in other music news...

When I saw that Scarlett Johansson had partnered with Pete Yorn for a song in the beginning of the summer, I almost screamed (her first stint in music was just plain scary; "Falling Down" was ghastly). But I just had a semi-hesitant listen to "Relator," and guess what? My ears aren't bleeding!!! Actually, they're quite-- dare I say it?-- happy. What a pleasant surprise. The song's actually good. I still don't like the idea of Scarlett singing, though;  it's just weird and her voice sort of reminds me of a ghost risen from the dead. On painkillers. So she should probably stop her music career now while she's ahead.

Eh, whatever. At least the song's good. 

because twilight ruins everything.

Bon Iver in the next Twilight movie?

Why???

Read my rant here.

the state of america these days.

Really?

Can somebody please tell me why the Half-Blood Prince has been de-throned at the box office by a movie about undercover guinea pigs???  

Or maybe why a movie about undercover guinea pigs was ever created in the first place?

Anybody?

newsflash: ginny weasley is kind of hot.

As much as I love the movie, I can't help but grimace when I see Ginny mack on Harry in HP6. I mean, she's so painfully awkward throughout the whole thing, not to mention far from the confident, smokin' hot guy-magnet she's supposed to be. 

So imagine my surprise when I discovered that under the pale, gangly, awkward exterior seen in the HP movies is a good-lookin' redhead just dying to get out. I know this is sort of random/late, but look how hot Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) was at the London premiere of HP6 (below).

If they dolled her up like this for the movie, 

I doubt her lovefest with Harry would be so strange.

Now, compare those with a still from the movie (below).

She looks like a 12-year-old girl in need of some serious UV rays.

I don't get it. Obviously, Ginny has some major potential... why couldn't they tap into it for the movie? 

Here's to hoping they'll put a little make-up on her in the next two HP movies.

a decision, maybe.

After a miserable year spent in doubt and indecision, desperately exploring alternatives (and thereby wasting a lot of time in worthless classes), and getting awfully close to the brink of my sanity, I've decided to go back.

To journalism. 

(At least for now.)

So wish me luck.

"why is he always covered in blood?" - ginny weasley.

Read my full review here.

asdfghjkl;'

Two days.

wasssupppp?? i'm bruno.

Bruno with his adopted African baby, OJ.

Saw an advanced screening of Bruno, became scarred for life. A little too much genitalia for my liking. But Sacha Baron Cohen is scarily believable as Bruno, and the situations they came up with are freakin' off-the-wall ridiculous. Funny, yes, but the kind of funny that makes you wince. (The movie has so many painfully uncomfortable/ awkward/ OMG moments that it actually hurts to sit through it.) But it definitely makes a point of revealing the absurdity of a lot of stereotypes, so I guess it has good intentions. They're just... thoroughly masked.

Read more of my thoughts on the movie here.

"mega watson."

Made a Barnes and Noble run yesterday to pick up all the HP-related magazines on the stand, but could only find one, the August issue of Teen Vogue with Emma Watson (sadly, they didn't have the August issue of British Elle).

The verdict? Emma Watson is a freaking goddess.

Exquisite.

Teen Vogue always does amazing shoots of Emma (e.g. November 2005; Emma & the crew, June/July 2007), but this one tops them all. She just looks so... regal. Yet mysterious. And so much older/darker/more sophisticated (maybe it's her plum lipstick? the rich jewel-tone palette?), especially when comparing it to her 2005 issue (below).

Aw, she looks like a lil baby here.

The best part? She's quoted as saying, "There's nothing interesting about looking perfect." Right, Emma. Since you never look perfect.

Click here to see the whole delicious TV shoot.

ten days.

It's finally (almost) here).

10. Ten. Diez. 

I honestly don't think I can contain myself much longer.

Mugglenet's been tiding me over, which means I've read every Dan/Emma/Rupert interview on the planet. (Did you know Dan is dating someone? So weird to think of him in a relationship. With a girl. Taller than him. Who isn't Cho Chang. It makes me wince imagining how awkward they probably are together.) 

But all I truly want is my much-awaited 2 hours and 33 minutes of unadulterated magical bliss. And I'll finally be able to have it in 10 days. So. Amped. Especially since Half-Blood Prince is my favorite of the series.

P.S. You're going to see a lot of Harry Potter-related posts in the next ten days. Deal with it.

P.P.S. Emma Watson's Burberry ad campaign??? Perfection.

complaining pays off. literally.

Say no to United. 

Unless they send you a $250 e-certificate... 

  
I e-mailed United a long, angry letter the other day complaining about my hellish trip home from Seoul last week (read it below). I really didn't expect them to actually read it; it was more for therapeutic purposes (you bet I enjoyed writing it). But they read the whole thing, and sent me a reply addressing specific points that I mentioned. Better yet, they included a $250 apology. Score. Too bad now I have to fly United again. Oh well... 
Dear United,
  
I am taking the time out of my busy life to e-mail you this complaint because of the sheer monstrosity of my trip from Seoul, Korea to Cincinnati, Ohio last week, which lasted from the morning of June 23 (KST) to midnight on June 25 (EST; a full twenty-four hours longer than scheduled), so I would thoroughly appreciate it if you would read this entire story.
  
