Brooklyn Fit Chick

New Giveaway from Attune Foods Plus the Movie "Overboard!"

 

 

Attune Foods/”Erewhon” Cereal Giveaway Time!! 

“Uncle Sam,” “Corn Flakes (with Sea Salt,) and “Raisin Bran”

Plus, an Overboard DVD to Boot! 

 

  


 

 

Hey there! Hi there! Ho there!

 

It’s Thursday and that means it time for my weekly giveaway—whoo hoo! This week I am giving away three boxes of delicious cereal from the fine folks at Attune Foods (www.attunefoods.com). The company produces Erewhon cereals that were originally created in the 1960s which is decades before people got turned on to an organic and “natural foods” diet. The name Erewhon (pronounced “Air-wahn”) comes from a 19^th century novel by Samuel Butler and was the setting for where all people who lived there were responsible for their own health and well-being. (But we all knew that, right?)

 

Here is more information about Erewhon cereals:

       Never                                                                    Always

       - No synthetic additives or preservatives                  - use pure ingredients, organic whenever feasible

       - No artificial colors or flavors                                 - use non-GMO ingredients

       - No hydrogenated or solvent extracted oils             - use natural flavors

       - No refined flour or sugar                                       - use natural sweeteners  

       - No complicated cereal production process            - use simple processes for cereal production

 

You can find Erewohn at Whole Foods, natural food stores and food co-ops nationwide. They also have a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/attunefoods

 

So this week’s giveaway will be three different flavors of Erewhon: Uncle Sam, Corn Flakes (with Sea Salt) and Raisin Brand. Get your cereal bowls ready people cause things are about to get yummy in your life! (Attune Foods will ship you the boxes directly.)

 

I have the full details below on how to win but wait—there’s more! I am doubling down on this week’s giveaway and offering a super fun “two-for” on Brooklyn Fit Chick this week—whoo hoo again!

 

So here is the backstory…my good pals Brandi from Diets in Review (@DietsinReview/ www.dietsinreview.com) and Christine from Dubya Wife (@DubyaWife/ www.dubyawife.com) and I bonded during this year’s Fitbloggin convention talking about our mutual love for the movie Overboard. You do know about Overboard starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, don’t you? It’s only one of THE funniest movies ever made. Here is the imdb.com link with all of the information just in case you have missed the million times it has played on the WE and CMT Networks. (Honestly, this movie has been playing on a cable TV loop for over 20 years now!)

 

The winner of this giveaway will also receive (from me personally) a copy of Overboard on DVD. I am holding it in my very hands in this photo:

 

 

I will get the padded envelope, stamp and mail it myself to you because I am just that kind of a gal. (You’re welcome!)

 

Here is a You Tube clip of the trailer:

 

 

 

So, are you totally psyched yet? Well then, If you are interested in getting the three boxes of Erewhon cereal plus the Overboard DVD -- all you have to do is post below on my Blog and also reach out to me and Attune foods via Twitter @BrooklynFitChik and @attunefoods (Continental U.S. only please.) 

 

I will randomly pick the lucky winner next Thursday, November 1st at Noon (Eastern) and contact them directly. Good luck! Thanks so much for reading my Blog today!

 

Ox Ox,

BFC 

Brooklyn Fit Chick

Follow me on Twitter: “BrooklynFitChik” (note the spelling!)

Friend me on Facebook: “Brooklyn FitChick”

Instagram: “margodono”

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They Said What? Fave Quotes from @MoreMag @FitnessMagazine @SELFmagazine and more

 

 

They Said What?

 

Featuring Quotes from More, Fitness, Glamour, The New York Times and SELF

 

Hello everyone!

Today I am so excited to introduce a whole new feature on Brooklyn Fit Chick—They Said What? This will be a collection of quotes from my favorite news magazines and other media that entertain, enlighten, inspire, enrage or just plain confound me. So let’s get to it!!

 

 

More: Modern Family’s Julie Bowen (September issue)

• Being called fat at her first professional gig, the ABC daytime series Loving: “Between scenes, [a costar] would say, ‘Can you believe how fat you are?’ ” Bowen recalls. Rather than allowing her confidence to be sapped, she sought support from the segment of the showbiz community that forever bears silent witness to the talent’s bad behavior.  “I thought, go talk to the crew, and you’ll find out that they hate her, too.” 

