Holiday Reading Part 2

I just managed to finished one more book so far since I last posted about my holiday reading list. Lady Lorelei via McFresh recommended Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty: A Novel

It's a prize-winning novel and extremely well written. But, although it was a quite engrossing and intriguing satirical picture of England in the 1980's, I wasn't fond of any of the characters and wouldn't really call the book my cup of tea (pun intended).

New Year's Eve

Make sure to tune into CNN tonight (starting at 8pm PST) to watch coverage from Times Square with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin (aka Andy & Kath)!

Art & Sport

I went to LACMA this afternoon and caught 2 exhibits that I've been dying to see: VANITY FAIR PORTRAITS and HARD TARGETS - MASCULINITY AND SPORT.

Both were quite good; not amazing overall but each had a few pieces that are definitely worth checking out!

In the Hard Targets exhibit, I especially loved the multi-screen installation of the 2006 World Cup Final between Italy and France; could have watched it for hours...

LHK's Top 5 Hottest EPL Playaz

The New Year is almost upon us, and this list is long overdue. But, I haven't been as motivated to make it as I was last season. Chelsea has had a weird season so far... And if Chelsea doesn't win a trophy again this season, I'll be soooo bummed. BUT, the eye-candy show MUST go on!

So, here are my picks for the TOP 5 HOTTEST ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS (for the 2008-9 season).

1) JOHN TERRY - Chelsea (No surprise here really since I worship the man)

2) Carlo Cudicini - Chelsea (He's Chelsea's #2 goalkeeper, but THE hottest goalkeeper in the world)

3) Niko Kranjcar - Portsmouth (I may be a little biased towards pretty Croatians; so what?)

4) Roque Santa Cruz - Blackburn Rovers (a little Latin flavour)

5) Lucas Neil - West Ham (a yummy Aussie)

Honorable Mentions:
Alan Smith - Newcastle
Peter Halmosi - Hull City

P.S. One of my usual EPL favz, Freddie Ljungberg, has left the EPL for America and is coming to play for the new MLS team in Seattle. So, as I've mentioned before, I can't wait to see him and Becks play on the same field when Seattle comes to L.A.

Anywhoo, feel free to compare this list to last year's picks, and let me know what you think. As always, I'd love to hear about your favz too!

More Important But...

I know there are more important things in the world (especially with all the recent crap going down in the Middle East), but...

1) Liverpool's captain, Steven Gerrard, was arrested for assault early this morning after celebrating his team's 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle and going 3 points clear of Chelsea atop the EPL table (booo!).

2) Found and bought this super-cute tennis skirt from SmashGal. Not sure if I'll wear it much, but I had to have it!

Sunday Movie Review

Billy and I saw LAST CHANCE HARVEY today. We just wanted a cute and short movie and that's what we got. Emma Thompson was wonderful as always, and Dustin Hoffman was (well ...) Dustin Hoffman. I wouldn't rush out to see it, but I'd definitely recommend it as a tame choice for your parents. I know I will.

Come on, Chelsea!

Chelsea takes on Fulham today (on FSC at 6am PST).

COME ON, CHELSEA! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Holiday Reading

I'm lucky enough to have a nice break from work during the holidays, and when I haven't been watching soccer, I've been chillaxing and reading. Below are the 3 books I just recently finished reading:

I'd recommend Graeme Le Saux's autobiography if you're a Chelsea and/or Blackburn fan. The proceeds from J.K. Rowling's new book go to a good cause (the Children's High Level Group), and The Buddha of Suburbia is a pretty cool read too (but ultimately delved too much into the world of acting for my taste).

Anywhoo, I'm off to try and get through the rest of my stack o' holiday reading.

Boxing Day

Chelsea takes on West Brom today (on FSC at 5am PST).

COME ON, CHELSEA! Fight! Fight! Fight!

P.S. Happy 6-month Birthday to baby Camille!

Merry Christmas!

New Music (&DVD) Tuesday

This is the only single you'll need today: "Jizz In My Pants"

And, there are some decent DVD releases today too:

P.S. Tina Fey was named AP's Entertainer of the Year! Yay; Go, Lady!

