Get to the movies – the Oscars are coming! Who would you vote for?

The Academy Awards

The Academy Awards

 

If you’re anything like me – obsessed with movies – then you’ll be pretty excited about the Academy Awards coming up early next week. That’s March 2nd in the U.S. but Monday, March 3rd for those of us in Australia.

 

The time difference presents a minor dilemma – watch it live at lunchtime or enforce a social media blackout – then have friends over that evening to watch it at night with a glass of wine. Which is a lot more fun.

Academy Awards host for 2014, Ellen DeGeneres

Academy Awards host for 2014, Ellen DeGeneres

 

I’m predicting it will be a sensational evening, not only because of the brilliant line-up of movies and actors vying for awards, but because the night is to be hosted by the witty and fabulous Ellen DeGeneres. And that’s GOT to be better than last years host Seth MacFarlane (comedy guy and creator of Family Guy) who stirred up quite a bit of controversy with his politically incorrect comments. And from all reports, he’d rather stick needles in his eye than go through such pressure again. Phew.

 

The next dilemma is trying to cram in actually watching as many Oscar-nominated films as you can before the big night, because of course, it will be that much more interesting if you and your friends can debate who is the most worthy recipient of each category.

12 Years A Slave

12 Years A Slave

I’ve done pretty well this year and have already seen ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, ‘Her’, ‘American Hustle’, ‘Gravity, ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and ‘Philomena’. And only last night I watched ’12 Years A Slave’. I missed out on ‘Captain Phillips’ at the cinema but may still squeeze in a viewing of ‘Nebraska’ before the weekend’s out.

I’m not going to give you a review of each – rather three words that for me, sums them up best.

1. The Wolf Of Wall Street – Entertaining, pacy and morally bankrupt.
2. 12 Years a Slave – Heart wrenching, powerful and beautifully tragic.
3. Gravity – Suspenseful, unique and a little slow.
4. Her – Surprisingly believable, touching and fascinating.
5. American Hustle – Fast, entertaining and a costume extravaganza. (too much of Amy Adam’s breasts!!)
6. Dallas Buyers Club – Gritty, a brilliant script and performances, outstanding cinematography.
7. Philomena – Poignant, another great script and highly emotional.

And the Oscar goes to...

And the Oscar goes to…

As you can guess, yes, I really enjoyed them all. In particular, 12 Years A Slave, Dallas Buyers Club and The Wolf of Wall Street. But if I were to hand over the Oscar on the night, I’d have to give it to 12 Years A Slave. Interesting, isn’t it, that all three of these movies are based on real life stories?

And just for the record, I’d give the Best Actor award to Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buys Club (his physical transformation was astounding, as well as his performance) and to Sandra Bullock for Gravity. (Or Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine.But then again, what about Meryl’s brilliance in August Osage County? Hmm, that’s a toughie…)

I’d also hand Best Director to Martin Scorese for The Wolf of Wall Street. Even though the subject matter isn’t as visually appealing as the panoramic landscapes in 12 Years A Slave, it’s how he succeeds in making a mere office scene impactful and creative that shows off his genius.

So hurry up – you’ve only got four and a half days left to cram in some great quality movie viewing. Let me know which of the Oscar nominated films would win your vote?

 

 

 

 

 

A horror review plus discovering Blog Lovin’

It’s a wonder we get anything done on weekends at all. I mean, there’s so much reading to be done. First, there’s the Saturday newspapers and all the extra lift-outs featuring your favourite columnists, like Wendy Tuohy at the Herald Sun. Also from the Herald Sun, Anna Byrne’s fab fashion overview never fails to give me the shopping bug and I can’t put the paper down without scanning  Leigh Paatsch’s movie reviews. Plus I’m a big fan of The Age Weekend mag.

Wolf Creek 2Special mention goes to Leigh Paatsch  this week for his line about John Jarratt’s performance in the newly released Wolf Creek 2. I can’t remember when I last read such a beautifully scathing sentence: “As for John Jarratt, watching him reel off his repertoire of guttural grunts and wince-worthy wisecracks is like being trapped on a crowded train next to a drunk, disturbed circus clown.” OUCH.

