Will-fully

Pier I near 70th Street, Hudson River

This week I saw Will Ferrell's latest movie The Other Guys.¹  The verdict?  Not perfect, but parts of it were pretty funny.  Michael Keaton's character was hilarious. Marky Mark was enjoyable ("You learned to dance sarcastically?")  And Will does that dead-pan voodoo that he do so well.

Then, after class on Wednesday, I walked down to Pier I to catch part of Stranger Than Fiction (a personal fave) which was being shown on a giant screen there.

On the walk down to the pier, I passed a West Highland White Terrier (breed of my beloved former pet, Grimsies).  I sat down on the pier and noticed a couple sitting directly in front of me had a Westie.  On my way home, I passed another Westie.  What could it mean!?  Perhaps an omen of good things to come?

Good things like more Will Ferrell movies.


¹I used to have a landlord² called "The Other Guy."  But that is a story for another time.

²Will Ferrell was in a funny, if perhaps mildly offensive, sketch called The Landlord. Full-circle-wholeness!

Bassoon'er or Later

Will Ferrell was born to play Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music.  I'm glad his moment has finally arrived.

What's that, you ask?  Have I seen the previews for The Other Guys?  Yes, I have.  Does it look bad?  Yes, it kind of does.  Will I be seeing it in the theaters anyways?  Yes, I probably will.

I have no restraint when it comes to this man. 

God Bless a Man with a Banjo

I kind of have a thing for the banjo. It ranks right up there on my musical instrument crush list with the tamborine, harmonica, and Spanish guitar.

So I'm here to tell you today that you need to stop limiting the banjo to your Mark Twain memories of those days of yore. And I beg you to stop connecting it to the movie "Deliverance." Open your eyes to reality, my friends: The banjo is happening. It's hip, it's hep, it's now. It's beautiful.

My banjo'nesing began back when I was living in Boston. There was an older man who used to play at the Park Street T-station: a kindly Santa Claus figure sitting on an overturned milk crate on the Red Line platform. His banjo music sweetened my wait for the train ride home.

When I moved to Brooklyn last year, I took an early morning walk on my first Sunday in the new neighborhood. The streets were mostly quiet and empty - the stroller patrols weren't up and about yet. As I strolled down a few blocks to get some coffee, I passed The Gate and noticed a hipster guy in a hat, smiling and holding a banjo. (Bonus crush points for a fella possessing both a hat AND a banjo!) He settled onto the bench outside of the bar and started strumming the 5-string, and I thought "Hey, maybe me and Brooklyn are going to get along just fine."¹

But lest you think the banjo's popularity is limited only to public transportation and the early morning street corner scene, let me set you straight - the banjo is fast becoming a modern-day media darling as well.

Case in point: You may not know this about my boyfriend², but Mr. Ed Helms plays a mean banjo. For realsies. And this banjo player is now starring in a hit movie! The Hangover topped the box-office this weekend and it's playing in a theater near you. While I can't exactly endorse a movie that I have not yet seen myself (don't tell Ed!), I can certainly endorse a banjo player (God love 'em).

While we're speaking of banjos and theaters near you, a movie I can endorse is the latest from my mentor³, the irreverent and ribald Will Ferrell. Without giving too much away, let me just toss out this teaser: there is a scene in "Land of the Lost" (just go in with low expectations, you'll be fine) where Will sings a campfire song while accompanying himself on a banjo. Delightful. Unfortunately, this big-screen banjo moment is followed immediately by one of the grossest scenes in the movie. (Just close your eyes, you'll be fine.)

If I have not quite convinced you of the banjo's "it" factor thus far, let me name-drop a little further. Steve Martin. Yeah, that's right, you heard me - this wild and crazy guy, respected comedian and published author has just released a banjo cd. If Steve is on board with the banjo, who can be against it?

The banjo is here, it has arrived. So let's all pause and drink in a little banjo'y, care of Steve, Bela Fleck, et al:




¹Postscript: Brooklyn and I did not, in fact, get along just fine, hence our hasty break-up eight months later. But early Sunday morning forays for coffee did remain my favorite times in the 'hood, banjo encounter or no.

²In the same way that he may not definitely does not know that he is my boyfriend.

³You betcha he doesn't know that he's my mentor. Yet.

Multi-tasking Happiness

There are plenty of things in this world that make me pretty happy, but let’s face it: I don’t always have time to enjoy them. I’m busy, you’re busy, we’re all busy, people. That’s why it’s important (and I’m pretty sure the Bible would back me up on this¹) to look for ways to maximize happiness while minimizing time & effort expended.

One way to do this is to combine things you love into one amazing amalgamation of awesomeness. Think chocolate & peanut butter. Think Frank Sinatra & Christmas music.² Think Will Ferrell & figure skating.

I still remember where I was when I heard that Will Ferrell was making a movie about figure skating. It was a Thursday morning upstairs at Café 28, where I was meeting with my bible study before work. Someone mentioned Blades of Glory. I may have clutched the table. I may have spilled my coffee. Certainly CJL said it was the most emotion she’s ever seen me display. That’s what happens when you smush together two of your favorite things – stoicism flies out the window.

Prior to today, I considered the Ferrell-Figure Skating marriage to be the most effective combination imaginable for exponentially increasing and efficiently multi-tasking my happiness. Apparently I wasn’t using much imagination. Could it get better, folks? Yes, it could. Because what do I love maybe even more than figure skating? That’s right – Broadway. And where is Will Ferrell heading next? That’s right – Broadway.

Cory Cavin is guest-blogging for Best Week Ever, so check out his comments about this upcoming event here. Now there are two reasons to look forward to 2009!

Editor’s Note: Trafmeister Jenn-eral – what can I say? Pack your bags and get down here! We gotta see this, and there ain’t nobody else I’d want to see it with more than you. :)

¹No. It wouldn’t.
²Yeah, you know I broke out the X-mas music already. In my defense, it was snowing³ in New York City yesterday, so totally ‘tis the season, right?
³No. It wasn’t. But there was white fuzzy matter (tree pollen or something) drifting down all around Midtown and I heard several other pedestrians wonder out loud if it was, in fact, snowing. Despite it being 60+ degrees.

For the Love of Will & NYC

Sunday morning, after churching with my artsy Presbyterian set in the West Village, I headed over to the Lower East Side to visit my favorite Hasidic merchants, and there on Delancey Street I was passed by a man on a unicycle, riding fast as though on a mission (late for a dim sum date? heading for the Williamsburg Bridge to complete his bi-borough ride? who knows the plans of a unicyclist?) As he pedaled swiftly by, his unexpected presence reminded me that I love New York for all its unexpected weirdness. And I began to worry about leaving it; Vancouver, darling, I'm sure you have your charms - but can you compete with this island that seemingly has it all?

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I found out this morning (how could I not have known sooner!?) that Will Ferrell has a new movie coming out next month. This alone would be reason enough to celebrate, but wait, there's more: this new movie is going to be about.....FIGURE SKATING! Two of my great loves - Will Ferrell and figure skating - teaming up at last for a full-length feature film. March 30th cannot come soon enough. Blades of Glory seems like it will be a stellar addition to the already sterling Ferrell ouevre of low-brow comedy. Can't wait!

(Traffmeister Jenneral - is this, or is this not, a good excuse to fly your little self home from SE Asia to see this movie with me?)