Booooooo Phil Dowd!

Booooo to referee Phil Dowd for giving my beloved John Terry a red card in Chelsea's game against Everton! JT's tackle was a yellow card at the most, and I'm sending an extra "F-U!" to Phil Dowd for all the other unnecessary cards he gave to Chelsea players today.

Come on, Chelsea!!!

Chelsea takes on Everton today (at noon PST on Setanta).

COME ON, CHELSEA!!!

Sunday Movie Review

We caught SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE today, and I would definitely recommend it! Althought the length of the movie (at over 2 hours) is a tad long, the story, music and direction are all great. It's well worth checking out.

LHK Soccer News

1) The FIFA Club World Cup final takes places today (at 2:30am PST on FSC). Manchester United (boo! spit! boo!) takes on (the long-shots) Liga de Quito. I'm rooting for Quito in honor of Dr. Lee (who summered there once) and 'cause Man U doesn't need another trophy.

2) The big EPL game of the day is Liverpool vs. Arsenal (at 8am PST on FSC)! I'm rooting for Arsenal OF COURSE 'cause Liverpool is currently a point ahead of Chelsea, and they need to be knocked out of the top spot on the table! Sorry, McFresh, but not really...

Ciao, Galaxy!

David Beckham officially joined AC Milan today on a short-term loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy. He began his press conference today speaking in Italian, which I must admit was quite sexy.

Hmmm, I wonder if I should get a Beckham Milan jersey??

The Champions!

The draw for the UEFA Champions League knock-out round of 16 took place this morning. The tourney starts back up on Feb. 24th, and here are the amazing upcoming match-ups:

Chelsea (ENG) v Juventus (ITA)

Villarreal (ESP) v Panathinaikos (GRE)

Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Bayern Munich (GER)

Atletico Madrid (ESP) v FC Porto (POR)

Lyon (FRA) v Barcelona (ESP)

Real Madrid (ESP) v Liverpool (ENG)

Arsenal (ENG) v Roma (ITA)

Inter Milan (ITA) v Manchester United (ENG)

New Music Tuesday

Christmas with Weezer!



This is the only musical release that you need to know about for today!

Come on, Chelsea!

Chelsea takes on West Ham today (at 8am PST on FSC), and a win will put them back on top of the EPL table! The other TOP 4 teams (Arsenal, Liverpool, and Man U) all drew this weekend.

COME ON, CHELSEA!!!

Saturday Movie Review

Bill and I caught MILK today, and it's definitely worth seeing. Not only is the story true, amazing, relevant and heart-breaking (especially in light of California's recent passage of Prop 8), but Sean Penn's performance was wonderful. The eye-candy in the form of James Franco and Diego Luna didn't hurt either!

Golden Globes

The Golden Globe nominations were announced today.

Here are a few of my quick picks:

- JAMES FRANCO (in Pineapple Express)

- TRUE BLOOD

- I'm torn between 30 ROCK and THE OFFICE

- Tina Fey

- Again, I'm torn between ALEC BALDWIN and STEVE CARELL

Thank you, Chelsea!

Chelsea beat Cluj 2-1 yesterday and thankfully qualified for the knock-out stage of the Champions League.

Check out how John Terry and the lads celebrated the win and JT's b-day too HERE. JT, you can serenade me any time!

The Champions!

Chelsea takes on Cluj today in Champions League action! It's a must-win for Chelsea if they are to advance to the next stage of the tournament (live on ESPN2 at 11:30am PST).

COME ON, CHELSEA!!!

New Music (&DVD) Tuesday

Free Song!

Lady Sovereign's new single "I Got You Dancing" is out now and available as a FREE download!!

Yay! Go, Lady!

Happy Birthday, John Terry!

Happy 28th Birthday, JT!

You're one of my heroes, and I LOVE YOU!

Saturday Movie Review

Bill and I finally saw TRANSPORTER 3, and it did not disappoint. Although the plot and some of the characters (with their crazy accents) were beyond ridiculous, the action and the music were quite fun. And most importantly, Jason Statham was often shirtless and just dead sexy!

Come on, Chelsea!

