"If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press"

I was talking to my parents the other day. We can't believe Tim Russert is dead.

He just got back from a family trip to Italy to celebrate his son's graduation from college.

Even after I stopped working in the political world I watched MTP every Sunday. Russert was one of the best political journalists out there. At least he died doing something he loved.

The son of a garbage man from Buffalo, Russert was a hard core Bills fan and spoke often about his Irish Catholic upbringing. He was very close to his family. From what I heard he had a great sense of humor and was really looking forward to covering this election.

Here is the NYTs obit.

Rest in Peace Mr. Russert.

Flashback Friday - Tell Me Something Good - Rufus & Chaka Khan

Okay I'm still feeling the 70s even though I was "ahem" too young to remember a big part of that decade.

Last week's Flashback we did a little afternoon delight with Ron Burgundy, today Rufus & Chaka Khan are going to tell us something good.

This song has one of the sickest bass lines of all times. My Flashback of this song is laying in my bed when we still lived in NYC and hearing one of our neighbors play this song over and over again. It was summer and all the windows were open.

A friend of mine used to work at VH1 and a couple years ago she invited me to see Chaka live. The channel used to do these intimate concerts at one of the Sony studios in Manhattan. Chaka was amazing. I've always loved her voice and when I was a kid I thought her whole style/vibe was cool.

Here is a live clip. Have a great weekend.

FYI - Fox News (and others who may not know), a married woman is not a Baby Mama

I didn't see the movie Baby Mama with Tina Fey. I heard it was funny.

What is not so funny is Fox "News" calling Michelle Obama, Barack's baby mama. Let me break it down. Baby Mama is slang for a woman who has a baby with a man and is not married to him nor emotionally involved with him. Other than in a Tina Fey comedy it has a negative connotation. As in a baby mama is a hoochie mama with a kid.

If you don't believe in marriage/broke up before getting married, etc. and had a child with your partner, the guy would refer to you as "his son's mom" not my baby mama. It would be rare to find two Ivy League educated people using that phrase unless they were being ironic. I find it interesting that Fox went with that graphic. I don't recall them using it when John Edwards asked the media to back off regarding his wife.

Maureen Dowd's recent column in the New York Times said now that Hillary is out of the line of fire, Michelle is next. It's starting already. I just hope and wish we could talk a little about the issues this fall. For example, is the price of gasoline in the U.S. going to hit $5 a gallon? How will that impact the economy?

Slow Motion by Dani Shapiro, The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and One Hundred Strokes of the Brush Before Bed by Melissa P.

I have been reading up a storm since I have no TV. Most of it has been non-fiction.



Originally I was looking for one of Ms. Shapiro's novels but grabbed this instead. I have heard good things about the book and her writing. She's a beautiful writer. This is the story of how her parent's horrific car accident made her change her life. Before the accident she had dropped out of Sarah Lawrence to pursue acting. She was having an affair with a classmate's powerful step-dad who was around the same age as her father. How she went from growing up in a upper middle class Orthodox home to flying around the world with this man is quiet a story. After the accident she had to come home and take care of her parents when she could barely take care of herself. It's what saved her life. She was a heavy drinker and her "career" was going nowhere. The one thing I didn't get was why her parent didn't say anything regarding her affair and dropping out of school. It's a question Shapiro asks in the book.


I read my brother's copy of this book a while ago. It was interesting to reread it now. There's still controversy over who really killed Malcolm. So many biographies are dry, this book is not. We see Malcolm change from a hustler, to a follower of Nation of Islam, to his trip to Mecca. Post Mecca he started to question his views on NOI. I wonder what Malcolm would think about America today if he were still alive. Would he be thrilled and surprised about the changes since the 60s or would he be angry about the growing underclass and other social ills. Malcolm was complicated and he was flawed but he was a man of his times. Reading this book made me think about what my parents, especially my dad, had to deal with when they moved to America. He was a grown up when he came here that's why his spirit was never broken. He knew who he was and didn't let anyone else define him. Some might say but all this was a "long" time ago. I think there is a connection between the sins of the past and social issues we see now.


This book was translated into over thirty languages. However, it didn't do that well in the States. I guess people were not interested in reading about a 15 year old having gang-bangs. At first I thought is this even real? But she does write like a very smart, over dramatic teen. This autobiographical novel is about a young from Sicily and her erotic adventures. I don't think the book is very erotic though. I'm not a prude but most 30/40 something women would have found it hard to navigate some of the situations Melissa P found herself in. At 15/16? I wonder what kind of relationships she will have in the future. I didn't believe the ending for a minute. She is working on her second novel. The film adaptation did very well here. I don't think it was released in the States.

Loud students + 2:00 a.m. + angry neighbors = a bucket of water.

Last night a group of four American college girls were screaming at these Italian students. If someone is bothering me, I would yell "basta", and walk away. Instead they kept screaming, "non capisco Italian", "stop, go away" and "you are disgusting", but then they would chase the boys and hit them. Where I live is a side street, most of the people who live here are Italians, there are families and almost all of these brownstones are condo buildings, in other words it's not an area with a lot of students or high turnover. I get that by living in the Center I will have to put up with some noise esp. on the weekends but it was a Monday night and it was ridiculously obnoxious. They woke me up and I looked out my window to see what was happening. If the girls were really in danger I would have called the cops but like I said why would you chase someone and hit them if you want them to leave you alone.

They were in front of a building a few doors down. All of a sudden I heard a splash. It took me a minute to realize someone had thrown a bucket of water on them. The students stopped.

Regarding the game last night, Che cazzo è successo?! That's Italian for WTF happened? I met up with G at a friends. The actress who made the comment about how eating slowly = making love slowly at an earlier dinner was there and it was fun to see her again. However, when I left my apartment the score was 0-0. I got to the apartment and everyone looked like they were at a funeral. G said solemnly, "Italy is down by two goals."

After this horrific game we watched the post game show. I felt so bad for Gianluigi Buffon the goalie. This man is an incredible goalie. Someone translated for me. He basically said it was the worst game he has played in 12 years, he felt ashamed and apologized to the people of Italy.

Okay I don't think he said these things because the publicist for the team said he should. He looked so upset and ashamed. I thought his choice of words were interesting. I don't hear ashamed used a lot in American pro-sports. Upset, embarrassed, sad, yes but shame is such a strong emotion.

Now Italy has to beat Romania on Friday or they are out. Holland's defense was incredible last night. After the game both teams hugged, exchanged shirts but the Italian team was exhausted and the fans were not happy.

Just as G predicted it's very quiet this morning. I went to the market and everyone I spoke to was sad.

Euro 2008: Get your football/soccer/calcio on!

Once again Italy and France are in the"Group of Death." Every tournament has one ridiculously tough group and this is it. Why, why, why!

I'm happy I will be able to watch the games in a place where people actually care about the sport. No crazy time difference and no more horrible ESPN/ABC announcers. It was so bad during the World Cup I started to watch Telemundo. I don't speak Spanish. I get that ESPN/ABC wants the highest ratings possible. However, soccer will never be as popular with non-immigrants Americans as football, baseball or basketball. I don't think trying to change what the beautiful game is (yapping about Posh Spice when England was playing, running weird stats non-stop, trying to announce soccer games like a baseball game) is going to bring more American fans to it.

Also the networks can't make enough money, so why are they going to air games more often? Soccer has two halves. There aren't commercial breaks every few minutes. Fewer commercials = less revenue.

Maybe all the kids who play it now will be fans when they grow up. What I love about the World Cup is seeing teams and fans from all over the world (unlike our World Series..that name is kinda deep when you think about it) compete. From the big G8 teams to small islands like Trinidad/Tobago's Soca Warriors. There is so much ugliness in the world but for a few weeks all these people share one thing, love of the game. Okay before I break out into Kumbaya, I must speak about something that is troubling me.

Italy plays Holland tonight, on Friday it's Romania. Next week France. What am I do to? I can't root against France as a French citizen or Mr. Henry. He's from Martinique. I have family there, we could be related.



On the other hand I can't root against the country I live in. Poor Fabio, got injured and will not be able to play.

The game is not until next week. I worry about this later.

For those Stateside who care about the beautiful game, the New York Times has a GREAT soccer blog. It was a life saver during the World Cup. They really know their stuff and it's fun to read the comments from fans from all over the world. It can get pretty heated. There are also covering the qualifying rounds for the 2010 World Cup which will be held in South Africa. The U.S.A. played against Argentina in a friendly match in front of over 75,000 at Giants Stadium. It was a draw. They are playing Barbados next. Here is the link to the blog.