Having seen the movie myself at a special preview screening last Wednesday night, I can’t say I felt as strongly about Jarratt’s performance. Neither would I agree with Paatch’s half a star rating for the movie. Yes, Jarratt’s performance does seem slightly ill-fitting in some moments with it’s comedic bent, but on the whole he is a terrifying and believably insane  serial killer.The movie itself does artfully manage to create nail-biting suspense and definitely delivers on the believable gore and vicious torture front. I’d give it two and a half stars.

John Jarrat as Mick Taylor in Wolf Creek 2

John Jarrat as Mick Taylor in Wolf Creek 2

Just for the record, horror is not my favourite movie genre, but I have a teen daughter who IS a big fan, so I succumbed to pressure and went along. Veronica loved the film and completely disregards any negative reviews, firm in her belief that the genre of horror does not win the respect it deserves. Each to their own.

 

But I digress. Back to all that weekend reading I was talking about… As well as newspapers, I’ve just discovered a fantastic Blog site that encompasses all the most popular Blogs in one spot. Called Blog Lovin’, this means you can quite easily whittle away a couple of hours in front of your laptop without noticing. Dangerous stuff. But highly entertaining. So if you’re on the look out for some new and entertaining reading, check out Blog Lovin’. You can sign up so you receive regular updates from your Bloggers without trawling through the internet too. So there’s a time saver for you to boot. Sort of…

Blog Lovin'

Blog Lovin’

(Thanks to Martine Harte, creator of Engagingwomen.com.au Blog for the great tip.)

Happy reading!

 

 

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Weddings and funerals – Tottie’s plans for 2014

Tottie Goldsmith

Tottie Goldsmith

Singer, actor, celebrity, charity worker – as if there weren’t enough strings to her bow, the beautiful Tottie Goldsmith has now added another. Several months ago, she became a qualified marriage celebrant.

Chatting with Tottie in her recently renovated bayside apartment, it’s clear this is a year of fresh beginnings – a new home, a new career and a revitalised trajectory for The Chantoozies, who are launching a new song and video clip.

But more about that later. Let’s start with the most recent career development – becoming a marriage celebrant.
What was it that inspired Tottie to be the one who blesses couples exchanging matrimonial vows? ‘Three people suggested it to me,’ said Tottie. ‘I’ve always had this belief that if you get a message from the universe three times, you must act on it. The first person to suggest it was my Dad, the second was a producer and the third was my sister-in-law. So I figured I’d better do something about it.’

But it wasn’t as simple as Tottie imagined. ‘The course isn’t easy at all. I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible but it took about seven months on-line and I worked at it constantly – even when travelling. But then the course I was studying with lost their accreditation so I had to sit for it again through the Attorney General’s office.’

That didn’t deter Tottie. She persisted, started from scratch, studied hard, graduated and then finally had cause to celebrate when she was granted her licence. ‘It was a really exciting day. I felt I’d achieved something. Just seeing the certificate with my name on it made me feel really proud. The first wedding I did, when I first said the words, “I’m a civil celebrant authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to the law in Australia,” it felt extraordinary.’

Tottie performing a wedding

Tottie performing a wedding

Performing a marriage ceremony comes naturally to Tottie. ‘It’s an incredible thing and I’m so glad I did the course.’ she said. ‘It really suits me. I love people, I love being involved in this sensitive but happy time and the response I’m getting from people is fantastic. I almost become a part of the family and I’m really honoured to be part of such a special time in their lives.’

Initially Tottie meets with the betrothed couple to see if they have the ‘right vibe’ between them and to talk about how the couple wants the ceremony to proceed. Then she sends them some ideas in an email with a template of how she thinks the couple might like the service to run. ‘I also like to see them a couple of times before the wedding to make sure we’ve covered everything and then we have a rehearsal.’

