE FIRST TIME, which happens to take place in a dystopian Paris. 

Thanks, old chap.

Critically lauded by many as the best portrayal of marriage on...

Critically lauded by many as the best portrayal of marriage on television because of its realistic rendering of what it means to love someone for better and for worse, Eric and Tami Taylor, as played by the Emmy-nominated duo of Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, have managed to capture the many dichotomous moments in the life of a marriage. Where other TV series tend to focus either on the bickering or the saccharine, "Friday Night Lights" has thrived on nuance, creating domestic moments that simultaneously reflect adoration and frustration; tenderness and sarcasm; respect and fatigue.

So very true. I haven't seen the finale yet, but there *will* be tears.