It's not easy being a soccer fan in the States. The number one thing I heard was that it was a wimpy sport, something for suburban kids. My answer to that is how many pro-athletes can be in motion/run almost non-stop for 45 minutes? Have they looked at soccer players, they are in crazy good shape. Anyway America is the only country in the world where this is not a big sport so I really don't care what the non-fans have to say. Just because we didn't invent soccer doesn't mean we we can't enjoy it.


I think this commercial sums up the global love pretty well. Loved this ad.

Flashback Friday - Afternoon Delight - ANCHORMAN VERSION

I do kind of remember the original song. I never saw this version until today. I was looking for a scene from the movie ANCHORMAN. That movie was so ridiculous but my friend and I laughed our butts off. When Will plays a character he commits.

Have a great weekend and "stay classy".

Clooney, Swinton, Malkovich, McDormand and Pitt all in one movie.

Okay after yesterday's post/rant I needed something light.

Here is the trailer for the upcoming Coen brothers movie BURN AFTER READING. I love their comedies. FARGO and the BIG LEBOWSKI are hilarious. Quirky but funny. The first time I saw the latter I thought, "I don't get why everyone is laughing, are they high?" Then after catching it on cable a few times, it cracked me up every time.

I am loving this cast. I'm glad to see some grown women were cast.



What upcoming movies are you looking forward to?


p.s. Hillary is scheduled to suspend her campaign (not sure what that mean versus ending it) and is going to endorse Barack on Saturday. hmmm.

History is made.

I haven't been posting on the primary because I would get too upset. I would write a post than delete it. Earlier I had said I wouldn't vote for Hillary after her husband's crazy South Carolina comment and campaign's cynical strategy. Several friends and bloggers like Jenofa2eatwrite said come on are you really going to vote for McCain if she is the nominee? Doing some research on him, I would say to myself no way. He is pandering right now too much to the very right wing of his party. He was put on blast by them because of his bipartisan work with Ted Kennedy on the immigration bill. It's too bad because the "straight talk express" seems to be taken over by the "far right limo service".

Then the Ferraro comment happened, and the Bosnia sniper thing, The RFK thing. The idea that the press is super easy on Barack. I'm sorry, didn't they talk about Rev. Wright and the "bitter" comment for weeks? If Barack had lost 10 primaries in a row like Hillary did I'm sure they would have said he's done. He need to drop out NOW.

Yesterday I was unpacking and found a picture of me, Hillary and another staffer that was taken during the '92 campaign headquarters in Little Rock. What happened? Hillary was not well served at all by her campaign esp. Mark Penn and her very undisciplined husband. I wonder, did he sabotage her on purpose or is it he doesn't realize how much campaigning has changed since he ran? The blame has to rest with her though. She hired these people and she's married to latter. She should have fired them earlier.

Yes there is sexism but that is not why Hillary lost. She entered this race with more money, higher name recognition, yes some high negatives but still she was supposed to be the nominee no problem. She ran one of the worst campaigns I have ever seen in my life. How does someone run through that much money? She waited too late to get organized in Iowa. She had no strategy past March. Big mistake. Then another big mistake was underestimating the "Clinton fatigue" issue which help Barack a lot. Barack ran a better campaign. They stuck to their message and tried not to get off track. Does he have flaws yes. Let me be clear...I am not supporting him because I am black. I didn't support Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton when they ran for President. Please.

I think this country has some major problems and I don't know if they are fixable esp. in one or two terms. I did not agree with Reagan's politics (hello ketchup is not a vegetable!) but there is no denying the man was called the Great Communicator for a reason , as was Bill Clinton and JFK. I feel after two terms of Bush we need a fresh start. I don't want to sit through any more Clintons vs. the world drama. enough!

Hillary needs to end this gracefully. However I don't that will happen when she makes comments like this from last night:

"In a speech to supporters in New York City, Mrs. Clinton paid tribute to Mr. Obama, but she did not leave the race. In a speech more defiant than conciliatory, she again presented her case that she was the stronger candidate and argued that she had won the popular vote, a notion disputed by the Obama campaign." NYT

Okay I know because I worked in politics I might be a little more sensitive about this but this is WRONG. Why is she doing this?
You don't do shit like this on the night your opponent was won the nomination. She did not win more of the popular vote (her people are not counting the caucus votes), and even if she did, we pick our president through the electoral college and delegates. She is not encouraging her supporter to rally behind the nominee, quite the opposite. The night when she was supposed to give a concession speech, Terry Maculiff introduced her as the next President of the United States. This is crazy. Is she on McCain's payroll now or something? She's dissing Obama left and right but now is putting pressure on him to pick her as VP. If he doesn't it could be a problem. I don't think she should be on the ticket. It doesn't help to have two senators and her negatives are too high at this point. Plus I don't trust her, why would she want to be VP?

I feel like she can't quite believe "some uppity Negro" has beat her. I get pissed when I heard Ferraro say Barack is lucky and is getting over because he is black. Really did they say that about John Edwards who had less legislative experience than Barack? Barack is lucky, so let's discount his degrees from Columbia and Harvard Law. As we know he only got in because of Affirmative Action not because he might be smart. If anyone is lucky it's our current president who had horrible grades but got into Yale because his dad and grandfather ( a former senator) were alums. I guess Ferraro didn't hear about the very high number of death threats Barack has rec'd. So high they had to get him Secret Service protection early, or about about the T-shirts that have a picture of a monkey on them eating a banana that say "Obama 08". There are many people who will never vote for him, not because of the issues, or how they feel about his experience but just because of the color of his skin. So don't freaking tell me racism is "poof" over. The only luck he had is that Billary imploded.

I don't know what will happen at the convention. I find it bizarre that she is having people talk her up for VP. McCain is so glad this is going on. He's in big trouble and this is keeping the focus off of him.

Years of politicians using wedge issues have jacked this country up. People will vote against their best interests because of cynical yet catchy slogans and ad campaigns. When I see a photo like this I think maybe we are finally moving away from that.



The fall will be ugly, a battle royale if you will. I'm curious to see who McCain and Obama will pick for VP. Will the Hannitys and Limbaughs who hate McCain rally the base to vote for him? Will the Hillary supporters who say they will never vote for Barack because of all the sexism Hillary has faced, really vote for McCain, a man who called his wife a f**king c**t in public and is anti-choice? What will be the Clintons role in the fall? It's going to be fascinating.

Help! I'm surrounded by boxes.

The movers have delivered my things from the states. Ta da! Nothing is broken.

It's funny so many people told me there would be drama, shipping a crate from L.A. to Rome. There were plenty of opportunities for it. The crate had to go over land from L.A. to the Port in NYC, wait to be consolidated with other shipments going to Italy. Then across the Atlantic to the Port of Naples. It's the port of Naples that I was the most worried about but my things cleared customs no problem. Then from Naples by truck to Rome. My movers were amazing. Walked me through every step. Their Italian contact totally hooked me up by explaining clearly how the process in Naples works which saved me a bunch of euros.

I'm a little overwhelmed by all the unpacking I have to do. The photo was taken after I moved a bunch of boxes to my bedroom. Right after the movers left I could not walk around my living room. I still don't know how I ended up with six boxes of books after donating more than half of my collection to the L.A. Public Library.

I'm glad that I have my family photos. I can now make this apartment a home. There are a bunch of things I need like a pillow for the chair in the living room but I'm going to wait and see what my income will be. See, I am being positive. I assume there will be some income it's just a question of what amount

Finally, I will be able to take advantage of the great markets near my place and cook a meal up in this joint.

Yves Saint Laurent 1936-2008

Another very talented creative person has left us. Considered one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, Saint Laurent was the last of the giants from the Christian Dior, Coco Chanel era.

Here is the New York Times article.

One day I watched a documentary about him on IFC (independent film channel). It was fascinating. I love seeing how creative people work. How they are influenced, what drives them, how they navigate the art/business conflict, how they stay relevant in a culture that is becoming less about creativity and more about the bottom line. Today any random celeb can throw their name on some clothes and POOF they are a designer. Please.

He was one of the first couture designers to feature black models on the runaway and in advertising. He changed the way modern women dressed, championing the tuxedo pantsuit (or as the French call it Le Smoking). He influenced many designers before he sold his company. Tom Ford took over as head designer (they clashed) and now the label is designed by Stefano Pilati. Pilati has brought back more of Saint Laurent's French style.

Saint Laurent was very well respected and loved in France. He helped put Paris on the map as THE place for fashion. During the 1998 World Cup he was selected to do the pre-game kick.

I am going to see if I can find the name of that documentary.

Catherine Deneuve was a muse to him. Here is the trailer for BELLE DE JOUR. He designed her clothes for the film.