Tottie with the newly weds

Tottie with the newly weds

So was she nervous before conducting her first wedding four months ago? ‘I was a little, but because I’ve done so much MC work, I knew I’d be fine. I also rehearsed with a couple of friends of mine who played the bride and groom to practice the technical stuff – like when to pass the rings and juggle the microphone and it was all fine.’

 

Tottie is also a big supporter of gay marriage and is hopeful she’ll be able to conduct weddings for gay couples in the future. ‘In my family, I have a gay cousin and a gay aunt and their relationships are just as deep and profound as anyone else’s. Love is not gender specific. Really decent deep people rise above gender when it comes to love so I think that’s also a place in the market where I’ll be able to work well.’

A surprising twist to Tottie’s new career is that she’s also recently been asked to conduct funerals by families who don’t hold specific religious beliefs, but want a spiritual send-off for loved ones.

‘I was asked to do this,’ said Tottie, ‘I told the family I’d find someone else more suitable but they insisted they wanted me. It was an incredibly profound experience to sit with these people and talk with them about this woman I’d never met, but I felt I really knew her by the time we’d finished. Sitting with this family was an honour. I then went home and wrote up a condensed version of what everyone told me. We also talked about what music to play and how to structure the service, so it’s actually quite creative too.’

Like weddings, performing the funeral service was equally rewarding. ‘The woman who hired me rang the next day and said, “That was perfect. The whole family loved you. I think this is your calling.” I was really moved by this and it did feel right. Because I lost my Mum so recently, I really ‘got it’ and was sensitive to what they needed. I want to provide a safe, comfortable place for these people who are grieving.’

Of course the only problem for Tottie now is juggling her new vocation with her already established career as a singer. Especially as her band, The Chantoozies, has had a resurgence of popularity in the past year, meaning her calendar is heavily booked. With many weddings taking place on weekends, at the same time most venues want the band, how is she going to manage to continue doing both?

The Chantoozies

The Chantoozies

‘It will be tricky,’ she said. ‘There’s one day coming up where I’ve got a wedding at 2pm, then we drive out to a vineyard and I’ll have to get changed in the backseat ready to perform on stage. In one instance, I had to turn down a Chantoozies gig to do a wedding and in another instance, I turned down a wedding to do a music gig. So yes, it’s a juggle.’

But at the moment, the band takes priority. The Chantoozies are preparing to shoot a film clip for a new single they’re about to release so all Tottie’s energy is going in to that.

I’d love to tell you more about the new song, but Tottie says she’s sworn to secrecy. ‘We made a public declaration and put it on Facebook that we’d have a new single out by the end of March. It might be early April at this stage, but after having made such a big announcement, we’re determined to follow through with it.’

Best friends

Best friends – The Chantoozies

Tottie says she and her three fellow band members are all close friends. They don’t have management, because after so many years in the business and knowing each other’s strengths, they don’t need it. ‘We work really well together, ‘ said Tottie. ‘We’ve go an incredible sisterhood and an incredible work ethic and we’re better than any management team out there.’

So what does Tottie hope will happen with her song? ‘I’m hoping Smooth FM at least will pick it up. And other radio stations. I’m hoping the film clip goes viral, because it has an essence to it that could go viral and I’m hoping that once we get more attention, the venues will pay us double the money and we’ll have double the fun!’

Tottie singing

Tottie singing

Tottie said a recent session with a life coach made her realise just how important The Chantoozies are in her life. ‘If somebody said to me, you’ll never be able to sing with The Chantoozies again, I’d be devastated. It means that much to me. It’s that much fun. If we haven’t done a gig for ten days and I go to sound check and I’m on stage with my best friends surrounded by music that we love and it all pulls together and it happens, then I feel happy!’

‘There’s a lot going on right now, but I’m looking forward to all of it. It’s going to be a good year,’ said Tottie. Her smile says it all.

