Cosmos, Flirtinis, Sex and the City...2

Seven has a great rooftop bar. On a slightly cold night, this modern firepit is lovely.

5.27.10 - Mary, MJ, some other girlfriends and I went to Minneapolis to watch a midnight screening of the new Sex and the City movie. We had Cosmopolitans and Flirtinis at SEVEN, relaxed on the rooftop and enjoyed the beautiful night sky before walking across the street to Block E where we watched the second SaTC.

A Cosmopolitan.

A table filled with martinis means good times.

A Flirtini.

Okay, so the movie...Well, it was strange. It was like a weird fantasy getaway except none of it really matched the title. First of all, Abu Dhabi is so last year, and for a movie actually filmed in Morocco, they should have just rewritten the plot to go there instead, it wouldn't have made that much of a difference, and in fact, I would have preferred a lovely Marrakesh adventure to the ladies' cliche ethnic excursions.

Other than the numerous expiates (which makes sense, hello it is the UAE) in the movie, who were all pretty much treated like harem slaves in some cringe-worthy moments, there were a few holes that really were never filled, also after 6ish years of getting to know some of the other characters in the tv series, some of the men were literally reduced to one minute cameos or a ridiculous 20 minute wedding scene complete with real life Swarovski-inspired swans. Samantha's character was ridiculous unfabulous sometimes, from her hormone-crazed frenzy to humping everything on set, it was tacky.

Fashion was either a big hit or a really big miss. I did love all the snake-inspired pieces Samantha wore and in general, I like Middle Eastern prints and patterns, so I was mostly happy with how they were cut and worn. I got a huge craving for khussa's during the movie and decided I need to add to my small collection of khussa flats by buying more. I loved Carrie's market bazaar outfit. I heard that her symmetrical-cut large skirt was the delivered to famous SaTC designer, Patricia Field, as the form dummy for another skirt, so she modified it to be a real skirt and I loved it.

To SaTC's credit, I will say that this movie had more actual people of color then Prince of Persia, which after watching the credits roll on both movies, I quickly realized the only role in PoP that featured a person of color was Sir Ben Kingsly's roll, and many people don't even realize that he is half-Indian. Both movies really needed some actual Middle Eastern or Arabs in the movie, but SaTC had a few, PoP had none. Tsk tsk.

The first SaTC movie was absolutely fabulous and this one, because it didn't live up to my expectations, was...well, just less.

Summer fireworks

5.30.10 - MJ, Shauna and I met up at the Music in the Park in Plymouth. We walked around, listened to bands and saw fireworks...oh and we kept getting run over and separated by the hoards of middle and high schoolers who took up all the space between popping their bubble gum and saying, "like" 20 times. I know I used to be them a long time ago, but that night was so packed with way too many teeny-boopers!

I call this one "palm tree" because it kind of reminds me of one at first glance.

I didn't take any other pictures that night because I was so overwhelmed by all the people who were constantly pushing, shoving, budging and yelling. At one point the lights were turned off so the fireworks could start up and for a few minutes a bunch of kids were screaming in panic and running around. I honestly thought for a few seconds that people were going to riot and all I remember thinking was, "yikes, am I safer in the porta-potty or will it get tipped over with me inside of it!?" Everything turned out alright and I eventually got back to my spot on the grass safely after a lot of navigating the maze of people.

The silhouette of a nearby tree against a sky filled with summer fireworks.

These are my first fireworks of the summer! Very pretty. I should really look up the science to how they are made because I don't really know much about it at all. I hope you all like fireworks because the next day or so shall be packed with cool fireworks I saw.

View from SEVEN

5.13.10 - MJ, Mary and I went to SEVEN for pre-show drinks. It was crowded, so we ended up on the rooftop patio facing the shell of where Gameworks used to be - and that's where these pictures were taken. Not a spectacular view, I know, but next time I'll try and fight my way over to the patio facing Hennepin Avenue.

Mo'Nique: Spread the Love Tour

Academy Award winning actress and...comediAnne?! Not comedienne or comedian?

5.13.10 - MJ, Mary and I went to see Mo'Nique at the State Theatre in Mini-an-apolis (M'N said Minneapolis like that all night long and it was really funny). I was excited to go and I had a good time, it was an memorable experience, and by that I mean, it was the first time I've seen people full-out patted down at at the State Theatre; I've been to tons of shows there ranging from the Nutcracker to David Copperfield and I've never seen such security. I thought it was very typical of unfortunate (MN) racial politics interesting that most of the Black guys got frisked while pretty much everyone else just walked on in - including my friends and I.

Before the show, the last time I saw Mo'Nique was when she won an Oscar for best-supporting actress in Precious (a must see!) so I was glad when I got the opportunity to go see her and take some good friends along. I guess I don't really think of M'N as a comedian, but this tour was definitely showcasing her style. She had two male warm-up acts which basically  made jokes about the same thing - women. I was kind of surprised because I thought it would be a more balanced in terms of making fun of men and women, but the night proved me wrong.

The accommodating and nice ushers I know from previous events, were that night, strict security guards who gruffly greeted and demanded that no photography of any kind was allowed - there was a sign stating thus that I really wanted to take a picture of, but alas, I never got around to it. Anyway, NO ONE all night long listened to the security guard ushers and took all of the videos, flash/non-flash photography (like me!) they wanted. It hilarious. As soon as she walked on stage, all kinds of flash started going off and after a few minutes I realized that I could take pictures and probably get away with it because I wasn't using flash, and therefore wasn't standing out every time a guard scanned the crowd.

She was funny, but I kind of wish she was there to do more of a motivational or inspirational talk rather than joke about weight loss or the differences between White and Black women and the men that they date. I appreciated the humor, but I guess I would have liked to hear her speak on some more serious topics. I will say that it was a good crowd and people really seemed like they enjoyed themselves; it was nice to see so many different people having a good time together, laughing in agreement and slapping their knees without inhibition.

After the show, we went to...where else? Palomino for drinks and apps. I ordered a white peach sangria (I think) and it was very refreshing. 

I'm glad I went, it was fun and I did laugh a lot. I don't think I'd go to see her in a comedy tour like this one again, but if she decided to tour with an all-female comedian troupe next year, maybe I'd actually go see that because I think the topics would be different and a little bit more balanced. If Mo'Nique were on a bill to speak at a conference about pretty much anything else I'd definitely go because I really like some of things she's said about more serious topics in the past, and I really respect her as an actress...and I get that you can't always be serious, so I guess in the end, I'll respect her as a comedian too.