Sex And The City in Rome

I went on Friday to see SATC. Saw it in English with Italian subtitles. My ticket was only five euros! That is the least I have paid to see a money in years. The Arclight in L.A. was fourteen dollars and the Grove was eleven. Drop two bucks off those prices for a matinee.

It was so weird to see the New Line logo and names of execs I know while sitting thousands of miles away in Rome.

While I had some issues with the movie the amount of venom directed toward it is pissing me off.

During the Great Depression Hollywood pumped out what?? That's right comedies, wish fulfillment movies, so people could just laugh for a few minutes. However, regarding this movie, one critic said it was a Taliban recruitment video.

First male execs and critics were saying it would make no money since it ONLY appeals to women. Now that the movie made 26 million in the U.S. on Friday alone (this is a major upset. Indy 4 in it's 2nd week was supposed to out earn it. The studio was hopping SATC would do PRADA numbers around 27 million for the entire weekend) and is projected to do maybe 55-60 million for the weekend it's like it the end of the world. This movie is shallow! These women are old! Who cares about fashion!

I'm sorry did I miss some deep meaning behind TRANSFORMERS a movie based on cars that become monsters? There is so much stupid, brain dead dreck that comes out of Hollywood for boys/men. Are men really surprised that women would want to see this film? And the snarky comments about Samantha shows how ageist American society is. OH MY GOD a women who is 49, who still likes sex.

Time and time again a movie comes out like DEVIL WEARS PRADA, WAITING TO EXHALE or FIRST WIVES CLUB and the studios are like, oh there is a female audience? Don't even get me started on the lack of good movies that might have a black female protagonist. After SOMETHING NEW under performed a black exec at a Hollywood studio said to me black romantic comedies were dead. Okay after one movie. Rumor has it that the head of Warner bros (he denies it) said after the BRAVE ONE tanked, they weren't going to greenlight any more movies with female leads. Okay Speed Racer tanks are you going to stop making movies based on comic books or with 20 something white guys?

I don't get it. Hollywood used to make movies all time that had strong, complicated, interesting women. They used to call them ''women's pictures" films like MILDRED PIECE and SORRY WRONG NUMBER. Instead of Bette Davis now we have Jessica Alba.

If you want to see well round, women on screen who are actually over the age of 21, I suggest looking at foreign films and the occasional indie pic. Charlotte Rampling is 60 still working. If she was based in Hollywood she wouldn't be starring in movies.

Here is a short tribute to Bette Davis narrated by the great Meryl Streep.

Clive Owen is in Rome and nobody told me?

Okay I usually don't post twice in one day but this is important. ha

I was walking past the Pantheon the other day and saw a location shoot. I didn't realize it was the movie with Clive and Julia Roberts. I thought that movie was shooing in NYC now.

Anyhoo. Clive is here in Rome. Perhaps it's for the best I didn't know earlier. Something like the following might have happened:

Me: Hello Clive, it's Ragazza. We had dinner with (former boss) to talk about blah, blah, blah, project? How are you?

Clive: (thinking to himself) "Who is this woman and where is security?"

Brett Ratner to direct Beverly Hills Cop 4? It's official. Hollywood has run out of ideas.

Why are we doing all these sequels and remaking movies from the 80s!! I get that someone born after 1980 might not know that the remake of FAME is remake but come on. RAMBO, INDY 4, etc. enough already. I loved the original FAME. Leave it alone. ha

Then today my friend sent me the following article from Variety:

Posted: Wed., May 28, 2008, 9:00pm PT
Eddie Murphy back in 'Beverly Hills'
Brett Ratner negotiating to direct 4th 'Cop' film
By MICHAEL FLEMING

On the heels of the successful revival of the "Indiana
Jones" franchise, Paramount has set in motion a fourth
installment of "Beverly Hills Cop."
Eddie Murphy is attached to reprise his role as
Detroit detective Axel Foley, and Brett Ratner is
negotiating to direct.

Studio is aiming for a 2009 production start and a
summer 2010 release.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce. Jerry
Bruckheimer, who produced the original "Beverly Hills
Cop" trilogy with late partner Don Simpson, won't be
actively involved in the new film.

Murphy approached the studio about reviving the
franchise that cemented his status as a B.O.
mega-star. Par brass were eager to land another
picture with Murphy after he finished the Karey
Kirkpatrick-directed "NowhereLand," which Paramount
releases in June 2009.

That film was also produced by Di Bonaventura, who is
working on the summer 2009 releases "G.I. Joe" and
"Transformers 2."

The studio canvassed a number of directors before
choosing Ratner. A writer will be hired shortly.

Released in 1984, the original "Beverly Hills Cop"
grossed $316 million worldwide and spawned two
sequels. All told, the three pics grossed $712.9
million worldwide. The last was released in 1994.

Murphy is currently toplining the Brian
Robbins-directed "A Thousand Words" for DreamWorks.

Ratner has been developing the Hugh Hefner biopic
"Playboy" for Universal and Imagine.

Sydney Pollack 1934 -2008

I don't believe it even though I knew he had cancer. My heart goes out to his family, friends and two of my colleagues who work at Mirage Productions the company he co-owned with Anthony Minghella who died suddenly only a few months ago.

I feel like an era is over. He and Anthony championed smart movies for adults. Writers and actors loved working with them because they had a love for the arts and life.

I've only met Mr. Pollack a few times. Once at the '92 democratic convention when he was helping my former boss with a speech and two years ago he sat down with me. I went to see him because I was beyond frustrated in my Hollywood career and was thinking about just quitting. He was gracious, kind, inspiring yet very blunt about the sad state of Hollywood and filmmaking. When I would meet with colleagues at the Mirage offices we used to look at the Oscars, set photos (look at how young Babs and Redford are!) etc. and were not jaded.

He directed less toward the end of his career but continued acting. He recently acted in Michael Clayton which his company also produced. He was hilarious on the Sopranos and Entourage.

This quote from the NYT obit jumped out at me:

In his later years, Mr. Pollack appeared to relish his role as elder statesman. At various times he was executive director of the Actors Studio West, chairman of American Cinematheque and an advocate for artists’ rights.

He increasingly sounded wistful notes about the disappearance of the Hollywood he knew in his prime. “The middle ground is now gone,” Mr. Pollack said in the fall 1998 issue of New Perspectives Quarterly. He added, with a nod to a fellow filmmaker: “It is not impossible to make mainstream films which are really good. Costa-Gavras once said that accidents can happen.”

Yes they can.

Here is a clip from Tootsie which he directed and starred in. He will be missed.

Are bloggers narcissists blabbering on about nothing?

You would think so reading the feedback to this controversial article in the upcoming Sunday New York Times. It's the cover story of the magazine section.

Now maybe the article is too long or perhaps a former editor of GAWKER is not the best person to talk about privacy issues in the age of Facebook/Myspace etc. However, some of the comments are fascinating. Many people seem to take issue with the fact that the Times would do a story like this period. I wonder if these people are older without children. Ms. Gould is 24. Her generation has a completely different relationship with new media than even people only 10 years older. I thought the article did bring up some interesting issues.

Also not all bloggers are people who don't interact with real humans by hiding behind a keyboard. Most the bloggers I know are actually very smart, curious, and outgoing. That could be because of the blogs I'm drawn to but to dismiss the medium out right is strange. There are millions of blogs out there some are worth reading some are not.

Those who say it's ONLY a waste of time, clearly don't read any blogs. You could waste time or you could read Field Negro's blog for a great POV on race, politics, pop culture and the American way. You could read David Lebovitz's Paris blog and learn how to make some amazing desserts. Or Apartment Therapy for some home decorating tips. Cathy Horn's Fashion Blog for the New York Times is brilliant. The successful screenwriter John August has a blog that is helpful and entertaining. The possibilities are endless.

The hottest screenwriter in Hollywood right now is Diablo Cody. No blog, no JUNO. She is writing/exec producing a Showtime series that Steven Spielberg personally chose her to write and her new movie. JENNIFER'S BODY is shooting right now. Most writers are lucky if one of their screenplays ever gets made, three in a year and a half...that is rare. A manager named Mason Novick came across her blog and liked her writing. He encouraged her to finish a script. That script was JUNO. Say what you want about her, the movie, etc. simple fact the blog was an outlet for her writing. I'm sure at the time there was no way she would have imagined that typing her thoughts at a Walmart/Starbucks in the mid-west where she had NO hollywood connections would lead to her walking across the stage this year with the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

The first time I heard of blogging I was wonder why anyone did it. I have always had a journal but that is different. Nobody read that. Of course I had not read any at that point. Some friends kept telling me I should start one. I was skeptical. Who the heck cares what I have to say and I'm too freaking busy.