It was a nightmare straight out of Twilight Zone. My trip from Seoul to LA went relatively smoothly, so I have no complaints about your international service. The hellish episode only began when I touched down in the states. First, I was forced to sit on my United 0748 (LA to Denver) flight for two plus hours on the ground at LAX due to weather problems in Denver. Nobody can blame Mother Nature for doing her thing, but this delay caused me to miss my United 6080 (Denver to Cincinnati) connection flight. Upon arrival at the Denver airport, I was thus forced to wait in the customer service line to re-book my flight, which would have been tolerable if I didn’t have to stand there for two and a half hours because there were only two (at times, one) customer service representatives attending the mile-long line of people at any given time. 
  
Now, I wouldn't have gotten so frustrated if I were fresh and alert. But all of this happened after I had already flown halfway around the world from Seoul, Korea, with a stop in Tokyo. I was so exhausted I fell asleep in line (some stranger even took a picture of me sleeping, as I found out later). So imagine my exasperation when I finally reached the customer service desk and the lady at the counter told me there were no more flights to Cincinnati that night, I'd have to stay overnight at a hotel, and to top it all off, they wouldn't pay for it because it was weather. They re-booked me a flight for 1 p.m. the night day, but instead of a direct flight to Cincinnati, this one had a layover in Chicago (which would complete my world tour of layovers: Tokyo, Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago). Despite my irritability, I took the pink hotel slip, called the reservation service, and paid for a night at a hotel out of my wallet.
  
I arrived at the Denver airport the next morning in relatively good spirits, refreshed and ready to go at approximately 11:00 a.m. But when I checked the departure screen, my mood took a sudden nose-dive. It said that my re-booked flight to Chicago had been delayed—yet again—to 2:22 p.m. And then again to 3:20 p.m. And then to 3:30 p.m. And then to 3:35 p.m. Because this meant I would miss my next connection, I had to get in the customer service line again and waste another good hour of my time in it. The customer service representative then told me matter-of-factly that I would miss my next connection and that there would be no open seat to Cincinnati until the next morning. At this point, I was near tears. Another night in Chicago? After a night in Denver? There was no way.
  
When I finally arrived in Chicago that night, guess where I was to be found? The customer service line. Again. Where I waited for another hour. After which the customer service rep repeated what the Denver rep told me: Sorry, no more flights to Cincinnati, you’ll have to stay another night in Chicago. At this point, I could do nothing but laugh at my luck. Somehow, though, I composed myself and demanded that they get me to ANY destination within driving distance of Cincinnati: Columbus. Dayton. Louisville. Even Cleveland. Eventually, I avoided the extra night in Chicago and ended up flying to Dayton on a plane with a broken air-conditioner, which, considering the 95-degree weather, made for a highly unpleasant trip (UA 7283). What’s more, my bags ended up in Cincinnati.
  
Upon arrival at the Dayton airport, I began to file a claim to have my bags delivered to my home, but the representatives informed me I could pick them up at the Cincinnati airport the next day, so I scrapped the claim and planned to drive to Cincinnati the next afternoon. Which I did (I should add that it takes a full hour to the Cincinnati airport from my home). But my nightmare hadn’t ended yet. At the baggage claim service, I was greeted (or not greeted) by a United representative so unfriendly, rude, and just plain mean that I was put in a state of disbelief. He treated me like I was the last thing on earth he wanted to see, nonetheless help. And help he didn’t. After looking up my baggage numbers, he told me that they had apparently arrived at CVG at 3 p.m. the previous day, however they were not to be found. And what did I want him to do about it? Can you believe it, United? After all you put me through? As I continually asked him where I could find my bags, he merely shrugged, scoffed at me, and acted like it was all my fault. He muttered something about “United not being liable” and went about his business, ignoring my pleas for help. Then, he prompted to leave his post, leaving me frustrated and clueless.
  
Luckily, I located another representative who helped me and located my bags (despite the fact that we cancelled our claim the previous night, the Dayton representatives had filed it and the bags were being delivered to my home).
  
But honestly, United, after reading this story (which you hopefully did), how could you blame me for never wanting to fly your airline again? All I wanted was to get home, but it took me 2.5 days, 6 airports, 5 hours of customer service lines, a night stuck in Denver, way too many unfriendly customer service representatives and a day spent looking for misplaced luggage to finally get there.
  
An unsatisfied customer,
  
Jennifer Lee
      

oh, city beat.

The best e-mail you could possibly get from your boss:

Hello interns, 

The office is closed on Friday (as in tomorrow). Take the day off and get drunk. Shoot off some fireworks. Just don't injure your pretty little hands, because you'll need all of your fingers to enter in listing next week. 

After this, how could I ever go back to corporate?