Chelsea takes on Bolton today (on Setanta Xtra at 7am PST).

COME ON, CHELSEA!!!

Opening Today!

My pal AJ (from LOOKER) did the music supervision on the movie TENNESSEE, which opens today for a one week limited engagement in Los Angeles at the Laemmle's Music Hall 3. Check it out!

Random LHK News

1) Jon Hamm of MAD MEN is going to be appearing on 30 Rock as Liz Lemon's (played by Tina Fey) love interest. I love that show!

2) Speaking of Tina Fey, she's on the cover of the January '09 issue of Vanity Fair.

3) And, speaking of magazines, Michael Phelps is on the cover of several again these days. He was voted the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. He's also on the cover of GQ as one of their Men of the Year. He's on the cover of OUTSIDE mag too. Grrr...

New DVD Tuesday

Go, Hillary!

Congrats to Senator Hillary Clinton on being named the next Secretary of State. Go, Lady!

P.S. Today was WORLD AIDS DAY.

Happy Birthday, Connz!

Happy DERTY THIRTY Birthday to Connz (the Lady Hooligan tennis coach extraordinare)!

NYC!

I finally added some posts about my recent trip to NYC! Check them out if you like; they're back-dated Nov. 21 - 23, 2008.

P.S. I can't believe it's DECEMBER already! Argh! This year has flown by...

Sunday Movie Review

Bill, Raff and I saw AUSTRALIA today, and we all thought that

1) It was really corny.

and

2) Hugh Jackman was definitely worth the price of admission.

Speaking of Hugh, he's on the cover of the November '08 Italian Vanity Fair:

Mamma Mia!

Oh, Chelsea...

Chelsea just lost to Arsenal 2-1! Absolutely mucking up what was a lovely holiday weekend for me...

Come on, Chelsea!

Chelsea takes on Arsenal tomorrow in a huge match (Sunday, Nov. 30th; live on FSC at 8am PST)!

COME ON, CHELSEA!!

Friday Movie Review

I saw FOUR CHRISTMASES with some of my fellas today, and it was pretty cute. It had a weird beginning, but overall it was decent and funny. Nothing you need to rush out to see though...

P.S. Thanks for the blog shout-out, RD; I'm tickled.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mmmm...

The Champions!

Chelsea takes on Bordeaux today in Champions League action (on ESPN at 11:30am PST).

COME ON, CHELSEA!

New Music (&DVD) Tuesday

Happy Birthday, Nerd!

Nerdy, I love you, and I wish you all the best!

P.S. (A little Nerdy plug)

TO ALL: If you're ever in (north) Las Vegas, check out the new ALIANTE STATION CASINO!

Back from NYC!

Just got back from NYC, and I had such a blast!! I will back-date some blog-posts soon about my whole trip!

Shopping, Sweetie!

Today, I slept in since I didn't get in until after 4am the night before. But, once I woke up around 1pm, I realized that I had to get my butt into gear and get some shopping done, Sweetie.

My first and most important shopping mission was to pay homage to the brick and mortar version of one of my favorite online stores FRED FLARE! So, I got my trusty hopstop.com directions and took a couple of subways from Manhattan to Brooklyn and made it just in time before Fred Flare's Sunday closing time of 5pm. Of course, the store was SUPER-CUTE!
I was also fortunate enough to meet one of Fred Flare's co-founders/owners, the adorable Keith. He actually rang me up; such a treat!! I told him how big of fan I am, and he couldn't have been sweeter (even though I must have seemed like such a dorky mess).

Then, when I made my way back to Manhattan, I went shopping all up and down 5th Avenue. I think I would have made Edina and Patsy proud!

In my last night in NYC, I met up with my good friend, Jamba, who took me to a delish restaurant called BECCO, which was really close to my hotel.

Then finally, I met up with an old work colleague for drinks at a place called BELMONT LOUNGE. The place was nice enough, but unfortunately the reggae music was too loud to try and have a decent conversation.

A Big Day!!!

Today was my busiest day in NYC...

