Bobby Flay’s “Thanksgiving at Bobby’s”: tips, tricks and Twitter questions!

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Image: FoodTV

If you’re like me, you make the same few holiday recipes over and over again.  Rather poorly. And you always make That Call to mom/grandma/sis/uncle to check the proper way to cook that damn bird, and should you stuff it?  Oh who cares — all anyone wants is that pumpkin pie anyway.  And should you try to make it from scratch this year?

You can worry, or just clicky over to Food Network on Saturday and get Bobby Flay to help; Thanksgiving at Bobby’s will be on at noon.  Plenty of time to test-drive the kitchen before Turkey Day, right?  Okay sure, so he’s gonna make everything look way easy.  But with the hashtag #ThanksgivingFeast, you just might be able to ask him if coffee grounds would make your stuffing better. (Spoiler: probably not, but you can always ask.)

Me?  I might just forgo the usual diabetic coma that comes with my praline/marshmallow sweet potatoes (jackhammer to get through the sugar crust optional but highly encouraged) and go with their Sage and Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole.

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Vote for Coldsmoke Winter Film Festival’s Online People’s Choice: screen ’em at home for free

(PRNewsFoto/Coldsmoke Winter Film)

(PRNewsFoto/Coldsmoke Winter Film)

Ahh.  Movies.  Ahh.  Staying in.  Add voting for cool stuff, and that’s not too shabby.  The Coldsmoke Awards will be held January 10th, 2015, but they’re giving you a way to get involved long before that.  Get involved, and check out some movies in the comfort of your own home.  So kick back, check out some of the films up for the Online People’s Choice, and cast your vote.  Pants optional, this ain’t no Oscars.  Though if you wanna pull a Golden Globes-worthy Drunk!Streep, there’s no judgement here.  (Because she’s always awesome.)

Okay I’ll admit it; this release caught my eye thanks to the fun Game of Thrones spoof.  But I’m always up for giving a shout-out to film fests, with or without Ned Stark.  So what’s Coldsmoke all about, anywho?  Let them tell you:

The Coldsmoke Platform was born out of a rapidly growing mountain community’s desire to showcase its expanding artistic talent and celebrate the culture around winter. It exists to cultivate, promote, and broadcast the ideas, imagery, and businesses flourishing within this mountain way of life. Along with fostering new talent and innovation, The Coldsmoke Platform prides itself on strengthening winter communities through partnerships with organizations dedicated to investing in the future of mountain society and focusing on local businesses.

These films will be up for about two months; give a few (or all) a look.  Why not?  Not like you’re headed outside with that wind chill.  Just me?

Read on for the full press release!

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Preview images from The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death

Ooh, spoooooky!  No, I’m not late for Halloween.  I’m talking about the new stills for The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death.  Yes, I’m still cautiously optimistic with this one (emphasis on cautious), but these stills are pretty sweet.

Take a peek for yourself.  If you DARE*cue thunder and wicked laughter*

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death opens January 2nd, 2015.

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Comic Distributors will summit…here in Baltimore! Whee!

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(Image: diamondcomics.com)

Ever wondered what it must be like to go to a ‘con where you get to meet with publishers and comic book retailers?  Well, you just might get a taste of that at this year’s Baltimore Comic-Con, because the Diamond Retailer Summit will be hitting Baltimore Convention Center the week before BCC!  I’m hoping that a good amount of the folks that come to Baltimore for the Summit will stay for the Comic-Con…right?  Right?  Right!  *smiles hopefully in not a weird way at all*

Want to know more?  Read on for the full press release!

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Here’s Everything We Know (and Don’t Know) About the Bill Cosby Rape Allegations

Dammit. Brown Hornet, why?

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Penguins of Madagascar

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Liked the Madagascar series? Hello – totally cool. Polka dot, polka dot, polka dot, afro!

Ahem.

Anyway, penguins were the best super spies a zoo has ever (or is that never..?) seen. Wonder how they got together? Here a hint, from the movie synopsis:

Super spy teams aren’t born—they’re hatched. Discover the secrets of the greatest and most hilarious covert birds in the global espionage biz: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private. These elitists of the elite are joining forces with a chic undercover organization, The North Wind, led by handsome and husky Agent Classified (we could tell you his name, but then—you know), voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Together, they must stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine, voiced by John Malkovich, from destroying the world as we know it.

