life:and:lim - Filed under 'Celebrity Crushes'

create. and. consume.

Purposeful twentysomething.

Likes: the design of everyday objects, stories, crude garment construction, rearranging furniture, music in spanish, good movies, cooking and eating meat, cutting up fruit, costumes, redwood trees and rolling hills, recommending holes-in-the-wall, not paying full price on beautiful things.

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Celebrity Crushes

November 11, 2009

I just have one question for ya'll...

WHO IN THE BAY AREA WANTS TO SEE NEW MOON NEXT WEEKEND?? Leave a comment and we'll coordinate! Eileen, this meens YOU!

Go team wolfpack!

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Filed under // Celebrity Crushes Movies & Television

Comments [9]

November 8, 2009

Subtle romance: my favorite clip from Fallen Angels

I can't believe this movie is 15 years old, and that I first watched it almost five years ago. I was reminded of it today when we were watching Chungking Express and I thought to myself, sure, I kind of like this movie but there was something about Fallen Angels, the sequel/companion film by Wong Kar Wai, that spoke to me. Maybe because the characters are much more shockingly odd, and the film itself that much murkier, sad and ardent.

I don't remember a whole lot about the film (you can find an analysis of it here) except this one scene where Cherry and the Mute are sitting in a cafe after they've been chasing down her ex-boyfriend and Mute realizes he's falling in love with her. I love the way the shot is set up, with hapless Cherry gazing obliviously in the other direction while Mute, whom we have come to know as someone unworthy of respect, yet whom we want to indulge despite ourselves, leans towards her and breathes her in with such dreamy enjoyment that you really wish she'd come to her senses already. Meanwhile, the world behind them buzzes with activity, but you can't take your eyes off this quiet moment of stolen intimacy.

I don't think this scene is supposed to be taken literally, but I think it captures an element of misappropriate longing that anyone with a little wistful strangeness in them will recognize right away. There's something about the bold, unrequited movement in this scene that I like very much. I screen-capped it for your viewing pleasure, followed by a very excellent fan-made vide o that centers on the weird but beautiful Takeshi Kaneshiro's character, the Mute.

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Filed under // Celebrity Crushes Movies & Television

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August 19, 2009

Waiting on Gossip GurrrrrrrrL

via 3.bp.blogspot.com

If the previews were not enough to whet our appetites, then surely this sweetly, darkly suggestive photo of Chuck + Blair (Chair? Bluck?) will. Hot.

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Filed under // Celebrity Crushes Movies & Television

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August 19, 2009

Sorry, I totally couldn't resist posting about the second official New Moon trailer...in which Jacob Black makes his moves and swishes around that beautiful long hair of his.

via newmoonmovie.org

I know I am just setting myself up for disappointment when November comes and me and my grown-up friends get trampled in the theater by scores of rabid teenagers on their way to watch the New Moon movie. But I find myself pouncing on every little morsel we're getting in the way of previews, and savoring it in a most untoward fashion.

Anyway I really wish Jacob Black didn't have to chop his beautiful hair off halfway through the movie. It's such a shame. I am not usually into long-haired dudes but on native Americans, it works. In fact, on Jacob Black, the mane is downright dreamy. (I mean... 0:30-32, 0:39 even though it's so obviously CGI'd, and that intense look at 0:55 omg omg omg omg OMG!).

Yes I realize I'm talking as if he's a real person. Shut up. Team Jacob 4-evarrrrr.

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Filed under // Books Celebrity Crushes Movies & Television

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December 15, 2008

Alex Wong's latest project: The Paper Raincoat

This weekend I organized a bunch of coworkers to go take in the sultry sounds of Vienna Teng (more on her later). We started the evening with delicious Nepalese food at Taste of the Himalayas , then off to the Palace of Fine Arts, and capped the night with dessert at Kowloon Tong Dessert Cafe (more on that later, too).

What I really wanted to talk about though, is The Paper Raincoat, the latest in a series of collaborations by the talented Alex Wong of The Animators, an Asian-American singer-songwriter-producer who can play an incredible number of instruments, from guitar to drums to glockenspiel. Alex usually accompanies Vienna on tour, playing percussion and producing for her, but I'd never really seen him perform center stage. He and his partner Amber made for a surprising treat of an opening act--you know how those are always hit or miss, but mostly miss? Not so here.

I like how they're kind of fun/whimsical, a living fantasy of sounds, and more upbeat and wonder-filled than neurotic and whiny. Hats off to them for being optimistic in this day and age.

Sympathetic Vibrations by The Paper Raincoat

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Filed under // Celebrity Crushes Music

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November 13, 2008

Lila Downs makes me want to re-learn Spanish.

Spanish is definitely one of my favorite not-so-foreign languages. Right up there with Burmese and German.

I just love her soothing and thoughtful way of speaking (see this week's Bookmobile Wednesday for a sample of her music). I wish I could grow up to speak as serenely and substantively as that.

Check out her myspace here. Isn't she gorgeous?

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Filed under // Celebrity Crushes Music

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October 27, 2008

Halloween Costume: A Study on Frida

In case you haven't heard (difficult, considering I feel like I've been telling everyone), I am going to dress up as Frida Kahlo this Halloween. The idea just struck exactly the right chord in me, somewhere between hilarious (unibrow), meaningful (amazing woman I admire), and disgustingly highbrow (generally recognized by the cultured/educated among us). Plus it's incredibly high-impact for relatively low effort (I decided to save Penelope for another year, when I have the time to make my own clothes).

To craft the perfect Frida look, I went trolling the internets for pictures of the iconic artist. I was really stumped for a while on how, exactly, to achieve that braided hairdo she is so famous for. Was it like a dutch crown ? or was it like one long braid circled around? and then I found this incredible old photo of Frida (yes, topless--I hope I don't get reprimanded for posting "porno") braiding her own hair. Looks like she ties two very high pigtails, braids, then pins at the nape of her neck.

Anyway, love her style or hate it, she was unabashedly herself, always.

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Filed under // Celebrity Crushes Holidays

Comments [3]

September 14, 2008

I really like this photo of Michael Phelps for some reason.

Taken in Athens, 2004. From Google Image Search.

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Filed under // Celebrity Crushes Randar

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June 30, 2008

Laminated List of women I'd marry, if I were 'into' women.

My one-day-late contribution to Pride Weekend

Kate Winslet: Grounded, beautiful. Even if I couldn't marry her, I'd just want to be her friend. If you tell me you think she's ugly I will punch your nuts.

Zooey Deschanel: Adorable, alluring.

Ashley Judd...and Salma Hayek

HAH. Bet that got your attention. In all seriousness though, I love Ashley's brains, and she's funnier than people give her credit for. They should cast her in more rom-coms. As for Salma, well, I don't think I need to explain that.

Vienna Teng: talented and oh-so-elegant...I love when she gets into 'Cecilia' at around 2:15.