This is the End (Movie): James Franco was Rejected from Heaven

I’m sure most Apatow fans watched “This is the End” last weekend and enjoyed every little scene. The movie was teeming with “Pineapple Express”, “SuperBad”, etc., movie references plus there were layers upon layers of insides jokes that fans of Seth Rogen, James Franco and Craig Robinson fans could only comprehend.

After watching this movie in Chinatown with some fun n’ goofy guy friends, I relished every second of this amalgamation of dude humor n’ wit. Seth Rogen did an impeccable job with blending the book of  Revelations with immature male humor while streamlining this movie. The script, actors and cinematography was engrossing. Spoilers Ahead. Do you want to read the rest?

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Jay Baruch, a relative unknown actor who starred in I’m Reed Fish, was the protagonist in this clever comedy. Baruch wants salvage his friendship with  Vancouver native Seth Rogen but also does not care about bridging a connection with any of Rogen’s friends.  While Rogen and his A-star buds convened at James Franco’s newest mansion,  Baruch grew more wearisome of Rogen’s attachment to these Hollywood all-stars. I guess Michael Cera’s gambling and cocaine addiction rubbed Baruch the wrong way? Add in earthquakes, lava pits and demons and the upshot is a string of comedic one-liners that are highly quotable yet redunkulous.

The characters in the movie were three dimensional since no one played a perfectly “good” person. Each actor played a selfish rendition of themselves which could also explain why many of them didn’t get into heaven initially. Let’s also add in that Danny McBride was hilarious as the villain. He wanted to nosh on all of the supplies, get in Hermione’s pants, and instigate drama between everyone. Towards the end of the movie, McBride totally got away with being a cannibal king–with Channing Tatum has his sex slave.

Aside from McBride’s characterization of a hedonistic mad-man, my favorite part of the movie was when James Franco was rejected from Heaven. James Franco is often portrayed in the media as a scholastic do-gooder who nabs critically acclaimed roles. Based on my interpretation (off-screen), James Franco is a pretentious man due to his hobbies, multiple film roles and decorated degrees. Before Franco was rejected from getting into heaven in the movie, I assumed he would get in because: He is James Franco, Mr. Perfect.

Much to my own amusement, after Franco sacrificed himself to the cannibals, a beam of blue light carried him half-way towards the heavens. Franco’s mendacious lies did not pay off since he kept giving Danny McBride the bird and repetitively told him to “Suck it.” God was watching this scene unfold so he halted Franco’s free ride to Heaven. The cannibals were overjoyed and McBride readily ate his face off.

I, literally, had tears from my eyes. That scene was beautifully done and I am sure most movie-goers were glad to see Franco get his comeuppance for being a pretentious bro.  In addendum to this scene, here are my five favorite parts from This is the End.

Best Movie Scenes

1.) The Gagnam style scene. If you saw the movie then you know what I mean.

2.) Kevin Hart trying to kick Aziz Ansari back into Hell but Aziz is grabbing unto Hart’s leg for dear life.

3.) Backstreet Boys are singing Everybody in heaven.

4.) Pineapple Express 2 promo.

5.) Jonah Hill tells the devil that he hates Jay Baruch with a passion. His condescending remarks towards Jay from the start are a strong indicator that Hill is a two-faced liar.

Other than enjoying this flick, I do have some introspective thoughts that I do want to share with you all this week.

Introspective Thoughts of the Week

1.) Excited to go to to the Fancy Food show in New York City this year. I look forward to picking out the best products to review on my website.

2.) Alphonso Ribiero (Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel Air) will be dancing  at  a Bowie Baysox game in August. Carlton better dance to Apache by The SugarHill Gang!

3.) Biz Markie is teaching a class on how to be a DJ at Living Social next week. Are any of you going? I know I will be there.

4.) Made a new friend named Sharon this weekend. I love having a name twin in my life!

5.) Is anyone going to watch Arsenio Hall’s newest talk show this year? Will this 80′s wunderkind make a comeback this year. Only time will tell..

Archer Townsend: Best Design Brand in Chicago IL!

One of a kind casual yet chic shirt found at Archer Townsend.

When you go to stores like H&M or even Urban Outfitters, you notice that a lot of these pieces were not only made in other countries but were barely pieced together. Longevity and fashion do not often go hand in hand. When I visited Archer Townsend last weekend, before going on a segway tour, I fell in love with the style, ambiance and people behind the brand.

