Waiting On...The Princesses of Iowa

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where we highlight our most anticipated future books. 

This week's pick...

The Princesses of Iowa

by M. Molly Backes

Hardcover, 464 pages
Expected publication: May 8th 2012 by Candlewick, Buy: Amazon.com

What does it mean to do wrong, when no one punishes you? A smart and unflinching look at friendship, the nature of entitlement, and growing up in the heartland.

Paige Sheridan has the perfect life. She's pretty, rich, and popular, and her spot on the homecoming court is practically guaranteed. But when a night of partying ends in an it-could-have-been-so-much worse crash , everything changes. Her best friends start ignoring her, her boyfriend grows cold and distant, and her once-adoring younger sister now views her with contempt. The only bright spot isher creative writing class, led by a charismatic new teacher who encourages students to be true to themselves. But who is Paige, if not the homecoming princess everyone expects her to be? In this arresting and witty debut, a girl who was once high-school royalty must face a truth that money and status can't fix, and choose between living the privileged life of a princess, or owning up to her mistakes and giving up everything she once held dear. (goodreads summary) 

Why I am waiting... I had the terrific opportunitiy to take my first writing class ever with Molly at Story Studio in Chicago this past fall. It was fantastic! She is a wonderful person and a fantastic teacher. I can only imagine what an incredible writer she must be! After all, she taught me everything I know. Well, almost everything. All of that aside, I am also eager for this book because the plot sounds amazing, and I just love this cover.

 What are you waiting on today?!

Books and Movies

A new trend in cinema these days seems to be the book to movie film. Almost as though any book that is written should one day expect to make it to the big screen. 

This year's Academy Award Nominees are full of books turned to movies.
It just goes to show that some of the best movies once were some of the greatest books! 

"Hugo" -- "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selnick 

11 Nominations

• Art Direction

• Best Picture

• Cinematography

• Costume Design

• Directing

• Film Editing

• Music (Original Score)

• Sound Editing

• Sound Mixing

• Visual Effects

• Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

 "The Descendants" -- "The Descendants" by Kaui Hart Hemmings

The Descendants5 Nominations

• Actor In a Leading Role

• Best Picture

• Directing

• Film Editing

• Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

  

"The Help" -- "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

The Help4 Nominations

• Actress In a Leading Role

• Actress In a Supporting Role (1)

• Actress In a Supporting Role (2)

• Best Picture

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" -- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling 

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 23 Nominations

• Art Direction

• Makeup

• Visual Effects 

 "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"-- "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson

5 Nominations

• Actress In a Leading Role

• Cinematography

• Film Editing

• Sound Editing

• Sound Mixing 

"Moneyball" -- "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" by Michael Lewis

Moneyball6 Nominations

• Actor In a Leading Role

• Actor In a Supporting Role

• Best Picture

• Film Editing

• Sound Mixing

• Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

 "My Week with Marilyn" -- "My Week with Marilyn" by Colin Clark

My Week with Marilyn2 Nominations

• Actor In a Supporting Role

• Actress In a Leading Role 

"The Iron Lady" -- "The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, from Grocer's Daughter to Prime Minsister" by John Campbell

The Iron Lady2 Nominations

• Actress In a Leading Role

• Makeup

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" -- "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer 

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close2 Nominations

• Actor In a Supporting Role

• Best Picture

"Albert Nobbs" -- "Albert Nobbs: A Novella" by George Moore

Albert Nobbs3 Nominations

• Actress In a Leading Role

• Actress In a Supporting Role

• Makeup

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" -- "Tinker Tailor Solider Spy" by John Le Carre

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy3 Nominations

• Actor In a Leading Role

• Music (Original Score)

• Writing (Adapted Screenplay) 

"War Horse" -- "War Horse" by Michael Morpurgo

War Horse6 Nominations

• Art Direction

• Best Picture

• Cinematography

• Music (Original Score)

• Sound Editing

• Sound Mixing

 "Jane Eyre" -- "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre1 Nomination

• Costume Design

Whether experienced via a book or a movie, these are excellent stories.

