It's October!

Of course, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I just wanted to give a little shout-out to some related sites:

1) The Breast Cancer Site; I'm sure you've heard of this one; It's so easy; just click to help raise $ for programs that give mammograms to women in need.

2) Susan G. Komen for the Cure; probably the foremost breast cancer awareness organization around...

3) As always, there's also some shopping that can be done to support the cause.
For example, Estee Lauder has a lovely Pink Ribbon Collection.
For more products, check out InStyle's list of "Gifts that Give Back".
My favorite of the bunch BY FAR being the Pink Velvet Layer Cake by Carousel Cakes!

2 in a row for Germany!

Germany beat Brazil today to win the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, making history along the way. They are the first women's team to win two World Cups in a row, and the only team to not concede a goal in a major senior tournament! Congrats to them!

P.S. Every time I hear the Deutschland national anthem, it reminds of the movie Victory.I think only my Brosef will get that reference...

JT's surgery

John Terry is having surgery tomorrow morning.
John, you're in my thoughts, and I'm sending you love and support from Los Angeles. Get well soon!

Live Music Tonight

John Hoskinson (of "Pancho Fantastico" fame) is playing a free show tonight at the Gypsy Den in Santa Ana at 8:30pm.

P.S. Clint Dempsey, you are on my shite list for injuring John Terry today!

Random Friday News

Bill's out of town this weekend, so no movie today, but I have lots to tell you about nonetheless:

1) First of all, Happy 1st Birthday, Chloe! And, Happy 11th Anniversary to my Brosef and his amazing wife, Karen (sic)!

2) So, instead of a movie this morning, (unless I get rained out) I'll be going to a cardio tennis class; a fast-paced tennis-related work-out, set to loud and pretty cheezy aerobics music. It's a really fun, intensive one-hour work-out that I highly recommend to burn some calories and improve one's footwork. More info on ojakiantennis.com, and special thanks to Lady Sophie for the gift certificate. The weather is finally getting nice for cardio again!

3) Major League Soccer and the UN Foundation have teamed up in a campaign called "Nothing But Nets", a program that aims to prevent the spread of malaria in Africa by supplying families with mosquito nets. Donate just $10 by October 12th, and you can be eligible to win a trip to the MLS Cup '07 in Washington, D.C.!

4) Another feel-goody type thing I discovered is the BP gas station on Robertson and Olympic in Los Angeles. I've driven past this strange, metallic gas station quite often (as I'm sure most Angelenos have), but I only just recently pulled in to fill up my tank. I was pleasantly surprised by many aspects of the visit. Not only are there recycling bins by the pumps, but there are also lavender-scented handy-wipes available, and the gas is the same price as is it around town too. The structure is also apparently solar-paneled, the restrooms are super-clean, and they even accept old cell phone donations. The only negatives I can speak of are 1) no junk food mart (that I noticed) and 2) it's still a big oil company selling gas. But, it's a step in the right direction, no?

5) CUTE ITEM ALERT: I just ordered this adorable "Miss Golightly" necklace from one of my favorite online stores fred flare. Get free ground shipping through Oct. 8th on orders over $25 with this discount code: FallFaves.0907

6) Even though my fauxence, Bill, is in Laguna this weekend, I'm still going to try and catch a movie. I really want to see "Goal! 2: Living the Dream" IF I can find a theater that's showing it. I saw and really liked the first one in the series ("Goal! The Dream Begins"), and I'm sure I'll like this one too (because I - no surprise - dig most soccer movies). In this current installment, the main character, Santiago, apparently transfers from Newcastle to Real Madrid, so Galaticos appearances (including Becks himself) are a definite!

7) Last but not least, here's some (tame) eye-candy. In honor of Dr. Lee, I present to you Michael "Mishy" Vartan. His new show "Big Shots" premiered on ABC last night. It was better than Bill had expected (it has a "Desperate Housewives" for men vibe), but I actually didn't really dig it. I just didn't buy the story that Michael Vartan's wife would cheat on him (especially with an old fart)...

LHK Soccer News

1) Argh! The U.S. lost to Brazil this morning in the semifinal of the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. What a huge disappointment! Brazil will now face Germany in the FINAL (this Sun. 9/29 at 5am PST on ESPN2), and the U.S. will meet Norway in the 3rd place game. (Photo: AP via Yahoo!)