I realize blogging helped me get out of the insular world of my Hollywood life. The blogs I tend to follow are usually the expats in Italy group, politics/social commentary, food, film/books, fashion, home decor/design, photography or a combination. Some of the political/social commentary ones (which also sometimes discuss pop culture and how it's connected) really give me food for thought.

Now with the move to Rome my blog has maybe become a little more focused but I like that one day I could talk about the Clintons and their role in the Democrat Party and another day post a "rap" video from WHAM! There are times when I talk about more personal things. I feel like I did that more often in Los Angeles. I was going through a very tough time and I really think blogging was a more constructive way to channel my thoughts then doing the usual Hollywood thing. You know drugs, drinking too much, becoming a sex addict or getting a facelift.

As a first generation American who spent half my childhood in NYC and the other half in suburbia I have been exposed to very different cultures. I am curious about a lot of things and blogging is a way to feed those interests. It's not a replacement for human interaction and it will never be. I think that would be sad. I don't really understand Ms. Gould's need to "overshare" all the time. Again that might be a generational thing. She wanted to be famous.

I ask my fellow bloggers what made you decide to start a blog? What do you think about the privacy of the people in your life that you write about? Do they know you have a blog? How do they feel about it?

Randomissimo - Annoying street performers.

Is it wrong that I want to cause bodily harm to a mime and a young kid?

I was having aperitivo with a friend of a friend last week. The horrible mime my friend G warned me about was "performing." One of her friends lives in the area and said the mine gets indignant when people don't give him money. He came over to our table. She spoke so quickly in Italian I didn't understand what she said but he glared at her as if he was freaking Dexter Gordon and she called him Kenny G.

If you are going to perform on the street and ask for money please have some darn talent. There is a guy who plays the violin near the Pantheon. I like his music and the effort. I always give him money.

I love children. I really do. Wish I had some of my own but my eggs have expired and I have no man. As Curtis Blow would say, "these are the breaks." Anyway, there's a young boy who sings in Campo de Fiori. I live a few BLOCKS from the piazza and yet I can hear him. He sings very loudly and off key. He is horrible. He sings the same damn songs a few times a day. His pitch is really bad when he hits his "crescendo" I want to cry. I don't know who is giving him or the mime with the stank attitude money. It must be tourists.

Maybe the boy is really nice, I don't know. Yesterday I was working and could hear him yelling (it's not singing) through closed windows. I wanted to grab my Macbook, walk over to the piazza and knock him out. Every day the same songs, he's drive me crazy.

Okay back to work. Hope you have nice day.

Enough with this rain, You've Got Mail, SJP on the cover of Vogue

It's still raining.

My pitch had to be rescheduled for next week. Of course it's scheduled to rain on that day as well. Boh.

I do have a ton of things to do, like work on my script, run to the bank etc. but to be honest I really don't feel like doing a darn thing in this weather. It's kind of silly, what does rain have to do with whether or not I sit in my apartment and write? If I had my things from the states I would make some soup.

Yesterday morning, it looked like it was finally clearing up a bit so I went to work out. Fifteen minutes later as I was crossing over the Tiber, I got soaked. It started to pour. ha

Anyway a little bit of sunshine (sorry, couldn't be helped) came through the mail yesterday. Via my membership in Mediabistro.com I get NEW YORK MAGAZINE (one of my favorites) and WIRED for free. I had canceled or let all my other magazine subscriptions run out but I still had a year left on VOGUE and they forward it to my Italian address no problem. I received my June issue. I read it cover-to-cover in one sitting.

I do buy Italian magazines but I get so frustrated that it takes me an hour to read an article in VANITY FAIR (here it's weekly). I really wanted to read and understand the post-election interview with Veltroni. With my dictionary I was able to finish it but mamma mia what was up with all the imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)? I thought okay maybe Italian ELLE would be easier. Nope not really.

Here is the cover. Yes that is Chris Noth behind her. I have to post about SATC: The Movie (why are males studio execs surprised there is buzz for this movie?) some other time. I should get to work.

Lo Shopping: C.U.C.I.N.A.

The correct way to say "to shop" in Italian is "fare le spese" but most people say "lo shopping." (See Kataroma and Homebody at Heart's comments below for clarification). Unfortunately, since I am a broke Ragazza, posts with this label will be few. I am optimistic however, that things will change. It would be beyond cruel for someone who loves fashion (esp. shoes and bags) and home decor to have to walk past such great opportunities and not participate. ha.

The first time I came to Rome I stayed in a hotel near Piazza del Popolo. I was lost in the little side streets near the Spanish Steps and walked into C.U.C.I.N.A. (the Italian word for kitchen). It's like a more streamlined Williams-Sonoma or the kitchen section of Crate and Barrel, two of my favoriete stores in the states.



This is a great place to pick up some Italian made gifts for your favorite cook or something for your own kitchen.

Go in with a budget because it's easy to walk out purchasing things you didn't know you wanted or needed. When I saw all the Microplanes I was like "yes!", then I remembered I acutally have one packed in my crate.

I read that it's not a good idea to leave pasta in the box after opening. You should put it in an air tight container. Well, I saw these and thought they were perfect. Functional and fits the decor of my kitchen.



Here is the website.

C.U.C.I.N.A. (come una cucina ispira nuovi appetiti) Rough translation: How the kitchen can inspire new appetites.
Via Mario de' Fiore 65
Metro: Spagna

I love Telecom Italia!!

Okay, I don't think that is a phrase heard often and I am sure I will be salty with them in the near future. However at this moment, I love them. Why you ask? It's because after seven weeks of living in Italy I am back online.

I connected my computer to the modem (directions in Italian...I am assuming I did it correctly). When I saw the Apple page come up after clicking on my Safari browser, it was as if the heavens opened up and the angels sang. haha

Mariah and Nick Cannon. WTF?

I don't have a TV or Internet in my apt. and the supermarkets here do not sell magazines at the check out stands. That is why I am a little late asking about this wedding. In L.A. it was pretty much impossible to escape celebrity gossip. Here I have really no idea what is going on and don't miss it to be honest. How many times did I need to see Jen's face on the cover of some magazine saying "I'm over Brad". No you are not if you keep freaking talking about. Let it go Jen. Move on.

What is wrong with Mariah? Nick Cannon?! Really and no prenup?

I got no sleep last night...thanks Inter!

Roma won yesterday's match. Inter (not to be called Inter Milan, hello) did not win theirs. So now Roma is only one point behind them. Inter could have won the league title two matches ago.

There is only one more game left. If Roma draws and Inter loses, Inter wins for the third year in a row because they have done better in head-to-head match ups. If Roma wins and Inter loses not sure what will happen. I don't want to ask G. He is a BIG Inter fan. He has been stressed the last few weekends over the games. I can't even talk to him about soccer/football. Poverino. (poor thing)

There is a cafe/bar down the street. I walked over to watch part of the game. The commentary from the viewers in the bar and on the street (what I could understand of it) was priceless. In the States soccer as a pro-sport is as popular as lacrosse. Everywhere else in the world it's a religion.

People were yelling so loudly when the Inter score came up. Later, I heard fans singing the Roma anthem/song until 2 in the freaking morning. I had all the windows shut tight...it did not matter.

Next weekend is going to be bananas.

Randomissimo - film shooting on my street.

I'm back at G.'s. He went out of town and since I still have the keys to his place, he said I could come over to use the Internet.

Yesterday I took a break from work to run to the supermarcato and saw a film crew on my street. My street is very narrow, so there was no way to avoid the crew. There were all these photographers standing around. I wondered what/who were they shooting? I heard an American accent. I looked to my right and there was Dennis Hopper walking back to the video monitors. Now that is hella random.

No pressure?

My manager wants to know when am I turing in my re-worked script outline. Uhm soon?

I had a great follow-up meeting with the production company. They want me to come back and pitch my story idea and write up a treatment. Of course I will be pitching in English.

As an exec. I have heard hundreds of pitches. Being on the other side? This is my first time. One of my favorite screenwriters sent me an email with some good tips. Be enthusiastic and don't get bogged down in the details, hit the major beats of the story.

Obviously if the pitch doesn't go well, it's boring, it's too long, you forget what to say or you only sit there and read the treatment, you kill the project. No pressure!

I split the day working on the pitch/treatment before lunch and my other project, the script after. I have a lot of writing to do. Hopefully some day (very soon) I can actually make a living from the work that I do. That would be great.

The dollar still sucks. sigh.

Yes!!! I have cleared two major hurdles.