Classificação #13

No jogo contra o Everton nenhum participante acertou o resultado do jogo.O jogo ficou 1 a 0 para o Everton.

Veja aqui a classificação:

C'mon City!

Belichick is both film critic and tutor

Video analysis is an important piece of the evaluation process for a coaching staff, and is also an invaluable teaching tool.

In relation to the use of video, I always tell our players that 'you have what I thought, what you thought, and the truth...because video NEVER lies.'

The ability to show critical analysis of what went wrong in the previous match or training session, as well as areas of improvement from the previous week, is an invaluable way to help your players grow and develop.

No coach in the National Football League is more renown for his use of video analysis than Bill Belichick,who is known as "The Belistrator" by his players.

Jackie MacMullen writes of Belichick's roles as both film critic and tutor.

New England Patriots safety James Ihedigbo crouched in his seat, attempting to make himself as tiny and as indistinguishable as possible.

He knew what was coming.

Coach Bill Belichick clicked off the lights and rolled the film.

James Ihedigbo looked bad in his matchup against Santana Moss in December ... and he's still hearing about it. "So now we're going to watch a double reverse," said Belichick, launching into his weekly film analysis, which former linebacker Mike Vrabel gleefully revealed earned the coach the nickname "The Belistrator."

The play on the screen was painfully familiar. Just one day earlier, the Patriots slipped past the Washington Redskins 34-27, but not before Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan suckered the Patriots by calling for a double reverse. Quarterback Rex Grossman handed off to running back Roy Helu, who pitched it to receiver Brandon Banks, who tossed a 49-yard touchdown pass to an untouched Santana Moss.

"As you can see clearly here," said Belichick, slowing the game action to an excruciating crawl, "this is where Ihedigbo gets beat."

Ihedigbo, slinking farther down in his chair, squirmed uncomfortably as his coach skewered his performance.

("They ran the double reverse in Cover 2. I bit on it, and got caught. I blew the coverage," Ihedigbo later lamented.)

"So this is how you DON'T defend the double reverse," Belichick said as he showed it again.

And again. And again and again.

"Well, at least that's over with," said Ihedigbo, in his first year with the Patriots, when Belichick finally moved on.

His friends in the secondary erupted with laughter.

"James," one of his teammates informed him, "it's just beginning."

"They were right," Ihedigbo later confirmed. "Bill ran that play for weeks. He kept bringing it up: 'Now see, this is where Ihedigbo got caught deep.'

"After a while, it became more generic. It was, 'Hey, we might see a double reverse this week like we did against Washington.' And there I am, up on the screen, in the wrong place all over again."

The Belistrator is an equal-opportunity humiliator. He doesn't care if you are a young safety or a first-ballot Hall of Famer; if you mess up, he's going to hold you accountable.

And then he's going to degrade you.

Former linebacker Don Davis was a popular and revered figure in New England's locker room. He was a pastor who coordinated Bible study groups for the players and proved to be a tireless worker on the field and in the weight room. He even earned the offseason conditioning award.

"So there's this one play that made Don look really bad," Vrabel recalled. "Bill showed it a few times then said, 'Offseason award winner, my ass. You look like a cow on ice.' Tedy [Bruschi] and I were in the back laughing our butts off.

Even superstars like Tom Brady can be frequent targets of Bill Belichick's film-room barbs."Of course, it's only funny until it happens to you."

Belichick's current and former players and coaches say his vicious film critiques have been part of his motivational arsenal for as long as they can remember. The roots of the tactic are murky -- Belichick declined a request to be interviewed for this story -- but the desired impact has been well documented.

"It was very, very effective," said Brad Seely, the former Patriots and current San Francisco 49ers special teams coach. "Just look at the former players who have been gone a few years and can still describe it in vivid detail."

Seely said he rarely knew in advance what Belichick had prepared for the dreaded Monday meeting.

"We all were as anxious as the players to see what Bill came up with," Seely said. "Those sessions were always quite enlightening."