 

 

If you’d like to know more about Tottie’s work as a singer, actor or celebrant, check out her website which is at: www.tottiegoldsmith.com.au

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Feb Fast is super annoying…

Send Grog on a holiday

Send Grog on a holiday

Leading up to the beginning of the month, I was REALLY looking forward to starting Feb Fast. Along with Fletch, we both decided we’d had a pretty indulgent festive season and it was time for a healthy kick-start to the year. Time to give up the grog for a month. I was enthusiastic and ready for the challenge.

Now I KNOW Feb Fast is a great concept – especially because the money raised goes to helping young people and families who are tackling serious alcohol and drug issues – BUT I’ve discovered…

… IT IS REALLY, REALLY ANNOYING!!!!!

For many reasons. Which I’ll tell you about in a minute.

It started out really well. I felt energetic at the gym, was writing more, meeting my deadlines and waking up fresh as a daisy. If you’d like to get a clearer picture of all the benefits, just check out this graphic put out by the Feb Fast group. Of course, some of the statistics also relate to the other things you can give up in February if you’d rather keep drinking grog – like coffee, sugar and social media.

Benefits of Feb Fast

Benefits of Feb Fast

But that self-satisfied smug feeling about saying ‘NO’ to alcohol and being strong wears thin by about Day Four. After a crap day when it’s getting close to dinner time, all you can think about is wanting to crack open that lovely chilled bottle of chardonnay tempting you from the fridge.

So you say ‘NO’ to yourself and go back to sorting through emails or getting on with domestic chores. Then you sit down to watch some TV and again you can hear the chardy singing your name.

Saying 'No' to alcohol

Saying ‘No’ to alcohol

Still you say ‘NO’ but remark to your husband that you might be missing your wine. Just a little. Is he missing his beer? ‘No, I don’t think about it, really,’ he says, smiling. Shrugs nonchalantly. Of course, it’s easy for him. I’m just being silly.

GOD, THAT’S ANNOYING.

 

And I think ‘not drinking’ makes me a little irritable. Just a teeny, weeny bit. After 6pm anyway. It makes me cranky to think about that famous quote from Frank Sinatra – ‘I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.’

He’s right. It’s even worse at social events. Especially because just when you think you’re doing fine and enjoying yourself, someone notices you are NOT drinking alcohol, and wants to talk about it. Really annoying.

Problem drinking

Problem drinking

Then you get some people who look at you strangely when you tell them you’ve given up the grog. They listen for a bit and then nod sympathetically, and throw in a little comment or too that suggests the real reason they think you are doing Feb Fast is because you have a drinking problem.

Seriously? Some people can be VERY annoying. Like it isn’t possible to just want one month of healthy living?

 

But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Well, halfway through the tunnel in fact. Fletch has decided to buy himself a ‘leave pass’ this Friday night when we go out and celebrate Valentine’s Day. YES!!!! Well, I can’t let him drink on his own, can I? That will still make it TWO WEEKS without drinking which is more than I think I’ve done in about ten years. And we’ll go back to Feb Fasting on the Saturday right through till the end of the month.

Right now I’m feeling quite smug again as it’s the middle of the day and I can feel proud of myself that I’ve lasted ELEVEN DAYS without cracking. But I’m still dreading that witching hour at about 6pm when my mind drifts toward the fridge. Or back to when we were on holidays by the pool and I had this AMAZING passionfruit mojito…. Ah, memories.

Passionfruit Mojito

Passionfruit Mojito

 

 

 

 

Can working with friends… well, work? These two at Salon Golightly know how.

It’s a common old adage ‘Never mix business with pleasure,’ but these two high-end hair practitioners are good friends who have worked together for more than five years and still find plenty of time to share a drink and a laugh. Linda and Justin even spent a holiday in Thailand together, along with their respective partners.

Linda Chisolm and Justin Golightly

Linda Chisolm and Justin Golightly

They’ve known each other for years. More than twenty years, in fact. They met back in 1991 when they worked together at South Yarra salon PDF and Justin sported long black hair. (Which he’d rather not discuss…) After a couple of years they went their separate ways.