It's so sad how accomplishing a simple task these days makes me feel like just finished the New York Marathon. It's like I'm a kid again learning how to freaking speak. The other day I called Telecom Italia and ordered phone/Internet service. I missed their call earlier because I was on the phone with my landlord. I asked if anyone spoke English (after apologizing for my poor Italian), the lady said I was doing fine and let's continue. After everything was done she said "Brava!" and have a good day. The tech should be coming in a week and a half to install everything. We'll see.

Yesterday I got to the Comune (town hall) over an hour early and there was already a line! A nice women gave us numbers which was smart because the minute the doors opened everyone started running and pushing. I recognized this obnoxious guy who cut in line last week and he tried to cut in front of me again. I don't know which county he was from but I was prepared to curse him out in English and Italian figuring he might know one or the other. The same officials were working and Mr. The-Shield-look-a-like nodded at me. The line cutter was really pushing me now and I yelled "dodici!!!" (the number 12) as if my life depended on it. Mr. Shield glared at the other man who had a number in the 30s and told him to let me through.

An hour later, my number was called. On Friday I couldn't apply because I didn't have insurance, or a job in Italy that would be paying into the National System. Thanks to two very helpful expats, I found out you can buy insurance at the Post Office. I am paying in a year what I paid in two months in the U.S. for basically the same kind of plan. I pay for all doctor's visits out of pocket, this insurance is to cover only hospital/major illness costs.

The man stamped my paperwork. Spoke not a word of English. I have decided to get over my fear of speaking and making mistakes. People here have been more than happy to help me when I make the effort. If I start completely falling apart they usually will switch to English if they know it or try to find a co-worker who does.

The next step is the police have to come by my apartment to make sure I actually live where I say I do. I think after that I should be getting my residency papers.

I'm at another cafe/bar in Trastevere using their WiFi. It is so nice out, I think I'm going to walk to my meeting later today. I have a follow up meeting at a production company regarding one of my script ideas.

I just received notes on my script from my manager. One good thing about not having a TV (or the Internet) is I have no distractions as I get ready for this re-write. I hope to finish it in a month or so.

Okay back to work.

A walk around the neighborhood: The Pantheon and Piazza Farnese

I live in between these two areas. Earlier I had posted some photos of places near my L.A. apartment here.

There is no Kitson in Rome but there is this:


and across the Piazza from a 2,000 year-old building is this:


Ha. Gotta love it. I wonder if the meat at McD's here is better. We had fast food once, yes only once, when I was growing up. The day we moved into our house, my dad went to Burger King. Other than that, no McDs, no Burger King, no Jack in the Box, etc. My mom was a nurse and West Indian. She would not allow that "junk" into the house. As kids we thought she was so mean depriving us of Happy Meals.

As an adult every so often I would get Mickey D's, like twice a year. However, after seeing "Super Size Me" and reading "Fast Food Nation" there really has to be nothing other places to eat before I eat fast food burgers again.


In the other direction I bump into this:


One of the fountains in Piazza Farnese. Here is some information about this beautiful piazza, now home to the French Embassy.

"I'm sorry we have run out of numbers."

I went to the Comune (city hall) yesterday to apply for my residency. The office opens at 8:30 a.m. At 8:40 a.m. they were out of numbers. I had to go home.

I was delayed by a man from the sanitation department trying to explain to me in Italian that I had put my garbage in the wrong place. He was very nice and helpful but instead of getting to the office a few minutes early I arrived 10 minutes later.

One of the gruff looking officials (seriously, this man looked like the guy from "The Shield" but shorter) told me to make sure I get there very early next time when I asked him what time do they really open in the morning.

After years of never speaking to anyone at my bank in L.A. (I only used the ATMs) it's funny to me to walk into my bank here and "speak" to everyone. I put speak in quotes because half the time I have no idea what they are saying after the "come sta" (how are you) question. The people who work there, including the bank manager are so nice. The women who helped me open my account told me my Italian is improving.

I stopped by the market at Campo de Fiori. I have been checking out the various stands and I have found the ones that I like the most. I could write an entire post about the tomatoes I bought yesterday. I haven't smelled or tasted tomatoes that good since I moved from home. My dad used to grow them. I now realized the ones I used to buy in the supermarket tasted like rubber.

Last night went out for an aperitivo with some friends. G. met up with us. There were so many people out last night. It took me less than 10 minutes to walk home. It's such a different vibe from Los Angeles. I do not miss the over-priced valet parking, people with stuck up attitudes who ask you "what do you do" first so they can see if you are worthy of having a conversation with and talking about the "business" all the time.

I am moving but....

I won't have Internet/home phone for 12-14 business days. My landlord called Telecom Italia for me which was nice since my Italian is beyond trifling. A nice lady named Chiara, who speaks English, is calling me from Telecom to get all my information.

See, I can't even talk smack about Telecom Italia taking two weeks to hook up a telephone line since the mofos at AT&T have totally disrupted my life (see my last post).

Okay I have already moved two pieces of luggage from G.'s place only four to go. ha.

G. might be going out of town this weekend (as are most of my friends here). He said I could keep the keys and come over to use the Internet. phew.

Red tape, Spaghetti All'amatriciana, a nice tub

It is STUNNING out.

I just got back in. I was going to do some work but instead got sucked into reading the film trades online.

File this little tale under ironic. What has been the biggest pain in the butt since I arrived in Italy? An American company called AT&T. For the last two weeks my sister and I have tried to get to the bottom of a problem with my former account. The problem is on their end. My poor sister, who was trying to help me out, spent over two hours on the phone with them last week. Thanks to their incompetence I cannot access any of my emails on that account. My Flickr page is connect to that address, so I can't access that page either. I am beyond irritated. I've just sent them another email (number 25 I believe). Maybe they will get it right soon.

I went to dinner at G.'s girlfriend's house. Her ridiculously gorgeous friend let's call him GF, was making dinner. I saw him at a luncheon we went to a couple weeks ago. He made this delicious Spaghetti All'amatriciana. I chuckled when he and G. got into a very intense 15 minute conversation about how to make it and which style was really Roman. Unfortunately GF also smokes a lot. Everyone lit up after dinner except me. I don't think I could date a smoker. This might mean I will be single in Rome. haha. So far every single guy I have met here smokes.

One of G.'s friends also came over. She is the actress I met the first week I was here. I was the last person to finish my dinner. G. was teasing about me about eating so slowly. Defending me, she said:

"You eat slowly. That is good. It's means you make love slowly as well."
I said "no comment" and then said to G. "You eat very quickly. Your poor girlfriend"
He replied, "Yeah but I had two servings. I ate twice." The whole table busted out laughing.

I finally saw my apartment today. We are signing contacts next week. Both of the apartments I have stayed in here do not have tubs. I prefer showers and don't take baths often but when I saw that brand new tub, tears almost came to my eyes. :)

My landlord's granddaughter was there. She was born in America and speaks fluent English. She was able to translate everything. There are a few little things the contractors might need to finish up but I will be able to still move in.

The place is so freaking small, it's half the size of my L.A. apartment. I will have to get rid of more things when they arrive. Right now my crate is on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean heading toward the port of Naples. I can just imagine what drama awaits my shipment there. The apartment does get plenty of light and has a ton of character. The landlord did a great job with the renovation. The building is nice and very clean. The condo fees aren't too bad. There is no ac and because the building is so old (it's in the Historic Center) there will be no ac installed, ever. I better get some fans.

For such a small space, there is decent storage...it's well designed and laid out. My apartment in L.A. had zero character. I am glad to say good-bye to the beige wall-to-wall carpeting and popcorn ceilings. This place has hardwood floors, tiled flooring in the bathroom, very high wood beamed ceilings and huge windows with shutters on the outside.

My friend has been so patient letting me stay here. I promised to make him dinner once all my things arrive. I am not cooking Italian. I don't need that kind of pressure. G. doesn't play when it comes to food. God help you if the pasta is not al dente.

This ragazza is very tired.

Seriously, I didn't write a darn thing this morning. What did I do today? I went on a walk across the bridge to Trastevere, down to the Vatican, took some photos, watched the news, had a piece of pizza for lunch (again), walked around Piazza Farnese, came back to the apartment tried to write, instead I spent an hour online looking at home decor and fashion websites/blogs then fell asleep on the couch. Okay after this post I am going to get to work.

I am tired because last night G., his girlfriend and I went to a birthday party. The birthday girl's mom is American, Dad is Italian and she grew up in Florence and NYC. She was a fantastic host. Great party...the food was Lebanese and very, very good. I think it's the first time I have had that cuisine. However, we left said party after midnight. Hello, it's the middle of the week. By the time I went to bed, it had to be close to 1:00 and I woke up at 6:00 a.m. as usual.