Past Patriots veterans fondly remember the time Tom Brady uncharacteristically threw a weak, fluttering pass. As they left the stadium, Brady announced, "Bring the popcorn. I'll be the star of tomorrow's show." Sure enough, when the lights were dimmed and the film began rolling, there was Brady in technicolor, tossing a wounded duck up for grabs -- over and over again.

In that instance, the coach let the picture tell the story. Then he clicked on the lights and announced, "I've seen better passes thrown at Foxborough High School."

The Brady lowlights have been frequent and biting through the years. Belichick stresses the need to never leave points on the board and whenever his quarterback does, he's treated to his own personal film festival. The clips include bad reads, interceptions and poorly timed bombs, such as one in 2009, when Brady overthrew Randy Moss as he streaked toward the end zone.

"As you can see," the Belistrator pointed out, "Randy is wide open. The defense let him go. Not that we can hit him, though. Right, Tom?"

Picking on Ihedigbo is one thing; embarrassing the face of the franchise would seem to be another matter entirely.

It isn't.

"The message was always clear," Bruschi said. "No one was off limits. That's why you had to respect it."

"None of us are immune from his coaching," Stephen Gostkowski added.

Not even the kicker. In Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants, the Patriots had just scored on a Laurence Maroney 1-yard run when Gostkowski kicked off -- and the ball sailed out of bounds.

That critical error gave the Giants optimal field position at their own 40-yard line. Gostkowski had to sit through weeks and weeks of replays of his stray kick, as well as Eli Manning's ensuing 38-yard pass to Amani Toomer that placed the Giants inside New England's 20-yard line. New York did not score on that drive because Ellis Hobbs picked off a Manning pass, but footage of that play is never shown. The Belistrator always ends the clip with the Giants seemingly ready to cash in on Gostkowski's miscue.

For a split second, Gostkowski actually thought he might escape the humiliating film sessions, since his mistake occurred during the season finale.

Ah, no.

"Bill teed it up the first week the following season," Gostkowski said. "He reminded me of that kick almost every day. He has a way of putting pressure on you so you accept any challenge he puts out there.

"He never forgets anything. He still brings up plays from when he was a coach with the Giants and the Browns. Those meetings are like an NFL history lesson."

David Pizarro acerta com o City e vem por empréstimo até o fim da temporada

Neste último dia de janela europeia , o City acertou com chileno David Pizarro , do Roma , ele vai vir por um empréstimo até o final da temporada , de acordo com emissoras locais o jogador ainda chega nesta semana para realizar exames médicos. O treinador da equipe italiana disse que Pizarro não estava nos planos dele. O  Citizens ainda busca De Rossi , mais acho complicada essa negociação , mas vamos esperar tudo pode acontecer.
  
 C'mon City! 

Eva Longoria for Preference by Loreal

IMTA alum Eva Longoria is starring in a new national commercial for the cosmetic giant Loreal. She just tweeted the following: "Shooting Preference by Loreal today. Love this job!"

Eva Longoria came to IMTA in 1998 where she amazed the judges with her dazzling talent and gorgeous look. She moved to Los Angeles soon after IMTA, and landed spots on 90210 and General Hospital. With her incredible talent, she also joined the cast of The Young and the Restless. In 2004, she became the nation's favorite housewife on Desperate Housewives and is in her last season in her role as Gabrielle.

Living Re-Do (in process)

Since redecorating my bedroom, I've had the urge to do another room. If you walk into my house, you would think you were in a Kirkland's store. Seriously. So, to give it more color and life, I decided to change the decor in my living room.

Due to my limited funds, I need to keep my furniture. So, the easiest way to change things up would be with accessories.

Before

Another before shot

And the new stuff....
I started with this rug (from Kohls).

 Then, I found this pillow at Target.

 Then, I bought these (2) pillows (Pier 1).

 And here's what we have so far.

 I want one of these pillows to add more pattern to the room. Which do you think? (I think I would put it on the brown chair. Should it go on the couch?)