 (Link to Julie Bowen interview)

 

 

Fitness: The Biggest Loser contestant Olivia Ward (September issue)

• On setting small goal: “The very first day of The Biggest Loser we had to push Jillian (Michaels’) truck while she had he foot on the brake...I learned from Jillian the power of setting small, manageable goals.” 

 (Fitness magazine.com)

 

 

Glamour: Rhianna (September issue)

• Asked whether she “looks for trouble”: “Yes and no. I hate drama. But at the same time, nothing bothers me more than when life’s perfect. And that’s the sick part.”

 (Link to Glamour magazine.)

 

  

The New York Times: Helen Mirren (August 28, 2011)

• Describing why her film career is an attempt to “conquer her prudishness”: “I’m constantly searching to liberate myself from my own insecurities and my own uprightness.’

 (Link to New York Times Article)

 

 

SELF: Jennifer Hudson (September issue)

And finally I bring you a quote from the September issue of SELF magazine that contains this quote from actress Jennifer Hudson: "I'm prouder of my weight loss than my Oscar! I hope it has inspired people."

(Link to Jennifer Hudson's Diet Secrets on Self.com)

 

Well one of my regular readers, Cassandra Z. who tweets at @iamcassandra was pretty peeved by this statement and offered me the following comment that she generously agreed for me to share with all of you today.

 I was disappointed after reading this quote from Jennifer Hudson [SELF cover girl; September 2011] because I felt it sent the wrong message to women: That being skinny trumps career achievements. She continues to say, "You never know you're being discriminated against until you see what you've been deprived of. Everybody wants you to wear this or put you on the cover of that." It was as though her weight loss became less of a healthy lifestyle change and more of a Hollywood-skinny-girl-gets-the-swag change. I think it would have helped if she used different words instead of 'weight loss.'

Had she had something like "I'm prouder of maintaining a healthy weight than my Oscar," I think it would have been taken in a more positive light. I'm sure she meant well, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.

 

-Cassandra

 

So what do you all think? Did J-Hud’s comment bother you? Let me know! Let’s get this discussion going!

 

I will bring more of my favorite quotes in the future so be sure to keep checking back!

 

 

Ox Ox,

Brooklyn Fit Chick

Follow Me On Twitter: @BrooklynFitChik (note the spelling!) 

“Friend” Me on Facebook at “Brooklyn FitChick”

What Did We Learn This Month? @LuckyMagazine @vanityfairmag @Oxygen_Magazine

 

What Did We Learn This Month?

Recaps of Lucky, Vanity Fair, Oxygen Magazine

 

 

What are you in the mood for today? Shopping? Movies?  Abs like an Olympic swimmer?

Well then you came to the right place because I am recapping like a fool today.

Let’s dive right in shall we?

 

 

 

 

Lucky magazine: March 2011 issue

 

This issue is very important in the history of Lucky as it is the first complete editorial effort by their new Editor-in-Chief Brandon Holley. Brandon comes to Lucky from Yahoo Shine, Jane and Cosmo Girl and this issue is something of an update with new colors, fonts and lay-outs aplenty. So what say we check out the March issue, eh?

• Heidi Klum: Lucky puts Germany’s most famous (and hottest) export; Heidi Klum on its cover. The usual “I love Seal and my children” chatter that she always gives in every interview is inside here as well. (I would pay cash money to hear her just once say “Seal? Meh, he’s on my shit list today. Why do you ask?”) However Heidi looks great and her clothes are cute so that is all that is important really, right? Let’s move on.
• “City Guide: Seattle” Here we get the skinny on the best places to shop in the city that pretty much invented coffee houses, grunge, and delayed adulthood.
• "90 Days of Outfits" Love this! The brilliant stylists at Lucky take the following challenge—create a whole season’s worth of outfits for only $500. I basically flagged these pages right away and plan to live like the model featured in them. (Yes, I am serious. These pages are GREAT!)
• "Bath Time" Brooklynite (shout out!) Elizabeth Roberts shows off her adorable Clinton Hill abode. (Trying not to die of jealousy here.)
• "Get Her Healthy Look" Lucky asks yoga diva Tara Stiles (LUV her yoga DVDs!) for her favorite beauty products.
• “The Lucky Spring Show Guide” Eight pages of “pure yes” for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vanity Fair magazine: March 2011 issue

 

Vanity Fair always has their March issue be there BIG HOLLYWOOD ISSUE and it is filled to the brim with film-related goodies including sexy movie stars (young & old,) tawdry stories and a Thelma & Louise reunion—yes please!