I enjoyed talking to one of the birthday girl's friends who runs world wide press for a high end fashion house. She spends a lot of time in L.A. esp. during Oscar week. That job is not fun. ha.

Randomissimo - Walker, Texas Ranger dubbed

G. does not have Sky TV. At night either it's the Italian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" , "Wheel of Fortune" (wtf is up with the Vanna White type chick and the host who is way over the top?), some show about men and women hosted by a woman who has the deepest voice I have ever heard, "CSI" /"House" dubbed or last night a special treat, "Walker, Texas Ranger", starring the one and only Chuck Norris.

Okay last night's episode, from what I understood, was about a young Latino kid who is in Walker's martial arts class. He's a good kid, loves his mama, but his older brother wants him to join the gang. No he says until his other brother/cousin (?) who works at a gas station, is shot in a drive by while taking a Christmas tree out of his pick-up. He believes the rival gang did it but we the audience know the truth. The brother in the gang shot the guy for trying to protect our young protagnonist. One day the kid does not show up for class and Walker finds out why. He looks pensive and the music builds to a climax.

This show had me on the floor cracking up when Walker would roll up in the Crips (blue) and Bloods (red) respective hangs out by himself to find out what was going on. Why the gang bangers didn't put a cap in his ass the minute he walked through the door made no sense to me. Maybe because it's small town?

In the final scence our young kid has his AK-47 and is ready to fight. The Crips didn't show up becaue Walker convinced them not to. Violence is not the answer folks! The head gang banger, the big mouth who started all the mess said yes to fighting Walker one on one without weapsons. Of coure this 50 plus guy whooped the 20 year-old's butt. The gang banger was on the ground all jacked up telling his homies to shoot Walker but none of them would. The cops came and arrested everyone. Our protagonist quits the gang. I have to say the Italian dubbing was quite good. I'm sure some of the slang the gang bangers were throwing around was not easy to translate.

Paul Haggis co-created this show. He would go on to be nominated two years in a row for a Best Orginal Screenplay Oscar(Crash, Million Dollar Baby) and co-wrote Casino Royale and wrote the next Bond movie. I found last night's show more entertaining than the dubbed "According to Jim". I don't think that show is funny in any language.

Food, Florence, fun

I am picking up a signal from somwhere so I'm back online for the moment. Still at G's apartment. I walked past my place earlier this morning on the way to the market. The windows and shutters were open and I could hear the men sanding or buffing the floors. The kitchen is supposed to go in on Thursday, Friday is a holiday-nothing is going on, so we are looking at the weekend. Fingers crossed.

I think I have been out with friends more the in last seven days, than the last seven months. On avg. dinner time was around 11:00 p.m. I still wake up 5:30/6:00. G. more like 9:00 or 10 if he's not shooting. By the time he's out the door to go to his "bar" for a espresso and the paper, I've written five or more pages.

I had to stay in one night last week because G. 's friend (who he just happened to bump into on the street that afternoon) called at 9:30 p.m. to give him the address for a dinner party. He returned home at 1:00 a.m. (on a "school night"). He said I should have come, the food was excellent and the villa was very nice. See when he received said call I was already in my pajamas. I am living out of a suitcase. I woud even know where to look for something fun to wear to a dinner like that.

I've had some good film meetings and getting alot of work done during the day. At night, mindful of my budget, I say yes to an aperitvo but then around 9:30 someone in the group always says "okay so where should we go for dinner?". I know once I move and can cook again I will not be eating lunch and dinner out so often. Phew.

Big thanks to Sara for organizing the Expat get together in Florence. I took the slower, cheaper, local train to Florence. It was a nice, pretty ride. I now know where the train stop for Cortona is.

The weather was great (original forecast called for rain). It was so much fun to reconnect with friends and meet some of my fellow expats. Everyone was very friendly and had great advice about making the move. The expats came from all over Italy.

Yesterday I went to a barbeque. Some of the people I had met earlier in the week. Yesterday was perfect out. Sunny and in the high 70s with a breeze. On the way back, a car almost clipped the scooter. G. was like, whaever, I was afraid. I don't do drugs but after that scooter ride (it was a long one. We were north of the Olympic Village) I wanted some valium or something to calm my nerves. ha.

One of the guests at the barbeque said May and June are the best months in Rome. Not too hot and there are so many things to do. Several people forwarded the following New York Times article from Sunday's travel section about Rome at night.

There was a moment yesterday as I was walking down Via Giulia that I realized I have been here three weeks and still haven't unpacked, I am burning through my money quicker than expected due to the dollar's weakness, I don't have a job and I can't really communicate, yet I am so freaking happy I could cry. Maybe there are drugs in the pizza.

Flashback Friday - Wham "Rap!"

This one is for my friend Robyn who for some reason knows all the words. I have to be honest. This fact scares me.



Hope everyone has a great weekend.

What's playing in Rome...Estelle feat. Kanye West

I hear this song everywhere and it's one of the top videos on MTV Italia.

I never heard of this singer until I moved here. She is London born, mom is African, dad is West Indian. The single is number one in the UK and she recently to moved to NYC.

I just love the melody. It reminds me of Swing out Sister, very British 80s pop vibe. I like her choice of models in her video. ha.

Also popular is Duffy's"Mercy" and the new Madonna/Justin Timberlake song. I went to buy gelato the other day and the women behind the counter was dancing to the latter. I have a feeling it is going to be a big club hit.

I plan to stay in tonight. I went to dinner at 10:30 (hello, that is the time I'm usually in bed). I met G and C at G's girlfriend's for an aperitivo. At some point some said let's go to dinner. Since I had not eaten since 1:00 I was starving. We went to a place nearby in Monti. Good food but the vibe was weird. We thought it was a little stuffy. Can't remember the name. I got into an arguement with G about the movie JUNO.

I work at up at six and got a lot of work done (needed to get onlint to do some research for the script). G thinks I'm weird waking up so early.

Here is the video. Ignore the the red arrow.

My landlord.

It has been raining off and on today. When it rains, it's a hardcore downpour then the sun comes out. Bella.

I have moved. My friend's apt. is fantastic. Too bad he is on the top floor and I have five pieces of luggage.

I met my landlandy. She couldn't be sweeter. She gave me the floor plan of the apartment and told me the names of my neighbors (it's a small condo buidlding). She also gave a bus ticket (ha) and a big map/bus guide for the city.

As I suspected, the precious tenant was bananas. My landlord said she was very happy I was going to be renting her place. I know all about her family now. One of her grandchildren was born in Philly. She has a daughter around my age. She used to work at RAI and for an 80 year old, she is quite hip. I really don't know many people her age who have email.

I see living here the last two weeks have rubbed off a little bit. A expat friend here asked me when I might be moving into my apartment. I said it could be Sunday, Tuesday, who knows?

I took the bus back to the Center and went to the Forno in Campo de' Fiori. Last year I went there one morning for the pizza bianca (pizza dough with just olive oil and salt....very good). I noticed there was huge line last week around lunch time. They have other pizzas during the day. This place might cause me to gain a good 50lbs. It is that freaking good.

Lost in Translation, part two

Guest at a luncheon referring to the co-host: He is a prince.
Me: Yes, he is very nice.
Guest: No, I mean he is really a Prince.
Me: Oh.

It's election time in Italy. Voting started yesterday and ends today. On Saturday I went with G. and his girlfriend to a luncheon for a young candidate for one of seats. Of course I could not find the place at the first. Finally I saw G outside what looked like a museum to me. It was the Palazzo Colonna. I understand the Colonna family is one of the oldest in Rome. The apartment was in the Palazzo. I can't even imagine what the rents are like. ha Anyway the food was excellent. Almost everyone there spoke fluent English but were instructed to only speak Italian to me.

One thing I think is interesting is they stop polling here two weeks before the election. The last poll had Berlusconi leading. It's great they do not say how the votes went yesterday. I can't imagine that happening in the States where news organizations battle to say who won first, even at the risk of getting it wrong while the polls are still open. No one should announce any results until the polls are closed in that state.

I spoke to my sister for the first time since moving here. I was talking to her about how the landlord wants us to meet to get to know each other. She told that when she and one of her college roommates rented their apartment in Brooklyn, the landlord wanted to meet both sets of parents. Our parents had to drive in from the 'burbs.

My sister said she didn't think it was a weird request because the landlord was from the Caribbean. Of course they would want to meet our parents. It's nice all the credit/paperwork was in order but so what? My siblings and I were born in the States and we do have a very American world view when it comes to things like this. Our parents were glad the landlords wanted to meet and they were happy to meet them as well.