Then five years ago, Linda was working at a boutique in Prahran where she wasn’t happy.  When a client told her that Justin had opened up his own salon just around the corner in Greville Street, Linda was ecstatic and bolted there as soon as she could to see if they could work together. He happily agreed and asked when she could start.

‘Tomorrow!’ replied Linda. The timing couldn’t have been better.

Interior Salon Golightly

Interior Salon Golightly

For both, it meant working with an old friend they adored. As well, they have enormous admiration for each other’s respective careers – Justin as a leading hairdresser and Linda being renowned in Melbourne as a brilliant hair colourist. That’s her specialty and means she’s always well booked up in advance. As is the very talented Justin.

Most of all they’re happy to have found a new home in St Kilda, where they opened Salon Golightly last month – conveniently situated just opposite the George Hotel.

Salon Golightly

Salon Golightly

‘We’re back amongst our people,’ says Linda. ‘There’s more of a cultural mix here. You get a bit of everything in St Kilda. It feels more comfortable.’

‘It feels like home, ‘says Justin.

Both agree that the hair industry can be a tough business to survive in. It’s highly competitive and egos abound. ‘It’s full of lunatics,’ declares Linda.

So how do they make it work? Being friends and working together? ‘Well I think that’s just it,’ said Linda. ‘That we ARE friends makes it viable. It’s easy. There’s none of that hoo-hah that generally goes on.’

‘So you must have a lot in common?’ I suggest.

‘Our birthdays are on the same day,’ said Linda. ‘The sixth of the sixth.’ Ah, so that explains it!

‘She’s to the point and there’s no bullshit so you always now where you stand,’ said Justin. ‘As much as I love her, she annoys the hell out of me sometimes, but we work in similar ways. We’re hard workers and like to get on with the job.’

And they do work hard. But I also hear them laugh together often. I’ve been seeing Linda to have my hair coloured for nearly twenty years and can vouch for the fact that she’s never been happier.

Good friends sharing a laugh

Good friends sharing a laugh

For Linda, there’s another bonus that comes with working with Justin. ‘He loves cleaning!’

So you don’t have to do any at all?’ I ask.

‘It’s not that I don’t try. He always does it before I get a chance.’

Justin disagrees. ‘It’s just that she knows what I don’t like doing so she is aware of that and gets in first with those jobs. For instance, I’m happy to clean up wine glasses because if I don’t she’ll break them and leave the lipstick marks on them, but I don’t like cleaning up the tint bowls so she’ll get on and do that.’

Justin at the bar

Justin at the bar

Yes, he said ‘wine glasses’. That’s the other lovely service provided at Salon Golightly. There’s a bar at the end of the long room, where Justin will happily double as a bar tender for his loyal clients who fancy a glass of wine toward the end of the day.

Linda also loves the fact that Justin has a wonderful eye for interior design. ‘He always likes to have things looking nice,’ she said. ‘I know when I come to work in the morning, it will all be sorted and look polished.’

 

‘I try not to involve myself in all that because I know I won’t do as good a job. If I ever suggest something, he just looks at me as if to say, “Don’t bother”.’ Not that Linda’s offended. She loves it.

The entrance to Salon Golightly

The entrance to Salon Golightly

Would Justin like to turn his hand to interior design? ‘No, I love experimenting but I’d hate doing a job for someone else and not having complete control. Say I did a room then someone wanted to put little knick knacks everywhere…’ He made a face.

‘That would do his head in,’ said Linda. ‘At the same time, I have to say he’s much better at doing something for a hair client that might not suit them than I am. If I have to do something I hate, it’s written all over my face.’

Linda and Justin

Linda and Justin

Not that either of them often have difficult clients. If someone’s TOO obnoxious, they won’t take the booking. I know this because when I asked them if they’d ever had to refuse a client, they looked at each other and started laughing.

Justin says he’s always polite. ‘I’ve had clients who come to an appointment, sit in the chair and say, “Last time you cut my hair I hated it and everyone else hated it.” So I ask them why they’re back? Then I suggest that clearly they’re not happy with my work and that they should go somewhere else. Then they generally burst into tears and go to the toilet, come back and apologise and we get on with it. But a few have left and that’s fine. It’s very rare.’