There is also a depressing article about the financial state of Ireland but we will overlook that one today…

• "Charmed & Dangerous" The first of many photo-heavy stories. This one celebrates sexy femme fatale types including Veronica Lake, Ava Gardner and even Tony Curtis & Jack Lemmon in drag—ha! 
• "Once Upon a Time in Beverly Hills" One of the celebrities I am finding out what was darker in real life than their public persona is the late, great Johnny Carson. A jovial guy on-screen he apparently turned ice cold to anyone who dared to cross him personally or professionally. One person who found this out all too well was his former producer Freddie de Cordova. This is a very interesting article about de Cordova’s widow Janet.
• "Hollywood’s Top 40” Back in the day, I worked in entertainment public relations (not as glamorous as it sounds by a long shot.) Anyhoo, I know a certain publicist that will notice her client isn’t on this here list from Vanity Fair and I bet she is MIGHTY peeved. (Sorry-this is the list of the top people in Hollywood—power wise.)
• "The 2011 Hollywood Portfolio" Vanity Fair has several pages of Hollywood folks both new to the scene and legends in their day. They also bring together the cast of Ordinary People which serves to just heighten my latent Timothy Hutton crush (le sigh!)
• “The Rude Warrior” Mel Gibson. Blech.
• “The Ride of a Lifetime” Loved this! Here we get a look back at one of my favorite films ever—Thelma & Louise. In addition to the gossip and backstory is a recent photo of Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis who look insanely beautiful still.
• “To Have and Have Not” This is a really insightful article about the life and times of Lauren Bacall whom I have heard is a rather, um-difficult person at times. Anyhoo, we get tons of pictures and inside scoop here plus this photo of the younger Bacall in her heyday which I think is just beyond stunning.

 

 

• “Proust Questionnaire: Michael Douglas” I love his motto. “Give it your best effort and then f***it.” Words to live by indeed.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Oxygen magazine: March 2011 issue

 

Okay, let’s get back down to what this Blog is really about—fit and healthy living. So I grabbed my favorite Canadian publication, Oxygen, and bring its contents to you for your reading pleasure. You’re welcome!

• “Five Common Fat-Loss Myths-Busted” How to get the most out of your toning workouts, whether or not you can “spot reduce,’ and how much to focus on cardio. Plus more.  
• “Fire Starters” An interesting piece that equates the motivation and dedication to fitness to the work it takes to maintain a romantic relationship. There will be ups and downs and periods of complacency in both. (Got me thinking.)
• "Reinvent Yourself Abroad" If you are anything like me and find yourself daydreaming about a life in another country (oh the Irish hillsides call my name…) you will LOVE this roundup of daring gals who created their own careers in whole new worlds.
• Dara Torres: The cover model for the March issue is 43 years-old and still in fighting, Olympic shape. In fact, she is training for the 2012 Olympics thankyouverymuch. We also get her own personal core routine inside. Me likey!
• “Get Energy to Burn” The power foods that will give you energy for training plus recipes that are very easy to follow. One-month protein-rich plan included.
• “Tone Your Tush” You don’t need me to explain this do you? Really good exercises here folks.
• “A Stronger, Healthier You” All about the benefits of Vitamin D.

  

That's all she wrote for now folks. Keep coming back and I will keep you updated on the latest news, reviews, silly videos, playlists, giveaways and all good things that make life worth living. Who can beat that?

 

Until next time…

 

Ox Ox,

Brooklyn Fit Chick

Follow Me On Twitter: @BrooklynFitChik (note the spelling!) 

 

What Did We Learn This Month? @WomensHealthMag Dec Issue

 

What Did We Learn This Month?: Women's Health

Women's Health magazine: December 2010

 

Women's Health Cover Model: 

Michelle Monaghan:  

The Iowa-born actress (hometown population is 772!) is currently starring in Due Date with Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifiankis and has another film directed by Sophia Coppola, Somewhere, coming out soon.

