One man's garbage ...
is another New Yorker's find.

After dinner with a guy friend from high school that I hadn't seen in two years, although he claims it's been four--it hasn't. Anyway, while walking him back to the PATH train to Jersey City, we passed a mini NordicTrack stepper out on the side of the curb with the garbage. It's in good condition and about the only size of exercise equipment that I could possibly hold in my bitchin besides my thighmaster (yes, I own one).

Well after lugging it back to my apartment I realized it's much heavier and bigger than I first thought, especially after putting it in my place and cleaning it up. It's also harder to use than I expected; I was fatigued after 10 minutes.

I'm debating whether or not I should keep it though. I'll hold on to it for another week or so and see. I just wish I had a place to store it. But it's the second thing I've found from the street and brought back to my apartment, not including men--just kidding. Last year I found my red chair just outside my apartment and it has been a great addition to my place ever since.

Win a trip to Amsterdam
When Tara Met Blog is now one one of the blog sponsors of a contest for a complete trip to Amsterdam brought to you by the off-Broadway play Red Light Winter. Why Amsterdam? It's where the first half of the play takes place. To enter the free contest just plug in your details here. Good luck and let me know if you win... or need a guest to take ;) For a review of the play check out my previous post below.


You Can't Tell a Man by His Nails:
It's a bad state of things when you get hit on while at the nail salon getting a mani/pedi. No, I wasn't getting picked up by another female, but from the guy drying his nails in the dryer next to me. First gyms became meat markets now nail salons? hmm I can tell you which I'd prefer at least. I'm not saying guys can't get a manicure just don't try to flirt while doing so please.

This is my ...
During the last week alone this has been a topic of conversation among several of my friends, coworkers, etc. What topic? Couples that do not or are afraid to say that they are boyfriend and girlfriend in public, I know several couples that are like this actually, so the below example is definitely not an isolated case.

A guy friend of mine has been seeing this girl for over a year now, well coming up on a year at least. They are exclusive, go out on couple themed holidays and for special events. Yet, he always refers to her as his 'friend' and that's it. When introducing her to people he'll say 'this is my friend Chelsea.' Once he mentioned to me that he and a friend went on vacation the other week, leaving me wondering if he went with a buddy and left Chelsea behind for a guy weekend or if he went with her, but no, turns out she was the friend and they went together. Maybe he doesn't consider her a girlfriend? I don't see how he cannot though. I think parents have been introduced at this point even. Keep in mind he calls me his friend too and we don't sleep together, so how can you distinguish one friend from another when it's all so vague?

My friend (a real one, I'm not inferring anything here ;) was just saying that she could understand if they were just starting to see each other, or if it had only been a few months that they would chose the safe option of saying 'this is my friend..." She thinks the reason for his vagueness is that he does not want people to know that they are intimate and wants to play the field a bit and appear single. Yet, she and the guy she's seeing have not had the talk yet and she'd personally rather not call him her boyfriend.

Do you think it's simpler, more modern or safer to say 'friend' and leave it at that? Maybe he or even her are not comfortable with the bf/gf terms in general? I don't know, but it sometimes brings up more questions for them then it would if they simply admitted that they are an item in the first place.

*sigh* look at all the red tape relationships go through, crazy! And I'm not saying there has to be labels in a relationship to be considered one, I just think the above cases are funny since they have caused speculation and not just by me. I think in most situations though it's like a catch-22, neither seems to want to be the first to call the other person their girlfriend or boyfriend. I know I wouldn't want to be the first to, so I can't really talk. Sorry for the circular post, just thinking and typing, thinking and typing.

Tribeca Review: Al Franken: Godspoke (2006)

Live from another red carpet
I'm filmed out after seeing all these films this weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival, taking notes and analyzing. Not that I'm complaining I just feel a bit 2D. To break it up a bit yesterday, I got to briefly ask questions to the talented Laura Linney and Harry Potter's Rupert Grint at the premiere of Driving Lessons. The film is about a shy teenager (Grint) living in London who is trying to escape from the clutches of his religious mother (Linney). He finally gets his chance when he meets a retired actress (Julie Walters) who whisks him off to Edinburgh, where he learns to drive, dance and pick up girls.

Dressed in jeans a camouflage jacket and weathered Converse sneaks, Rupert Grint was sweet and spoke in a soft voice. Outside the screening room meanwhile was a line of screaming fourteen year old girls wanting to meet him, who knew Ron Weasley was such a heart throb? I did notice that his eyelashes like his hair were red but a lighter shade. Either way he was barely 5'6 and still doesn't have his license. He told me that he never drove before but had to for the film. He laughed remembering how he forgot to put up the parking break and the car started rolling backwards down a hill towards the film crew. He also said that he goes every year to NYC for the Harry Potter premiere, but he said that he likes the city and that he especially like's New York gangster films like Goodfellas. It was his first time at Tribeca Film Festival in fact he said it was his first film festival in general.