I guess it does make sense. My landlord can't run a credit check on me. How does she know I'm not some crazy person who is going to ruin this apartment she has had in the family for years? I'm glad it was sunny today. The contractors were supposed to lay the floors in the apartment. Something they could not do if it was raining. Tomorrow I move to G.'s place. I will miss living three blocks from the Borghese Park but looking forward to being in the Historic Center.

Lost in Translation?

I spoke to my friend in L.A. He said my landlord is over 80 and her English is not great. When she said "show the apartment" she meant show it to me. Hmmm okay.

Anyway she emailed me and said the contractors are working as fast as possible to get the floors down. She wants to meet next week so we can get to know each other. This should interesting. ha.

My friend in L.A. (he is from Rome and his mom is best friends with the landlord) told him if I needed a place to stay his mom said could stay with her. She also invited me to watch election results with their family (including said landlord) which is very sweet.

This morning I wrote from 6 - 9 and then went on a looooong walk. I cut through Borghese Park, walked down the Spanish Steps, on Via Condotti, to Piazza del Popolo, then back through the park.

It was good to talk to G. and C. yeserday. I met C. back in L.A. when she was working for the L.A. office of the Italian film company she works for. She told me to cut myself some slack. I haven't even been here two weeks yet. She is a native Italian and when she moved to Rome it was difficult.

She also suggested I rethink production work and focus on my writing. Film budgets here are much smaller and type of positions I'm thinking of are usually filled by the producer's assistant for no money. Also given that I was a producer on a movie with a budget more than 10 times the avg. Italian film, she said her boss would say I was overqualified and not hire me (plus there is that uhm, language issue).

She wants to read my book as a sample of my writing. They have a couple English speaking projects.

This morning I was thinking about our conversation. I know my move might seem to contradict this but I am a very pratical person. Sometimes too practical. I have looked at my budget for the rest of the year and I think...I have to get a job! Instead I should for the next couple of months just finish my script, let my manager keep shopping the book and know that things will work out.

I have had a few kick ass writing days since I arrived here. I finally "see" the script in my head and think about the characters and dialogue all the time.

Yesterday after lunch G. showed me the building Fellini lived in. That street is so gorgeous. Today we are meet at some political lunch thing then he is going to let me borrow a bunch of recent Italian language films.

I hope to finish the rough draft of the script by the end of the month. I'm feeling very motivated and inspired.

drama

I don't have time to write a long post as I am back at the Internet cafe/laundry place.

I am not moving next week. There are delays. Fine. I get that but she should have told me last week. Was very upset yesterday. Went to bed at 8:00 p.m. just so the day would be over.

G. said I could stay with him until my apt. is ready. Then today I receive an email from the landlord saying she never got my email last week telling her I was in Rome. She wants to show the apt. when it's done. Excuse me?

I have already emailed the guy in L.A. who told me about the apartment. I don't believe after months of emailing she would pull this.

G. said not to take it personally. It has nothing to be with being American. He haas his own landlord stories.

He and another friend made me meet them for lunch instead of stewing in my apartment. We went to this very nice place on Via Margutta (sp).

I hope by the weekend this will be resolved.

Small world

I'm back at the cafe.

Saturday night went to a party with G and his girlfriend. A film production company was having an open house for their new office/celebrating the opening weekend of their latest movie. There were lots of kids, food and my favorite...sweets.

Anyway, I was speaking my butchered Italian when I saw a women who looked familiar. She looked at me and said "You're back!" and proceeded to give me a big hug. She is the ex-girlfriend of the guy I rented a vaction rental from two years ago. Her ex is a good friend of a friend of mine.

G. was incredulous. How do you know V.? Of course he knows her well. Most of the people at the party spoke English but I am really trying to get my speaking comprehension up to the level of my reading. It's not easy. My ear can't quite keep up with the speed. It's very frustrating.

Several people at the party told G. to have me send my resume and they will help me but I will need to speak Italian fluently.

The Donatella awards are coming up (the Oscars of Italian films) and I met one actress at the party who is nominated. I totally recognized her from L'UTIMO BACIO/THE LAST KISS. She is very nice and is friends with G. (of course). She effortlessly alternated between English and Italian. For the rest of the night G. spoke to me only in Italian. ha. It was comedy.

I do think (hope!) by the summer it will be easier for me to comprehend spoken Italian. I am basically going from zero to sixty and it will take some time. Unfortunatley I am not the most patient person.

Campo de' Fiori + reggae music + aperitivos + a yummy dinner = a very good Friday night.

As I mentioned before, my Friday night routine was reading scripts for work then watching the American version of "What Not to Wear" on TLC at 9:00. I enjoyed watching Stacy (her shoes are beyond fierce) and Clinton but sometimes I would think perhaps I should not being doing this every freaking Friday.

Well my first Friday in Rome was a little different. I woke up yesterday with no plans at all. My friend Giampiero called around 1:00 asking what I was doing and if I wanted to meet for a aperitivo (drink) later at Campo de' Fiori. We went to Teste Matte (Crazy heads?) . Nice local spot a little off the square. I was thinking how nice to be listening to some great reggae and not the bad street musician around the corner. I spoke too soon. A mime showed up. G. said "Oh no! He is the worst mime in the world and very aggressive when he asks for money". My friend did not lie. This guy was bad and his music was loud. ha. G. introduced to one his friends who was there. She works in film and is a native Roman who's parents are Japanese. She was very nice and we'll bump into each other again since she lives not far from me. After two proseccos and few appetizers, G and I decided to go to dinner.

I don't remember the name of the place but it was small, no signage. G. said his girlfriend (who is a regular) took him there and the owner was like "hmm who is this guy?" It's a family operation. His father opened the restaurant in the 30s. G. told the chef, the owner's wife, that I was moving to the area. I caught only a little of the conversation but said grazie when she said something about good luck. When she left G told me she said "Principessa (princess), if you need anything like some bread or pasta, you come over, that is how neighbors are."

The food was outstanding. They gave my friend a bowl of this pasta and chick pea soup. He didn't order it but it was the last of the night, so "here, have some." Ha. I had these meatballs (polette?) type dish for my secondo (second dish, usually meat or fish, comes after your pasta course..they are not served on the same plate. Per favore!) which were sooo good. We had a bottle of wine and G laughed because in L.A. I have a only one glass usually. I told him when I drive I keep the drinking to a minimum. However last night I was walking so bring it. I felt fine this morning. Sometimes in the States I would get a headache from just a glass....maybe the sulfites (I have no idea how to spell that world and have no dictionary here with me at the bar/cafe). I went to put down some money for dinner, esp. since G paid for drinks. He took the bill from my hand and said no. I have tried to argue with him about this in the past and failed so I said fine. Next time I'm going to pull one of his moves and pay on the way to the ladies room or something.

G and I met the first time I came to Rome through a friend of a friend. He was the one telling to move already and stop over thinking it. He used to live in New York then L.A. then moved back to Italy a few years. When he met up in the square he gave me big hug and kiss and said "Welcome home".

After dinner. I had some gelato and walked back to my apartment. I was going to cab it but the streets were full of people even at midnight. As I walked past, Piazza Navona, The Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain on the way home, I felt like I was being Punk'd. This cannot be real.

Okay I think I have been sitting outside at this cafe long enough. It's nice out. I'm going to the park.

Flashback Friday - It's a sign

Okay this not having Internet in my apartment is a pain. I have so many emails to return.

I finally found the street my apartment to be is on. I came to Rome for the first time three years ago this week. I took a picture of a friend. Guess what street sign was in the background? Really of all the streets in Rome?

Yesterday I went to 'Gusto Osteria and then cut through Borghese Park. It was gorgeous out. Hot jogger running with two friends waved and yelled "buon giorno"... I did not know him.

Still waiting to hear back from my landlord to be. I will be relieved once I can actually unpack and move into my place.

Today's Flashback is this post.

Sono qui in Roma. (I am here in Rome)

This is f*cking weird.

Please excuse all typos. I'm in a cafe using their WiFi (my temporary apartment doesn't have Internet). The Internet here is free but you have to buy a drink or something. I am chilling with a glass of red wine while I look out at the remains of the walls that used to guard the city (Porta Pia). My feet are killing me. I got lost countless times today. I tried to find my permanent apartment but instead walked around Piazza Farnese. Tried to get back to Termini area, got lost, saw the Trevi fountain. Finally found the station which is a 20 minute walk from my aparment, got lost. Well, at least I walked off the piece of pizza I had for lunch and the gelato.

