LOVELIST: February Edition...

#TheStruggleIsReal 

Manners Maketh Man.  "Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. Stylish, subversive, and above all fun, Kingsman finds director Matthew Vaughn sending up the spy genre with gleeful abandon." -RT 

I know you've had a void left by the finale of Breaking Bad, but good news-- Pack your backs and head back to Albuquerque!  This prequel series follow the trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer, Saul Goodman, in the time leading up to establishing his strip-mall law office in New Mexico; before he met up with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.  I was hooked after the first episode.

This month I discovered a new favorite coffee shop hang-out.

If you're in the area, be sure to check out Publik!

...And it's even better when you have great company to share it with.

In Big Hero 6, young robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada learns to harness his genius- thanks to his brilliant brother and their like-minded friends. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion-a robot named Baymax-and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery.  "Agreeably entertaining and brilliantly animated, BH6 is briskly-paced, action-packed, and often touching." -RT

Up in horsey heaven, here's the thing You trade your legs for angels wings And once we’ve all said good-bye You take a running leap and you learn to fly Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian Miss you in the saddest fashion Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian You’re 5000 candles in the wind And though we all miss you everyday We know you're up there eating heaven's hay And here's the part that hurts the most Humans cannot ride a ghost Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian Miss you in the saddest fashion Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian You’re 5000 candles in the wind Everybody sing it now! Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian Miss you in the saddest fashion Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian You’re 5000 candles in the wind Maybe someday we'll saddle up again And I know I'll always miss my horsiest friend Spread your wings and fly Spread your wings and fly.

Parks and Recreation, thank you for seven wonderful, hilarious, emotional, sweet and lovely seasons.  Your finale was PERFECTION.  I love you and I like you.  

...And I sure will miss you.

One upstaged the Super Bowl half-time show.  One stole the Grammys telecast.  One got disrespected by Kanye. And then one took Kanye to church.  It was a 90's (and early 00's) Throwback this month as favorite tunes from Beck, Missy Elliot, Annie Lenox and Garbage found their way back onto my February playlist loop.  

A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.  "Intense, inspiring, and well-acted, Whiplash is a brilliant and riveting vehicle for stars J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller." -RT

If you couldn't stand to love the sexy Star-Lord Chris and cute Captain America Chris any more than you already do, don't click HERE and HERE.  Oh who am I kidding, these charming guys are the best!  Click away and let the respective crushes grow even stronger!

Full disclosure: I have a love/hate relationship with The Walking Dead.  

And yes I still tune in every week.
(Secretly waiting for Rick and Kaaaarrrl to go.)

Whether you have a Red Room of Pain or not, there's no denying the awesomeness of the 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack.  Favorite tracks include: Annie Lenox's I Put a Spell On You, Ellie Goulding's Love Me Like You Do, Laura Welsh's Undiscovered and of course Beyonce's 50SoG Crazy in Love Remix.  Now what you do while listening to it, now that's your business.  

She's creepy and She's kooky, 

Mysterious and spooky, 

She's all together ooky, 

Adult Wednesday Addams, is a she.

A single mother, moves into a new home in Brooklyn with her 12-year old son.   Forced to work long hours, she has no choice but to leave him in the care of their new neighbor, a retired curmudgeon with a penchant for alcohol and gambling. An odd friendship soon blossoms between the improbable pair. Vincent helps Oliver grow to become a man, while Oliver begins to see in (St.) Vincent something that no one else is able to: a misunderstood man with a good heart. -RT

Live from New York... Tina Fey.  Amy Poehler.  Kristen Wiig.  Maya Rudolph.  Molly Shannon.  Rachel Dratch. Cheri Oteri.  Ana Gasteyer.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus.  Kate McKinnon.  Jan Hooks. Julia Sweeney.  Aidy Bryant.  Over the past couple decades SNL has given the world some of my all-time favorites, that always make me laugh.  Sure there have been some great guys too, but clearly I prefer the ladies!

I've got a new guilty pleasure.  After hearing about the incredible overnight success of Empire, I decided to check it out for myself.  I was instantly hooked on the new FOX nighttime soap.  Full of drama, with its top-notch cast, musical entertainment, and engrossing plots it's not hard to see why!  Also: Cookie.

LoveBot 3000...

Bry employed the assistance of her creative uncle to construct her Valentine's Box this year.

I must say, our little Love Robot turned out pretty darn great!

Sprung into Spring...

 Man, this Winter has been bruuuuuuuutal...

Nah, just playin'!  What Winter!?

LOVELIST: January Edition...

Thanks to Netflix you can now reconnect with The One With...  Smelly Cat, Oh-My-Gawd. Pivot.  Central Perk. We Were On a Break.  Ugly Naked Guy. How You Doin'?. Pottery Barn.  Friend Zone.   Marcel.  Unagi. Turkey Head.  Hot. Leather Pants.  I Know!. The Holiday Armadillo.  Las Vegas. The Routine.  Could I BE any more...? Regina Phalange. Will Corbett.  Ben. Emma.  Frank Jr Jr.  Leslie.  Girl Chandler. Gunther.  The Gellar Cup. Cheesecake.  He's Her Lobster.  London.  The Prom VHS. Monica bang!.  VD. Days of Our Lives. The Duck and the Chick...  and all the other great episodes from a decade of Phoebe, Monica, Rachel, Joey, Chandler and Ross.   One of my favorite shows from the 90's, now in convenient binge format. They'll be there you. Clap. clap. clap. clap. clap.