I started out my day by going to NEVADA SMITHS ("Where Football is Religion!") to meet up with the NEW YORK BLUES to watch Chelsea take on Newcastle. Unfortunately, Chelsea drew 0-0, but I nonetheless had such a cool time meeting fellow Chelsea fanatics.
Then, I met up with AJ and Erik at a really yummy diner called GOOD STUFF DINER.

Afterwards, AJ and I headed to the NEW MUSEUM to see the exhibit that I've been dying to go to: Elizabeth Peyton's LIVE FOREVER. The exhibit exceeded all of my expectations! It was so cool to see Peyton's strokes up close, and the colors are so much vibrant in person.

Then, after the exhibit, AJ and I checked out UNIQLO, which is basically the Japanese Gap. Think any sweater in any style and color you can imagine...

My evening started with a night at the theatre (pronounced thee-AH-Tah). Erik and I saw EQUUS at the Broadhurst Theatre, starring a (nekked) Daniel Radcliffe. I'm not a theatre fan, but I really (and surprisingly) enjoyed this production. Everything was great; the acting, the direction and the set design.


But, my evening didn't end there. I met up with Jed and AJ and headed down to Brooklyn to a craZAY party called RUBULAD. AJ and her pals played a fun super-late-night set with Bruno of THE HOMOSEXUALS! (BTW, in a previous post, I had mistakenly thought that AJ's band LOOKER was going to play).

Made it to NYC!

I made it to NYC, and it's SUPER-COLD!!

I'm staying at the Paramount, and my room is old and very small, BUT chic and cozy at the same time.

Tried to get into a Conan taping, but the stand-by line was cut-off four people ahead of me; BOO!

But fortunately, I then met up with my friends Jed and Liz, who took me to a yummy place called NOODLE BAR.

Afterwards, we met with my pals, AJ and Erik, and went to a couple of bars. First, a packed and more upscale place called EMPLOYEES ONLY and next a more casual place called THE WHITE HORSE TAVERN (apparently it was Dylan Thomas' favorite pub).

Overall, I had such a fun first night in NYC!!

Off to NYC!

Kids, I'm heading to New York tonight for a little vacation and will be there through Monday.

In the meantime, don't forget to watch Chelsea take on Newcastle on Saturday (11/22 at 7am PST on FSC). I might try and catch the game with my fellow Chelsea fans on the East Coast, the New York Blues. Come on, Chelsea!

I also plan to catch a LOOKER show and finally see the Elizabeth Peyton exhibit "Live Forever" at the New Museum; CAN'T WAIT!

I'll report upon my return.

Random LHK Update

1) England beat Germany 2-1 in their friendly game today, with my beloved John Terry scoring the game winner! I love you, John!

2) McKey won Cycle 11 of ANTM tonight; LAME! I'm not sure about ANTM anymore. Although I love me some Nigel, there haven't been any amazing stand-out contestants for the past several cycles.

In fact, Lady Lorelei just informed me today that she's officially retiring as an ANTM viewer. I'm on the fence about it...

You Wanna Be On Top?

Ooh-OOH! The Cycle 11 America's Next Top Model season finale airs tonight (on the Cee-Dub/CW at 8pm). It's down to the top three. I put my money on Samantha, but unfortunately she probably won't win it. And, I don't like either McKey or Analeigh. LAME!

Eye-Candy ALERT!

Hugh Jackman has been named People Magazine's SEXIEST MAN ALIVE 2008. He's definitely a nice choice, and I'm sure it's no coincidence that his new movie AUSTRALIA comes out on Nov. 26th.

England Friendly

England takes on Germany today in an international friendly (on 11:45am PST on GolTV).

New Music (&DVD) Tuesday

Chelsea Update

1) Chelsea lost their Carling Cup game to Burnley on Wednesday in penalty kicks!! Argh; it was so hard to watch! But, I guess our only consolation is that now Chelsea can and HAS TO focus on the other 3 trophy races.

2) Chelsea beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 on Saturday! Unfortunately, my beloved, John Terry, injured his toe and was subbed out of the game in the second half.

3) Fortunately though, JT is okay and will captain England on Wednesday in an international friendly against Germany.