 Still on the To Do list for the living room?

• Change the art on the walls.
• Change the green lampshades.
• Remove the green chair.
• Buy patterned pillow.
• Buy  a colorful throw.

Do you have any suggestions for updating my living room?

Bolão

Fala galera, nesta rodada vocês irão palpitar no jogo Everton x Manchester City.


Regras: Você irá deixar seu palpite nos comentários , quem não deixar o nome, o palpite não será validado, você poderá palpitar até 10 minutos antes do jogo começar.

Jogo para Palpite:

O jogo será disputado hoje, o horário do jogo é às 18:00 horas (Horário de Brasília), você poderá deixar seu palpite até às 17:50.Este jogo será realizado no Goodison Park, e é válido pela 23ª rodada da Premier League.

Distribuição de Pontos :

150 Pontos - Acertar Tudo (Placar, autor dos gols).
100 Pontos- Acerto do Placar do Jogo.
20 Pontos - Acerto de Cada Autor dos Gols.

Você só precisa falar os autores dos gols do Manchester City.


Boa Sorte!

Everton vs Manchester City

Competição: Premier League, 23ª rodada
Data: 31/01/2012 (Hoje)
Horário: 18:00 (Horário de Brasília)
Local: Goodison Park
Transmissão: ESPN HD e Aqui no Blog!


Provável escalações dos times!

C'mon City !!

Top Ten Tuesday - Book Club Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week's top ten list:

Top Ten Books For a Book Club

As I stated in a recent post, my friends and I have recently embarked upon our first book club, BYOB&B. So, I am excited about this top ten to receive some feedback from other bloggers about which books they would recommend. 

As a fan of YA, I tend to not know many books that would be book club worthy. Not that YA books aren't book club worthy; they just would require a very special/genre specific book club. Thus, my list is going to be a BOOK CLUB FOR THE YOUNG ADULT.

1. The Statistical Probaiblity of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. SmithWhy? Because I cannot get enough of this book. And I needed another plug for my giveaway -- Win SPOLAFS here! But, for real. This book is not just for the YA, it is for any girl who has dreams of finding love at first sight. Yet, it is the moments of growing up and witnessing your life change that resonate. 

2. The Book Thief by Marcus ZusakI confess. I have yet to read this book, but as it is my current book club book, I figure it must make a great one. I have heard wonderful things about this book and am very excited to read it. 

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsI have heard grown-up boys say that they love this book and that the YA genre part of it shouldn't let anybody be deterred. I agree. Love, love, love this series. 

4. The Outsiders by S.E. HintonI loved this book in school. And I really did not like reading for school. So the fact I read and finished this one is a true testament to how great it is. 

5. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper LeeAnother book read for school that I actually finished. I guess you could say I liked any classic that could fall into the YA genre. This story is so meaningful and beautiful. 

6. Before I Die by Jenny DownhamThis book has been waiting for me on my shelf for months. I want to read it. Really and truly. It just seems so sad that I never pick it up. But without actually having read it, I would believe it would have a great amount of themes and messages for any reader to take away. 

7. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver Oh this book. It tortured me. I loved it way more than I expected to. I would make my book club read this if we didn't have a rule about already having read the books. 

8. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman Now, I have read this book. And it did a number on my heart. 

9. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

This is just a cute and wonderful book. The characters are poignant and the story is adorable. 

10. Divergent by Veronica RothBecause I live in Chicago and if I were to make my book club read any dystopian novel I think they would appreciate this one that is set in our great city.

What are your top ten book club books?

Please leave a comment and link. I will be sure to pay a visit.

I am excited to see what has made your TOP TEN lists this week!

Book Review - Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour 

by Morgan Matson

Hardcover, 344 pages

Published May 4th 2010 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing 

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew—just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road—diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards—this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself. (Goodreads summary)

This book is so...normal. And I mean that in the best possible way.