Laura Linney dressed in a brown trench coat, jeans and heels. Her smile was constant but not fake. She spoke elegantly and was very nice to me but got flustered on my question of her favorite New York film since she said that their are so many great ones but she kept trying to think of one, then she apologized with a smile and said that she was tired. Regarding an easier question she immediately said that what most attracted her to the role in Driving Lessons was the script and director Jeremy Brock's charm and enthusiasm when he flew out to meet her and to discuss the project.

This time I took a quick video of the red carpet arrival instead of still shots. Enjoy! Sorry I couldn't film my interview with them myself, I'm not that ambidextrous.

Tara on the red carpet
Although while on assignment I've attended press junkets, events and advanced screenings before, I've never conducted interviews on the red carpet, until now.

With the Tribeca Film Festival now in full force, and me armed with my approved Tribeca press pass, I attended the media screening of The Groomsmen, written and directed by Edward Burns (who I loved in 15 Minutes and Life or Something Like It) and himself, Matthew Lillard, John Leguizamo, Heather Burns, Brittany Murphy and Donal Logue. It's about a groom hanging out with his four groomsmen the week before his pending shot gun wedding. The film will be distributed outside of the festival circuit in July 2006.

I checked in 2 hours before show time like requested. US Weekly, Premiere, NY1, and other outlets were there. They separated the photographers, TV crew and then the reporters into different sections and in that order. So as each actor arrived they'd first smile for the camera's by standing in the middle of the carpet with the Tribeca Film Festival backdrop behind them as the photographers shouted out their name, then they'd progress to the TV interviews and then answering questions among the press (That's where I come in). Second to last my "interview" time was limited to say the least. Along a steel divider hung a while paper with Film School Rejects written on it, indicating where I should stand. I was right next to NY Arts Magazine and a college TV station out in the Bronx. The red carpet itself is actually a plush long red carpet, not just simply a flat red tarp. I don't know I found that interesting.

First down the carpet came Donal Lougue who I recognized but it took me until the time he reached me to place him. I finally remembered him playing the friend in Just Like Heaven. He also stars in the TV Show, Grounded for Life. Since none of us had seen the film yet it wasn't easy coming up with questions but Donal described the film as a fun guys movie. He was very personable and like every other actor that I'd speak to that evening he got a kick out of the name Film School Rejects.

Next came the lively Matthew Lillard of Scream and Scooby Doo fame. Like the zany characters that he plays his real life persona seemed to match them as he joked his way down the red carpet even grabbing NY1's microphone and starting to ask his own questions. When asked about the 80s from a Canadian entertainment show he made the comment that he was miserable in high school since he was "large" and "not smart." When he came to stand in front of me, I had to take a step back to look up at him, since he was standing quite close and is very tall. He told me that what he likes best about The Groomsmen is that "it's about a filmmaker trying to say something, not just making Poseidon but something artistic." Frankly he sort of made me a little uncomfortable maybe because I couldn't get the image of a Scream masked killer out of my mind, but I was relieved when his publicist quickly whisked him away.

Heather Burns (no relation to Edward) was next in line and sporting brown hair and a cheery smile. Burns an NYU graduate from the Tisch School of the Arts plays the wife of one of the groomsman in the film. She mentioned that her husband in the film is an alcoholic and as his wife she's helping him deal with that. I joked by saying it sounds like it's a very different role than her performance in Miss Congeniality, she laughed and said "Yes, no tiaras." She also said she hasn't had the chance to see the completed version of the film and was kind of nervous to see it now but also excited.

Meanwhile Bonnie Hunt walked by but since she was attending as just a guest and not a star in the film she didn't stop to speak to the reporters. It's too bad, because I really like her.

Anyway, finally Edward Burns (man are his eyes blue) and wife Christy Turlington made their way down the carpet and I couldn't wait. He said to one of the television stations that he enjoys creating personal stories and all of his friends are getting married now later in life and he used art to imitate life. Ed is no stranger to the Tribeca Film Festival since most of his films are shot and produced in New York City or Long Island, The Groomsmen is no exception and also takes place in NY. After his fourth writing/directing effort, Sidewalks of New York he said, "I hope people watch this movie and still see New York as the greatest city in the world. I certainly do."

Thus, I kept my question centered around NY and asked him what his favorite NY film is. He said it was a toss up between Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters or even Goodfellas, but then he admitted that they were the obvious ones. As he searched for a better answer I teased by asking how about Sidewalks of New York. He smirked and replied that he wasn't going to argue with that and then answered my question by adding Spike Lee's film She's Gotta Have It to the mix. (My favorite NY film by the way obviously is When Harry Met Sally). Then the very down to earth and good looking Ed was asked to enter the theater. *sigh* For more photos from the carpet click here