2) Chelsea takes on Fulham in the EPL this weekend (Sat. 9/29 at 6:35am PST on FSC) and then will face Valencia in Champions League action next week (Wed. 10/3 at 11am PST on Setanta). Thankfully, Chelsea's interim manager, Avram Grant, will be allowed on the touchline, despite not having the proper coaching credentials. In any case, GO BLUES!

3) In serious news, David Beckham's Dad is ill and in the hospital. Let's wish him a speedy recovery.

THE OFFICE is BACK!!!

Tonight's the night! The 4th season of THE OFFICE starts tonight with a one-hour season premiere on NBC at 9pm. I can't wait; I love this show!

Thursday is THE night for TV, and my DVR is going to be working over-time. I'm also looking forward to the ABC prime-time line-up tonight; starting with "Ugly Betty" at 8pm, "Grey's Anatomy" at 9pm and a new show "Big Shots" at 10pm. To be honest, "Big Shots" doesn't look that appealing, but the gorgeous Michael Vartan is in it, and I'll see anything he's in (and that Dylan McDermott ain't too shabby either).

If you want to kill some time before the programs tonight, check out what the Dunder Mifflin staff did this summer:

Thanks to Whine & Cheese for the tip.

Also, I came across a SUPER-FAN The Office site that is just great: OfficeTally.

Carling Cup

The good news is that Chelsea won and Man U lost today in the Carling Cup!

P.S. Here's a more than decent article about Chelsea's true blue John Terry (thanks to Vital Chelsea for the article link).

More Important But...

I know there are more important things in the world, but...

1) UPDATE to yesterday's post about the Wes Anderson short film "Hotel Chevalier": Apparently, it will now be released in Apple stores on Oct. 2nd and then FREE on iTunes on Oct. 3rd. So, next week, not this week. By the way, I can't believe October is right around the corner!

2) Set your DVR's! The U.S. takes on Brazil in the semifinal of the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup (Sept. 27th at 5am PST on ESPN2). The winner meets Germany in the Final on Sunday, Sept. 30th.

3) My cousin (or cuzin I should say 'cause we like to pronounce it "Perfect Strangers" style) took me to her Inner Power Yoga class last night. All I can say is that yoga = YOWZA! It was an hour and a half class that was amazing but very difficult. I'm a bit sore today, which is ironic considering yoga is basically extreme stretching. My cuzin actually likes to describe yoga as a combined workout and massage, and, she's totally right! I definitely was sweating up a storm, but when the class was over, I have never felt as relaxed. Anywhoo, despite the bare feet everywhere (I have a sliver of OCD), I'd recommend this class to anyone. For only $16, you get a very self-indulgent and revitalizing work-out, set to new-age music of course!

4) On TV tonight, I'll be checking out:

- ANTM (8pm on the CW) of course! I don't have a winner picked just yet, but I have it narrowed down to 4 or 5 models, and after tonight's first official photo shoot, I hope to have it narrowed down to at least 2.

- I'll also give "Private Practice" (9pm on ABC) a shot too (pun intended). I'm a "Grey's Anatomy" fan, so I have to give the spin-off a chance (although the preview episode last season was not that appealing to me).

More Important But...

I know there are more important things in the world, but here's more LHK music, film and sports news:

1) In limited Apple stores today, Wes Anderson is releasing his short film "Hotel Chevalier" (starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman) as a promotion for his upcoming feature "The Darjeeling Limited". The short will be available FREE tomorrow on iTunes!

2) Just heard Mark Ronson's "re-version" of Bob Dylan's "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" on KCRW, and I'm on the fence about it... It's supposedly the only "official" Bob Dylan re-mix, and it'll be available on the forthcoming greatest hits package "DYLAN: His Greatest Songs" due out on Oct. 2nd.

3) Speaking of the Dub (aka KCRW), they also just played a track from Heavy Trash's recently released album Going Way Out with Heavy Trash.Heavy Trash is one of Jon Spencer's (from the Blue Explosion) side projects, and I feel bad for not mentioning this cd before because I love me some Jon Spencer (and especially since the album has 3 "baby" songs)! He is the definition of sexy, dirty rock!


4) Speaking of music, "Amazon MP3", which is Amazon.com's new digital music store, is up and running.

5) In Robby Ginepri news,

- He participated in a fitness podcast called "Dr. Fitness and The Fat Guy". You can download the free episode from iTunes (released on 9/20/07); he's on towards the end of the show (around 52:20). Trust me, you'll want to skip most of the (boring and shrill) show and just get to Gineps!