 

Apparently Michelle isn't a "rules" gal because she was the one who asked her husband out the first time she met him! She and her Australian graphic designer hubbie, Peter White, live in the Hollywood Hills along with their daughter Willow which seems perfect for the outdoorsy star. 

 

Here is a picture of Michelle from inside the magazine.

  

  

 

 

(Love ya honey but I can't say I am on board with those pants. Anyhoo...)
 


How Does Michelle Stay in Shape?

 

Michelle is not one to use the word "diet" freely and chooses to look at her food choices as part of a healthy lifestyle. She does however work out quite frequently to keep in shape and maintain her energy while on movie shoots with the help of expert trainer Kiki Aldonas of Equinox gym. Her routine combines lunges, squats, cable work and the occasional yoga class. 

 

Got that? Okay, let's move on.

 

Also in the December Women's Health:

  

 

"What's Best for Your Breasts" 

 
 
 
 
Women's Health takes a look at the now year-long controversial recommendation by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) that stated self breast exams were basically worthless and provided no real benefit for cancer detection and even more shocking--that women should wait until age 50 (instead of 40) for biannual mammograms instead of getting them yearly.

 

This created a hell of a stir at the time with both sides of the issue arguing loudly for their case. As someone who lost a friend to breast cancer at the age of 32 and watched one of my best friends fight the disease last year--I am not exactly a fan of waiting to be tested and discouraging self-exams.

 

Women's Health takes a deeper look at this controversial topic and offer the best advice available for their readers to follow.

  

 

Sex-ay Mark Wahlberg:

I am old enough to remember when this guy was a rap star with a penchant for dropping his pants at unusual moments but my how Mark Walhberg has changed from being a Boston street punk to a Hollywood mogul!  

 

The coverboy for this month's Men's Health talks about his weepy nature (he loves "seeing people succeed,") his happy family life with wife model Rhea Durham and their four kids, and his apparent ability to impersonate anyone. I want to see his Christopher Walken stat!

 

 
 

 
 

"Power Pairs"

Certified personal trainer Katrina Hodgson, CEO and Founder of ToneItUp.com, offer a whole slew of exercises that when paired up--work multiple muscle groups. I ripped out this page right off the bat.

 

 

 
 

 

Muscle Memory Fitness: 

This was a very encouraging article about the benefits of exercise in relation to muscle memory. If you ever start a workout regime and then have to stop due to reasons of pregnancy, illness, injury, or whatever--when you return to the activity your body will quickly remember what it needs to do and therefore get you back in shape in no time at all. Nice!

 

Also includes some cool "muscle memory" exercises to try on your own. See!

 

 

 
 

  

  

Party Dresses!

One of my favorite sections in women's magazines this time of year is the "best party dress" page offering ideas for every body type and budget.  This is one of the better ones I have seen recently. See it for yourself here!

  

 

 
 

  

2010 Holiday Gift Guide

My number one favorite feature this time of year is the gift guide section. YES! I don't care if it is in Car & Driver magazine--I want to check it out.

 

Being that this is Women's Health we have page after page of healthy, fit and fun suggestions that make me say "yes, please!" and as usual for this magazine--it has an excellent layout. 

  

This page in particular (for the "sister" in your life) features tons of "I wants" including the yoga mat that has a built-in speaker. My sister would kill for this one! It's only $40 by Gaiman and you can get it at BestBuy.com.

  

  

 
 

 

 

 

What Else is in the December Women's Health?:

 

• "Tame the Beast" An excellent cooking section that features how to cook all types of main meat dishes. Yum!
• "The Privacy Predators" A look at the rise of identity theft and cyber crime and what you can do to protect yourself.
•  "20 Little Ways to look Sexy this Season" Women's Health had their fashion and beauty people go overboard to find cute ideas to sass up your look during this festive season. Cute!
• "The Enemy Inside You" The photo they use has a model with a very eerie looking bellybutton (page 76!) but the story itself talks about inflammation and how it can mess up your insides in many ways so maybe that's appropriate? Good information here by the way.
•  "What Being a Locavore Means" Food Network start Tyler Florence talks up the benefits of eating close to home. 
• "Is Gluten Bad for Your Body" Are you like me and finding out constantly that friends and family are suddenly eating gluten-free? Here we have a report on whether or not eating a "g-free" diet is healthy and/or beneficial.  