James Townsend, one of the founders of Archer Townsend, founded this brand as a way to give the style-savvy city girl timeless pieces melded with uptown luxury with downtown style. Women wear more casual wear during the day then evening wear at night, and James Townsend wanted to provide a brand that would let women express themselves in a down to earth sorta way. In fact, Archer Townsend’s entire collection is imagined, designed and sewn in the heart of Chicago.

Where Archer Townsend’s magic takes place

Not only is everything made in the U.S.A but everything you wear from Archer Townsend will last several years.  I had a great time getting to know James Townsend and even learning more about Chicago. James is a laid back, happy person. I had a great time getting to know him!

Did you know that he’s an ardent fan of the Smashing Pumpkins? Moreover, he used to live three blocks from Billy Corgan. Lucky him!

When I first saw this shirt, I knew I had to wear it.

I was fortunate enough to try on some of these works of art. I loved the first shirt I wore, since it was sturdy yet breathable. Apparently, Archer Townsend sold out of this shirt since it was in hot demand.

Movie/TV star Jenny McCarthy was seen with this shirt on.

James suggested I try on this shirt which could also be a dress since I am under 5’7. It was soft, molded against my skin and had a unique print on it. I really liked how casual yet stylish it was. You can wear it around town and also go to happy hour with it too. It was a very good combination.

The next time I go to Chicago, I am definitely going to get some of these shirts to add to my personal collection.

If you are interested in winning a $500 $500 shopping spree with  Archer Townsend,  Check out this link here. If you want to get the low-down on casual fashion etiquette.Call 312-265-0910 to set up a personal shopping appointment in Archer Townsend’s West Loop showroom located at 805 W. Randolph Street, #200, Chicago, IL 60607.

 

Falling in Love with Chicago– One Bite at a Time

Here I am at Coffeefest 2013! My entire outfit was from TJ Maxx and it includes items from: Michael Kors, Betsey Johnson, Seven Jeans and Cable & Gauge.

Last weekend I traveled to Chicago, IL to see the newest trends hitting the coffee and tea industry. Coffee-Fest 2013 was Arabica bean heaven for me since I am an ardent lover of anything coffee related. In addition, I also took an architecture tour, ate authentic deep dish pizza and modeled chic fashion wear by Archer Townsend.

When I have spare time, I will post a few separate entries on notable products found at Coffee-Fest and reasons why Archer Townsend is the best fashion brand to ever come from Chicago, IL.  Until then, I guess you’re stuck reading a post about my vacation experience.

A premier gourmet food store located near Navy Pier. Fox & Obel had a champagne tasting opened up to customers. That was definitely a first-time experience for me.

Before I gab about what went down during my trip, I want to state that I have always wanted to go to Chicago for quite some time. Ever since I saw The Lakehouse starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra  Bullock, I wanted to see all of the architecture, eat the food and feel the love. I get that movies are just illusions of grandeur but my Chicago vacation  felt like a delicious dream—literally. I ate a lot of good food.

Here I am celebrating National Doughnut day at Glazed. I had the best doughnut ever, it was full of chocolate and toffee pieces. Best doughnut eating experience I ever had. Sorry Dunkin Donuts, you lost that day.

As a foodie, I had to unearth Chicago’s culinary wonders in the span of three days. One of my favorite dessert places was Glazed, which was located right by Archer Townsend (Chicago’s best fashion brand). The doughnut shop wafted of warm sweetness and the staff was genuinely nice. I had a wonderful experience at the store and hope to go back there again in the near future.

Visited Vosges, the number 1 chocolate company in America.

Ever since I visited Ma Petite Shoe in Baltimore, I became a fan of Vosges dark and milk chocolates. Chicago is home to Vosges and if you visit a Vosges store, you get to sample 4-5 different chocolates. After I noshed on bacon flavored chocolate (yum), I bought a few pieces to take home with me. Too bad my bf and I ate all of those tasty morsals before it was safely ensconced in my luggage. Sigh!

India House has a wonderful brunch on Saturdays. All you can eat Indian food plus they throw in naan and tandoori chicken.