- Robby is also participating in yet another exhibition match against Pete Sampras this Saturday, Sept. 29th in the FedEx Shootout in Frisco, Texas.

6) On the topic of my tennis belovEds, Marat Safin recently took a trip to Tibet. I didn't think I could love him more... (Thanks to Erwin for the heads-up).

7) Check out an interesting online version of the official Chelsea FC magazine (with tons of coverage on their recent U.S. summer tour).

New Music (&DVD) Tuesday

Okay, first and foremost, I want to tell you about my good friend, AJ Lambert. Her music is finally available on iTunes, and it's absolutely delightful! Please check it out, and tell all of your friends too!

Aside from AJ's "EP", my music picks for today are:

1) For an awesome cover of the Bee Gees' "How Deep is Your Love", check out "Please Clap Your Hands" by The Bird & the Bee

2) Chaka Khan is back with Funk This!

3) With eclectic tracks by Bruce Springsteen, Madeleine Peyroux, Bonnie Raitt and others, Give US Your Pooris a benefit cd to help fight homelessness.


My DVD picks for today are:

Random Candy

I think I need more eye-candy on the blog, so I've decided to post RANDOM CANDY pics every once in a while. This weekend Dr. Raff, Bill and I watched Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. Of course, I felt obligated to tell them that the fox who played Count Fersen is none other than Calvin Klein model, Jamie Dornan, and our premiere RANDOM CANDY lad!

Run, Walk & Roll

The Achievable Foundation's 6th Annual Run, Walk & Roll is taking place on October 7, 2007. I'm sponsoring my friend, Dina, in her 5K run. For more info on how to participate and/or donate, please go to achievable.org.

Blue Revolution?

Well, with Jose Mourinho now gone, it seems that the Chelsea Blue Revolution only lasted 3 years (although I still have hope for further successes). Today, the behind the scenes dvd, Blue Revolution: The Inside Story, comes out, and it certainly comes at a curious time.

Some have argued that Mourinho's departure was planned for a while, but I'm spent and just want to see this dvd. The available clips have been tantalizing, and as always, I just want to know more about our squad. So, I'll just have to search and track down the U.S. version (I think it's available only in a Region 2 format for now unfortunately)...

P.S. And, please don't get me started on the reports that my beloved John Terry was a cause of Jose Mourinho's leaving Chelsea; there's only so much I can take!!

Oh, Chelsea...

What can I say about this morning's Chelsea 2-0 loss to Man U?

With Jose Mourinho's departure, disappointment at Old Trafford seemed inevitable. But nonetheless, I think that Chelsea played an admirable game, especially since the game's ASSHOLE referee (Mike Dean) made 2 ridiculous and devastating decisions (Chelsea's Mikel didn't deserve a red card and Man U's Saha didn't deserve a late penalty).

Irregardless (sic), the only interesting thing that came out of today's game (for me only) is the realization that my parents probably feel about me the same way that I feel about Chelsea now. I won't elaborate on my specifics (it's nothing dramatic really). But, even though Chelsea disappoints me at times and is going through a rough patch, I love the team very much. In fact, during this difficult time, I might love them even more because I want so badly for them to turn their situation around and succeed.

As far as having to deal with a new manager and all the bullshite, I guess I can analogize that to everyone (not just me), like Chelsea, just having to keep on truckin'!

Okay enough rambling...

LHK Sporting News

1) First and foremost, although I LOVE the Fall weather, I object to it only when I get rained out of tennis. Unfortunately, my regular Saturday dubz match got rained out this morning (even though the weather is sort of clearing up NOW).

2) Congrats to the U.S. for their 3-0 quarterfinal win over England in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup! They will face either Brazil or Australia in the semis. On the topic of women's soccer, Happy Birthday to my WWC '99 former "boss", Aaron!

3) Arsenal is still on top of the Premier League with their impressive 5-0 win over Derby County this morning. OF COURSE, since I gave up any interest in Arsenal after the departures of Henry and Ljungberg, they are doing well again. Liverpool and Man City both drew today.

4) Speaking of the EPL, the biggest game of the season so far will be Chelsea vs. Man U (tomorrow at 8am PST on FSC). Go Blues!

5) The U.S. leads Sweden 2-1 in the Davis Cup.