‘I’ve never had that. I just don’t take the calls from those ones,’ said Linda. ‘I don’t want to be tortured. I’m just not interested.’

As for future plans, Justin says they’re looking for one more person to work alongside them in their new salon.

Sounds appealing. A new salon set in the heart of eclectic, beachside St Kilda, opposite the George with two friends who work together like a dream. Now, where is my resume?

If you’re interested in a job or having a wonderful new ‘look’, here’s the details for Salon Golightly:

PH – (03) 9078 b5536
ADDRESS: 11b/60 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

 

 

A new month and a new diet… using Willpower.

Hello February!

Hello February!

Don’t you just love the first of the month? A fresh start, a new beginning, new resolutions and in my case, a new diet. It’s also the month that has thousands of Australians taking up the FEB FAST Challenge. Which usually means giving up alcohol. (although you can choose to give up coffee, sugar, caffeine or even digital screens as alternatives.)

Fletch and a few of his Neighbours mates are taking up the alcohol option. He’s already had some generous donations pledged from some lovely friends. If you’d also like to show your support, here’s the link.

http://my.febfast.org/PersonalPage.aspx?registrationID=695522#.Uur251wksok.twitter

Feb Fast

Feb Fast

I’m not quite so brave. I am doing a pathetic half-arsed version of the challenge by ‘saying’ I’m doing Feb Fast without signing up… There’s a good reason for this but I don’t want to go into details. Suffice to say I might have to head overseas soon and if that happens, well, yes OF COURSE I’d be drinking! And I want a practice run before fully committing next year.

I’m curious to see how I’ll go. And Fletch. I’ve heard lots of good things, so I’m actually looking forward to it.

Apparently you lose weight (YES!) and generally achieve a bucket load more in life, so I’ll keep you posted and let you know.

God knows I need to kick start the diet thing again after falling off the wagon MASSIVELY over the Christmas break. Getting on the scales right now is downright scary.

My juice selection for Day One

My juice selection for Day One

Some of you might remember me banging on last year about a diet I put together myself because I wanted something that was realistic to manage, simple to implement and easy to stick to. I called it the FIT FIX Diet, and yep, it really worked. If you’d like an overview, you can refer back to this blog to see the food plan for the first three weeks.

http://jenniferhansen.com.au/wp-admin/post.php?post=6372&action=edit

This time I’m still going to stick to the FIT FIX Diet Plan rules with the extra kicker – NO ALCOHOL. Plus some strategies from a book I mentioned in the last Blog, called Willpower.

Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney

Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney

It’s worth a read. Although I do think there are some contradictions in the chapter about dieting. Basically, the authors say there’s no point attempting to take up special diets because they never work. But at the same time, they say certain ‘rules’ can be effective. Like no sugar. If sugar isn’t an option at all, then you don’t waste time and energy deciding whether to eat the stuff, you just say ‘no’ and be done with it.

But if you implement a new ‘rule’, then you are in effect, creating a new diet anyway, aren’t you? Hmmm…

 

 

The best tip though, is the ‘not now, but later’ theory. The idea is that you never say to yourself, ‘I can’t eat that yummy chocolate ice-cream tempting me from the freezer.’  What you are meant to say to yourself is, ‘I won’t eat that yummy chocolate ice-cream now, but I will have it in two hours.’ Or tomorrow.

And you probably never will eat it, but psychologically, you feel less deprived. Those who do this lose more weight and keep it off.

There are lots of fascinating stories about case studies and psychological tests on groups of people to support this theory, so I’m going to give it a go.

Tapiz Chadonnay

Tapiz Chadonnay

So there you have it. The new diet means no alcohol, sticking to the FIT FIX Diet Plan and using tips from the Willpower book. All sounds good, doesn’t it? But damn, I’m going to miss my chardonnay…

Are you giving up anything for February? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments section too.