Want a FOUR PACK of passes for Penguins of Madagascar? Read on….

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Wayback Review: Bully

As it’s the first day of Anti-Bullying Week, I figured I’d post a review for this film that I wrote when it first opened.  I suffered a shit-ton of abuse/bullying/general awfulness growing up, but nothing like what was shown in this film.  I moved past it, and now that being a geek is “in” — and those events were decades ago — I can shrug it all off.  But it was never fun to be the girl everyone hated, and it breaks my heart whenever I hear that bullying is alive and well.  “Too old” to care?  No; you’re just the right age to teach proper behavior to the next generation.  The time to end bullying is now.  As I said at the end of this piece, be the change you want to see in the world.

Movie Review: Bully

Every 7 minutes, a child is bullied on the playground.  280,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.  3 million students are absent each month because they feel unsafe at school.  77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally or physically.  Nearly 42% of kids have been bullied online and almost 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once.

 1 in 4 teachers sees nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% of the time.

These stats are horrifying.  Bully is moving, heartbreaking film that has a message of hope.  This film offers up the idea that change is possible, one person at a time.  It also shows you up close what it’s like for children who are bullied, with scenes of actual bullying that are often difficult to watch.  Bully should be required viewing for anyone who has been affected by bullying, been a bully, or seen bullying.  Which is everyone.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: The Wedding Ringer

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Josh Gad! Kaley Cuoco! Kevin Hart! Seen the trailer? The Wedding Ringer looks pretty cool; think The Hangover buddy-ness with a Wedding Crashers vibe.

Here’s the synopsis:

THE WEDDING RINGER
http://www.facebook.com/WeddingRinger
In Theaters January 16, 2015

Doug Harris (Josh Gad) is a loveable but socially awkward groom-to-be with a problem: he has no best man.  With less than two weeks to go until he marries the girl of his dreams (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), Doug is referred to Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart), owner and CEO of Best Man, Inc., a company that provides flattering best men for socially challenged guys in need. What ensues is a hilarious wedding charade as they try to pull off the big con, and an unexpected budding bromance between Doug and his fake best man Jimmy.

Want passes? Read on….

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New ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ trailer hits — ready for Mr. Grey?

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“My tastes are very…singular.”

‘Say I did stay — what would happen?’

Me?  I’d just sit around and wait for the Red Band trailer….  But this one is already amping up the steam.  (Let’s just hope it amps up the story and the character development as well.)

What are your tastes; ready for this film?  Fifty Shades of Grey hits theaters Valentine’s Day, 2015.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: The Theory of Everything

Theory of Everything onesheetI attended the DC premiere of The Theory of Everything last week, so I’m psyched that Baltimore will have a screening!  Passes!  Here’s the synopsis:

The Theory of Everything is the extraordinary and uplifting story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, and of two people defying the steepest of odds through love. The film, based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, is directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh (Man on Wire).

In 1963, as a cosmology student at the storied U.K. university Cambridge, Stephen (portrayed by Eddie Redmayne of Les Misérables) is making great strides and is determined to find a “simple, eloquent explanation” for the universe. His own world opens up when he falls deeply in love with an arts major, fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones of The Invisible Woman). But, at 21 years of age, this healthy, active young man receives an earth-shattering diagnosis: motor neuron disease will attack his limbs and his abilities, leaving him with limited speech and movement, and will take his life within two years.   Jane’s love, fierce support, and determination are unwavering – and the duo weds. With his new wife fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen refuses to accept his diagnosis. Jane encourages Stephen to finish his doctorate, which includes his initial theory of the creation of the universe. They start a family, and with his newly earned and widely hailed doctorate Stephen embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of – time. As his body faces more limits, his mind continues to explore the outer limits of theoretical physics.

Together, he and Jane defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science, and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed – well into the 21st century.

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING is MPAA-rated “PG-13” and has a running time of 123 minutes.

However bad life may seem, where there is life there is hope. – Stephen Hawking 

How can you get in on what’s surely a top contender for this year’s Academy Award race?  Read on…

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