Friday Restaurant AND Movie Review

Today, we tried a new restaurant AND saw a new movie too! Our co-faux-boyfriend, Rob, joined Bill and me today and suggested having breakfast pre-movie, and we were happy to oblige...

I then suggested Square One Dining for our meal. It was written up by Los Angeles magazine as a great breakfast joint, and I had been wanting to try it. Although it's located kind of out of our Grove-centric area (on 4854 Fountain Ave. just West of Vermont), it's a lovely little place with good food. I really enjoyed my breakfast sandwich on toasted brioche, and we all shared a yummy side of grits with cheese and bacon. The menu is fairly simple, but the quality is great. Our favorites of the morning were the delicious coffee and the cookies for dessert. The giant cookies are only $3 and are served in a bag on a plate ('cause you'll most likely not be able to finish one and will take it to-go)! Bill called the cookies "Ooey, gooey, crisp and chewy!"

After dining, again breaking out of our Grove-mold, we headed over to the ArcLight to see a late morning screening of "Eastern Promises", a thriller about Russian gangsters in London, starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts. If you're squeamish, this movie is probably not one to see right after a big meal. The violence is quite graphic, which is typical for a David Cronenberg feature.

But aside from the violence, the story is really interesting, and there's nudity and great acting too, mainly all compliments of the star himself, Viggo!
Yowza! He was completely convincing as a complex Russian gangster (tattoos, accent and all). I was drooling over him throughout the whole movie, whether he was in a sleek suit or completely nude.

And the BONUS (for me especially) is that there are Chelsea FC references in the film too, which isn't too surprising (since the London football club is owned by a certain Russian billionaire, who's not on my good side these days). Irregardless (sic), we definitely recommend this movie!

All in all, I've had a great day. Breakfast and a movie with my boys (Bill and Rob treated me to each respectively; unnecessary but so sweet). Then, I came home and took a nap. Fall is pretty much here, and the cooler weather is so lovely. Now, I'm off to watch some Davis Cup that I tivo'd. Life ain't too shabby; I'm a lucky lady (hooligan)!

P.S. I want to give a little shout-out to our cute friend, Brien, who joined us for the breakfast portion of the activities; halla!

Your Internet

Sometimes, when my friend's Grandma wants me to look something up for her online, she'll say, "Honey, can you look on YOUR internet for (insert random request here)." So recently on my Internet, I've come across some interesting websites that I wanted to share with you:

1) SkinStore.com; discounted beauty products AND FREE domestic shipping: score!

2) Etsy; unique handmade items for sale (with cheap shipping)! I bought a hilarious "Buster" (from the TV show "Arrested Development") coaster from a crafter called Snickerpinx, and I look forward to perusing the rest of the site in search of lovely and random things I don't need. I already spotted an interesting artist, Elloh, who has a shared fondness for "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "The Office".

3) Babycakes NYC; a vegan bakery in NYC. Hmmm...I'd be interested in trying their red velvet cupcakes, but a friend who has actually been to the bakery says that she was "decidedly underwhelmed."

4) DEUCE magazine; the ATP's official magazine is now available in an online format! Check out the delightful Summer 2007 issue.

Thanks to BUST magazine for several of the tips.

LHK Sporting News

With the Chelsea FC drama, it's been hard for me to focus on other athletic events, but the following ones are definitely worth a mention:

1) The U.S. takes on England in the quarterfinals of the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup (Sat. Sept. 22nd at 5am PST on ESPN2).

2) The best American male tennis players (minus my beloved Robby Ginepri) take on Sweden in Davis Cup action, starting this Friday, Sept. 21st (matches will be aired on Versus and TTC).

Chelsea Heartache

I'm still reeling from the news about Jose Mourinho leaving Chelsea FC, especially since his major staffers (including assistant coach Baltemar Brito, fitness coach Rui Faria, scout Andre Villas and goalkeeper coach Silvino Louro) are leaving with him!

Taking Mourinho's place for now will be Chelsea's director of football, Avram Grant and assistant coach, Steve Clarke.

I mainly blame Chelsea's Russian billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich, for this crap. Among other things, he forced Mourinho to buy Michael Ballack and Andriy Schevchenko, who didn't do enough for the squad last season. In just 3 short years of service, Mourinho will probably be remembered as Chelsea's greatest manager; why did Roman have to give him so much grief?!?!

In any case, as if all of this drama doesn't hurt enough, Chelsea has a huge AWAY game against Manchester United this Sunday (8am PST on FSC).