Saturday Movie Review

Bill and I saw QUANTUM OF SOLACE this afternoon, and...uhhh?? What can I say? It was action-packed, and Daniel Craig looked good. It wasn't the greatest movie of the year, but it was fun to see.

And, I'm not loving the Jack White & Alicia Keys duet theme song. What do you think about it?

Movie Update

My Brosef and I saw ROLE MODELS tonight, and I was really pleasantly surprised. It was SO MUCH funnier than I expected.

First of all, you can't go wrong with Paul Rudd. He's so cute and funny. Then, add some 80's music and renaissance live action role-play; it was right up our alley!

Come on, Chelsea!

Chelsea takes on Championship-side Burnley today in the 4th round of the Carling Cup, and Didier Drogba is expected back in Chelsea's line-up!

P.S. & F.Y.I. The Championship is one level lower than the EPL.

New Music (&DVD) Tuesday

A couple of DVDs somewhat caught my attention today:

Again, as I mentioned a few days ago, I'd highly recommend
1) Looker's new album "Born In The Desert"

and
2) Nicole Atkins' EP "Digs Other People's Songs"


Finally, there's always a free tune or two on iTunes:

LHK Mash-Up

Did y'all hear the new Kings of Leon album featured heavily on tonight's Gossip Girl?? I love that cd and that show. I especially LOVE when my LHK interests COMBINE!!

I might just have to buy that one episode, and you should buy the cd (if you haven't already):

Happy Birthday, Eriko!

CHEERS to YOU, sweetie-darling!

Come on, Chelsea!

Chelsea v. Blackburn tomorrow (Sunday on Setanta at 5:30am PST).

COME ON, CHELSEA!

Random LHK Update

1) I just came across this awesome Nicole Atkins EP of covers called "Digs Other People's Songs". It's available digitally and features covers of Mama Cass (the vocals are uncanny), The Church, Nada Surf and The Doors. It's really fabulous, so check it out:


2) The Silverlake Art Crawl is this weekend. Sumi's, a good LHK friend, is one of the store/gallery participants.

LHK Sporting News

1) Chelsea lost to Roma on Tuesday 1-3 in a Champions League group-stage game. Just unbelievable!! My beloved John Terry scored Chelsea's lone goal (again). Let's hope that Chelsea will learn from this loss and prevail in the future!

2) At 23, Lewis Hamilton has become the youngest champion in F1 history!!

3) In tennis news, the year-end championships are here. The WTA's year-end tournament is in progress now in Doha, and the ATP Tennis Masters Cup will start on Nov. 9th in Shanghai.

New Music & DVD Tuesday (a day late)

First of all, I just want to reiterate that LOOKER's full-length album "Born In The Desrt" is now available on iTunes!!!


Other new release yesterday:

YES WE CAN!

Vote, Baby, Vote!

If you're in California, I encourage you to PLEASE vote:

YES on Prop 2

NO on Prop 4

NO on Prop 8

Bravo, Chelsea!

Chelsea beat Sunderland 5-0 today to go back on top of the EPL table!! And, hee-ha, Liverpool lost to Tottenham. Sorry McFresh, but not really...

Happy Birthday to...

PAPA RON aka Da Buddha!!! Love you!

and to Jed in NYC aka Dr. Katzel! Hey, speaking of Jed, check out his book:

Happy Halloween!

Not my best pumpkin work, but still...

30 ROCK returns!

Tonight on NBC at 9:30pm!

LOOKER on iTunes!

Hey Kids! I just found out that LOOKER's new album "Born In The Desert" is available now on iTunes! YAY! CHECK IT OUT!!!

Bravo, Chelsea!

Chelsea beat Hull City 3-0 today, which was another nice way to celebrate John Terry's 10th Anniversary week.

Our captain, JT, has been in the first team for 10 years now, and funnily enough that is the exact length of time that I have been a Chelsea fanatic. Hmmmm...

I love you, John!

Chelsea! Chelsea!

Chelsea takes on 3rd-place Hull City today in a mid-week EPL game (delayed on FSC at 3pm PST). It's another big and important game for Chelsea since Hull is right on their tail.

COME ON, CHELSEA!

Eye-Candy ALERT!