The last 48 hours in Los Angeles were just crazy. I didn't have enough luggage for all my stuff. I ended up checking in four bags at an additional cost of $250. I connected in Chicago. As the plane started to descend I had a complete freak out (quietly). It's as if I finally realized that I quit a job I loved and was moving to a foreign country...not just going on vacation. I starting crying (and was embarassed and try to hide it) as I felt completely overwhelmed. What irrational thing to do at my age. I'm a middle age lady (yes my friends if you are over 35 you are middle aged) trying to get a writing career off the ground...in Hollywood. A place where if you are not an "it boy" by 30 your chances of working are slim.

I thought about my family and all my friends I had to say good-bye to, my questionable Italian speaking skills, where whould I find a hairdresser who knows how to work with natural black hair, and how I don't know the metric system. The Chicago to Rome leg I tried to sleep and had the pleasure of a screaming toddler sitting behind me for almost eight hours. The good news...none of my bags were lost.

I had some jet lag and crashed at 6:30 p.m. I was up at 12:30 a.m. and tossed and turned all night until I got up at 4:00 a.m. I knew today was going to be my first dealing with the infamous Italian red tape. My stomach was in knots. I did have a my first good writing day in about two weeks (I'm working on a romantic comedy script). Feeling good about that, I went down to Trastevere to get my Codice Fiscale (kind of like a Social Security Number, you need it to open a bank account, work, pay utilities etc.). As I walked past the area where I have rented apartments for the last two years I felt like I was back home.

I got to the office just as they were opening and there was a line. I have to say I am SHOCKED at how organized it was. The older gentleman at the front desk couldn't be more helpful. He listened to my broken Italian and he chuckled when he saw my cheat sheet. That is how organized/anal I am. I wrote down in Italian what I wanted to say. In Italian he asked me where I was from, when did I arrived in Rome and then he said welcome and I could come back to him if I had any questions. I know he slowed down his normal speaking speed so I was able to understand most of what he said. I saw him later speaking to a colleague of his and seriously it sounded so lyrical but I had no idea what they were talking about they spoke so quickly.

The woman who processed my info spoke ZERO English, was super sweet and told me I had a "bel nome/beautiful name" (for some reason my middle name is spelled out on my French passport, so now all my Italian documents have my middle name). From the time I sat down at her desk I think it took less than 10 minutes for her to do the paperwork.

Next onto the bank. I spoke to the branch manager yesterday on the phone (he spoke no English). I got his name from through an affiliate branch in the States after my landlord gave me the number of the closest branch to the apartment. He had me work with a employee who knew some English. That was an overstatement. She said she studied it in school but she never speaks it. Similar to me and French. I studied it for 7 years and know maybe 6 sentences. Her younger colleague came over and she spoke as much English as I do Italian. We were able to work it out. We kept laughing because every other sentence was "come si dice" (how do you say?) Since I elected to go with the plan that is banking online I will avoid some the crazy high fees. I still have to pay a tax of about 32 Euros a year. It was so weird to open a checking account and receive no checks. Nobody uses them. My rent, bills, will be taken out of my account.

I couldn't bring my bag into the bank. You have to go through these secure doors. After all the terrorist attacks in the 70s you can't just walk into a bank here. At first I was wondering why the inner door wouldn't open. I didn't understand what the automated voice was saying. The security guard pointed to the lockers. In English I said something like "I need my bag to open my account". He looked at me like, are you "molto stupida?" you would want to put your bag in the locker right now.

After 30 minutes or so I had my account after signing a million documents. It's interesting the things I read I would need and made sure I had, reference letter from my home back, tax return or proof of income, and only being able to open a "strainieri" (foriegner's account) never came up. The two women, patiently explained everything to me and also asked me a bunch of questions about L.A. As I was standing in line to desposit money, an American tourist next to me who was exchanging money was complaining that there were only two tellers and about all the security. The women in front of me was an American expat who has lived in Rome for 10 years. She told the tourist that she liked the security and thinks the energy in the States now is more paranoid (she went back for time in years). He then went on to say loudly " I guess customer service is not a priortity to these people." ouch.

I know getting residency will require a bunch of steps but I don't have to worry about that until after I move into my place. Thanks to reading all the negative threads on Expats in Italy I was prepared for the worst. Rude bureaucrats (like the ones I had to deal with at the DMV in Washington DC) disorganization and what not. Instead the people I dealt with today were great. I think by the summer my Italian will be much better. I am forced to used it now. I went to get a gelato near the Trevi fountain. The minute I walked in the lady behind the counter spoke English to me. In the areas near tourist destintations there are plenty of people who speak English.

Tomorrow I am going to write all morning and then if I feel like it go down to Telecom Italia to get a permanent cell phone. My manager is supposed to call me for our weekly conference call tonight at 7:00 p.m. my time. After my call I might go walk around my neighborhood or something. I have to get on Roman time.

Randomissia - The U.S. presidential election is getting major coverage on Italian television. Rihanna and the new Gnarls Barkley song are huge here. A British brother walking by me on the street asked me if I was Jamaican. I said no..he asked "where are you from" all loud. ha. Some Italian guy on a Vespa, stopped in the middle of traffic and blew me a kiss. At first I thought he was a friend of mine, that is the only reason I made eye contact. When I realized it wasn't him I was like get moving homeslice. I would like to state for the record, I was saying homeslice long before Diablo Cody.

Since I don't have Internet at my place postings will be sporadic.

Flashback Friday - Diana Ross - "Do You Know Where You're Going To" (Theme From Mahogany)

I just want to say I went to the bank yesterday to get some euros. I almost cried. One euro equals $1.66. At this rate I will burn through my Rome fund very quickly. Everyone said it would bottom out at $1.50, now it looks like we may hit $1.70. Che cazzo!! (that is Italian for WTF).

I was too young to have seen this movie when it came out in '76 but I have watched it on TV a bunch of times. I mean who can forgot the classic Billy Dee Williams line, "Success is nothing without someone you love to share it with."

The movie is so '70s campy and over the top but love that theme song, beautiful melody, and lyrics. A few years ago there was a script floating around town that was basically a remake with Beyonce attached to star.

I never saw this clip until I was looking for the song for today's Flashback. Check out where the video was shot. That is deep.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Terroni, tears and "this sucks."

Last night was the final evening for the "Front Row Girls".

One summer we got into the habit of seeing every crappy movie that opened. There were some that I drew the line for but yes I got sucked into watching "You Got Served" among others. One member of our party (not naming names) always ran late so we would get stuck sitting in the front row, hence the name.

In the last few years we have spent less time together. My three friends have serious boyfriends, work is hectic, and we don't live close to each other. However, when we do see each other it's like no time has passed at all.

We went to Terroni. I haven't been there for dinner yet and the place was packed. I thought the "no substitutions policy" would scare people. Most of the negative comments I have heard about Terroni is regarding that policy. I don't see what the big deal is. If you have food allergies or are a vegeterian there are things to eat as the menu is varied. However, it's an authenic Southern Italian restaurant. Why should they add/delete things because some people think they know better than the Italian chef and Calabrian owners what should be in these types of dishes?

The food was as good as the original in Toronto. My friends were very sweet to give me some euros for my trip. After dinner we stopped by my place so they could pick up some furniture. One final hug, lots of tears, and as one friend left my apartment she said, "this sucks."

The Last Kiss remake, saying good-bye

I finally saw most (I turned it off) of THE LAST KISS, the remake of the Italian film L'ULTIMO BACIO. Let me go on the record and say Zach Braff is no Stefano Accorsi. I don't know why this remake was done. There are cultural differences that did not translate at all.

Anyway, an adaptation should be able to stand alone from the source material. This did not. I really disliked this movie. I could not get into these selfish characters at all. Can someone please explain why Zach Braff is in movies? I liked GARDEN STATE but Mr. Braff is not a leading man.

Here is the Spanish trailer for the original version. It had the clearest picture.



I have good-bye lunches and dinners every day until I leave on Monday. The other night I went out with three friends. We all worked at one of the most dysfunctional companies ever. We were cracking up as we talked about some of the crazy things that went on in that office. I was exhausted and they were stayed at the restaurant to keep talking. As I hugged the three of them good-bye I felt the tears coming. I received an email from them saying it was best that I didn't come back to the table or we all would have started crying.

My three friends from Italian class gave me cards filled with euros. One friend didn't get a chance to exchange the money so she gave me the amount in dollars. Since the dollar kept dropping she said she had to keep adding money to the card. Ha.

The co-host of the big good-bye party took me to lunch yesterday and gave me stationary (which I so needed because the movers packed mine) and this great walking guide book to Rome. There are fifty cards so you just take out what you want for the day. One of my former co-workers took me to Jar for dinner last night...amazing food.

I don't believe this time next week I will be in Rome. It does not seem real to me at all. Maybe once I land at Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) Airport it will.