 

Plus we have the usual round of motivation, sex, flat-belly diet plans and fashion pages we expect from Women's Health every month.   

 

Overall Grade: A!  

Excellent advice, great-looking pages, and tons of fun stuff makes this a good holiday read.

 

Keep it up Women's Health! See you in 2011!
 

ox ox,

Brooklyn Fit Chick

(BFC)

 

 
 

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Working Out Mile High with Jackie Warner (#Thintervention)

Work Out Tips for Frequent Flyers

Jackie Warner of Bravo TV's Thintervention Busts a Move Mile High

 

Hey Kids!

 

I am planning my episode three recap of Bravo TV's Thintervention later today but in the meantime, please enjoy the following clip from Jackie "Mother F***in" Warner. Our buff goddess shows how to get a little exercise in when stuck in one of those tubes in the sky.

 

(I am guessing she flies on private jets as I can't see doing lunges on Jet Blue but what the hell do I know?)

 

Check it out here (courtesy of BravoTV.com)

 

 

And when you are ready to give your belly muscles a workout, enjoy one of my favorite scenes from Airplane (a classic if there ever was one.)

 

 

 

"Chump don't want the help--chump don't get the help." Indeed.

Recap to come soon!

Ox Ox,

BFC

What Did We Learn This Month @GQMagazine: June 2010 Issue

 

What Did We Learn This Month?

 

GQ magazine: June 2010

 

 

Cover Model: Super Sex-ay Down Under Supermodel Miranda Kerr. (With a waist I would KILL for.)

Front of the Book Goodies: 

• First we have Tony "Stony" Curtis in a feature titled "A Life Well Lived."

 

The father of Jamie Lee and the star of one of my favorite comedies of all times (Some Like it Hot) gets his proper due and offers advice to today's pansies on how to be a real playboy and yet know your feminine side (not easy people!)

And also:

• Put Some Hair (Back) on Your Chest

 

Finally! Thank you!  Throw away the wax and stop the constant man-scaping. Be a dude and let the sexy chest hair out this summer boy---eez! (Seriously Jon Hamm, Tom Selleck and Roger Federer in the same story? Is this Christmas?)

Attention! Back and shoulder hair are still banned however.

Love, All the lovely ladies who ride the "F" train in the summer. Namaste!

And finally this nonsense.

 
 
 

I seriously hate everything on this page except for the picture of Jakey-Pie. What gives GQ editors? This guy annoys me in print. In person I want to punch him in the arm until he cries. Blech!

But hold on, GQ gets better and delivers more of the good stuff with the June 2010 issue. Here are my highlights:

"Are You Ready for Some Futbol?":

Every year that the World Cup appears I am completely mystified at how Americans get completely excited and behind this sport. You know, the one that only happens to be the most popular on the planet. Maybe we aren't a bunch of Xenophobic ass hats after all? (She types hopefully...)

Anyway, this is a really well-created "Special Section" on the sport and who to look for when watching the games at your favorite overcrowded Irish bar near you. (Download Ricky Martin's "La Copa de la Vida/The Cup of Life" to really get in the mood. You will thank me later!)

The Reason Adam Sandler Might Finally do a Print Interview Again:

GQ's Zohar Lazar offers a nice career retrospective on Adam Sandler and gives us all hope that Grown-Ups won't suck. I have yet to get over the highly over-praised schlock that was Funny People but every single time Airheads is on cable-- I have to watch it. So maybe we all just have our own taste in comedies. Moving on...

The Smart Man's Jersey Shore:

There is no such thing. Next! 

 

"My Call Girl Years"

This one totally flummoxed me. I know I should have been offended by this personal essay by a guy who went through a phase of paying women for sex. But I could not help but find compassion and understanding about his reasoning. It really made me think more deeply about the pathology of human desire and sexuality. Good on you GQ!

"The Second Front"

Worth the price of the magazine alone. An EXCELLENT piece on how advances in communications and technology are making it so much easier than ever for soldiers who serve abroad to keep in touch with their families at home while on active duty. But this is a double-edged sword for some who find out their home lives are in disarray and they are incapable of being any help to their spouse or children while so far away.

Shit, I am not doing it any proper justice. Just do yourself a favor and read it for yourself. And then remember all of the sacrifices the men and women in the armed forces make for us every day. (Can we please bring them home now?)

"The Lost Girls of Rocky Mount"

And they do it again--another well-written and thoughtful article that I would not expect for a summer issue due to it's subject matter. Writer Robert Draper uncovers a possible serial killer who has not been brought to justice most likely for the fact that the victims are black women.  The crimes take place in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and the description of the crimes plus the apathy in finding the killer behind them gave me a terrible night't sleep.

And the knockout punch...

GQ looks at the sad troubled life of Mike Penner/Christine Daniels.

Like so many other people, the story about the sports writer for the Los Angeles Times who had a sex change operation and lived openly about it really intrigued me. Of course I am curious as to why anyone would feel compelled to change their gender but especially when said person has a high profile media presence.

Sadly Christine's life as a woman did not quiet all of her demons and she took her own life just three years later. You need to read this for yourself. Sad but very illuminating.

And finally something completely silly to lighten the mood:

"Doing It for the People: The 25 Greatest Philanderers in American Political History"

 

 

The old-school, 70's porno vibe just heightens a frothy and wonderful piece on sex and hypocrisy. Enjoy! 

 

Overall Grade:  B+  Excellent articles, fashion pages that were kind of cool and an article on "budget" destinations to take your gal this summer that made me want to grab my overnight bag.

Points taken off for the "summer in the city" story  mentioned before and the John Mayer "Manhood" illustration which was just lame-o. (We all know that Hollywood folks sleep with each other all the time. Who cares?)

Until next month GQ...

ox ox,

BFC

 

 

RIP Dennis Hopper 1936-2010

He lived a hell of a life on his own terms. A man's man and a hippie who appreciated freedom, a strong national defense, getting married frequently and modern art. An iconoclast who was alternately scary (Speed,) disturbing (Blue Velvet,) groovy (Easy Rider) or humble as in my favorite role of his "Shooter" the drunken dad from Hoosiers.

I have been writing about my thoughts on the best/worst fitness and exercise scenes and while Hoosiers is a stretch on that (it will be given prime treatment when I pick my favorite sports flicks) now is as good a time as any to mention it here.

Hoosiers remains the only movie I saw on an airplane (family trip to Hawaii--whoo hoo!) where at the big emotional payoff (High School State Championship) all of the passengers clapped and cheered. Roll Bounce came pretty close but Hoosiers remains a crowd pleaser.

If you have not seen it, please do yourself a favor and check it out. Here are the details: from IMDB.com "Hoosiers" 1986

Check out the trailer here:

 

 

To quote Patton Oswalt: Dio, Coleman and Hopper in one week. The angels must be confused.

ox ox,

BFC

How the Movie Rudy (1993) Inspired Me to Give up SF for NYC

Best/Worst "Fitness" Scene: Rudy (1993)

 

Okay I am stretching the "fitness" part here but I am presenting  one of my all-time favorite sports pictures and this particular scene illustrates why Rudy is considered a classic by so many people. (Clip below)

 

From IMDB.com:

Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Aston) grows up in a Catholic, working class family that loves Notre Dame football. He does not have the grades, the size or the talent to get into his beloved school so he follows his brothers and father into work at the steel plant. After his twenty-second birthday his best friend Pete (Christoper Reed) who always believed in him dies in an accident. Rudy then realizes that it is now or never to follow his life-long dream to play for the Fighting Irish.

Showing up is not enough to get him into the university, so with the encouragement of a priest (Robert Prosky), he enrolls in Holy Cross Junior College. There he gets help from a tutor (Jon Favreau) who helps him deal with his reading disability and finally get good grades. He works on the maintenance crew (Charles S. Dutton).

 

Finally, Rudy gets accepted and upon transferring in to the school, he gets a chance as a "tackling dummy" for the team for two years. Encouraged by his persistence and spunk, Rudy inspires the team and is allowed to dress for one game by the coach (Jason Miller), where he is triumphantly carried off the field by his fellow teammates. The story is based on the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger.

 

 

Rudy reminds me to keep moving forward when a challenge comes my way no matter how scary it seems. Over the years this film has served as an inspiration for me to branch out and raise my own expectations. To tell myself to get up and try again when I fall.

 

At the time I first viewed Rudy on cable TV, my life was pretty sucky. A year out of college, underemployed, lonely and feeling very stuck with my life in Northern California-- I just could not see my way out my rut.

 

Then one day while riding home from my retail job on the BART I could not stop thinking about Rudy. I thought about the kind of guts it takes for a kid to leave his comfortable life and do something that for all intents and purposes is grandiose and out of his league. Then a thought came to me: "Move to New York. Find a life there. If not now, when?"

 

Three months later I had sold my car, moved in with an INSANE cat-lady relative on Long Island and began looking for a job, apartment and really--my more authentic self.

 

That was 15 years ago and I cannot begin to imagine where I would be now if I had not given myself a kick in the pants. My life here in the Slope if filled with friends, good times, and a level of excitement that the East Bay will never be able to match. (Though I do miss that weather!)

 

Anyhoo, check out this scene for yourself. Let me know what you think. Sean Astin is most famous for his role in the Lord of the Rings pictures but to me he will always be "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!"

 

BFC

 

Best/Worst Fitness Scene: Rocky IV

This week I thought I would offer some of my picks for the best and worst workout/fitness scenes in movies and TV according to little ol' me.

Today we have Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren of Rocky IV getting ready for their big fight.

Back story...Dolph's character Ivan Drago killed Apollo Creed in a USA vs. Soviet Union match. Rocky Balboa threatened revenge and comes out of retirement to fight the Ivan and firmly establish America's dominance in boxing once again. Deep stuff.

It's a very silly film that is insanely enjoyable.  Please to enjoy the BIG training sequence. Be sure to check out the high tech equipment the Russians use for Ivan's training. Wonderfully cheesy, 80s fun. Love!

 

 

What Did We Learn This Week: People magazine

People: May 31, 2010

 

The "Holy Shit She Looks Amazing!" Cover:

Jennifer Hudson  

After receiving an Oscar for her role in Dreamgirls (for which she gained 20 pounds) Jennifer is now set to play the one and only Winnie Mandela in a new biopic set to come out this year. But first the director asked her to lose weight. Three times. After having a baby boy last August (husband is WWE Wrestler David Otunga) Hudson felt ready to try a new health and fitness program to not only get the part of her dreams but feel her best as well.

So with the help of Weight Watchers (she is a paid spokesperson) and celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak (who sells a "5-Factor Diet") she is now down to a size-6 and says she is very happy with her new body.

See for yourself!

 

 

Jason Alexander Lost Weight Too!

Alexander (he will always be George Costanza to me!) is a paid spokesperson for the Jenny Craig diet system and lost over 30 pounds on the program. He feels so good about himself that he proudly wears spandex in his commercials!

Here he is:

 

Bethenny Frankel's Baby Bryn!

The Real Housewives of New York (and soon-to-be Bethenny Gets Married) star show's off her teeny, tiny bundle of joy--Bryn Casey Hoppy. Ch-ch-check her out!

 

 

The Rest of This Week's People in a Nutshell:

• Jesse James wants Sandra Bullock back (He told this to People again. After the cry-baby interview he gave to Nightline. Oy, I am over this douche.)

• Danielle Staub of Bravo TV's Real Housewives of New Jersey has written her life story and promises to clear up all of those pesky "I am not a drug addict nor was I ever a prostitute" rumors and set the record straight. Good luck with that Danielle! (Eyes rolling)

• The 2010 Cannes Film Festival filled with behind the scenes stuff about good-looking Europeans in artsy-fartsy films I will probably never see.

• Matt Lauer and his wife Annette are NOT splitting up! You got that?

• The Duggar Family preemie baby Josie (their 19th child) is back in the hospital. (Nope, not touching that one.)

• Sex machine Lenny Kravitz is now a wallpaper designer. (But of course!)

• Journalist Laura Ling talks about being in a Pyongyang jail for months. (Yikes!)

That's all I have left in me for this issue. See you next week People!

Overall score: B-

Sorry but for some reason I was just not feeling this one. The Jennifer Hudson story was way too short by the way. Let's try next week shall we?

ox ox,

BFC