"baby i was born this way"

it's heeeerrrrrree!  i heard "born this way" first thing this morning on my way to work.  i literally got chills as the music started.  the pulsating beat.  the vocals.  the anthemic message of self-love.  the infectious way it made me want to dance.  i admit that it took a couple listens to make me completely obsessed with it, but now i am.  totally & completely.  the count on my itunes is already at 42.  is that normal?  anyways, it's amazing!  the message is so empowering, and it's strange/lame/whatever, but i feel like this one song has already made me feel so much more comfortable in my own skin.

"i'm on the right track baby i was born this way!"

** rant warning **
a lot of people are claiming that gaga ripped off madonna's "express yourself".  yes, there are obvious similarities between the two, but it's definitely not a copycat version.  i actually think of it as an homage to madonna.  seriously, the song is unique enough to be viewed as it's own hit. and honestly, how many other artists have "paid tribute" to past artists or even just used the exact same music only with different lyrics (ahem- rihanna "sos", flo rida "right round", jay-z "young forever"... etc, etc.)?  so, even if "born this way" is similar to "express yourself", who really cares?  it's already #1 in 21 countries... guess not too many people care.

panera at home

i love panera.  especially their broccoli cheese soup.  and their strawberry + other fruit salad with poppyseed dressing.  and their sandwiches.  did i mention i love panera?  well, if i feel like it's a sandwich day i usually get the frontega chicken panini.  it's really good & all the flavors work really well together.  last night, i had a girl's dinner date with my l.a. bff and i decided to try my hand at recreating the panini with my wonderful panini press.  i looked up the ingredient list on panera and picked everything up on my way home from work.  it was super easy to make & they turned out great (in my opinion)!  i even made one for hubby when he got home from work (at 10pm!) & he loved it!  the only thing i'll try differently next time is to use a thinner bread because the ratio was a little off.  or maybe i didn't put enough stuff inside... hmmm.  either way, i will be making these again!

my ill-ratioed, yet delicious frontega chicken panini

"we are all born superstars"

lady gaga has released the album cover for her new single "born this way". she is looking fierce and channeling an alien-ish vibe (with the face & shoulder protrusions).  i think the simplicity is stunning!  the single release date has been bumped up to this friday, february 11... it's so sooooooon!!!

'bld'elicious

hubby wanted to take me on a date before he left for his business trip.  we usually do dinner dates at one of our usuals, but i wanted to switch it up.  i decided that we should go on a brunch date to a restaurant i've been dying to try for over a year.  i saw it on 'the best thing i ever ate' on food network and i knew i had to go.  the magical place i am talking about is bld restaurant.

we were lucky enough to get seated right away (it's a pretty packed place, especially for brunch).  the restaurant is what i would call 'upscale diner' style... very good vibes.  we both got mimosas with fresh-squeezed orange juice.  delish!  fresh-squeezed o.j. definitely made a difference in the mimosas. while sipping, i read over the menu to see what all there was, but honestly, i knew exactly what i was getting before we even got there.  blueberry ricotta pancakes.  hubby ordered the fried egg sandwich with fries. when my pancakes arrived, they smelled incredible and they were gigantic!  oh.my.god.  they were soooooooo good.  like amazing.  even life-changing.  i thought i would be able to eat both of them due to an insane krav maga morning session, but i couldn't even finish one.  i really tried though.  even thought about sitting there the rest of the afternoon just so i could finish them.  seriously, indescribably good. and the sandwich?  well, let's just say it was the best dadgum sandwich.  not the mention the fries were perfect. hubby ate every last bite, but not before i had to beg to try it.

so in summary, it was one of the best dates and probably the only one where we've walked away planning our next trip there.  i am still dreaming of the food... i feel a mild obsession coming on.  wait, i'm already obsessed.

cavill + wilde = epic

rumors are flying that the front-runner for the role of lois lane in the new superman movie is olivia wilde.  yessssssss!!!  unbelievably amazing!  i think she would be the perfect lois lane for snyder's vision of a modern superman. now, just picture it for a minute.  henry cavill & olivia wilde in a movie together.  as lovers.  the hotness of it is mind-blowing!  (i am not ashamed to admit that i have a huge girl-crush on her.)  so please, zack snyder / chris nolan, please cast olivia as lois and make ridiculously happy!

other actresses reportedly testing for the role are rachel mcadams, dianna agron, malin akerman, jessica biel, and kristen stewart.  mcadams is seriously being considered and i think she is a solid second choice for the role.  i'm not feeling glee's agron & don't really have an opinion for the other two.  and kristen stewart?  why in the world is she even being considered?  omg i will hate this movie forever if she is cast.  she is completely undeserving of sharing sexy screen time with henry.  (consciously stopping rant now.)

* update: it's been confirmed that stewart was never offered the role... whew.

jgl love

the rumor has re-emerged that joseph gordon-levitt will reunite with christopher nolan to play a part in the dark knight rises.  sweet! this is getting so exciting!!  i loooove jgl... what an immensely talented actor! he was fantastic in inception (another film obsession of mine) and i am thrilled that he could be joining my beloved batman.

anyways, no news as to what role he might take on. previous rumors had jgl as the riddler, which nolan has said will not be a villain in his movies (maybe).  the web is abuzz with the idea of jgl reprising the role of the joker (due to his uncanny resemblance to heath ledger), but let's hope not.  that's a legacy that should be left as is.  besides, with the casting of tom hardy as bane & anne hathaway as selina kyle/catwoman, the dark knight rises already has two villains.  realistically speaking, jgl could potentially play the new da or assistant da, considering the deaths of harvey dent & rachel dawes in the dark knight.  other options include him playing a rising cop or a mobster. seriously, the possibilities are endless and he will no doubt be amazing as any character.  i just hope nolan will announce the role soon... i'm getting anxious.

for more jgl love