In 2002 Richard Linklater cast a six-year-old boy.  

Over the next 12 years they made film history. 

Here's just a sampling of some of it's stellar reviews:  

"There has simply never been anything like this movie." -Rolling Stone  

"A one-of-a-kind movie.  It touches something deep and true"  - Entertainment Weekly  

"A Masterpiece that isn't quite like anything else in the history of cinema."  - Salon

But my favorite review, sums my thoughts up perfectly:

To sit with this movie and witness the concentrated passage of time is to watch, 

in a true, moving way, your life unspool before your eyes" - Huffington Post

I'll definitely be rooting for Boyhood on Oscar night

You may think it's 'boring.'  But I love it.

Here's looking at you Patrick, Richie, Kevin, Dom, Augustine and Doris. 

Bring on Season 2!

It's time to take one last trip to Pawnee for Parks and Rec's final season.

Don't cry because it's over, just be happy we enjoyed six more seasons than you and I thought/feared it would last!   Besides it's going out on top, leaving me wanting more (ala 30 Rock) and I can't think of a better way for a series to wrap up as opposed to over staying it's welcome and loosing all charm. (See: The Office).  Farewell Parks Department. Thanks for the years of laughter!

Abbi-N-Ilana 4-EVA!!!

By now you know I've long fancied myself an honorary Brit. The fact that I got bloody sucked into one of it's most popular reality telly contests only confirms it.  I originally tuned in online to root for our girl Michelle (Ms. Visage if you're nasty) but I quickly fell for Calum Best, naturally. I was also entertained by Katie Hopkins(!) and enjoyed beautiful 'glamour model' Katie Price as well.  And chant along. GET PEREZ OUT.  GET PEREZ OUT!   Vile trash.  Have I earned my dual citizenship already yet?!

When I compiled my 101 Songs of 2014 playlist last month, I included amazing singles from indie artists MØ, Broods, Gorgon City and Blondfire.  I decided to delve in and explore more of their recent work this month.  Favorite tracks include:  

MØ:  Don't Want To Dance, Fire Rides, Pilgrim and Maiden.

Broods: Mother & Father, Bridges, Everytime, and Never Gonna Change.

Gorgon City: Here For You, Go All Night, Unmissable and Take It All.

Blondfire:  Young Heart, Waves, Dear in Your Headlights and Where The Kids Are.

"Who is Vivian Maier? Now considered one of the 20th century's greatest street photographers, Vivian Maier was a mysterious nanny who secretly took over 100,000 photographs that went unseen during her lifetime. Since buying her work by chance at auction, amateur historian John Maloof has crusaded to put this prolific photographer in the history books. Maier's strange and riveting life and art are revealed through never-before-seen photographs, films, and interviews with dozens who thought they knew her. Narratively gripping, visually striking, and ultimately thought-provoking, Finding Vivian Maier shines an overdue spotlight on its subject's long-hidden brilliance."- RT   (Thanks for the suggestion Ryan!)

After hearing about the revamp and creative epic new direction it was taking (focusing each episode on our favorite Portland characters) I was in.  Bring on Season 5-- Oregon or Bust!

Gorgeous.

Intense.

Chills.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Watch it HERE.

Joan may be gone... but her legacy lives on as a fabulous sassy red-head has inherited her throne. I was a bit nervous at the thought of a revamped Fashion Police panel.  But I always had faith in Kathy.  Luckily, it's still great and they're all doing Ms. Rivers proud.  

"Over seven decades, actor and activist George Takei boldly journeyed from a WWII internment camp, to the helm of the starship Enterprise, to the daily news feeds of five million Facebook fans. Join George and his husband Brad on this star's playful and profound trek for life, liberty, and love.  To Be Takei rests almost entirely on its subject's inherent likability -- and, for the most part, that's more than enough." -RT

When their father passes away, four grown siblings are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens.  Boasting an impressive, talented cast, This is: This Is Where I Leave You.

After four decades together, Ben and George get married. George is consequentially fired from his teaching post, forcing them to stay with friends separately while they sell their place and look for cheaper housing -- a situation that weighs heavily on all involved.  "Held aloft by remarkable performances from John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, Love Is Strange serves as a graceful tribute to the beauty of commitment in the face of adversity." - RT

So what if you can't find any wall calendar that suit your fancy? (See: Paradise Beach fatigue.)  Simple,  just make your own!  Thanks Shutterfly for the upcoming 365 days of Yum!  It's going to be a great 2015... at least calendarly speaking.

Uncle Casey Watch | January '15...

A month's worth of cute kiddos.  

January photo dump: Complete

So I Think She Can Dance...

Watch a snippet of Bry's mad dance skills.  (i.e. all my iPhone battery would allow!)

#Proud Uncle

Uncle Casey Watch | Just Dance!...

Bubba's dance group performed at the hometown Jr. High School and me and Benz went to support her. She did fantastic, she's got some major talent!  

(It was really weird being in my old gymnasium that I haven't been inside for a couple decades!)