I get that the typical tourist-y thing to do is eat deep dish pizza and hot dogs, and I already did all of that the first day I was in Chicago. The moment the plane landed, I scarfed my face with half-burnt hot dogs sans ketchup and shoved pieces of deep dish pizza. Done and done. I wanted to see how Indian food in Maryland differed from Indian food in Chicago, and I was totally amazed at the difference.

The food tastes much more fresher in Chicago and India House gives a wider selection of Indian entrees than other Indian brunch places I’ve frequented in the DMV.

I can see why Sunda has rave reviews. They actually make palatable sushi!

The D.C area is teeming with sushi lovers and I am often quite surprised by that. I’ve been eating sushi for several years now and I don’t get the hype behind it. It’s just raw fish laying flat on patted down rice. After eating at Sunda, I realize that I only liked specialty prepared sushi rolls with exquisite mayos, veggies and fish.

This ad made me LOL at Coffeefest 2013. I guess that’s how Maya Chai sells their product?

I was going to save this ad for my Coffeefest entry but, oh well. It made me laugh so hard and even the guy from the poster commented that, “We Indians understand what this ad really means to us.”

Harold and Kumar were last seen here.

If you think I ate at White Castle, you are dead wrong. I wanted to keep track of places where Kal Penn (Kumar) and John Cho (Harold) were last seen.

Had a full-course Polish lunch from ‘Dumpling House” at Midsommerfest in Anderson, an area that is predominately Swedish.

Equally important to visiting Coffeefest this year, I also went to the Chicago Blues festival and Midsommerfest last weekend too. My full-course Polish lunch from Midsommerfest left an indelible impression with me. Wish there were more Polish or even Swedish ( Ikea does not count) restaurants in the DMV. Just saying.

In contrast to eating like a boss, I also saw some interesting sights. Here’s the 411 on what went down.

Chicago Sights and Sounds

•  Stayed at the exclusive Hilton Hotel located near Millennium Park. It’s the same place where “The Fugitive” starring Harrison Ford was filmed at.
• Took an architecture boat tour across Chicago. Ed was an interesting tour guide, too bad I assumed he didn’t know where Silver Spring, Maryland was located. I’ve never seen a tour guide turn bright red and walk out in a huff before. My bad!
•  I was on the top floor of the Willis Tower, and had to wait an hour in line to see the world for 5 minutes.
• Took a segway tour with this hilarious guy named Timmy. By the end of the night, he also became our stand-up comedian and performed a comical rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” with the audience.I guess it’s creativity at it’s finest.
• Navy Pier has this cumbersome maze full of tricked-out mirrors and intimidating sound effects. After you go to it, check out the stained glass museum. It’s not boring, I promise.
• Visited Bommers Chocolate shop and was disappointed they didn’t have tours open to the public.  At least the street smelled like Hershey Park though.
• The day before I flew to Chicago, I saw Weird Al Yankovic at Ramshead Live. Initially, I was pushed to the back of the crowd since I came 20 minutes late to the show. But with some clever maneuvering, I was able to snag a place by the FRONT of the concert. It’s quite impressive for a 5’1 chick amidst a sea full of titans.

Tune in next week for my recap on Coffeefest 2013, reasons why Archer Townsend is the BEST designer in Chicago and what I thought about World Trade Organization’s Women Who Span The Globe event featuring Debbie Phelps (Mom of Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps).  Subsequently, here are my  thoughts of the week.

Introspective Thoughts of the Week

• When it comes to people, situations and solutions–always trust your gut feeling.
• Debbie Phelps (Michael Phelps Mom) is a true fighter and a heroine for other women. When she was in high school, a teacher told her not to go to college since she wasn’t “college material”. Debbie Phelps not only went to college but she also has her masters and is teaching kids in Baltimore County to be bilingual. What an inspirational woman!
• I kind of want to see This is the End but I hope this movie isn’t a poor rendition of Pineapple Express. I am crossing fingers here.
• A word of advice, if you can drink your coffee black then you can drink red wine. Both are interchangeable and delectable.
• If you love Chicago, watch The Lakehouse and read Time Travelors Wife. Both the movie and the book describe Chicago’s inner and outer beauty in resplendent ways.
• I was a fan of Chris Lowell since he did a great job playing Piz in the third season of Veronica Mars but after I watched a couple of his interviews online ( especially the one where he doesn’t know what Marsh-mellows are), I decided to drop him. He’s too pretentious and unnerving.