Often times a book will try to encompass a normal life but the acts and characters won't reflect the story and situation. However, this book is perfect. Both Amy and Roger act their age and behave appropriately given their situation and stories.

What I love about this book is the flow and pacing. Matson doesn't rush us through the journey, but she takes snapshots of moments that ultimately tie into the big picture. She hones in on some and zooms out on others. As a result, we are just an additional passenger along for the ride.

In the wake of a tragedy, Amy's family has fallen apart. They don't know how to cope with the loss of her father and as a result, they have started to lose sight of each other. Amy starts the journey as a shell of a human being. She often references to an alter ego, Amy!, a girl who would know exactly what to do in any situation. But regular Amy is at a loss. And that makes her raw, real and relatable. Matson does a great job of painting Amy. We want to help her, but as she does with others, she holds us at arm's length. She keeps half of the story from us and only reveals it as she herself begins to come to terms with the details. Ultimately, as her shell begins to crack and she begins to transform, Amy starts to reveal more of herself. And we get to know her on this journey.

Roger. Oh so adorable Roger. Or Magellan as he is commonly known at school. Here is reason number one why I like Roger: he is so nice. He is patient, kind, and low key. Even with his own backstory playing out, he never gets too rattled. He is a stable driving companion, and he eases some of the stress on the page. Here is reason number two why I like Roger: his playlists. Dude has stellar taste in music. I would love to ride in his car.

I love this book because of all of the stops, restaurants, and people they encounter along their detour. The title says it is an Epic Detour. I expected mishaps, shenanigans and flat tires. That doesn't happen. The detour is epic because it is life changing. The people that Amy and Roger meet along the way impact each of them, leaving lasting impressions. What is epic about this detour are the small moments of trying a new restaurant like Chik-Fil-A, listening and liking someone else's music, and meeting random people who wind up providing transformation.

At the end, what is found in Amy and Roger's Epic Detour is a beautiful story that teaches us that in the aftermath of a life changing tragedy, someone can never really move on, but they can move forward. We've all had those moments where we felt like our entire world was turned upside down and then felt alone. This story starts us at that place and then sends us on an Epic Detour to find out what would happen if we stopped hiding and allowed ourselves to explore the world.

Rating 4.2/5

Music Monday (1)

Hi there. I took somewhat of a blogging hiatus over the weekend to focus more of my attention on writing. I was productive--finally. Usually when I fall out of writing for a bit, I start a new project. The project tends to be one I don't plan to go anywhere, but I write it in hopes that it will jostle my creativity and reawaken the writing passion. It helped. I was able to write over 5,000 words this weekend, which felt really good.

But...in Academy Award related news...I have now viewed  5 out of 9 of the Best Picture films.

Today's Post: Music Monday

Some of my favorite categories at the Oscars are the Music related awards

 This year, the nominees are:

Music (Original Score)

• "The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams
• "The Artist" Ludovic Bource
• "Hugo" Howard Shore
• "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias
• "War Horse" John Williams

• Music (Original Song)

  • "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets"
    Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
  • "Real in Rio" from "Rio"
    Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown; Lyric by Siedah Garrett
    
    
    Stay tuned each Monday for another featured soundtrack.
    
    
    Winners over the Past 10 years:
    
    
    2001 - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Tan Dun
    2002 - The Lord of the Rings: Felloswhip of the Ring, Howard Shore
    2003- Frida, Elliot Goldenthal
    2004 - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Howard Shore
    2005 - Finding Neverland, Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
    2006 - Brokeback Mountain, Gustavo Santaolalla
    2007 - Babel, Gustavo Santaolalla
    2008 - Atonement, Dario Marianello
    2009 - Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
    
    
    2010 - Up, Michael Giacchino
    
    
    
    
    
    
    2011-  The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
    
    

The true definition of victory

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour—his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle — victorious." - Vince Lombardi

Nothing feels better than taking on a challenge by working to the full extent of your physical abilities, and lying there exhausted after you've defeated it.

To me, that's the true definition of victory. The great competitors are able to do that, and in all facets of their lives.