Gorgeous Swedish footballer (and Calvin Klein model) Freddie Ljungberg is coming to Major League Soccer!!! He's signed on to play for the new expansion team in Seattle.

Mental note: BUY tix for the Galaxy vs. Sounders game next season. Becks vs. Freddie = YUMMY!

P.S. Thanks for the tip, RD!

Live Music Tonight

Just caught THE KOOKS at the new & improved Palladium tonight. Those young lads are quite talented, and I LOVE the lead singer's voice. Check out both of their great albums:


BTW, the Palladium didn't seem too different than before; just slightly snazzier and cleaner.

P.S. Thanks so much for the tix, BT!

New Music Tuesday

More Important But...

I know there are more important things in the world, but Chelsea just lost to Liverpool 0-1 at Stamford Bridge; losing the top spot in the EPL table AND ending their unbeaten home record as well.

How depressing... BUT, the season is still young, and if we had to lose to anyone, I'm just glad it wasn't Man U (again).

A BIG ONE!

Chelsea v. Liverpool (on Setanta tomorrow Oct. 26th at 6:30am PST) to see who will reign atop the EPL table.

COME ON, CHELSEA!

McFresh: Liverpool is going down at the Bridge!

Saturday Movie Review

After hearing rave reviews, Bill and I saw HAPPY-GO-LUCKY today. It wasn't as amazing as I had expected, BUT the performances and story itself were great, and I would definitely recommend seeing it.

Bravo, Chelsea!

My beloved John Terry scored the lone and winning goal today in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Roma!

The Champions!

Chelsea takes on Roma today in Champions League action (at 11:30am PST on Setanta).

COME ON, CHELSEA!!

New Music Tuesday

There's nothing too exciting this week:

Movie/Soccer Update

1) Last night, I saw ROCKNROLLA, the new film by Guy Ritchie, and really liked it. It was quite funny, and there was a nice amount of eye-candy in it. Gerard Butler was scrumptious, but the yummiest fella by far was Handsome Bob, played by Tom Hardy.

2) There was another soccer reference on Gossip Girl tonight (Nate asked Dan to try-out for the high school team); love that!

LHK Sporting News Round-Up

1) Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 5-0 yesterday and are still at the top of the English Premier League! YAY! But, Liverpool is really close behind, and there are a lot of games to go...

2) The Madrid Masters final is currently taking place between Andy Murray and Gilles Simon (LIVE on Tennis Channel).

Both finalists had interesting roads to the final. Murray beat Roger Federer in the semis, and Simon beat Rafael Nadal in the other semi-final (in addition to my beloved Robby Ginperi in the third round).

3) Speaking of foxy Robby, he's going to be at the 2nd Annual Wailea Fantasy Camp in Maui from Nov. 12th to the 18th. OH, if only I were independently wealthy; a Lady Hooligan can dream...

4) After winning the Chinese Grand Prix, Englishman Lewis Hamilton, is on the brink of winning the Formula One title! Yeah sure, I follow the F1 a little...

Saturday Movie Review

Bill and I finally saw THE DUCHESS today. It's based on a grand true story, and the performances of Ralph Fiennes, Keira Knightley and Charlotte Rampling were all very good. But, although the overall movie was lovely, I also thought it was a tad sad and boring.

Uh-Huh!

The Kings of Leon show was really good last night. I've always liked and bought all of their singles, but now I'm having sort of a delayed obsession with them. I love their new album (start to finish), and I even went back and bought their 3 previous ones too.
I just LOVE lead-singer Caleb's sexy voice, and the overall swagger of their music. I've heard them described as Lynyrd Skynyrd mixed with U2 or a country-rock version of The Strokes, and I would agree would both of those assessments.

Random LHK Update

1) Robby Ginepri beat Nikolay Davydenko in the second round of the Madrid Masters; sweet!

2) I'm off to see the Kings of Leon tonight at the Nokia Theatre; can't wait!

New Music Tuesday

It's a great day for new music! First of all, I want to mention a new (digital only for now) cd that actually came out last week and that I've really been digging. The self-titled release by GLASVEGAS:

Other cool releases out today: