Oddly mesmerizing

Yes. Also kind of bizzare.

I think I like it. Except when it looks too painful.

Luther Vandross has died, according to CNN.

Someone just emailed me about this. I'm really sad. He will be missed.

Seems that Kelly Preston is weighing in on Tom's antidepressant comments.

from the article:

In an interview with AP Radio Wednesday night, actress Kelly Preston, who is married to actor John Travolta and also is a Scientologist, defended Cruise's "Today" show comments about Shields. "If you're going to be advocating drugs, which she does in her book, you need to be responsible for also telling the people of the potential risks."

Um, I guess it's A DOCTOR'S place, if they're prescribing drugs, to inform patients of the risks. Why are people who eschew doctors and drugs so keen on telling other people what medication they SHOULND'T be taking?

Luther? No.

No...that's terrible. Life is just not kind to "Lover Man" type singers. The Fourth is the hottest fucking weekend evah here, so probably not much. Haircut and a movie?

Timelies all!

We're going to do our usual 4th of July thing which is watching fireworks on the Mall. We're also planning to finally see Batman Begins tomorrow. Also, the packing starts. whee.

I have a question for the Vegas people. If the Bellagio and Mandalay Bay end up being the same price on Travelocity, which one would you choose?

I'd have to choose the Bellagio for classiness, Bond-ian charm, and the beautiful fountain show in front. Also, the slim but real chance that they might be shooting Ocean's 13 there, which could theoretically allow me the chance to remind Julia Roberts about the time she was forcibly ejected from the U of A Fayetville theatre.

I'd need a noise I could truly make my own.

Beans, beans, the magical fruit...

Speaking of Vegas, my friend Elizabeth was just there and had this review of the Lotus of Siam:

********

On Wednesday night we had dinner at the reputed Lotus of Siam (buried in a dumpy strip mall a mile east of the casinos), which was pretty much as fantastic as everyone says. We had five items (including dessert), three of which I'd put up there with anything I've had at a destination restaurant. I think the appetizer (which totally gets lost in the translation "sour sausage with crispy rice") was the greatest achievement--how they got each kernel perfectly deep-fried but separate will always be a mystery to me, and the flavor combo of ginger strips, chiles, cilantro, mint, and tangy sausage pretty much rose above. Karen was in love with the admittedly fabbo mango with sticky rice dessert (though the sleeper item in that one is the part that gets no billing--the coconut ice cream served alongside the hot pudding. She kept asking the waiter what the perfumey flavoring was, and he blankly replied "Coconut" several times. I thought he was putting us on till I read one of the old newspaper articles later...they use three different varieties of coconut flown in from Thailand. Big damn slabs of the stuff in it, too, which was cool). The salmon panang curry had this really mellow, subtle cognac-inflected sauce that was very bisque-like in texture...grand indeed.

I finally got to see my cousin's new baby (born Sunday). She was beautiful.