In news that's actually got me at least 10% more excited about Star Wars Episode 7, director JJ Abrams announced today that they will be giving away a prize for one lucky fan to be flown to Abu Dhabi and be put in costume to be a part of the new film. All you have to do is donate $10 to UNICEF's Innovation Labs and Programs.
So, I assume most of us had some semblance of a baby shower (maybe even against our wills!), but I'm also sure none of us ever requested non-invited guests to bring gifts....right?
This weekend was glorious in Toronto! Mother's Day happened, the weather was great, and news hit about two things that I think show we are slowly changing our mindset as a people, and I couldn't be happier.
First, Avril's Hello Kitty video hit the internet. The song is on her co-written album with new husband Chad Kroeger from Nickleback. The song is atrocious. Some called the song racist, while Lavigne herself argued that she loves Japan and Japanese culture and was trying to honour it.
So, when I started this blog almost two years ago, I tried really, really hard to go to the movies at least once a month in order to write movie reveiws. It was fun, the odd time I got out, but having a toddler, working full time (at the time) with a husband who works restaurant hours was challenging, to say the least. Then, Lauchie came along, and, well, the last time we went to the movies, the projector broke and we were SOL.
I did NOT see this coming — George Clooney is reportedly engaged to his girlfriend of a few months, lawyer Amal Alamuddin. Not only does this remind me of Warren Beatty marrying Annette Benning, but it's surprising based on Clooney's absolute refusal to get married for years.
In the last of this series, I'm really excited to share my conversation with Chris Murphy from Sloan. Full disclosure, Sloan is tied for "favourite band" in my life (tied with Talking Heads), so this was a pretty fun/excellent/terrifying interview for me. It was actually really hard to cut this down, because Chris and I had a great conversation that lasted almost 10 minutes! Check it out:
So, have you missed me? Don't know if you've noticed but I've been a bit absent as of late, and for that I apologize. My beloved mother in law, Leah, passed away suddenly after a very short illness, and our family has been sent reeling. My kids have neither of their grandmothers thanks to cancer, and at such a young age, we're particularly devastated. Life goes on, especially when you have small kids.
But, sadly, Henry is confused and angry and so I'm looking for a teachable moment we can share.
Next up in my Talking Parenthood series is the wonderfully talented singer-songwriter Jill Barber, who has an infant around Lauchie's age, the gorgeous Joshua.
Recently, on her show, Ellen Degeneres spoke out against the seal hunt in Nunavut. The hunt has been a hot topic off and on with celebrities for years. From Pamela Anderson to Morrissey (who won't tour Canada because of it) and even Paul McCartney, the lack of understanding around the hunt has been hurtful and, in my opinion wrong. Killa Enaruk Strauss is an Inuit young woman who was disheartened by Ellen's flippant remarks against the hunt and, well, I'll let you see her perfect argument for yourself.
