Dudes.

University of Florida student JT Fridsma put together this awesome minute-by-minute plotting of the various scenes and parallel plots in Peter Jackson’s film version of the LOTR series.

[Via]

#SoftRockTues 5.10.11

It’s a little-known secret that I spent most of my childhood under the delusion/hope that Michael McDonald was my real father.

I grew up with a dad. My real dad, in fact. But I used to watch a lot of MTV when I was younger, and the thought of Michael McDonald just showing up at my door one day to announce that he was my real father and that he’s come to take me to live with him and Patti LaBelle in their penthouse apartment in New York and/or their beach house on the ocean was sort of awesome. I mean, my dad’s great and stuff, but he does not play the keyboard, and he does not sing in a falsetto, and he does not get to star in music videos with Billy Crystal. I mean, it’s not really his fault that my dad chose to be a successful executive in the telecommunications field instead of becoming both a pioneer and a legend of the easy-listening genre.  He thought he was doing the right thing…how could he know that all I ever wanted was a father who jammed with Kenny Loggins and had a prematurely grey beard? He couldn’t. And it’s okay. I’ve grown up and learned to love him for all the things he is, despite of all the things he isn’t.

But, sometimes, when it’s late and I’m feeling lonely, I still wonder if my mom is really telling the truth about not being a Doobie Brothers groupie. I mean…how could you not have been, back then?

AND LOOK HOW AWESOME MICHAEL LOOKS IN A HAWAIIN SHIRT.

SmartTalk. More like HotTalk.

Guess what, nerdbombs: The original sci-fi babe is headed to Minneapolis, and your pal Amber is hooking you up.

This could be a really good date idea. Like, stellar.

Here’s what it is: There’s this thing called SmartTalk: Connected Conversations (automatic uplifting music alert: hit the mute button before you click the link) where these really incredible women – explorers, scientists, actresses, media personalities, journalists – speak on a variety of topics and provide an evening of education and entertainment.

So that’s the press release stuff. The digs is this: Sigourney Weaver, IN YOUR FACE. The Alien-fighting, Star-Trek-spoofing, hot-business-vixen-playing, 3D- animation-blockbuster-starring acting bomb on stage, in front of your very own eyes, and IN YOUR FACE.

You should get tickets to this. If you’re a woman-person, this would be a great night out with your friends or related women-persons. If you’re a man-person…can you imagine the mega-triple-awesome bonus points you’d get by taking a date to this?! Or, if you are secure in your masculinity, how awesome it would be to go with your nerd pals and revel in the glory of the woman who made kicking alien ass into the hottest thing the 80’s have ever seen?

And when you get those tickets, enter in the code “RIPLEY” and get 15% off.

Because that’s me, using my powers for good.

Take advantage of it.

#softrockTues 5.3.11

Today’s #softrockTues pick is “Separate Ways” by Journey. There are 2 main reasons why I love this song –

1) It’s in TRON: The Legacy

     1A) Which means that it makes me think of Garrett Hedlund.

          1B) Which means that this song automatically has super hot positive associations

2) This song makes me want to work out

     2A) Which is mostly because when I hear this song, I think of the TRON bodysuits

          2B) Which also makes me think of Garrett Hedlund in a TRON bodysuit

             2C) Which means that if I want to realistically seduce him in the TRON parallel universe, I should probaby be  wearing a TRON bodysuit, too. And maybe look good in it.

So, song by Journey –> TRON –> Garrett Hedlund –> Workout –> Ticket to paradise* –> Amazing #softrockTues pick.

*Which is another song by a different artist that I will be discussing sometime in the near future.